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Objectives To conduct a nationwide evaluation of student and program director (PD) perspectives of virtual subinternships that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods In December 2020, we distributed anonymous surveys to all 534 urology residency applicants and 161 urology PDs at academic medical centers across the United States to evaluate virtual subinternships. Surveys assessed curriculum composition, goals, satisfaction, barriers, and future reusability. The primary outcome was overall satisfaction with the subinternship, evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale. Results The survey was completed by 174 students (33%) and 82 PDs (51%), including 81 students (47%) and 32 PDs (41%) who participated in virtual subinternships at 29 institutions. Overall, 77% of students and 78% of PDs rated the electives "excellent" or "very good." On ordinal logistic regression, higher student ratings were associated with duration ≥3 weeks (OR 4.64, p=0.003) and class size ≤4 students (OR 3.33, p=0.015). Higher PD ratings were associated with full-time electives (OR 11.18, p=0.019), class size ≤4 students (OR 13.99, p=0.042), and utilization of the standardized Guidebook from the Society of Academic Urologists (OR 11.89, p=0.038). The most commonly reported challenge to the subinternship's efficacy was lack of hands-on learning (87% of students and 81% of PDs). Looking forward, 45% of students and 66% of PDs recommended incorporating virtual components into future electives. Conclusions The virtual subinternship was a coordinated nationwide initiative to provide urologic education to medical students during a pandemic. The most successful courses were structured with longer duration, full-time commitment, and small class size.

We investigate whether economic conditions at labor market entry predict long-term differences in law graduate earnings. We find that unemployment levels at graduation continue to predict law earnings premiums within 4 years after graduation for earners at the high end and middle of the distribution. However, the relation fades as law graduates gain experience and the difference in lifetime earnings is moderate. This suggests that earnings figures from After the JD II and III -- which track law graduates who passed the bar exam in 2000 -- are likely generalizable to other law cohorts because these studies are outside the window when graduation conditions predict differences in subsequent earnings.Outcomes data available prior to matriculation do not predict unemployment or starting salaries at graduation. Earnings premiums are not predicted by BLS projected job openings. While changes in cohort size predict changes in the percent of law graduates practicing law, we find little evidence that changes in cohort size predict changes in earnings. This suggests that law graduates who switch to other occupations when law cohort sizes increase are not hurt financially by larger cohorts. For medium to high earning graduates, successfully timing law school predicts a higher value of a law degree ex-post, but simulations show that no strategy for ex-ante timing is readily available.This article has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies.A powerpoint presentation of an earlier version of this article is available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2612634.

While studies have indicated that visual feedback promotes skill acquisition and motor learning in controlled settings and for various sports, less is known about its feasibility in physical education, which has specific needs and conditions. For this reason, a systematic literature review was conducted regarding video-based visual feedback in physical education. Out of 2030 initially examined studies, 11 matched the selection and quality criteria. The goal was to determine whether visual feedback can be effective regarding motor learning in physical education in primary and secondary schools, and to investigate whether different visual feedback variants (expert modeling and self-modeling), supported by verbal feedback, are more effective than verbal feedback alone. Subsequently, the different conditions (e.g., age, group size, duration) of the included studies were evaluated for their suitability for everyday applications. Video-based visual feedback seems to be effective to enhance motor learning in physical education and seems to be more effective than solely verbal feedback. However, the results show that the specific conditions (class size, scheduled lessons, available time, technical equipment, the digital literacy of teachers, and data protection) of a school environment must be considered before implementing visual video feedback in daily practice.

Objectives This study aims to describe surgical graduation requirements in US dental schools in 2020, including changes made due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Representatives of Commission on Dental Accreditation-approved predoctoral dental programs in the US (n = 66) received a 13-item questionnaire about operative and observational surgical requirements. Responses were assigned values to tabulate a surgical score (zero- to eight-point scale) as a proxy for required surgical experience, and statistical analyses were performed to explore for predictors. Results Surveys were returned by 97% (64/66) of programs with complete data from 62.5% of responding institutions. In periodontics, 6.8% of programs require students to perform periodontal surgery, 63.8% to assist, and none require a competency assessment in periodontal surgery. In oral and maxillofacial surgery, 23.3% of programs have numerical requirements in performance of surgical extractions, 35% require an operating room experience, and 51.9% have a competency assessment involving a surgical procedure. Modifications to surgical and nonsurgical graduation requirements due to COVID-19 were reported by 51.6% and 52.5% of programs, respectively. The mean surgical score was 1.73 ± 1.2 (range = 0-4) of eight possible points. This was not predicted by class size or the presence of postgraduate surgical programs. The presence of postgraduate surgical programs roughly doubled the likelihood of requiring an observational experience in surgery. Conclusions As of 2020, US dental programs require a small fraction of surgical experiences available to students. Class size is not a predictor of required surgical experience. The presence of postgraduate surgical programs increased the likelihood of required observational experiences.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to calculate the male to female dean ratio in the US dental schools, assess whether the dean's gender is affected by specific school characteristics (such as geographic location or class size), and determine whether the dean's gender affects the percent of women in the school leadership team. METHODS Each US school's website was reviewed to capture the name and gender of each dean and others holding assistant, associate or vice dean positions. All data were entered in an Excel database (Microsoft Excel 2016) and analyzed using a statistical analysis software program (IBM SPSS Statistics, v26; IBM Corp). The level of significance was set to α = 0.05. RESULTS The male to female dean ratio (approximately 5:1) differed significantly from the hypothesized ratio 1:1 (z = 5.22, p

Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements are perceived as compelling alternatives to traditional infrastructure development to raise finances and improve efficiency. However, with the substantial improvement in the provision of services through traditionally developed infrastructure, the benefits of PPP implementation need to be continually evaluated. This research investigates three categories of outcomes (educational, stakeholder satisfaction, and general outcomes) for schools in Melbourne implemented under PPP arrangement to those implemented under a traditional procurement method. Data Envelopment Analysis is used to assess the efficiency of these outcomes, based on the consumption of teaching, financial and physical resources. The results indicate that there is no substantial difference between the performance of both arrangements. While the schools implemented under the PPP arrangement have provided better education outcomes, the traditional schools perform better in stakeholder satisfaction and general outcomes. The results indicate that the policymakers need to evaluate infrastructure based PPP arrangements more closely and align with the desired outcomes.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to explore the components of professional identity formation (PIF) and understand dental students' concerns toward their professional identity development so that research-informed recommendations can be made to improve dental professional programs. METHODS This is a qualitative study. A total of 18 students of the whole graduating class (class size: 46) were interviewed about their progress through a newly designed curriculum specific for the dental students at a large public research university in Canada. The audio files were recorded, transcribed, and corrected by a research assistant. Using QSR International's NVivo (Version 12), the researchers of this study conducted a thematic analysis to generate overarching themes and extract the relevant components of PIF. RESULTS Five themes emerged from the study as follows: (i) domain-specific self-efficacy, (ii) role modeling and mentoring, (iii) professional socialization with peers, (iv) learning environment (LE), and (v) reflection. We considered these to be the five key contributors to dental students' PIF. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the main concerns for students and improving the LE are critical in helping students form their professional identity. The findings of this qualitative study identified some important aspects of the dental curricula for educators to consider. These results can be used by future research studies to explore models for professional identity assessment tools that can aid in guiding students' professional identity development.

Despite human (HUM) and veterinary (VET) medical institutions sharing the goal of educating future clinicians, there is little collaboration between them regarding curricular and pedagogical practices during the preclinical/basic science training years. This may be, at least in part, due to a lack of understanding of each type of curriculum. This study presents data about curricula, student populations, pedagogical methodologies applied, and anatomy educators' training at both HUM and VET institutions. Preclinical curricula, admissions criteria, and student demographics were analyzed for 21 institutions in the United States having both HUM and VET schools. This dataset was augmented by a questionnaire sent to anatomists internationally, detailing anatomy curricula, pedagogies applied, and anatomy educators' training. Many curricular similarities between both training programs were identified, including anatomy education experiences. However, VET programs were found to include more preclinical coursework than HUM programs. Students who matriculate to VET or HUM schools have similar academic records, including prerequisite coursework and grade point average. Median HUM class size was significantly larger, and the percentage of women enrolled in VET institutions was significantly higher. Training of anatomy educators was identical with one exception: VET educators are far more likely to hold a clinical degree. This study elucidates the substantial similarities between VET and HUM programs, particularly in anatomy education, underscoring the potential for collaboration between both types of programs in areas such as interprofessional education, bioethics, zoonotic disease management, and postgraduate training.

Over the past 30 years, the scientific community has been increasingly challenged to provide the next generation of researchers with training in responsible conduct of research (RCR). Although RCR courses, workshops, and seminars are now routinely taught internationally, there is little uniformity in goals, content, pedagogy, duration, class size, or methods of assessment. The result is a mixed picture of effectiveness. In this manuscript, we describe goals, rationales, and features for a course tested and revised through well over 100 iterations. Based on our experience and that of others with whom we have shared this model, we propose this course as one that RCR instructors might readily and successfully adopt or adapt.

Over time, the academics’ approaches to teaching (i.e., content- or learning-focused approach) were intensively studied. Traditionally, studies estimated the shared variance between the items that describe a behavioral pattern (i.e., the psychometric approach), defined as a learning- or content-focused approach to teaching. In this study, we used a different perspective (i.e., network analysis) to investigate academics’ approaches to teaching. We aimed to bring in new insights regarding the interactions between the elements that define academics’ approaches to teaching. We used the Revised Approaches to Teaching Inventory to collect responses from 705 academics (63.97% female) from six Romanian universities. The main results indicated that academics’ conceptions about the subject matter are central to their preferences concerning the adoption of a content-focused or a learning-focused approach to teaching. The estimated network is stable across different sub-samples defined by the academic disciplines, class size, academics’ gender, and teaching experience. We highlighted the implications of these findings for research and teaching practice in higher education. Also, several recommendations for developing pedagogical training programs for academics were suggested. In particular, this study brings valuable insights for addressing academics’ conception about the subject matter and suggests that this could be a new topic for pedagogical training programs dedicated to university teachers.

Coaches can provide an appropriate environment for children to develop a range of movement skills, but there is a dearth of research exploring the creation of appropriate resources to support the coach in developing and assessing children’s Complex Movement Skills. There is also a lack of research around coaches’ perceived feasibility of the limited resources in this area. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to design and then assess the feasibility of a Movement-Oriented Games-Based Assessment (MOGBA) for children aged 8–12 years, to be used by coaches within “Made to Play” programs. Thirteen coaches from across the United States and the United Kingdom used pilot materials to assess the feasibility of MOGBA over a 9-week period. Individual, paired, and focus group interviews were structured and data were thematically analyzed using Bowen et al.’s feasibility framework. Findings suggested that MOGBA provided a welcomed and much needed enhancement to their programs, with effective use of technology-enhanced coaching. Coaching involved notions of pedagogy and assessment, with issues emerging around class size and complexity of assessment. Coaches often used MOGBA covertly and flavored the resource to the sport being delivered, and this revealed to coaches the capability of children not viewed before.

The study was carried out on the evaluation of the effects of over-population on teaching and learning of among students in junior secondary schools in Potiskum Local Government Area. To guide the study, 3 research questions in line with purpose of the study were formulated. Descriptive Survey Research Design was adopted for the study. The target population of the study was the entire teachers in randomly selected four junior secondary schools in Potiskum Local Government Area. Stratified Random Sampling Technique was adopted to select 40 teachers from the 4 junior secondary schools to constitute the sample size of the study. Structure Questionnaire was the major instrument used to collect data for the study. The data collected was analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation for the questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that, inability of teachers to paid attention to individual students that need special attention, lack of classroom control and management at overcrowded classroom and teachers found it difficult in conducting effective continuous assessment in classroom are some of the problems faced by teachers and students in teaching and learning in over-populated classrooms in junior secondary schools of Potiskum Local Government Area. The findings of the study also revealed that, high numbers of the students in classroom affect academic performance and that smaller class’s size lead to improvement of academic performance are some of the effects of over-population on the quality of teaching and learning in junior secondary schools in the study area. The findings of the study further revealed that, Admission of the students in junior secondary schools should be based on minimum standard as specified National Junior Secondary School Curriculum and provision of modern teaching aids such as overhead projectors, power point presentation device that each and every individual student will view the content of the lesson in the classroom are some of the ways forwards for overcoming the problems faced by teachers and students in over-populated classroom during teaching and learning in junior secondary schools in the study area. It was recommended that, a ratio of 1:40 teachers to students is hereby suggested for junior secondary schools as stated in the National Policy of Education (2013).

PurposeFinancial struggles affecting universities across the United States have caused debate about whether business schools are cost prohibitive or cost savvy, especially for small liberal arts universities that lack large endowments and are highly dependent upon student enrolment. In other words, are they too expensive for small schools to operate? The presence of a business school necessitates hiring business faculty with comparatively high salary expectations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyses the cost effectiveness of business schools at four small liberal arts universities.FindingsOur results show that cost is most strongly correlated with class size and adjunct instruction as opposed to faculty salaries.Research limitations/implicationsThus, class size and the implementation of adjunct instruction can make having a business school not only affordable but also advantageous.Practical implicationsBusiness schools offer a way for universities with missions centred around developing the whole person through a liberal arts education to remain a going concern in such a volatile climate.Originality/valueThis paper uses proprietary data to analyse the cost of faculty in different disciplines.

Learner discipline is one of the bases of effective teaching and learning. If learners are not well disciplined, schools will not provide the best possible education. Therefore, it is important that good disciplinary measures and procedures be put in place in any school. In this article we investigate how learners in schools are currently being disciplined without violating their human rights. The nature and the causes of learners’ disciplinary problems are fundamental. A qualitative data-collection approach was employed in this research. Purposive non-probability sampling was used to select the participants for the study. Experienced educators from school disciplinary committees, Representative Councils of Learners (RCLs) and the school principals of 4 schools were interviewed. We found that the common causes of learners’ disciplinary problems varied from school to school. Furthermore, effective school management was found to be at the heart of learner discipline and the general academic performance of the school. We recommend that parents as first teachers should instill values and morals for their children to distinguish right from wrong. Keywords: corporal punishment; disciplinary problem; discipline; disruptive learner; misconduct; school discipline

Attitudes towards education vary between regions and countries. These differences cannot be fully explained by socio-economic inequalities or direct inputs such as teachers or class size. The persi...

Class separation is an important concept in machine learning and visual analytics. We address the visual analysis of class separation measures for both high-dimensional data and its corresponding projections into 2D through dimensionality reduction (DR) methods. Although a plethora of separation measures have been proposed, it is difficult to compare class separation between multiple datasets with different characteristics, multiple separation measures, and multiple DR methods. We present ProSeCo, an interactive visualization approach to support comparison between up to 20 class separation measures and up to 4 DR methods, with respect to any of 7 dataset characteristics: dataset size, dataset dimensions, class counts, class size variability, class size skewness, outlieriness, and real-world vs. synthetically generated data. ProSeCo supports (1) comparing across measures, (2) comparing high-dimensional to dimensionally-reduced 2D data across measures, (3) comparing between different DR methods across measures, (4) partitioning with respect to a dataset characteristic, (5) comparing partitions for a selected characteristic across measures, and (6) inspecting individual datasets in detail. We demonstrate the utility of ProSeCo in two usage scenarios, using datasets [1] posted at https://osf.io/epcf9/ .

The flipped classroom is one the most popular teaching models in recent years. Domestic and international scholars have carried out many experimental and quasi-experimental studies to explore the impact of flipped classroom on students’ academic performance, but the results are mixed. To further explore the impact of flipped classroom on college students’ academic performance, this paper adopted the meta-analysis method to quantitatively analyze 20 domestic and international experimental studies of flipped classroom. We found that: i) The flipped classroom positively affected college students’ academic performance, and the overall combined effect size was 0.66; ii) Effect sizes vary somewhat by subject types. For example, effect sizes for science, liberal arts, and engineering were 0.75, 0.72, and 0.34, respectively; iii) The flipped classroom had the same effect on the learning effect of different knowledge types, but practical knowledge learning was better than theoretical knowledge; and iv) The flipped classroom had produced significant impact on different class sizes, particularly medium class size.

The United States has a history of systemic racism and violence toward minority communities. Unfortunately, the last year has demonstrated that systemic racism, and its consequences, persist. The dental profession has also failed to adequately resolve known issues of racial inequity and systemic racism, with persistent disparities in oral health outcomes for Black Americans compared to all other Americans, underrepresentation of minorities in the profession, and barriers to entry. However, dental education has the opportunity to address these issues. Current accreditation standards do not specifically address racial diversity among the student body, yet it is clear that representation of a population matters and the lack of representation may exacerbate race and racism as public health issues in dentistry. To explore the issue, we curated American Dental Education Association (ADEA) data on the race of students admitted and enrolled into dental programs across the United States. We used data visualization techniques to present the data and study trends. While the number of Black and African American (BAA) enrollees in dental schools has increased between 2000 and 2019, this population continues to make up a disproportionately small percentage of all enrollees, relative to the BAA percentage in the U.S. population. Much of the increase in BAA enrollment is attributable to increased places (due to the opening of new schools and increased class size in established schools) and the rate of acceptance of BAA students has had limited improvement. Very little progress has been accomplished in growing the enrollment of BAA applicants to dental school in 20 years. As a profession, we also fail to grow interest among our graduates in careers that may support historically underrepresented and marginalized racial groups-public health, rural practice, population research, academia, and health policy. This may be a contributing factor to the oral health disparities faced by Black Americans and have implications for dental education.

Betimsel tarama modelinde yürütülen bu araştırmanın amacı, yabancılara Türkçe öğretim sürecinde sınıfların oluşturulurken karşılaşılan sorunlardan biri olan sınıf mevcudunun Türkçe öğrenme başarısı üzerindeki etkisini ortaya çıkarmaktır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda A1 kurundan C1 kurunun bitimine kadar geçen süreçte birbirinden farklı mevcutlara sahip dokuz (9) sınıf ve toplam yüz elli yedi (157) uluslararası öğrenci araştırmanın örneklemi olarak takip edilmiştir. Veriler, örneklemde yer alan sınıfların ve öğrenenlerin kur atlama sınavlarından aldıkları puanların toplanması ile elde edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda sınıf mevcudunun genel Türkçe öğrenme başarısını açık bir biçimde etkileyerek anlamlı bir fark yarattığı, bu farkın sınıf mevcudu 15’den az olan sınıflar ile mevcudu 20’den fazla olan sınıflar arasında oluştuğu ve sınıf mevcudunun başarı üzerinde oluşturduğu etkinin dinleme ve okuma becerilerinde kısmî, konuşma ve yazma becerilerinde ise belirgin olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarından hareketle, yabancılara Türkçe öğretimi yapılan kurumlarda sınıflardaki öğrenci sayılarının on beşin (15) altına düşürülmesi, ideal olarak bu sayının on (10) olarak uygulanması önerilmiştir

This descriptive research investigated influence of class size on the students’ and teachers’ motivation during the instruction. The study objectives focused the effects of class size on the students’ initiation in completing instructional tasks, stimulating them in expressing the ideas freely and in provision of positive feedback to them during the instruction. Three null hypotheses were formulated to observe the significance differences between observed and expected proportion about target objectives. For this purpose, the data were collected from 4th grade students and teachers of 51 government primary schools through observation sheets and questionnaire respectively. Collected data were analysed through mean and chi-square. The major findings indicated that small class size assisted teachers as well as students to exhibit higher level of the motivation and interest during instruction. However, no significant differences noted between the observed and expected proportion about level of initiation, completion of task, rate of stimulation and provision of feedback among students belonging to different level of class size.

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar os indicadores da qualidade educacional dos estados brasileiros entre os anos de 2007 e 2017, bem como apresentar uma medida de eficiência técnica para eles. Utilizou-se o método de fronteira estocástica para os anos finais do ensino fundamental e o ensino médio, encontrando evidências que favorecem a importância da qualificação do docente e do tamanho da turma para melhores desempenhos no Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica. O estudo também mostra que a estrutura escolar obteve resultados negativos para o desempenho no ensino médio e que as escolas responsáveis pelos anos finais do ensino fundamental foram eficientes na realização do gasto, enquanto o ensino médio apresentou ineficiência dos gastos públicos estaduais em educação.

Available data indicate that academic performance among students in the United States has in many cases remained unchanged or has been declining over several decades despite concerted efforts at the state and federal levels in improve performance. With regard to public schools, the decline is commonly attributed to large class size and insufficient funding. Although numerous studies have examined funding and class size and their influence on student performance, many of these investigations did not consider the available longitudinal data. Consequently, they fail to provide a clear examination of both funding and class size effects. Close examination of these data from the US Department of Education, however, shows no significant funding or class-size effect. The present study involved data mining the vast store of education research produced at the US Department of Education to examine the role of class size and funding on public education.

One way in which the practice of inclusion can be actualised in classrooms is through the use of consistent, appropriate differentiated instruction. What remains elusive, however, is insight into what teachers in different contexts think and believe about differentiation, how consistently they differentiate instruction and what challenges they experience in doing so. In the study reported on here high school classrooms in a private and a government school in Lesotho were compared in order to determine teachers’ thoughts and beliefs about differentiation, the frequency of differentiated instruction, and the challenges faced by teachers who implement this inclusive practice. Sampled teachers offered their views on what they understood differentiated instruction to be, the frequency of differentiated instruction, and identified challenges via an administered questionnaire. Data analysis was based on frequency counts and bar charts for comparative purposes. Findings indicate that private school teachers have a higher frequency of differentiated teaching practice, with time constraints indicated as the main challenge. Government school teachers had a lower frequency of differentiation, and identified a lack of resources, and the learner-teacher ratio as challenges, among others. In the study we highlighted the critical role that private schools can play in the national call for the implementation of inclusive teaching in Lesotho, in terms of active collaboration with surrounding government schools. Private schools, with their resources and access to professional development opportunities, can become catalysts in the implementation of inclusive teaching practices. Keywords: differentiated instruction; inclusive education; Lesotho

Traditionally, education policy focuses on reforms that address class size, teaching and learning within classrooms, school choice, and changes in leadership as ways to improve students’ educational outcomes. Although well intentioned, education policy can distract from the multi-layered causes that impact achievement and opportunity gaps, and how students’ life circumstances can affect their school attendance. Students who miss school frequently are less likely to be impacted by even the most robust and comprehensive education reforms. This paper discusses how the root causes of chronic absenteeism are complex and that policy distractions can stifle solutions to solve school attendance issues. As a wicked problem, chronic absenteeism, requires a conceptual framework that helps to organize policy responses within all levels of the educational system, as well as expansive to include other social sectors within public policy.

This study investigated the factors influencing the teaching of chemistry in class nine and ten in the schools under Chhukha District, Bhutan. Adopting convergent mixed method design, the study employed structured questionnaire to collect quantitative data and semi-structured interview and classroom observation to collect qualitative data. The sample comprised of 10 Chemistry teachers and 500 students from class nine and ten from three middle secondary schools and two higher secondary schools. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in the form of tables, mean and standard deviation whereas the qualitative data were analyzed based on content analysis technique. The findings of this study highlighted that the lack of laboratory resources, limited time allocated for chemistry theory and practical classes, and teachers’ heavy workload impacted teaching of chemistry negatively while the teacher’s sound knowledge on the chemistry subject impacted the teaching of chemistry positively.

Offering private tutoring (PT) to their students is legal in Cambodia. However, teachers are banned from engaging in PT during official hours and holidays. Literature has proven common root causes across contexts such as low salaries, class size, insufficient instructional times and high-stakes examinations. With a new attempt, this narrative paper aims to discuss PT and its effects from the different stakeholders’ perspectives and to reflect PT functions towards mainstream education. On the one hand, symbiosis generates a ‘dependency system,’ divided into two relationships such as ‘commensalism’ between PT and the mainstream system, and ‘mutualism’ between supply and demand side including the mainstream system. On the other hand, parasitism (professional misconduct) exists owing to policy implementers’ laissez-faire approach in exercising the approved codes of conducts. Hence, the parasitism remains in the public classrooms owing to the lack of accountability and monitoring system of the in-charge stakeholders. Its presence enlarges the capacity of the dependency system to cast a shadow over the incomplete shape and size of the mainstream system. Thus, it should be alerted that when it is oversized, this symbiotic function may downplay the mainstream system and moves it away from the core attention of the demand side. Keywords: Cambodia, extra lesson, private tuition, shadow education, supplementary tutoring. Cite as: Soeung, S. (2021). A review of Cambodian private tutoring: Parasitic and symbiotic functions towards the mainstream system. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 42-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp42-58

The issue of class size is a complex and contested topic that has divided opinion for many years. Whilst many teachers believe that smaller class sizes assist in enhancing outcomes, a number of pol...

This study aimed to investigate the degree to which teachers in Qatar implement differentiated instruction as well as the impact of years of experience, qualifications, grade, school subjects and training on teachers’ use of differentiated instruction. Also the study tried to explore the obstacles impeding the application of differentiate instruction. The study targeted all early childhood teachers (1,836) in 99 Qatar public schools spreading across the country. A random sample of 236 teachers, accounting for 12.9% of the population participated in the study. Following the mixed approach, the researchers used questionnaires and interviews to collect the data. The results showed no statistically significant differences among the respondents in the degree of application of differentiated instruction due to training and qualifications; however, statistically significant differences were detected in relevance to years of experience, grade, and the subject being taught. The study also found an agreement among teachers on the obstacles they face during their application of differentiated instruction, most notably the teaching load, class size, and time. The study concluded with recommendations for education providers, teachers and researchers.

The main purpose of the study was to assess the influential factors of existing physical education curriculum at degree level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The study consisted of the population, twenty-seven (27) physical education teachers and Five Hundred & Thirteen (513) physical education students, which were selected from Nine (09) randomly selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Survey technique was followed for the collection of required information. Appropriate questionnaire on Likert scale ranging from very much (VM) to Not at all (NAA) was developed and used after pilot testing checked through respondents of sampled colleges adopting a Cronbach’s Alpha method of reliability. The responses of the respondents were supported by (SPSS), version 24.0. Statistical techniques like, Independent sample t-test, regression and ANOVA were applied for analyses of collected data. It has also been found that factors like class size, daily schedule/time table, available infrastructure and teachers’ competency have significant influence upon teaching health and physical education. Based upon the findings, the researcher recommended that college administrator in collaboration with director colleges may bring manageable class size, allot adequate time for health and physical education classes, and provide required infrastructural facilities to impart the teaching experiences, observation and skills in a satisfying manner.

The need to get every individual educated in Nigeria necessitated the introduction of education policies like the Universal Primary Education, UPE (1976) and the Universal Basic Education, UBE (1999). The resultant effect of these policies is a steady and constant increase in schools’ enrolment, especially at the primary and secondary school levels. This led to overpopulation in the schools with some classes having as many as sixty students and sometimes above in a single arm. This study, through the analysis of questionnaires administered to students and their teachers, as well as the analysis of the examination results of selected students in JSS2 class looks at the effects of class size on students’ attitude and academic performance in the English language. The result of the analysis confirms a negative effect of large class size on the attitude and academic performance of students in the English language while the effect of small class size is positive on the students’ attitude to the learning of English language and consequently on their academic performance. As a corollary, the study establishes that teachers’ productivity is more positively enhanced in small classes than in large classes. On the basis of the findings, appropriate recommendations are made to ameliorate these negative effects and to reduce the incidence of large class size in our secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

BackgroundNumerous public health studies, especially in the area of violence, examine the effects of contextual or group-level factors on health outcomes. Often, these contextual factors exhibit strong pairwise correlations, which pose a challenge when these factors are included as covariates in a statistical model. Such models may be characterised by inflated standard errors and unstable parameter estimates that may fluctuate drastically from sample to sample, where the excessive estimation variability is reflected by inflated standard errors.MethodsWe propose a three-stage approach for analysing correlated contextual factors that proceeds as follows: (1) a principal components analysis (PCA) is performed on the original set of correlated variables, (2) the primary generated principal components are included in a multilevel multivariable model and (3) the estimated parameters for these components are transformed into estimates for each of the original contextual factors. Using school violence data, we examined the associations between school crime and correlated contextual school factors (ie, English proficiency, academic performance, pupil to teacher ratio, average class size and children on free and reduced meals).ResultsFrom models ignoring correlations, school crime was not reliably associated with any of the contextual school factors. When models were fit with principal components, school crime was found to be positively associated with a school’s student to teacher ratio, average classroom size and academic performance but negatively associated with the proportion of children who were on free and reduced meals.ConclusionOur multistep approach is one way to address multicollinearity encountered in social epidemiological studies of violence.

It has long been understood that a teacher’s conception of teaching – that is, what they believe and know about teaching – influences their enacted practice. However, it has also been found that en...

Basic education is the core of development and progress in modern societies. It is the level of education that develops the individual’s capacity to read, write and calculate. Regardless of this, previous researchers have highlighted the need to improve the state of educational facilities in basic schools in Ghana. After several attempts of educational restructuring and reforms, it is not clear whether the state of input factors have improved. In this study, the current state of input factors in junior high schools (JHSs) in Ghana were surveyed using Central Region as a case. The study further compared these input factors in JHS to find out whether they differed with regards to school context (i.e., rural or urban; private or public). Through a questionnaire and using a stratified random sampling technique, data were obtained from pupils, teachers and headteachers. The study revealed that the input factors in schools were generally not encouraging. Particularly, class sizes and pupil-textbook ratio did not meet the recommended standards by GES. Also, the rate of accessibility or availability of input factors in urban schools were better than in rural schools. Similarly, private schools were found to have better input factors as compared to public schools.

The aim of this study was to investigate preschool teachers’ practices to promote self-regulated learning in classroom and teacher-level factors affecting their practices. The study sample consisted of 210 preschool teachers. The participants reported that they frequently implemented practices that supported self-regulated learning. They devote a minimum time to the activities related to promoting children’s retrospective task reflections. Also, the number of practices implemented by preschool teachers is affected by the teachers’ years of experience, classroom size, age of the children, and teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs associated with their teaching skills.

Self-confidence is a vital trait that teachers are expected to possess before venturing into the teaching profession or going into a class to teach. The issue of self-confidence of teachers is considered to be predicated on different factors. This research study explored the connection between support from subject mentors to preservice teachers, class sizes taught by student teachers, and their self-confidence. A qualitative method was adopted for data collection from the six selected preservice teachers undergoing teaching practice in three carefully selected high schools in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The finding of the study shows that large class sizes mostly affect the self-confidence of preservice teachers negatively. Also, the role played by subject mentors in boosting the self-confidence of preservice teachers is immense and cannot be overemphasised. Thus, the study recommends, among other things, that preservice teachers should first be exposed to small class sizes to aid their self-confidence before being exposed to large class sizes. Meanwhile, subject mentors should be given periodic workshops on the things expected of them during teaching practice exercises and they should be motivated through various means to mentor preservice teachers.

The purpose of this study was to explore factors impede teachers’ effective use of AVMs to teach ESS at Abba Pascal Girls’ School. The subjects used were 2 English teachers of grades 5, 6, 7 & 8 and sampled students. The grades had 2 sections that encompassed 50 students each. Convenience & systematic sampling techniques were employed to select the school & 32 informants among the population of 400. To get the exact number of the participants which are 4 of each section, the researchers divided the population’s number of the sections into the numbers of each student’s representation accordingly: 50÷4 = 12.5. Thus, every Nth participant was selected systematically according to their attendance lists. Therefore, 4 informants from each section were taken in the intention of the researchers. Both the teachers were directly taken as participants due to the manageable number of entire population. Then, the researchers employed mixed research approach after collecting data through questionnaire, interview & classroom observation. Quantitative data were analyzed in percentages; while qualitative were thematically organized & categorized in a statement form. Conclusion & recommendations were forwarded based on the findings. The findings are learning ESS using AVMs benefit teachers & students. Conversely, the challenges drawback teachers’ effective use of AVMs were underpinned in categories of, the challenges related to classroom, gadgets, teachers & students. Therefore, stakeholders of the school should facilitate technical training sessions for teachers & consider the class size. Finally, the windows of the classrooms should be painted with non-translucent paints.

Class attendance is important. Class attendance recording is often done using ‘roll-call’ or signing attendance registers. These are time consuming, easy to cheat and it is difficult to draw any information from them. There are other, expensive alternatives to automate attendance recording with varying accuracy. This study experimented with a smart phone camera and different combinations of face detection and recognition algorithms to determine if it can be used to record attendance successfully, while keeping the solution cost-effective. The effect of different class sizes was also investigated. The research was done within a pragmatism philosophy, using a prototype in a field experiment. The algorithms that were used, are: Viola-Jones (HAAR features), Deep Neural Network (DNN) and Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) for detection and Eigenfaces, Fisherfaces and Local Binary Pattern Histogram (LBPH) for recognition. The best combination was Viola-Jones combined with Fisherfaces, with a mean accuracy of 54% for a class of 10 students and 34.5% for a class of 22 students. The best all over performance on a single class photo was 70% (class size 10). As is, this prototype is not accurate enough to use, but with a few adjustments, it may become a cheap, easy-to-implement solution to the attendance recording problem.

This research aimed to examine the impact of different factors on high school chemistry teachers’ use of curriculum materials in China. The examination was conducted on a theoretical framework in which three aspects of curriculum materials and three ways of curriculum use are involved and nine factors are suggested. Through a questionnaire survey of 212 chemistry teachers, the findings included the following aspects. Firstly, the nine factors more induced teachers to supplement the teaching elements, but less affected teachers to delete the original contents in the curriculum materials. Secondly, among the nine factors, ‘knowledge about students’ was recognized as the core factor in the three dimensions of teaching objectives, teaching strategies, and teaching activities, whereas ‘class size’ was regarded as the peripheral factor in all three dimensions. ‘Teaching resources’ was another peripheral factor for the dimensions of teaching strategies and teaching activities. Thirdly, two factors were found to be significantly different among teachers who are in different areas of economic development: ‘knowledge about students’ and ‘class size’. Fourthly, ‘knowledge about curriculum’ and ‘knowledge about instructional strategies’ were two factors that made significant differences in the comparison among teachers who have different years of teaching experience. Keywords: curriculum materials, curriculum use, chemistry teachers, influencing factors

The Amended National Norms and Standards for School Funding (ANNSSF) policy of 2006 introduced a funding model to address equity in public schooling. Schools are ranked into one of five quintiles of which quintile 1 represents the poorest schools and quintile 5 the most affluent. The ANNSSF policy proposes that the state provide more funding for recurrent resources to poorer schools (quintiles 1, 2 and 3) than to quintiles 4 and 5 schools. Since affluent schools receive reduced state funding, school governing bodies (SGBs) are obliged to supplement state funding if they wish to continue providing quality education and improving learner achievement. Although intensive fundraising initiatives and sponsorships are viable solutions, the declining South African economy has prompted corporates to apply austerity measures such as limiting sponsorships to schools. Thus, SGBs are compelled to charge parents school fees as a means of supplementing state subsidies. In the study reported on here, qualitative research with an interpretivist paradigm to explore how SGBs manage school fees to sustain the provision of quality education was used. The findings reveal that, if school fees are effectively and efficiently managed, SGBs can continue employing additional staff above the post provisioning norms, reduce class sizes and procure state-of-the-art resources, resulting in high learner achievement. Keywords: budgets; class size; management; school fee exemptions; school fees; teacher-learner ratio

Gamification—the use of game elements in serious contexts, has been prevalent to enhance users’ motivation and engagement in difficult activities. In the literature related to higher education, the use of gamification has emerged as a new pedagogical approach in order to improve students’ learning behaviors. On the other hand, traditional education research suggested that working in groups can enhance students’ learning behaviors. However, no study has been found in the literature that investigates these two distinct concepts in education domain. Therefore, this research aims to explore the effect of different group sizes and gamification on students’ learning behaviors. For this purpose, the study has explored the comparison between gamification and traditional classroom settings on students’ learning behavior with different group sizes: individual, small group, and large group settings. Further, the comparison of students’ learning behaviors in gamification environment within different group settings over time has also been investigated in this research. The analysis suggests that different group sizes can have varying impacts on students’ perception of the course in gamification environment over time. Moreover, it was observed that group size only affects students’ interest, comparison, and discouragement in gamification environment, but does not affect their effort, perceived choice, perceived competence, tension, or motivation. Also, it was found that gamification does not affect the perceived competence of students in any of the group settings. These results can be useful in future decisions about the optimal classroom size, group activities, and group sizes in other activities in larger classrooms.

Class size reduction is frequently argued to be a cost-effective way to improve learner outcomes. In the South African context, most studies conclude that greater class sizes are associated with po...

The correlation between class size and mathematics learning by students has been a subject of research for years. This work studied the effects of class size on the teaching and learning of mathematics in junior secondary schools in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The sample was made up of 100 students and 20 mathematics teachers randomly selected from the population. Questionnaires were administered to respondents for data collection after reliability and validation techniques were applied on the scales. The data were analysed in percentages and means. Pearson correlation analysis was applied on the variables in order to ascertain the level of correlation. It was found that class size affects class control, students’ interest and attention and the time expended in dealing with disciplinary issues in a mathematics class. It is recommended that future research be conducted that will collaborate the importance of class size on students’ learning process and achievement. The recommendations of the National Policy on Education (NPE) regarding student-teacher ratio should be implemented and teachers should be properly trained.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to determine the factors that contributed to the English National Achievement Test (NAT) Performance of the Top Five High Performing Secondary Schools in the Division of Bohol for school years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Approach/Methodology/Design: It utilized descriptive-correlational research design through survey method. Findings: The results of the study revealed that the practices of the teachers on the school factors that affect students’ English NAT performance were having: class size of 31 to 50 students, a student-book ratio of 1:1, monthly supervision of heads, review classes every Saturday and remedial teaching as the need arises. However, there was a significant relationship between all the four teacher factors namely: age, highest educational attainment, length of service and number of relevant seminars; eight of the nine school factors. Teacher’s age, number of relevant seminars attended, conduct of remedial teaching and students’ academic performance are the factors contributing to the students’ English NAT results for school year 2009-2010 while teacher’s number of relevant seminars attended, varying teaching strategies, pairing low performing students with high performing ones and students’ academic performance are the factors contributing to the students’ English NAT results for school year 2010-2011. Practical Implications: The results of this studying should be taken into account in order to improve students’ NAT performance in English. Originality/value: This research concludes that all the factors are interrelated.

Non-designated preliminary (NDP) general surgery residents face the daunting challenge of obtaining a categorical residency position while undertaking the rigors of a general surgery residency. This additional application cycle represents a stressful time for these trainees and limited data exists to help guide applicants and program directors regarding the factors predictive of application success. While previous studies have focused solely on applicant related factors, no study to date has evaluated the effect of the residency program structure, institutional resources, or administrative support on these outcomes.A multicenter retrospective review of 10 general surgery residency programs over a 5-year period from 2014 to 2019 was performed. Applicant related information was compiled from NDP general surgery residents and the results of their attempted second application into a categorical position. Applicant factors including age, gender, standardized test scores (USMLE/ABSITE), and professional training were examined. Program and administrative structure including residency class size, number of NDP PGY-2 positions, number of assistant program directors and program director (PD) background were also examined. Primary success was defined as a NDP resident successfully obtaining a categorical position within general surgery or a surgical subspecialty. Secondary success was obtaining a categorical residency position in any field of medical practice other than surgery or a surgical subspecialty in the United States.A total of 260 NDP trainees were evaluated with an average age of 29.1. Almost seventy percent of applicants were male, 40% graduated from a non-U.S. medical school and 24.2% required a visa to work in the United States. Thirty 4 percent of NDPs successfully obtained a categorical surgery position and an additional 35% obtained a categorical residency position in a nonsurgical field for an overall match success rate of 68.9%. Factors associated with primary success included ABSITE score (p 0.001), US medical school graduation (p = 0.02), visa status (p = 0.03), presence of preliminary PGY-2 positions (p = 0.02), and PD professional development time (p = 0.004). Overall success was associated USMLE Step 1 scores (p = 0.02), number of approved chiefs (p = 0.03), presence of dedicated faculty researchers (p = 0.001), and PD professional development time (p 0.001).Applicant, program-related, and administrative factors all have a significant impact on the success of NDP general surgery residents in obtaining a categorical surgical position. Trainees should consider all of these factors when applying to NDP residencies and in approaching their second application cycle to maximize their likelihood of a successful match.

English is taught as a compulsory course in Chinese universities and it is necessary to find feasible ways to improve students’ English ability to communicate. Role-play is believed as an effective way to enhance second language learners’ communicative competence and it is also supposed to be able to be effective in Chinese universities EFL classes. The real effect, however, relies on the actual implementation in classes. If the teachers inappropriately adopt role-play, it is hard to be useful. Due to the lack of research paying attention to this issue, it is not clear how Chinese university English teachers use role-play and whether it is effective. For this reason, a case study was conducted, with a Chinese university EFL teacher taking part in the interviews. The results show that participants attempt to maximise the effectiveness of role-play to improve students’ English communicative competence by practising comprehensive language skills, linguistic knowledge, and workplace topics. Nonetheless, some issues, namely script preparation, students’ proficiency difference and class size are identified. These may challenge the actual effectiveness of role-play. Possible solutions, including selecting role-play according to students’ ability, considering individuals’ condition, mixed-ability grouping and small class size, are suggested thereafter.

For centuries, teacher professional development has largely been done by external experts who advise teachers on how to improve classroom practice and learner performance. This research explores a relatively unchartered idea of history subject panels/clusters as an innovation meant to break away from orthodox teacher professional development spearheaded by external experts. The research adopts a qualitative case study design. One history subject panel was case studied to examine how teachers initiated and sustained improvements in classroom practice and learner performance. Eight history teachers, who were active participants in the panel, were purposively sampled out of 25 teachers who constituted the history subject panel. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and focus group discussion. Symbolic interactionism was used as the theoretical lens to gain deeper insights into how teachers socialised and shared ideas in the subject panel. Results indicated that the history subject panel was involved in the induction of new history teachers into the profession and the creation of learning communities for history students; practices hitherto undocumented in existing literature on subject panels and teacher networks. Results also showed that the activities of the history subject panel improved teachers’ classroom practice. The implications of this research are that teacher-led subject panels need to be nurtured and supported so that teacher-driven continuous professional development can be enacted across all the subjects offered in the school curriculum. Subject panels can reduce schools’ dependency on external experts for teacher professional development, making teachers the proverbial doctors who can heal themselves. Keywords: history subject panels/clusters, qualitative case study, teacher induction, student learning communities, sustainable innovation, teacher professional development

In the current context of distance learning, learning management systems (LMSs) make it possible to store large volumes of data on web browsing and completed assignments. To understand student behavior patterns in this type of environment, educators and managers must rethink conventional approaches to the analysis of these data and use appropriate computational solutions, such as educational data mining (EDM). Previous studies have tested the application of EDM on small datasets. The main contribution of the present study is the application of EDM algorithms and the analysis of the results in a massive course delivered by a Brazilian University to 181,677 undergraduate students enrolled in different fields. The use of key algorithms in educational contexts, such as decision trees and clustering, can reveal relevant knowledge, including the attribute type that most significantly contributes to passing a course and the behavior patterns of groups of students who fail.