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Online teaching became an alternative approach for the teacher to run the teaching-learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, this study aimed to identify the issues of mathematics teachers in teaching mathematics through online mode during the pandemic where issues represented the problems and challenges. Altogether 415 mathematics teachers from different levels participated in this cross-sectional survey. A self-constructed tool consisting of six categories of problems as Skills and training related problems (STP), learner related problems (LRP), course management and evaluation related problems (CMERP), resource using skills and infrastructure related problems (RUSIP), teaching related problem (TRP), and support and collaboration related problem (SCP) was employed in the study. T-test, ANOVA, correlation, and multiple linear regression were the major statistical techniques used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the technical skills and digital resources with the learners and teaching figures and curves were major challenges of mathematics teachers in online mode of instruction. Additionally, gender, number of available devices, institute types, teaching levels, ICT training, and types of job were explanatory factors to determine the challenges of mathematics teachers in online teaching during the pandemic.

Good governance often seems to have accelerated educational performance. Stepping onto the contribution of governance to the education, this paper examines the effect of Worldwide Governance Indicators produced by Kaufmann et al. (1999) on Educational Performance (EP) of Nepal during the years from 1996 to 2018. The six indicators of WGIs: political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, voice and accountability, regulatory quality, control of corruption and rule of law are used as independent variables, and the educational performance (student learning achievement and education index) as a dependent variable. The results, based on the data collected from the secondary sources, derived from multiple-line graphs and the regression model shows that the majority of WGIs insignificantly explained the educational performance across the years. One indicator namely government effectiveness is found as a negative significant predictor of EP. The findings of this study suggest to reform in the existing level of WGIs for the better educational performance.

This study intends to investigate the present situation of teachers' questioning in Nepali school, test the use of questions types, and analyze across the characteristics of the teachers. The data were collected from a survey of 92 teachers of 81 schools including both community and institutional schools. The questionnaire was prepared largely based on Introduction of Core Skills for Teachers (British Council, 2016). The Cronbach's alpha was in the range of 0.7 that ensured the reliability of the questionnaire. The descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were employed to find out the results. The results show that in overall study, as the effective teachers, Nepali school teachers use lower-order questions, higher-order and follow-up questions in a continuum of frequency from lower to higher order irrespective of teachers' selected characteristics. However, the teachers with a few years of experience use lower-order questions, and trained teachers use more frequently follow-up questions to a significant extent. Based on the findings of this study, Nepali school policy makers and leaders can adapt the existing teacher development programs and policies to make effective teaching and learning. Moreover, teachers can also get insights actually at what level they are in questioning techniques, and further, improve their questioning techniques. Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 8, Issue-1: 333-340

This study aims to explore parental behavior with its dimensions: Parental involvement, consistency in disciplinary behavior, monitoring and supervision, and punishing behavior, and also examine the difference across the parents and child demographic characteristics. The data were collected from 644 children of Grade 10 from 20 schools using the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was in the range of .7 that would ensure the internal consistency of the questionnaire. From the analysis of data using mean, and SD, t-test, and analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test, the major findings were that the parents exhibit almost frequently positive parental involvement in their children's study, however, they show inconsistent disciplinary behavior and poor monitoring, and almost rarely use the corporal punishment. The study concludes that parental behavior across parents and children demographic characteristics is imperative for policymakers and practitioners to be realistic while preparing and implementing the educational plans and policies.

In traditional or online class, student-teacher relationship plays critical role in the overall growth of the students. Following the internet-based survey of 401 students from 18 public and private schools across the country, this study explored the online class status of the students, and their academic and social relations with their teachers during COVID-19 pandemic. The literature-based questionnaire was split into two parts (student backgrounds and online class status, and relationship) and had the Cronbach's alpha .892 for the relation related items. The results of descriptive and inferential statistics indicate that the students had a high degree of academic and social relation. It is significantly difference across gender (for social relation), age, class level, school type and internet connectivity for both academic and social relations but it was insignificant across students' residing regions, caste, parents' education and the e-devices used in the online class. Based on the findings, this study advances some ways to increase active involvement of female students through inclusive participation of parents, schools and society, and to break through by supporting effective pedagogical practices and building warmth and positive online classes in establishing relation with secondary, adolescents or private school students.

Emotional intelligence (EI) has become a central concern to carry out any study on leadership and its effectiveness in schools and other institutions. This study was intended to investigate the effect of the principals’ EI on the academic performance of Nepali institutional schools. A sample of 121 principals and 491 teachers from the schools of three districts of Nepal (Jhapa, Kathmandu and Kaski) was drawn following cluster sampling method. The data were collected through Emotional Intelligence Survey Questionnaire. From the data analysis using non-parametric statistical measures, it was revealed that the principals had higher level of emotional intelligence irrespective of their demographic characteristics. The findings indicated that the schools’ principals were emotionally intelligent and effective in maintaining the schools’ academic performance. The findings can lead to conclude that leadership performance can be enhanced in schools by developing emotional intelligence in the principals’ leadership behaviour.

One of the primary goals of schools is to improve the students' learning performance. Considering the factors associated to students' indigeneity contributing to their learning performances, this study explored the learning performances of ‘indigenous’ (Janajati) students in Nepali private secondary schools. Grounded in Bourdieu's (1986) cultural capital theory, the investigation employed a two-staged mixed-methods research process. In the first phase, longitudinal data (grade XII exam results) of 770 students between 2015 and 2019 at a case study school in Kathmandu were obtained and analysed. The quantitative results yielded from the descriptive analyses revealed that Janajati students, namely the Tamang, Magar, Gurung, Rai, and Limbu students included in the study, had a lower academic performance as compared to their non-Janajati counterparts. These results are consonant with overall national patterns in Nepal. In an attempt to explain these differences, a sequential qualitative study was undertaken through indepth interviews with five participants (three students and two teachers affiliated to the case study school from the same indigenous groups). For analytical purposes, factors influencing students’ performance were grouped into home-related and school-related themes. The study showed that home-related factors were more prevalent than the school-related factors in the students with lower learning performances. While family economic backgrounds and parental education also had a role to play, cultural factors (such as relative lack of predisposition towards education and aspiration for different occupations) were the most important factors influencing lower learning performance.