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This qualitative case study explores the leadership strategies of three high school principals to promote equity and inclusivity amid multifaceted challenges in the diverse schooling contexts of Nepal. By shedding light on equitable school leadership practices within a complex web of long-held socio-economic and structural disparities, the findings reveal persistent educational inequalities stemming from caste discrimination, gender biases, economic gaps, and social prejudices. Leadership emerges as crucial in addressing these disparities, with empowering strategies showing promise in bridging educational divides. Policymakers, educators, and leaders can benefit from these insights in fostering equitable educational environments. As Nepal addresses historical inequities, the study advocates for systemic change and social justice in education, aiming to create a more inclusive future for Nepali students. [Note: The page range (268-294) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 268-307.]

Purpose: This article examines the use of English medium instruction (EMI) for teaching Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) by non-native speakers with a focus on multilingual classrooms. It also explores teachers' positive and negative beliefs about using EMI in classroom settings for JFL instruction. Methods and procedure: 274 non-native Japanese language teachers from around the world (57 countries) voluntarily participated in a survey, answering a questionnaire on Google Forms and Jotform. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. The research instrument was piloted before the main study and was found to be effective and adequate to elicit the desired data. The research questions aimed to identify whether there were any relationships between the use of EMI and the multilingual classroom. Findings: The results showed a clear correlation between the extensive use of EMI and the multilingual character of JFL classrooms. Translanguaging turned out to be a common practice adopted by non-native Japanese teachers regardless of the primary language of instruction. The article concludes that EMI can be a valuable tool for JFL instruction in multilingual classrooms. Based on the investigation of the teachers' beliefs, the results showed a changing positive attitude towards English employed in JFL classrooms. Implications for research and practice: The findings can be used to further investigate EMI in JFL instructional practices in multilingual classrooms, improve the quality of JFL instruction and facilitate the integration of multilingual education into foreign language teaching. Future research can explore the effectiveness of EMI in different JFL contexts and investigate the impact of EMI on students' language learning outcomes.

This paper analyses university teachers and students' experiences of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal and presents post-pandemic implications. Potential ramifications of the findings in a normal setting were suggested by the analysis of data gathered through semi-structured interviews with participants both during and after the pandemic, as well as through observation of online classes during the period. Findings demonstrate teachers' ability to create online learning, an alternative mode to a physical classroom, during the pandemic while having an inadequate level of ICT understanding. Despite limited access to digital technology and no administrative assistance, teachers and students created an online learning environment. Findings, however, show an increasing digital gap between rural and urban areas. The discontinuation of effective online learning techniques in the post-pandemic circumstances produced by the teachers during the pandemic pointed out the issues of reforming higher education in developing countries such as Nepal.

In this study, the implementation of a STEAM project was critically examined, with constructivist grounded principles utilized to inform the perspective of both a learner and a STEAM practitioner. A comprehensive project plan was devised that incorporated CAP domains through the integration of the STEAM praxis with peer and self-assessment strategies for school-level science education. This innovative approach, aimed at nurturing the aesthetic value in arts and the evaluation process, led to the creation of a unique methodology for assessing students' cognitive and psychomotor skills. The framework for accessing students' peer/self-evaluation via meticulously designed rubrics is further highlighted. The implementation of a project plan proved to be an interactive and insightful process, fostering a profound understanding of students' concerns and interests. This study underscores the transformative potential of the STEAM approach in educational settings, highlighting its role in promoting critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills among students. [This article was presented at Conference on Recent Trends in Science, Technology, and Innovation-2024, held in-person in Pokhara 33700, Nepal on February 22, 2024.]

The incorporation of computer technology in higher education has experienced substantial expansion and evolution in recent years. This study aims to examine the possibilities and problems that emerge throughout the integration process. Through an analysis of the multifaceted components associated with integrating computer technology within higher education, this study attempts to elucidate the prospective advantages and challenges encountered by educational institutions, instructors, and learners. The study relies on an examination of pertinent academic literature, case studies, and empirical research. This study identifies and assesses various significant opportunities, such as accessibility to educational resources, personalized learning experiences, enhanced engagement and collaboration, and the acquisition of crucial digital skills that arise from the integration of computer technology. Furthermore, this study delves into the possible beneficial implications of computer technology on the efficacy of institutions, cost-efficiency, and administrative functions. Incorporating computer technology in higher education poses several challenges, such as the digital gap, concerns about privacy and data security, the necessity for faculty training and support, alterations in pedagogy, and the possible diversions that may arise due to technology that require careful consideration. The study suggests a thorough examination of the many opportunities and challenges that are involved with technological integration in higher education.

Several conventions worldwide have recognized impartial access to formal and high-quality education as a core human right for all youths, regardless of their disability. The study aims to explore the perception of visually impaired university students (VIs) in Nepal and determine their strengths and challenges to make recommendations for policy making and practice. Face-to-face and focus group interviews were conducted with 10 non-probability samplings: purposive and snowball VIs selected from various semi-urban settings. The interview content was transcribed, translated and a descriptive thematic analysis was done. Findings revealed that the majority of participants relied on their sighted peers in academics and other everyday activities, and that they received limited incentives from the government. They also faced significant challenges during their higher education including inaccessible supportive programs, unfavorable physical and instructional environments, inflexibility in coursework and examination, financial crises, inadequate learning resources and limited support. It is recommended that educators take part in disability-specific training programs, VIs have access to adequate academic resources and receive necessary assistance to improve instruction in inclusive settings.

Recent research has indicated that the utilization of digital technologies among Nepal's secondary school teachers is minimal. A multiple case study research design was employed to explore how Physics teachers at the secondary level utilized digital technologies for teaching Physics and the challenges they encountered in adopting new instructional tools. The study revealed that Physics teachers occasionally incorporated YouTube videos to aid in explaining complex concepts. However, the abundance of digital resources available for Physics classes remains significantly underutilized. Furthermore, students were not encouraged to engage in collaborative learning and communication platforms. Nepal's Physics teachers faced various challenges, such as time constraints, in utilizing digital technologies for teaching purposes. These findings highlight the need for greater support and resources to assist teachers in overcoming these challenges and effectively integrating digital technologies into the classroom. This research provides valuable insights into the level of integration of digital technology in the classrooms of teachers who have access to digital resources and possess the necessary skills to use them effectively.

With more and more literature on international student mobility and migration (ISM), one area of focus has often been overlooked: the impacts of student visas and study permits. Examined through an institutionalist framework highlighting the influences of institutions on individuals and their agency, this study describes how visa and study permit policies pervades international students' lives in a variety of ways. Interview data collected from 40 international students who study in Australia, Canada, and the United States were analyzed to uncover themes from these host countries. Drawing on these interviews to outline the concept of ISM policy pervasion, the findings of this study show that visa policies affect international students in wide ranging ways. In addition to providing empirical evidence for ISM policy pervasion, this article also lays the groundwork for further studies that delve into the practical impacts of student visa and study permit policies around the world.

This study aims to explore university students' perception regarding an e-assessment system in terms of preference, assessment management, and the quality assurance process. A cross-sectional online survey was employed among 384 students of Nepal Open University (NOU). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in the research. Findings indicate that the perception of students regarding preference, e-assessment management, and the quality assurance process was found to be significantly high. In particular, the perception of preference regarding digital assessment was higher than assessment management and the quality assurance process. Gender, ethnicity, and place for taking classes, have an effect on implementation. This study concludes that three attributions of preference for digital assessment, management, and quality assurance are affected by one another.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions to provide education online. Yet, little is known about students' and teachers' experiences of the shift in pedagogical modality in low-resource contexts. This study explored undergraduate students' and teachers' experiences of online education during the pandemic in Kenya and Nepal. Semi-structured interviews with students (n = 24) and teachers (n = 8) suggest that the pandemic further exacerbated existing inequalities. Furthermore, it affected the mental wellbeing of students; almost all reported heightened anxiety associated with their career prospects and learning. However, the findings also suggest that the pandemic created a conducive atmosphere to enhance digital literacy, and to foster peer support practices. Pedagogical implications of the study are highlighted in the context of promoting equity in future learning environments.

Ethical intelligence is the strength of a transformational society. As a change agent, the school leader is expected to be a representative figure of ethical standards. Unfortunately, they are criticized for their unethical activities. Therefore, drawing on the concept of ethical leadership, this study aims to construct the meaning of ethics as they have lived with it, thereby exploring the transformational influences of ethical strengths. Adopting a narrative inquiry research design, lived narratives were generated from four principals of secondary level (Grades 9-12) selected purposively. The narrative data were analyzed and interpreted using Starratt's (2004) theoretical framework of ethical leadership of care, justice and critique. This study explored ethics as the mutual value of individual, institutional and social institutions. Human potentiality is the power of ethical intelligence that derives toward transformation. This finding shed light on the importance and execution of ethical abilities. It shares ethical knowledge, values and skills among individuals, schools and communities. It also portrays ethical sensitivities, which are the core foundation of a transformative society with rational personalities.

Educational policies and practices in the current age of heightened globalization are increasingly grounded on unjust binary curriculum approaches that favor educational designs from Minority-World countries at the expense of epistemologies of indigenous people in Majority-World nations that are typically deemed culturally inferior (Gupta, 2015). Essentially, those opposing binaries promote neocolonial and neoliberal ideologies while disregarding lived cultural contexts of people in Majority-World countries (Lee, 2012). To grapple with this conundrum, this ethnographic study examined how educators in Kenya and Nepal (N = 26) contested, constructed, and transformed educational practices in contexts of globalization, neocolonialism, and neoliberalism. Qualitative data from four schools in Kathmandu, Nepal (16 participants) and two schools in Kenya (10 participants) revealed that educators struggled with issues of intellectual imperialism. Therefore, they strived to deconstruct the existing unjust binary curricula policies by embracing pluralist educational discourses essential to sustaining indigenous languages and dialects. In doing so, those educators focused on advancing local cultural values, rights, and ideologies without antagonizing influential stakeholders from Minority-World nations.

The progress of the nation is based on the competencies of the citizens, and the overall development of the person depends on the effectiveness of the educational system implemented in the country. The teacher is a key factor in the implementation of educational programs. Without a favorable attitude toward the teaching profession, teachers cannot do well in the teaching profession. Regarding this context, this study was conducted to construct an attitude scale to measure the attitude of schoolteachers towards the teaching profession. Steps of standardization of the test were adopted to construct a reliable and valid tool. Piloting was made in the Indo-Nepalese context. A quantitative research design was used in this study. A draft of 50 statements was designed, and 40 were selected on the basis of expert judgment. A sample of 374 schoolteachers from five districts of Nepal and India was selected using a random sampling technique. Eight statements were rejected based on item analysis and respondents' suggestions. A standardized attitude scale was developed comprising 32 statements, which were again categorized into eight factors on the basis of factor analysis. Various reliability coefficients ranging from .80 to .87 were found. For interpretation of the results, z-score and percentile norms were developed. This test will be beneficial to researchers who are interested in identifying the attitudes of schoolteachers in the Indo-Nepalese context.

Quality education is the key factor for overall development of an individual and nation. Quality of education is directly related to competency and dedication of the teacher, as teacher is the main implementor of the educational program. This study investigates the attitude of permanent school teachers towards teaching profession and their level of job satisfaction. Quantitative research design over a sample of randomly selected 200 teachers was used in this study. A Likert type attitude scale was prepared and standardized by the researcher on the sample of 374 school teachers of five districts of Nepal and India but this study is based in context of Nepal. Job satisfaction level was measured by Job Satisfaction Scale (JSST-DM) published by National Psychological Corporation, Agra, India. Normative survey method was used to collect required data. Maslow's theory of motivation based on the needs hierarchy system was used to interpret the findings of this study. Result was interpreted by using z-score norms based on seven categories, which explored that 20.50 percent of the teachers were favorable towards their profession, 46 percent were unfavorable and 33.50 percent were neutral towards teaching profession. Similarly, percentage of teachers found above Average Satisfied on their job was 37 percent, below Average Satisfied was 40 percent and percent of Average Satisfied teachers was 23. Out of which, nine percent school teachers were extremely satisfied and 13 percent were extremely dissatisfied. Teachers cannot do well on teaching profession unless they have a positive attitude towards their profession and are not satisfied with it. This study reveals that a significant number of teachers are not satisfied with their profession and do not have a positive attitude towards it. It is imperative that the concerned authorities review the policies regarding salary, facilities and position in the national protocol for teachers in order to bring a positive change in the situation.

This article argues that special and inclusive education policies in Nepal have been influenced by neoliberal policy reforms. The study employs discourse analysis as a theoretical perspective to analyse the effects of market-based schooling practices on students with disabilities in Nepal. The findings of this study are informed to some extent by the outcomes of the doctoral research project (Thapaliya, 2018). Data was collected through policies and documents. A selection of key education policies and documents between 1990 to 2020 were examined and analysed. One core theme and five sub-themes were identified from the data analysis. Disability as a resource management issue was a main theme. (i) Managing resources; (ii) resource allocation criteria; (iii) professional experts deciding resource funds; (iv) competing for limited resources; and (v) competition and school choice were sub-themes. The available evidence signals that the marketisation model of education does not assist students with disabilities adequately. The findings of this study reveal that the current policy and practice signal changes in government structure rather than working to fulfil these commitments in the everyday practice of students with disabilities. The limitations of the study and recommendations of this research are also discussed.

Almost all educational institutions across the globe jumped into online learning since the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Nepali academic institutions from pre-primary schools to universities also entered into online learning. Such online learning aimed to control the educational damage threatened by the infectious pandemic and lingering lockdown. This study draws on 33 research papers to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) concerning online learning during COVID-19 in Nepal. In particular, the study investigates whether online learning created a digital divide or contributed to a positive contribution to the quality of delivery of education in Nepal in future. The systematic review finds that frequent power cuts, poor internet connectivity and inadequate ICT tools for online learning as the most common educational hindrances along with the loss of practical, applied activities and fieldwork for those studying technical subjects. The final SWOT analysis identified more weaknesses and threats in comparison to strengths and opportunities associated with online learning during COVID-19 in Nepal. However, if Nepal and her academic institutions minimize or redress the weaknesses, reinforce the existing strengths, institutionalize the opportunities, and mitigate the possible threats concerning online learning, the learning has the potential to become more effective. Certainly, there is a digital divide, but the study also identified the strengths and opportunities of online learning during COVID-19 that have stemmed the educational damage as a silver lining in the cloud of the Corona Virus.

Failure in implementing education policy affects not only school leadership practices but also the overall quality of public education. This study aims to investigate the implementation of educational policies made for (a) the recruitment of school principals and (b) guiding their responsibilities in community schools of Nepal. Drawing on interviews conducted with 12 principals and six teachers, we examine whether Education Regulation enacted by the Government of Nepal in 2002--mainly Rule 93 on the criteria for the selection of principals and Rule 94 on their assigned responsibilities--was fully implemented. Our findings show that overpoliticization in school management, top-down approaches to policymaking, lack of transparency and awareness about policy provisions, and workload pressures for principals have resulted into implementation failure. For implementing educational policies related to school leadership, frequent training for principals, presence of media for parental awareness, and legal institutions for justice are important.

The problem of academic dishonesty in general and exam cheating in particular, has been ubiquitous in schools, colleges, and universities around the world. This paper reports on the findings from teachers' and students' experiences and perceptions of exam cheating at Nepali schools, colleges, and universities. In so doing, the paper highlights the challenges of maintaining academic integrity in Nepali education systems. Based on qualitative research design, the study data were collected by employing semi-structured interviews with the teachers and the students. Findings from the study indicated that over-emphasized value given to marks/grades and the nature of exam questions among others were the predominant factors. Our findings contribute to the practical understanding that academic institutions in Nepal have largely failed to communicate the value of academic honesty and integrity to the students of all levels of education despite the increasing prevalence of exam cheating. Therefore, exam cheating requires urgent attention from academic institutions, educators, and education leaders to educate students about the long-term educational and social values of academic honesty and integrity.

This study examined high school mathematics teachers' job satisfaction and professional growth in Nepal. The data were collected from 49 high school mathematics teachers using a structured questionnaire with Likert-scale items and some open-ended questions. The quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed mixed findings. Mathematics teachers were relatively satisfied with their profession; however, various factors were important for job satisfaction and professional growth. The three most important were inservice training and educational resources, schools' infrastructure, and financial incentives. The data analysis further contends that the school education system must be free from politics, and the procedure of forming the school management committee (SMC) must be isolated from political intervention. Furthermore, school teachers are prohibited or discouraged from participating in politics as political cadres. The data revealed that the different teachers' unions need to work on behalf of teachers' welfare rather than carry forward their political parties' agendas and ideologies.

Mobile shopping (m-shopping) adoption has been significantly touted in the contemporary era; however, the adoption of m-shopping is still under shadow in many developing countries. The aim of this study is to discover the impact of device system quality on m-shopping adoption among university students with the support of UTAUT and UTAUT2 theories. The study employed PLS-SEM (symmetric) and fsQCA (asymmetric) analysis simultaneously using survey data from 530 respondents who are primarily university students. PLS-SEM results found positive significant relation between device system quality and m-shopping adoption. The study contributes with an extension of earlier studies that combine PLS-SEM (symmetric methods) and fsQCA (asymmetric methods). The study is limited among the university students that may affect the generalizability of the study. The casual recipes in this research aid policymakers to achieve their strategic objectives in implementing positive m-shopping behavior among the university students.

The article explores how Nepalese public schools' traditional hierarchy-dominated educational culture shapes teachers' professional growth and sense of identity. Through the narrative inquiry approach, I explored teachers 'professional identity development using Gee's (2000) identity framework. The data revealed that hierarchy and power relations between the teachers and the social context fundamentally shaped teacher identity development. However, the study further showed that professional hierarchy was not uni-layered, the power was not one-directional, and the domination was not permanent but rather dynamic. Factors like academic qualifications, job status, technological skills, and social status made the hierarchy complex. More interestingly, hierarchical relationships did not always undermine teacher empowerment but confidence in some cases. For example, when a teacher in a marginalized position due to some factors such as poor health condition was viewed as a role model or capable of success despite challenges, they achieved high value from their colleagues.

This study aims at exploring the prospects and practices of induction for novice teachers. The phenomenological research design under qualitative research approach was adopted to carry out this study. The sample of this study was 5 teacher educators and 5 educational administrators who were selected through convenience non-random sampling procedure. They were selected on the basis of their willingness, expertise, experiences, and availability for this study. In-depth interview was administered to the respondents as a tool to collect for this study. The findings of this study show that implementation of induction program helps the novice teachers to reduce attrition, burnout and leaving the job of teaching; they learn employability skills and soft skills during the induction program; they can embed information communication technology with English language teaching in the classroom in this program; and quality of education could be enhanced through the induction program. It is concluded that induction program is essential for the prosperity and professional development of newly appointed novice teachers.

Students' knowledge of academic vocabulary is a crucial aspect of learning English as a second or foreign language at the university level. Using academic vocabulary lists could be a valuable resource in teaching and learning vocabulary. This study measured the academic vocabulary size of Nepalese university students using Schmitt's (2010) Academic Vocabulary Level Test Version 2 as a data collection tool. The participants were 62 adult EFL students. The data were collected online via Google Forms. The results showed that the average academic vocabulary size of the students was 435 (76.3%) words out of 570 word-families in the academic vocabulary word list. The results also showed that the students had heterogeneous knowledge with varying degree of academic vocabulary achievement (M = 22.02, SD= 8.6 and Coefficient of Variation = 39.1%). The results of the study suggest that English education students at the university level in Nepal need explicit instruction, concentration, and practice to gain mastery over academic vocabulary with less variation of knowledge in their academic vocabulary achievement.

Design thinking is emerging as a popular student-centric teaching approach in Nepal. However, limited research has been done to understand how teachers feel about using these approaches in their classrooms. In-depth interviews with five design-thinking teachers revealed that cultural context plays a crucial role when new teaching approaches are used. The pedagogical and mindset shift required by teachers when exploring new teaching approaches directly affects their emotions, resulting in varying levels of joy or frustration. Critical reflection helps teachers manage their emotions, which is crucial in navigating challenges and emotional exhaustion.

The study on the effectiveness of teaching and learning mathematics online focused on teachers' perspectives on the experiences they face in real-life situations in the Nepalese context. This study examines the effectiveness of online mathematics teaching and learning in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on a qualitative exploratory case study design. The results of the study are based on the holistic views of eight persistently selected university mathematics teachers. It examines the effectiveness of teaching mathematics online covering four areas; teacher preparation and technological competence, the issue concerning students, access to resources, and the nature of mathematics. Teachers' technical competence and preparation for online lessons were rated as satisfactory. Similarly, student-related issues were found to be uncooperative and dependent on teacher guidance during online learning. Likewise, students were found to benefit according to their access to resources. Urban students have an advantage in online learning over remote students. Similarly, the results suggest that online math classes were perceived as difficult due to the nature of mathematics. Thus, the study concludes that higher-level online mathematics education has several determinants that make online mathematics education effective compared to face-to-face classroom instruction.

This study examines how primary teachers developed online education and how parents helped their kids learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. To investigate the experiences and subjective perceptions of online classrooms, we used semi-structured online interviews with teachers, parents, and students. The data gathered through the observation of online classes crystalized the interview data. The results of this study showed that teachers struggled to handle online learning due to their insufficient information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge and skills, unstable internet, and a lack of administrative support. Students' engagement in interactivities rose as a result of teachers' ongoing efforts to improve their online pedagogies. Because of the teachers' efforts to administer online classes during the pandemic, students were able to continue their learning at home. To ensure that everyone receives an equal education, online learning is a viable alternative to traditional classroom settings.

As more students from South Asia seek to study at overseas universities, they increasingly contract the services of local education agencies to facilitate their choice of institutions and their application process. This study seeks to better understand the nature of the relationship between South Asian education agencies and students who wish to study abroad. By using qualitative content analysis of education agency websites from five South Asian countries, this study identifies key issues of potentially unethical practices committed by these agencies. It also identifies the most prevalent "push/pull" factors that South Asian agencies use to encourage students to study overseas as well as the most common services that agencies use to support students. The findings indicate that there are widespread ethical issues amongst education agencies and that students are most motivated to study abroad for quality education that may lead to emigration. The implications of this study are then discussed.

Given the widespread concentration on beliefs, values, emotions, critical incidents, and practices in exploring teachers' professional identities, this study presents the trajectories of identity construction of three English language teachers from Nepal, analyzing their storied lives from schoolteachers to university professors. For this purpose, the article considered the three-dimensional professional development model forwarded by Padwad and Dixit (2014) to explore the effective mediation by the state agencies, culture and the policies, appropriate support from the organizations, and the bottom-up initiatives taken by the teachers in their professional development. Besides, the professional development journey derived from the in-depth interview of the participants is analyzed by employing Wenger's (1999) communities of practice, particularly engagement, alignment, and imagination, as theoretical categories to discover their professional identities. The analysis revealed that passion for language, creativity, and motivation to learn English during childhood initially encouraged them to study English. In addition, inspiration from their teachers during their schooling and later a competitive working environment motivated them to experiment with innovative teaching approaches and establish themselves in the profession. Furthermore, diversification in university teaching according to university requirements and resultant divergence from the professional root ultimately transformed their identity beyond English teachers. Finally, university policy, customization of teachers as per the university requirement, and their survival strategy as English teachers in a university where technical subjects are given more priority has impacted their professional identities.

This article examines the role of gender difference in a qualitative interview from the theoretical lenses of the sociocultural perspective of teachers' identity in a localized context of Ph.D. field research. The study blends the researcher's critical reflections during interviewing female teachers in exploring their teacher identity and existing literature on gender differences in a qualitative interview. In addition, a research diary is used as the data source to unpack the complexity of gender dynamics in a qualitative interview. To add to the discussion of gender difference in a qualitative interview, we argued that gender difference between the interviewer and the interviewee mediates and shapes the data collection in a qualitative interview. Thus, to understand the role of gender difference in a qualitative interview, it is necessary to do a comprehensive analysis of the complex dynamics of gender matching, the cultural background of the interviewee, and possible power relations between the researcher and participants. This study contributes to the dynamics in interviewing women by a man outside the Western cultural setting, particularly during a field research experience by a Ph.D. scholar.

This article aims to identify the ideologies of school-head teachers towards a mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) policy and analyse how these ideologies influence the implementation of MTB-MLE policy in schools in the context of Nepal. Adopting qualitative ethnographic research, two school-level policy arbiters (head teachers) were interviewed for the research data. Supplementary data were collected through telephone conversations. The data were discussed qualitatively, drawing upon Weinberg's (2021) role of microlevel policy arbiters in implementing MTB-MLE policy and three ideological frameworks by Bourdieu (1991): monolingual habitus, legitimate language, and symbolic power. Through the discussion of data, the article reveals that even though the MTB-MLE policy arbiters are well-informed about the value of MTB-MLE, they still seem reluctant to implement it. The policy arbiters are still implicitly or explicitly supporting monolingual or dominant language policy in education. The policy arbiters are influenced by the hegemony, globalization, and neoliberal ideologies of the English and Nepali languages. The article contradicts the coordination notion of Weinberg (2021) between policy arbiters; the issues of ideology seem to be stronger than the issue of coordination in MTB-MLE policy implementation.

This research paper aims at exploring the teachers' perception and their conceptual understanding on local curriculum, importance of local curriculum and local curriculum development process in school education of Nepal. For this, the interpretive paradigm was adopted to explore the subjective realities concerned with the central phenomenon. Within this process, this qualitative phenomenological study collected the intense information through the in-depth interviews with the selected community schools' basic level teachers. Based on the information, three themes have been developed for presenting the results and discussion. The major findings of this study are that the teachers positively perceived the local curriculum for preserving the local knowledge, cultures as well as the tourism areas of a community. The teachers also perceived that the teachers, parents and community participation is also essential during the local curriculum development process as well as selection of local subject. Apart from these shining areas, they did not develop the local curriculum at school or local level. Instead of the local subject, English and computer subject were implemented in the name of optional subjects in grade one to five and six to eight respectively.

Trigonometry is an area of mathematics that students believe to be particularly difficult and/or abstract compared to other areas of mathematics. It is introduced as the concept in the right-angled triangle from the basic level, but the curriculum of Nepal introduced it from grade nine onwards as a separate chapter. Its content area has a weighting of nearly one-fourth of the part in additional mathematics and around 10% in compulsory mathematics. This study aims to explore students' experiences in learning trigonometry. The data are extracted from twelve grade ten students who had chosen additional mathematics in their optional courses. Formal and informal interviews, diagnostic tests, and in-depth engagement with students in their classrooms were the major sources of data extraction. In this sense, this study adopted phenomenology as a methodological stance. The data collected from the diagnostic test were analyzed, and students' explanations of each question were discussed in this study. In doing so, this study concludes with some major findings. Students have difficulty learning trigonometry and have misconceptions about the basic concepts, producing obstacles and errors in solving trigonometric problems. The possible errors are in procedural knowledge, conceptual knowledge, or link between these two types of knowledge. It is also found that a teacher needs to incorporate the learners' everyday experiences using materials, diagrams, and equipment for meaningful learning and long-lasting knowledge. A teacher needs to be aware and responsible for students' activities inside the classroom. Healthy relationships between the teacher and the students can significantly contribute to learning trigonometry.

This study assesses the effectiveness of the Process of Perfection (POP) teaching method in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, particularly among students with varying English proficiency levels and limited access to ICT tools and teaching resources. Six English language teachers and 40 students from a Nepalese private school employing the POP method within the Global Classroom curriculum participated in the research. Using a mixed-methods approach, questionnaires were administered to both teachers and students to collect data. Findings indicate that, in Nepal's context, the advantages of the POP method outweigh its drawbacks. Teachers found it beneficial, simplifying the creation of hands-on activities, and aligning recommended activities with lesson content. Importantly, the method accommodated diverse learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Students reported satisfaction, perceiving the POP method as an enjoyable and effective learning process. However, some struggled with advanced English grammar concepts. This research underscores the need for ongoing educational adaptation, introduces the promising POP teaching method, and provides evidence of its efficacy within a specific educational context.

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of classroom practices of using communication tools, collaboration skills, digital skills, and software skills of teachers on the communication behaviors of students during mathematics instruction. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 466 mathematics teachers in Nepal. The primary statistical techniques applied in the data analysis were mean, standard deviation, one-sample t-test, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that the level of skill transformations of mathematics teachers in digital skills was found to be significantly low. Moreover, practices of using communication tools, collaborative skills of teachers, digital skills enhancement of teachers, and software skills enhancement of teachers were found to be significant predictors of the communication behavior of students. The results of this study suggested that teachers' technological empowerment is essential for developing digitally competent teachers who can transform the traditional mathematics classrooms into an online mode that is more constructive, collaborative, engaging, and supportive to the learners in a flexible and joyful learning environment. The study contributes to providing the knowledge of digital instructional skills of mathematics teachers to the communication behavior of the students. Moreover, the study gives an insight into using multi-group SEM in studying teachers' technological skills on students' learning of soft skills, such as communication behavior.

This paper explored and analyzed features of English pronunciation that could cause intelligibility problems for Nepali English learners (ELs), who use English as a foreign language (EFL) or English as a second language (ESL). We examined the Nepali ELs' pronunciation issues by juxtaposing them with comparable segmental and suprasegmental features of the Nepali language. We found that Nepali has far less sound inventory and voiceless consonants than English, yet it has a lot of contrastive consonants. Similarly, the Nepali language has fewer vowels, minimal diphthongs, and no triphthongs. While both English and Nepali share limited suprasegmental characteristics, they do not complement each other. Given the distinctiveness in pronunciation of the two languages, Nepali ELs are likely to face several intelligibility challenges as they encounter other non-Nepali English users. Thus, they need knowledge and appropriate training to enhance intelligibility for effective communication in workplaces and academic spaces that promote English.

Increased exposure to technologies has lately emerged as one of the everyday realities of digital natives, especially K-12 students, and teachers, the digital immigrants. Protection from cybersecurity risks in digital learning spaces is a human right, but students are increasingly exposed to high-risk cyberspace without time to cope with cybersecurity risks. This study, using a survey (N-891 students and 157 teachers) and in-depth interviews (27 students and 14 teachers), described the students' cybersecurity-related experiences and challenges in Nepal. This study revealed that the school's cybersecurity support system is poor and teachers has very low awareness and competencies to protect students from cybersecurity-related challenges. To create a safe cyberspace for learners, it is urgent to enhance the cybersecurity awareness and skills of teachers, as the existing infrastructure is weak and there is a significant gap related to the cybersecurity awareness between students and teachers. Poor cybersecurity is one of the significant barriers to the quality of education in Nepal. In the age of information and technology, effective collaboration among parents, teachers, and students, the multigenerational learners, is the prerequisite for ensuring children's rights to learn in all settings including cyberspace.

Updated scientific material is needed to incorporate research-based COVID-19 interventions and strategies into basic education. This meta-analysis examined basic education students' COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) across the globe. This study identified KAPs needed to integrate COVID-19 into Basic Education after the meta-analysis. Thirteen published studies on basic education students' KAPs toward COVID-19 were analyzed using meta-analysis. PRISMA was utilized in this study. JBI and STROBE checklists assessed these studies' quality. Three low-quality and ten high-quality published studies were identified. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were used due to the studies' heterogeneity. Low-quality studies had higher KAP pooled levels. Although the pooled KAPs on COVID-19 between the study groups of elementary students only, elementary and high school students, and high school students only were only slightly different, more high school students had good and better KAPs toward COVID-19. Globally, basic education students had high COVID-19 KAPs. There were items in KAPs identified as essential topics for science lesson integration. These six items were identified as essential topics for lesson integration in knowledge, five in attitude, and four items in practice.

With the change in socio-political and educational contexts in global academia, the trend of writing academic papers has arisen among Nepali students and educators in higher education. However, many of them are still unfamiliar with the basic standard to be incorporated in an academic paper. In this context, this study examined the post-graduate students' errors in writing research proposals. A textual analysis method was employed, where quantitative phase of analysis was followed by qualitative, and the data were collected from 24 purposively selected research proposals and from the interview with 10 students. The quantitative data were gathered from content analysis of the research proposals and qualitative data were collected from the unstructured interview. The collected proposals were studied, erroneous expressions were listed and categorized in to four parameters like grammatical errors, lexical semantic errors, mechanic errors and syntactic errors. The information from the interview was recorded, noted and analyzed. The results exhibited that (1) article and preposition usages were more persistent grammatical errors; (2) run-ons and fragmentation were more reiterated syntactic errors; and (3) uses of single lexical items were more common lexical-semantic errors and punctuation was the more regular mechanical errors. These findings reveal that students have insufficient knowledge and skills for academic writing. Therefore, they need academic writing courses, training, or workshops from the early level of their schooling. The findings of this study are useful for curriculum designers, policymakers, instructors, and students because it provides significant information on the building blocks experienced by English language learners in writing research paper.

This paper uses narrative inquiry to explore the formal-informal learning continuum in the context of a higher education institution in Kathmandu, Nepal. The paper finds a gap within the official curriculum and pedagogy in its lack of recognition for informal ways of learning. Similarly, the everyday life activities and the cultural context of youth are not reflected within the formal structure of university programmes. Youth learn from collaborating with their peers in informal and incidental ways. Such informal ways of learning complement and contest the formal learning situation and process. The research concludes that for higher education to be relevant to youth, attention needs to be paid to these forms of informal learning that reflect their everyday learning and prepare them for lifelong learning.

Scholars have long considered the era of modern education in Nepal as inaugurated by foreign actors in the 1950s. Based on an analysis of two central publications of the relatively overlooked educator and intellectual Jaya Prithvi Bahadur Singh, this paper aims to shed new light on the educational history of the early twentieth century Himalaya. By employing a lens of global history, the study challenges the narrative of a 'sudden arrival' of modern education in Nepal in 1950s. In doing so, the paper aims to demonstrate the relevance of Singh's thought to the global emergence of modern, progressive, and humanistic forms of education in the early twentieth century.

This study examines the impact of educational attainment on employment and earnings in Nepal. Using the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017-2018 cycle, we employ an extended earnings function derived from the foundational Mincer equation to estimate returns to education. The results underscore the overall positive impact of education (1.76, 3.73, 7.68 and 11.00% increase in earnings by primary, secondary, bachelor's and master's degrees, respectively), which is lower than the average observed in other low- and middle- income countries, except in higher education. The results also indicate persisting disparities for females and disadvantaged groups. The study emphasizes the need for strategic interventions, improved educational infrastructure and inclusive policies to foster equitable opportunities.

While schools are improving in some areas of Nepal, hard living is a reality for many Nepali rural poor. Education resources, teachers, electricity, and the internet are scarce. Some parents might be able and motivated to send their children in grade 5 and above to the nearest city -- 5- or 10-hours' travel to Kathmandu or Pokhara -- to live with a relative and continue their education in the urban schools. Some children are sent as early as age 6. Schools in urban communities are likely to have readily available and consistent electricity; maybe you will see a room of computers with intermittent internet, and perhaps career education for grades 11 and 12. However, many children stay at home to cut grasses for livestock, plant and harvest crops, cook, and marry young. These students have had little opportunity to explore books, textbooks, or the internet. Now, with Looma's World in a Box, they have a way to see and explore the world beyond their rural communities.

"Research Findings:" Despite the prevalence of integrating early childhood education (ECE) into formal schooling, there is limited evidence on how school-based ECE affects children compared to other types of ECE, particularly in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Therefore, this study examined school-based ECE programs compared with independent ECE programs in an urban region in Nepal. The study employed weighting estimation approaches, using unique cross-sectional data of 652 children (483 children from 138 school-based programs and 169 children from 50 independent programs) aged four years from the Lalitpur municipality. The study found that, relative to independent programs, school-based programs are negatively associated with children's development, particularly in the cognitive and socio-emotional domains. The mean differences in these outcomes remained statistically significant with medium effect sizes (d = 0.31-0.43) even after accounting for available confounders. The results also suggest that lower levels of classroom structural quality, such as teacher's education, class size, and learning resources, may partially account for the lower developmental outcomes of school-based programs compared to independent programs. "Practice or Policy:" The findings highlight the need for stakeholders to focus on improving the quality of school-based ECE programs to address inequity in the current ECE system in Nepal.

This paper explores the engagement of parents with out-of-school children through communitybased participatory action research in a rural community in Nepal. This study addresses the connection gap between local communities and community schools, which has resulted in consequences such as inconsistent attendance among students and low educational expectations among parents. By investigating the processes of formulating an action plan by a parent-led action group and analysing its execution, the research aimed to understand how participatory action research can foster a stronger bond between community schools and parents, thereby enhancing parental involvement in children's education. The study draws on Mezirow's transformative learning theory, incorporating concepts from Habermas's public sphere and Freire's notion of conscientization. It specifically focuses on the action group's monthly meetings held over nine months and the collaborative outcomes that resulted. By emphasising targeted interventions, collaboration and a departure from deficit-focused approaches, the findings propose effective strategies for bridging the gap between community schools and rural communities in Nepal.

This critical cross-cultural study examined the alignment of the 2022 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards in the U.S. with Australian, Kenyan, and Nepali educational guidelines. Previously, NAEYC's educational guidelines adhered to Euro-Western notions of child development, with a biased view of normative development for young children (Zaman and Anderson-Nathe 2021). Among other findings, data from this study showed that NAEYC's standards were potentially sensitive to cultural difference, but did not adequately address child, family, and contextual needs. Therefore, this study recommends continued review of NAEYC's educational standards to make them culturally and contextually inclusive.

The term "computer-mediated communication" (CMC) describes the transmission of messages and information using computer technology. With the extensive use of email, instant messaging, social media, and other digital platforms in Nepal in recent years, this style of communication has grown in popularity. The article examines how computer-mediated communication (CMC) and artificial intelligence (AI) have grown in significance in Nepal's undergrad English education. This article allows students to collaborate on projects and tasks, which improves their learning experience, by examining the potential of AI and CMC. The facts of Nepal's education have been examined using the four different basic literature reviews. Despite the need for further literature on artificial intelligence and computer-mediated communication in Nepal's English classes for undergrads between 2018 and 2023, the studies reviewed shed light on the possibilities of technology and AI in language acquisition. Undergraduate class observation, self-administered text analysis, social information processing theory and experimental research, which involves adjusting variables to see how they affect learning results, were used to gather data. The study's findings also demonstrate how using CMC platforms encourages students to practice their digital literacy. They gain knowledge on how to move through online spaces, efficiently communicate with a variety of digital tools, and assess the reliability of information sources. Students can communicate with their teachers outside of the classroom via video conferencing software and online discussion boards. This may result in more in-depth discussions and debates as well as greater student engagement.

Foregrounding the agency and voices of families who sought refuge in the United States, we investigated their storytelling by asking: What kinds of stories do parents/guardians choose to share? And what are the purposes of their storytelling? Assisted by interpreters, we worked with nine families with children aged from five to eight years, who had come from Nepal, Somalia and South Sudan, observing their storytelling and conducting interviews. The storytelling and interview sessions were video-recorded and translated/transcribed. Adapting Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework, we employed emergent coding and constant comparative analysis to identify themes of stories and purposes for storytelling. Our findings revealed two important patterns. First, the families focused on traditional stories with explicit moral lessons and these stories illustrated six forms of CCW: familial, navigational, social, aspirational, resistant and linguistic capital. Conspicuously, stories of forced displacement over-represented in literature were missing. Second, the storytelling was intended for their children to learn moral lessons, maintain home cultural heritage and language, and have fun. They also expressed the desire to share their stories in schools. Our study highlights the efforts of families who experienced forced displacement to counter dominant narratives of trauma and deficit. Based on the findings, we discuss how schools and society can leverage the CCW of communities to support their children's learning and development.