Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education

Secondary School Instructional Response to the World of Work

2022-10-26T18:06:37+00:00

This study examines the relevance of secondary school pedagogical responses to the skills demand of the world of work. Employers of secondary school graduates, secondary school principals, teachers and students in Oromia, Ethiopia, were the target population of the study. Results revealed that school leaders and teachers perceived preparation for national examination and higher education as the major intent of secondary education. They had no adequate understanding of the role of secondary education in preparing students for the world of work. The study identified that communication skills, teamwork, time management, independent work, ability and readiness to learn, and self-management are the competencies employers require from employees who graduated from secondary school. However, a teacher-centered instructional approach that has an insignificant contribution to acquiring the required work skills was the dominant pedagogical strategy employed in the schools. Thus, it is concluded that the space provided to prepare students for work in secondary school instruction was not relevant enough to equip students with the competencies required in the world of work.

High School Students’ Subjective Well-being

2022-12-04T22:41:09+00:00

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between high school students’ subjective well-being, academic identity, and sense of purpose in life. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which student subjective well-being can be predicted by sense of purpose in life directly and indirectly via academic identity. Two hundred and thirty-four high school students participated in the study. Findings showed that academic identity predicted all four dimensions of students’ subjective well-being. In relation to life purpose, findings showed that two dimensions of awakening to purpose and altruistic purpose were relevant to students’ subjective well-being. Particularly, students with altruistic purposes reported a more central role of academic identity in their sense of self and, in turn, reported greater satisfaction and joy of learning. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

The Cross-cultural Experiences of International Secondary Students in Anglophone Countries

2022-10-26T18:10:38+00:00

Prior to the pandemic, the number of international secondary students in anglophone countries had grown rapidly. Yet these minor transnational learners, most of whom unaccompanied, remain largely understudied and neglected in the educational research and policy discourses. This hermeneutic literature review addresses this profound literature gap by (a) identifying and synthesizing the available scholarly evidence on the cross-cultural experiences of international secondary students in anglophone countries, and (b) offering a critical analysis and assessment of the evidence that led to identification of knowledge and methodological gaps as well as implications for future studies. A conceptual framework was developed to provide a visual guideline of the cross-cultural adaptation process of the international secondary students. Findings of this article will be of value to researchers of international students and to educators serving international secondary students.

Virtual Visual Arts Integration and Biology: More Favor or Challenging for Emergent Bi/Multilingual High Schoolers

2023-01-28T01:40:57+00:00

As educators, we are becoming increasingly aware that delivering effective education is likely to change after the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, we have an opportunity to frame teaching differently and bring innovation to the forefront. In doing so, educators explored online tools, creative ways to connect with students, and found new ways to teach. Using an exploratory case study methodology and working within a theoretical framework of Symbolic Interactionism (SI), I investigated how did virtual teaching visual arts integration and biology more favour or challenging for emergent bi/multilingual high schoolers. The lesson was implemented titled Using Depiction to Illustrate the Interdependent Functions of a Plant Cell. I implemented a series of visual arts integration activities with ten ninth-grade emergent bi/multilingual students at a mid-sized high school located in the south-eastern region of the United States. Research activities took place, via zoom, in a communication skills class. Findings reveal that emergent bi/multilingual students can benefit from face-to-face classes because they get more practice speaking and benefit from their teacher’s advice on their tasks, but more flexible class times and delivery methods may help students meet the many challenges created by the need to help provide for their families.

Can Educators Thrive?

2023-01-11T01:19:14+00:00

Given growing interest in strategies to support teacher retention and well-being, research has focused on evaluating interventions that both reduce threats to well-being and also develop competencies to increase well-being. The present study focused on a pilot evaluation of the Educators Thriving program, which targeted educator burnout, resilience, and well-being. We performed an observational study in which participants who received a multi-component professional development intervention were compared to teachers who did not participate in the program. Relative to educators in a comparison group, we found that educators in the intervention group reported greater improvements in burnout, resilience, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. These results are promising, suggesting that multi-component professional development interventions may be an effective means by which to support the well-being and personal development of teachers.

The Creativity Lab: Interdisciplinary Creativity in Higher Education

2023-02-12T13:40:01+00:00

This qualitative study explores how educators can foster creativity across disciplines through a conceptual framework for creative interdisciplinary collaboration. The article introduces the Creativity Lab process model, which generates collaboratively developed, multifaceted but cohesive project ideas. The author argues that while creativity and collaboration are recognized as important 21st-century skills, opportunities for learning the granular mechanics of creative interdisciplinary collaboration are not yet fully integrated into higher education. The process model addresses this and offers a practical way to foster creative confidence in participants, encourage pluralities and possibilities through gamification, and emphasize integration and cohesion of multiple perspectives in ideas. The article concludes that educational institutions have an opportunity to build the capacity of students and faculty to become skilled at creative collaborations across disciplines, and the Creativity Lab process model offers a specific approach to doing this.

English Language Teachers’ Professional Journey and Construction of their Identity

2023-02-13T01:52:35+00:00

This study presents the trajectories of identity construction of three English language teachers from Nepal analyzing their storied life from school teachers to university professors employing three-dimensional professional development model forwarded by Padwad and Dixit (2014) to explore effective mediation by state agencies, culture and the policies, appropriate support from the organizations, and the bottom-up initiatives by the teachers in their professional development. Besides, professional journey derived from in-depth interview of the participants is analyzed 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 language during childhood encouraged them to study English initially. In addition, inspiration from their teachers during their schooling and later a competitive working environment motivated them experiment with innovative approaches to teaching and establishing 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 priority have impacted their professional identities.

The Intercultural Values and Social Connectedness of International Female Doctoral Students in Australia

2022-11-09T14:08:21+00:00

This paper explored the multiple layers of social and intercultural adjustment challenges experienced by international female doctoral students in Australia. The paper investigates multiple dimensions of sociocultural differences between the students’ native and host countries, including sociocultural context, community engagement, personal and social lives, and the intersection of more commonly researched sociocultural identities. This investigation is undertaken within the epistemological positioning of feminist standpoint theory and intersectionality. In addition, a narrative inquiry approach and a thematic analysis are used to understand the students' social lives and issues of adjustment to a new culture. Themes like intercultural understanding, social connectedness and adjustment issues are used to encapsulate the students' views about their social positionality and understanding of their lives during PhD in Australia.

Underrepresentation of Minoritized Groups in STEM Education

2022-11-24T11:10:50+00:00

The current school system has an underrepresentation of People of Color teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Presently, there is a lack of data gathering tools to explore the STEM experience of Students of Color. This article focuses on the development of a survey using a Critical Race Theory framework to better understand the impact of race on the STEM education pipeline for underrepresented, racially minoritized (URM) learners. This article will review the survey’s development process consisting of (a) creation of initial survey; (b) pilot study using interviews to receive feedback; (c) modifying the survey based on the feedback from the pilot study; and (d) implementation of the revised survey. Ultimately this instrument will support inquiry around racial representation in STEM education.

Home and Abroad

2023-02-27T16:50:10+00:00

Home and Abroad: International Student Experiences and Graduate Employability fills a void of international student research by incorporating multiple countries’ higher education contexts and providing a holistic understanding of international student employability on a global scale. It explores the socio-political environment that impacts international students’ career preparation and employment opportunities and makes recommendations for higher education institutions to better support the career development of international students. Educators who work with international students as well as scholars with a research interest on international student success will be able to identify and address the current challenges facing international students’ career preparation through the research findings in the book.

Science in the City

2023-03-01T02:02:36+00:00

In the book, Brown provides an overview of how language and culture play vital roles in science education. Brown (2019) skillfully weaves historical commentary in with pedagogical suggestions to expose readers to the ways in which language, culture, and race impact students of color in science classrooms (p. 23). Brown emphasizes the importance of inclusivity in all classrooms, but specifically the science classroom when he states, “The simple message of Science in the City is that science teaching is the ultimate people business” (p. 25). Because of its focus on student assets, Science in the City reads as the history book every teacher wishes they had, and a practical guidebook for educators on how to incorporate a plethora of voices to form a scientific symphony of diversity.