Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research

Teacher’s World : Paving the Path to Educational Advancement by Nurturing Knowledge in Bangladesh Education (Editorial, Vol. 49, and Issue 1)

2023-12-04T10:58:06+00:00

The editorial aims to introduce Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research (TWJER) Volume 49 (1) and highlight its contribution to nurturing knowledge for the Bangladesh education system. The upcoming issue focuses on the ever-evolving landscape of education in the 21st century, emphasizing the significance of knowledge in education. Twelve original research articles are set to be published, covering diverse topics such as teachers' attitudes towards ICT integration, factors affecting accessibility for children with disabilities, sex education, TPCK, student participation, motivation, Facebook use, professional development, and global citizenship education. The articles are organized chronologically according to education levels—primary, secondary, and tertiary. The issue underscores the critical role of cultivating knowledge amid rapid advancements and employs various approaches and methodologies, including innovative pedagogical practices and technology integration. TWJER serves as a platform for dialogue and collaboration, encouraging reflection on adapting methodologies to diverse learner needs, the role of technology, and ensuring equitable access to quality education. The editorial anticipates that the shared knowledge will inspire actionable changes in classrooms, institutions, and educational policies. It positions the issue not just as an academic repository but as a catalyst for change, aiming to present research that not only analyzes the current state of education but also envisions possibilities for growth and improvement.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 1-17

Leadership Changes in Primary Schools of Bangladesh Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

2023-12-04T11:06:07+00:00

In the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the world, including those in Bangladesh, have experienced significant changes in their leadership dynamics. This paper presents a qualitative case study that displays the leadership transformations in primary schools in Bangladesh due to the pandemic. Utilizing a convenience sampling strategy, two government primary schools were selected as cases, and their head teachers along with all class teachers were chosen as participants. Through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, data were collected and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal distinct differences in leadership before, amid, and after the pandemic, highlighting various aspects of change. These include the leadership shifts from classroom to online teaching, the transition of administrative meetings to virtual platforms, navigating co-curricular activities from in-person to online settings, fostering guardian involvement for student well-being, reconfiguring textbook distribution fest to house-to-house methods, leading school feeding programs involving NGOs, and more. Additionally, the research highlights teachers’ technological and peer-based training initiatives and the transition from exam hall-based assessments to assignment-based assessment systems. Furthermore, the study touches on the challenges of dealing with student dropouts. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the critical role of leadership in adapting school leaders to unforeseen challenges and provide valuable insights for educational institutions.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1),19-32

Attitude Towards Environmental Education of Primary Graduates in Bangladesh

2023-12-04T11:16:36+00:00

The study focused on primary graduates’ attitude towards Environmental Education (EE) in Bangladesh. The study was based on attitude survey in the light of national and international research done on EE and education for sustainable development and the different related policies here in Bangladesh. The study is quantitative in nature, adopting quantitative data. The data was collected from 16 main stream government secondary schools in four different regions in Bangladesh. A total of 480 primary graduates were constituted as sample for the study. The data was collected through a Likert scale. While the development of tools emphasis was given to the curriculum of primary education and terminal competencies related to EE at primary level in Bangladesh. To assess the students’ attitude towards EE a composite score was developed by accumulating total score and classified into four groups as Highly favorable, Favorable, Moderately favorable and Less favorable using respective range boundary. The study reveals that a total of 54.60 percent students showed a favorable attitude towards EE. On the other hand, a total of 9.20 percent, 24.20 percent and 12.10 percent students showed a highly favorable, moderately favorable, and less favorable attitude towards EE respectively. The study also showed that there were a variation within and in- between regions and gender resulted in respect of attitude towards EE. On the basis of the findings of the study, it was concluded that the respondents expressed variations in their perceptions to EE, and showed different attitudes towards environment. This study recommended several initiatives for up-grading the students’ attitude level towards EE based on the findings. The major initiatives that need to be taken are- highly favorable attitude towards EE should be developed among the students in Bangladesh; EE should be introduced largely in primary education through introducing child-friendly contents; teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and skills should be enhanced on EE; awareness of parents, teachers and education officials on EE should be developed; environmental education should be started at the very early age of the learners at school as well as at home. More importantly, this study recommended developing children’s values to practice their learning of EE in real life context.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 33-47

Scope of Global Citizenship Education in the National Curriculum Framework 2021 of Bangladesh: A critical Review

2023-12-04T11:23:45+00:00

Global Citizenship Education (GCED) has significant role in creating active and responsible citizens with specific knowledge, skills, and values – such as solidarity, tolerance, empathy who can address the challenges of future uncertain world. This study aims to explore the scope of GCED in the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2021 of Bangladesh. Qualitative content analysis was used to critically analyze the NCF as a document. The findings show that the NCF has created a great deal of opportunities for infusing GCED in the curriculum mainly in four aspects. First, it has stepped into competency based education which is one of the major preconditions for embedding GCED in the curriculum framework. Second, within the development process, it created the scope of addressing GCED issues and discourses. Third, in conceptualizing different aspects of the curriculum such as, conceptual understanding of the curriculum within a theoretical framework proposed, the understanding of the competency-based curriculum, assessment system, and technical aspects of the education system, GCED concepts were projected heavily. Fourth, learning area wise core competencies and the subject-wise competencies also clearly reflect the GCED knowledge, skills, and values. However, analysing the NCF from ‘soft’ and ‘critical’ GCED perspective, we found that though the NCF focused both ‘soft’ (e.g., harmony, tolerance, humanity, empathy, human rights, self-awareness) and ‘critical’ (e.g., social justice, creative and critical thinking, power and governance, informed and reflective action) GCED perspectives, it is leaned towards the ‘soft’ GCED aiming to create active citizens who will be able to solve the problems of the world to live a better life, not challenging the existing social and underlying power structure, which is more of a ‘critical’ GCED perspective. Explicit mention of GCED theories, approaches and tools such as gender transformative approaches, process of involving the disadvantaged groups in the NCF development process would make GCED attributes more visible in the document. This study will help the researchers, policy-makers, and educators to bridge this policy document with detailed curriculum, textbooks, and teacher professional development programs to understand the status of translation of GCED to create responsible national and global citizens.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 49-76

Teachers Attitude Toward ICT Integration in BGS Classrooms of Secondary Schools in Bangladesh

2023-12-06T04:56:29+00:00

The integration process of technology in education is related to a large extent with teachers; attitude, their motivation and access, ease of use and usefulness of new innovation. Therefore, the paper aims to explore the teachers’ attitude toward ICT integration in classroom instruction. The study follows a quantitative research design following multistage stratified sampling technique whereby survey instrument has been used to collect data. The SPSS software is employed for statistical analysis of data. Results display that the teachers possess positive attitude toward ICT integration in Bangladesh and Global Studies (BGS) classrooms at secondary level. Additionally, the analysis explores the school location, school types, gender and confidence, which have potential impact and change to the teachers’ attitude toward ICT integration. The results of this study would be helpful to foster the ICT integration in school education for creating constructive teaching-learning environment. Although the study focuses on secondary school BGS teachers but it could have significant influence in all stage of education in Bangladesh.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 77-94

Tracing the Level of TPCK among Secondary EFL Teachers in Bangladesh

2023-12-06T05:11:27+00:00

The overall English language proficiency level of school learners in Bangladesh presents a gloomy picture despite the initiatives taken in the last two decades to reform English language education. The deteriorating capacity of English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher is often considered a significant barrier to English language education outcomes in Bangladesh. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK), a framework comprising various knowledge required for enhancing teachers’ quality, is a less explored phenomenon among secondary EFL teachers in Bangladesh. The purpose of the quantitative study was to trace the level of TPCK among secondary school EFL teachers in Bangladesh. This paper was conducted through a questionnaire survey of 120 secondary EFL teachers located in metropolitan and suburban areas of Dhaka, the capital city. It revealed from the study that content knowledge was evident among the highest number of EFL teachers, while pedagogical knowledge was found among the lowest number of teachers. The study also reported a significant influence of teachers’ age, gender, experiences, and locations on their various knowledge types.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 95-115

Understanding Students’ Perception on the use of Facebook for Second Language Learning

2023-12-06T05:23:06+00:00

The study approaches to explore tertiary level students’ perceptions of Using Facebook for Language Learning. Social networking sites are believed to be good aid for learning language projecting content and language skills and there has been a number of studies on this issue. Like other social networking Sites Facebook can be a platform for learning English. Earlier several studies have discovered that students of tertiary level do not have good command in using English even though, this population spent much time on Facebook interacting with friends, sharing and expressing their ideas, opinion, photos and so on. While using Facebook the tertiary level students, to great extent, use English and thus, this population might have thoughts about what certainty and what problems they face on Facebook using English. The study was conducted with a quantitative approach where data has been collected through a cross sectional survey from purposively selected 100 tertiary level students with a structured questionnaire used as a tool. The findings of the study present that the students are positive to think Facebook as a language learning platform even though they addressed some language and technological challenges. Although the area of the study is small, the result of the t-test shows that the total population might have the same opinion as the sample group.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 117-136

Students’ Perceptions on Head Teacher Leadership Roles for Student Engagement at Secondary Schools in Bangladesh

2023-12-06T06:28:51+00:00

The active involvement of students in the educational process is of utmost importance in guaranteeing the provision of high-quality education. Headteachers have the capacity to assume a substantial role in fostering student engagement in various school activities. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the perspectives of students regarding the role of the head teacher in promoting student engagement within secondary schools in Bangladesh. The research was conducted utilizing a qualitative approach. In order to accommodate the convenience of eight schools representing eight divisions in Bangladesh, a total of eight Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted. The findings of this study indicate that the leadership exhibited by head teachers has a discernible influence on the level of student engagement. The head teachers’ leadership positions encompassed several important responsibilities, such as overseeing and assessing the academic activities and progress of students, offering guidance and motivation, fostering active participation in teaching and learning, as well as involving students in extracurricular pursuits and decision-making processes within the school context. This study also unveiled specific detrimental characteristics exhibited by head teachers that served as demotivating factors for student engagement in school activities. In order to enhance the quality of education, it has been recommended that secondary level head teachers in Bangladesh should augment the range of activities aimed at fostering student engagement within the school setting.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 137-154

Enhancement of Secondary Science Teacher’s Professional Knowledge in Learning Pedagogical Content Knowledge through Involving in Professional Learning Community

2023-12-06T06:04:34+00:00

The qualitative research study explored Bangladeshi secondary science teacher’s experiences working in a professional learning community (PLC) in terms of enhancing professional knowledge in learning pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The research questions that guided this study are: (1) What are the learning experiences of the secondary science teachers regarding their involvement in a Professional Learning Community (PLC) as a means of professional learning for enhancing their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)? (2) How do Secondary Science teachers apply their learning from Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to their teaching plans and practices through the Content Representation (CoRe) framework? (3) How do secondary science teachers use the knowledge gained from participation in a professional learning community (PLC) to design and implement effective teaching strategies in their classrooms? The study is based on a constructivist approach to learning, which views knowledge construction as a socially mediated process. Therefore, teachers’ experiences were collected as qualitative data through analyzing teachers’ lesson plans and self-reflective journals. As a result, the findings showed teacher’s enhanced professional knowledge working in a PLC in sizing up the topic, identifying the importance of the topic, exploring self-content knowledge relevant to the topic, knowing what learners might think, identifying contextual factors choosing the topic and examples, selecting more appropriate teaching-learning and assessment strategies. The findings of this study are expected to provide insights into how PLCs can be utilized to enhance secondary science teacher’s PCK knowledge. This study is significant as it contributes to the literature on professional development for science teachers and offers practical recommendations for improving science teacher’s professional knowledge in learning PCK.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 155-174

Factors Influencing the Accessibility of Education for the Children with Disabilities in Bangladesh

2023-12-06T06:08:56+00:00

Education is a basic requirement for every human being which is the only means of ensuring human survival, protection, and development. Education is the foundation of society, and educational opportunity, particularly equitable opportunity, is a major concern in the educational system. By 2030, the United Nations has adopted a target (Goal 4) for achieving quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all. Bangladesh has made great progress in terms of the enrolment of children in schools over the last few years. However, a large proportion of children with disabilities have yet to gain access to the educational facilities that they desire. This paper is an attept to focus on the current education status of children with disabilities and identify some key factors that restrict access to their education in Bangladesh. As the paper is based on secondary sources of data, hence, published journal articles, research report, policy documents of government and non-government organization etc. were used to outline. A number of factors influencing the accessibility of education for children with disabilities are discussed here, including parental perception, negative attitudes, school problems, poverty, inaccessibility, flawed curriculum and scarcity of teaching materials, and poor enforcement of policies and laws. Finally, in this paper, some recommendations are made to ensure educational opportunities for children with disabilities by removing barriers to access to education.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 175-186

Status of Faculty Professional Development Entities in Bangladeshi Universities: Insights from Professional Development Managers

2023-12-06T06:20:33+00:00

Several professional development centres have been established to develop the pedagogical knowledge and research skills of university faculty members in Bangladesh. Most professional development (PD) centres offer a wide range of training and workshop programs, mostly to early career academics. These typically involve group workshops and transmitting knowledge about how to do things. This study reports the status of professional development agencies, highlighting the purpose of the centres, how they work and the challenges professional development centres face in conducting PD activities. A qualitative research approach has been followed to serve the purpose of the study. Two different data collection instruments were developed; a document review guideline and a one-to-one interview protocol were developed. Findings indicate that most PD centres are actively running their activities under dynamic leadership. PD offerings are primarily voluntary, workshop based, and related to pedagogy and research. However, teachers are reluctant towards the sessions. The study recommends foundation training for faculties linked with promotion, increment, incentives, and other facilities; allocating sufficient budget for the centre, full-time dedicated PD managers who establish active networks with foreign universities, university administration, faculties and resource persons.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 187-203

Accessibility and Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in University of Dhaka: Transforming the University in Line with Sustainable Development Goals

2023-12-06T06:47:54+00:00

This study aimed to explore what constitutes an accessible and supportive environment for promoting inclusive education for all students with a particular focus on students with disabilities (SWDs) aligning with the plea of SDGs in the University of Dhaka. Thus, the general objective was to come up with a holistic understanding of inclusive education practices by comprehensive analysis of features related to accessibility, reasonable accommodation and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for SWDs, also of exploring the scopes, limitations and challenges prevalent in the process. The objectives of the study required both confirmatory and exploratory approaches, thus demanding to adopt a mixed-method research approach that allowed researchers to choose a flexible ‘within- stage-mixed model design’ with emphasis on qualitative approaches of data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interview schedule as data collection instrument yielded qualitative data that was analyzed using descriptive and thematic analysis framework (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The findings shed light on the existing scopes, limitations and challenges in the learning environment of the university in addressing the learning needs of SWDs. The findings also produced valuable information for transforming University of Dhaka towards a recognized disable-friendly university with an impact ranking, as well as with a QS Star University Rating on Inclusiveness.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 205-225

Factors Influencing Motivation for Enrollment in French Junior Certificate Course at the Institute of Modern Languages: A Case Study

2023-12-06T06:52:35+00:00

This paper aims at identifying the main factors which influence learners’ motivation to seek admission into French Junior Certificate (FJC) course offered by the Institute of Modern Languages at the University of Dhaka. A sequential explanatory mix-method research design was used to address the research questions identified. Students, teachers, and database of FJC courses were chosen as data sources to collect both quantitative and qualitative data and evidences. A total of 269 students were selected for the quantitative data related to students’ background factors for the study. Besides, 12 students from six groups and 4 course teachers were selected randomly for collecting qualitative data related to factors that influence learners to pursue FJC course and challenges. The findings of the study suggest that the main motivational factors include international significance of French language, the nature of French language, desire for visiting France, love for French language and culture, desire to pursue higher studies in Francophone countries.

Journal of Education and Research, 49 (1), 227-241