UMT Education Review

Authority, Personality and its Effects on Conflict Resolution Behaviour among Students of Istanbul Bilgi University

2021-01-21T16:30:42+00:00

The aim of this experimental study was to examine how undergraduate students as participants resolve a conflict in response to authority status manipulation of the opponent person (low: a fellow student; high: a university professor), considering the moderating role of participants’ personality traits. 320 Psychology undergraduate students from Istanbul Bilgi University, aged 19-23 participated in an online survey. The participants first completed the Turkish version of the NEO-FFIand then they completed the modified Turkish version of the Thomas-Kilmann Mode Instrument (TKI). It was hypothesised that highly agreeable participants who were faced with a professor in a conflict would show a accommodating resolution style. Whereas extroverted participants who faced a fellow student inwere predicted to displaycompetitiveness in the conflict. A moderated regression analysis was applied. The results showed the opposite effects, students who were in conflict with the professor were more competitive and students who were in conflict with fellow students showed more accommodation. Limitations and future research possibilities are also discussed.

Classroom Management Challenges and Administrative Support in Elementary Schools: Experiences of Novice Public-School Teachers

2021-01-08T06:59:57+00:00

The purpose of this study was to explore classroom management challenges that novice teachers experienced in their early years of profession. Moreover, this study explored the administrative support novice teachers received from school administration concerning classroom management. We drew on interview data to explore novice teachers' experiences who had less than three years of experience during their first job in public elementary schools. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of ten novice teachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the experiences of novice teachers. The analysis came up with four themes: Responsive administration, helping hands, struggling with workload, and supportive principal.The study's findings revealed that most of the teachers faced over-crowded classes and a high workload in their initial time. Most of the teachers had received support from the administration; however, the administration was helpless regarding many challenges that the novice teachers faced in their early years. Many administrators did not help the novice teachers’ deal with over-crowded classrooms, the extra workload in the form of periods per week, and the management of students' behaviors.

The Relationship among Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Student Motivation and Effective Teaching

2021-01-15T13:28:47+00:00

Teaching children of poor and disadvantaged ethnic communities is always considered a tough job. This study was conducted to ascertain teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about motivating students studying in elementary schools run by an NGO in various districts of Punjab. It was assumed that ethnicity and marginalization influence self-efficacy beliefs, self-motivation, and, ultimately, professional commitment. This assumption was verified by this quantitative study using the survey method. The data was collected through a multistage sampling technique from 400 teachers working in schools for ethnic and poor communities in 8 districts of Punjab. The results show a significant relationship among teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy to motivate students, capacity for self-motivation, and professional commitmentfor effective teaching. A strong positive correlation was found among teachers' self-efficacy beliefs to apply effective teaching strategies to enhance motivation among students. Therefore, school management must focus on the intrinsic motivation of teachers so that they can self-motivate themselves for effective teaching.

The Relationship between Higher Education and Women Empowerment in Pakistan

2021-01-08T06:59:30+00:00

Women empowerment is one of the critical dimensions of a feminist perspective. In patriarchal societies, women are oppressed and suppressed; hence higher education is considered a remedy to equip them to deal with issues arising from undue oppression and suppression. This study aimed to find the relationship between the attainment of higher education among women and women empowerment. The study has been carried out in Central Punjab, Pakistan. The study was framed under a correlational research design. Data was collected from a sample of 200 respondents equally selected (50 from each) of four different universities, including the University of Gujrat, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, University of Minhaj, University of Lahore. A stratified random sampling technique has been utilized, whereby 200 samples were questioned through a structured questionnaire. The collected information was analyzed by using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings showed a strong correlation between the attainment of higher education and women empowerment. The correlation was determined among one independent variable (attainment of higher education) and four dependent variables, including the power of decision making, increased political participation, economic independence, respect, and self-esteem.All variables have been found significantly associated with each other, which provides evidence that higher education attainment leads to women empowerment. Based on the findings of the study, it is concluded that higher education plays a significant role in liberating women from oppression and suppression.

Effect of University Administrative and Academic Processes on Student Engagement: An Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

2021-01-08T06:59:43+00:00

Student engagement is among the emerging discourses in education research. It is a significant factor in students' academic success and involves the student and the university's contributions. The literature extensively reports the studies that establish and explore the relationship between academic processes and student engagement; however, administrative processes are less focused. This study empirically tested the effect of administrative processes (admission, facilities management, counseling, and governance) and academic processes (teaching, learning, assessment & feedback, research & development) on student engagement. A survey instrument comprising 73 items was used to collect the data from 368 students of two private universities in Lahore, Pakistan. Except for the demographic fields, all items were gauged over a 7-point Likert scale with 1-7 (strong disagreement to the strong agreement). The reliability score of the pilot was 0.96, and of the final data, 0.92. Descriptive statistics were applied to explain the demographic characteristics of the sample. Smart PLS was used to draw structure equation models (SEM) by computing Partial Least Square (PLS) regression scores. Results have predicted strong and positive relationships between administrative processes, academic processes, and student engagement. PLS-SEM showed that both administrative processes and academic processes almost equally affect student engagement. The discussion of results revealed that administrative processes, though equally important as academic processes, but previous research shows less focus on it. The study concluded that emotional engagement is the least focused area by the administration as well as academia. The study suggests the private universities in Lahore to focus on improving their focus on developing emotional engagement of their students to reap loyalty and organizational commitment of their students.

Assessment of the Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic on Educational System in Nigeria: Implication for Stakeholders

2021-01-08T06:59:36+00:00

The spread of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is a trending issue that has become a global threat to the development of all countries in the world. The disease has affected all sectors of the economy, including sports, education, etcetera. This study examined the impactof the Corona Virus on the educational system in Nigeria and its implication for stakeholders. The spread of the pandemic was analyzed using the reports emanated from reliable sources. The pandemic's effects include the closure of schools at all levels, delay in completion of an academic degree, risky decision making, rise in public and private partnership, online teaching, and students' learning outcomes. The implication for stakeholders includes the government's need to provide an up-to-date report on the pandemic's spread to protect institutions' inhabitants. School authorities should provide teaching through online platforms (Zoom, Skype, Whatsapp, Googlemate, Email, etcetera). There should be synergy between school management and parents to ensure that students receive the teaching provided online. Also, parents should assist their children by providing them the necessary gadgets needed for learning online. Moreover, the students should be taught precautionary measures that will enable them to stay safe for the post-coronavirus era.