Asian Journal of Education and Training

Exploring the multifaceted roles of English for specific purposes practitioners within the transformative paradigm in higher education

2024-07-25T13:13:24+00:00

This academic article, utilizing an analytical literature review, aimed to explore the multifaceted roles of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) practitioners. It was found that there were five key roles responsible by the practitioners: (1) teaching; (2) course designing and material providing; (3) researching; (4) collaborating; and (5) evaluating. Performing the teaching role, practitioners facilitate learning, integrate subject-specific content, and foster authentic communication. As course designers and material providers, ESP practitioners adopt language-centered, skills-centered, and learning-centered approaches, as well as the cyclical process of needs analysis, ensuring relevance and authenticity in their courses. ESP practitioners, in their role as researchers, actively participate in action research to develop their professional identities within the ESP context. Collaboration with subject teachers and colleagues also emerges as a crucial aspect, ranging from cooperation to team-teaching, with associated challenges. Lastly, ESP practitioners serve as evaluators, assessing teaching methods, materials, and student learning outcomes, emphasizing fair and constructive evaluation aligned with academic and professional achievements. The discussion highlights the dynamic and comprehensive nature of ESP practitioners' responsibilities, requiring ongoing adaptation and improvement in response to the evolving demands of ESP instruction. Moreover, clear national educational and language policies of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) countries should be emphasized to succeed in their ESP education.

The development of a science, technology and society phenomenon-based learning model for promoting grade 12 students’ problem-solving in geohazard

2024-08-01T02:52:19+00:00

This research aimed to: a) synthesize the Science, Technology, and Society Phenomenon-based Learning Model (STS-PhBL) for teaching Geoharzard to students; and b) compare students’ problem-solving skills prior to and after the STS-PhBL lessons on the Geoharzard topic. The sample consisted of 39 Grade 12 students enrolled in the first semester of the 2021 academic year at one secondary school in Surin Province, Thailand. The data collection methods included the panel of experts’ evaluation of STS-PhBL lesson plans and the Problem-Solving Skills Test. The Index of Item-Objective-Congruence (IOC) of STS-PhBL lesson plans on Geoharzard was calculated. Also, the students’ problem-solving skills prior to and after the STS-PhBL lessons in the Geoharzard topic were analyzed by using the paired-samples t-test. The researchers synthesized a new STS-PhBL model from the intensive literature review, consisting of seven teaching steps: a) stimulate the phenomenon; b) identify problems in the phenomenon; c) explore the answer to the targeted problem; d) construct new knowledge; e) reflect on learning; f) exchange and share learning; and g) apply knowledge. The STS-PhBL lesson plans on Geoharzard met the IOC requirements. After learning STS-PhBL lessons, the students significantly improved their problem-solving skills at the 0.05 statistically significant level.

Using machine learning techniques to study of stress, depression, and academic performance of grade 12th students

2024-08-16T06:23:20+00:00

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the problems of stress and depression among Grade 12 students; 2) to investigate the machine learning technique in analyzing and predicting stress, depression, and academic performance among Grade 12 students; and 3) to evaluate the stress and depression prediction platform. Students from schools in the Secondary Educational Service Areas of Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Chainat, and Pichit in Thailand comprised the sampling group, which the researchers recruited through simple random sampling. A total of 510 students volunteered to participate in the questionnaire, while 117 students served as the group for the evaluation platform. The researcher employed a total of three assessments: 1) the Stress Assessment Scale (SPST-20), 2) the Depression Assessment Form 9 Questions (9Q), and 3) the Death Assessment Form (8Q) to gather data and develop the platform. The data analytics process incorporates all assessment results, comparing five techniques to yield the most accurate results. The article presents the research results, which will guide the development of a system and tools for future student monitoring in schools.

An experimental study on improving reading comprehension and analytical writing skills of twelfth-grade students on lexical and collaborative learning in Chinese language courses

2024-08-16T06:40:45+00:00

This study explores the practical effects of lexical and collaborative learning on improving reading comprehension and analytical writing skills among twelfth-grade students in Chinese language classes. A sample of 30 students aged 17 to 19 was selected from a public high school in China. The Chinese Reading Comprehension Skills Test Paper (CRCSTP) and the Analytical Writing Skills Assessment Scale (AWSAS) were used to measure students' reading comprehension and analytical writing abilities before and after the experiment, employing a single-group pretest-posttest experimental design. Students' Chinese reading comprehension skills significantly improved after the experiment, with the standard deviation (SD) decreasing from 2.95 to 2.01 and the mean score (X¯) increasing from 16.67 to 18.47. The t-test indicated a substantial improvement (t(29) = -5.34, p < 0.05). Additionally, students' analytical writing abilities showed significant enhancement, with the SD decreasing from 2.34 to 1.79 and X¯ increasing from 17.2 to 20.1. The t-test demonstrated a statistically significant improvement (t(29) = -12.52, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that integrating lexical and collaborative learning into the Chinese language curriculum effectively enhances twelfth-grade students' reading comprehension and analytical writing skills.