Educational Psychology

Secondary School Students’ And Science Teachers’ Conceptions Of The Nature Of Scientific Knowledge

2025-08-28T05:40:31Z

Secondary School Students’ And Science Teachers’ Conceptions Of The Nature Of Scientific Knowledge Tadele, Demelash This study examined secondary school students and science teachers’ conceptions of the nature of scientific knowledge (NOSK). A pragmatic research philosophy was adopted in this study. To address the objectives of the research, a mixed methods approach was employed. Open-ended questionnaires were used to collect data from 134 students, and 48 science teachers. The participants were selected from three schools using a convenient sampling technique. Qualitative analysis involved comparing students’ and teachers’ responses to experts’ views of NOSK. Frequency counts and percentages were also used to describe the NOSK conceptions of the participants. In addition, the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare students’ conceptions of NOSK by grade level and gender. The findings showed that most of the secondary school students had naïve conceptions about NOSK. On a comparative basis, grade 12 students reflected more informed NOSK views than grade 10 students on most of the tenets. Mann- Whitney U test revealed that the mean rank score of grade 12 students is significantly greater than grade 10 students on the subjective (U=3.20, p<.05) and cultural (U=2.42, p<.01) aspects of NOSK. The teachers generally held a naïve conception of NOSK, as evidenced by the fact that their conception aligned with informed conception only on two of the seven assessed NOSK aspects. The findings indicated that there is a need to devise mechanisms to develop secondary school students’ and teachers’ NOSK understanding to attain its promised benefits. Future research should investigate students' and teachers' NOSK conceptions using large samples across grade levels, from diversified schools, including private and public schools from the different regions of the country to reveal students’ and teachers’ NOSK conceptions

Examining the Predictive Effects of Organizational Culture on Employees’ Job Performance: The Case of Bahir Dar Textile Share Company

2022-09-07T06:23:23Z

Examining the Predictive Effects of Organizational Culture on Employees’ Job Performance: The Case of Bahir Dar Textile Share Company Getanew, Gizachew This study was conducted to examine the predictive effects of organizational culture on Employees’ Job Performance in particular case of Bahir Dar Textile Share Company. Random sampling was employed to select 285 sample employees out of total 1100 employees and Bahir Dar textile Share Company’s. Out of 285 selected employee respondents 268 respondents responded to the questionnaire (94 percent responsive rate). Data were collected using structured questionnaires. To realize the research objectives descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as one sample t-test and regression were employed. The research found employee’s practice clan, adhocracy, and market cultures are significantly affecting the employee job performance. However, for hierarchy dimension of organizational culture which is not found to be significantly greater than the expected mean hence hierarchy culture is not practiced. The study findings revealed that market dimension of organizational culture has predict on employees’ job performance. Meaning, 21.5 percent of change in employees’ performance is attributed to market culture. However, clan, adhocracy and hierarchy cultures don’t have significant effect on employee job performance in the case of Bahir Dar Textile Share Company. The study recommends that Bahir Dar textile Share Company’s market culture enhance employee engagement to promote job performance.

An Investigation of Teachers’ Self-regulation in Secondary School Science Teaching and School Factors: Self-efficacy Belief as Mediator

2022-09-07T06:14:48Z

An Investigation of Teachers’ Self-regulation in Secondary School Science Teaching and School Factors: Self-efficacy Belief as Mediator Mekuriaw, Mengistnew The purpose of this study was to investigate science teachers’ self-regulated teaching practice in secondary schools and the relationship between school factors and self-regulation using teaching self-efficacy belief as mediator in South Gondar zone. An explanatory sequential mixed method with co-relational survey design was applied. The participants were 302 science teachers (chemistry, biology and physics) from the total 63 secondary schools only 9 were selected using random sampling method. The 302 participants were selected using comprehensive sampling. Descriptive statistics, t-test (both one sample and independent), multiple regressions and structural equation modeling were used for quantitative data analysis; thematic transcription and interpretations analysis were used for qualitative data. The quantitative results indicate that teachers of the study area reported as they are implementing self-regulated science teaching. The interview analysis result also confirms that teachers perceived as they are implementing self regulated teaching with low conceptual understanding and knowledge of self-regulation. The descriptive statistics explained that teachers implement preparatory phase of self-regulation more than performance and reflection phases. But, the qualitative result shows somewhat differently in which half of the participant’s lack planning and selecting strategies from preparatory phase and implementing performance and reflection phases better than preparatory phase. The multiple regression analysis result shows that teachers’ gender and teaching experience were not found significant predictor of self-regulated teaching; however, the independent sample test and qualitative data identify that female teachers are more effective than their male counter parts in their self-regulated science teaching. Moreover the structural equation model analysis result informs that among school factors, only professional learning community practice (PLC) was found to have a significant positive effect on self-regulated teaching both directly and indirectly. Science teaching efficacy belief plays its meditational role in the relation between PLC and SRT but not for science teaching resource availability (STRA) and SRT. Other researchers who are concerned on the issue are recommended to conduct an experimental research and its effect on students’ outcome to show its significant impact on teachers’ teaching effectiveness and to conduct an instrument validation study. Self-regulated teaching concept would bring teaching quality of teachers if incorporated in their training system. Results’ implications are indicated in chapter 5.

Reframing Entrepreneurship Teaching Methods of Higher Education: Differential Impact of Experiential Learning on Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students

2022-06-28T09:06:47Z

Reframing Entrepreneurship Teaching Methods of Higher Education: Differential Impact of Experiential Learning on Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students Mohammed, Yasin This study examined the differential impact of experiential entrepreneurial learning method on entrepreneurial intentions of students compared to the traditional entrepreneurial teaching method of the course "Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management '' at Wollo University. The research design appropriated for the research was a quasi-experimental nonequivalent comparison-group design. Data for the study drawn from 202 undergraduate students of Wollo University. To collect the data, the improved and extended version of Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ) and generic learning outcome measuring open-ended items employed. The data collection processes were conducting between February 2019 and June 15/2019. While measuring the impact of each course teaching learning method on entrepreneurial intention and its antecedents, test-retest difference two-sample t-test, ANCOVA, multiple response chi-square analyses, logistic regression, and path analysis of SEM used. The findings of the study showed that both the newly designed experiential entrepreneurial learning and traditional entrepreneurial teaching methods had significantly improved entrepreneurial intention and its antecedents of the study participants. On the other hand, the entrepreneurial intention of students learned entrepreneurship by the experiential method was significant higher than the control group. The intention model (i.e., TPB) was valid for representing the entrepreneurial intention development of students. Entrepreneurial self-concept has significantly mediated the relationship between EI and EIIC and its antecedents. The association among the type of entrepreneurial teaching-learning method, the perceived job creation responsibility attribution development, and course benefit evaluation (reporting of cognitive, affective, and skill-related entrepreneurial learning outcomes) of participants’ responses were statistically significant. In light of the findings recommendation, implications, and future directions forwarded.