Skill Improvement Needs of Extension Agents for Effective Extension Education Service Delivery in Covid-19 Pandemic Era (Published)
The main purpose of this study was to determine the skill improvement needs of extension agent for effective extension education service delivery in covid-19 pandemic era. This study was carried out in Cross River State. The population of the study was 130 extension agents in the three agricultural zones of the State. There was no sampling: therefore the entire population was involved in the study due to manageable size of the population. The instrument used to collect data was a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by 3 experts, 2 from Federal Ministry of Agriculture Calabar and 1 from Measurement and Evaluation Department of University of Calabar. The data collected were analyzed using Need Gap Analysis. It was found out that Extension Agents need improvement in the pedagogies method, group formation of farmer’s method and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) method. It was recommended that conferences and workshops should be organised by ministry of Agriculture for extension pedagogies, group formation and ICT specialists in collaboration with the State Government for effective extension education service delivery.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Improvement, Skill, extension agents, extension education
A Comparative Review of Research on Mindfulness in Pre/Post Covid-19 Education (Published)
Mindfulness is a purposeful, non-judgmental method of focusing attention on the present moment including awareness, attention, and remembering. It cultivates the process of gradual mental development and is enriched by the concepts of acceptance, affirmation, self-reflection, non-evaluation, and sympathy. This profound, meaningful practice is universally healing, appropriate, and beneficial to mental health. Many researchers investigated its benefits in the education system for improving processes of teaching, learning, and interactions between teachers and students. This study applied a comparative, descriptive, integrative review to probe over thirty peer-reviewed published papers in credited journals found in search engines, concentrated on mindfulness in pre/post COVID-19 education. It manifested how this collection of research departed in their finding, application, recognition, implication, feasibility, and methodology employed. It concluded with the significance of mindfulness-based interventions in the post-COVID curriculum.
Citation: Fu F., Haratyan F. and Yanling Z. (2023) A Comparative Review of Research on Mindfulness in Pre/Post Covid-19 Education, British Journal of Education, Vol.11, Issue 3, 1-24
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Curriculum, Education, Mental Health, mindfulness, mindfulness-based interventions
Learning Mathematics Online: Pre-Service Teachers’ Competences and Challenges (Published)
Citation: Mark Mishiwo, Cephas Lokpo, Michael Donkor Adane (2022) Learning Mathematics Online: Pre-Service Teachers’ Competences and Challenges, British Journal of Education, Vol.10, Issue 2, pp. 42-55
The study sought to ascertain pre-service teachers’ ICT competence they have to undertake online learning of Mathematics as well as the challenges they encountered when they participated in online learning in Akatsi College of Education. The study used descriptive survey design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from two hundred and twenty-three pre-service teachers who were purposively sampled for the study. The data collected was analysed using means and standard deviations. The results of the study revealed that majority of pre-service teachers had advance computer skills that helped them used the internet for online learning as well as search for information to support the lessons they were taught online. The findings of the study also revealed that majority of pre-service teachers were proficient in communicating online using Facebook, Twitter and e-mails to support their online lessons. Besides, majority of pre-service teachers indicated that they were proficient in using online tools such as Skype, Zoom, and web video for online learning. However, only 24% and 33% of pre-service teachers were proficient in designing online content using Google drives and using electronic devices to support their online learning respectively. With regard to the challenges pre-service teachers encountered when they participated in the online lessons, majority of these pre-service teachers had difficulty connecting to internet to enable them participate in their synchronous and asynchronous online lessons. With regard to challenges, majority of pre-service teachers had difficulty accessing internet to support their online learning which affected their performance in mathematics. Pre-service teachers also failed to participate in online lessons due to high cost of data. As a result, pre-service teachers resorted to staying awake up to midnight to download and upload learning materials which affected their sleep. Consequently, it was recommended that Government of Ghana partner with telecommunication companies to provide very effective broadband internet connectivity for pre-service teachers to access to enhance online learning. Stakeholders of teacher education in Ghana ought to review the Pillar of ICT in National Curriculum Framework to enable pre-service teachers to be equipped with the skills of using electronic devices to support their online learning.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, ICT competence, Pre-Service Teachers, online learning