Institutional staff perceptions on the impact of accreditation: A study in two Vietnamese vocational training colleges

<p>Governments in many countries worldwide have increasingly focused on accreditation as an important strategy to improve the quality of vocational education and training (VET). In Vietnam, accreditation in vocational training is still in its initial stage of development. The first cycle of accreditation at institutional level was conducted in 2008, and accreditation at programme level was piloted for the first time in 2012. The purpose of this mixed method study was to investigate the actual effects of institutional and programme accreditation from the perspectives of staff members in two Vietnamese vocational training colleges. Sixty staff members in these two institutions participated in the study. A questionnaire combining closed-ended and open-ended questions was administered to all participants. To obtain more in-depth responses about the impact of accreditation, individual interviews were conducted with eight participants. The findings suggest that the staff members overall had a positive perception towards the impact of accreditation regardless of the type of accreditation. The three main perceived benefits of accreditation included the increased awareness amongst staff of QA, its role as a catalyst for institutions’ change and enhancement, and the improvements in managerial practices. However, the study found support for the view that accreditation seemed to have been geared towards accountability rather than improvement. Many staff members observed that accreditation did not lead to a significant increase in teaching and learning quality or the institutions’ reputation. The effects of accreditation were also seen to be temporary rather than long-lasting. In conclusion, the study argues that though accreditation in vocational training in Vietnam has gained some preliminary success, there is still a mismatch between policy and reality. A number of important implications at both national and institutional levels for more effective accreditation are identified.</p>

Institutional staff perceptions on the impact of accreditation: A study in two Vietnamese vocational training colleges

<p>Governments in many countries worldwide have increasingly focused on accreditation as an important strategy to improve the quality of vocational education and training (VET). In Vietnam, accreditation in vocational training is still in its initial stage of development. The first cycle of accreditation at institutional level was conducted in 2008, and accreditation at programme level was piloted for the first time in 2012. The purpose of this mixed method study was to investigate the actual effects of institutional and programme accreditation from the perspectives of staff members in two Vietnamese vocational training colleges. Sixty staff members in these two institutions participated in the study. A questionnaire combining closed-ended and open-ended questions was administered to all participants. To obtain more in-depth responses about the impact of accreditation, individual interviews were conducted with eight participants. The findings suggest that the staff members overall had a positive perception towards the impact of accreditation regardless of the type of accreditation. The three main perceived benefits of accreditation included the increased awareness amongst staff of QA, its role as a catalyst for institutions’ change and enhancement, and the improvements in managerial practices. However, the study found support for the view that accreditation seemed to have been geared towards accountability rather than improvement. Many staff members observed that accreditation did not lead to a significant increase in teaching and learning quality or the institutions’ reputation. The effects of accreditation were also seen to be temporary rather than long-lasting. In conclusion, the study argues that though accreditation in vocational training in Vietnam has gained some preliminary success, there is still a mismatch between policy and reality. A number of important implications at both national and institutional levels for more effective accreditation are identified.</p>

The school heads' strategy for planning to boost the standard of education

The main objective of the analysis was to evaluate the Strategy of the Principal in Preparing to Enhance the Standard of Education at MTs Negeri 1 Musi Banyuasin. In carrying out the vision and mission and obligations, namely through the enhancement of religious values of students and programs of teacher competence. Qualitative analysis is the research used. Via evaluation, interviews and reporting, data collection was carried out. Data analysis methods have resulted in data reduction, data presentation and conclusions being drawn. The findings of this study suggest that an improvement in religious values by increasing the completeness of facilities and amenities is the principal strategy in preparing to enhance the standard of education To promote a special space for the Tahfidz AlQuran students for the learning process and to build teacher competencies through a Memorandum of Understanding. Improve teacher competence, teacher success and teaching and learning quality for student performance. In education and training, teachers are assigned to participate, If it is done by the school itself or by the assistance of other educational institutions.<strong></strong>

Investigating Indonesian Textbooks Readability Using Fry Graph Formula

Learning the Indonesian language cannot be separated from the use of textbooks. In using textbooks, teachers must consider several aspects, especially text readability. This study aims to measure text readability in Indonesian textbooks using the Fry Graph Formula and determine the suitability of the text used in the book with the student's school level. The present study applied the descriptive analysis and quantitative approach method to count and analyze texts in several Indonesian language textbooks readability using the Fry graph formula. Three Indonesian language textbooks with 45 measured text in 11th grade were analyzed. This study found that 25 texts showed the results "Not Appropriate", 16 texts showed the results "Appropriate", and four texts showed the results "Invalid". Based on the analysis, the number of readabilities of text in Indonesian language textbooks was easy for textbooks at 11th grade. The findings in this study can help the teacher adjust and choose the suitable teaching materials in Indonesian language textbook to improve teaching and learning quality. Before selecting a leading textbook as a learning source, we suggest teachers analyze text readability to improve learning efficiency and quality.

TRAINING PROCESS OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SKILLS FOR PRE-SERVICE BIOLOGY TEACHERS AT UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND EDUCATION, THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG

Formative assessment can be seen as an integral part of teaching and learning since this type of assessment has a positive impact on teaching and learning quality. A focus on forming and developing formative assessment skills for pre-service teachers is highly necessary in the context of innovating teaching towards capacity and quality development. This article presents the training process to foster awareness and skills of formative assessment for pre-service Biology teachers at University of Science and Education, the University of Danang. This process is formed based on the analysis of the literature on formative assessment and the curriculum of the Biology Teacher Education program at the university, and also on the consultation with educational experts for higher feasibility. The training process consists of three stages, which are mainly carried out in the Testing and Evaluation in Teaching Biology module and partlyincorporated in the Teaching Practicum module.

An Investigation into Factors Affecting Concentration of University Students

Concentration is one of the most influential decisive factors in student’s learning quality. The higher the student's level is, the less concentration they pay in class, especially university students. Owing to this low level of concentration ability, many lecturers find it hard to maintain their enthusiasm when teaching students from this level, and also those students find it hard to achieve the best outcome when graduating from university. For that reason, this article will provide an understanding of all the distractions that undergraduate students may have during their class. Also, the roles of a teacher will be put into a discussion so that readers as teachers from all levels can have a better and deeper look into this academic job, with the hope that they may find it useful for any of their changes later if they think it is necessary so that their learners can have better experiment with them in class. And after all the analysis, this article will suggest some good and applicable solutions that can be applied to improve the situation. Hopefully, this would advance the teaching and learning quality in the university environment.

MOTIVATION TO STUDY ENGLISH OF NON-ENGLISH MAJORED FRESHMEN

Motivation is regarded as an influential factor in the success of any activity. It plays a significant role in reaching the desired goals, including learning English. This research aims to analyze the students' motivation and factors affecting their motivation to learn English. The population of this study was 326 freshmen in nine faculties of natural sciences at Tay Do University. The quantitative data was collected through the questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS software. The results show that the students had motivation to learn English, but their motivation levels were not high. Additionally, the students had both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. However, the latter was higher than the former. Moreover, the results also indicate factors affecting learners’ motivation. The research findings contribute to improving English teaching and learning quality in Vietnam in general and in Tay Do University in particular. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0770/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Stimulating Understanding of Properties of Quadrilaterals Using Van Hiele’s Model: A Lesson Study

This paper explores Van Hiele’s Model's use in planning the tasks to identify the properties of quadrilaterals. Lesson study, a professional development program that enables teachers to collaborate to improve teaching and learning quality, was utilized to get necessary data needed for the study. The authors aimed to see to what extent Van Hiele’s Model affects the students’ engagement and development of knowledge in the learning of the research topic. Some observations during the research lesson were as follows: 1) retention of prior knowledge on quadrilaterals was little to non-evident to the students 2) most students still use jargons in order to describe the properties of quadrilaterals and 3) most students were not able to showcase skills in measuring lengths and angles in identifying properties of the quadrilaterals. Given these observations, the following recommendations were as follows: 1) continuous integration and use of mathematical tools such as ruler and protractor in teaching different concepts and processes in Mathematics 2) identifying the level of the learners’ readiness based on the Van Hiele’s model to provide appropriate examples and activities in the context of the students 3) providing hands-on activities such as geometric construction and measuring activities that would enhance students’ capabilities in reasoning and proving. Lesson study served as a powerful tool to reflect on the researchers' processes and activities in conducting the study.