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Web-based discussions in teaching and learning: Secondary school teachers’ and students’ perception and potentiality to enhance students’ performance in organic chemistry
By Iyamuremye, Aloys
The current work explores the secondary school teachers’ and students’ perception on web-based discussions in teaching and learning and its potentiality to enhance students’ performance in organic chemistry. A mixed approaches typically interviews and achievement tests were applied for collecting qualitative and quantitative data respectively for triangulation purpose. A total of 138 senior five students and 4 teachers were purposively selected from the two secondary schools at Kicukiro District in Kigali city, Rwanda. Discourse and interpretive approaches were used to analyze qualitative data, while t-test was used for analyzing quantitative data obtained from pre- and post-test scores. The results from this study revealed that applying web-based discussions is the teaching method that potentially and effectively enhances students’ performance in organic chemistry with 0.10 learning gains and an effect size of 0.43 (df = 137 and p <.05). In addition, students and teachers have been expressed positive perceptions to the application of web-based discussions in teaching and learning. Therefore, teachers and students are recommended to access a universal chemistry network and conduct web-based discussions for increasing students performance in organic chemistry. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
ISSUES IN SUBJECT COMBINATIONS CHOICE AT ADVANCED LEVEL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RWANDA
By Ndihokubwayo, Kizito
The present study explored the issues related to subject combinations choice at advanced level secondary schools in Rwanda. Three schools with various subject combinations were conveniently selected from three districts in Rwanda. Two hundred and thirty-eight participants, including 211 students (grade 10 to 12), three director of studies (DOS), and 24 teachers, were selected purposively to participate in this study. A survey questionnaire for students, interviews with DOS, and focus group discussions with teachers were employed to collect qualitative and quantitative data for triangulation purposes. For instance, a questionnaire was used to reveal students' choice of their subject combinations, a DOS interview to learn how combinations are assigned to students, and teacher FGD to learn difficulties students face due to assigned subjects. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis methods. The results analysis revealed that some students studied what they chose, while others were given what to study based on their performance or influenced by their parents' preferences. Therefore, students reported that they struggled to perform successfully at A' level while they used to perform well at the O' level. It was noticed that what some students learn at A' level have a negative effect on their future life. This study recommends that (i) the career development stakeholders should sensitize students about the impact of the wrong choice, (ii) Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) should train career guides to help students choose their best combinations, and (iii) students' interests should be given preference than their performance.
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