International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research

Managing Achievement Test Practices Among Senior High School Teachers in Ghana: Recommendations for Policy and Practice

Abdul-Waris Mustapha, Mohammed Gunu Ibrahim — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study examined the adherence of Senior High School teachers to the principles of test construction, administration, and scoring. Achievement tests play a critical role in assessing student learning and guiding instructional decisions, yet challenges in their effective implementation persist. Using a descriptive research design, data were collected from 241 teachers through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that teachers demonstrated some level of proficiency in test construction, particularly in aligning test items with learning objectives and ensuring clarity and appropriateness. In test administration, teachers showed competence in ethical practices, providing timely feedback, and ensuring fairness during testing. Regarding test scoring, teachers displayed strong skills in using reliable rubrics, maintaining consistency, and safeguarding confidentiality. Despite these strengths, gaps were identified in accommodating students with disabilities and in understanding basic test administration principles. Also, their ability to apply Bloom’s taxonomy effectively was limited, highlighting a need for professional development. However, there is potential to enhance their capacity to use assessment data for instructional improvement. These findings underscore the need for targeted policy construction and interventions, including teacher training, inclusive assessment practices, and data-driven decision-making. These policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the quality of achievement test in Ghanaian schools and ensuring equitable and reliable educational assessments.

Investigating Academic Procrastination within the Framework of Temporal Motivation Theory: The Impact of Hopelessness and Academic Resilience

Nurullah Türkcan, Seval Kızıldağ-Şahin — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Academic procrastination represents a significant challenge frequently encountered among high school students, negatively impacting their academic outcomes. It is posited that levels of hopelessness and academic resilience may serve as predictors of academic procrastination. Consequently, the objective of this study is to examine the extent to which hopelessness and academic resilience predict academic procrastination among high school students. The study involved 625 participants, comprising 337 females (53.9%) and 288 males (46.1%), who were selected through a convenience sampling method from various high schools in a small city in Türkiye's Aegean Region during the 2023-2024 academic year. Participants' ages ranged from 13 to 18 years, with a mean age of 15.52 years (SD = 1.13). In order to assess academic procrastination, the researchers utilized the Academic Procrastination Scale. The Beck Hopelessness Scale was employed to evaluate levels of hopelessness, while the Academic Resilience Scale was used to measure academic resilience. Additionally, a Demographic Information Form was administered to gather relevant demographic data. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS 27.0 software, implementing Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis methods. The study specifically tested whether hopelessness and academic resilience significantly predicted academic procrastination among the participants. The findings revealed that the independent variables accounted for 17.3% of the total variance in academic procrastination. While academic resilience was not identified as a predictor of academic procrastination, hopelessness emerged as a significant predictor. These findings suggest developing psychological support programs to reduce hopelessness and academic procrastination in high school students. Furthermore, training programs designed to enhance academic resilience and strengthen social support networks may assist students in better managing procrastination behaviors. The results of this study were discussed within the framework of existing literature, and pertinent recommendations were provided for both researchers and practitioners in the field.

University Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of MOOCs in the Teaching-Learning Process

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become one of the highly accepted sources of online teaching and learning these days. Even though MOOCs have gotten wider popularity, its efficacy in teaching and learning is an ongoing topic of discussion. The narrative review in this paper provided the detailed insights of the effectiveness and the limitations of the MOOCs in the academic literature. The present research performs qualitative data analysis using Grounded Theory method (interpretative approach) to find out the effectiveness of MOOCs in teaching and learning involving university teachers handling MOOCs modules and students learning them in a longitudinal study of two successive academic years. The research identifies the benefits, drawbacks, and ideas and recommendations for enhancing MOOC-based teaching and learning.

Beyond Classrooms: High School Students’ Experiences with Digital Competence and English Language Development in Etwinning Projects

Esen Nur Günerhan, Şevval Karsavuranoğlu-Atasoy, Eda Gürlen — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Abstract

This study explores high school students' perspectives on digital competence and English language skills in the context of e-Twinning projects. With the increasing integration of technology into education, digital competence has become a vital skill for students, especially in language learning environments. E-Twinning, as a European initiative promoting cross-border collaboration through digital platforms, offers a rich context for enhancing both digital and linguistic abilities. Adopting a qualitative research design, this study collected data from students who participated in e-Twinning projects across various high schools in Turkey. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and observations.The findings reveal that students perceived e-Twinning projects as highly beneficial for improving their English skills, particularly in speaking and writing, due to the necessity of real-life communication with international peers. Moreover, students reported significant growth in their digital literacy, including the effective use of online tools, collaborative platforms, and digital communication strategies. The results also indicate an increase in students’ motivation, cultural awareness, and confidence in using English in authentic contexts. Despite these benefits, some challenges were identified. It was noted that the projects were not always carried out under ideal conditions, with limitations such as inadequate technical infrastructure, issues with mobile compatibility, and challenges in time management. The study concludes that integrating e-Twinning projects into the language curriculum can significantly support students’ language development and digital skills. Recommendations are provided for educators and policymakers to facilitate more equitable and effective implementation of such projects in high school settings.

Three Dimensional Leader-Member Exchange Scale (LMX-3D): A Scale Development Study

Ercan Doğanay, Cemal Aküzüm — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool to measuring teachers’ leader-member exchange behaviors. The study group of the research consists of 396 teachers working in secondary schools in the central districts of Eskişehir, Odunpazarı and Tepebaşı, in the 2018-2019 academic year. The construct validity of the scale was examined by exploratory factor analysis. According to the results of the analysis, the scale measures a three-factor structure. It was also confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis that the scale measures the three-factor structure. The total variance rate explained by the scale was determined as 67,72%. In order to determine the reliability of the scale, the Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient value was checked and this value was determined as 0.922. The results of all validity and reliability analyzes show that the Three Dimensional Leader-Member Exchange Scale (LMX-3D) can be used as a valid and reliable measurement tool in the studies that teachers will be taken as a working group.