-
Research Article
An Investigation into English Language Teachers’ Practices and Challenges of Alternative Assessment: Selected Teacher Education Colleges in Focus
Habtamu Kassa*
,
Zeleke Arficho,
Eskinder Getachew,
Aregay Meressa
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2024
Pages:
50-62
Received:
28 April 2024
Accepted:
23 May 2024
Published:
29 July 2024
Abstract: Alternative assessment has got an important place especially in education due to the belief of education should focus on students’ totality cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills in order to produce students that are balanced physically, emotionally and intellectually. This study was aimed at examining education college English language teachers’ practices and challenges of alternative assessment with reference to Hawassa, Hossana, and Arba Minch Colleges of Teacher Education. To this end, a descriptive design with a mixed approach was employed. A questionnaire with five-point scales was used and data were collected from 56 teachers. SPSS version 23 was employed to compute descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation). A semi-structured interview was also conducted with 6 teachers randomly selected from among those teachers who had filled in the questionnaire and the data were thematized and analyzed qualitatively. The results of questionnaire reveal that the practice of alternative assessment was not effective and efficient due to different challenges (students related challenges, teachers related challenges, characteristics of alternative assessment related challenges and resource related challenges. It is also found that data from interview witnessed that alternative assessment was not practiced effectively due to the aforementioned challenges.
Abstract: Alternative assessment has got an important place especially in education due to the belief of education should focus on students’ totality cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills in order to produce students that are balanced physically, emotionally and intellectually. This study was aimed at examining education college English language teache...
Show More
-
Research Article
Embera Children's Stories: A Strategy for the Preservation of Language and Cultural Identity in Indigenous Education
Sandra Marcela Bedoya Lozano*,
Derly Johanna Bejarano Agudelo,
Luz Karime Ramírez Gómez,
Maria Clemencia Escobar Gutierrez
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2024
Pages:
63-71
Received:
23 March 2024
Accepted:
13 May 2024
Published:
31 July 2024
Abstract: This study conducted in the Embera Chamí Navera Drua community, located in Darien, Colombia, investigates the impact of children's literature, particularly stories, on strengthening cultural identity and preserving the native language among the community's children. Utilizing a qualitative approach, an ethnographic and participatory action research design was implemented to deeply explore the community's worldview, its educational context, and the sense of cultural belonging developed by the children. The results highlight the importance of intercultural teacher training and the implementation of pedagogical strategies that promote the indigenous worldview through the narrative of stories, which capture the interest and imagination of children. It is concluded that children's stories facilitate the development of a sense of cultural belonging in children, youth, and adults while engaging with their native language. Therefore, it is necessary to train teachers within the community who can link storytelling as a strategy to facilitate the preservation of their language from childhood, allow community participation in preserving their worldview, and contribute to the development of the community's own cultural education.
Abstract: This study conducted in the Embera Chamí Navera Drua community, located in Darien, Colombia, investigates the impact of children's literature, particularly stories, on strengthening cultural identity and preserving the native language among the community's children. Utilizing a qualitative approach, an ethnographic and participatory action research...
Show More
-
Research Article
BL Drama: The Thai Entertainment Industry as a Source of Soft Power
Stephen Lyajoon*
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2024
Pages:
72-76
Received:
29 April 2024
Accepted:
15 May 2024
Published:
6 August 2024
Abstract: Boys Love, a subcategory originated in Japan in the 1970’s has swept the Thai entertainment industry. BL dramas has put Thailand on the map with an international recognition and appreciation through the portrayal of the country’s gender fluidity narrative and addressing relatable social question of the current generation. Observations can be made on the possibility of Thailand to use this newly found niche market as a source of soft power. Looking at the country’s other Asian neighbors as case study allows for a clear pattern to be observed through the use of the entertainment industry as a mean for cultural export, simultaneously establishing a sphere of influence that can be leverage on the diplomatic stage. This paper leverage the case study of South Korea and Japan as prime example of soft power through their respective entertainment industry. From the origin of the Boys Love and its success in Thailand to analysis of similar case studies in Japan and South Korea, this paper seeks to understand the feasibility of the BL genre becoming an asset positioning Thailand as a key player in the diplomatic arena both within Asia and the international community. The BL industry in Thailand has a significant potential of propelling the country on the international stage as a significant regional power. Yet, there are some major setbacks to be addressed for that concretization of this phenomenon.
Abstract: Boys Love, a subcategory originated in Japan in the 1970’s has swept the Thai entertainment industry. BL dramas has put Thailand on the map with an international recognition and appreciation through the portrayal of the country’s gender fluidity narrative and addressing relatable social question of the current generation. Observations can be made o...
Show More
-
Research Article
A Timeline of Journalistic Influence of Writing on the Gilded Age in American Literature
Cristina Guarneri*
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2024
Pages:
77-80
Received:
29 April 2024
Accepted:
17 May 2024
Published:
20 August 2024
Abstract: The themes found in the writings by authors during the Gilded Age are still prevalent in writings of the twenty-first century. The Gilded Age, a term used to describe a period of economic boom after the American Civil War at the turn of the century, influenced communication to readers by using the ethos unearthed by writers who were opposed to a particular politician and their policies. The Gilded Age was a time of rapid economic growth through the invention of the railroad and business. What looked like a golden time was an era of great growing pains in America between the industrial worker and the wealthy business owner. What the Gilded Age symbolized in both life and writing has become a model of writing that extended to current literature. American writers contributed to a great body of literature that flourished during the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was a time of rapid economic growth through the invention of the railroad and business. Literature was used as a social revolt that violated the growing power of business and growing government corruption that outlined the utopias of the inefficiency of a capitalistic system. Within genres of writing such as Poetry, the later nineteenth century, and early years of the twentieth century were a poor period for American poetry providing themes of distress, doubts, and fears about American life. Within the genres of writing, newspaper writing played a crucial role in exposing scandals, the pathos of the American Dream, and the logos or persuasion by using the trials of society. Writing was a powerful communication tool during the Gilded Age that allowed writers to target events during this era. Newspaper writing was important to communicating prominent issues to the public, as it upheld ideals to question government and keep it accountable. However, the Gilded Age writings helped to permanently etch in the minds of readers the importance of themes that were prevalent post-Civil War that impacted the writing and writers of American Literature.
Abstract: The themes found in the writings by authors during the Gilded Age are still prevalent in writings of the twenty-first century. The Gilded Age, a term used to describe a period of economic boom after the American Civil War at the turn of the century, influenced communication to readers by using the ethos unearthed by writers who were opposed to a pa...
Show More
-
Research Article
Exploring Setting as a Driver of Drama in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”
Jamal Assadi*
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2024
Pages:
81-90
Received:
6 July 2024
Accepted:
30 July 2024
Published:
20 August 2024
Abstract: This study provides an in-depth examination of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited," focusing on the influential role of setting in shaping the narrative's dramatic elements. Through a nuanced analysis, the research investigates how the depiction of 1920s Paris serves as a catalyst for character motivations and actions, thereby driving the plot forward. Utilizing a combination of textual analysis and literary theory, the study seeks to elucidate the intricate interplay between setting, structure, and dialogue in Fitzgerald's narrative, aiming to uncover the underlying thematic and stylistic elements at play. The primary objective of this research is to explore the profound impact of setting on character development and narrative progression in "Babylon Revisited." By examining the portrayal of Paris as a milieu of extravagance and hedonism, the study aims to explicate how the city functions as both a backdrop and a character in its own right, influencing the behaviors and decisions of the protagonist, Charlie Wales, and other key figures within the narrative. Methodologically, this study employs a combination of qualitative textual analysis and theoretical inquiry to interrogate the relationship between setting and drama in Fitzgerald's work. Drawing upon established literary frameworks and critical perspectives, the research situates "Babylon Revisited" within its broader cultural and historical context, allowing for a nuanced examination of the novel's thematic concerns and stylistic innovations. By engaging with interdisciplinary approaches to literary analysis, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which setting functions as a driver of drama in Fitzgerald's narrative. In conclusion, this research contributes to our understanding of "Babylon Revisited" by offering a rigorous analysis of the role of setting in shaping the novel's dramatic elements. Through a meticulous examination of the text and its contextual underpinnings, the study demonstrates how Fitzgerald's adept manipulation of setting, structure, and dialogue enriches the narrative, elevating it to a timeless work of literature. Ultimately, the research underscores the enduring relevance of Fitzgerald's exploration of human behavior and emotion within the framework of a vividly rendered setting, solidifying his status as a preeminent writer of the 20th century.
Abstract: This study provides an in-depth examination of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited," focusing on the influential role of setting in shaping the narrative's dramatic elements. Through a nuanced analysis, the research investigates how the depiction of 1920s Paris serves as a catalyst for character motivations and actions, thereby driving the plo...
Show More
-
Research Article
The Evangelization of Indigenous People in Spanish America: Motolinía and Las Casas
Maria Izabel Barboza de Morais Oliveira*
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2024
Pages:
91-96
Received:
28 January 2024
Accepted:
19 February 2024
Published:
20 August 2024
Abstract: The aims is to highlight two divergent conceptions regarding the evangelization of the original peoples of Spanish America. In this sense, a comparison is established between the thoughts of the spanish franciscan friar Motolinía with the thoughts of the spanish dominican friar Bartolomé de Las Casas on the topic. The source is the Historia de los indios de la Nueva España (conceived from 1536 to 1541) and the Carta ao Imperador Carlos V (1555) by Motolinía as also the Único mode de atraer a todos los pueblos a la verdadera religion by Las Casas (written between 1523 and 1437). As a theoretical-methodological reference, we use the notions of the russian philosopher of language Mikhail Bakhtin. According to this author, there is only an object of thought and research where there is text. Every text has an author and this author has an intention. There is an interrelationship between the text and the author's context. For the russian philosopher, the work is a statement, as its author is always responding to the works of his predecessors, basing himself on and agreeing with the works of the same current, criticizing and combating the works of opposing currents.
Abstract: The aims is to highlight two divergent conceptions regarding the evangelization of the original peoples of Spanish America. In this sense, a comparison is established between the thoughts of the spanish franciscan friar Motolinía with the thoughts of the spanish dominican friar Bartolomé de Las Casas on the topic. The source is the Historia de los ...
Show More
