Global Partners in Education Journal

Introduction to the 8th Global Issues Conference Special Edition

Anna Łobodzińska — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Exploring Gendered Dynamics in Performing Domestic Care Activities

Marrium Zahra, Shahla Tabassum — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Women’s domestic care work has been overlooked and is considered unproductive. It is rarely counted in the domestic, communal, and national economies. This research explores the total time men and women spend on domestic care activities the economic value they perceive and the market value of these domestic activities. The research design of the study is quantitative and uses only the domestic care dimension of the tool developed by Tabassum et al. (2023). The total sample of 530 participants, i.e., 170 males and 360 females, was selected from the inner areas of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, using simple probability random sampling. The results revealed significant gender differences in time spent on domestic care activities, with females spending 86,158 hours per month while men spent only 16032 hours per month, meaning women spent more than five times more. The findings further revealed the perceived economic value by the participants to be 9.76 million rupees in a month, while the market-based economic value was 20.44 million rupees in a month, which is four times higher than the perceived economic value, showing the undervaluation of these domestic activities by participants. The study emphasizes the need for a more equitable recognition of roles and contributions within the domestic sphere and the necessity of redistributing gender roles and reevaluating social assumptions regarding the financial and emotional costs involved with these vital obligations.

Keywords: Care, Domestic, Gender, Unpaid, Value, Work

Positive Masculinity & Disaster Preparedness in Pakistani Urban Communities

Iqra Waheed Malik, Nadia Bukhtawer — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This qualitative study explores the intersection of positive masculinity and disaster preparedness in Pakistani urban communities. Through focus group discussions with 24 men aged 19 and above from Rawalpindi and Peshawar, the research highlights the transformative potential of positive masculinities in enhancing community resilience. The findings reveal that men in Pakistan have both traditional and positive perception of masculinity. Men with positive masculine traits, such as emotionality, responsibility, and perceiving women as allies are advocating for change. They can facilitate women's active participation in disaster preparedness efforts. These men emerge as pivotal agents in creating a conducive environment for collaboration, communication, and collective action in disaster mitigation and response. The study underscores the need to redefine traditional gender roles and promote gender-sensitive approaches that recognize and harness the strengths of both men and women in disaster risk reduction efforts within Pakistani urban contexts. It fosters inclusive and resilient communities in the face of disasters.

Keywords: Positive masculinity, disaster preparedness, gender roles, urban communities

Linguistic Mistakes or a Distinct Variety? How L2 Speakers Influence English in International Contexts

Mateusz Urbaniak — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study aims to examine the development of localised varieties of English within the Expanding Circle of World Englishes, as defined by Kachru (1992), based on an example of the Polish speech community. Employing a questionnaire consisting of translation and phonological items, the research explores how native Polish influences manifest themselves in L2 English language use. The translation task revealed common patterns of linguistic interference, such as calques and grammatical structures imported from the participants’ native language, while the rhyming task highlighted phonological deficiency in distinguishing vowel length differences. Results indicate that Polish speakers tend to employ non-standard linguistic forms due to cognitive influences from their native language, suggesting that these recurring patterns, if properly identified, could potentially evolve into distinct features of a Polish variety of English. The findings underscore the need to adapt teaching methodologies to better address the specific challenges faced by learners. The study concludes that while the emergence of a Polish English variety remains speculative, acknowledging and addressing such linguistic interference could enhance both our understanding of language evolution and language instruction practices. Future research should incorporate more interactive tasks and larger samples to further investigate these phenomena and compare findings across different linguistic contexts.

Keywords: World Englishes, varieties of English, Expanding Circle, linguistic interference, L2 English, native language influence

The Application of Wordwall.net in English Language Instruction for Young Learners: The Learning Motivation of Taiwanese Elementary School Third Graders

Tyler Lee, Yu-Chih Doris Shih — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Technology plays a crucial part in the educational field since it aids both educators and learners. Wordwall.net is a digital game-based education site that has a wide selection of activities. Many studies have been conducted concerning Wordwall.net as a tool to enhance learning outcomes. However, research has not identified which motivational factors are attained simultaneously by using Wordwall.net. The current study unveils young learners’ motivational factors during grammar and vocabulary instruction. The ARCS model of Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction was applied as the basis for investigating learners’ motivational aspects. After collecting two sets of questionnaires from 24 participants, the Spearman Rank correlation was used to find correlations. The outcomes revealed that Wordwall.net led to many significant correlations between the ARCS’s four motivational domains for both vocabulary and grammar teaching. As a result, apart from the findings of many studies that have indicated the beneficial aspects of Wordwall.net in enhancing students’ language proficiency, this study fills in the research gap regarding motivational aspects that Wordwall.net brings to third-grade students. This will enable educators who are seeking to apply web-based tools in class for vocabulary and grammar instruction to recognize the ARCS motivational aspects that Wordwall.net can enhance.

Authentic Learning and Assessment in Lebanon and UAE Private Schools: Implementation, Impacts, and Challenges

Nadim Taha, Samar Thebian — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In today's world, it is vital to establish an educational system that equips students with critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, rather than encouraging them to be passive learners. To achieve this aim, authentic learning and assessment are crucial. This research seeks to explore the implementation of authentic learning and assessment, their impact, and the challenges faced by teachers in private schools in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study employs a mixed-methods approach to gather data from a survey that includes closed and open-ended questions for 91 teachers in ten private schools (50 teachers from Lebanon, five private schools from Mount Lebanon, and 41 from the UAE). The findings demonstrate that authentic learning and assessment are effective in developing teaching strategies and improving learning outcomes in both countries, despite the challenges that teachers face. The research also reveals a significant positive impact on student performance in Lebanon. As a result, the study provides valuable insights into future interventions to promote education in both the Arab and global contexts.

Keywords: authentic, assessment, impacts, challenges, Lebanon, UAE

Bullying Dilemmas: Cyberbullying and Mental Health Strain for University Students in Mount Lebanon

Nermine Abi Farraj, Sawsan Hassan, Ghina Nassar — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study investigates the link between cyberbullying and mental health among university students, acknowledging the prevalence of online harassment and its possible influence on people’s well-being. Using a cross-sectional research approach, the study examines the frequency of cyberbullying encounters among university students, as well as their understanding of many forms and consequences of cyberbullying. The findings show that respondents have a high degree of awareness about cyberbullying, with a consensus on its definition and acknowledgment of its negative consequences. Furthermore, the study finds a strong link between cyberbullying and negative mental health outcomes such as poor self-esteem, anxiety, despair, social isolation, and trust concerns. This highlights the critical need for preventative measures and support structures to combat cyberbullying and preserve people’s psychological well-being. The study recommends comprehensive strategies for combating cyberbullying, such as education and awareness programs, stricter consequences for perpetrators, victim support, parental involvement, collaboration with social media platforms, and the promotion of empathy and responsible internet usage. It also underlines the significance of incorporating cyberbullying prevention education into university courses and working with mental health professionals to provide counseling and assistance to those impacted. Overall, the study emphasizes the crucial need of collaborative efforts from multiple stakeholders, including educators, parents, lawmakers, and mental health experts, in addressing the complex issue of cyberbullying and creating safer online environments for university students.

Keywords: cyberbullying, mental health, university students, online harassment, awareness, prevention, intervention, education, psychological well-being.

Investigating Compulsive Staring behavior in Men: A gender sensitive examination of Socio-cultural and Psychological Influences

Hajra Shoukat, Sahira Zaman — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Examining psychological, sociological, and cultural aspects, this study investigates the complicated phenomenon of compulsive staring. A person's inner self (Psyche), the people in immediate environment (Society), and certain customs or traditions (Culture) may have a significant influence in enhancing or diminishing this behavior. Students pursuing bachelors and master's degrees from highly populated universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad participated in this qualitative study. Focus groups and interviews were done with the use of snowball sampling. To create themes from the data analysis, open and axial codes were extracted, and themes were generated. The results show that connections, social obstacles, and the social environment all have a big impact on compulsive staring. Cultural traditions can cause this behavior, such as when objectification becomes normative, although they have less effect than social and psychological elements. The psychological components of compulsive staring, such as suppressed feelings, urges, and coping mechanisms, are also major contributors. It is important to uncover further details or root causes of this behavior to have a deep understanding, which may help us to understand how to deal with the person exhibiting this behavior and if someone has tendencies to develop it, how to counsel him to get rid of it. All of these efforts are necessary to make this world a beautiful place to live in.

Keywords: Social environment, Snowball sampling, Focus Group discussions, Cultural traditions, Psychological components

Shadows of the Past: Tracing Intergenerational Trauma in Seychelles

Diana Benoit — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the intergenerational trauma resulting from the 1977 coup d’état in Seychelles, revealing how the psychological impacts experienced by victims continue to affect their descendants. The study highlights that trauma has manifested in the children of victims as anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of insecurity, underscoring the complex nature of healing in post-conflict societies. Through analysis of diverse emotional responses to the truth commission, ranging from relief to re-traumatization, the article illustrates the challenges of achieving collective healing. A significant collective call for reparations and justice has emerged, emphasizing the need for acknowledgment, accountability, and comprehensive redress to foster reconciliation. The study advocates for the implementation of holistic support systems, including psychological counselling, legal assistance, and community engagement initiatives tailored to the needs of affected populations. By exploring the transmission of trauma across generations, this research offers practical recommendations for breaking the cycle of suffering and promoting resilience within Seychelles. The findings have broader implications for other post-conflict societies, demonstrating the importance of integrating mental health care, justice mechanisms, and public acknowledgment of historical injustices into post-conflict recovery efforts. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the enduring impacts of political violence and the critical need for comprehensive approaches to healing that address both individual and collective dimensions of trauma to foster a more just and resilient future.

Keywords: intergenerational trauma, Seychelles, post-conflict healing, truth commission, reparations and justice