IIUM Journal of Educational Studies

On Writing "Healthy and Hygienic" Articles: Advice to Authors

Tunku Badariah Tunku Ahmad — 2026-07-31

Promoting Children's Early Literacy Development: The Role of Parental Involvement in School Activities

Jean Domalanta — 2026-07-31

The present study explores Filipino parents' perceptions of their role in fostering their children's early literacy skills, their collaboration with schools, and the challenges they encounter in parental involvement. Employing an exploratory qualitative design, data from in-depth interviews with seven parents of Grade One students from two public schools were analyzed thematically. Findings reveal that parents perceive their involvement as a collaborative partnership with teachers and active engagement in home- and school-based activities, although class story-reading sessions were identified as the only school activity they were involved in. Limited time due to work commitments and a lack of parent-friendly activities were the main barriers to active involvement, resulting in minimal opportunities for parents to participate. Nonetheless, participants expressed willingness to engage in school activities such as class story-readings, provided these are carefully planned to accommodate working parents' schedules. The study concludes with implications for stakeholders to diversify parent-friendly activities and accommodate working parents, and recommends expanding future research to private schools, greater sample diversity, and teacher and administrator perspectives. These findings offer initial insights to guide educational institutions and policymakers in implementing programs that foster children's early literacy development and academic success.

Enhancing Nigerian Pre-Service Science Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) via a Video Self-Analysis Instructional Component Model (VSICM)

Olubusayo Foluso Adebusuyi — 2026-07-31

This study examined the effects of a Video Self-Analysis Instructional Component Model (VSICM) on the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of pre-service science teachers. The VSICM integrates online video-based resources with classroom activities to promote reflective, teacher-centered learning. A pre-experimental design was employed, involving 67 pre-service science teachers in the 300- and 400-level classes of the Science and Technology Education Department at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria. Data were collected using questionnaires covering personal information, levels of technological knowledge, reasons for using technology, and the extent to which TPACK predicts technology use in teaching. Additional observational checklists and teaching practice assessment booklets were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, regression, and t-tests. Findings revealed that the VSICM significantly enhanced participants’ TPACK, particularly in technological, pedagogical, knowledge (TPK) domain. Observational evidence further showed improvements in the integration of technology and mastery of science content during teaching. Results indicated that 41.8% of the pre-service teachers possessed a high level of technological knowledge, 34.3% had a moderate level, and 23.9% had a low level, attributed to limited exposure and nonchalant attitudes toward technology. The study concluded that pre-service teachers with strong TPACK are better positioned to deliver effective science instruction. Video-based tools proved valuable for assessing and strengthening teachers’ usable knowledge for science teaching. It is recommended that teacher education institutions invest in technology resources to enhance integration of VSICM model in teacher education, while curriculum designers and policymakers use TPACK baseline data to support the design of an updated VSICM guide for teachers.

Targeting Local Benchmarks: A Framework for NLP-Based Automated Grading in Bangladesh’s NCTB English Curriculum

Motia Mannan — 2026-07-31

This study examines the methodological congruence between international standards and Natural Language Processing (NLP)-based assessment within Bangladesh's National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) English curriculum. Although AI-based grading systems are increasingly used in education, most remain built on Western language norms and tend to overlook local educational contexts and the influence of learners' first language (L1: Bangla). Using a qualitative research design, this study conducted content analysis of 200 student essays (100 at the SSC level and 100 at the HSC level) alongside semi-structured interviews with 15 local education professionals, including curriculum developers, teachers, and examiners. The findings reveal a high degree of contextual mismatch: existing NLP systems have no models calibrated to the NCTB level and tend to over-penalize non-standard but communicatively effective English. The absence of a locally digitized corpus further complicates the development of fair automated grading systems. By shifting the evaluative focus from native-speaker norms to locally competent communicators, this study underscores the importance of incorporating cultural and linguistic context into AI-based assessment tools. It proposes a tentative policy framework to guide policymakers toward culturally responsive NLP systems that support fairer student assessment in Bangladesh.

The The Effectiveness of the 4MS English Textbook in Developing Students’ Reading Comprehension Skills: Algerian Teachers’ Perspectives

Malika Gheraissa — 2026-07-31

This study explores English teachers’ perspectives on the effectiveness of the 4MS English textbook in developing students’ reading comprehension skills. A qualitative research approach was employed, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 English teachers who had experience using the textbook in classroom instruction. The findings indicate that the textbook is generally aligned with curriculum objectives related to reading comprehension and includes a variety of written texts and activities that support the development of basic reading skills. Teachers highlighted the value of comprehension questions, structured reading stages, and organized activities in promoting learners’ understanding. However, participants reported several limitations. The linguistic complexity of some reading texts was found to hinder comprehension and increase students’ dependence on teacher support. In addition, the textbook places greater emphasis on lower-level reading skills, such as identifying main ideas and locating information, while providing limited opportunities for higher-order thinking and critical reading. Teachers also emphasized the importance of relevant content, visual and multimedia support, and the adaptation of textbook materials to learners’ proficiency levels. The study concludes that the effectiveness of the 4MS textbook depends not only on its content but also on teacher mediation and supplementary instructional support. Further improvements are needed to better support reading comprehension in EFL contexts.

Strategic and Distributed Leadership as Complementary Predictors of Holistic School Performance: Evidence from a Geographically Dispersed Small-Island Education System

Azleen Ahmed — 2026-07-31

This study examines how Strategic Leadership Practices (SLP) and Distributed Leadership Practices (DLP) jointly relate to School Performance (SP) in Maldivian secondary schools. It addresses a gap in understanding how these two forms of leadership operate together in a non-Western, geographically dispersed education system, and it treats geographic dispersion and cultural collectivism as boundary conditions that may shape how leadership works. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 372 leadership personnel from 185 schools across all 20 atolls, representing 94.87% of eligible institutions. Data were analysed using a two-step structural equation modelling (SEM) approach in IBM AMOS. Common method bias was assessed using Harman's single-factor test and an unmeasured latent method factor. The measurement model showed acceptable fit (CFI = .944; TLI = .932; IFI = .944; RMSEA = .074), although the chi-square/df ratio (3.031) slightly exceeded the stricter threshold of 3.0. Both SLP (β = .323) and DLP (β = .413) significantly predicted school performance (p < .001), together explaining 28% of the variance. Both coefficients represent weak-to-moderate direct effects, which is consistent with the largely indirect way in which leadership influences school outcomes. Although the DLP coefficient was numerically larger, a Wald test showed that the difference between the two paths was not statistically significant (p = .234). The study contributes an integrated leadership model for a small-island developing context and shows how the Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Values (KSAV) policy framework used in the Maldivian curriculum can be examined empirically using SEM.

Cultivating Adab Through Leadership: How Educational Leaders Shape Islamic Character in Cambodian Tahfiz Boarding Schools

Noor Jannah Afi — 2026-07-31

Muslim boarding schools in minority contexts play a crucial role in preserving religious identity and nurturing moral values beyond formal academic instruction. In Cambodia, where Muslims constitute a small minority, tahfiz boarding schools function as key institutions for cultivating adab, an Islamic concept encompassing moral character, ethical refinement, disciplined conduct, and moral responsibility. This qualitative case study examines leadership practices in two Cambodian tahfiz institutions, Maahad Tahfiz Darul Ulum Poipet and Maahad Tahfiz Darul Hadith Pemnok. Data were obtained from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with eight educational leaders and were supported by systematic non-participant observation. Thematic analysis produced nine major themes and 27 interrelated subthemes that collectively frame adab cultivation as a structured and intentional institutional process. The themes include leadership modeling, mentorship based moral guidance, relational bonding, calibrated praise, structured rewards, restorative discipline, character-centered programs, organizational prioritization of adab, and the pedagogical use of the boarding environment. While these strategies operate synergistically, leadership modeling, institutional commitment to adab, and restorative discipline emerged as the most influential and foundational practices. Findings indicate that effective adab development depends on sustained leadership commitment and systematic integration of character education into curriculum design, daily routines, and institutional policy, rather than treating it as supplementary instruction. By situating the study within broader discussions of Islamic educational leadership and minority Muslim schooling, this research offers policy relevant and curriculum based insights with comparable applicability to similar minority contexts. The study contributes empirically grounded evidence and proposes a replicable, leadership-driven model for sustainable values based on residential education.

Fostering Critical Thinking Through Creative Teaching: A Comparative Case Study of Stand-Alone and Infused Approaches in Two Malaysian Classrooms

Asma Musazay — 2026-07-31

The decline of critical thinking in the modern world is a growing concern for educators, who increasingly ask how such thinking can be deliberately cultivated within existing school structures rather than left to chance. This study examines how two teachers in Malaysia use creative teaching to foster critical thinking, and how their students respond, through two contrasting approaches: a stand-alone method, in which critical thinking is taught as its own subject, and an infused method, in which it is embedded within an existing subject. Using a qualitative multiple case study design, the research followed two classrooms in the Kuala Lumpur area: an international school in Gombak that teaches critical thinking directly through Hikmah Pedagogy, a stand-alone Philosophy-for-Children-based approach, and a school in Ampang that follows a Saudi national curriculum and infuses critical thinking into its mathematics lessons using the Six Thinking Hats technique. Data were gathered through classroom observation, interviews with teachers and students, and content analysis, and were evaluated against Duron et al.’s (2006) five-step framework for teaching critical thinking and Paul and Elder's (2002) model of critical thinking. Both teachers were found to align with all five steps of Duron et al.'s framework despite using different methods. Three factors emerged as central to how well critical thinking was fostered in either setting: the teacher's skill in questioning, the consistency with which critical thinking was practised over time, and the choice of stimulus material or anchor problems used to prompt it. Benefits reported by teachers and students included stronger academic reasoning and improved social skills such as respectful disagreement, while the most significant constraint in both classrooms was insufficient lesson time to fully develop and assess every student's thinking.

Teachers’ Awareness and Implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication for Teaching Autistic Children in Kampala, Uganda

Nur Sakinah Binti Ahmad Nasaruddin — 2026-07-31

This study investigates teachers' awareness and implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for teaching children with autism in Kampala, Uganda, where limited awareness and effective use of AAC persist despite its proven benefits. AAC plays a crucial role in supporting or replacing speech for individuals with complex communication needs. Guided by Rogers' stages of the innovation-decision process, with a focus on the knowledge (awareness) and implementation stages, the study employed a quantitative approach using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The target population comprised special needs education teachers who taught autistic children and incorporated AAC into their teaching. A sample of 101 respondents was selected through snowball sampling across five divisions of Kampala District. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), employing descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. The findings revealed that teachers in Kampala have low to moderate levels of awareness of AAC in teaching autistic children. Despite this, teachers actively implemented AAC strategies, indicating that implementation can occur even when awareness is limited. The study found a significant, moderate to strong positive correlation between teachers' awareness and their implementation of AAC (r = .645), suggesting that higher levels of awareness are associated with greater implementation of AAC strategies. These findings highlight the need for targeted professional development to strengthen teachers' knowledge and support more effective use of AAC.