Asrat Dagnew Kelkay
3 Publications in AERD
Author Publications
Export PDFInclusion of indigenous knowledge in the new primary and middle school curriculum of Ethiopia
By Abebe Yeseraw
This study investigated the inclusion of indigenous knowledge (IK) in the Amhara Region’s new primary and middle school textbooks in a trial. For this purpose, book reviews of the three purposely selected primary and middle school textbooks were made. Besides, data were collected from 372 teachers and interviews were also made with 28 sample teachers. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively using number counts, percentage, mean and standard deviation, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed using descriptions and text narrations. Findings revealed that although there are encouraging attempts to include IK in the textbooks, still the inclusion of IK in the new textbooks is not significant. In the Grade 5 Environmental Science textbook, only a few lessons involve twenty-eight out of one hundred fifty activities that indicate IK. Similarly, in Grade 6 Environmental Science, it is only eleven out of one hundred-six activities, and in Grade 7 Social Study, thirteen out of sixty-six activities enable learners to share IK systems. Besides, in the Grade 7 General Science, about 79% of activities in the lessons were not directly inviting learners to link them with their IK. The findings of the three sample textbooks revealed that the majority of contents that included exercises, project works, and graphic representations demonstrate a low level of context-based IK incorporation. Accordingly, despite some progress being made, the newly designed textbooks still require more improvements in including more context-based and IK-focused activities in the lessons and the proper integration of IK with 21st-century skills. © 2023 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
Quality secondary education: Principals, teachers and students’ understanding in Ethiopia
By Asrat Dagnew Kelkay
This study attempted to find out the understanding of principals, teachers and students about quality of education in secondary school. Teachers believe that education quality in terms of input indicators with a total mean of (3.5) near to good. In terms of process indicators with a total mean value of (3.70) near to good. And in terms of output indicators with a total mean value of (3.4) that is fall to on average. As the result of this study indicated, students, teachers and principals perceived process factor of quality education especially student-centered factor below the average. In addition, the one way ANOVA result showed that there is a significant difference between the respondents of input and output factors. On the other hand, there is no significant difference between the respondents on process factors. As a whole they responded that input, process and out factor affect the quality of education. © 2023 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
Inquiry-based instructional strategies for effective conceptualization of photosynthesis: The case of elementary school
By Desta Mekonnen
This study investigated the effectiveness of student-centered instruction on eighth-grade students’ conceptual understanding of photosynthesis. The study employed a Quasi-experimental research method. The data collection instruments included were multiple-choice tests, observations, and an informal assessment. The pretest and posttest were administered before and after treatment, respectively. An informal assessment was also administered before and after the intervention. Besides, the observation was conducted from the first day up to the last day of the intervention. The pretest and posttest data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests quantitatively, while data collected through informal assessment and observation were presented using narration. The findings of the pretest revealed that there was no significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups. Post-test results revealed that experimental group students significantly improved their conceptual understanding of the topic of photosynthesis compared to the control group students. The study concluded that the guided inquiry teaching method is more effective than the lecture method in improving students’ conceptual understanding of photosynthesis. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that governments encourage biology teachers to apply guided inquiry teaching methods by providing appropriate instructional material. © 2023 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
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