EIKI Journal of Effective Teaching Methods

Optimal STEM Educators for Elementary School: Students from the Primary Education vs. Science Department

Konstantinos T. Kotsis — 2025-01-19

This paper explores the optimal qualifications and competencies required for elementary school Science education, specifically contrasting those from Primary Education programs with those from Science University departments. It emphasizes the critical importance of understanding child development and employing diverse pedagogical techniques to effectively engage young learners in a rapidly evolving educational landscape. The research highlights the necessity for educators to cultivate an environment that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, which are essential for preparing students for the complexities of modern society. The paper also discusses integrating traditional subjects with contemporary educational needs, such as social-emotional learning and technological literacy, to create a well-rounded curriculum. By analyzing various studies and literature reviews, the paper underscores the significance of personalized education approaches catering to each student’s unique needs, enhancing motivation and academic success. It advocates for a hybrid learning model combining elements from Primary Education and STEM fields, suggesting that such an approach can effectively address educators’ and students’ diverse challenges. The conclusion calls for ongoing research and professional development to equip teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to adapt to the evolving educational demands of the 21st century, ultimately aiming to improve educational equity and effectiveness for all young learners.

ChatGPT and DeepSeek Evaluate One Another for Science Education

Konstantinos T. Kotsis — 2025-02-15

This paper compares ChatGPT and DeepSeek in science education, highlighting their various uses. ChatGPT’s advanced language processing creates a conversational learning environment that en-courages interactive dialogue and immediate feedback, making it ideal for science discussions. However, it struggles with complex, research-based tasks, suggesting it may not be enough for ad-vanced science topics. In contrast, DeepSeek is designed for technical and scientific tasks and pro-vides a robust framework for understanding real-world applications through multimodal textual and visual interactions. DeepSeek excels at helping students understand and remember science’s difficult visual concepts. Science simulations and in-depth research benefit from DeepSeek’s Vision-Language Model and code generation and debugging optimization. The paper concludes that while each platform has its strengths, combining ChatGPT’s interactive capabilities with DeepSeek’s research-oriented features can transform science education by accommodating diverse learning styles and improving teaching.

Teacher Academic Training Systems in Greece and Serbia

Konstantinos T. Kotsis — 2025-01-15

This study examines the teacher preparation paradigms of Serbia and Greece, two countries with similar histories and religions but different educational ideologies influenced by their social and cultural backgrounds. The study aims to determine the effect of various settings on teacher preparation, with a particular emphasis on pedagogical approaches and curriculum designs. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study assesses how each system affects student results and teacher effectiveness by combining quantitative data from educational tests like PISA with qualitative views from educators and policymakers. Concerns have been raised regarding the influence of Greece’s reliance on a centralized curriculum on developing critical thinking and practical application abilities in aspiring teachers. On the other hand, Serbia’s adaptable strategy incorporates contemporary teaching approaches, boosting students’ capacity for analysis and practical problem-solving. The report emphasizes the value of stakeholder participation, highlighting Serbia’s successful interactions with parents and educational institutions, which help create a climate conducive to educational change. The study emphasizes the integration of cutting-edge pedagogical approaches and standardized assessments, underscoring the necessity for systemic transformation in teacher training processes to satisfy contemporary educational demands. It also asks for fair resource distribution and sufficient funding to enable enhanced teaching approaches that comply with European standards. Ultimately, our research aims to promote international understanding and cooperation, increase teacher preparation programs, and raise education standards globally.

Teaching Social Studies in High Schools, Knowledge Construction versus Knowledge Transmission Methods

SIMON KYEI — 2025-01-29

Teaching to transform lives requires both high-quality content and effective instructional strategies. This study examines the instructional designs that Social Studies teachers use to meet the subject’s requirements. It illustrates how both teacher-centred and learner-centred approaches align with the constructivist teaching model. Various teaching strategies were tested to determine how students engage in constructing knowledge. Using a descriptive mixed-method design, the study explored the instructional methods utilized in teaching Social Studies. It recruited 84 Social Studies instructors from 14 government senior high schools in the Central Region of Ghana, and 1,400 students. The key finding is that relying solely on one instructional technique – whether teacher-centred or learner-centred – limits students’ ability to actively create knowledge. However, when teacher-centred and learner-centred strategies are combined, starting with a teacher-centred approach and concluding with a learner-centred approach, it is more likely to promote active participation and effective learning.

Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Practical Skills Competence as Determinants of Students’ Performance in Biology

Joy Abiola Onipede — 2025-02-11

The research examined the relationship between teacher pedagogical content knowledge and practical skills competence as factors influencing students’ performance in Biology within the Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State. Employing a correlational research design, the study involved 240 respondents, specifically SSII biology students, who were selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were gathered using the Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Competence in Practical Skills Rating Scale, which demonstrated reliability coefficients of 0.80 and 0.73, respectively. The analysis of the collected data utilized descriptive statistics and multiple regression techniques. The findings indicated a significant influence of the level of teacher pedagogical content knowledge and competence in practical skills on the academic performance of students. The findings also revealed that teachers’ competence in practical skills has a positive effect on students’ understanding of biological concepts and students’ performance in biology. In light of these results, the study recommends that educators should im-prove their pedagogical content knowledge and practical skills competence to improve students’ performance in Biology. Furthermore, teacher training programs should prioritize the development of robust content knowledge and practical skills in the field of Biology.

Group Writing: Overcoming Challenges and Facilitating Excellence in Group Writing in Blended EFL Classes in Tertiary Contexts in Bangladesh

Sanzida Pias — 2025-02-04

The study examined the challenges faced by tertiary-level EFL students when collaboratively completing various writing activities inside hybrid EFL classrooms. It also explored synchronous solutions to these obstacles. EFL learners frequently engage in group activities to enhance their writing skills in EFL classes. These collaborative exercises have yielded a significant variety of reflections that are consistently explored in the study. The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed approach, using a Survey Questionnaire, Focused Group Discussion (FGD), and Participant Observation (PO) to gather primary data. The numeric data was analyzed using class intervals of the scale composite scores, while the qualitative data was studied thematically. The quantitative results indicate that more than one-third of students face significant difficulties in pre and post-writing activities. Among these students, 45% experience moderate-level challenges while writing. According to the Relative Importance Index (RII), students encounter greater challenges in post-writing (0.72) compared to pre-writing (0.68) and while writing (0.64) in group writing. After analyzing the recognized difficulties in different phases, feasible strategies such as fostering a culture of collaborative writing, promoting self-directed learning, and cultivating interpersonal relationships were identified as effective means to improve writing skills in groups for English in the EFL context.

The Effectiveness of a Developed Video Lesson On Kitchen Tools, Equipment, and Paraphernalia for TLE 8 Cookery Students

Freddiemie Enguito — 2025-02-04

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a developed video lesson compared to traditional teaching methods in conveying TLE8-Cookery concepts to Grade 8 students at Gacub Atad S. Iligan Tribal National High School and Esperanza Integrated School. Using a quasi-experimental design, students were divided into two groups – one taught using a traditional approach, the other using a crafted video lesson. The video was developed following ADDIE Model and evaluated on content, instructional, and technical quality using the DepEd Learning Resource Management Department Section (LRMDS) tool. Results showed high ratings for the video’s content alignment, instructional clarity, and technical quality, especially its clear audio-visual elements. Moreover, students taught through the video lesson demonstrated significantly greater improvement in post-test scores compared to those taught traditionally, underscoring the video’s potential to enhance comprehension and retention in cookery concepts. The study recommends that the Department of Education and school leaders incorporate video lessons as effective tools to support technical subjects and consider training teachers in creating instructional videos. Future studies could extend this research to analyze the long-term impact and engagement benefits of video lessons.

The Transformative Role of Qualitative Research in ELT and Applied Linguistics

Gopal Prasad Pandey — 2025-01-20

This paper examines the transformative impact of qualitative research on English Language Teaching (ELT) and Applied Linguistics. It highlights how qualitative research can reveal complex insights into classroom dynamics, teacher attitudes, learner identities and societal factors. This study adopted a basic descriptive qualitative approach and collected data through semi-structured interviews with active, experienced university educators in teacher education programs. The findings revealed that qualitative research effectively addresses underexplored areas, such as the impact of cultural and social factors on language acquisition and learner engagement, while also providing actionable insights for teacher training, curriculum design, and classroom practices. Participants emphasized the adaptability and depth of qualitative methods, despite challenges such as time-intensive data collection and the need for ethical rigor. This study contributes to the field by bridging theory and practice, showcasing the role of qualitative methodologies in fostering culturally responsive and inclusive teaching practices, advancing teacher professional development, and addressing real-world educational challenges. Ultimately, the study highlights the enduring relevance of qualitative research in shaping innovative pedagogical strategies and advancing theoretical knowledge in ELT and Applied Linguistics.

Investigation of the Effectiveness of Gender on the Use of Politeness Requests in Communication in Teaching

Tuyền Nguyễn Thị Bích — 2025-02-18

During communication in the formal teaching and learning time in the classroom, teachers and students often make polite requests. However, the use of politeness in requests among the students and students’ reactions to teachers’ polite requests could be influenced by gender. This study attempted to explore the difference between male and female students in using politeness in request, an element of the politeness theory, and reaction towards the polite ones from teachers at the English language teaching ̣(ELT) context at the Asian International School (AIS). The participants in the current study are 100 first-year students from four classes of the English language teaching ̣department in the third semester of 2023. The data research was collected by the questionnaires. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyze the collected data and find out the results. The result showed that the use of politeness in requests among the students and their reaction towards teachers’ polite requests in the classroom between male and female students are quite different. Specifically, the result of the study revealed that female students use politeness in requests more regularly than males’ and they tend to need teachers’ polite requests more than boys.

Global Englishes: Formation, Development and Implications for English Language Education

Duy Khiem Tran — 2025-01-29

This paper examines the complexities of English as a global language, challenging the idea of its uniformity. It argues that English is dynamic, shaped by socio-political contexts and historical forces such as colonialism. The discussion highlights the implications of dominance of English for linguistic diversity and social equity, advocating for recognition of its varied forms - referred to as “Englishes” - that reflect unique cultural identities. The study calls for a rethinking of English language education to promote inclusivity and address inherent inequalities.