Analysis of Student's Academic Achievement in Music of Visayas State University System

Parental factors impact students’ self-concept and academic performance during the pandemic. Thus, this study determined the students’ self-concept and academic performance and the parental factors related to it. The research design was descriptive-correlational, and 500 nonrandom college students in West Philippines participated in the study. Researcher-made instruments were used, which were subjected to reliability and validity evaluation. Data were collected online from June 2021 to July 2022 and were analyzed using descriptive (frequency counts and percentage) and inferential statistics (Spearman correlation). Results revealed a positive self-concept and satisfactory academic performance among the students. Besides, parental factors such as educational attainment and school/classroom involvement are significantly related to self-concept and academic performance. Further, self-concept is significantly associated with academic performance. This shows that some parental factors are vital in developing the student’s self-beliefs and supporting their studies and academic endeavors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies may consider more factors related to academic achievement and self-concept. Other researchers may find the mediation or moderation effect of self-concept between parental factors and students’ scholastic achievement. KEYWORDS: academic performance, COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning, higher education, parental factors, self-concept

Exploring Teachers Leadership Activities in the Classroom: A Case of Two Private School Teachers in Gilgit-Baltistan

Teacher leadership has emerged as a powerful tool to enhance student learning outcomes in the context of developed countries; however, there is a need to study teacher leadership activities in the classroom in the context of Pakistan, with special reference to Gilgit-Baltistan. Hence, this study was designed to explore teachers' leadership activities in the classroom in a private high school in Gilgit-Baltistan. This was a qualitative study within which a case study was used as a research method. The research participants were selected through purposive sampling which included head teacher, two secondary school teachers and six students of class ten. The fieldwork was spread over six weeks to collect relevant data. In this regard, semi-structure interviews, classroom observations and focused group discussions as tools for data collection were used. An activity theory was used as a lens to analyse the data within adapted teacher leadership frame work by Farman and Mackenzie (2010). Key findings include continuous professional capacity building promotes teachers' leadership, teacher leadership promotes relationships with students, teacher leaders translate curriculum into learning activities, teacher leadership activities enhance students' self-esteem and confidence to solve learning problems, teacher leaders' pedagogic act contributes to students' leadership qualities, school policies and teachers' workload affect teachers' leadership activities, and teacher leaders develop culture for leadership activities in the classroom. The study also proposes a possible framework for teachers' leadership activities in the classroom for student learning. The study suggests a viable approach for making school policy enabling teachers to act as teacher leaders. The study also suggests making continuous professional development mandatory for teachers to carry out their leadership activities in the classroom for purposeful student learning.