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

Teachers Instructional Practices in Relation to Their Expectations from Girls and Boys in a Co-Education Primary School in Pakistan

Education For All's (EFA) vision is to enroll and retain all girls and boys in schools. It is also about ensuring that girls and boys of all age develop their full potential through quality education. However, during the last two decades, despite the enormous work done by the government and donor agencies in Pakistan, a large number of students, especially girls, are still out of school. Gender disparities exist in access, enrolment, and completion at all levels of education. There are many socio-economic and cultural factors, along with the micro processes of schools and classrooms, behind this issue. The focus of the study was to explore the instructional practices of teachers in relation to their expectations of girls and boys students. This study was conducted through a qualitative case study, which was explorative in nature. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, pre- and post-observation discussions and analysis of instructional materials (text, illustrations and displays) using gender analysis framework. Two major conclusions emerged from the study; it was found that both the teachers had different expectations of girls and boys, those expectations were rooted in their own personal experiences. Moreover, official curriculum (text and illustrations) and the hidden curriculum (pedagogies teacher used) didn't favor girls in the classrooms. Adding to these, teachers did not recognize the subtle messages, which students were getting from the textbooks and their deliveries. Teachers' varied expectations from girls and boys and the socialization of different gender roles and the use of a gender-biased hidden curriculum lead to an inequitable education opportunities for boys and girls in both the classrooms. Findings of the study have serious implications for teachers, teacher educators, and policy makers. Unless teachers are made aware of the gender role socialization and the biased messages which they send to students everyday, and until teachers are provided with the methods and resources necessary for eliminating gender-bias in the classrooms, girls will continue receiving an inequitable education. This will have a serious implication for their access and stay at schools