Emerging Trends of Ethics in Higher Educational Institutions: An Analysis of Universities Students’ Perception in Islamic Context

The basic characteristics and moral values of Islamic society include peace, harmony, brotherhood, equality, justice, respect and tolerance. Islam advises humans to spend their life according to the characteristics of Islamic society. The word ‘ethic’ brings harmony in the spiritual and physical attributes of a person. Islamic system preaches good moral values and indicates ways to avoid ill-mannered behavior. An individual with good moral values reflects good faith and blessings of Almighty Allah. But the studies show that Pakistani society and especially the youngsters are growing up without proper training & teachings about ethics and moral values. This research work aims to explain the need for ethical teachings in Islamic society. Quantitative method has been used in this study. Two hundred questionnaires have been filled by the three Universities’ students. The opinion of the students has been presented through SPSS in tabular forms and figures. According to this fieldwork, the majority of students had a lack of training related to ethical values from home to institutions, due to which we are facing ill-mannered behavior in Universities. This research work may be significant for its specific theme and research background; hence it can be used for the benefit of the policy makers, the scholars and the readers at large.

Enhancing Grade 9 Students English Language Speaking Skills Through a Task Based Language Teaching Tblt Approach in a Private Secondary School in District Chitral, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Although the area of speaking skills is acquiring enhanced attention owing to its importance in communication in the 21st century, this skill has been overlooked by EL teachers due to several reasons such as teachers’ lack of capacity, less / no weightage to speaking skill in the board exams and students’ reluctance to speak in the target language. Consequently, students, even after completion of their schooling, fail to fluently communicate in the English Language. In this background, using an action research method, this study aimed at enhancing Grade 9 students English Language speaking skills in a private secondary school in District Chitral, Pakistan through the Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) approach. The research included several phases starting from reconnaissance, moving on to different cycles, each cycle planned and implemented on the bases of lessons learnt in the previous cycle, and consisting of a variety of interactive activities with a focus on speaking skills. Data were generated through observations, field notes and interviews with students, teachers and the school principal. The analysis of data after the intervention phase, revealed that students had enhanced verbal fluency at a certain level, built confidence and developed a habit of speaking English during their classroom discourse. Students took keen interest in the activities and were excited to speak in English. It reflects that when the EL teachers provide students with meaningful tasks, engage them to ensure their participation, develop a culture of interaction through TBLT and facilitate students during their learning process, students’ spoken English can be enhanced. Moreover, the application of TBLT can also be more effective for teaching reading, writing and listening skills as this approach has the potential to engage students in all four-language skills.