Vol. 8, Issue-4, November-2019 Page 1. 8 Issue-4, November2… · Page 1 Vol. 8, Issue-4, November-2019 Page 1. Education India Journal: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues

Education India Journal: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues on Education,

ISSN 2278-2435, Vol. 8, Issue-4, November-2019. Page 1

Vol. 8, Issue-4, November-2019 Page 1



Index

Sl. Sl. No. Paper Title Author Page No.

1. Low Performance in Odia and Social Sciences at

Secondary Level in Odisha: An Exploratory Study

Dr. Rasmirekha Sethy 03-13

2. Heutagogy : A Journey of Engagement to

Realization

Dr. Sunita Singh 14-26

3. Perception of Stakeholders of Higher Education

about Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)

Ahammod Mallick

Dr. Sumit Paroi

27-38

4. Study of Parent -Child Relationship among

Secondary School Students of Sikkim

Barsha Chhetri

Dr. Subhash Misra

39-47

5. Digital Skills of Prospective Teachers in Odisha

Dr. Ramakanta Mohalik

48-61

6. Study of Social Networking Sites Usage among

B.Ed. Students

Dr.Akanksha Singh

Dr.Ajay Pratap Singh

62-75



Paper-1

Low Performance in Odia and Social Sciences

at Secondary Level in Odisha: An Exploratory

Study

Dr. Rasmirekha Sethy



Low Performance in Odia and Social Sciences at Secondary Level in Odisha:

An Exploratory Study

Dr. Rasmirekha Sethy1

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to study the home and school related factors of low performance of

students in Odia and Social Sciences in High School Certificate (HSC) examination. Survey was

conducted on 20 secondary schools having low performance in Odia and Social sciences, slected

by using multistage sampling technique. Self developed questionnaire, interview schedule and

focus group discussion were used at tool for data collection. The study reveals that teaching

learning materials like textbooks, story books, reference books, dictionary etc were not available

with all students. All students were not getting help in Odia and Social sciences from parents for

better understanding of subjects. There is a lack of monitoring and supervision of classes by HM,

BEO and DEOs. The study has suggested to provide basic teaching learning materials for Odia

and laboratory equipments for geography which can facilitate students understanding.

Key Words: Low performance, Odia, Social Sciences, Board of Secondary Education.

Conceptualization of the Problem

Secondary education is the second stage in the system of public education system usually

beginning with Class VI and ending in Class X of a high school. It is important because of those

appearing and qualifying it, reaches the terminal point of formal schooling. For this substantial

group, the learning experiences of this stage of education become important for their future

living in society.

The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), is a board of education for public and private

schools under the state government of Odisha, India. The BSE was formed under the Odisha

Education Act 1953. The board controls and maintains the secondary education in the state of

Odisha. Under this board various courses are offered to students for different occupations and to

prepare the students for university. The BSE also conduct the examination for the students of

secondary level. The board prepare the question paper in both subjective and objective type of

questions. The board has set a regulation for conducting the high school certificate (HSC)

1 Associate Professor in Education, RIE (NCERT) Bhubaneswar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odisha

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India



examination i.e. (i) The Board shall conduct the High School Certificate Examination twice a

year. The first examination shall be called the Annual Examination and the Second Examination

shall be called the Supplementary Examination. ‘Provided that the Board may conduct more than

one such Annual and Supplementary Examinations if so directed by the State Government', (ii)

The above examination shall be held at such centres as the Examination Committee may, from

time to time, fix and on such dates and time as the Committee may appoint. (iii) The High

School Certificate Examination shall be so designed as to be a test of all round general education

which would enable the student either to enter the working force or to take up higher level

academic and vocational courses. (iv) The examination shall be conducted by written tests,

practical tests and/or internal assessment and shall be in accordance with such instructions as

may be issued by the Examination Committee from time to time and shall be according to the

course of study prescribed. (v) Award of marks or grades to a candidate in different subjects of

examination will be based on his intelligent appreciation and understanding of the subjects.

In a bid to check malpractice and bring fairness in the matriculation examination, the

State Government of Odisha has set new rules for the annual High School Certificate (HSC)

examination. Now students will not appear in the class X board examination-conducted by

the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) in their respective schools. Rather, the students will be

allowed an examination centre within a distance of five kilometers from their school.

From the analysis of results of annual class-X examination conducted by Board of

Secondary Education (BSE), it is revealed that performance of Odia and Social Science is

decreasing gradually. Some schools are showing very good result whereas others are showing

extremely poor performance in these two subjects in consecutive years. The Board of Secondary

Education (BSE), Odisha has analysed, the High School Certificate (HSC) examination from

2005 to 2013 and the percentage of pass is given in table-1.

Table-1: HSC Examination Results of the BSE, Odisha from 2005-2017

Year Category of Examination Number of Appeared Pass %

2005 Regular 283650 59.85

Supplementary 40245 31.78

2006 Regular 298982 60.23




2007 Regular 322979 63.17


2008 Regular 322275 55.85


2009 Regular 342893 66.70


2010 Regular 368218 74.60


2011 Regular 424278 68.69


2012 Regular 452575 69.10

Supplementary _____ _____

2013 Regular 281885 70.13

Supplementary _____ _____

2014 Regular 544480 84.62

Supplementary ______ _____

2015 Regular 554605 82.09

Supplementary ---- ----

2016 Regular 601389 83.32

Supplementary ______ ______

2017 Regular 608659 85.28

Supplementary ______ ______

Source: Education Statistics at a Glance, U-DISE

Table-1 clearly indicated that percentage of pass of regular students is always higher in

annual examinations than supplementary examinations of different years. But it is quite clear

that, pass percentage of students during last few years both in annual and supplementary

examinations have increased significantly, especially if we focus on annual examinations. One of

the reasons of such high result may be due to changes in evaluation system and changes in

question pattern. After getting the high pass out rate, some districts have low performance in

Odia language and Social Science.



Need and Justification of the Study

A combination of internal and external factors influences student’s academic performance in

school subjects. Getting to the root of these causes may increase academic performance

drastically. Some external factors that can affect academic performance include in the class in

which the student is doing poorly and stressful situations. If the student is preoccupied by

troubles at home or with friends, s/he may not be able to devote the necessary time and effort to

the class. On the other hand, if the student is not feeling challenged in the class or does not have

the necessary background knowledge, s/he may suffer academically. Students who do not have

the necessary knowledge may need to go back to study the subject at an earlier level, while

students who are not feeling challenged may do better if they moved forward to a more advance

level. Finally, very bright students who naturally excel in school without having to study in Odia

and Social Science may perform poorly in the classes that demand more from them because they

do not have necessary study skills to get ahead. It has been observed from the last few years of

HSC result that students are doing poorly in Odia and Social Science.

On the other hand previous studies indicated that lakc of researh in the area of Odia and

Social sciences specially in Odisha. Waseka (2016) found that student related factors influenced

student academic performance by 7.56%. Mangwaya et al (2016) indicated that lack of qualified

teachers, inadequate science equipment and lack of motivation, among others, negatively

influence students’ academic performance. Maimela (2016) revealed that factors like parental

involvement, Medium of instruction, Teaching and learning materials, Infrastructure, learner –

teacher ratio, School libraries and Motivation of teachers etc influence students performance.

Godwin (2015) indicated that; students had low level academic performance; positive attitude

towards physics; significant gender difference in academic performance in favour of the male

students. Gegbe et al. (2015) revealed that factors contributing to poor performance include

under staffing, inadequate teaching/ learning materials, lack of motivation and poor attitudes by

both teachers and students, retrogressive practices. Ella et al (2015) revealed that significant

influence of family size and family type on academic performance of secondary school students

in Government in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria. Alos et al (2015) concluded

that several factors pose a high impact on the academic performance of student nurses, with

teacher-related factors topping the list. Conversely, personal conditions and home-related factors



pose little effect on student academic performance. Biswas (2015) revealed that the study

orientation of secondary school students is related with their academic achievement. The high

achievers have better study orientation than the low achievers. Oguche et al (2015) indicated that

school climate, discipline and physical facilities has significant influence on academic

achievement of secondary school students. Albert et al (2014) found that there was positive

relationship between: teacher characteristics and performance, teaching / learning resources and

performance, motivation and performance, student’s attitude towards Biology and performance

in Biology.

On basis of the result analyis of BSE, Odisha and above research findings, the

investigator decided to conduct study to find out the factors of low performance in Odia and

Social Science in the HSC examination, Odisha.

Objective of the Study

To find out the home related factors of low performance in Odia and Social Sciences in

HSC examination.

To study the school related factors of low achievement in Odia and Social sciences in

HSCexamination.

Method

The present study was planned to assess the cause and various factors for low performance in

Odia and Social Science. Data were collected by using different tools and techniques from the

students who are enrolled in current academic year, teachers (of both Odia and Social Science),

headmasters and parents for low performance in Odia and Social Science from the sampled

districts. Hence, the investigator followed survey method for the present study.

Sample

In the present study, all three districts have low performance in Odia and Social Science

in the academic years (2014-2016) in Board’s Annual Examination conducted by Board of

Secondary Education was considered as Population. From three district’s 20 schools were taken

as the sample of the study. Further, Headmasters, students, teachers and also parents were

included as sample.

For selection of sample, multi stage sampling procedure was used to select three districts.

From each district, schools having low performance in Odia and Social Science were selected.

Ten (10) schools from Mayurbhanj, seven (7) schools from Boudh and three (3) schools from



Ganjam district are selected for the study. In total twenty (20) schools from Odisha were

involved as sample for the study. All Odia and Social Science teachers, Headmasters, ten

students from each school and parents of sample students of the selected 20 schools were

constituted as the sample. Further, ten students from each schools were involved in focus group

discussion. The details of sample schools are presented in table-2.

Table-2 : District wise selection of sample

Districts Schools Head Masters Teachers Students Parents

Mayurbhanj 10 10 20 100 100

Boudh 7 7 14 70 70

Ganjam 3 3 6 30 30

Total 20 20 40 200 200

Tools

Every method has its different techniques and tools for the collection of data. The data

can be obtained from direct or indirect sources. The most essential thing is that the data should

be sufficient, reliable and valid. Keeping these things in view, researcher decided to use

questionnaire, interview schedule and focus group discussion for knowing the factors of low

performance in Odia and social science of the students in HSC examination. The following three

tools were developed, finalised and used by the Investigator.

Questionnaire for teachers (both Odia and Social Science) and students

Interview schedule for headmasters and parents

Focus group discussion

Techniques of Data Analysis

After data collection from the field completed, the Investigator prepared the code for the

all tools to enter into computer (Excel) for analysis. Accordingly, all the data sheets were entered

into Excel and calculations were made as per the requirements. The investigator calculated

frequency, percentage and average for analysis and interpretation. The qualitative techniques

were also used for data collection. The details of the analysis and interpretation are presented in

subsequent pages.

Result and Findings

The present research was conducted to study the low performance in Odia and Social



Science and causes related to schools, homes and other factors that affect the low performance of

secondary students. On the basis of the data, the following major findings were drawn.

Home factors for low performance in Odia and Social Sciences reported by students

92.50% students study Odia every day and 73.50% students got help from parents for

learning Odia and only 35.50% students have access to Odia news paper.

Only 12.50% students have Odia dictionary, 32.50% students have magazine, 49%

students have Odia story books and 51% students have grammar and composition books

available at their home.

82% parents encourage students for improving ability to use Odia Language as per the

response of students.

82% students study social science every day and 67% students got help from parents for

learning Social Science.

Only 12.54% students have Map and only 15.50% students have globe available in their

home.

76% parents encouraged their wards for improving knowledge in social science and 41%

parents provided tuition to improve their ward’s knowledge in Social Science.

School factors for low performance in Odia and Social Science related to classroom

teaching.

86.50% schools have regular Odia Teacher and 83% schools have Social Science

teacher.

88% Odia teachers take regular classes and 76% social science teachers take regular

classes.

95% students attend the Odia classes and 90% students attend social science classes.

88% of Odia teachers utilised full time period for teaching and 87.50% of Social

Science teachers utilised full time period for teaching.

80.50% Odia teachers give activity for improving reading and writing skills in Odia

and 75% Odia teacher use functional grammar during classroom transaction.

94% Odia teachers clarified the meaning of difficult words whereas 72% Odia

teachers encouraged framing sentences using difficult word.



82.50% Odia teachers have taken steps for reducing spelling errors in Odia at the

time of classroom transaction and 75% Odia teachers encouraged the students to ask

question in the classroom as per the responses drawn from the students.

83.50% Social science teachers clarify the concepts in social science and 74.50% of

Social science teacher engaged in different activities to understand the subjects.

50% Social science teachers give activity for improving map reading skill, whereas

53.50% Social science teachers gave activity for improving map drawing skill.

35.50% social science teachers give activity for improving timeline skill and 75% of

Social science teachers encouraged the students to ask question in the classroom as

per the responses drawn from the students.

School Factors related to assignment and home work for low performance

78.50% Odia teachers give assignments and homework regularly, whereas 74% social

science teachers give assignment and homework regularly.

81.50% Odia teachers check assignments and homework whereas 76.50% social science

teachers check assignments and homework.

91% Odia teachers give feedback for improvement in the Odia language and literature

and 89.50% social science teachers give feedback for improvement in the various aspects

related to social science.

83.50% of Odia teachers revise the assignments given in Odia whereas 75.50% social

science teachers revise the assignments given in social science.

93% of Odia teachers inspire pupils for creative writing in Odia such as poem, short

story, essay etc and 79% social science teachers inspire pupils for creative writing on

different issues in Social Science as per student’s views.

Educational Implications

Basic infrastructural facilities of schools like library having books for both teachers and

students, laboratory having apparatus, staff common room and staff quarters should be

provided and immediate steps may be taken by the government of Odisha to fill up the

vacant posts of subject teachers for creating proper teaching-learning environment in

those schools.



Academic supervision and monitoring should be strengthened by the BEO and DEO and

other officials of the education department.

Teachers of these schools should be deputed to attend in-service content-pedagogy

enrichment programs conducted by teacher education institutions or by the BSE.

The students need to be encouraged to study by organizing class talk on different study

skills, reading habits, note taking and communication skills. Established alumni may be

invited to the school for talking about their success.

Every school must appoint a school counsellor who can help students and teachers,

especially girls for their adjustment during adolescence period. The school counsellor

will also help students in choosing subjects and careers after school education.

ICT has a great potential for promoting quality teaching learning. The investigator found

that very few rural schools have computer facilities for teaching learning. Therefore, care

must be taken to provide computers and computer teachers to all secondary schools.

The teacher needs to be familiar with the uses of ICT and Open Education Resources for

teaching school subject. Training program and workshops should be organized on uses of

ICT in teaching learning.

Parent-teacher meet should be arranged in order to discuss the problems of students based

on which possible measures can be initiated.

The DEOs may convene a meeting at the district level with headmasters of nil-results

schools under their control to discuss their problems and evolve concrete steps which can

be taken up in a phased manner.

Teacher education institutions should conduct research program to find out the problems

in these areas and the findings should be analyzed and the possible suggestions should be

implemented.

Conclusion

It can be said that many factors are responsible for the low performance in Odia and

Social Science students in Odisha. The less number of teachers in the schools is the crux which

may be considered as the major factor for low performance in Odia and Social Science as found

by the investigator. Apart from this; poverty and illiteracy of parents plays a pivotal role for the

poor performance of students in the secondary examination result of Odisha. Among the other



notable factors, chronic absenteeism of students from school, inadequate physical facilities, lack

of instructional materials and resources, lack of laboratory equipment and library equipment,

lack of proper monitoring by educational authority etc may be considered for low performance

in Odia and Social science in secondary schools of Odisha.

References

Board of Secondary Education (2015-17). Annual Result of Secondary Education. BSE,

Cuttack.

Gegbe,B. & Koroma , J.M (2015). Students and Teachers’ Perception of the Causes of Poor

Academic Performance in General and Further Mathematics in Sierra Leone: A

Case Study of BO District Southern Province. International Journal of

Engineering Research and General Science. Vol. 2(5). pp.240-253 Sept.

Maimela (2016). Factors That Influence the Performance of Students In Botswana Primary

Schools. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science Vol. 21( 9).

MHRD. (2009). Annual Report. Boards of Secondary and Higher Secondary/ Intermediate

Education in India, MHRD, Government of India, New Delhi.

Umar, T. & Usman, R. ( 2014). The Causes of Poor Performance in English Language among

Senior Secondary School Students in Dutse Metropolis of Jigawa State, Nigeria.

IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education. Vol.4 (5)oct.pp.41-47.

World Bank. (2005). Secondary Education in India: universalizing opportunity. Human

Development Unit, south Asia Region.

******************************************************************



Paper-2

Heutagogy: A Journey of Engagement to

Realization

Dr. Sunita Singh



Heutagogy : A Journey of Engagement to Realization

Dr. Sunita Singh2

From cradle to grave the importance of education cannot be denied. Since it not only

surrounds our life, but is also the basic foundation of our society. Technological expansion

generate knowledge outburst that have great impact on fast growing modern society and

undoubtly on education. Education is the way to progress. It not only surrounds our lives but is

also the foundation of our society. It develops our mind and convert inquisitive mind into

intellectual one. Education is not only about high score in entire subject, rather it involves in

depth knowledge and insight learning as well. Now a day’s most important topic of discourse for

educationist is the paradigm shift of teaching towards learning. Today’s students learn things

faster. Students crave to learn new things with their own manner. So, There is a need to change

our way of teaching learning from pedagogy to heutagogy. Such teaching –learning strategy will

accomplish requirement and need of modern society’s learner. Heutagogy is a form of self-

determined learning. It is holistic and based on the principle of learner centered approach in

formal as well as informal situations. This theory is grounded in humanistic and constructivist

model. Constructivism is basically philosophical believe that advocates individual construct

their own understanding of reality. The theory of constructivism is grounded on the cognitive

psychology that focused how the learner constructs knowledge from experience, which is unique

to each individual. It is observed that the students of any educational level should be given more

space for self-exploration so that they can develop the competency or ability to attain the

necessary skills to accomplish their educational goals, and the capability or confidence to

construct and follow through on their own learning plan. The heutagogical approach gives them

a suitable learning environment that is much needed in today’s educational systems.

Introduction

Society and education are the two side of same coin, so technological revolution and

globalization definitely influence the present education system. It is imperative to re-define

2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (UP), India

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



education and revisit our educational system, curriculum and pedagogical practices to prepare

our children to successfully face the challenges of 21st century education. It was reported by

many researches that the ‘transmission’ or lecture model is highly ineffective for teaching

twenty-first century competencies and skills, still prevails as the dominant instructional approach

in education and continuously use worldwide (Saavedra and Opfer, 2012; Scott, 2015).

Traditional pedagogical approach follows in our classroom emphasized on rote memorisation,

feeding mind of child with inert pieces of knowledge that are transferred from the head of

teacher to head of students fail to provide opportunities for interaction with teacher and peers and

practicing and applying newly acquired skills and knowledge. In such learning environments

learner ability to construct knowledge will choked. These pedagogical approaches emphasizing

memorization or the application of simple procedures will not advance learners’ reflective

thinking skills and freedom in learning. For developing the higher-order cognitive skills among

them, learner must engage in meaningful enquiry-based learning that has genuine value and

relevance for him and his communities. Real-world experiences merged with persistent

engagement and collaboration offer opportunities for learners to construct and organize

knowledge; engage in detailed research, enquiry, writing and analysis; and communicate

effectively to audiences (Barron and Darling-Hammond, 2008; Scott, 2015).

Leadbeater (2008) argue that the successful reinvention of educational systems worldwide

depends on renovating pedagogy and reframing learning tasks. He further emphasizes that

learning strategies for this century will not be limited to school, but will also include learning

with peers, inter-generational partnerships and community relationships. Learning may take

place beyond the wall of school in libraries, museums, community centres, local businesses or

nearby farms, among others. Both Robinson (2006) and Leadbeater (2008) advocated that,

schools are not only the sole provider of learning opportunities’. Therefore, the formal education

must be transformed for facilitating new forms of learning and to inculcate competencies and

skills that are needed to tackle complex global challenges (Scott, 2015).

Contemporary system demands for learner having skills of critical and reflective thinking, ability

to communicate effectively, innovate, and solve problems through negotiation and collaboration.

Teaching practices follows in our education seldom address the demands of 21st century learner.

Therefore we must need some innovative teaching practices that not only taught about textual

informations to the students but also develop reflections among them about what they has been



learned. The traditional teaching practices can be transformed by incorporating constructivism,

collaborative and cooperative learning strategies as innovative teaching practices that can

develop necessary competencies and skill in our learner. In more simple words we can say that

learning of all these aforesaid skills are based on the ability of learner to reflect on each and

every stage of learning process for developing new understanding and meaning of already

acquired knowledge or experiences.

Nowadays, as we focus our attention on giving quality education to millions of children in our

schools, we find a paradigm shift taking place in the basic process of education- from ‘teaching

to learn’ to ‘assist to know’. Now we have not only realized the limits in the objectivist learning

but started looking for better ways of ensuring learning through effective ways of teaching. If

knowledge is not to be seen as a commodity to be acquired through transmission or deposit, but

as a subjective experience then learning is required to take place within the individual (Dwivedi,

R.D., 2010).

A Journey of heutagogical teaching learning strategy

A visit to the history of learning theories reveals that primarily there are four philosophical

frameworks viz., behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism and humanism under which all the

theories of learning fall. Constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively

constructs or builds new ideas or concepts (Mohanty & Pani, 2009). We are active creators of

our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions, explore and assess what we know.

The instructional strategy based on this belief, suggests that students should participate in

experiences that accommodate these ways of learning. Such experiences include inquiry

activities, discovery, problem solving, discussion with peers and teachers, collecting and

interpreting information from different sources, expressing their understanding in different ways,

applying and validating their understanding in new ways etc. and teachers must provide authentic

learning situations, complex learning environments and facilitate negotiations. The constructivist

approach focuses on various types of teaching strategies such as cooperative learning, blended

learning, peer learning, peer tutoring and self determined learning etc. Self determined learning

is also known as heutagogy. Presently most of the teachers at every level use the teacher centered

approach rather than student centered approach. The above discussion shows that there is a need

to change our way of teaching because the needs of students at every level have changed. At



primary level they are not much aware about their surroundings and also not clear and confident

about their learning but the students of higher education want more freedom and space for

learning because now they are able to search new things and evaluate such knowledge. In such

situations heutagogical approach gives them a suitable learning environment.

Heutagogy: Need of today

A major contribution to the paradigm shift from teacher-centered learning to heutagogy was

made by Argyris and Schon in their conceptualization of double loop learning. The aim of

teaching is simple. It is to make student learning possible. In education, pedagogy takes care of

what is to be learnt, and how, is both determined and directed by the teacher. We can define

pedagogy as the art and science of teaching. In the pedagogical model, the teacher has full

responsibility for making decisions about what will be learned, how it will be learned, when it

will be learned. Pedagogy places the student in a submissive role requiring obedience to the

teacher’s instruction (Knowles, 1984). It is based on the assumption that learners need to know

only what the teacher teaches them.

Adults learn differently than young people, their reasons for learning are very different.

Andragogy attempts to explain why adults learn differently than other type of learners. Knowles

(1978, as cited in Moore & Kearsley, 2012) defined andragogy as specific to adult education and

characterized by learner control and self-responsibility in learning, learner definition of learning

objectives in relation to their relevance to the learner, a problem-solving approach to learning,

self-directedness in how to learn, intrinsic learner motivation, and incorporation of the learner

experience. The andragogical model as conceived by Knowles is predicated on four basic

assumptions about learners , all of which have some relationship to our notions about a learner’s

ability , need , and desire to take responsibility for learning. These are as follows:

Their self-concept moves from dependency to independency or self-directedness.

They accumulate a reservoir of experiences that can be used as a basis on which to build

learning.

Their readiness to learn becomes increasingly associated with the development tasks of

social roles.

Their time and curricular perspectives change from postponed to immediacy of

application and from subject-centeredness to performance-centeredness.



The role of the educator in an andragogical approach is that of tutor and mentor. The instructor

shows learners how to find information, relates information to the learner experience, and places

a focus on problem-solving within real-world situations (McAuliffe et al., 2008). Instructors

establish objectives and curriculum based on learner input and guide students along the learner

path, while the responsibility for learning lies with the learner.

Heutagogy or self-determined learning is an expansion and reinterpretation of andragogy and it

is possible to mistake it for the same. Heutagogy gives more emphasis on how to learn, double

loop learning, a non-liner process, and true learner self-directed. In heutagogy or self-determined

learning, it is important that learners acquire both competencies and capabilities (Stephenson,

1994 as cited in McAuliffe et al., 2008, p. 3; Hase & Kenyon, 2000, 2007). Competency can be

understood as proven ability in acquiring knowledge and skills, while capability is characterized

by learner confidence in his or her competency and, as a result, the ability “to take appropriate

and effective action to formulate and solve problems in both familiar and unfamiliar and

changing settings” (Cairns, 2000, p. 1, as cited in Gardner, Hase, Gardner, Dunn, & Carryer,

2007, p. 252). Capable people exhibit traits like self-efficacy, in knowing how to learn and

continuously reflect on the learning process, communication and teamwork skills, working well

with others and being openly communicative, creativity, particularly in applying competencies to

new and unfamiliar situations and by being adaptable and flexible in approach, positive values

(Hase & Kenyon, 2000; Kenyon &Hase, 2010; Gardner et. al., 2007).

When learners are competent, they demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge and skills; skills

can be repeated and knowledge retrieved. When learners are capable, skills and knowledge can

be reproduced in unfamiliar situations. Capability is then the extension of one’s own

competence, and without competency there cannot be capability. Through the process of double-

looping, learners become more aware of their preferred learning style and can easily adapt new

learning situations to their learning styles, thus making them more capable learners. With its dual

focus on competencies and capability, heutagogy moves educators a step closer toward better

addressing the needs of adult learners in complex and changing work environments (Bhoryrub et

al., 2010).



Source: Lisa.Marie Blaschke, Heutagogy and Lifelong Learning: A Review of Heutagogical

Practice and Self-Determined Learning.

The above figure reveals, in Pedagogy, instructor control is maximum and structuring is highly

required whereas, learner maturity and autonomy required in learning setup is least. At this level

focus is more on engagement of learners. In Androgogy, instructor control and structuring

required is lesser than pedagogy. Here it is required that learner maturity and autonomy is given

more space. Level 3 is Heutagogy wherein instructor control is lesser than pedagogy and

andragogy and it requires the least amount of structuring whereas, learner maturity and

autonomy required is quite high and focus is on realization of self.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HEUTAGOGY

Learning in heutagogical approach is self-determined, which directs the learners acquire both

competencies and capabilities (McAuliffe et al., 2008, Hase & Kenyon, 2000, 2007). Through

this approach it is believed that learner can develop creativity to apply competencies to new and

unfamiliar situations and became more adaptable and flexible in approach (Hase & Kenyon,

2000; Gardner et al., 2007). Day by day there is various modification and changes are



implemented in educational system from policy making to teaching methods of classroom. In

professional courses like teacher education can only be imparted as theoretical knowledge about

various competencies such as like teaching competencies, competencies in organise and

managing the school, competency of handling the group, working in team, social relationship

etc. a bunch of information but these competencies in real sense can be developed only when

learner would be self motivated and self directed for enhancing their capabilities, where

huetagogy may prove suitable approach (Yaduvanshi & Singh, 2017). Following characteristics

of heutagogy can be utilised to develop professional competencies among students:

1. DOUBLE-LOOP LEARNING:

A key concept in heutagogy is that of double-loop learning and self-reflection (Argyris & Schon,

1996, Hase & Kenyon, 2000). In double-loop learning, learners consider the problem and the

resulting action and outcomes, in addition to reflecting upon the problem-solving process and

how it influences the learner’s own beliefs and actions (Figure 1). Double-loop learning occurs

when learners “question and test one’s personal values and assumptions as being central to

enhancing learning how to learn” (Agyris & Schon, 1976, Hase, 2009).

Figure (2)

The double loop learning involves challenging learner’s own concept, theories, values,

assumptions rather than simply encountering and reaching problem as found in single loop

learning. In this situation learning is an active process in which individual either seeks education

or experience or gain feedback and evaluate as they move through life’s experiences. Through

the process of double-looping, learners become more aware of their preferred learning style and

can easily adapt new learning situations to their learning styles, thus making them more capable

learners. With its dual focus on competencies and capability, heutagogy moves teachers a step

Beliefs and

Actions

Problem Action Outcomes

Single-loop learning

Double-loop learning



closer towards better addressing the needs of adult learners in complex and changing work

environments (Bhoryrub et al., 2010).

2. SELF DIRECTED

There is vast explosion of knowledge in every field most of things are governed via ICT

(Information and Communication Technology). Therefore, competency of subject knowledge

and digital competency can develop effectively via heutagogical approaches because no

conventional instructional practices in teacher education programme can inculcate these

competencies in prospective teachers unless or until they are willing to expand their subject and

digital knowledge or to do innovations. When learners are capable, skills and knowledge can be

solve the problems in unfamiliar situations.

3. REFLECTIVE LEARNING

One of the important characteristic of heutagogy is that of reflective practice, “a critical learning

skill associated with knowing how to learn” (Hase, 2009). According to Schon (1983), reflective

practice supports learners in becoming lifelong learners, as “when a practitioner becomes a

researcher into his own practice, he/ she engages in a continuous process of self- education”

Heutagogy takes into account the learner’s prior learning experiences and the way in which these

influence how she or he learns; by considering these past experiences and the learner’s current

experience and reflecting upon these, the learner moves into a growth process that has the

potential to lead to transformative learning – a process described by Canning & Callan (2010) as

“spirals of reflection”. It may prove very fruitful in developing competency of inquiry

(competency of science teaching) among students and enable them to master in problem solving

skills may prove very helpful to sort out their future life problems.

4. FLEXIBILITY

Heutagogical approach advocates the flexibility in learning where teacher provides resources but

learner designs the actual course by negotiating the learning. Thus, learner himself determines

what is of interest and relevance to them. It proves helpful in modifying and adopting new and

modern teaching competencies according to the demand of contemporary needs. It seems very



useful in developing competency for innovation and improvement which highly significant for

development professionalism in them.

5. ACTION LEARNING

Action learning or action research methods are consistent with heutagogical approaches that

focus on the problem of learner and their immediate resolution for the benefit of learner. This

can develop capacity lifelong learning. Therefore, future citizen can update and modified their

competencies according to the need of new situation or problems. It provides lot of help to

students to solve their local problems. In case of teachers it can helpful to solve the problem

relate to school management, handling with problematic learners, dealing with community or

parents thus play significant role in developing the competencies in organise and manage the

school, handling group dynamics and social relations.

HEUTAGOGY: DEVELOP HIGHER LEVEL COGNITIVE ABILITIES

Prahallada N.N. (2013) suggested that in a heutagogy, learners are highly autonomous and self-

determined and emphasis is placed on development of learner capacity and capability with the

goal of producing learners who are well prepared for the complexities of contemporary

workplace. Action learning recognizes reflection and therefore the prospect of double loop

learning in processes designed to facilitate learning. The teacher here takes the back seat and

becomes a learner like everyone else enabling people to become learners as well to find solution

or even put questions. A recent study by Junco, Heiberger, and Loken (2010) showed that

students who used Twitter (as compared to those who did not) were more actively engaged in

their learning processes and had higher GPAs. Junco et al. (2010) also found that the use of

Twitter boosted student-student and student-instructor interaction, as well as promoted active

learning. Active use of social media in creating learner-generated content seems to contribute to

development of skills of self-directedness. Initial research findings by Blaschke, Porto, and Kurtz

(2010) indicate that active use of social media, for example, development of learner-generated

content, supports cognitive and meta-cognitive skill development, whereas passive use

(consumption) is less effective in supporting development of these skills.

ROLE OF TEACHER IN HEUTAGOGICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT



There are many duties of teachers in higher education which involves provision of a broad

context of knowledge within which students can locate and understand the content of their more

specific studies. It also gives importance to creation of a learning environment in which students

are encouraged to think carefully and critically and communicate their thoughts in which they

wish to confront and resolve difficulties rather than gloss over them (Murugavel, 2009). It

involves constantly monitoring and reflecting on the processes of teaching and student

understanding and seeking to improve them. Teachers of higher education play various roles like

information provider, facilitator, assessor, planner, resource developer etc. Role of the teacher is

same in primary and secondary level, but the need of students are differing. The primary level

students do not have their understanding about creation of knowledge etc.

To implement a self-determined learning environment, instructors need to alter their teaching

approach, primarily by placing value on learner self-direction of the learning process. Such a

shift would require minimal change within distance education environments as distance

education teaching methods support self-directed learning and the role of instructor is already

one of guide-on-the-side. They would also need to accept the heutagogical approach as one that

is unconventional, where the instructor becomes a facilitator in students’ learning process

(Cristiano, 1993). Instructors should ensure that they explain this type of learning to their

students from the very start of class. As in a distance learning environment, students also need to

understand that a heutagogical learning environment is quite different from the traditional

learning experience with which they are familiar. Expectations of instructor from learners should

be clearly stated: learners are responsible for knowledge creation and deciding upon the learning

path (Ashton & Newman, 2006; Schwier, Morrison, & Daniel, 2009). Empathy helps create a

comfortable learning environment for learners unaccustomed to self-determined learning, and, as

with self-directed learning, it is important to create a climate of mutual trust and respect with a

clear delineation of instructor and learner roles and one that supports dialogue (Knowles, 1975).

Ongoing guidance and feedback, as well as sharing of resources, support students along their

learning journey, and learners will require ongoing instructor guidance and support throughout

the learning process if they are to develop the capability of self-direction (Collis and Moonen,

2001, as cited in Ashton & Newman, 2006).

CONCLUSION



Teachers are the most important asset for any educational system. They are founders, creators

and executers of educational system. Therefore, quality concern of higher education catches

immense attention of educationists in present time. When we talk about capabilities of students

in twenty first century, it is realised that traditional practices may not seem most effective to

resolve the debate of quantity versus quality debate in higher education. To input quality we need

self directed capable students who constantly effort to become more competent to meet the

challenges of changing scenarios of society. In this situation heutagogical approaches may prove

effective way of learning to develop capabilities in students. Heutagogy is one of the ways of

learning originated from constructivism. Constructivism gives importance to individuals’

potentials, experiences and freedom for construction of new knowledge. Hence, heutagogy also

provides space to adult learner. Freedom is the basic requirement for natural development of an

individual. The concept of heutagogy offers certain principles and practices that can be

considered when designing a learning environment. Such learning environment facilitates the

learner to become capable and competent individual that can handle any situations in their own

ways. It is suggested that heutagogy is appropriate to the needs of learners in the twenty-first

century, particularly in the development of individual capability. Therefore, a shift in thinking

towards heutagogy will enable the control of learning to move more appropriately to the learner.

Furthermore it will enable a far more creative approach to learning on the part of learners. If a

teacher does this job then the goal of heutagogy that is self realization will be achieved.

REFERENCES

Ashton, J., & Newman, L. (2006). An Unfinished Symphony: 21st Century Teacher

Education Using Knowledge Creating Heutagogies. British Journal of Educational

Technology, 37(6) 825-840.

Blaschke, L.M., Heutagogy and Lifelong Learning: A Review of Heutagogical Practice

and Self-Determined Learning, The International Review of Research in Open and

Distance Learning. Retrieved February 15, 2018, from

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ979639.pdf. Blaschke, L.M., Porto, S., & Kurtz, G.

(2010). Assessing the Added Value of Web 2.0 Tools for e-learning: The MDE



experience. In Proceedings of the European Distance and e- learning Network (EDEN)

Research Workshop, October 25-27.

Canning, N. & Callan, S. (2010). Heutagogy: Spirals of Reflection to Empower Learners

in Higher Education. Reflective Practice, 11(1).

Cristiano, M.J. (1993). I want to learn what I want to learn in the way I choose to learn

it: Using learning contracts. Paper presented at the Western States Communication

Association Great Ideas for Teaching Speech (GIFTS), Community College Interest

Group, February 14, 1993.

Dwivedi, R.D. (2010). From Behaviorism to Constructivism: A Paradigm Shift in

Teaching-learning Process, University News, A Weekly Journal of Higher Education,

Vol. 48, no. 07.

Faganel, A. (2010). Quality Perception Gap inside the Higher Education Institution.

International Journal of Academic Research, Vol. 2 (1).

Gardner, A., Hase, S., Gardner, G., Dunn, S.V., & Carryer, J. (2008). From Competence

to Capability: A Study of Nurse Practitioners in Clinical Practice. Journal of Clinical

Nursing, 17(2), 250-258. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.206.0188.x

Knowles, M. (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species. Houston, Gulf publishing.

McAuliffe, M., Hargreaves, D., Winter, A., & Chadwick, G. (2008). Does pedagogy still

rule? In Proceedings of the 2008 AAEE Conference, December 7-10.

Prahallada, N.N. (2013). Heutagogy as a Learning Approach, University News, A Weekly

Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 51, No .33.

Schwier, R.A., Morrison, D., & Daniel, B. (2009). A preliminary investigation of self-

directed learning activities in a non-formal blended learning environment. Online

Submission. Retrieved from EBSCO host.

Hase, S. (2009). Heutagogy and e-learning in the Workplace: Sum Challenges and

Opportunities. Impact: Journal of Applied Research in Workplace e-learning, 1(1).

Yaduvanshi & Singh (2017). Developing Professional Competencies among Prospective

Teachers through Heutagogical Practices. International Journal of Information Research

and Review. Vol. 4 (2). ***************************



Paper-3

Perception of Stakeholders of Higher

Education about Choice Based Credit

System (CBCS)

Ahammod Mallick

Dr. Sumit Paroi



Perception of Stakeholders of Higher Education about Choice Based Credit

System (CBCS)

Ahammod Mallick3

Dr. Sumit Paroi4

Abstract

Education, especially higher education is crucial for the development of a nation. There have

been a number of reforms in the field of higher education in India. One such reform is

introduction of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). It has been introduced in higher education

to raise the standard of higher education to an international level. UGC had advised all the

universities of the country to implement CBCS from the academic session from 2015-16. By this

year i.e. 2020 most of the educational institutions produced one or more batches of Graduation

or Masters level students through CBCS. Therefore, the stakeholders of higher education would

be in a position to give comprehensive views on CBCS. The study aims at having the views of the

stakeholders towards CBCS and also to know the challenges it faces. The study has taken Kazi

Nazrul University as sample for the study. The study reveals that the stakeholders viewed CBCS

favourably and there were a number of dimensions of it. There were also certain challenges to

CBCS such as lack of coordination among various educational institutions, inability to

understand and take advantage of CBCS, lack of sufficient manpower and lack of infrastructure.

Introduction

University Grants Commission which is an apex regulating body for higher education in India,

has been striving its best to raise the quality of higher education in the country since its inception

in 1956. In consultation with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, UGC under the

chairmanship of Prof. Ved Prakash advised Vice-chancellors of all universities of the country to

implement Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in their institutions from the academic session

2015-16 in a letter D.O. NO. F.1-1/2015 (CM) dated 8th

January, 2015. The fundamental idea of

CBCS was to assign credits based on the course content and hours of teaching and providing

3Student, Department of Education, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, W.B.

[email protected] 4 Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, W.B.

[email protected]





students freedom to take courses of their choice, learn at their own pace, undergo additional

courses and acquire more than the required credits, and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to

learning.

CBCS has brought about several changes in various aspects of higher education. There are three

types of courses in CBCS i.e. core, elective and foundation. Core courses are compulsory courses

which a student has to opt for completing the degree. Elective courses are a pool of courses from

which a student chooses required number of courses according to his interest for completing the

degree. Elective courses can be Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) which are elective courses

offered under the main discipline, Dissertation or Project which is designed to acquire advanced

knowledge and Generic elective which are elective courses chosen from an unrelated discipline

giving it a taste of inter-disciplinary approach. Foundation courses are also called Ability

Enhancement Courses which are of two types Ability Enhancement Compulsory Courses

(AECC) and Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC) designed after value-based, skill-based and man-

making principles. It has also brought changes in the field of assessment. In order to remove

marked variation across the colleges and universities in the number of grades, grade points, letter

grades which creates difficulties in comparing in awarding of grades received by the students,

CBCS has introduced uniform pattern of grading system. It has recommended 10-point grading

system and procedure for calculating Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) and Cumulative

Grade Point Average (CGPA).

The Rationale

The universities and colleges had been practising yearly academic system until when in 2008

UGC recommended introduction of semester system in a letter D.O.No.F.1-2/2008 (XI Plan)

dated 31st January, 2008. With the introduction of CBCS from 2015 some universities and

colleges had to take extra time to prepare themselves to implement the system. UGC had been

simultaneously circulating various templates and guidelines for smooth implementation of CBCS

across various educational institutions of the country. By this year i.e. 2020 most of the

universities and colleges have successfully produced either one or more than one batch of

students through CBCS. It is time to look back at the system once again and know the views of

the stakeholders of higher education about CBCS as hinted by Rajivlochan & Rajiblochan in

2018. It should be enquired how far effective has this system become so far and what challenges

lie ahead.



Review of Related Literature

There are quite a few studies regarding CBCS after UGC urged all the universities to implement

CBCS but there are handful of studies done after first batches of students passed out through

CBCS from educational institutions at both Under Graduate and Post Graduate levels. Collecting

the experiences of students, teachers and administrators when they have run CBCS for several

years and produced students out of it will give us an actual picture about how CBCS fared so

long. For example, Deuri, C. (2015) studied on the attitude towards Choice Based Credit System

of Post Graduate level students in higher education, Hasan, M. & Parvez, M. (2015) studied on

the pros and cons of Choice Based Credit System in India, Aithal, P. S. & Kumar, S. (2016)

studied on analysis of Choice Based Credit System in higher education, Mishra, S. P. (2017)

studied on introduction of Choice Based Credit System as paradigm shift of higher education –

but all these studies are too early to depict the views of the stakeholder of higher education

regarding CBCS and its challenges in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, the researchers

clearly see that there is a need to look back on CBCS after several years of its implementation, to

know to what extent it satisfied the stakeholders and why it did so.

Objectives of the Study

In continuation with the above discussions, the researches frame the objectives of the study as

given below.

1. To know the views of the students on CBCS.

2. To know the views of teachers and administrative officials on CBCS.

3. To study the challenges in the implementation of CBCS.

Methodology

This is a descriptive study which includes a mixed approach of research. The views of the

stakeholders on CBCS were studied from both angles i.e. quantitative approach for students and

qualitative approach for teachers and administrative staff in order to see whether both these sets

of data support each other. Data were collected from 200 students, 25 teachers and 5

administrative staff of the university with the help of self-made questionnaire and interview

technique. For the purpose of analysis Kazi Nazrul University has been chosen as a sample of the

study. Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, W.B. implemented CBCS from academic session 2016-

17 at both Under Graduate and Post Graduate levels of education.

Data Analysis and Interpretation



The following result was found after collection of data from the students.

Sl.

No. Item Agree

Dis-

agree

Chi-

Squar

e

X2

Interpr

e-

tation

1 I like CBCS system because it has

interdisciplinary approach of learning

186

(93%)

14

(7%) 147.92

Sig. at

0.01

2

I am in favour of CBCS because I can

choose elective paper on the basis of my

own interest

178

(89%)

22

(11%) 121.68

Sig. at

0.01

3 I appreciate CBCS for its continuous mode

of internal evaluation

175

(87.5%)

25

(12.5%) 112.5

Sig. at

0.01

4 I think CBCS system increases motivation

among students

171

(85.5%)

29

(14.5%) 100.82

Sig. at

0.01

5 CBCS system builds up good relationship

between students and teacher

169

(84.5%)

31

(15.5%)

95.22 Sig. at

0.01

6 CBCS enhance the quality of Education 157

(78.5%)

33

(16.5) 80.93

Sig. at

0.01

7 Overall, I support CBCS system 146

(73%)

54

(27%) 42.32

Sig. at

0.01

8 I support grading system in CBCS

145

(72.5%)

55

(27.5%)

40.5 Sig. at

0.01

9 I think CBCS system increase a student’s

performance

132

(66%)

68

(34%) 20.48

Sig. at

0.01

10 CBCS system increase better job

opportunity in the student

128

(64%)

72

(36%) 15.68

Sig. at

0.01



The above table shows the responses of the students to a set of questions prepared to know the

views of students about CBCS. The responses of the students were categorized either ‘Agree’ or

‘Disagree’. The responses are also converted into percentages for understanding the

favourableness of the students towards CBCS. Chi-square (X2) analysis of equal probability for

each item was done in order to find out both whether the responses obtained from the students

differs significantly from if the responses were to distributed equally between ‘agree’ and

‘disagree’ and also to generalize the findings to a larger population from where the sample was

drawn. Looking at the table above, we can see that the responses of the students for each item

differ significantly from equal probability and since the frequency of the responses is higher in

favour of CBCS, we can conclude that the views of students are significantly in favour of CBCS.

A study regarding attitude of Post-Graduate level students in Gauhati University, Assam done by

Deuri (2015) shows that majority of the students had moderate and high levels of attitude

towards CBCS; science and male students had higher levels of attitude towards CBCS than their

counterparts. And, on the basis of highest percentages, we can conclude interdisciplinary

approach, freedom to choose elective papers and continuous mode of internal evaluation as the

leading factors of students such views about CBCS. In their study Sumitha, Krishnamurthy &

Winfred (2016) also found the same factors i.e. student centrism, student autonomy, clarity in

evaluation and all-round development as factors that influence how students perceive CBCS.

Views of Teachers and Administrative officials on CBCS

Extensive interview was conducted with the teachers and administrative officials of the

university. The descriptions are summarized under various themes given below.

Student centric

In this study, most of the teachers and administrative officials were of the opinion that CBCS

was student centric. On being asked what makes the system student centric, the respondents

replied that students have a wide variety of choices in selecting courses from the own as well as

other academic departments. The interest of the students is given priority in this system. A

student who studied in natural science department could take up courses from social science

departments and vice-versa. What was reflected in the responses is that it served students like a

cafeteria where they are given a long list of courses which they can choose from on the basis of



their own interest. Student centrism in CBCS also has been emphasised by Aithal and Kumar

(2016) who said that CBCS has transformed education from teacher centric to student centric.

Flexibility

The teaches and the administrative officials found CBCS very flexible. Students can transfer

their credits from one institution to another. Credits are units for measuring a course. It

determines the number of hours of instructions required per week. UGC says, one credit is

equivalent to one hour of teaching or two hours of practical work per week. A teacher said,

“CBCS offers flexibility for students to study at different times and different institution to

complete his course, thereby providing mobility to student”. Not only it has the provision of

transferring credits from one institution to another, it also has provision for transferring credits

from SWAYAM courses. SWAYAM is an Indian platform for providing MOOCs initiated by

the Government of India. Speaking to an academic department, the teaches revealed that they

were planning for their students to have credits from SWAYAM for the courses for which they

lacked teachers specialized in the specific fields of knowledge.

In-Depth Knowledge

CBCS is said to help students have in-depth subject knowledge. Since, the syllabus is divided

into small units, it becomes easy for the teachers to teach in details. In most of the academic

departments, the major elective courses are same in third and fourth semesters with more

advanced level of study in fourth semester. For example, the Department of Geography provides

courses Environmental Issues in Geography – I and Urban Geography - I in the third semester;

Environmental Issues in Geography – II and Urban Geography – II in the fourth semester at

Masters level. This approach helps students go into the details of the subject knowledge step by

step. The teachers also revealed that students feel relaxed when the course is divided in such a

way.

Inter-disciplinary Approach

Inter-disciplinary approach in Higher education has long ago been emphasized by various

committees and commissions. Kothari commission (1964-66) in its report says, “in higher

education, we have emphasized the provision of greater elasticity in the choice of subjects, inter-

disciplinary studies and the need to relate teaching and research to the understanding and

solution of the local, regional, and national problems.”



Life is multifaceted. The solution of the problems of the life doesn’t lie in a rigid one way of

outlook towards the world. Students should be made to see the world or their lives from multiple

perspectives. If a student studies a particular discipline, he or she would probably see the world

and the life from the lense of that discipline. If the student gets an opportunity to study other

disciplines, he or she can develop other perspectives towards life and the world. To be more

specific students should get the chance to taste more than one discipline such as natural science,

social science and humanities, arts and languages, commerce, law and education in order to

approach life and the world from various perspectives.

In the study, one administration officer said, “CBCS encourages students to learn in an

interdisciplinary manner. Students perform better when they can take up varied subject

combination like mathematics-education, history-geography, psychology-Sanskrit, physics-

music, in his/her own interest.” One professor said that, “In this time the entire subject goes to

specific, but interdisciplinary approach make education in broader scope.” One of the reasons

why students like the inter-disciplinary approach as it facilitates the scope for employment Kaur

& Sharma (2016).

Continuous Assessment and Grading

The assessments in CBCS are based on continuous basis and include both written and practical

tests. Continuous assessments give an opportunity to the students to grow and develop in their

studies. Students can identify and rectify the mistakes by him in examinations. Since, most of the

evaluations are done by the internal teaches of the departments and also by an expert external to

the institution, the reliability and credibility of the assessments are increased. The respondents

expressed that students initially had difficulty to accept the grading system in their assessments.

The major cause of it was because they were habituated in marking system down from all the

earlier assessments they had in their lives. Their performance was expressed in point scale and

never in a range of scores earlier. So, that created confusion among students. But they were made

understood that it is difficult to judge human qualities in absolute quantity and therefore, we need

a range of scores with a meaning attached to it for assessing them. And students then students

started to think it differently. And they realized that the tendency to compare one student with

another reduced significantly and their attention shifted to whether they learned what they were

supposed to learn rather than finding out who is better than the other. Moreover, previous studies



also suggested that grading plays a positive effect on the motivation of students Gordon, & Fay

(2010).

Challenges

Lack of Coordination with other universities

One of the challenges that most of the universities have is lack of coordination between

themselves. To implement transfer of credits from one institution to another the collaborating

universities need to be connected with Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) or some kind of

agreements. But, most of the universities are not connected with each other as such. Secondly,

the academic schedules are different from each other. This means some of the universities are

ahead with the new course to start while other universities are struggling with publication of

result of previous course. Therefore, students have firstly difficulty in transferring credits from

one university to another and secondly even if universities are connected through MoUs but the

academic schedule differ. Not only that, the learning outcomes also differ from one institution to

another which also pose a challenge for student mobility Tazien, (2017).

Inability to understand and take advantage of CBCS

One of the comments that most of the teachers and administrators said about challenges of CBCS

is incapability of students to take advantage of the CBCS. In CBCS students are free to opt for

courses from other academic departments but most of the students are inclined to opt for courses

offered by their own departments. Students are so much possessed with their subject matter that

they fail to explore and learn the knowledge from other disciplines. They fail to acknowledge

and appreciate other perspectives of looking at life and the world. As students did not want to

move to the other academic departments and got glued to their own departments for minor

electives, the university authority had to direct the students to compulsorily choose courses from

other academic departments at least for one semester out of two semesters that deal with Generic

electives or interdisciplinary courses at Masters’ level.

Lack of sufficient manpower

There is no doubt that for introducing CBCS an educational institution requires a lot of

manpower including both teaching and non-teaching staff. The centre of CBCS is students.

Therefore, students require a lot of academic help from teachers as they enter into a course of

study which is different from traditional courses of study. Apart from that, it requires adequate

number of administrative staff to implement CBCS smoothly in an educational institution. But,



most of the universities are running with inadequate number of faculty members and more so

with administrative staff. Therefore, it becomes a challenge for a university to prepare the

syllabus for CBCS, give more time to the students, to assess students on a continuous basis, to

keep track of numerous combinations of courses chosen by students, to prepare the grading

system and to address to the queries of the students.

Lack of infrastructure

For implementing any system in an educational institute, it is important to have a good

infrastructure. If an institute has inadequate infrastructure, it is impossible to apply any system

properly. As we all know, CBCS offers a whole lot of options for the students to choose their

courses in the forms of Discipline specific, Dissertations and Generic electives, the educational

institution must have adequate infrastructure such as enough well accommodating classrooms,

overhead projectors, sound system, laboratories, computers, internet connections and libraries.

But the universities which are set up newly, are struggling with infrastructure greatly. Due to

lack of classrooms, a small number of options are offered to the students as minor and major

electives. Moreover, the seat capacity is also limited for the courses. And, that is the reason why

CBCS is unable to take its full shape. Kelkar & Ravishankar (2014) also mentioned in their study

that shortage of space as a challenge for successful implementation of CBCS.

Conclusion

From the above analysis and discussion, it is evident that students have favourable views towards

CBCS and it is mainly because they find CBCS brings about interdisciplinary approach to their

studies, it gives freedom to choose the courses they prefer and it assess themselves on a

continuous basis. The teachers and administrative staff also find CBCS effective as it makes

students as the focus of education, it makes credit transfer smooth, it paves the way for in-depth

knowledge for students, it facilitates knowledge from other disciplines and it makes assessment

continuous and the grading system universal. There are also certain challenges to CBCS such as

lack of coordination among various educational institutions, inability to understand and take

advantage of CBCS, lack of sufficient manpower and lack of infrastructure. The study is helpful

for the policy makers, administrative staff and teachers of higher educational institutions to

understand various dimensions of the views of stakeholders of higher education towards CBCS

and the challenges it still has and plan out and guide their future actions accordingly.



Reference

Aithal, P. S. & Kuman, S. (2016). Analysis of Choise Based Credit System in Higher Education.

International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME), 1(1).

278-284. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2788592

Deuri, C. (2015). Attitude towards Choice Based Credit System of Post Graduate Level Students

in Higher Education: A Study on Gauhati University. International Journal of

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https://www.suniv.ac.in/upload/UGC%20Guidelines.pdf



Paper-4

Study of Parent -Child Relationship among

Secondary School Students of Sikkim

Barsha Chhetri

Dr. Subhash Misra



Study of Parent -Child Relationship among Secondary School Students of Sikkim

Barsha Chhetri5

Dr. Subhash Misra6

Abstract

Chasing for success to reach at the top has become a common phenomenon in modern

competitive society. Luxurious and flamboyant life style, modern outlook have changed the whole

societal system and the new value pattern has emerged which is affecting the way of living of an

individual along with the changes in relationship within the members of family. Positive Parent

child relationships provide environment conducive for children’s learning. The present study

focuses on relationship between parent and child, as the good parent-child relationship in

modern competitive society is much needed than ever. The study was conducted on ten

dimensions of Parent-Child Relationship Scale i.e. Protecting, Symbolic Punishment, Rejecting,

Object Punishment, Demanding, Indifferent, Symbolic Reward, Loving, Object Reward and

Neglecting, which are the key components in parent-child relationship and affects their

relationship. The study was conducted among secondary school students with regard to locale

(rural and urban) and type variation (boarder and day scholar). The sample of study comprised

120 secondary school students of East District of Sikkim. The findings of the study revealed that

the locale is affecting the parent-child relationship. The parent-child relationship in urban areas

was found more favorable than the parent-child relationship in rural areas.

Key words: Parent-child relationship, Secondary school students, Sikkim

Introduction:

The parent-child relationship at an early period was different than that of today. Accepting

parental authority and obeying their parents was a common phenomenon. But with passes of

time society has witnessed drastic changes in the parent –child relationships. Jane R.D et al

(1997) in his study of “Parent-Child Relationship and Children’s images of God” revealed that

“when parents were perceived as nurturing and powerful (especially when mother was perceived

5 Research Scholar, M. Phil., Department of Education, Sikkim University (Central University),

Gangtok , Sikkim. Email:[email protected] 6 Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Sikkim University (Central University),

Gangtok Sikkim (On lien) & Presently at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Lucknow,

Email: [email protected]




as powerful and father was perceived as nurturing), children perceived God as both nurturing and

powerful; more like father in early childhood and mother or both parents in middle childhood.

God seems to become the perfect ‘substitute attachment figure’ as children separate parents with

age, or when fathers are absent from home”. But this perception gets change with the growing

age of the children. Children of modern society are more sophisticated and independent. Now,

the children have learnt to question, argue and demand as per their own parameters. They need a

different kind of environment in their family which is more free, flexible and democratic than

their parents experienced. The new generation faces more competition, more powerful peer-

group pressure and immense emotional stress. Every developmental stage of child is very crucial

where a proper care and attention is needed. Secondary school students, who are mostly in the

transition phase of adolescence, where the physical and psychological changes affect them very

deeply, try to get emancipation from parental authority and dependence. The ease of transition

depends to a great extent on the parent-child relationship. G. Stanley Hall, whose two-volume

work on the period of adolescence is considered to be the first scientific study in this field, says -

adolescence is a period of “stress and storm”, where adolescence is marked as a period of stress

and storm because of the curiosity that generates within an individual about the changes i.e.

physical, psychological, social etc. that occurs within himself and his surroundings. The period

of adolescence revolves round curiosity, anxiety and chaos. Increase in capacity to think

critically and logically adolescent begins to raise question over other’s action, if it is going

against their wishes. They learn to express their opinion and defend it in front of others. Clash

of opinion between parent and child sometimes led them end up in conflict .Adolescents at this

stage not only experience changes within himself or herself but also in relationship with the

members of the family.

Many past researches have revealed the changing pattern of relationship between a parent and

child especially during adolescence. Demo, H. D. in his study “Parent-Child Relations:

Assessing Recent Changes”, found that ‘adolescents generally report close and satisfying

relationship with parents and they routinely turn to parents for advice and guidance on important

decisions’ .On the other hand, Goossens et al in the study of “Attachment style and loneliness in

adolescence”, found that ‘feelings of dissatisfaction in relationship with parents or parent related

loneliness clearly increase during the course of adolescence’. The kind of parent-child

relationship at each developmental stages of child depends on various factors like family



structure, values, morals, geographical location, socio- economic status and many more.

Research Facts and Findings (2002) revealed that ‘Parent-child conflict increases as children

move into adolescence, theses conflicts are more about the clothing, music and leisure than about

more serious matters such as religion and core values’ . The parent-child relationship today is

totally different from earlier. The modern competitive environment, nature of family and its

structure has created more demand for good parenting in order to have a good parent-child

relationship. Therefore, the present study will try to explore the parent-child relationship among

secondary school students of Sikkim with regard to different dimensions of parent-child

relationship scale.

Objectives of the study:

The major objective of the study is to find out the parent-child relationship among secondary

school students of Sikkim.

Hypotheses:

On the basis of objectives; the following null hypotheses have been formulated:

HO1: There is no significant difference in parent-child relationship among boarders and day

scholar secondary school students.

HO2: There is no significant difference in parent-child relationship among rural and urban

secondary school students.

Methodology:

Descriptive survey method was used to study the parent-child relationship among secondary

school students.

Tools Used:

“Parent-Child Relationship Scale” constructed and standardized by Dr. Nalini Rao has been used

to study the parent-child relationship. This scale consists of 100 items under 10 dimensions such

as Protecting, Symbolic Punishment, Rejecting, Object Punishment, Demanding, Indifferent,

Symbolic Reward, Loving, Object Reward, Neglecting.

Sample:

A sample comprising of 120 students from secondary schools were selected randomly from East

District of Sikkim. The data was collected from the students who were staying at hostels

(Boarders) and as well as at home (Day Scholars) . Samples were collected from both the rural

and urban schools of East District of Sikkim respectively.



Interpretation of Data:

The obtained scores were analyzed by applying relevant statistical techniques i.e. Mean, S.D.

and‘t-test’. In order to find difference in the scores of parent-child relationship among secondary

school students, the test of significance of difference between the mean scores of the boarders

and day scholars, rural and urban students was calculated.

Table1. Mean Standard Deviations and “t” values of the scores of Parent-Child

Relationship.

Groups Compared M SD SED ‘t’ Remarks

Boarders

Day scholars

606.38

603.90

64.24

62.63

11.58 .21 Not significant

Urban

Rural

622.00

588.28

69.30

51.69

11.16 3.02 Significant

Critical value for the d .f.=118, at 0.01 level= 2.62 ,at 0.05 level= 1.98

Table1 shows that significant difference in parent-child relationship among rural and urban

secondary school students is found .On the other hand no significant difference in parent-child

relationship among boarders and day scholars has been found. This study is purely based on the

child’s perception of the behavior of their parents towards them. The significant difference in

parent-child relationship among rural and urban students clearly indicates that the locale is

affecting parent-child relationship. The urban parents are having better parent-child relationship

in comparison to that of the rural parents.

Table 2. Interpretation of scores of boarders and day Scholars with regard to different

dimensions of parent-child relationship

Dimensions Contrast M SD SED ‘t’ Remarks

Protecting Boarders

Day

scholars

69.88

73.30

9.60

12.14

1.99 1.70 Not

significant

Symbolic

punishment

Boarders

Day

59.20

62.05

13.09

11.7

2.27 1.25 Not

significant



scholars

Rejecting Boarders

Day

scholars

49.16

52.26

14.60

14.18

2.62 1.17 Not

significant

Object punishment Boarders

Day

scholars

48.46

53.23

12.57

12.93


at0.05level

Demanding Boarders

Day

scholars

60.58

60.78

13.01

11.1

2.21 0.09 Not

significant

Indifferent Boarders

Day

scholars

56.40

57.21

13.62

12.70

2.40 .34 Not

significant

Symbolic reward Boarders

Day

scholars

71.23

68.35

11.05

11.62

2.07 1.39 Not

significant

Loving

Boarders

Day

scholars

69.73

65.08

13.69

13.04

2.44 1.90 Not

significant

Object reward Boarders

Day

scholars

67.58

62.23

12.95

12.87


at 0.05level

Neglecting Boarders

Day

scholars

50.71

52.80

14.28

14.36

2.61 .79 Not

significant


Table 2 shows that boarder and day scholars differ significantly in parent-child relationship with

regard to object punishment and object reward. It was found that the children who were staying

with their parents, facing object punishment which means the annoyance of their parents more



than the children saying in hostels. Punishment does not refer to corporal punishment but the

temporary anger of the parents in order to keep them more active and perform better. It was also

found that boarders were getting more object reward in comparison to the day scholars. There

was no significant difference in boarders and day scholars with regard to protecting, symbolic

punishment, rejecting, demanding, indifference, symbolic reward, loving and neglecting

dimension of parent child relationship.

Table 3. Interpretation of scores of urban and rural secondary school students with regard

to different dimensions of parent-child relationship:

Dimensions Contrast M SD SED ‘t’ Remarks

Protecting Urban

Rural

71.68

71.50

11.15

11.01

2.02 .90 Not

significant

Symbolic

punishment

Urban

Rural

63.33

57.91

11.24

13.16


at 0.05level

Rejecting Urban

Rural

54.05

47.38

15.31

12.74


at 0.05level

Object

punishment

Urban

Rural

52.55

49.15

14.02

11.60

2.34 1.44 Not

significant

Demanding Urban

Rural

61.93

59.43

12.74

11.33

2.20 1.13 Not

significant

Indifferent Urban

Rural

57.86

55.75

13.30

12.96

2.39 .88 Not

significant

Symbolic

reward

Urban

Rural

70.46

69.11

12.00

10.80

2.08 .64 Not

significant

Loving Urban

Rural

68.15

66.66

12.99

14.09

2.47 .59 Not

significant

Object

reward

Urban

Rural

68.11

61.70

12.08

13.46


Neglecting Urban

Rural

53.85

49.66

15.78

12.42

2.59 1.61 Not

significant




Table 3 shows that urban and rural secondary school students differ significantly in parent-child

relationship with regard to symbolic punishment, rejecting and object reward dimension of

parent child relationship. There was no significant difference found among urban and rural

secondary school students with regard to protecting, object punishment, demanding, indifference,

symbolic reward and loving dimension of parent child relationship.

Conclusion

Every parent and child shares a unique bond with each other depending on various factors which

directly or indirectly affects his or her relationship. As the parents are the one who are more

mature and experienced than the children, greater role is to be played by them to maintain a good

and balanced parent-child relationship. The findings of the study revealed that the locale is

affecting the parent-child relationship. It was found that parent –child relationship in urban areas

was better than rural areas. It was also found that there was no significant difference among

boarders, day scholars, urban and rural secondary school students with regard to protecting,

demanding, indifferent and loving dimension of parent-child relationship. Boarders and day

scholars were having significant difference with regard to object punishment and object reward

whereas urban and rural students were having significant difference with regard to symbolic

punishment, rejecting and object reward dimension of parent child relationship. After interaction

with students and their parents it was found that difference in parent-child relationship due to

locale variation i.e. rural and urban was due to various factors like different living style, literacy,

environment, exposure, habit of the parents and economic background etc .The parents from

rural areas were more stereotyped, traditional and reserved having little distance with their wards

whereas, the urban parents were having more free, flexible and friendly relationship with their

wards. Thus, parent child relationship depends upon various factors that should be taken care for

better relations among parents and children.

Reference

Arora, Babita and Kaur, Jasbir (2014) Emotional Stability among Adolescents in Relation to

Parent Child Relationship. The International Journal of Humanities & Social

Studies Retrieved from http:// www.theijhss.com/ may2014/56.HS1405-

104.pdf.

Crowley, K. (2014) Child Development (A Practical Introduction).New Delhi: Sage Publication.

http://www.theijhss.com/



Demo, H.D (1992) Parent-child relation: Assessing recent changes. Journal of Marriage and

Family, 54(1), 104-117. Retrieved from http: //www.jstor.org/stable

/353279.

Davidson, T.M and Cardemil, E.V (2009) Parent-Child Communication and Parental

Involvement in Latino Adolescents .Journal of Early

Adolescence, 29(1), 99-121. Retrieved from http://sagepub.com.

Goossens, et al (1998) Attachment style and loneliness in adolescence .European Journal of

Psychology of Education, 13(4), 529-542.Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org /stable/23420227

Hanson, R.O and Carpenter, B.N.(1994)Relationship in Old Age, Copying with the Challenge of

Transition .New York: Guildford Press.

Hall,G.S (2006) G.Stanley Hall’s Adolescence: Brilliance and nonsense. In J.J.A Arnett, History

of Psychology (vol.9,pp 186-197).Retrieved from

http://www.jeffreyarnett.com .

Jane, R. D et al. (1997) Parent-child relationships and children’s images of God. Journal for the

Scientific Study of Religion, 36(1), 25-43. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1387880.

Jean, M. (2013) Child Development (Myths and Misunderstandings).New Delhi: Sage

Publication

Khalakdina, M. (2015) Indian Adolescents in the Modernizing World .New Delhi: Concept

Publishing House.

Parent-Child Relations in Adolescence (2002, March).Research Facts and Findings. Retrieved

from http://www.actyouth.net/resources/rf/rf_parent_0302.cfm.

Rao, N. Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS). Agra: National Psychological Corporation.

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Poor Adult Psychological Adjustment Journal of Adolescence, 36 (2), 331-

340 .Retrieved from http:/ /www.elsevier.com .

Yaccob, M.J.B.(2006) Parent-adolescent relationships and its association to adolescents’ self

esteem. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 13(1), 21-24.

*****************************************************************

http://www.jstor.org/



Paper-5

Digital Skills of Prospective Teachers in

Odisha

Dr. Ramakanta Mohalik



Digital Skills of Prospective Teachers in Odisha

Dr. Ramakanta Mohalik7

Abstract

Digital devices and applications have been used in schools and teacher education institutes

across the globe for teaching learning. All the prospective teachers must be digitally savvy to

utilize it in school for teaching, assessment, management and professional development. This

study intended to find out the level of digital skills and its uses among prospective teachers at

secondary level. Survey was conducted on sample of 170 trainees selected randomly from

teacher education institutes under Utkal University, Odisha, India. Self developed questionnaire

based on different aspects of digital devices and applications such as skills of trainees in digital

technology, use of digital technology and applications by trainees for learning and teaching etc.

was used at tool. Collected data were subjected to frequency and percentage analysis and

accordingly conclusions were drawn. The study found that (i) majority of trainees can change

screen brightness and contrast, minimize, maximize and move window screen, use search

command to locate a file and download and install applications, (ii) more than 50% of trainees

do not know learning management system, virtual worlds, podcasts and web design applications,

(iii) around 70% of trainees are aware about storage of video in camera, manage junk mail and

update username and password and less than 50% of trainees knew about voice typing and cyber

security, (iv) majority of trainees use group email and whatsapp for academic work and only

20% of trainees use digital devices for using PPT in class, create digital learning materials,

provide feedback to students. It is suggested that teacher education institutes must be equipped

with digital devices and applications useful for teaching learning and professional development.

Further, teacher educator must encourage and motivate trainees by integrated ICT in regular

course work and across the subjects so that trainees can develop skills of using it for teaching,

learning and assessment in schools.

Key Words: Digital Literacy, Digital Devices, Applications, Teacher Trainees, and ICT.

Conceptualization of the Problem

7 Professor of Education, Regional Institute of Education, (NCERT) Bhubaneswar, email-

[email protected]





Digital literacy is the engine of the modern civilization and the driving force of the information

age. Today the meaning of literacy is not just limited to the ability to read and write. It extends to

an effective application of all those activities in which literacy is normally assumed. The modern

meaning has been expanded to include the ability to use language, numbers, images, computers,

and other basic means to understand, communicate, gain useful knowledge, solve mathematical

problems and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture. In this context, digital literacy has

become much more than the ability to handle computers, just like traditional literacy and

numeracy, it comprises a set of basic skills which include the use and production of digital

media, information processing and retrieval, participation in social networks for creation and

sharing of knowledge, and a wide range of professional computing skills. The UNESCO (2003)

Expert Meeting in Paris, defined “literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create,

communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.

Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to

develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider

society”.

Different committees and commissions in India has strongly recommended for the use of

ICT and digital technology in the education system for increasing its efficiency. The National

Policy on Education (1986) stressed the need to employ educational technology to improve the

quality of education. The significant role that ICT can play in school education has also been

highlighted in the National Curriculum Framework 2005. Use of ICT for quality improvement

also figures in Government of India's flagship programme on education, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

(SSA). Again, ICT has figured comprehensively in the norms of schooling recommended by the

Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), in its report on Universal Secondary Education,

in 2005. For improvement of digital literacy among students, Government of India framed a

National Policy on Information and Communication Technology in School Education in

2012.The initiative of ICT Policy in School Education is inspired by the tremendous potential of

ICT for enhancing outreach and improving quality of education.

Teacher education needs to orient and sensitize the teacher to distinguish between critically

useful, developmentally appropriate and the detrimental use of ICT.For seeing the importance of

digital technology in today’s world many commissions and committees in India emphasized on

the proper infrastructure in teacher education institutions and their appropriate use in teaching



learning process as well as for administration purposes. National Curriculum Framework for

Teacher Education (NCFTE), 2009 reported that ICT can be imaginatively drawn upon for

professional development and academic support of the pre-service and in-service teachers.

Justice Verma Commission (2012) recommended that ICT may be utilized and materials

developed in a decentralized and contextualized mode with participation of teachers and teacher

educators for more sustained benefits. ICT should not be perceived as an ‘efficiency

mechanism’ for large scale outreach only, as that assumes a ‘broadcast’ model in which the

creation/control is central and the peripheries are seen as 'consumers/users'. The real power of

using ICTs is to decentralize the curricular and pedagogical processes that are currently existent.

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) 2014 regulation laid down

guidelines about availability of ICT infrastructure in teacher training institutions. In accordance

with regulation, several specialized courses are being offered in B.Ed. programme to enhance

professional capacities of a student- teacher such as courses on language and communication,

drama and art, self-development and ICT. A course on critical understanding of ICT is being

offered as an important curricular resource. It also gives emphasis on ICT Resource Centre in the

teacher educating institute and also there should be ICT facilities with hardware and software

including computers, internet, TV, Camera; ICT equipment like ROT (Receive Only Terminal),

SIT (Satellite Interlinking Terminal) etc. ICT must be integrated in different theories &

practicum papers to develop skills and competency of prospective teachers. As per the

recommendations of the NCTE regulation 2014, all states have revised their curriculum,

incorporated ICT in the teaching learning process and provided ICT facilities in the teacher-

training institute with the intention to develop digital skills of trainees.

In teacher education, digital literacy involves the development of knowledge and skills

for using general computer applications, learning specific software programmes and Internet

tools confidently and competently. It comprises a number of aspects, including technological

awareness, technical vocabulary, components of computer, concepts of data and programmes,

ways of computing, working on files, documents and pictures, working with multimedia,

evaluating resources and communicating with others.

Rationale of the Study

Digitalization has influenced all the aspects of human life including teaching learning. It has

great potential for quality improvement of education in schools. Hence, teachers of present era



should not only have content knowledge, but also they should have pedagogical as well as

technological knowledge so that they can transact knowledge to students in an advanced way.

Teacher can use the digital technology for preparation, delivery and follow up of the lesson in

school. Teacher can also use technology for assessment purpose as like digital portfolio. Hence,

the prospective teacher must possess digital literacy for effectively dealing with digital native

students in future. In this context, the Government of India and states has provided ICT facilities

to all teacher-training institutions. The curriculum of all teacher education courses has been

revised and ICT components are included as per the NCTE regulation 2014. Hence, it is high

time to examine the level of digital literacy of teacher trainees so that suitable intervention can be

planed.

Recently many researchers have taken interest on the uses of digital devices and

applications in teacher education. Sethy & Mohalik (2019) found that all the schools have

computer and projector in smart classroom but all teachers are not using smart classroom every

day for teaching learning. Barik & Mohalik (2018) reported that 95% of teachers are aware about

Internet and effectively using for teaching and professional development and agreed that digital

technology is helpful for effective teaching. Devim (2016) found that B.Ed trainees’ had

moderate level of ICT literacy and the urban B.Ed trainees mean scores was higher than the

rural. Armistead (2016) found that digital technology has significant potential to enhance

learning opportunity, which a student needs to be successful. Li lan (2015) found that use of

digital technology is significantly correlated with self-efficacy, perceived computer skill and

technology access and support for both teachers and students. Oloyede (2015) stated that there

was no significant difference in the level of ICT literacy between male and female student

teachers. Sivasankar (2014) reveals that the higher secondary school teachers from English

medium, teachers from urban areas and matriculation higher secondary school teachers are better

in their ICT awareness than their counter parts. Tabasum, et al. (2014) found that majority of the

students are average in computer literacy level. Wang (2014) found that digital natives

misleading and disconnect student's inside and outside classroom technology experience.

Hatlevik, et al. (2013) found that digital competency among secondary students is due to

different factors like classroom teaching methods, home environment, language integration and

academic aspirations etc. Beena and Mathur (2012) reported that male M.Ed. students possess

significantly higher awareness of ICT in education than female M.Ed. students and the teacher



trainees of both the Government and self-financed M.Ed. Colleges have similar kind of

awareness of use of ICT in education. Pattee (2012) found that digital technology helps a teacher

for being an effective technology user, a lifelong learner in advanced ways; make effective

technological pedagogical content knowledge as well as an effective mentor and facilitator.

The above discussion reveals that attempt has been made by the researcher to examine

the use of digital technology and devices in schools, colleges and teacher education institutes by

the teachers and students. Mostly researches were conducted in school setting. Few studies were

conducted on digital literacy of teacher trainees and teacher educators. In this context, study on

digital literacy of teacher trainees is relevant.

Objectives

To study the digital skills of prospective teachers at secondary level.

To study the extent of using digital devices for learning and teaching during internship by

prospective teachers.

Methodology

Survey method was used for studying the level of digital skills and use among prospective

teachers. The sample for the present study was selected randomly which consists of 170 trainees

of secondary teacher training institutes of Utkal University, Odisha, India. Out of 170 trainees,

50 are from Nalini Devi Womens College of Teacher Education, 50 from Regional Institute of

Education, Bhubaneswar and 70 from Radhanath Institute of Advance Studies in Education. Self

developed questionnaire based on different aspects of digital skills and its uses such as skills and

competency of using digital devices, general awareness of digital devices and applications and

using digital devices for teaching learning. The validity of tools was ensured by taking expert

comments. The collected data was coded numerically and entered in MS Excel for analysis. All

the items were analysed in terms of frequency and percentage and accordingly interpretation was

made.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

The collected data are analysed as per the objectives of the study by using frequency and

percentage and qualitative descriptions. The detailed analysis and interpretation is presented in

following pages.



Table-1: Skills of Using Digital Devices

Sl. No. Items

Yes

(Frequency & %)

1 Change of screen brightness and contrast

155* (92.3)

2 Minimize, maximize and move the windows 157 (92.9)

3 Use a ‘search’ command to locate a file 160 (95.2)

4 Scan disks/pen drive for viruses 126 (75.4) 5 Write files onto USB drive 107 (65.2)

6 Create and update web pages 59 (35.8)

7 Record and edit digital and video sounds 92 (54.8)

8 Download and install applications 154 (91.7)

*Out of 170

The table-1 indicates that above 90% of trainees can change screen brightness and contrast,

minimize, maximize and move window screen, use search command to locate a file and

download and install applications. Further, above 50% of trainees can scan disks for viruses,

write files onto USB drive, record and edit digital sound and video and only 35.8% of trainees

can create and update web pages. It can be said that trainees have working knowledge of digital

devices except creating and updating web pages.

Table-2: Skills of Working with Digital Applications

Sl

No.

Working with

Good

(Frequency

& %)

Acceptabl

e

(Frequenc

y & %)

Poor

(Frequen

cy & %)

Do Not

Know

(Frequency

& %) 1 Word processing applications

130 (76.9) 34 (20.1) 1 (0.6) 4 (2.4)

2 Spreadsheet applications 75 (44.6) 66 (39.3) 16 (9.5) 11 (6.5)

3 Database applications 27 (16.5) 55 (33.5) 43 (26.2) 39 (23.8)

4 Presentation applications 102 (61.1) 43 (25.7) 16 (9.6) 6 (3.6)

5 Communication applications 57 (35.0) 34 (20.9) 27 (16.6) 45 (27.6)

6 Learning management systems 13 (8.1) 28 (17.5) 24 (15.0) 95 (59.4)

7 Virtual worlds 12 (7.6) 27 (17.1) 27 (17.1) 92 (58.2)

8 Social networking services 124 (73.8) 19 (11.3) 13 (7.7) 12 (7.1)

9 Blogs 20 (12.7) 38 (24.1) 37 (23.4) 63 (39.9)

10 Wikis 54 (33.5) 37 (23.0) 11 (6.8) 59 (36.6)



11 Podcasts 9 (5.6) 19 (11.7) 27 (16.7) 107 (66.0)

12 File sharing sites 44 (26.7) 43 (26.1) 20 (12.1) 58 (35.2)

13 Photo sharing sites 67 (40.9) 42 (25.6) 18 (11.0) 37 (22.6)

14 Video sharing sites 125 (74.0) 16 (9.5) 11 (6.5) 17 (10.1)

15 Web design applications 22 (13.7) 17 (10.6) 30 (18.6) 92 (57.1)

16 Web search engines 145 (86.8) 11 (6.6) 2 (1.2) 9 (5.4)

17 Dictionary apps 135 (79.9) 19 (11.2) 5 (3.0) 10 (5.9)

The table-2 indicates that more than 70% of trainees have good knowledge of word processing,

social networking, video sharing, web search engines and dictionary application. Further, more

that 40% of trainees have good knowledge of spreadsheet, presentation and photo sharing

applications. The table also reveals that more than 50% of trainees do not know learning

management system, virtual worlds, podcasts and web design applications.

Table-3: General Awareness about Digital Devices and Applications

Sl. No. Items Yes

(Frequency & %)

1 Know the device required for video conference 159 (93.5)

2 Can store picture and video in digital camera 152 (89.9)

3 Familiar with voice typing applications 79 (46.5)

4 Use Bluetooth 165 (97.1)

5 Manage junk message in email 132 (77.6)

6 Can update username and password digital device 128 (75.3)

7 Aware about cyber security 57 (33.5)

The table-3 indicates that more than 90% of trainees are aware about the device needed to install

on computer for videoconference and use of Bluetooth. Further, more than 70% of trainees are

aware about storage of video in camera, manage junk mail and update username and password.

The table also points out that less than 50% of trainees knew about voice typing and cyber

security.



Table-4: Using Digital Medium for Academic Purpose

Sl

No.

Items Yes (Frequency

& %)

1 Group email-id for class 96 (56.8)

2 Group WhatsApp for class 159 (93.5)

3 Regularly using group email/Whatsapp for discussion

related to academic work

157 (92.4)

4 Shared study materials by group email/ Whatsapp 148 (87.6)

6 Created teaching material digitally

(Audio/Video/Images/Documentary movie)

88 (52.1)

7 Done online course 25 (14.8)

8 Attended webinars 12 (7.1)

The table-4 indicates that more that 90% of trainees use group email and whatsapp for academic

work. Further, around 50% of trainees have created audio/video teaching learning materials. The

table also reveals that few trainees have done online course and attended webinars.

Table-5: Using Digital Devices and Apps during Internship in Teaching

Sl

No

Items Never

(Frequency

& %)

Sometimes

(Frequency

& %)

Always

(Frequency

& %)

1 Prepare lesson plan 15 (8.8) 60 (35.3) 95 (55.9)

2 Collect resources for teaching 4 (2.4) 43 (25.3) 123 (72.4)

3 Use PPT for teaching 57 (34.1) 85 (50.9) 24 (14.4)

4 Create digital learning materials for

students

43 (25.4) 95 (52.2) 30 (17.8)

5 Prepare online exercise and tasks for

students

31 (18.2) 69 (40.6) 69 (40.6)

6 Provide feedback to students online 95 (57.6) 56 (33.9) 14 (8.5)

7 Uses online library 62 (36.9) 70 (41.7) 36 (21.4)

8 Use video clips for teaching 19 (11.2) 91 (53.8) 57 (33.7)



9 Share notes with students online 113 (66.9) 41 (24.3) 14 (8.3)

The table-5 reveals more than 50% of trainees always use digital devices for collecting resources

and preparing lesson plan during internship in teaching. Further, more than 20% of trainees use

digital devices for using PPT in class, create digital learning materials, provide feedback to

students, and use online library and share notes online during internship.

Major Findings

Majority of trainees can change screen brightness and contrast, minimize, maximize and

move window screen, use search command to locate a file and download and install

applications. Further, around 50% of trainees cannot scan disks for viruses, write files

onto USB drive, record and edit digital sound and video and only 35.8% of trainees can

create and update web pages.

More than 70% of trainees have good knowledge of word processing, social networking,

video sharing, web search engines and dictionary application. More than 50% of trainees

do not know learning management system, virtual worlds, podcasts and web design

applications.

More than 70% of trainees are aware about storage of video in camera, manage junk mail

and update username and password and less than 50% of trainees knew about voice

typing and cyber security.

Majority of trainees use group email and whatsapp for academic work. Around 50% of

trainees have created audio/video teaching learning materials. Few trainees have done

online course and attended webinars.

More than 50% of trainees always use digital devices for collecting resources and

preparing lesson plan during internship in teaching. Only 20% of trainees use digital

devices for using PPT in class, create digital learning materials, provide feedback to

students, and use online library and share notes online during internship.

Educational Implications

Teacher educators have to play great role in motivating and engaging trainees in digital

devices for teaching and learning. Hence, training of all teacher educators must be

organized so that they can use digital devices in teaching and assessing. They must



demonstrate the uses of different digital devices in the field of school education and

teacher education.

Present day education focuses on collaboration in learning. The digital medium can be

utilized for collaboration among students and teacher educators. Hence different social

networking apps like Whatsapp, Twitter, Blog, Facebook etc can be utilized for sharing

and commenting in educational problems and issues so that trainee will develop skills

and competencies in using ICT for learning and teaching purposes.

Most important skills for effective use of digital devices and services are safe practices.

All the trainees must be oriented and educated in safe practices in using online services

like online-banking, email, face book etc. They should be oriented especially in creating

and changing passwords.

Internship is one of the significant elements of teacher training programme, which

provides the scope for utilizing digital devices and apps. Trainees must be motivated to

use digital devices and apps for effective teaching and learning. The teacher education

institute must make it compulsory for trainees to deliver specific number of lessons by

using ICT. Trainees can use ICT for preparing lesson plan, preparing new teaching

resources, video and audio clips, which can be utilized during teaching.

ICT can be utilized for providing open educational resources to trainees and teacher

educators. The trainees must be familiar with MOOC, NROER, e-pathasala and other

online resources / libraries created by national and international agencies. Trainees must

utilize these open educational resources for learning and teaching.

ICT must be integrated in pre-service teacher education programmes. It must not be

taught as separate paper but must be given emphasis in all the papers. Because trainees

must realize and understand the scope of using ICT in each paper. The potential of ICT

must be utilized in learning of each perspective, pedagogy and field engagement courses.

All teacher education institutes must be equipped with appropriate digital devices and

applications. Trainees must be given opportunities in working with computers; smart

classes etc. in order to be develop their practical skills. Trainees must be oriented in the

process of using smart class, smart boards and educational applications.



The future school students will be digital native. They have different ways of learning

and thinking. They want to use digital devices for everything in life from learning to

education. For them, learning is fun making with subjects. Hence, prospective teachers

must be equipped with all skills and competencies of using digital devices and

applications.

Conclusion

The use of digital devices and applications in the field of school and teacher education has been

greatly emphasized by different committees and commissions at national and international level.

The NCTE regulation 2014 has recommended that ICT must be integrated in all teacher

education programmes, which can enable prospective teachers for using it in classroom teaching.

On the other hand, the Government of India has launched the programmes such as Digital India,

e-pathshala, NROER, SWAYAM etc for facilitating the use of ICT in education sector. This

study indicates that teacher-training institutes are equipped with digital devices and majority of

trainees have smart phone with data plan. Trainees must be encouraged and supported for using

ICT in the different phases of the course. The study also indicates that trainees are using digital

devices during internship in teaching programme for planning lesson, preparing teaching

learning materials and for presenting the lesson. The principals of all teacher-training institutes

must promote the use of digital devices in admission, administration, internship and assessment

of trainees. Further, mobile and mobile-based learning applications must be used in teacher

education programmes both by trainees and teacher educators.

References

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Paper-6

Study of Social Networking Sites

Usage among B.Ed. Students

Dr.Akanksha Singh

Dr.Ajay Pratap Singh



Study of Social Networking Sites Usage among B.Ed. Students

Dr.Akanksha Singh8

Dr.Ajay Pratap Singh9

Abstract

Handheld devices (mobile phones) are quite popular among students. Mobile with

internet connectivity is the perfect device for the current educational revolution. Providing well-

equipped computer labs to every institution is not possible in a country like India. The usage of

handheld devices has brought a revolution in the field of education. A large number of students

in higher educational institutions as well as in teacher education institutions are using mobile

devices for connecting. The present study is a small survey of an urban teacher education

institution on social networking sites usage among B.Ed. Students. The study was conducted

mainly on four dimensions of mobile usage by self-prepared scales which were educational

purpose, self-expression, making new friends, and relationship with offline friends.

Keywords: Social Networking sites usage, Teacher Education Institutions

A mobile phone is a popular device among students. It helps them in connecting with each other.

According to ITU (2019), 53 percent (4.1 billion people) are using the internet. Europe has the

highest internet usage rate and the African region has the lowest. According to Internet World

Statistics (2020), the Internet penetration rate in Asia is 55 percent and is 40 percent in India. A

report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMI: 2017) says that online

communication and social networking have been the top purposes for internet usage. It also says

that India is second after China in terms of internet users. India has become the second-largest

internet user market with 504 million active internet users. According to UNICEF(2017) at a

global level, 71percent students of the age group (15-24) have online access. It shows that

internet access is increasing among students. Social Networking sites are also very much popular

among students. Social networking sites are virtual communities where people can make their

8 Asst.Professor, Department of Education, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj,

Email:[email protected] 9 Head, Department of Education, Ram Prasad Bismil Memorial Degree College, Affiliated college of University of

Lucknow, Lucknow Email: [email protected]





profiles and interact with each other. Trends show that Facebook is the most popular social

networking site in India. The purpose of the present study is to find social networking sites usage

among B.Ed. students.

Objectives-

To study the usage pattern of mobile among B.Ed. students

To study the usage purpose of social networking sites among B.Ed. Students

Methodology-

The survey method was used. 100 B.Ed. students were chosen for the present study. Data were

collected during December 2019 from B.Ed. The college situated in Lucknow. Social

Networking sites usage scale was prepared to consist of 18 questions primarily considering 4

aspects of social networking sites usage-

Use of Social Networking sites for study purposes.

Use of Social Networking Sites for self-expression.

Use of Social Networking Sites for making new friends.

Use of Social Networking Sites and relationships with offline friends.

Item No. 7, 13, 16, and 17 were related to SNS usage for study purposes. Item No. 4,5,12 and 14

were related to SNS usage for Self-expression. Item No. 1, 2, 3, 6, and 11were are related to SNS

usage for friendships. Item 8, 9, 10, 15, and 18 were related to offline friendships.

Face validity and content validity of the tool was established. Randomly few students were

approached for telephonic conversation also.

Results in Tabular form-

Questions

Total

Respondents

Strongly

Agree Agree Indecisive Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

item 1 100 7 22 21 39 11

item 2 100 7 77 6 8 2

item 3 100 17 45 11 23 4

item 4 100 14 60 12 13 1

item 5 100 16 26 20 33 5

item 6 100 6 37 24 27 6

item 7 100 28 49 11 11 1



item 8 100 9 40 15 29 7

item 9 100 34 47 11 7 1

item 10 100 20 48 15 17 0

item 11 100 9 45 21 23 2

item 12 100 10 64 11 14 1

item 13 100 20 49 14 16 1

item 14 100 8 32 26 24 10

item 15 100 8 47 13 24 8

item 16 100 30 51 12 6 1

item 17 100 15 57 17 10 1

item 18 100 18 51 17 11 3

Data Interpretation-

The initial survey shows that most of the students are having their device to access the internet,

they are spending 2 to 4 hours on social networking sites and popular social networking sites

among them are Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram.

I. Use of Social Networking Sites for study purposes-

Social networking sites help me in my studies: 28 percent strongly agreed, 49 percent

agreed, 11 percent were indecisive, 11percent disagreed and only 1 percent strongly

disagreed. It thus, shows that social networking sites also provide useful information

regarding studies. Students these days are making productive use of their social media

privileges by using it for academic purposes. Social media helps them gain knowledge

and access to various resources that aid their studies. It provides them various ideas to

incorporate in their studies like examples or do it yourself videos. Sometimes various

experiments also help to incorporate in teaching-learning situations too.



Social networking sites provide me useful links related to my course: 20 percent

strongly agreed, 49 percent agreed, 14 percent were indecisive, 16 percent disagreed, and

only 1 percent strongly disagreed. It shows that the majority of students search useful

course-related content from social media sites. Links of various articles provide them

updated information although they were a little confused regarding the authenticity of the

source.

Social networking sites keep me updated with the news of my institution-30 percent

strongly agreed, 51 percent agreed, 12 percent were indecisive, 6 percent disagreed and

only 1 percent strongly disagreed. It shows that social networking sites help students to

connect with their organization related news and keeps them updated about their

institutions.



Social networking sites help me stay connected with my peers and teachers - 15

percent strongly agreed, 57 percent agreed, 17 percent were indecisive, 10 percent

disagreed and only 1 percent was strongly disagreed. It shows that social networking sites

help the student to connect with the teachers of the institution, and reach out to them for

help in terms of academics from the comfort of their

homes.

II. Use of Social Networking Sites for self-expression-

Social networking sites allow me to express my thoughts-14 percent strongly agreed,

60 percent agreed, 12 percent were indecisive, 13 percent disagreed, and the only

1percent strongly disagreed. It is thus evident that social media gives the students a

platform to express their views and opinions, and an opportunity to advocate for the

causes they believe in.



It provides me a platform to create my own social identity: 16 percent strongly

agreed, 26 percent agreed, 20 percent were indecisive, 33 percent disagreed, and 5

percent strongly disagreed. Students believe that having a social media presence allows

them to create an identity for themselves in the online community.

Social networking sites help me to take part in discussions: 10 percent strongly


percent strongly disagreed. It thus proves that social media give these students a platform

to be able to engage in discourse and discussions. The students can talk and discuss

various issues of importance through social media.



Sharing pictures is enjoyable on social networking sites: 8 percent strongly agreed, 32

percent agreed, 26 percent were indecisive, 24 percent disagreed, and 10 percent strongly

disagreed. Students enjoy sharing and uploading pictures on social networking sites, they

can express themselves and their identity through the content that they post. They can

share among their friends and peers their pictures and in turn, get in a glimpse into their

friends' lives as well.

III. Use of Social Networking Sites for making new friends.

I prefer to make new friends through social networking sites-7 percent strongly


percent strongly disagreed. It shows that large numbers of students are aware that making

unknown friends on social media is not safe but still they need to be informed regarding

the safe usage of social media.



I use social networking sites to remain connected with family and friends: 7 percent

strongly agreed, 77 percent agreed, 6 percent were indecisive, 8 percent disagreed, and 2

percent strongly disagreed. This SNS provides the opportunity to remain connected with

their old friends and extended family members too.

Social networking sites consume my too much time: 17 percent strongly agreed, 45

percent agreed, 11 percent were indecisive, 23 percent disagreed, and 4 percent strongly

disagreed. This shows that even they are spending two to five hours on different social

networking sites they are not aware that how much time they are spending on this.



Social Networking sites make me popular among my friends: 6 percent strongly

agreed, 37 percent agree, 24 percent were indecisive, 27 percent disagreed, and 6 percent

strongly disagreed. Students are enjoying likes and comments on social networking sites

and it makes them feel that they are popular among peers.

Social networking sites increase my friends: 9 percent strongly agreed, 45percent

agreed, 21 percent were indecisive, 23 percent disagreed, and 2 percent strongly

disagreed. Most of them feel that the greater the list of friends on social networking sites

means more connectedness that is why they prefer to send friendship requests to

unknown fellows or fellows with brief encounters also.



IV. Social Networking Sites and relationships with offline friends.

Social networking sites are enough to interact after this there is no need to meet face

to face: 9 percent strongly agreed, 40percent were agreed, 15 percent were indecisive, 29

percent disagreed and, 7 percent strongly disagreed.

Face to face mode of interaction is more satisfying: 34 percent strongly agreed,

47percent agreed, 11 percent were indecisive, 7 percent disagreed and 1 percent strongly

disagreed.



Use of SNS affected my meeting time with friends: 20 percent strongly agreed, 48

percent agreed, 15 percent were indecisive, 17 percent disagreed and 0 percent strongly

disagreed.

I enjoy making friends to unknown people: 8 percent strongly agreed, 47percent

agreed, 13 percent were indecisive, 24 percent disagreed, and 8 percent strongly

disagreed.



Online friends are not that close to regular friends we have with whom we meet

daily: 18 percent strongly agreed, 51percent agreed, 17 percent were indecisive, 11

percent disagreed, and 3 percent strongly disagreed.

Response pattern shows that fifty percent of students are satisfied with the only virtual

mode of friendship but the remaining fifty percent feel that virtual mode is not enough

but they need to meet with their friends. They feel that offline friendship is more

satisfying; these friends are more closure than online friends and online activity

consumes so much time that they have little time to maintain the offline friendship.

Conclusion:

As the present study was limited and very much localized, but results show that global pattern is

emerging everywhere. Students are connecting with their peer group as well as teachers and

institution through social networking sites. They are more aware with their social presence, they

like to participate in discussions but here comes the responsibility of teachers and other

stakeholders to disseminate safe usage of social networking sites, make them aware about digital

footprint as well as proper skimming of the authenticity of the source, all these things will help

them to use SNS judiciously and safely.



References:

ITU (2019) Measuring digital developments facts and figures 2019; International

telecommunication union, Geneva. Retrieved from https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-

D/Statistics/Documents/facts/FactsFigures2019.pdf

Internet World Stats(2020) usage and population Statistics, retrieved from

https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats3.htm

IAMAI(2017)Mobile Internet report https://cms.iamai.in/Content/ResearchPapers/2b08cce4-

e571-4cfe-9f8b-86435a12ed17.pdf

Lampe, Ellison, and Steinfield (2006) A Face(book) in the crowd: Social searching vs. social

browsing, Proceedings of CSCW-2006, New YorkACM Press

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https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/FactsFigures2019.pdf

https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/FactsFigures2019.pdf

https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats3.htm

https://cms.iamai.in/Content/ResearchPapers/2b08cce4-e571-4cfe-9f8b-86435a12ed17.pdf

https://cms.iamai.in/Content/ResearchPapers/2b08cce4-e571-4cfe-9f8b-86435a12ed17.pdf