Amruta Deshpande; Mohammad Mirwais Rasa; Nassir Ul Haq Wani; Neeru Sidana (2025). Determinants of Higher Education Quality in Afghanistan's Higher Education Sector: Insights from Students' Perceptions. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, v17 n1 p123-138. Purpose: The fundamental purpose of this study is to analyse the determinants of higher education quality in Afghanistan based on insights from student perceptions. Understanding this part holds paramount importance in enunciating sound policies for the smooth functioning of the higher education sector of Afghanistan. Design/methodology/approach: This study aims to classify students' background and demographic data, distinguishing their perception of higher education quality using a deductive research approach. A sample of 418 students from five top private universities in Afghanistan was chosen to assess their perceptions of higher education dimensions by employing a multinomial regression analysis. Findings: The findings indicate that extracurricular activities, students' scholarship status, parents' education, age, previous academic results and the university they attend significantly impact their perception of the quality of higher education. Practical implications: This research… [Direct]

Abdul Qahar Sarwari; Hamedi Mohd Adnan (2023). Analysis of Discourses in the Islamic World about the Ban upon Women's Education by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Issues in Educational Research, v33 n3 p1148-1160. The women's education ban in Afghanistan is a vital issue for people in the country and also a challenging issue for the Islamic world. The researcher used critical discourse analysis to analyse the mediated discourses in the Islamic world regarding the women's education ban in Afghanistan. An online search was applied by using key terms and headings such as "girls deprived from education in Afghanistan"; "women education ban in Afghanistan"; "women education bans by the Taliban in Afghanistan"; and "the ongoing discourses in the Islamic world regarding the women education ban in Afghanistan". A total of 62 articles were recorded, and after the exclusion of duplicated and irrelevant articles, 20 news articles were selected, reviewed, coded, and analysed. The Foucauldian viewpoint was adopted to consider the relationship between discourse and power, and the three-dimensional model of Fairclough (1993) was applied to guide the critical discourse… [Direct]

Ghulam Dastgir khan; Masaood Moahid; Mohammad Ajmal Khuram; Nematullah Hotak; Yoko Ishida; Yuichiro Yoshida (2024). Measures to Motivate Teachers in Afghanistan: A Proposal. Asia Pacific Education Review, v25 n5 p1227-1243. This study focused on job satisfaction and motivation factors of schoolteachers from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Primary survey data from 378 teachers in Kabul were used in a randomized conjoint experiment to measure the causal effects of the proposed motivation policy's relevant attributes on teachers' satisfaction. The suggested hypothetical motivation policy comprised salary, number of classes per day, number of students per class, work desk, teacher training, and residential plot. We found that a higher than the current salary, a residential plot, and having fewer than 20 students per class and only three classes per day contributed to teachers' job satisfaction. The proposed teacher motivation policy was widely endorsed by the sample…. [Direct]

Whittaker, Golnaz; Wood, Gavin (2022). Barriers and Facilitators to Providing Assistive Technologies to Children with Disabilities in Afghanistan. UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti Due to the impacts of the ongoing conflict, Afghanistan's child population is at high risk of being born with or acquiring a primary or secondary disability. According to a recent estimate, up to 17% of Afghanistan's children live with some form of disability. Assistive Technologies — the systems, services and products that enhance the functioning of people with impairments — are likely to be required by a large proportion of children with disabilities in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which includes a commitment to provide assistive technologies equitably to all who need it. However, little action has been taken to meet this commitment, and there continues to be a vast gap between need and provision. This work presents the the barriers and facilitators to provision and provides recommendations to begin to close the gap…. [PDF]

(2022). TVET Country Profile: Afghanistan. UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training The UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Country Profiles are an online service. They aim to provide concise, reliable and up-to-date information on TVET systems worldwide, including key statistical data which can be compared across countries, major TVET policy documents, and information on governance of TVET. Dynamic diagrams illustrate education systems at a glance, aligned with ISCED levels…. [PDF]

Ian, Kaplan; Jean-Francois, Trani; Mara, Mckown; Mary Kate, Cartmill; Mustafa, Rfat; Parul, Bakhshi; Shuya, Yin; Sohail, Munib; Yiqi, Zhu (2023). Teachers' Perspective on Accountability: A Comparative Case Study in Primary Rural Schools of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Research in Comparative and International Education, v18 n4 p569-599. Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan is characterised by indicators showing lack of mastering of reading, writing and mathematics literacy skills. To foster effective education systems and provide quality education, experts have encouraged and established various mechanisms of accountability. We conducted participatory workshops with 556 teachers representing 102 primary schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan to investigate their understanding of teachers' roles and responsibilities in education. Teachers acknowledged their own responsibilities for student learning but also emphasized that improving the quality of education should involve providing good teaching and learning environments, child-centred pedagogy, caring relationships, parental involvement, inclusive communities, and respect for teachers…. [Direct]

Ian Kaplan; Jean-Francois Trani; Kate Gettinger; Mustafa Rfat; Parul Bakhshi; Rawab Hashim; Yiqi Zhu; Zijing Wang (2024). What Is Inclusion? Children Perspective on Education at Primary Schools in Rural Afghanistan. Research in Comparative and International Education, v19 n4 p523-551. Inclusive education remains a distant goal in Afghanistan threatened by issues of discrimination based on gender, disability, ethnicity, cultural beliefs and socioeconomic status. To promote more inclusive practices, we conducted 120 participatory workshops in three rounds, including 1187 volunteer children aged 9 to 12 years old from grades three, four and five in 40 primary rural schools of Badakhshan, Ghazni and Takhar provinces of Afghanistan between 2018 and 2021. Children described inclusion as the combination of allowing all children to access school and to effectively learn. Children were able to meaningfully define the state of education while articulating coherently what motivates them, their teachers, and parents and what actions need to be taken to improve the whole school system. In a political context limiting girls' education, children voiced their need for a school environment that is enriching, supportive and adapted to their needs and expectations to keep motivated… [Direct]

Ayari, Susan; Gauley, Benjamin; Maniates, Sarah; Shriberg, Janet; van Ginkel, Agatha J. (2022). Embedding Social and Emotional Learning in Literacy and Teacher Training in Afghanistan. Journal on Education in Emergencies, v8 n1 p262-277 Mar. This field note contributes to understanding of the challenges in and opportunities for supporting social and emotional learning (SEL) in the education in emergencies context, with a particular focus on embedding social and emotional skills into literacy learning in the early grades of primary school. In Afghanistan, the current reality is that many children and their teachers have been exposed repeatedly to adversity and highly stressful situations, such as attacks on their schools. Research shows that exposure to crises affects learning and the wellbeing of students and teachers alike. In this article, we describe how SEL was embedded in the early grade literacy curriculum and teacher training in Afghanistan, and in education support systems and practices. We further elaborate on the challenges faced and lessons learned throughout this process. The experience of integrating SEL into an early grade literacy curriculum has been positive, and initial feedback on the approach suggests… [Direct]

Khuram, Mohammad Ajmal (2021). The Impact of COVID-19 on Technologically Disadvantaged Students in Afghanistan. Online Submission, Unnes Science Education Journal v10 n2 p59-68. COVID-19 has forced educators, institutions, and their staff to switch from physical to remote education This study investigates the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international education system, particularly in Afghanistan. Specifically, this paper explores how students in Afghanistan have been affected by the pandemic, and identifies and evaluates the challenges faced by the education system of Afghanistan due to the pandemic. Moreover, factors affecting the use of technology by students in Afghanistan are also analyzed. A quantitative research methodology was utilized by collecting responses from students through a questionnaire distributed online. All data collected were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Results revealed that technology has not benefited students very much, and the effects of COVID-19 have been extreme on them. Furthermore, insufficient time to learn new technologies has proven to be challenging for students. Developing technology… [PDF]

Borhan, Mirza Mohammad (2022). Teaching Technical Words for Medical Purposes in Afghanistan. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, v14 n3 p1952-1962. Over the last decades researches have been conducted on different disciplines and in teaching English for specific purposes in different contexts, but teaching technical words for doctors in the context of Afghanistan is the newest subject. The aim of this article is to explore the needs of doctors and prepare them a course to learn English. In Afghanistan, English is used as a foreign language and it is not the medium of instruction in the class because the national languages play the key role in instruction. It is really important for the doctors to learn English in order to learn new information and should be aware about progress, especially in medical. At the same time, most of the names of drugs have been written based on English and it is necessary for them to know English in their own discipline. This paper is written based on quantitative research and Questionnaire was the tool for data collection and it was sent to doctors who were in Afghanistan, particularly. In this… [PDF]

Orfan, Sayeed Naqibullah (2023). High School English Textbooks Promote Gender Inequality in Afghanistan. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, v31 n3 p403-418. Instructional materials are one of the areas in which gender inequality is very easily institutionalised. The study investigated gender representation in high school English textbooks in Afghanistan. High school English textbooks were used as the corpus of the study. A mixed content analysis approach was used to analyse the data. The frequency of items for each category was counted and tabulated. The findings showed that women were substantially underrepresented whereas men were significantly overrepresented in text and illustrations. Male characters were placed before female characters in all coordinated phrases, and none of the dialogues was initiated by female characters. Women were portrayed in a limited number of social roles while men occupied a wide range of them. Moreover, masculine generic forms were widely used to refer to both women and men. Thus, it is concluded that high school English textbooks promote and perpetuate gender inequality in Afghanistan…. [Direct]

Bjorn Harald Nordtveit; Nangyalai Attal (2024). 'Jihad Literacy': The Legacy of Us-Sponsored Textbooks for Afghan Children. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v45 n2 p274-290. This paper uses critical discourse analysis and critical literacy to analyze the first in a series of literacy primers developed with US support for children in Afghanistan in the 1980s, called 'Jihad literacy'. The text is analyzed for its ideological content as related to the themes of religion, violence, and martyrdom in the historical perspective of the Cold War and the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The paper demonstrates how the notion of 'Jihad' was subverted to promote a holy war against the Soviet invasion. The educational system supported by the US created a radical version of Islam based on violence and martyrdom, shaping the Afghan society to this day. We contend that the same or similar institutions shape current discourses as in the past and that children are the main victims of politico-economic warfare…. [Direct]

Ahmad Fazayel Fazloomand; Mina Qarizada; Sarwanaaz Sarmashq; Sayed Shafiullah Obaidi; Sayeed Naqibullah Orfan (2024). Faculty Research Productivity at Select Higher Education Institutions in Afghanistan. Cogent Education, v11 n1 Article 2384241. The study examined faculty's research productivity, their perceptions of influence of factors and policy directives on their research productivity. It also examined the correlation between faculty's gender, level of education, years of teaching experience and their research productivity. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 162 faculty members at four public higher education institutions (HEIs). Descriptive and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The results showed that faculty's research productivity was significantly low. For instance, 76% of the participants reported publishing 468 articles in national journals while 71% of them reported publishing 253 works in international journals since they started working as faculty. Around 82% of the participants did not publish any articles in international journals indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, or PubMed. Furthermore, 54% of the participants did not publish any articles in international journals over… [Direct]

Fahez, Mirwais; Kan, Sophia; Valenza, Marco (2022). Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Rural Afghanistan: Findings from a Baseline Learning Assessment of Accelerated Learning Centres. UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti In Afghanistan, 93% of children cannot read a simple text by the age of 10. Education is not available to everyone, especially for girls and children in remote areas. A form of community-based education, called Accelerated Learning Centers (ALCs), can help close the distance barrier and meet the needs of out-of-school children and girls. In May 2021, an assessment of foundational literacy and numeracy skills of ALC students and nearby government school students was conducted. Results show that children at ALCs are learning at similar levels or better compared with children who attend government schools. This report provides insight into practices to improve education in rural areas in Afghanistan…. [PDF]

Orfan, Sayeed Naqibullah (2023). Gender Voices in Afghanistan Primary and Secondary School English Textbooks. Curriculum Journal, v34 n2 p208-230 Jun. Textbooks are one of the areas in which gender inequality is institutionalized effortlessly. The study investigated the representation of gender in primary and secondary English textbooks. A total of 14 categories of underrepresentation and misrepresentation were used to examine gender portrayal. The results show that women are significantly underrepresented whilst men are overrepresented in text and illustrations. Female names account for only 30.4% of names in textbooks. Male characters precede female characters in most coordinated phrases, and most of the dialogues are initiated by men. Masculine generic forms are used to refer to women and men including in the English translation of the Afghanistan National Anthem. Men are more frequently portrayed in a myriad of social roles than women are. Surprisingly, this pattern also holds true for domestic roles. Furthermore, little space is dedicated to female famous persons (e.g., scientists), and women constitute a tiny fraction of the… [Direct]

Sayeed Naqibullah Orfan (2023). Student Incivility in Higher Education of Afghanistan: Lecturers' Perspectives. Cogent Education, v10 n2 Article 2282302. The study investigated lecturers' perceptions of student incivility in higher education of Afghanistan. It examined students' behaviors that lecturers considered uncivil as well as causes and consequences of students' uncivil behaviors. It also explored strategies lecturers used to address student incivility and to what extent they rated the strategies effective. A survey questionnaire and interview protocols with open-ended questions were used to collect data for the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics, and thematic analysis, were utilized to analyze the data. The study revealed that the participants considered threatening, harassing comments, belittling, making waseta, complaining about a lecturer, and cheating on exams as extremely uncivil behaviors. The participants believed that society, students, lecturers, and institutions were the major sources of student incivility. They believed that student incivility had negative impacts on learning environment (e.g. interrupted… [Direct]

Brown, Fletcher; Franklin, Kelly; Halvorson, Sarah J. (2023). Impacts of Service Learning on Tourism Students' Sustainability Competencies in Conflict-Affected Bamyan, Afghanistan. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, v24 n6 p1328-1346. Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the impacts of service learning (SL) on teaching sustainability competencies in an undergraduate tourism program at Bamyan University, Afghanistan. This study reports on tourism students' experiences in the SL course which taught five key sustainability competencies (collaboration, values thinking, action-oriented, systems thinking and integrated problem-solving). Design/methodology/approach: This paper assessed students' perceptions of their sustainability competencies gained during the implementation of the course in 2016 and 2017 through focus groups, reflective essays and participant observation. Findings: The results demonstrate how the SL experience led students to self-discovery, strong conceptualizations of sustainability and working relationships with community stakeholders. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to assess the impacts of a SL course in Afghanistan. The analysis provides… [Direct]

Jawad Golzar; Mir Abdullah Miri; Mostafa Nazari (2024). English Language Teacher Professional Identity Aesthetic Depiction: An Arts-Based Study from Afghanistan. Professional Development in Education, v50 n5 p928-948. Despite a burgeoning body of research on teacher identity development, little is known about how incongruities between the ideal and real-life teaching practices create identity tensions. The present study adopted an arts-based approach and examined teachers' ideal and actual teaching practices, and the associated identity tensions and related coping strategies in the context of Afghanistan. Data were collected from six English teachers via drawings and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis indicated that the teachers experienced unattainable ideal praxis in terms of 'time, space and facility', 'ideal teaching methods', 'ideal instructional materials', and 'technology-enhanced classroom', which resulted in various identity tensions. However, thinking reflectively about their imagined community and ideal practices offered affordances for the teachers to be creative to manage the tensions, and build resilience and reflexivity. The study concludes with implications for teachers,… [Direct]

Abdul Qahar Sarwari; Hamedi Mohd Adnan (2024). Alternative Educational Activities and Programs for Female Students Banned from Formal Education in Afghanistan. Issues in Educational Research, v34 n3 p1170-1179. Our descriptive survey assesses the possible alternative educational opportunities for female students deprived of formal education in Afghanistan. Our sample comprised 94 female participants, with 36 (38.3%) being high school students, 32 (34%) being high school graduates, and 26 (27.7%) being university students. Based on the results, the great majority, 89 (87.2%) were participating in at least one alternative educational program; seven of these were already married and involved in their married life; and five others could not participate because of financial problems. Islamic religious schools, tailoring training, English language courses, and some free online educational programs were the main alternative educational activities and programs that participants were involved in. These alternative educational programs are provided by the private sector, with participants required to pay a monthly fee. The Taliban did not provide any alternative educational programs for female… [PDF]

Mehrnoosh, Ziaulhaq; Yaqubi, Abdul Wajid (2023). Afghan Women and the Issue of Education: A Hundred Years of Conflict between Tradition and Modernity. Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, v54 n4 p465-478. Afghanistan's history over the last century is littered with incidents and bloody conflicts. In other words, the history of this land over the last century has been one of blood and fire, as well as a conflict between "tradition" and "modernity." Over the last century, the citizens of this land have witnessed life-threatening and subversive changes. These changes have had both positive and negative effects on Afghans' lives. Meanwhile, Afghan women, education, the right to political and social activity, and the right to work and employment have been among the issues that have undergone change and transformation, along with political, social, and cultural changes and developments, willingly or unwillingly, and have been seriously harmed as a result. A qualitative research method has been used, in which data was collected from previous literary sources such as research articles, magazines, reports, and documents kept in the archives and national libraries of… [Direct]

Sayed Shafiullah Obaidi; Sayeed Naqibullah Orfan (2024). Faculty Members' Experience of Student Incivility in Public Institutions of Higher Education: A Case Study of a Conflict-Stricken Country. Higher Education Forum, v21 p141-160. Incivility, a growing challenge in higher education institutions, interferes with and disrupts the learning process. This study examined faculty members' experiences of students' incivilities in institutions of higher education in Afghanistan. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 289 faculty members who were teaching in various higher education institutions across Afghanistan. Descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that faculty members experienced varying degrees of a wide range of incivilities in and outside the classroom, including conversing loudly in the class, interruption, and harassment. They also experienced a variety of incivilities related to assessment and grading. A small number of them experienced more serious forms of incivilities including beating, stabbing, and death threats. The findings also revealed that there were not significant differences between participants' experiences… [PDF]

Orfan, Sayeed Naqibullah (2022). Faculty Incivility in Higher Education of Afghanistan: Students' Perspectives. Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, v53 n1 p133-149 Mar. The study investigated students' perception of faculty incivility in higher educations of Afghanistan. It studied faculty behaviors perceived the most uncivil by students and how often they experienced these behaviors. It also explored the impact of students' gender and ethnicity on their responses. The author collected data from 948 undergraduate students through a questionnaire from four public universities situated in the northeast of Afghanistan. Descriptive and inferential statistics (T test and One-Way ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that students perceived 30 faculty behaviors uncivil to varying extent. They considered six behaviors as the most uncivil ones. Moreover, students experienced faculty uncivil behaviors to varying degree. The most frequently experienced ones were making too hard or tricky exams and grading students based on waseta. The inferential analyses showed that students' gender had a significant impact on students' perceptions and… [Direct]

Kevin Kester (2024). Toward a Conflict-Sensitive Approach to Higher Education Pedagogy: Lessons from Afghanistan and Somaliland. Teaching in Higher Education, v29 n2 p619-638. Higher education has become an important agenda in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. A major aspect of this agenda is the conceptualization of education as a tool not just for development but for peacebuilding. Yet there are few studies examining how university educators might be equipped as frontline peace workers. This study explores: How might conflict affect teaching in higher education, especially in and with students from conflict-affected contexts? In what ways does higher education pedagogy serve to ameliorate or exacerbate conflict? How could the practices of academics working with students in conflict-affected contexts inform approaches to higher education pedagogy? Data for the study was collected through interviews with university educators working in Afghanistan and Somaliland, and analyzed through the lens of Santos's 'post-abyssal thinking'. Findings indicate that educators who work in conflict-affected contexts have numerous practical strategies that inform… [Direct]

Atifnigar, Hamza; Bawar, Hedayatullah; Hamid, Siti Aishah Abdul; Momand, Malang (2022). Oral Participation Practices in Classroom among University Students in Afghanistan. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, v11 n1 p409-420 Mar. This study aimed at exploring factors affecting classroom participation among students in the English department of Laghman University, Afghanistan. More precisely, this research discovered factors related to teachers and class-size that hinder students' practice of oral participation in the classroom. In collecting the data, this study employed mixed-method research with concurrent design. An adapted questionnaire and a semi-structured interview have been used as the data collection instrument of this study. An online survey questionnaire was conducted with 110 respondents. In addition, a semi-structured interview was conducted with five of the respondents at the English Department of Laghman University. The data from the questionnaire was descriptively analyzed through using statistical package for social science (SPSS), and the semi-structured interview data were thematically analyzed and interpreted. The findings revealed that class-size related factor is the first influential… [PDF]

Ahmad Shah Qasemi; Kew Si Na; Ziauddin Quvanch (2024). Analyzing Levels, Factors and Coping Strategies of Speaking Anxiety among EFL Undergraduates in Afghanistan. Cogent Education, v11 n1 Article 2413225. Proficiency in speaking is essential for effective communication; however, anxiety serves as a significant barrier that negatively impacts oral performance, particularly in EFL contexts. This study addresses this issue by investigating speaking anxiety among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in Afghanistan, where limited research exists on the topic. A mixed-method design was employed, involving 120 students. Quantitative data were collected using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), while qualitative insights were obtained through structured interviews. The results revealed a moderate level of speaking anxiety, with no significant differences based on gender, language proficiency, or academic year. Qualitative findings indicated that participants experienced anxiety, particularly during their initial year of study, exhibiting symptoms such as shaking, sweating, forgetfulness, negative thoughts, difficulties in recalling words, maintaining eye contact, and… [Direct]

Wali Khan Monib (2024). Afghan Undergraduate Students' Perceptions toward E-Learning. E-Learning and Digital Media, v21 n6 p535-558. E-learning provides teachers and students with great opportunities and benefits, by enhancing teaching and learning experiences. Although e-learning is widely adopted in educational systems, some countries still use traditional teaching methods with limited use of technology as a medium of teaching and learning. This study investigates the perceptions of Afghan EFL undergraduate students toward e-learning at a public university in Afghanistan. Few studies have investigated the use of e-learning in tertiary-level education in Afghanistan, indicating the need to understand the perceptions of undergraduate students toward it. Students who were the primary beneficiaries of e-learning were included. This quantitative study was conducted in the form of a survey using data gathered via questionnaires. In total, 140 randomly selected respondents participated in the survey. The key finding of this study was that e-learning is perceived to be useful in higher education. However, it was also… [Direct]

Christine Min Wotipka; Sajia Darwish (2024). Armed Conflict, Student Achievement, and Access to Higher Education by Gender in Afghanistan, 2014-2019. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v22 n5 p823-838. Using data from its national university entrance exam, we examined the relationship between armed conflict and student achievement in Afghanistan. Exploiting the province-year variation in exposure to conflict intensity, we estimated the relationship between conflict and exam results generally and by gender for all test takers from 2014-2019. Findings show that a one standard deviation increase in conflict intensity at the province-year level was associated with a 2.9 percentage point reduction in the probability of passing the exam, a 0.096 score point reduction in total exam scores, and a greater detrimental impact on women's exam results…. [Direct]

Golzar, Jawad; Kakar, Ahmad Fawad; Miri, Mir Abdullah; Sarwari, Kawita (2022). Distance Learning during COVID-19 in Afghanistan: Challenges and Opportunities. E-Learning and Digital Media, v19 n2 p144-162 Mar. This study examined students' attitudes toward distance learning, and its relationship with the duration of using Telegram and schooling. It specifically explored students' experiences of the challenges and opportunities that distance learning created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, two null hypotheses were formulated: (1) there is no significant relationship between students' attitudes toward distance learning and the duration of using Telegram; and (2) there is no significant relationship between students' attitudes towards distance learning and the duration of schooling. Data were collected from a survey questionnaire and in-depth semi-structured interviews with students from the English Department of Herat University, Afghanistan. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, an independent samples t-test, and ANOVA. The results of the t-test showed that the first hypothesis should be accepted, meaning there is no relationship between students' attitudes toward… [Direct]

Gonnella-Platts, Natalie (2022). Education Is Power for Peace and Security in Afghanistan: Take Action to Support the Rights of Afghan Women and Girls. George W. Bush Institute The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan last year has produced a desperate humanitarian situation in the country. Nearly half of all households are experiencing acute food insecurity, maternal and infant mortality rates are rising quickly, and 97% of families are at risk of dropping below the poverty line. Most concerning is the intentional and vicious erasure of women and girls from public life by the Taliban, especially the ban on girls' access to secondary education and the rapid deterioration of education quality across the country. What is happening to the women and girls of Afghanistan creates not simply a moral imperative, but a growing threat to regional and even global peace, prosperity, and security. Dire as the situation may be, it is not hopeless. This report discusses steps the United States and allies can take, along with civil society and others, to mitigate the suffering of Afghan women and girls and provide opportunities in an otherwise bleak situation…. [PDF]

Ahmad Shah Mobariz (2022). Evaluating Impacts of Development Programs on Female Education in Afghanistan. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Arkansas. This dissertation evaluates the effects of three development interventions on female education in Afghanistan: (1) effects of foreign military withdrawal on females' demand for higher education; (2) impacts of PEZAK, a community-driven university entrance preparation, on student enrollment and performance in tertiary education; and (3) long-term effects of National Solidarity Program (NSP), that established gender-balanced local development councils, on female enrollment. Foreign military withdrawal increased female participation in higher education by 0.3 percentage points from a base value of 0.05 percent participation per capita. The PEZAK increased test scores by 0.17 standard deviations and had a positive effect on enrollment in top programs. Female students exposed to the PEZAK had a lower likelihood of enrollment in low-rank universities as compared to treated male students. In areas with favorable attitudes toward women, the NSP increased female enrollment in higher grades…. [Direct]

Harm J. A. Biemans; Parisa Aqdas Karimi; Seyyed Kazem Banihashem (2023). Teachers' Attitude Towards and Experiences with e-Learning Tools at Two Universities in Different Phases of e-Learning Implementation. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, v7 n4 p571-599. The current paper focusses on the teachers' attitude towards and experiences with e-learning tools at two universities in different phases of e-learning implementation. The study population comprises teachers at university level and a simple random sampling method was used. A total of 45 teachers in bachelor programmes from the Faculty of Agriculture of Kabul University (KU) in Afghanistan filled out the survey. For this study, secondary data on Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands was also used from a survey which was recently conducted by Banihashem et al., (2023) in which 307 teachers participated. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics and the two settings were compared in general terms. The results showed that the majority of the respondents at KU and WUR had a favourable attitude towards e-learning tools and that this attitude is an important enabling or disabling factor in the adoption of technology. The findings also indicated respondents'… [PDF]

Conrad Murendo; Edwin Kimani; Kasundu Bosco; Men Chanbona; Nishtha Shrestha; Rachel Fermin; Sayed Maher Sadat; Silvia M. Arlini; Than Zaw Oo; Zahra Azemi (2024). Teachers' Well-Being, Home Learning Environment and Children Learning Outcomes in Emergencies: A Case of Afghanistan. Cogent Education, v11 n1 Article 2335839. Teachers' well-being and a conducive home learning environment play a pivotal role in improving children learning outcomes, but little is known about this in a humanitarian setting. This article assesses the role of teachers' well-being and home learning environment on children learning outcomes in Afghanistan. A cross section endline survey was conducted among 1407 primary school children, 1407 parents and 315 teachers in seven provinces of Afghanistan. Population-based two stage-cluster sampling was used. Children taught by teacher's who received professional development support were 3.19 and 4.0 times more likely to attain higher literacy and numeracy levels. Children taught by teachers with adequate teaching and learning materials were 1.60 and 1.83 times more likely to achieve higher literacy and numeracy levels. Children from teachers with ability to voice up and be consulted by school management attained higher social-emotional learning competencies. Children experiencing… [Direct]

Orfan, Sayeed Naqibullah; Seraj, Muhammad Yaqoob (2022). English Medium Instruction in Higher Education of Afghanistan: Students' Perspective. Language Learning in Higher Education, v12 n1 p291-308. The study investigated students' views of reasons for the adoption of English medium instruction (EMI) in Afghan Higher Education, EMI effects on official languages and students' preference of medium of instruction. It also explored whether students' gender, first language and English proficiency had any significant impact on their responses. The data were collected from 840 students by means of an online questionnaire from four public universities based in northeastern Afghanistan. The dataset was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that students had a positive attitude towards EMI in higher education. They believed that the universities should adopt EMI for various reasons, e.g., internationalization of universities. They were aware of the negative effects of EMI on the official languages of Afghanistan. They were more likely to select a combination of English and official languages for the medium of instruction. Students' gender and first… [Direct]

Chattu, Vijay Kumar; Kaur, Jaspal; Sen, Rajinder Kumar; Singh, Balinder; Singh, Bawa (2021). The Double Whammy of Pandemic and War: A Systematic Review of India's Education Diplomacy to Address Educational Inequities in Afghanistan. Education Sciences, v11 Article 651. Higher education is considered an important tool for the overall development of any country, and it holds true in the context of Afghanistan as well. At the same time, a good eco-environment in terms of political will, leaders' farsighted vision, a fair budget, good infrastructure, and a good teaching community are some of the basic requirements for higher education to move in the direction of new and higher horizons. However, due to the ongoing war during the last couple of decades, the country's education system has become out of reach for a substantial part of the population due to poverty, lack of infrastructure, refugees and internally displaced, digital division, etc., critically affecting the education equity. This systematic review examines India's education diplomacy in addressing the inequities in Afghanistan's education system and making them more equitable. Education was further dilapidated with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Afghanistan is caught between a war… [PDF]

Fraser, Barry J.; Sayed, Anwar Shah Wafiq (2019). Science Classroom Learning Environments in Afghanistan: Assessment, Effects and Determinants. Educational Practice and Theory, v41 n2 p5-23 Dec. Although the field of classroom learning environments has undergone remarkable expansion and internationalisation, no study in Afghanistan in any subject area or at any educational level has ever adopted a learning environment framework or involved the assessment and investigation of classroom environments. Our study in Afghanistan included seven learning environment scales from the widely-used What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire, together with two scales assessing the student attitudes of Enjoyment and Self-regulation. After minor modifications to suit the Afghani context, scales were translated into Dari (one of the two dominant languages in Afghanistan) and then independently back-translated to check the accuracy of the original translation. Analyses of data from 1619 grade 10-12 science students supported the validity and reliability of the Dari-language scales. Past research in other countries was replicated in Afghanistan in that positive and… [Direct]

Maleki, Fariha; Maleki, Mohammad Naeim; Rogers, Alan (2021). Exploring the Potential of Adult Literacy Facilitators: An Ethnographic Study in Herat, Afghanistan. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v51 n5 p690-705. This paper argues that part-time adult literacy facilitators (ALFs), who are often employed in large numbers, have the potential to become agents for a wider approach to development, especially through involvement with the adult learning targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing on international ethnographic-style research into adult literacy facilitators in Africa and elsewhere, the paper reports the findings of a project examining in depth the profiles of six adult literacy facilitators in Afghanistan. The paper identifies the diversity of experiences they bring to their teaching and their potential for national development goals, and draws some lessons about the training and support systems required to help them become more effective in their teaching. It attempts to provide insights into ALFs in Afghanistan which will be of interest to the international community of academics and practitioners…. [Direct]

Masuma Moravej (2022). Higher Education, Gender, and Empowerment in Afghanistan: A Nation in Conflict. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Lehigh University. This dissertation examined the contribution of higher education to the understanding and practice of women's empowerment, as perceived by adult Afghan men and women living in the city of Kabul who attended universities either in or out of Afghanistan. While studying the concept of women's empowerment, this work defined empowerment through its core concepts of power, agency, functionality, and capability via the lens of Rowland's typology of different forms of power, Stromquist's model of empowerment, and the capability approach. This study investigated women's empowerment not as a women's issue, but as a societal issue. I collected data through qualitative methods by conducting interviews with 22 male and female Afghans. The collected data were analyzed by applying a hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. The results showed a shift from a traditional mindset to a gender-equality mindset. Education and knowledge-based empowerment were recognized as… [Direct]

Alemi, Qais; Kim, Eunice E.; Nichols, Mary Alvin; Ortiz, Larry (2023). Endorsement of Intimate Partner Violence among Afghan Women: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2015 DHS Data. International Journal on Social and Education Sciences, v5 n3 p700-721. There are ongoing global efforts to mitigate intimate partner violence (IPV); nevertheless, IPV is extensive in conflict-affected countries like Afghanistan. This study examined disparities in IPV endorsement among Afghan women using data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey of 20,793 ethnically diverse married women. We adopted intersectionality and social entrapment theories to account for various socio-cultural factors that explain IPV endorsement in the Afghan context. The results revealed that over 80% of respondents endorsed physical IPV in various circumstances. Hierarchical logistic regression estimated over threefold effects of broader social and cultural factors with a Nagelkerke R Square value of 0.131 (13.1%) variance in the IPV endorsement than the commonly found socio-demographic risk factors with a Nagelkerke R Square value of 0.041 (4.1%) variance. According to our multivariate analysis, the most significant predictor was fear of husbands, which… [PDF]

Fatemeh Rahimzad; Rohullah Yousofi (2024). EFL Students' Empowerment Using Servant Leadership: A Look through the Lens of Students in Afghanistan. Cogent Education, v11 n1 Article 2334877. In recent years, many studies have paid attention to servant leadership in different fields and occasions, yet few studies have paid attention to higher education in Afghanistan. The current explanatory study examined to what extent university teachers use the four principles of servant leadership (empathy, awareness, conceptualization and foresight) in EFL classrooms and investigated the effects of each principle on EFL students' development and learning. This study used a mixed-method technique, collecting data from 116 students through a questionnaire and 9 students via semi-structured interviews. Both sets of findings indicated that all EFL teachers mostly have used the four principles of servant leadership in their instructions and classrooms. Also, inferential statistics unveiled that no robust difference exists between students' reported experiences of their teachers' use of servant leadership principles and various genders and years of schooling. Besides, qualitative findings… [Direct]

Orfan, Sayeed Naqibullah (2023). Lecturers' Perceptions of English Medium Instruction in Afghanistan's Public Higher Education. Issues in Educational Research, v33 n1 p247-265. The study investigated university lecturers' attitudes towards English medium instruction (EMI), reasons for EMI adoption, effects of EMI on official languages and lecturers' preference for language of instruction. It also examined the impact of gender, English proficiency, country and medium of instruction of lecturers' highest educational degree as well as their education level on their responses. A survey questionnaire was employed to collect data from 234 lecturers at four public universities based in the northeast of Afghanistan. The author used both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyse the data. The results showed that lecturers had strong positive attitudes towards EMI. They were in favour of EMI adoption at universities for various reasons, such as preparing students for national and international job markets. Although the lecturers were aware of the negative impacts of EMI on official languages and challenges against EMI implementation, the vast majority… [PDF]

Mussawy, Sayed Ahmad Javid; Rossman, Gretchen B. (2021). Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Afghanistan: Exploring Sensemaking and Sensegiving in Policy Implementation. Quality in Higher Education, v27 n1 p99-122. This research investigated the implementation of accreditation at public teaching and research universities in Afghanistan. A qualitative multi-case study design was used to interview 46 individuals from five universities. The findings revealed that participants conceptualise quality assurance and accreditation as organisational sensemaking that emphasises contextual circumstances in exploring meaning construction. Accreditation is a community effort at research universities while engagement with accreditation seemed partial at teaching universities given that only the leadership and quality assurance units were involved in the process. The implications are that (a) a serious involvement of senior leadership in the process maximises employees' engagement with accreditation and (b) factors such as limited budget and autonomy, scarce resources, lack of awareness and resistance of academic staff challenge accreditation in Afghanistan universities. The study recommends an increased… [Direct]

Alison Johnston; Rafiuddin Najam (2023). Information Provision and Preferences toward Tuition Introduction in Public Universities: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Afghanistan. Education Economics, v31 n6 p649-663. Public higher education is chronically under-funded in developing countries, making private investment necessary for human capital development. We investigate if information provision mobilizes support for private investment in public higher education by employing an online RCT in Afghanistan. We find that information cues impact respondents' support for how education should be financed. Respondents that received information about the current amount of funding devoted to different levels of education (including tuition amounts for private tertiary programs), became more partial to prioritizing public funding for primary and secondary education over tertiary education but also became more supportive of tuition introduction in public universities…. [Direct]

Nasim Tahsildar (2024). Dean Leadership Efficacy and the Faculty Teaching and Research Efficacy: A Case Study at Herat University, Afghanistan. International Journal of Leadership in Education, v27 n4 p857-874. As a pioneer study on academic leadership efficacy in university context, this mixed-method study aimed at exploring the association between dean leadership efficacy in the areas of action efficacy and self-regulation efficacy and the faculty level of self-efficacy in terms of teaching and research at a public university in Afghanistan. The study employed a mixed-method design to collect the required data in two different phases. First, two sets of questionnaires were used to collect the quantitative data. Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six faculty members to investigate their perceptions of dean leadership and the faculty efficacy so as to triangulate the quantitative results. The total participants of this study were 126 faculty members (120 for quantitative and 6 for qualitative). The results showed the dean leaders were perceived to have a medium level of leadership efficacy and the faculty were also reported with almost the same level of teaching efficacy… [Direct]

Monib, Wali Khan (2023). Implementation of 21st Century Skills in EFL Classroom: Perceptions of Lecturers and Students. International Journal on Social and Education Sciences, v5 n3 p536-559. Twenty-first century skills refer to a broad set of skills that are critically important in the educational system to meet the complex and rapid changes around the world. Of particular concern in the context of Afghanistan is the failure to produce graduates with the essential competencies necessary for success in the workplace. In education, incorporating these skills is important to meet the current and future demands of society. This study investigates Afghan lecturers' and students' perceptions toward the implementation of 21st century skills in EFL classrooms. Quantitative approach was used, whereby data were collected through questionnaires from 197 participants at three public universities in Afghanistan. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 was used for descriptive and inferential analyses. The findings revealed that all of the eight 21st century skills were implemented to some degree in the EFL classrooms. In addition, the level of implementation… [PDF]

Rabbidge, Michael; Zaheeb, Abdul Saboor (2023). The Cost of Change: How Ideological Shifts Impact Afghans' Investment in Learning English. TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, v57 n4 p1041-1065. The role of English in Afghanistan has always been contentious, but in 2001 English acquired symbolic capital that provided people with a motive to invest in learning the language. To better understand this investment, this study employed Darvin and Norton's Model of Investment along with the notion of Linguistic Entrepreneurship to investigate how dynamic shifts in the global era can influence people's willingness to invest in a new language, and how this investment is tied to issues of ideology, capital, and identity. Narrative data were collected via frames and interviews to present the experiences of people who had lived through a relatively prosperous time in Afghanistan's recent history, yet who also faced uncertainty due to the sudden shift in power that threatened the conditions which had allowed them to align themselves with more global ambitions. The study reveals how government and western support was influential in Afghans investing in English, which allowed them to… [Direct]

Glass, Chris R.; Niroo, Wolayat Tabasum (2022). Illusions of Improvement: Aspirations and Realities of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Policy in Afghanistan Higher Education. Higher Education Research and Development, v41 n3 p952-966. To enhance the quality of higher education in Afghanistan, the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) adapted quality assurance and accreditation (QAA) policies developed in other countries to the Afghan context. Perspectives on the effectiveness of the new QAA policy have been mixed. On the one hand, the MoHE believes the QAA policy has transformed the Afghan higher education system. On the other hand, the faculty and administrators charged with implementation have expressed concerns about government inspection and control, lack of resources to improvements, and worries that the policy is an impartation of Western countries. This study explored the gap between QAA policy reform efforts by the MoHE and implementing these efforts at Afghan universities. The findings highlight conflicting views of whether QAA policy was an authentically Afghan-led process, practical issues with Afghan universities' capacity to implement QAA policy, and whether the reality of the QAA policy met… [Direct]

Pherali, Tejendra; Sahar, Arif (2018). Learning in the Chaos: A Political Economy Analysis of Education in Afghanistan. Research in Comparative and International Education, v13 n2 p239-258 Jun. Afghanistan is often characterised as a 'failed' or 'fragile' state in terms of state 'functionality', lacking in capacity to provide security and wellbeing to its citizens and failing to prevent violent conflict and terrorism. Since 2001, education has become a major victim of Afghanistan's protracted crisis that involves international military interventions, fragile democracy and growing radicalisation. Drawing upon qualitative interviews with educational officials and practitioners in Afghanistan and critically examining the literature in education and conflict, we argue that Afghanistan's education is caught in the nexus between deteriorating security conditions, weak governance and widespread corruption, resulting in rebel capture of educational spaces for radicalisation and violent extremism. More broadly, we contend that education faces the risk of capture for radicalisation in contexts where state fragility and fundamentalism intersect. Finally, we highlight some critical… [Direct]

Chman Ali Hikmat; Ramazan Ahmadi (2023). The Fall of the Republic Government in Afghanistan and the Current Taliban Rule: A Survey of Public Attitudes. Research in Social Sciences and Technology, v8 n4 p172-195. This paper represents one of the most recent and pertinent studies conducted in Afghanistan, aiming to address the societal imperative of comprehending the factors behind the fall of the Republic government and the subsequent rise of the Taliban to power. Furthermore, the paper seeks to analyse public attitudes towards the current situation. Employing a quantitative approach, the research utilizes a descriptive-analytical method through questionnaires and the participants include social media activist, students and universities professors, the data collected by online survey according WhatsApp, Facebook messengers, telegram, email and other social media groups from different ethnic groups. The findings of this research have identified several pivotal factors contributing to the ascent of the Taliban to power, including the US-Taliban agreement in Doha, Qatar; political disparities; administrative and financial corruption within the Republic's administration; Pakistan's support for… [PDF]

Couch, Daniel (2019). The Policy Reassembly of Afghanistan's Higher Education System. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v17 n1 p44-60. This paper explores how a national higher education sector can be assembled upon a relatively narrow ideological foundation during and in the aftermath of violent conflict. It analyses the case of Afghanistan's higher education system, and argues that the violent disintegration of this system during the 1980s and 1990s created the conditions for a neoliberal reassembly and subsequent expansion of higher education from 2001. This paper draws on data gathered from document analysis, and semi-structured interviews with key policy actors. It identifies an ideological grounding in neoliberalism within higher education policies which are responsible for directing the sector's growth since 2010. I argue that this neoliberal agenda, largely driven by globalised influences, has exploited Afghanistan's conflict-affected context to position higher education primarily as a driver of economic growth, thus limiting policy emphasis on higher education's non-economic dividends. The paper concludes… [Direct]

Ibrahimi, Frestha; Noori, Abdul Qawi; Orfan, Sayeed Naqibullah (2022). Sexual Harassment of Higher Education Female Students in Afghanistan: A Case Study. Issues in Educational Research, v32 n2 p659-680. This study investigates what behaviours female students considered harassing and to what extent they experienced them. It also explores perpetrators and locations of harassment, effects on students, coping strategies, and reasons for not reporting harassment. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 317 female students at Takhar University. The findings showed that female students experienced a wide range of harassing acts to varying extent. A stranger, taxi driver and students other than classmates were reported to be the most frequent harassers. Female students were frequently harassed on online platforms, corridors, walkways and on the way to and from university. Harassment had a variety of effects on female students, and they used passive and self-centred strategies (e.g., intentionally wearing dresses thought to draw less attention of perpetrators) to deal with harassment. Moreover, they did not report their harassment experiences for various reasons. The study suggests… [PDF]

Whittaker, Golnaz; Wood, Gavin (2022). Overview of Research Project: Assistive Technology in Humanitarian Settings. UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti There are 240 million children with disabilities in the world; half of them are out of school. Many are invisible, stigmatized, hidden by their families and abandoned by their governments. Children with disabilities, especially in humanitarian settings, are among the poorest members of the population and one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in society. With only an estimated 1 in 10 children with a need for assistive devices having access, UNICEF's Office of Research — Innocenti undertook a study to better understand the nature and drivers of Assistive Technology (AT) access in humanitarian settings. This document provides a synthesis of the project's various reports and papers: (1) a thematic literature review summarizes the academic evidence base regarding the provision of AT in humanitarian settings, including the nature and scale of provision and barriers and facilitators of access and provision; and (2) three case studies of countries affected by crisis to… [PDF]

Yousofi, Rohullah (2022). Grammarly Deployment (In)Efficacy within EFL Academic Writing Classrooms: An Attitudinal Report from Afghanistan. Cogent Education, v9 n1 Article 2142446. Automated writing evaluation (AWE) programs have been widely utilized in writing classrooms and have been increasing gradually, yet teachers' and students' attitudes in relation to AWE, Grammarly, have still remained uncharted in Afghanistan. The current study explored teachers' and students' attitudes toward the efficacy and/or inefficacy of Grammarly deployment in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) academic writing classrooms. This study employed mixed methods, sending a questionnaire to 66 students and interviewing five Afghan English language (EL) teachers and four students from private language schools (PLSs) and public universities (PUs). Also, the ABC model of attitudes has been used to measure teachers' and students' attitudes in this study. Statistical analysis showed that students' attitudes were quite favorable toward Grammarly deployment in writing classrooms. Besides, inferential statistics uncovered that no significant difference exists between students' attitudes… [Direct]

Wolayat Tabasum (2022). "Quality-Less" Higher Education: Relationship and Neocolonialism in International Development in Afghanistan. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Old Dominion University. This study aimed to explore the internal quality assurance and accreditation (QAA) policy at University X in Afghanistan. A single case study and document review methods were chosen to examine the policy implementation process and its perceived effectiveness at a single university. This case study also explored faculty members' perceptions toward QAA, the policy's impact on teaching and learning, and the opportunities and challenges it might offer. The findings of the study produced unexpected and expected results. The expected findings were tailored around social relationships, labor division, the hierarchy of labor, incompatibility of the policy, and their impact on the implementation process. The common findings tapped more directly into the research questions: the policy's perceived effectiveness on teaching and learning, the faculty members' capacity to implement it, and the future of the policy. Many participants did not believe that the approach had enhanced teaching and… [Direct]

Haidari, Sayed Masood; Safawi, Sayed Shafiullah; Yelken, Tugba Yanpar (2021). Investigating Challenges Facing Afghan University Students during COVID-19 Outbreak. Shanlax International Journal of Education, v9 n4 p341-351 Sep. This study aimed to examine the challenges students experienced during the lockdowns imposed by the government to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Afghanistan. A qualitative study with a phenomenological research design was employed in this study. Eight university students, including five males and three females, enrolled at different universities participated in the study. Six of them studied at Afghan universities, and two studied abroad but perused their education from Afghanistan due to lockdowns. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using a thematic analysis method. The interview data showed that Afghan university students experienced many challenges and hardships in their education process when all educational institutions were closed once the coronavirus began spreading in the country and the world. Students expressed dissatisfaction due to many technical and practical issues that minimised the effectiveness of online… [PDF]

Golzar, Jawad; Miri, Mir Abdullah; Nazari, Mostafa (2021). Challenges of Second Language Teachers' Professional Identity Construction: Voices from Afghanistan. TESOL Journal, v12 n3 e587 Sep. Afghanistan has recently witnessed the redefinition of its educational policies, particularly those related to language teaching. However, little is known about Afghan second language (L2) teachers and the challenges they might face in their professional identity construction. This study investigated the challenges of professional identity construction of Afghan L2 teachers. Scenario prompts and semistructured interviews were used to explore how the teachers responded to challenging situations and narrated their professional challenges. Data analyses indicated that the teachers responded to the scenario prompts in accordance with perspectives mirroring criticality in educational functioning by promoting learners' awareness of sociocultural anomalies, resisting institutional inequalities, and gearing instruction to learners' needs. Additionally, analysis of the teachers' semistructured interviews revealed sociocultural, institutional, and pedagogical challenges, particularly the… [Direct]

Long, Kyle A. (2020). In the Wake of War: Prospects for American-Modeled Higher Education in Iraq and Afghanistan. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, v52 n4 p19-23. 2020 promises to be a watershed year for American foreign policy. In February, the United States struck a deal with the Taliban that would withdraw troops from Afghanistan, ending America's longest and most expensive war. A month earlier, the Iraqi parliament voted to expel American soldiers from the country. With the potential departure of U.S. forces from these countries, it is important to ask about the American legacy. How will the United States be remembered in the Middle East: as a destructive interloper or, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested in a speech at the American University in Cairo in 2019, "a force for good"? We know that Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced American hard power, but how receptive are they to American soft power? A review of the countries' national higher education contexts, international exchanges, and American universities provides insights into the power of attraction in these post-conflict settings…. [Direct]

Haand, Mohammad Tahir; Muhammadi, Attaullah; Tareen, Hashmatullah; Zhang, BaoHui (2023). Self-Regulated Learning and Motivational Beliefs: Findings from a Survey of EFL Undergraduates in Afghanistan. Issues in Educational Research, v33 n2 p781-797. The concept of self-regulated learning in the field of educational psychology has been developed to comprehend how students learn autonomously. Motivation is a pivotal factor in learners' academic outcomes, and its connection with self-regulated learning is extensive. While self-regulated learning and motivational beliefs are both believed to play important roles in EFL learning, very little is known about their interplay in the Afghan context, and research on the relationship among these variables seems scarce. Therefore, to contribute to this knowledge gap, the overarching aim of the present survey was to investigate the phenomenon of self-regulated learning and motivational beliefs among EFL learners in higher education. Quantitative research was carried out on a sample size of 123 EFL learners. The data was collected through a survey questionnaire and analysed using SPSS v24 where both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as one-way ANOVA, correlation, and… [PDF]

Waseel, Farhad; Yusof, Fadhilah (2019). Attitudes and Challenges toward the Use of ICT Skills: An Assessment of ICT Skills among University Lecturers and Students in Afghanistan. Online Submission, International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering v8 n1C2 p314-321 May. Information and communication technology (ICT) play a vital role in the sustainable development and economic growth of a country, as well as it supports the learning and teaching process approaches effectively. In Afghanistan, the level of student and lecturers' understanding of the ICT skills tools is almost at its preliminary stages. In addition, enough studies have not been conducted in the field of information and communication technologies. The purpose of the current descriptive study is to find out students' ICT skills and the challenges which students and lecturers encounter toward integrating ICT in education at public universities of Afghanistan. and the lecturers, as well. The data regarding the usage of ICT skills in learning practices have been collected through two distinct questionnaires which involved 317 students and 84 lecturers from the four public universities in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul. The data analysis was performed with SPSS software to describe and… [PDF]

Quvanch, Ziauddin; Si Na, Kew (2022). Evaluating Afghanistan University Students' Writing Anxiety in English Class: An Empirical Research. Cogent Education, v9 n1 Article 2040697. Writing anxiety leads to poor writing performance among learners as it hinders their writing. This study investigated the level, types, and causes of writing anxiety among Afghan EFL students. A total of 133 undergraduates was selected as the respondents. The study used a quantitative research method and the data was collected using a questionnaire derived from Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory and Cause of Writing Anxiety Inventory. Both descriptive and inferential statistics of SPSS were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study indicated a moderate level of writing anxiety, with cognitive anxiety as the dominant type of writing anxiety. In addition, the inferential analysis showed no significant differences in the level of writing anxiety across gender and their years of study. However, a statistically significant difference was found among students from different backgrounds who possessed different English proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate,… [Direct]

(2021). How GPE Drives Gender Equality. Global Partnership for Education Education drives gender equality which is key to creating a more peaceful, prosperous, healthy and sustainable world. But for education to fulfill its potential, both girls and boys must equally benefit from it. This brief provides information on the gender equality challenge, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) approach, why gender equality in education matters, and closing the gender gap in Afghanistan…. [PDF]

Hagge, Patrick D. (2023). Find It on a Map: Country Location Identification in a University Geography Classroom, 2016-2022. Journal of Geography, v122 n5 p105-114. Blank paper maps are often used to assess student location knowledge. A total of 502 students enrolled in 12 undergraduate World Geography classes between 2016 and 2022 were initially asked to find some of the following countries on a blank world map: Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela. Comparing student cohorts, results were generally mediocre and consistent over time, yet changes in identification accuracy appear with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and in times of intense US media coverage of a country…. [Direct]

Abdul Qawi Noori; Nafisa Noori; Sayeed Naqibullah Orfan (2024). Principals' Transformational Leadership and Teachers' Emotional Intelligence: A Cross-Sectional Study of Takhar High Schools, Afghanistan. Leadership and Policy in Schools, v23 n3 p550-565. This study explored the relationship between principals' transformational leadership and teachers' emotional intelligence. The authors collected data from 395 teachers at Takhar high schools and statistically analyzed them using SPSS. The study found that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between principals' transformational leadership and teachers' emotional intelligence. It also revealed that there were statistically significant differences in teachers' level of emotional intelligence by their demographic factors: gender, education, work experience, and school location. The finding of the study will lead to the improvement of policies to advance principals' transformational leadership and teachers' emotional intelligence…. [Direct]

Katarzyna Hey (2022). Voices of Afghan Women: Motivations, Challenges, and Resources of Refugees Pursuing Community College Education. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State University, Stanislaus. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of Afghan women refugees in community colleges. Using Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth theory, the study explored Afghan women's motivation for attending college, the experiences that brought them to the college, the challenges they experienced while navigating the institution, and the resources that helped them persist. Qualitative research with a narrative approach was conducted with four Afghan women who came to the United States as refugees. Participants' narratives revealed their deeply held belief in education with its origins in the women's families, culture, community, lived experiences in Afghanistan, and a motivation to earn a degree. Findings revealed the challenges the participants experienced in Afghanistan prior to immigrating and in the US while settling in as newly arrived refugees. Analysis of the narratives also revealed the resources, including their families, community, and the college, that play… [Direct]

Bek, Hafiz (2018). An Analysis of Cultural and Psycho-Social Problems Experienced by Students of Afghanistan Citizenship Studying in Turkey. Universal Journal of Educational Research, v6 n5 p928-935. The purpose of this study is to determine the cultural and psycho-social problems experienced by students of Afghanistan citizenship studying at different faculties of a university in Turkey. With this purpose, human affairs were examined under the titles of accommodation and food, clothing, psychological and social affairs. The sample of the study consisted of 10 students of Afghanistan citizenship studying at Usak University in the academic year of 2015-2016. The data collection tool of the study was a semi-structured interview form. The questions were determined by the researcher by receiving expert opinion. The method of descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data. As a result of the study, it was found that most of the students with Afghanistan citizenship did not experience significant problems in terms of communication and social issues; however, they experienced issues in terms of accommodation, food, clothing and psychological affairs…. [PDF]

Amiri, Rohina; Avery, Melissa D.; Azim, Sheba; Conway-Klaassen, Janice M.; Golzareh, Parvin; Joya, Mahdawi; Mann, Erin M.; Mwikarago, Emil Ivan; Nejabi, Mohammad Bashir; Olejniczak, Megan; Porta, Carolyn M.; Radhakrishnan, Raghu; Tengera, Olive; Thomas, Manuel S.; Weinkauf, Julia L.; Wiesner, Stephen M. (2020). Higher Education Institution Partnership to Strengthen the Health Care Workforce in Afghanistan. International Journal of Higher Education, v9 n2 p95-106. Despite ongoing insecurity, Afghanistan has demonstrated improvement in health outcomes. Reasons for this success include a strategic public-private health service delivery model and investment in Afghan health care workforce development. Afghan universities have the primary responsibility for ensuring that an adequate health care workforce is available to private and public health care delivery settings. Most entry-level health care providers working in Afghanistan are educated within the country. However, university constraints, including faculty shortages and limited access to professional development, have affected both the flow of the health care workforce pipeline and the skill levels and competencies of those who do enter the workforce. Aware of these constraints and workforce needs, the administration at Kabul University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), working in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, prioritized investment in strengthening technical and academic… [PDF]

Mohammadi, Mohammad (2020). Creativity in Higher Education; A Way to Achieve Sustainable Development in Afghanistan. Shanlax International Journal of Education, v9 n1 p51-55 Dec. In the new age and the conflict of competition between societies, the superiority of countries depends on the extent to which they benefit from modern science and knowledge, and ultimately the scientific effort and technology that generates creative and efficient human resources as the main factor Finding development. Higher education represents an important type of investment in human resources and contributes to sustainable development by providing and promoting the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by learners. Higher education promotes knowledge and new research and scientific advances. And this new knowledge owes much to human creative thinking. Therefore, creativity is one of the most important and pervasive human activities. Higher education as a manifestation of the culture of any society has a great role in the dynamism and creativity of learners. Looking at the events of the last hundred years in Afghanistan, we will know that what should have been considered in the… [PDF]

Ahmadi, Mohammad Javad; Fadil, Mamdouh; Miri, Mir Abdullah (2021). Feedback Loops in Teacher Professional Development: A Qualitative Study in Herat Province of Afghanistan. Cogent Education, v8 n1 Article 1954466. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how feedback loops function within the Ministry of Education (MoE) Provincial Education Directorate (PED) in Herat province of Afghanistan, how the MoE/PED collects, analyzes, and uses feedback for improving its policies and programs, and responds to the issues and barriers identified at the school levels. To narrow down the research, it investigated the feedback loops around teacher professional development (TPD). We used semi-structured interviews and document analysis to collect data. The participants were 34 individuals selected purposefully from six schools, one CBE, and Herat educational offices. We used thematic analysis methods for analyzing the data. The findings indicate that the MoE/PED did not collect regular or quality feedback about TPD activities, usually offered as teacher training workshops, from this study participants. Besides, we did not find any evidence that the MoE/PED has used the rarely collected… [Direct]

Dreesen, Thomas; Valenza, Marco (2022). Let Us Learn: Making Education Work for the Most Vulnerable in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal. UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti Learning remains largely out of reach for many of the most vulnerable children around the world. In low- and middle-income countries, an estimated 56% of children cannot read a simple text by the age of 10. This share is projected to rise to 70% after the pandemic. The school closures imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak, coupled with an enduring tendency in low-income countries to allocate a limited share of the national education budget to the most vulnerable, are further widening inequalities in the global learning crisis landscape. The Let Us Learn (LUL) initiative implements innovative education programmes to improve learning for the most vulnerable children in five countries with high levels of out-of-school children: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal. This report documents the outcomes, lessons learned and recommendations based on the experience of the initiative across four types of learning programmes spanning the education lifecycle: (1) pre-primary… [PDF]

Couch, Daniel (2022). Critical Realism and Education Policy Analysis in Conflicts and Crises: Towards Conceptual Methodologies. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v52 n6 p998-1014. This paper considers the utility of critical realism as an ontological foundation for the analysis of education policy in emergencies. By exploring the synergy between critical realism and a method to analyse policy known as Critical Policy Analysis, the paper argues for the use of "conceptual" analytical tools when examining education policy in conflict-affected contexts. It illustrates the value of theory-informed analysis by reflecting on a recent study of Afghanistan's higher education strategic planning, and advocates for critical engagement with broader cultural, political, and economic factors in the analysis of education policies during conflicts and crises…. [Direct]

Kofol, Chiara; Kriechel, Ben; Vetter, Tim (2022). Does Literacy Benefit Internally Displaced and Returnee Women and Children?. Education Economics, v30 n5 p465-480. In this study we evaluate the impact of a literacy program for internally displaced female refugees in Afghanistan. The results of the evaluation show that the program was beneficial both for the women who received it and for their children, as participants were 50% points more likely to be able to read and write and 19% points more likely to work. The program also had positive effects on their children who were 2.6% points more likely to be enrolled in secondary school. Overall, the evaluation results suggest that adult literacy programs may mitigate intergenerational poverty traps…. [Direct]

Mohammadi, Mohammad (2021). The Role of Education in Combating Violent Extremism in Developing Countries with an Emphasis on Afghanistan. Shanlax International Journal of Education, v9 n3 p273-287 Jun. Education as a pervasive process has affected all aspects of individual and group life, and today, almost all those seeking development and reform start from all over the world. Preventing radicalization and violent extremism is one of the most controversial issues in the world in this century. In addition, it was found that some extremist groups are recruiting in educational settings. These findings led to a new approach to the education sector as a prominent partner in preventing and combating the radicalization of young people. Education faces many challenges in developing countries, including Afghanistan. With the change of world views, cultures and different beliefs of human beings, the goals of education have also changed and according to this, there is a direct relationship and coordination between society and education. The inefficiency of the education system in different sections of the society will have adverse effects and dangerous consequences, as can be seen from the… [PDF]

Hedayati, Mohammad Hadi; Mohammadi, Mustafa Kamel; Mohibbi, Abdul Aziz (2021). Investigating the Challenges and Factors Influencing the Use of the Learning Management System during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Afghanistan. Education and Information Technologies, v26 n5 p5165-5198 Sep. Successful implementation and use of learning management systems (LMSs) have become a critical challenge for many higher education institutes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although LMSs with lots of features were developed for universities, the success of those systems is highly related to a detailed understanding of challenges and factors influencing the use of the systems among their users. HELMS (Higher Education Learning Management System) is a countrywide LMS used for teaching and learning during the quarantine period caused by covid-19 in Afghanistan universities. As it was the first experience of Afghan universities in using the learning management systems during the pandemic, challenges were expected to appear. No previous research has been conducted on either studying the challenges of using the HELMS or investigating the factors influencing the use of HELMS during the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan. Hence, there was no unified view of the potential challenges of using… [Direct]

Balachandran Vadivel; Radman Jamalyar; Sameena Banu; Sohaib Alam (2024). Reflecting the Voices of EFL Teachers in the World of Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Assessment (ICALA): An Insight into Teacher Immunity, Reflective Teaching, Job Satisfaction, and L2-Teacher Grit. Language Testing in Asia, v14 Article 43. Artificial intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Assessment (ICALA) are transforming the educational landscape by radically changing how lessons are taught and students are evaluated. As the masterminds behind the curriculum, it is critical to consider the emotional and mental health of teachers who applied ICALA as part of their language instruction. To this end, this study's primary objective was to examine the connections between ICALA, teacher immunity, reflective teaching, job satisfaction, and l2-teacher grit. To achieve this goal, 221 English as a foreign language (EFL) university teachers from Afghanistan participated in the current research. The research outcomes identified and quantified the influences of teacher immunity and reflective teaching on job satisfaction and L2 teacher grit by data screening utilizing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). According to the results, TI and RT are vital in implementing AI… [Direct]

Alamyar, Mariam (2018). Education in Afghanistan: A Historical Review and Diagnosis. College and University, v93 n2 p55-60 May. In Afghanistan, the education system from primary school to higher education has faced longstanding problems related to access, quality, limited resources, and equal opportunity. The nation is one of the most impoverished, ravaged, and beleaguered in the world. Since 2001 and the collapse of the Taliban, both the government and the international community have been exploring opportunities to reform the education system. However, despite billions of dollars having been spent on reforming curricula, training teachers, upgrading facilities, and procuring equipment and resources, their efforts have not been successful. This is because often, only current needs were addressed while the roots of the challenges were neglected. Identifying the major factors and understanding the changes the education system has undergone are integral to re-shaping its future. This article describes the different types of education that existed during different periods as well as the historical, political,… [PDF]

Sarvarzade, Somaye; Wotipka, Christine Min (2017). The Rise, Removal, and Return of Women: Gender Representations in Primary-Level Textbooks in Afghanistan, 1980-2010. Comparative Education, v53 n4 p578-599. Nearly four decades of instability and fragility have led to many changes in the status of women and girls in Afghanistan. Yet, little research focuses on these changes within the education system. To understand the country's stance toward gender issues in formal practice, we examine gender representations in Afghan primary-level Dari language arts textbooks. Using a qualitative content analysis and longitudinal data, we examine how ideologies about gender have been politicised in Afghanistan and are reflected in school textbooks from 1980 to 2010. Findings suggest that tumultuous political events and power struggles in the recent history of Afghanistan have led to many changes in how the daily social and working lives of Afghan women and girls have been portrayed in textbooks. As seen in the textbooks, it appears that efforts are being made within the current regime to balance competing gender norms. We conclude with suggestions for policy-makers…. [Direct]

Jawad Golzar; Omid Tajik; Shagofah Noor (2024). Investigating Differentiated Instruction and the Contributing Factors to Cater EFL Students' Needs at the Collegial Level. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, v9 Article 74. Teaching language has challenges for many reasons, including learners' backgrounds, learning styles, motivation, and socio-economic status. However, EFL students can benefit from differentiation across the learning continuum to a large extent. This study investigated Afghan EFL learners' perceptions of differentiated instruction and the factors that contributed to catering to their needs. This study revolved around five main elements of differentiated instruction: learning environment, content, process, product, and assessment. In this study, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 102 EFL students at Herat University, Afghanistan, to record their perceptions of differentiated instruction in their classes. Three teachers of the English department at the same university were also interviewed to understand their experiences implementing differentiated instruction and identify their tensions. Data from the survey and interviews highlight that while DI requires significant… [Direct]

A. Hussien Radie; Diyorjon Abdullaev; Mohammad Ahmar Khan; Nirvana Basim; Oysha Kurbonova (2024). Is AI-Assisted Assessment Liable to Evaluate Young Learners? Parents Support, Teacher Support, Immunity, and Resilience Are in Focus in Testing Vocabulary Learning. Language Testing in Asia, v14 Article 48. This study investigates the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted assessment on young L2 learners' vocabulary knowledge, immunity, and resilience, considering parental and teacher support roles. Sixty junior high school students in Afghanistan, aged 13 to 14, participated in the study. They were divided into an experimental group receiving AI-assisted assessment and a control group with traditional instruction. The research employed a pretest-posttest control group design, using teacher-made vocabulary tests validated for reliability and instruments measuring immunity and resilience. The findings revealed that AI-assisted assessment significantly improved vocabulary knowledge and emotional resilience compared to the control group. While parental support showed a positive trend toward vocabulary enhancement, teacher support did not significantly impact the outcomes. The study highlights the potential of AI in language education, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts… [Direct]

Gizaw, Abiy Menkir; Rogers, Alan (2022). Wider Benefits of Adult Literacy Teaching: A Preliminary Exploration of the Impact of Teaching Literacy to Adults on Some Facilitators. International Review of Education, v68 n1 p55-79 Feb. This article reports on a pilot research project conducted in nine countries of Africa and Asia on some aspects of the impact that teaching literacy to adults has had on the lives of some adult literacy facilitators (ALFs). The small-scale enquiry was implemented by a team of twelve researchers in nine countries (Afghanistan, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia). All of the nineteen ALFs interviewed felt that the experience of teaching literacy to adults, even if for some of them it was brief and posed difficulties, had a positive impact on their lives, and in some cases was life-changing. Despite its limitations, the project demonstrates the importance and feasibility of such a study and encourages further surveys…. [Direct]

Berdondini, Lucia; Grieve, Sandra; Kaveh, Ali (2019). Counselling Training in Afghanistan: The Long Term Development of the INSPIRE Project. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, v41 n2 p230-239 Jun. Between 2010 and 2014, the British Council funded a project under a scheme called INSPIRE, which involved training a group of 20 Afghan practitioners in counselling skills. The participants were from Kabul and Herat, and the partners in the project were the University of Herat and the University of Strathclyde (UK). The ethos of the programme was based on co-constructing a model of transcultural training that could be applicable within the Afghan context (Berdondini et al. in "International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling," 36(3), 305-316, 2014). As an outcome, in 2016 the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education approved the launch of a Counselling Department and a Student Counselling Service within the University of Herat. This article aims to present and analyse the long-term development of INSPIRE in Afghanistan from the perspective of participants. Reflections on future implementation of this approach and training programs are also included…. [Direct]

Adkins, Michael Jessee (2016). Challenges for Progressive Education in Afghanistan: A History of Oppression and the Rising Threat of ISIS. International Journal of Progressive Education, v12 n2 p104-111 Jun. Afghanistan's public education system has been victimized by the brutal oppression of the Taliban Regime. Schools were destroyed, teachers were executed, and women were prevented from receiving an education. However, the situation has improved in recent years. Public school enrollment rates and educational access for females have substantially increased since the fall of the Taliban Regime. A resurgence of learning is happening throughout the country. Although this resurgence is welcome, it faces unique challenges. This article examines Afghanistan's history of educational oppression, describes post-Taliban educational trends, examines modern challenges facing public education, and provides recommendations for fostering a new hope for educational attainment among the citizens of Afghanistan…. [Direct]

Deering, Amanda; Ebner, Paul; Faisal, Hamid; McNamara, Kevin; Oliver, Haley; Rahimi, Mirwais (2017). Towards Developing an Industry-Validated Food Technology Curriculum in Afghanistan. Journal of Agricultural Education, v58 n3 p72-83. Afghanistan remains an agrarian country with most analyses holding food production and processing as key to recovery. To date, however, there are no public or private higher education departments focused on food technology. To bridge this gap, Herat University initiated a new academic department conferring BS degrees in food technology. Models for developing agriculture curricula consider industry input integral to preparing graduates for the job market. Here, we assessed perspectives of Afghan food processors on challenges faced and skills/knowledge valued most in new employees as a first step in developing an industry validated food technology curriculum for Afghanistan. Businesses identified numerous challenges (e.g., having to source technical assistance from outside the country) and specific skills gaps (e.g., ability to conduct quality analysis/assurance) they feel should be addressed by the university. Afghan higher education is largely teacher centered, however, with little… [PDF]

Baiza, Yahia; Imani, Mohsen; Sajjadi, Seyed Mahdi; Sokhanwar, M. Davood (2018). Gender Justice Discourse in the Educational System of Afghanistan during the Marxist Period (1978-1992). Policy Futures in Education, v16 n5 p632-644 Jun. This study examines women's access to education ('gender justice') during the rule of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan from 1978 to 1992, using a qualitative research methodology and discourse analysis at the operational level from the perspective of Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory. The data collected in this research were extracted from textual sources concerning the role of women in education in Afghanistan in the Marxist era: the importance of the data concerns an understanding of the intellectual and political atmosphere, particularly with regard to women's education, in the government of the time. It is concluded that several factors contributed to the failure of the hegemonic discourse, despite intensive efforts made by Marxist government to realize hegemony and gender justice. Political agents, availability, credibility and exclusion, as elements of the hegemonic discourse, were evaluated and it is further concluded that these elements were unable to play an… [Direct]

Ahmad, Aziz; Khan, Rab Nawaz (2020). Conflicting and Challenging Patriarchal and Liberal Feminist Ideologies and Norms in Afghanistan: Critical Stylistic Study of Khaled Hosseini's "And the Mountains Echoed". Arab World English Journal, v11 n2 p154-167 Jun. The study unveils the Afghan patriarchal ideology and norms that are in conflict and challenge with liberal feminist ideology in Khaled Hosseini's (2013) "And the Mountains Echoed," depicting the cultural and socio-political context of Afghanistan. Tools of critical stylistics, developed by Jefferies (2010), have been used to delve into the conflict as mentioned above. The conflict in ideologies leads to gender differences, and inequalities. Patriarchs view liberal feminism and its motive as a threat to patriarchal social structure. The study reveals how women challenge the monopoly and status-quo of patriarchs to raise their voice for their emancipation and free will in matters of their life. Women in Afghanistan are the "nang" (pride) and "namoos" (honor) of their families. Men, especially patriarchs, misperceive the status and image of women as damaging their reputation if they are granted full freedom in matters and walks of life. Nila Wahdati, a… [PDF]

Lumley, Tom; Mendelovits, Juliette; Stanyon, Rachel; Turner, Ross; Walker, Maurice (2015). Class 6 Proficiency in Afghanistan 2013: Outcomes of a Learning Assessment of Mathematical, Reading and Writing Literacy. Australian Council for Educational Research In 2012, the Ministry of Education, Afghanistan, engaged the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) as a partner to support the development of a national learning assessment program in Afghanistan. To achieve this goal, the Learning Assessment unit of the Ministry of Education and ACER have collaborated to design and implement the Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG) program in Afghanistan. MTEG is designed as a long-term monitoring program with one focus on trends in achievement outcomes in single class levels over time, and another focus on the growth of achievement in cohorts throughout the school cycle, from Class 3 through to Class 9. This paper presents the results of an assessment of mathematical, reading and writing literacy of Class 6 students in 13 provinces in Afghanistan, based on data collected in late 2013. Appended are: (1) Main Assessment Framework Variables; and (2) Example Calibrated Scale. [The MTEG 2013 assessment of Class 6 students in… [Direct]

Burridge, Nina; Payne, Anne Maree; Rahmani, Nasima (2016). "Education Is as Important for Me as Water Is to Sustaining Life": Perspectives on the Higher Education of Women in Afghanistan. Gender and Education, v28 n1 p128-147. Progress in education in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban has been described as "fragile, limited in reach, depth and uncertainty of sustainability" [UNICEF. 2013. "Basic Education and Gender Equality: Afghanistan." United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. www.unicef.org/afghanistan/education_2206.htm%5D. This is particularly true for Afghan women participating in higher education, within a culture that remains resistant to women's education. This article documents the views and attitudes of Afghan women who have sought to gain a higher education, within a context where only 5% of the Afghan population attends university, and less than 20% of university students are female [The World Bank. 2013. World Development Indicators: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines. "The World Bank Group." data.worldbank.org/country/afghanistan%5D. It is an attempt to listen to the voices of Afghan women to ascertain what they… [Direct]

Hashimi, Jamshid; Oates, Lauryn (2016). Localizing OER in Afghanistan: Developing a Multilingual Digital Library for Afghan Teachers. Open Praxis, v8 n2 p151-161 Apr-Jun. The Darakht-e Danesh ("knowledge tree") Online Library is the first open educational resource (OER) initiative in Afghanistan, established to enhance teacher subject-area knowledge, access and use of learning materials, and to foster more diverse teaching methodologies in order to improve learning outcomes in Afghan classrooms. This paper describes our experience developing this local language digital library, buildings its responsiveness to our audience of users as we progressed, customizing both the interface and the resources for Afghanistan's education environment. We innovated methods to devise relevant local content, localized usability, developed different access models to reach different populations of users, integrated impact measurement, and opted to openly license material in the library's collection. By making digital educational content open from the first introduction of digital repositories of learning objects in Afghan languages, we have an opportunity to… [PDF]

Hayward, Fred M.; Karim, Razia (2019). The Struggle for Higher Education Gender Equity Policy in Afghanistan: Obstacles, Challenges and Achievements. Education Policy Analysis Archives, v27 n139 Nov. The struggle for gender equity in Afghanistan has been a long and difficult one under war conditions. Nonetheless, amazing progress has been made both in transforming higher education and in improving the situation for women students and women faculty members over the last few years. What is particularly striking about this effort is the level of success in a very challenging environment. Part of the success, as we suggest, is a consequence of the focus on gender policy in higher education, which operates in an amazingly free environment. That has allowed the kind of analysis and discussion of traditional views about women to be examined and new policies put in place moving toward the MoHE goal of gender equity. Higher education has moved from a situation of virtually no women students, faculty, or staff in 2001 to 28% women students and 14% women faculty members in 2017. The atmosphere for women has changed remarkably with a Higher Education Gender Strategy to continue the process… [PDF]

Abas, Suriati (2023). Critical Multimodal Literacy Practices in Student-Created Comics. Literacy, v57 n2 p161-170 May. In the wake of grim events such as Russian invasion on Ukraine, Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the death of George Floyd in America and mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, all occurring amid the pandemic of COVID-19, it became increasingly more important to recognise literacy work that promotes a critically informed and just society. Thus, through the lens of critical literacy and intersectionality, this study sought to examine how pre-service teachers drew on critical multimodal literacy practices to create open educational resources (OER) or openly licensed comics that motivate local, global and/or transnational literacy education. Data collection took place at a four-year public university in Upstate New York. They included student-created comics, student reflections, researcher's fieldnotes and course syllabus. Findings from the study reveal that the pre-service teachers incorporated either a local, global or transnational connection to enact a social change. Further… [Direct]

Coryell, Joellen; Sehin, Oleksandra; Stewart, Trae (2017). Engendering Hope: Women's (Dis)engagement in Change in Afghanistan. Adult Learning, v28 n3 p91-98 Aug. Afghan women's human rights are a crucial concern for the international community and the government in Afghanistan. Framed by hope theory, this study captured Afghan women's understandings of recent realities, particularly those focused on expanding women's roles in Afghan life and community. Based on focus groups with 107 women conducted in 10 different locations, findings reveal that many Afghan females are conditioned into self-perceptions that may undermine their capacity to believe they are worthy of human rights, education, and freedom from oppression. A discussion on agency, pathways, sociocultural influences, and education for hope in Afghan women's future is presented…. [Direct]

Chang, Sin-Yi; Kester, Kevin (2022). Whither Epistemic (In)Justice? English Medium Instruction in Conflict-Affected Contexts. Teaching in Higher Education, v27 n4 p437-452. Higher education has become increasingly diverse in recent years as patterns of migration expand and grow. However, while different linguistic communities are brought together, English is often conceived as the de facto lingua franca for research, teaching and learning. This is perhaps especially so in ethnically diverse conflict-affected settings where English is perceived to be a neutral and unifying language. This study directs attention to two English medium instruction (EMI) universities in two conflict-affected contexts, Afghanistan and Somaliland. Four research questions related to language, conflict and education are proposed. Data for the study was collected through document analysis, interviews and artifacts with 12 university educators and analyzed through a critical cultural political economy and decolonial framework. Findings suggest that while English is strongly desired by various members of the universities, it is also deeply implicated in multiple sources of… [Direct]

Mussawy, Sayed Ahmad Javid; Rossman, Gretchen B. (2018). Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Afghanistan: Faculty Members' Perceptions from Selected Universities. Higher Learning Research Communications, v8 n2 Dec. This study investigated faculty members' perceptions of quality assurance and accreditation (QAA) in Afghanistan. The study aimed to examine how familiar faculty members were with QAA policy, quality concepts, QAA processes, and whether QAA process has improved the status quo. Through a sequential, exploratory mixed-methods design, the investigators interviewed seven faculty members at four universities and subsequently conducted a self administered survey questionnaire at six universities (two public and four private). A response rate of 54 percent (N = 42) was obtained from the survey. The study findings suggest that faculty members had mixed impressions about QAA implementation. For instance, an overall sum of mean scores shows that faculty members have a positive view about QAA processes M = 3.5 (SD = 0.75); however, interview participants were less satisfied with QAA outcomes. Lastly, one important implication of the study is that successful implementation of QAA processes in… [PDF]

Birgul Kutan; Mario Novelli (2024). The Imperial Entanglements of 'Education in Emergencies': From Saving Souls to Saving Schools?. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v22 n3 p405-419. This paper reflects historically and contemporaneously on the relationship between 'International Education and Development' actors and foreign intervention in our colonial past and present, with a particular focus on Education in Emergencies (EiE), a sub-field of research and practice within 'International Education and Development'. Theoretically, this work is underpinned by a critical application of the 'implicated subject', Rothberg's (2019) conceptual addition to the study of violence and injustice which seeks to go beyond binaries of 'victim and perpetrator' and recognise the way many others are 'implicated' in systems of violence and injustice. In the first section we explore this framing for researchers and practitioners in the field of EiE and the complex ways that researchers and practitioners might be understood as 'implicated subjects'. In the second part we explore two dimensions of EiE actors as 'implicated subjects': Diachronic and Synchronic. In the diachronic… [Direct]

(2015). Afghanistan [Education Sector Fact Sheet]. US Agency for International Development Three decades of conflict devastated Afghanistan's education systems and institutions. In 2002, an estimated 900,000 boys attended school, while women and girls were almost completely excluded from educational opportunities. Since then, the Afghan government, USAID, and international donors have worked closely to rebuild Afghanistan's education sector. The Ministry of Education, with support from USAID and other donors, has built more than 13,000 schools, recruited and trained more than 186,000 teachers, and increased net enrollment rates for school-aged children past 56 percent. Today, more than 8 million students are enrolled in school, including more than 2.5 million girls. In 2013, one million Afghan learners are enrolled in schools with USAID assistance, and over 5 million primary grade students benefitted from USAID assistance. This Fact Sheet highlights USAID's work in Afghanistan–specifically improvements made to basic education and support provided to higher education… [PDF]

Haqiqat, Sayed Abdul Qahar; Mussawy, Sayed Ahmad Javid; Rossman, Gretchen (2021). Students' and Teachers' Perceptions and Experiences of Classroom Assessment: A Case Study of a Public University in Afghanistan. Higher Learning Research Communications, v11 n2 p22-39. Objective: The primary goal of the study was to examine students' perceptions of classroom assessment at a public university in Afghanistan. Exploring current assessment practices focused on student and faculty members lived experiences was a secondary goal. The study also sought to collect evidence on whether or not the new assessment policy was effective in student achievement. Method: Authors used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to conduct the study. Initially, we applied the Students Perceptions of Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), translated into Dari/Farsi and validated, to collect data from a random sample of 400 students from three colleges: Agriculture, Education, and Humanities. Response rate was 88.25% (N = 353). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a purposeful sample of 18 students and 7 faculty members. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and "t"-tests were used to analyze quantitative data, and NVivo 12 was used to… [PDF]

Hussani, Sayed Abdul Moqim; Pazhman, Jumakhan; Wafa, Mohammad Nasim (2020). Evaluation of Students' Mathematical Ability in Afghanistan's Schools Using Cognitive Diagnosis Models. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, v16 n6 Article em1849. Cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) are restricted latent class models that can be used to analyze response data from educational or psychological tests. The Deterministic Input Noisy Output "AND" gate (DINA) model and the Deterministic Input Noisy Output "OR" gate (DINO) model there are two popular cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) for educational and evaluation assessment. They show different views on how cognitive skills are related and the likelihood of an item responding correctly. This study aims to comparison between these two models and comparison between girls and boys for cognitive diagnosis modeling. In addition, this research aims at determining the 8 th grade students' level of mathematics at the school level. Followed by the analysis of a set of data from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 mathematics assessment is used to examine the Mathematical abilities of students in Grade 8, which measures 13 attributes and… [PDF]

Attal, Nangyalai (2021). Increasing Girls' Access to Formal Agricultural Education in Afghanistan: Catalyzing the Skills Needed for Agriculture Production and Food Security. Policy Brief. Echidna Global Scholars Program. Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution As one of the top growth sectors in Afghanistan, agriculture is the backbone of the economy–and women and girls are the backbone of agriculture, with 70 percent of rural women working directly or indirectly in the sector (AREU 2017). Even though girls learn agricultural skills informally from family and friends, they make up only 12 percent of all students in agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Afghan girls are trapped in a vicious cycle that limits their potential to develop their skills and use them effectively for national growth and self-reliance. This brief offers context for understanding the barriers to girls' participation in agricultural TVET. A particularly formidable challenge, for example, is that parents, teachers, and even students themselves consider agricultural education to be second-class. Moreover, policies and practices within the Afghan education system present girls with numerous impediments to perceiving agricultural education… [PDF]

Mukhlid, Khalida; Salm, Mundie; Tokhi, Hamdullah (2020). Inclusive Education in a Fragile Context: Redesigning the Agricultural High School Curriculum in Afghanistan with Gender in Mind. Gender and Education, v32 n5 p577-593. This paper examines attempts by a joint Dutch-Afghan capacity development project to bring more gender-responsive elements into the Agricultural High School (AHS) curriculum in the fragile context of Afghanistan. It reviews the gender-specific results of semester-long piloting (including classroom observation and interviews) of the redesigned textbooks and accompanying teachers' instructions at ten AHSs. It also examines experiences of teaching on gender themes. The findings show that it is possible to introduce more gender-responsiveness in the Afghan curriculum, but because it is used nationwide, great limitations on terminology and the kinds of female representation are imposed determined by the most conservative regions where schools are also located. These limitations and how to get around them are analysed in the article, through concrete examples showing the complex interactions with different layers involved when initiating change in such a 'fragile context'. This article can… [Direct]

Reilly, Elizabeth C. (2015). Men behind the Women of Educational Leadership in Afghanistan. Planning and Changing, v46 n3-4 p334-353. On nearly any international index of those nations where women suffer the greatest, Afghanistan remains consistently identified within the top ten year after year. Afghanistan stands at a crossroad as the country makes the transition from reliance on extensive support for security from the international community to its own police forces and national army. If the rule of law cannot prevail, if Afghanistan cannot strive to uphold its constitutional guarantees of equal rights for women, and if UNESCO's goals for women as capacity builders and leaders cannot be realized, then the path that lies ahead could lead to civil war once again and a return to the suffering under Taliban-style justice. Even with a myriad of challenges, women in educational leadership are making small and steady gains, and some men in leadership are contributing to the slow transformation. This investigation profiles male leaders of Afghanistan who support women's rights, advancement, and leadership in the… [Direct]

Al-Rashidi, Anwar Hammad; Chilani, Noam; Ritonga, Mahyudin; Shaban, Ahmad Abdulkareem (2023). Engagement in On-Line Language Assessment: Are Test-Taking Skills, Self-Assessment, Resilience, and Autonomy Critical?. Language Testing in Asia, v13 Article 25. Every decision made in the classroom has the potential to either help or hurt a student's development as a learner. When students' mental and emotional well-being are taken into account, effective instruction and assessment are possible, despite the importance of learners' engagement in assessment (LEA), test-taking skills (TTS), self-assessment (SA), learner resilience (LR), and learner autonomy (LA). As a result, this study attempted to illustrate the dynamic between LEA, TTS, SA, LR, and LA. To this end, 435 English as a foreign language (EFL) students at intermediate levels in Afghanistan were given copies of the Test-taking Skills Scale (TTSS), the core of self-assessments questionnaire (CSAQ), The Academic Resilience Scale (ARS), the learner autonomy questionnaire (LAQ), and the learner engagement in on-line assessment (LEOA). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) screening of the data revealed that resilient EFL students feel better at… [Direct]

Azad, Rania; Clausen, Beth; Ghafoori, Hamayoun (2018). Middle East Libraries in Focus. portal: Libraries and the Academy, v18 n2 p243-249 Apr. The article written by three librarians who work in the Middle East, recount their experiences as library managers at academic institutions in Qatar, Afghanistan, and Iraq. While trying to provide services to the students and faculty of their academic institutions, they must also contend with security risks, such as kidnappings and bombings. They also reflect on how they went into library science…. [Direct]

Abdullah, Nazlinda; Hairan, Abdul Manan; Husin, Abu Hassan (2019). Conceptual Understanding of Newtonian Mechanics among Afghan Students. European Journal of Physics Education, v10 n1 p1-12. In this paper, the level of conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics among Afghan school and university students in Kabul, Afghanistan was investigated. This study employed a quantitative descriptive survey method where the Pashto version of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was given to a random sample of 216 students from two schools and 90 students from two universities in Kabul city. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS v.24 and Microsoft Excel, where descriptive and inferential statistical analysis methods were used to determine the students' level of conceptual understanding in Newtonian mechanics. The results of this study revealed that generally, Afghan students had a low level of conceptual understanding of Force which is less than the Newtonian entry threshold for FCI. The results further showed that there is a significant difference between school and university students in the level of conceptual understanding. Furthermore, the results indicate that… [PDF]

Lovenburg, Natalie (2018). Journey within Afghanistan: Inside Creative's Digital Book Tracking System. Childhood Education, v94 n5 p52-57. The need for innovation to ensure children around the world have access to quality education is clear. That need goes beyond innovation to curriculum and teaching practices, however. Creative Associates are addressing the need to innovate in order to simply ensure that books are reaching their intended recipients…. [Direct]

Vora, Kshipra (2023). Acculturative Stress and Adjustment among Adult International Students in Goa. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, v71 n1 p1-23. Access to primary education, implemented in many nations as a fundamental right, is enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26(1). However, higher education requires enhanced levels of financial, institutional, and infrastructural commitment from the governments and the student, and sometimes neither has the wherewithal to do so, especially with the global COVID-19 pandemic incapacitating systems everywhere. The quality of higher education and the availability of multiple choices in foreign degree programs are also key considerations. And in meeting personal ambitions, the students predispose themselves to the additional stressors of cultural differences, adjustment issues, and the academic demands of host nations. This research involves a study of acculturative stress and adjustment using a convenient sample of 60 adult international students from Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and South Africa, in Goa. The respondent test… [Direct]

Paulgaard, Gry; Soleim, Marianne Neerland (2023). The Arctic Migration Route: Local Consequences of Global Crises. Journal of Peace Education, v20 n2 p196-216. This paper addresses peace education focusing on how place-based experiences and collective memories stimulate local mobilisation for refugees fleeing from war. The Arctic Migration Route, located above 69th degree north, became an alternative to dangerous boat trips on the Mediterranean Sea, for people seeking safety and protection in the fall of 2015. During a few months, over 5,500 people from 35 nations, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran came to a municipality in north Norway with 10,000 inhabitants. The paper demonstrates how global conflicts far away, have important local consequences across borders and huge distances. Interviews with local authorities, teachers, voluntary workers constitute the main empirical material. By combining theories of place-based experiences and collective memories with phenomenology of practice, geographical location, collective and cultural memories across generations, are analysed as important driving forces for the local mobilization… [Direct]

Fareed, Shahid; Khlaif, Zuheir N.; Rashed, Hadi; Salha, Soheil (2021). The Hidden Shadow of Coronavirus on Education in Developing Countries. Online Learning, v25 n1 p269-285 Mar. The aim of this paper is to investigate the challenges associated with emergency remote teaching in the developing countries of Palestine, Libya, and Afghanistan, as reported by middle-school students, their parents, and teachers. These countries have been struggling with an unstable and violent situation for decades. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 participants from the three countries and 60 online classes were observed. Findings revealed that COVID-19 widened the digital gap among students and families, which created challenges in terms of online class attendance. In addition, violation of students' and parents' digital privacy emerged as another key challenge to emergency remote teaching. However, teacher presence and timely feedback in synchronous online sessions strengthened students' engagement within the emergency remote teaching environment. Overall, emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 crisis deepened inequities across students and infringed upon… [PDF]

(2019). Building Stronger Education Systems: Stories of Change. Global Partnership for Education The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) supports close to 70 developing countries to ensure that every child receives a quality education. The featured stories in this report show the progress that developing country partners are making in getting more children, especially girls, in school and learning. The results are not only evidence of their commitment to improve education, but also of the sustained and targeted support provided by GPE. Feature stories are included from the following countries: (1) Afghanistan; (2) Benin; (3) Burkina Faso; (4) Djibouti; (5) Eritrea; (6) Ethiopia; (7) Guyana; (8) Kenya; (9) Pakistan; (10) Papua New Guinea; and (11) Sudan…. [PDF]

Affouneh, Saida; ElKimishy, Lotfia Ali; Khlaif, Zuheir N.; Rashed, Hadi; Salha, Soheil (2021). The COVID-19 Epidemic: Teachers' Responses to School Closure in Developing Countries. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, v30 n1 p95-109. There is little research which explores middle school teachers' response to school closures in developing countries in times of crisis. This article presents a case study of Afghanistan, Libya and Palestine as developing countries which have suffered from violence for many years prior to the COVID-19 crisis. It focuses on how teachers in middle school responded to school closure to fight the spread of COVID-19. Twenty-two teachers from these countries participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews and three diverse focus group sessions were used to collect data and evidence. The study found that teachers developed their skills to use emerging technologies and design suitable digital content. Moreover, they built strong relationships with the local community to assume their responsibility in emergency remote learning (ERL) by establishing community centres for students from poor families. Assessing and engaging students were crucial issues in ERL which need more research in… [Direct]

Aslafi, Togha; khalighi, Fatima; Mazaheri, Mohammad Ali; Mousavi, Parisa Sadat Seyed; Poorganji, Mohsen (2020). Attachment and Culture: Mother's Perception of Attachment Related Components and Beliefs in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Early Child Development and Care, v190 n11 p1778-1790. This study aimed to assess and compare the attachment issues including mothers' perception of desirable and undesirable characteristics, mothers' attributions to child behavior in attachment situations, and Mothers' Expectations regarding 'Maternal Responsiveness' among Iranian, Iraqi and Afghan mothers. To do so, 30 mothers were selected from each culture and, the parent interview, adopted from Rothbaum, Kakinuma, Nagaoka, and Azuma (2007), was used to assess the issues mentioned above. The interviews were semi-structured ones, and each took about 60 min to complete. Four issues including desirable and undesirable characteristics, mothers' perceptions of child's behavior and her response in attachment situations, mothers' perceptions of child's behavior in strange situation and expectations regarding maternal responsiveness were selected due to the purpose of the study. The results showed some similarities in describing the desirable and undesirable child between cultures,… [Direct]

Tsvetkova, Natalia (2017). Americanisation, Sovietisation, and Resistance at Kabul University: Limits of the Educational Reforms. History of Education, v46 n3 p343-365. The paper compares the American and Soviet transformations at Kabul University, Afghanistan, during the 1960s to the 1980s explained in terms of Americanisation and Sovietisation. Using new declassified documents from both American and former Soviet archives, the author reveals that both powers attempted to impose their rival models of university education in Afghanistan. However, resistance on the part of the Afghan university undermined both of their cultural influences, thus causing their policies of reform to eventually fail. The case of Kabul University demonstrates the inability of the superpowers to encourage the formation of pliable students and professors. Despite crucial transformations in the structure, administration apparatus, and content of disciplines, both superpowers were not able to change the traditions and values of professors and students. The university community has been proven to be the main cause for the success or failure of any reforms brought to a… [Direct]

Rahmani, Saifurrahman (2023). Vocabulary Learning Beliefs and Strategies of Afghan EFL Undergraduate Learners. Cogent Education, v10 n1 Article 2194227. It is widely perceived that vocabulary learning is essential in second and foreign language acquisition. Vocabulary learning beliefs (VLB) and vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) are factors that affect both second language acquisition (SLA) and first language acquisition (FLA). This study investigated the vocabulary learning beliefs and vocabulary learning strategies of Afghan EFL undergraduate learners. The study used a random sampling design of a quantitative approach using a survey questionnaire. One hundred and twenty Afghan EFL learners from the English departments of three public universities in Afghanistan participated in the survey. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage). The results of the study indicated that Afghan EFL learners' beliefs are positive about vocabulary learning. The participants believe that repetition and reading are the best ways used to remember the words, expressions, and collocations. The study also showed that the… [Direct]

Mirvahedi, Seyed Hadi (2023). Family, a Racialized Space: A Phenomenological Approach to Examining Afghan Refugee Families' Language Policies in Norway. Language Policy, v22 n4 p413-432. In this paper, I put forward and apply a phenomenological understanding of body and embodied experience to examine refugee families' identity (trans)formation and language ideologies and practices. In particular, Kitaro Nishida's (1870-1945) notion of historical body was adopted to investigate how Afghan refugee families' lived experiences of forced mobility and life in different countries before their settlement in Norway influence their own as well as their children's raciolinguistic and cultural/national identities, which in turn, affect their language ideologies and practices. Based on a thematic analysis of the interviews conducted with parents in three families, it was found that, having left Afghanistan at a young age with no hope to return to as well as their forced stays in different countries, Afghan parents have not developed a strong Afghan national identity. This embodied experience was entangled with painful emotions as well that resulted in the parents' desire for… [Direct]

(2019). USAID Education: Girls' Education. Updated. US Agency for International Development Investments in girls' education in developing countries support U.S. foreign policy, demonstrate U.S. compassion and generosity, drive development efforts, and help reduce extreme poverty. The US Agency for International Development's (USAID's) programming takes into account the gender-related constraints that prevent access of both boys and girls to quality education. A combined set of interventions that promote equitable access and gender equality at primary, secondary, and higher education levels and ensure adequate physical facilities are often needed to address systemic barriers. This fact sheet highlights USAID's global projects supporting girls' education extending from pre-primary to higher education in Liberia, Malawi, Afghanistan, and Pakistan…. [PDF]

Armstead, Stanley K. (2017). The Effectiveness of Information Technology Simulation and Security Awareness Training on U.S Military Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University. In today's dynamic military environment, information technology plays a crucial role in the support of mission preparedness and operational readiness. This research examined the effectiveness of information technology security simulation and awareness training on U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, the study analyzed whether this training heightened military personnel security awareness in these two environments. Employing a transcendental approach utilizing a Purposeful sampling technique, eight participants were asked to share their thoughts and lived experiences regarding the effectiveness of simulation and security awareness training. The study framework rested on the central research question: What is the effectiveness of Simulation IT security training in a hostile or hazardous environment in Afghanistan or Iraq? The subjects participated in an open-ended interview process which allowed the researcher to analyze the phenomenon and bracket out the participants… [Direct]

Roof, David J. (2015). Day-by-Day: Higher Education in Afghanistan. FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, v1 n3 Article 6 p64-80. This paper examines higher education in Afghanistan. Based on qualitative research, including interviews with key policymakers and stakeholders, the paper examines the primary issues, challenges, progress, and future vision for higher education in the country. The research reveals that one of the most significant issues in the country in the post-Taliban era is female participation in higher education. It also shows the importance of alternative forms of higher education, such as two-year institutions, private education, and technical/ vocational education. The paper also discusses the emergence of quality assurance mechanisms and international partnerships with other universities. Regarding the future direction and vision for higher education, the paper reveals two primary focuses: preparing students for the labor market, and the potential for education to influence democratic values and social cohesion in a divided country…. [PDF]

Wendt, Maria (2020). Comparing 'Deep' Insider Knowledge: Developing Analytical Strategies for Cross-National Qualitative Studies. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, v23 n3 p241-254. One overarching question in scholarly methodological discussions on qualitative comparative approaches concerns how it is possible to compare and generalise deep insider knowledge across (nationally) specific contexts. The aim of this article is to propose a research strategy that both facilitates the comparison and theorisation of such knowledge across nations and limits the risks of reproducing naturalised national 'truths'. The strategy is developed within a feminist, cross-national, qualitative comparative analysis of how European countries addressed military deaths in connection with the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. The article underlines the importance of collective analytical work and of strategies that allow continuous movement between insider and outsider positions throughout the research process. A number of analytical strategies are presented: "collective project design," "alternating between analytical closeness and distance," and… [Direct]

Yuan-yuan, Peng (2018). Analysis of Hassan's Tragedy in "The Kite Runner" from the Three-Dimensional Ethical Perspective. English Language Teaching, v11 n7 p57-60. Hassan in "The Kite Runner" was brave, kind-hearted and loyal, but he still ended up with misery. From the three dimensional ethical perspective, Hassan's tragedy is not only greatly related to national and religious ethics, but also influenced by deformed family ethics. Thus it can be seen that national discrimination and religious hierarchy exert negative impact on morality of Afghans. It is through this novel that Hosseini aims to reveals his broad humanistic feelings and call for others' attention to Afghanistan as well…. [PDF]

Niesta Kayser, Daniela; Vock, Miriam; Wojciechowicz, Anna Aleksandra (2021). Example of Best Practice: Refugee Teachers at the University of Potsdam. A Requalification Program for Newly Arrived Teachers in Germany. Intercultural Education, v32 n1 p108-118. The Refugee Teachers Program, established at the University of Potsdam, Brandenburg, in 2016, represents a successful model for training and integrating individuals with foreign teaching qualifications through an 18-month teaching and language course. Initially created to help meet the demand for teachers in Germany, the Refugee Teachers Program has been further refined over the course of the last three years in the light of expert meetings, theoretical considerations, and negotiations with the Brandenburg Ministry of Education. This was the first program of its kind in Germany, following an influx of people being forced to migrate from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq in 2015. The program responded to these international events by providing training, work, and refuge for migrants who already had teaching experience in their home countries. More than 85 participants successfully completed the program and many have taken up newly created positions as teachers and… [Direct]

Noor, Shagofah (2021). Integrating Reading and Writing in Testing Reading Comprehension of the Afghan EFL Language Learners. Cogent Education, v8 n1 Article 1919039. This study was conducted to evaluate a potential new way of assessing reading comprehension at the college level in Afghanistan. In this study, synthesis writing is evaluated to determine if reading-writing integration can help in assessing the reading comprehension of Afghan sophomore students. Furthermore, a gap-filling activity was used to examine if a cognitively less challenging activity can provide support (scaffolding) in completing a more complex task. Participants were divided into two groups. Gap-filling and reading-to-write-a-synthesis activities were presented in reverse order to the groups. A 2-by-2 mixed ANOVA was conducted to assess the main effects of task and group and the interaction effect between the two factors. Results of the study suggest that order of presentation affects the performance of participants in these two tests and, contrary to expectations, presenting the reading-to-write-a-synthesis activity prior to the gap-filling activity may result in better… [Direct]

Hamdan, Shahizah Ismail; Hashim, Ruzy Suliza; Jelodar, Esmaeil Zeiny; Raihanah, M. M.; Yusof, Noraini Md; Zandi, Peivand (2014). Educating Prisoners of Tradition: Visual Narratives of Afghan Women on Social Media. International Education Studies, v7 n3 p60-66. More than a decade after the US-led intervention of Afghanistan, traditional and tribal customs still play a significant role in the everyday lives of people, especially women. History has proven that women have been playing a significant role in shaping the course of Afghanistan but unfortunately, they are always subjected to different degrees of force by patriarchy and traditions. By examining the historical perspective of women's status in Afghanistan and by analyzing two Youtube documentaries on women's imprisonment, we argue that 12 years after the US-led intervention, women are still suffering from traditional and tribal laws. This paper seeks to demonstrate that untraditional education is a "sine qua non" for the women of Afghanistan to overcome negative aspects of tradition and tribal laws…. [PDF]

Mathrani, Anuradha; Sarvesh, Tarushikha; Umer, Rahila (2022). Digital Divide Framework: Online Learning in Developing Countries during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v20 n5 p625-640. This article showcases digital inequalities that came to the forefront for online learning during the COVID-19 lockdown across five developing countries, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. Large sections of population in developing economies have limited access to basic digital services; this, in turn, restricts how digital media are being used in everyday lives. A digital divide framework encompassing three analytical perspectives, structure, cultural practices and agency, has been developed. Each perspective is influenced by five constructs, communities, time, location, social context and sites of practice. Community relates to gendered expectations, time refers to the lockdown period while locations are interleaved online classrooms and home spaces. Societal contexts influence aspects of online learning and how students engage within practice sites. We find structural issues are due to lack of digital media access and supporting services; further that female… [Direct]

Mann, Jennifer C. (2022). "Stories That Are Worth Sharing": Insights from Middle Eastern Refugee Migration Stories through an Inquiry into Narrative. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, v18 n2 Fall. This inquiry into narrative explores the often-silenced migration narratives of three refugee students from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. It is centered around two particular wonderings based in a critical literacy framework. First, what tenets of critical literacy seem most prominent in the narratives of refugee students from the Middle East? Second, what critical understanding of their migration experience do refugee students bring to the classroom? The conceptualized framework is understood as "The Centrality of Experience in Critical Literacy," wherein experience is central and valuable. This study applies the framework using stories as the source from which to better understand how individuals make sense of their worlds. Through a five-phase analysis, which included: free coding, literature derived coding, analysis of time and sequence, narrative pattern coding, and analysis of language, I find rich understandings of 1) the political, non-neutral nature of the world,… [PDF]

Daugaard, Line M√∏ller (2022). Mother Tongue Teaching as a Tension-Filled Language Ideological Practice. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v43 n4 p323-340. This article focuses on mother tongue teaching in Arabic, Dari, Pashto and Somali as it is practised in a linguistically diverse primary school in Denmark. The article draws on a linguistic ethnography of language teaching across the curriculum, and the analysis focuses on three mother tongue teachers. Drawing on classroom observations and interviews with teachers and children, the article through three cases portrays mother tongue teaching as an inherently tension-filled language ideological practice. The tensions revolve around negotiation of what counts as legitimate and appropriate language(s): What counts as Arabic when Kurdish-speaking children enter Arabic class? How do centuries of language ideological tension between Dari and Pashto in Afghanistan resonate in mother tongue teaching in Denmark? How is dialectal variation in Somalia handled in mother tongue teaching of Somali in Denmark? The language ideological tensions extend across time and space, across generational… [Direct]

Tucker, William (2017). Policies to Support Military-Connected Students. Policy Update. Vol. 24, No. 9. National Association of State Boards of Education With thousands of U.S. troops still stationed in Afghanistan and other posts, the nation's armed forces continue to make significant sacrifices. So do their families. This NASBE policy update explores the unique challenges that military-connected students face and how state boards of education can ensure the success and well-being of these students through effective policies on data sharing and training in data management…. [PDF]

Mayr, Anna; Oppl, Stefan (2023). Higher Education at the Margins — Success Criteria for Blended Learning Systems for Marginalized Communities. Education and Information Technologies, v28 n3 p2579-2617 Mar. Providing access to higher education for people in marginalized communities, in particular for refugees, requires to re-think the traditional ways of teaching and learning in higher education institutions. The challenges of these circumstances both in terms of access to learning materials and the opportunity to collaboratively learn with others require specific support via appropriate didactical settings. Blended learning arrangements, i.e., settings that bring together online learning activities with synchronous, co-located settings show potential for addressing these requirements. In the present study, we examine the success factors in the design of blended learning settings for supporting higher education in marginalized communities. Based on an established model of blended learning success, we explore the specific challenges of the target group via a survey which was distributed to students of different subject areas and of the higher education programs of Jesuit Worldwide… [Direct]

Young, Jeremy R. (2018). Evolutionary and Neurobiological Underpinnings of Adult Learning. What Can Veterans Teach Us?. Adult Higher Education Alliance, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Adult Higher Education Alliance (42nd, Orlando, FL, Mar 8-9, 2018). The role of various neurological structures and their functions play a key role in determining risk versus reward and pleasure versus pain. This neurobiological evolutionary development ultimately drives our motivation or avoidance based exclusively on our desire to survive. Following 16 years of prolonged combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military veteran is an exceptional example into how being emotionally distant (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) can produce unintended barriers to learning. According to Pessoa (2017), the key to adult learning is unlocking the emotional pathways that are interwoven between perception, cognition, motivation, and action. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590245.]… [PDF]

G√ºn, Fatih; Selvitopu, Abdullah (2020). "I Feel so Happy Now": Afghan Students' Cross-Cultural Adaptation Experiences in Turkey. i.e.: inquiry in education, v12 n2 Article 9. The main purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand Afghan students' cross-cultural adaptation experiences by applying Kim's theory of cross-cultural adaptation. Within the first part of this study, we discuss cross-cultural adaptation theory and give some information about Afghan immigrants in Turkey. Then, Afghan students' experiences are discussed under three sub-themes within the frame of Kim's stress adaptation growth model. The participant group consisted of three middle school students who have come from Afghanistan to Turkey at different times. Data for this study were collected by using semi-structured interviews and analyzed through a content analysis technique. Findings revealed that Afghan students have lived through many positive and negative experiences in the whole process. Similar cultural characteristics, the target language, people's attitudes towards immigrants in the host country, religious and cultural proximity play critical roles in adapting to the… [PDF]

Hayward, Fred M. (2020). Transforming Higher Education in Asia and Africa: Strategic Planning and Policy. Global Issues in Higher Education. SUNY Press Drawing on over fifty years of on-the-ground experience, Fred M. Hayward's "Transforming Higher Education in Asia and Africa" analyzes change processes in higher education in eight Asian and African countries. The twelve cases range from the push to upgrade and transform higher education in Afghanistan in the midst of a war, to the successful struggle against apartheid in South African institutions, as well as thwarted efforts in Sierra Leone and Madagascar. Providing both practical lessons learned and hope for communities globally, Hayward demonstrates that higher education change and even transformation, which is more fundamental and structural, can occur even in the most difficult environments. Successful transformation requires well-crafted strategic and budget plans with careful implementation, monitoring, and effective leadership at multiple levels. Yet also critical are a commitment to human development, a desire for freedom and belief in democracy, and recognition… [Direct]

Holland, Dana G.; Yousofi, Mohammad Hussain (2014). The "Only" Solution: Education, Youth, and Social Change in Afghanistan. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, v45 n3 p241-259 Sep. This article draws on practice theory to examine aspiring youths' pursuit of higher education in Afghanistan. It finds that plans and actions are mediated through youths' families, communities, and solidarity networks. As a result, the personal improvement and enhanced reputational status that aspiring youth seek is structurally connected to processes of social reproduction and social change. The paper is based on over 100 in-depth interviews conducted with youth in Afghanistan by an undergraduate research team…. [Direct]

Akanksha Dochania (2024). Gender Microaggression Praxis: A Study of Implicit Prejudice Faced by Afghan Male Students in Universities in Delhi. European Journal of Education, v59 n2 e12605. Implicit prejudice can be simply understood as any negative feelings or beliefs people hold towards a particular outgroup without being aware of it. One such form is microaggression, which can be defined as everyday verbal or nonverbal subtle, unconscious putdowns, slights, or negative remarks towards members of an outgroup. One of the most common and harmful forms is gender-based microaggression. Gender microaggression is defined as subtle, unconscious, everyday putdowns, slights, remarks, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, directed at a particular gender, notably women. Despite a plethora of literature and research on gender microaggression, the focus has predominantly been on understanding microaggressions faced by women in various domains, largely neglecting the experiences of men as victims of microaggression. One such overlooked experience is that of Afghan male students studying in universities in Delhi. Each year, thousands of students from Afghanistan travel… [Direct]

Nawi, Abdullah Mohd; Noori, Abdul Qawi; Orfan, Sayeed Naqibullah (2021). Students' Perception of Lecturers' Behaviors in the Learning Environment. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, v9 n3 p64-69. This study aims to investigate the perception of undergraduate students about their lecturers' behaviours in their learning environment. Behaviour is the explanation of observable outcomes and interaction between students and instructors. Behaviour can be positive, negative, effective or ineffective, and the way in which lecturers behave with their students in the learning environment may affect their learning experience and motivation. A Quantitative research design was employed in conducting the study. A questionnaire with 27 items was used to collect data from 140 randomly selected respondents from Takhar University, Afghanistan. SPSS version 25.0 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, i.e., Independent Samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA were employed in data analysis. The findings indicate that the students had a positive perception about their lecturers' behaviours in the learning environment. The study also revealed that there did not… [PDF]

Ali, Sajid; Khawary, Omidullah (2015). The Causes and Effects of English Teachers' Turnover: A Case from Afghanistan. Improving Schools, v18 n1 p20-34 Mar. One of the challenging issues that educational organizations in developing countries face in staffing classrooms with qualified teachers is the high rate of teachers' turnover. It creates problems for schools, which eventually leads to substandard instruction and low student achievement. This research explores the causes of English teachers' turnover in a Non-Government Educational Organization in Kabul, Afghanistan. The results indicate that lack of teachers' motivation, low salary, communication gap between management and teachers, market opportunities for English teachers, workload, absence of career path and weak recruitment processes are the major factors contributing to teachers' turnover in Afghanistan. The high teachers' turnover leads to such negative effects as interruptions in learning process, behavioural adjustment of students with new teachers, continuous exposure of students with novice teachers, emotional detachments of students with their teachers and negative… [Direct]

Forrest, David (2013). The Afghanistan National Institute of Music. Australian Journal of Music Education, n1 p76-82. In this article, David Forrest probes Ahmad Sarmast (Founder and Director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, Ministry of Education, Afghanistan) about the development of the Institute, its sponsorship, the range of local musicians and music educators that work there, and the student population…. [PDF]

Bagherpour, Elahe Sadat; Hemsworth, David; Jahangir, Mostafa; khorakian, Alireza; Maharati, Yaghoob; Muterera, Jonathan (2020). The Effects of Religious Orientations on Malevolent Creativity: Role of Positive Emotions and Spiritual Intelligence. Creativity Research Journal, v32 n4 p421-430. Creativity has long been touted as one of the aspects of human behavior that truly delineates mankind from all other species. However, sometimes people use creativity in negative ways, whereby it is used to reach goals through harming others. Often these malevolent acts are sensationalized in the media. Previous research found that there is a relationship between malevolent creativity and religious beliefs. This research evaluates the effect of two dimensions of religious orientation, intrinsic and extrinsic, on malevolent creativity through the mediating roles of positive emotions and spiritual intelligence. Data were collected from 862 Muslim students from the countries of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria. In this research, intrinsic religious orientation was found to reduce students' malevolent creativity while extrinsic religious orientation increased the malevolent creativity. Furthermore, the effect of intrinsic religious orientation on malevolent creativity through… [Direct]

Guo, Xihuang; Hadi, Hadi ur Rahman (2020). A Survey of Beliefs and Vocabulary Learning Strategies Adopted by EFL Learners at Shaikh Zayed University. Cogent Education, v7 n1 Article 1829803. This study explored the "Beliefs about Vocabulary Learning and Vocabulary Learning Strategies" among Afghan EFL Learners at Shaikh Zayed University, Afghanistan. The aim of the research was to find out the most and least strategies adopted by the learners. A questionnaire developed by Gu (2018), see Appendix, which contains four components: beliefs about vocabulary learning, metacognitive regulation of vocabulary learning, cognitive strategies of vocabulary learning, and affective strategies of vocabulary learning–was administered to 177 undergraduate students (155 males and 22 females). The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 20). The results of the study revealed that learners: (1) preferred learning words through use (contextual learning) rather than memorization; (2) had the ability to identify, select, and understand essential words; (3) preferred more readings in addition to feedback they received; (4) mostly relied on a… [Direct]

Bellino, Michelle J.; Faizi, Bibi-Zuhra; Mehta, Nirali (2016). Finding a Way Forward: Conceptualizing Sustainability in Afghanistan's Community-Based Schools. Journal on Education in Emergencies, v2 n1 p11-41 Dec. Community-based educational (CBE) models have gained recognition across diverse contexts for closing access gaps, leveraging local assets, and shaping cost-effective and culturally relevant educational opportunities in marginalized communities. In protracted conflict contexts such as Afghanistan, CBE compensates for weak state capacity by cultivating community engagement and support. This article considers the impact of CBE in the voices of Afghanistan's educational and community stakeholders, gained through interviews and observations with parents, teachers, students, educational officers, and school shuras (councils) across eight communities in two provinces. Against a backdrop of continued insecurity, resource shortages, and uncertain projections for future government and NGO support, conceptions of sustainability emerge as salient but poorly defined, and as lacking common understanding among stakeholders about the purposes and long-term prospects of CBE. We argue that the success… [Direct]

Laskey, Brenda; Stirling, Lesley (2020). Positioning Selves in Narrative Accounts of Military Trauma. Applied Linguistics, v41 n3 p389-407 Jun. Linguistic and narrative strategies employed in two dyadic interviews of male veterans of the war in Afghanistan were analysed and compared. Each interviewee told chains of connected stories that positioned them in relation to catastrophic events and their effects. These incidents were framed as being linked to decisions that the teller had taken in perilous circumstances. Sequences of generic clauses in sections of orientation were used to manage knowledge asymmetries, to establish story world norms, to display professional, soldierly and veteran identities and to present danger, serious injury, and death as normative in the context of military work in a conflict zone. Resolutions to narratives involving death or injury resided not in specific narrative event clauses but in sections of evaluation that framed the outcome of a preceding story chain in terms of its personal, current significance to the speaker. Our exploration of contrasting accounts of similarly catastrophic events by… [Direct]

Mathew, Manu V. (2022). The Struggle against the Citizenship Amendment Act in India: Recovering the Insurrectionary Praxis of Critical Pedagogy. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, v19 n3 p139-163 Dec 2021-Jan. This paper locates the emergence of critical pedagogy (CP) as praxis in the protest movements in New Delhi, India, against the new citizenship amendment laws that were brought about by the Indian government. The ruling government in India brought amendments to the existing provisions for citizenship, such that persons from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian religious communities from neighbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan were allowed Indian citizenship. Muslims, however, were excluded from this. This exclusion, coupled with the national project established for finding illegal immigrants in India — called the National Citizenship Registry project — affects the Muslim communities in South-Asia and has been widely resisted across India, by Muslims and other social and political organisations. This paper traces the development of such a struggle in Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi, and proposes that CP as a critique of the social, emerged from the specificity of the… [PDF]

Ch√°vez, Cirenia; Dreesen, Thomas; Rigole, Annika; Valenza, Marco (2021). Continuing Learning for the Most Vulnerable during COVID-19: Lessons from Let Us Learn in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal. Innocenti Research Brief 2021-02. UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of society. In mid-April 2020, 192 countries had closed their schools, putting 9 out of 10 enrolled children out of school. These closures disproportionately affected marginalized children, worsening existing inequities across education systems worldwide. This brief draws on the experience of five UNICEF education country programmes supported by the Let Us Learn (LUL) initiative, to document tangible lessons in adapting education programmes to support the most marginalized children during school and learning centre closures. The evidence in this brief stems from a series of semi-structured interviews with Education and Child Protection specialists, as well as a document review of available COVID-19 response studies, in the five LUL-supported UNICEF Country Offices…. [PDF]

McCorkle, William (2021). Expanding beyond World War II to Encourage Peace Education and Deconstruct Militarism. Journal of Peace Education, v18 n3 p239-259. How individuals interpret the justifications for historical war can have a large effect on how they see modern warfare. In the social studies classroom, particularly in the U.S. context, so much of what educators focus on in regard to war are the events of World War II. This focus on the Second World War is understandable. However, it could also be dangerous in the pursuit of more peaceful and diplomatic solutions in the world today as it creates a narrative that war is justified, necessary, and a path towards a more just world. In the social studies classroom, educators should move the frame of war outside of the purview of World War II, as World War II in many ways is the anomaly of U.S. conflicts. If they can do this in the history course, they may be able to show students the times when war is often futile and counterproductive. Educators can use the frameworks of war such as the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, World War I, Vietnam, and the more… [Direct]

Berdondini, Lucia; Grieve, Sandra; Kaveh, Ali (2014). The INSPIRE Project: Using the "Unknown" to Co-Construct a Training Course on Humanistic Counselling in Afghanistan. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, v36 n3 p305-316 Sep. This article details a collaborative project between the University of Strathclyde (UK) and the University of Herat (Afghanistan). The aim was to co-construct a model of training, based on humanistic approaches, in order to enhance counselling services in Afghanistan and to establish counselling training at the University of Herat. Two groups of participants received 120 h training each. In February 2014 a selected group received a further training for trainers. Strengths and limitations of this project are explored as well as its impact on the Afghan community and further developments for counselling in this context…. [Direct]

LeMire, Sarah (2017). Supporting Our Troops: Library Services and Support for Veterans. Public Services Quarterly, v13 n3 p152-167. Veterans are a unique population that can be found in libraries across the United States. Libraries of all types are developing new approaches to the veterans in their patron populations in the wake of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This study identifies several common strategies that libraries, especially public and academic libraries, are employing to support their patrons who are veterans, as well as distinctions in strategy according to library type. It further explores whether libraries are relying upon library staff who are veterans when developing services and programming for patrons who are veterans…. [Direct]

Dowd, Amy Jo; Halpin, Peter F.; Kabay, Sarah; Pisani, Lauren; Rojas, Natalia; Wolf, Sharon; Yoshikawa, Hirokazu (2019). Measuring Early Learning and Development across Cultures: Invariance of the IDELA across Five Countries. Developmental Psychology, v55 n1 p23-37 Jan. Relatively little research has addressed whether conceptual frameworks of early learning generalize across different national contexts. This article reports on a cross-country measurement invariance analysis of the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA). The IDELA is a direct assessment tool for 3- to 6-year-old children, intended to measure Early Literacy, Early Numeracy, Motor, and Social-Emotional development. Its generalizability is evaluated using samples from 5 countries: Afghanistan (N = 2,629); Bolivia (N = 480); Ethiopia (N = 682); Uganda (N = 504); and Vietnam (N = 675). The 4-domain model of the IDELA was supported in each country, although the domains were highly correlated. Measurement invariance analysis revealed that most IDELA items do not provide a basis for comparing children's development over the 5 countries. This research supports the use of the IDELA for program evaluation and within-country monitoring purposes, but cautions against its… [Direct]

Sonmez, Omer Faruk (2014). Social Studies Teachers' Viewpoints of the Social Studies Lesson "Sample of Turkey and Afghanistan". Educational Research and Reviews, v9 n9 p245-254 May. This study was conducted to reveal the perceptions of history, geography and social studies teachers giving the social studies lesson at primary schools in Turkey and Afghanistan towards the social studies lesson. The working group of the study involves history, geography and social studies teachers rendering service in Tokat and Kayseri provinces of Turkey and Cevizcan and Sar-i Pul provinces of Afghanistan in the school year of 2012 to 2013. In the study conducted using the qualitative research methodology, purposeful sampling selection was used in determining the participants, semi-structured interview form in collecting the data and descriptive analysis method in analyzing the acquired data. It could be asserted that social studies teachers that graduated from the departments of history and geography and are teaching social studies in our country still adopt the single-discipline approach and keep away from the interdisciplinary approach, which is the nature of social studies. It… [Direct]

S√∂nmez, √ñmer Faruk (2014). Social Studies Teachers' Viewpoints of the Social Studies Lesson "Sample of Turkey and Afghanistan". Educational Research and Reviews, v9 n9 p245-254 May. This study was conducted to reveal the perceptions of history, geography and social studies teachers giving the social studies lesson at primary schools in Turkey and Afghanistan towards the social studies lesson. The working group of the study involves history, geography and social studies teachers rendering service in Tokat and Kayseri provinces of Turkey and Cevizcan and Sar-i Pul provinces of Afghanistan in the school year of 2012 to 2013. In the study conducted using the qualitative research methodology, purposeful sampling selection was used in determining the participants, semi-structured interview form in collecting the data and descriptive analysis method in analyzing the acquired data. It could be asserted that social studies teachers that graduated from the departments of history and geography and are teaching social studies in our country still adopt the single-discipline approach and keep away from the interdisciplinary approach, which is the nature of social studies. It… [Direct]

Daradjat, Adjat (2020). Better Quality of Education in Asia: Taking Panel Data of State Legitimacy, Democracy and Public Services. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, v15 n6 p1685-1697. The key purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of legitimacy, public services, and democracy on the quality of education in the selected Asian economies like India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. The data was collected from various sources like world bank, word economic forum, as well as transparency international. The analysis was performed by using EViews and various statistical tests were also applied in order to analyse the trends in data and the relationship between the study variables as well. The results of ARLD test showed that all three dependent variables were significantly associated with the quality of education. Literacy rate was correlated with the rise in quality of education in the long run, as well as the short run. Population growth also showed a rise in quality of education in the long run but not in the short run. Only state democracy showed positive association in the long run but showed no… [PDF]

Mitra, Sushmita (2014). Feasibility of Open Schooling in Disturbed Societies: The Case of Afghanistan. Journal of Learning for Development, v1 n2. Most countries have enshrined the right to education in their constitution but, in reality, to fulfil this commitment, countries do face a number of challenges. And this is true with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which unlike other countries has a long history of war, conflicts, insurgency, and hence insecurity. Although there have been positive steps towards rehabilitation of the education system and signs of promise can be seen in its achievements, access to quality education remains inequitable, particularly across the provinces as a result of remoteness and geographical isolation, harsh climate, insecurity which impedes growth and sustainability of access points, high gender gap in all sectors of education, particularly from the lower secondary stage to the higher stages of education, poor infrastructure prevalent in most schools, untrained teachers and the low number of female teachers affecting participation, retention, and continuity of studies. This paper highlights… [PDF]

Bakhshi, Parul; Ballard, Ellis; Hovmand, Peter; Kaplan, Ian; Mozaffari, Alan; Rawab, Hashim; Sohail, Munib; Trani, Jean-Fran√ßois (2019). Strengthening Child Inclusion in the Classroom in Rural Schools of Pakistan and Afghanistan: What Did We Learn by Testing the System Dynamics Protocol for Community Engagement?. Research in Comparative and International Education, v14 n1 p158-181 Mar. Access to education has been the central tenet of the Millennium Development Goal 2, which focused strongly on increasing enrolment yet failed to promote education quality and equity and address contextual complexities that sustain exclusion. As a consequence, many children are not learning. There is growing recognition that effective, efficient and equitable education for all will not be achieved without better accountability. The present paper details innovative methods for strengthening the learning process through better social accountability. The paper defines and tests in rural schools of Afghanistan and Pakistan a community-based system dynamics protocol using participatory group model building (GMB) techniques. We tested the protocol with two groups of teachers and one group of children, with the three produced causal loop diagrams highlighting factors that influence learning in the classroom from the perspectives of the participants. The sessions showed interest, engagement,… [Direct]

Gabay, Lea (2017). I Raise My Voice: Promoting Self-Authoring through a Curriculum-Based Project. English Teaching Forum, v55 n4 p14-21. Learners of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) bring an array of backgrounds, identities, and experiences to the classroom. Through exposure to other views, learners can reflect on their own place in their world and engage in "self-authoring"–a term coined by Hernandez-Zamora (2010) that refers to critical-thinking skills development and acquisition of language resources to take charge of one's life. In this article, the author describes a study on the use of a self-designed ESL online curriculum to cultivate self-authoring within the context of an EFL online class with a female student in Afghanistan. A computer-mediated communication (CMC) tool called VoiceThread was used for this project; however, due to Internet connectivity issues, it played a secondary role. While this study centered on a teaching context in Afghanistan, the themes and content explored are applicable to any classroom context and can be adapted to other language levels and classroom… [PDF]

Borchgrevink, Kaja (2013). Transnational Links of Afghan Madrasas: Implications for the Reform of Religious Education. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, v43 n1 p69-84 Mar. Described as "terrorist factories", the South Asian madrasas have become the subject of great controversy since September 11, 2001. In Afghanistan, people commonly blame Pakistani madrasas for recruiting Afghan youth into militant groups. In response, the Afghan government has initiated a comprehensive reform of the Islamic education sector. Yet, little analytical attention has been paid to Afghan madrasas and their transnational links. This article examines more closely the role of religious education in Afghanistan, transnational connections with madrasas in Pakistan, the alleged links to militancy, and the scope for reform of the religious education sector in Afghanistan…. [Direct]

Csepl√∂, Erica; Luguetti, Carla; Spaaij, Ram√≥n; Wagnsson, Stefan (2022). 'The Teacher Makes Us Feel Like We Are a Family': Students from Refugee Backgrounds' Perceptions of Physical Education in Swedish Schools. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, v27 n5 p531-544. Background: Over the past five decades, the number of people from refugee backgrounds in developed countries has been on the constant rise. Although the field of refugee and forced migration studies in relation to education and sport has grown considerably in recent years, very little is known about refugee-background students' perceptions of Physical Education (PE).Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate refugee-background students' perceptions of PE in Swedish high schools, using a salutogenic approach. Participants and settings: This qualitative study was conducted in two Swedish high schools and involved eleven students from refugee backgrounds aged 16-18 years (seven boys and four girls) who originated from a variety of countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia and Albania. Data collection/analysis: A total of 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the interviews were systematically coded and analyzed using the sense of coherence (SOC)… [Direct]