(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]
(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]