FIRE: Futuristic Implementations of Research in Education

Challenges experienced by students with high-functioning autism: A narrative inquiry

Sharon Balzan — 2024-07-13

The purpose of the study is to identify the specific needs of students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFSAD) as they journey from post-secondary education to the workplace. The narrative inquiry proposed for the study involved the systematic collection and analysis of people's accounts to describe and share different experiences of the phenomenon being investigated. The six accounts provided insights into the support offered to individuals with HFASD that channeled their understanding of the social context and the acquisition of new social skills. Participants voiced out the challenges they faced while supporting students with HFASD and identified the necessary skills that need to be addressed within post-secondary colleges and work-based placements. Results show a series of patterns in the support offered to these students highlighting the importance of social and communication skills. To successfully transition from post-secondary education to work placement a strong and unified commitment is needed from all stakeholders involved. The study has identified areas that need to be addressed to support educators and students in developing effective strategies to achieve success for students with HFASD. Managers, learning support educators, and parents firmly believe that the same effective strategy can enhance the educators' practices and decrease their stress both within the college and during their work placement.

The effects of mathematics schemas on mathematics anxiety

Elif Ertem-Akbas — 2024-07-13

Mathematical schemes are a set of concepts that people often use in daily life but are not aware of. According to the research, hating mathematics and prejudice against mathematics arise from the inability to identify the concept messages with the schema in the mind. It also sometimes manifests itself as a result of anxiety. This study aims to determine the mathematics anxiety of pre-service primary and elementary mathematics teachers and society with the help of mathematical schemes in mind. The qualitative research method was used for this purpose. Within the scope of the study, interviews were conducted with a total of 18 people. The answers received as a result of the interview were subjected to content analysis. According to the results of the analysis, certain concepts related to mathematics anxiety came to the fore. It was concluded that there are concept confusions associated with these concepts. Based on these findings, suggestions were made that mathematics should be updated.

Embracing change through action research for better practice

Rahime Gunlu — 2024-07-13

English as a foreign language (EFL) learners need to possess a sufficient range of vocabulary that not only enables them to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively but also facilitates the development of higher-level language skills, including an appropriate utilization of diverse and sophisticated language. Although vocabulary holds immense significance in language learning, the prevailing challenge lies in students' lack of motivation to obtain new words. The present investigation originates from the recognition of this challenge by a teacher-researcher in an EFL context. By employing exploratory action research (EAR) methodology, the teacher-researcher examines the causes of the problem in the class and develops strategies to explore potential strategies for mitigating it. By gathering data from the immediate classroom context, the teacher-researcher formulates a series of action plans to explore whether the students' vocabulary can be enhanced and positive attitudes towards various vocabulary-related activities can be cultivated. The findings indicate that, for genuine comprehension and retention, students should actively engage with target words in purposeful ways. Integrating meaningful activities into the lessons and addressing students' desire to form sentences to express themselves better are some ways that may benefit vocabulary learning. The stages of the EAR are expected to shed light on how changes in an EFL vocabulary class help teachers embrace change through action research for better practice and EFL vocabulary.

EFL instructors’ interactions with their students on Learning Management System

Necla Burcin Giritlioglu — 2024-07-13

Interaction is an essential requirement in language courses. However, high class population, classroom noise, and fear of public speaking among learners are just a few of the obstacles that instructors and students may face while communicating with each other. Therefore, distant and web-based education platforms can facilitate dialogues between students and instructors beyond the confines of the classroom. The study aims to determine the extent of Learning Management System (LMS) interactions between English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors and their students. In this descriptive study, 246 English instructors employed in preparatory schools across a range of state and private universities in Türkiye participated. A demographics questionnaire and a survey with 24 items were given to the participants for data collection. The findings indicated that there were three levels of interaction between EFL instructors and their students while using LMSs: high, moderate, and low.

The functions of English fricative sounds to speech intelligibility in the education of English majors and the students of Aeronautical English

Mehmet Demirezen — 2024-07-13

Fricative sounds in English hold phonemic values in the English consonant inventory. By nature, they resemble the sibilant sounds in terms of acoustics. In speech, fricatives transmit most meaning as they are heard in minimal pairs by creating selective hearing. Sounds can be specified by their loudness and frequency or pitch degrees. Therefore, many non-native English majors, aircraft pilots, copilots, air traffic controllers, and other learners of English, such as English majors, may not be able to perceive with healthy hearing. In this study, some specific minimal pairs, homophonous words, inferences, and L1 interferences on affricative sounds of the English language will be proposed to be used in the education of English majors, pilots, and air traffic controllers in Aeronautical English.

Editorial

Sezen Arslan — 2024-07-13