EDUCARE: International Journal for Educational Studies. This journal, with ISSN 1979-7877, was firstly published on August 17, 2008, in the context to commemorate the National Independence Day in Indonesia. The EDUCARE journal, since issue of February 2009 to date, has been organized by the Lecturers of FKIP UMP (Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto) in Purwokerto City, Central Java; and published by Minda Masagi Press, a publisher owned by ASPENSI (the Association of Indonesian Scholars of History Education) in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The EDUCARE journal is published twice a year i.e. every August and February

Attitudes of Primary School Teachers towards Early Childhood Development in Zimbabwean Primary Schools

ABSTRACT: This study explored the attitudes of Zimbabwean primary
school teachers towards the recently introduced Early Childhood Development
(ECD) A and B classes, with the ultimate goal of assessing the acceptability,
or otherwise, of the ECD. The survey research design was used to source data
from 200 teachers comprising 100 infant and 100 junior teachers recruited from urban
and rural primary schools. Overall, the study established that the majority of
teachers (60%) in the study sample had a positive attitude towards the
introduction of the ECD classes. There was no significant difference between rural
and urban teachers but between infant and junior teachers. All in all, in the
present writers' view, the research outcomes from this study, indeed, hold
promise for the ECD and tentatively provide mandate to the Zimbabwean
government to go ahead with the idea of the ECD A and B classes. Based on these
findings, the study strongly recommended that the Zimbabwean government should
ensure that both human and material resources for the ECD classes are put in
place urgently to capture, maintain, and increase the enthusiasm generated by
its introduction.

KEY WORDS: The attitudes, Zimbabwean primary school teachers, Early
Childhood Development, and assessing the acceptability.

About the Authors:
 
Taruvinga D. Mushoriwa is a
Lecturer at the Department of Educational Foundations and Management UNISWA
(University of Swaziland), Private Bag 4 Kwaluseni, Swaziland M201, Southern
Africa. Hannah P. Muzembe is a Lecturer at the Department of Educational
Foundations UOZ (University of Zimbabwe), Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa. One of them
can be reached at:
 
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The Effect of Goal Setting and Mental Imagery Intervention on Badminton Learning Achievement Motor Skill at 10-12 Years Old: The Context of Indonesia

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research was to examine
the influence of goal setting and mental imagery as two methods of psychological
skill training on learning achievement of badminton motor skill. Fifty beginning
female athletes at 10-12 years old (M = 10.8) from Bandung FPOK
UPI Badminton School were divided into four experimental groups and one
control group in random. Before getting the treatment, all groups carried out motor
ability test, then all experimental groups were given following instructional
about goal setting, mental imagery training, and badminton motor skill
materials according to experimental condition in each group. It was
hypothesized that shifting goal would more improve the development of high
service and defensive clear skill than process goal, and mental imagery
training would more enhance high service and defensive clear skill than without
mental imagery training. The result of data computation by two ways factorial
ANCOVA showed that goal setting and mental imagery training method given a
significant main effect, but no interaction both of them. Furthermore, the result
of means adjusted pair comparison analysis indicated that the effectiveness of
mental imagery training influenced by goal setting but not vice versa. Mental imagery
process of the mental imagery training group was significantly higher than
without mental imagery training, and all
experimental groups have a significantly learning achievement higher
than control group.

KEY WORDS: Psychological
skill training method, goal setting, mental imagery, learning achievement,
badminton motor skill.

About the Author:

Dr. Yusup Hidayat is a Lecturer at the School of Health
and Physical Education UPI (Indonesian University of Education), Jalan Dr. Setiabudhi No.229 Bandung 40154, West
Java, Indonesia. He can be reached at:
and

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The Impact of DELIKAN Learning towards Mathematics Achievement in Terms of Students Motivation: An Experiment at the State Elementary Schools of Banyumas, Central Java, Indonesia

ABSTRACT: This
research is aimed at finding out the difference between the Mathematics
achievement of the students taught using DELIKAN (Dengar, Lihat, Kerjakan or
Listening, Looking, Doing) learning and those taught using Conventional one; the
difference in Mathematics due to the difference in the level of motivation; and
the interrelationship of Mathematics achievement as caused by DELIKAN learning,
conventional learning, and motivation. This research was carried out in State
Elementary School of Pasir Wetan and State Elementary School 2 of Kecila in the
even semester of the academic year of 2009/2010. The method used was experiment
with factorial design of 2 x 2. The population was the fourth year students of
both Elementary Schools. Data was collected through multiple choice objective
test and questionnaire to measure motivation. The result of the analysis showed
that the there was a significant difference in the mathematics achievement of
students taught using DELIKAN and those taught with conventional learning;
there was not significant difference in mathematics achievement as a result of
difference in motivation; and there was not significant interrelationship in
mathematics achievement as caused by DELIKAN, conventional learning, and
motivation.

KEY WORDS: DELIKAN
learning, conventional, motivation, Elementary Schools, and Mathematics
achievement.

About
the Authors:

Sony
Irianto
and Karma Iswasta Eka are the Lecturers at the Faculty of Education and
Teacher Training UMP (Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto), Jalan Raya
Dukuhwaluh PO Box 202, Purwokerto 53182, Central Java, Indonesia. They can be
reached at:

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Classroom Participation Patterns: A Case Study of Malaysian Undergraduate Students

ABSTRACT: This study aims to document undergraduate students'
patterns of participation in Malaysian classrooms. Interviews and observations
were carried out. Around 85 students from two communication classes were
observed over the period of two semesters (28 weeks). Most of the participants
fell between the age of 18-19 years old (65.8%) and 66.7% of the participants
were female, while 33.3% were male. Around 24 students from the two classes
were interviewed. Four basic patterns of participation emerged from the data:
(1) active participation, (2) selective participation, (3) minimal
participation, and (4) passive participation. It was also found that students'
individual participation pattern could be influenced a myriad of factors, thus
making their participation patterns flexible. This research demonstrated that
the participatory roles students took in class could move along the
participation continuum; from the most active to the least active.
Recommendations are offered to promote students' participation in the context
of higher learning. Educators need to strive towards providing a more
supportive, non-threatening, and open learning environment where students would
feel comfortable in letting their voice be heard while knowing when to be quiet
so they can reap benefits from both behaviours.

KEY WORDS: Classroom participation, participation
patterns, undergraduate students, open learning environment, and participative
behaviours.

About the
Authors:

Siti Maziha
Mustapha
is an Assistant Professor at the School of Communication and Language
Studies KLIUCM (Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College Malaysia); and
Nik Suryani Nik Abd Rahman is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of
Education IIUM (International Islamic University of Malaysia). They can be
reached at: and

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Dynamics of Public and Private Sector Participation in Education: A Perspective on India and Beyond

ABSTRACT:
There has been a steady growth of private sector participation in education in
India. There are also attempts at government level for
Public-Private-Partnerships. While traditionally, it was government's
obligation to provide education to all, the entry of private sector has brought
with it a new market dimension. In the light of this, the present paper
describes the role of public and private sectors' in education, which appears
to be complementary or diametrically opposite to each other. In the comparative
study of these two prominent players in education, it has been observed that
they are poles apart in terms of focus, methodology, assessment procedure,
goal, intrinsic market and community oriented approach, management dimension,
and expansion approach. In view of this, it may be more appropriate for the two
sectors to exist independently to provide complementary role, rather than
converging, which will be detrimental to themselves and to the stakeholders
they serve. A better approach could be to provide empowered teaching community
who could contribute for the cause of enriching the human resources. This is
because a country like India with huge population needs to turn a liability
into asset, which can happen through enrichment of human resource potential
(students) through available human resource (teachers).

KEY
WORDS
: Approaches to education, curriculum, public-private-partnership,
perspectives of India, and participation in education.

About the
Author:

Yagnamurthy Sreekanth, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor at the Department of
Secondary Education NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and
Training), Room No.222, CIET, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110016, India. He
can be reached at: and

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Evaluation of Mantel-Haenszel Statistic for Detecting Differential Item Functioning

ABSTRACT: The educators have been redefining the goals of instruction
and learning to include increased attention to high-level thinking skill. Mantel-Haenszel
methods comprise a highly flexible methodology for assessing the degree of
association between two categorical variables, whether they are nominal or ordinal,
while controlling for other variables. The versatility of Mantel-Haenszel analytical
approaches has made them very popular in the assessment of the DIF
(Differential Item Functioning) of both dichotomous and polytomous items. The
Mantel-Haenszel (M-H) procedure was originally used to Match subjects
retrospectively on cancer risk factors in order to study current cancer rates
(Mantel & Haenszel, 1959). The terminal objective of the study was to find
out the impact of the number of score groups and the inclusion or exclusion of
the studied item in forming score groups on estimating αs. Results indicated
that: (1) fourth or more score groups yields stable α estimates with
Mantel-Haenszel approach; and (2) the inclusion of the studied item is
convergent to result in fewer items with significant chi-square values than the
exclusion of the studied item in forming score groups. These findings seem to
be consistent with the previous researches.

KEY WORDS: Differential Item Functioning,
Mantel-Haenszel method, bias, estimating, and inclusion or exclusion of the
studied item.

About the Author:

Dr. Nabeel
Abedalaziz
is a Lecturer at the Department of
Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Education UM (University of
Malaya), 50603 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. He can be reached at:
and

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Types of Web-based Asynchronous Peer Feedback (WAPF) in Developing Writing Skills among Undergraduate Students

ABSTRACT: Web-based
Asynchronous Peer Feedback (WAPF) is a learner-centered approach that
encourages dynamic learning via online communication to yield better writing
products. It allows learners the opportunity to write for authentic audience in
a less threatening environment engaging collaborative critical analysis of
essays. However, little is known about the types of Web-based Asynchronous Peer
Feedbacks that are suitable to ascertain the success of the approach to enhance
writing skill. Hence, the objective of this study is to identify the different
types of Web-based Asynchronous Peer Feedback using weblog. The respondents consisted
of 10 undergraduate students from three institutions, participating in a
web-based process writing for the period of two months. The data was collected
from 2 web-based feedback transcripts. The findings revealed that there were
three types of Web-based Asynchronous Peer Feedbacks: social, affective, and
cognitive. The feedbacks attained appeared to be useful for the respondents to
improve their writing skills. The cognitive feedbacks were critical enough to
make the authors reflect on their work and later make the necessary changes or
improvements in their essays. Meanwhile, the social and affective feedbacks
coupled with the appropriate strategy and language use were seen to have also
contributed to the success in the WAPF.

KEY WORDS:
Web-based Asynchronous Peer Feedback, analysis of essays, enhance writing
skill, and social, affective and cognitive feedbacks.

About
the Author:

Rohaya
Abdullah
is currently attached to the Language Department of IPG (Institut Pendidikan Guru or Teachers'
Training College), Penang Campus, Malaysia. She can be reached at:

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The Analysis of Work Behavior and Work Result towards Work Performance

ABSTRACT: In conducting teaching, research
and community service, academic staffs should weight more on quality than
quantity. In this context, individual habit reacts to the demanded jobs which
are influenced by his/her knowledge, attitude, and skill. University is an
organization which based on science which is not overtly competitive. The
competitive advantage should lie on academic staffs as the main resource. The
statement correlates with the main function of a university as the main
producer of human resources which is based on science and which shows its
competitive advantage. This research is to analyze the influence of work
behavior and work result towards work performance. Variables for behavior are
knowledge, skill, attitude, and habit. For work result, the variables are
quantity, quality, and timeliness. The research is conducted in USU (Universitas
Sumatera Utara or Sumatera Utara University) with 312 academic staffs as
samples. Questionnaires are tested thru reliability, criteria, construction and
validity tests by using factor analysis method. Then, data is analyzed thru
statistical Structural Equation Method (SEM). Such methodology is chosen due to
the analysis which relates to the interrelationship amongst variables,
indicators, and latent variables simultaneously. The result shows that there is
a significant correlation between work behavior and work result aspects where
behavior aspect correlates more than that of work result aspect.

KEY WORDS: Work behavior, work results,
performance, teaching, research and community service, academic staffs, and
competitive advantage.

About
the Authors:

Dr. Ir. Harmein Nasution is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering & Management USU
(University of Sumatera Utara), Medan, North Sumatera, Indonesia. Prof. Dr.
Najib Ahmad Marzuki
is a Lecturer at the College of Arts and Sciences UUM
(University of Utara Malaysia), Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia. They can be reached
at:
and

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Students and Teachers: Trouble Shared, Trouble Halved

ABSTRACT: The study
reported here sought to investigate the use of the Cooperative Learning (CL
henceforth) approach in the English as Second Language (ELS henceforth) writing
classrooms at institutions of higher learning. More specifically, it took a
closer look at the importance and efficacy of the use of CL strategies in
teaching writing skills as perceived by ESL learners and teachers. A
mixed-design approach was adopted in data collection. Information was derived
via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated a
favourable view of CL as an instructional approach. Both teachers and learners
viewed this approach to be effective as it engenders a risk-free environment
that promotes learning specifically writing. Nevertheless, the teachers
perceived the CL approach to be time-consuming and tedious on their part as the
use of CL strategy added to an already heavy work load. The respondents
indicated that they needed formal training in CL to be able to make a
distinction between its application and the group work that they often assigned
in ESL classrooms. This study concludes that CL a beneficial pedagogical
approach that could provide invaluable insights into meaningful learning in ESL
classrooms of higher learning. However, small-scale and class-based CL
activities can be introduced in the classroom to enhance teaching. To
provide tertiary level, students with an opportunity to elevate their language
skills, collaborative efforts among Curricular Designers, Administrators, and
English Teachers must be initiated.

KEY WORDS: Cooperative Learning, English as
Second Language, instructional approach, teachers and learners, and meaningful
learning.

About the
Author:

Dr. Nalini
Arumugam
is a Lecturer at the Academy of Language Studies UiTM (MARA University
of Technology), KM 26, Jalan Lendu, Alor Gajah, 78000 Melaka, Malaysia. She can
be reached at:
and

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