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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 of student incivility by their gender, but there were significant differences between faculty members' experience by their level of education and years of teaching experience. The study recommends faculty members and higher education institutions take practical measures to address incivilities inside and outside the classroom in order to create a safe learning environment for faculty members and students.

With more and more literature on international student mobility and migration (ISM), one area of focus has often been overlooked: the impacts of student visas and study permits. Examined through an institutionalist framework highlighting the influences of institutions on individuals and their agency, this study describes how visa and study permit policies pervades international students' lives in a variety of ways. Interview data collected from 40 international students who study in Australia, Canada, and the United States were analyzed to uncover themes from these host countries. Drawing on these interviews to outline the concept of ISM policy pervasion, the findings of this study show that visa policies affect international students in wide ranging ways. In addition to providing empirical evidence for ISM policy pervasion, this article also lays the groundwork for further studies that delve into the practical impacts of student visa and study permit policies around the world.

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 to Delhi to pursue higher education, often unaware of the prejudices they may encounter due to associations with terms like 'terrorism' or 'terrorist.' Therefore, this paper aims to understand and study the microaggression faced by Afghan male students by employing the Gender Implicit Association Test on a sample of 103 Indian students studying in universities in Delhi, selected using a snowball sampling technique. This study adapts and modifies the Weapon-based Implicit Association Test. The goal is to uncover the implicit biases of Indian students towards Afghan male students by examining the association (reaction time) between images of weapons and harmless objects, in conjunction with adjectives related to Afghan males and Afghan females. In other words, words or images that are congruent in our minds should result in shorter reaction times and fewer errors compared to words and images that are incongruent. The results indicate that Indian students were quicker in associating weapon images with Afghan male adjectives (D = -0.64) compared to Afghan female adjectives (D = 0.89).

This case occurs in a Midwestern community that has received Afghan individuals and families. It explores the experiences of an Afghan mother and two children as they transition into U.S.-based schooling culture and norms as the children start elementary school. The family initially had the help of a K-12 liaison from a community-based organization. The case explores the cultural and religious identities of the family and how one school leader struggles to offer a space that acknowledges, values, and respects their identities. This case informs school leaders on best welcoming practices for newcomer students and their families in schools and communities.

In this study, we aimed to find problematic and supportive issues in Afghan undergraduate students' proofs of the irrationality of [square root]3 and [square root]5/8 while using the indirect proof method. Collecting and analyzing produced proofs of 30 sophomore and 48 senior undergraduate students on the irrationality of [square root]3 and [square root]5/8, respectively, revealed that the majority were not able to extend indirect proof beyond showing the irrationality of [square root]2 due to not being able to apply the supportive 'multiples of an integer' notion in their reasoning process of the irrationality of [square root]3, and this notion was not supportive in the case of showing irrationality of [square root]5/8, and finally we propose the method of finding nonzero integral solutions to the resulted Diophantine equation and using the rational roots theorem to prove that [square root]p/q is irrational.

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' access and facilities, e.g., at KU for interaction with students mainly among teachers HELMS during COVID-19 and for assessment, individual assignments and quizzes were used. Meanwhile, at WUR and mainly among teachers, for interactive purposes Brightspace assignments (and, for assessment, group assignments), Brightspace grades, individual assignments and rubrics were used. Consequently, this research paper will add to the existing knowledge in this area, potentially having a positive influence on the educational sector, because doing so could help the educational system to improve and to better consider the aspects which influence the attitude of teachers that leads to applying a technology. In addition, we recommend more e-learning research studies in Afghanistan in order to find a solution for educating women in Afghanistan.

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 explained 9.4% of the variance. Province-level political conflict severity and prior exposure to parental IPV accounted for another 1.6% and .8% variance, respectively. We also noted many culture- and context-specific variations, emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach to addressing the issue of Afghan women's stance on IPV.

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 varied between key skills, subcategories, and specific practices listed within each domain whereby none of the skills were fully and consistently incorporated into the classroom. The findings of this study will provide EFL lecturers and students, educationists, and curriculum developers with insights into implementing 21st century skills at tertiary level education.

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 the Taliban; the previous government's accord with the Taliban; ethnic dominance; robust military morale of the Taliban; and proficient war management by the Taliban. Afghanistan, as a multi-ethnic society, witnesses political dynamics predominantly rooted in ethnic affiliations. The majority of respondents express dissatisfaction with the current Afghan situation, displaying significant concerns for the populace. Foremost concerns, in terms of prioritization, encompass poverty; closure of girls' schools; restrictions on women's education and employment; escalation of civil unrest; mono-ethnic rule; ethnic conflicts; emergence of ISIS; ethnic marginalization; violations of citizenship rights; political participation and legitimacy crises; and authoritarianism. Consequently, to address the political crisis and establish a viable system, the research concludes that while Pashtuns lean toward a centralized system, Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Turkmens evince greater interest in a decentralized structure.

Within the scope of this study, a psychoeducation program based on multicultural competencies and Berry's acculturation model was developed to improve the adjustment process of international students. In this study, an explanatory sequential design was used. The study group consisted of 34 international students who volunteered for the study. The quantitative results of the study indicated that the Culture-Based Adjustment Program significantly affected the personal and social adjustment of international students. However, it did not significantly affect the adjustment to the university environment, emotional adjustment, dating relationships, and academic adjustment. The qualitative analysis yielded five major categories: (a) expectations, (b) contributions, (c) evaluation of the program, (d) leader, and (e) suggestions. The findings of this study highlight the importance of psychoeducation programs in the adjustment process of international students.

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.

Using a thematic analysis, we examined the reflections of N = 14 counselors-in-training (CIT) who co-led groups with Afghan refugees. Five themes related to cultural humility emerged from the data. Implications for counselor educators leading community engaged programs that build cultural humility are discussed.

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 but low level of research efficacy. A significant positive association was also found between the dean leaders and the faculty members' levels of efficacy in leadership, teaching and research. Accordingly, universities' stakeholders were addressed with certain implications about dean leadership as well as the faculty levels of efficacy.

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 their thinking, curricular decisions, teaching, and policymaking. Implications are discussed.

Autonomous learning is extensively acknowledged as a desirable goal in undergraduate education as it is found to comply with learner-centered approaches and enable learners to pursue life-long learning. However, very few empirical researchers have closely examined the actual practices of autonomous learning in the Afghan context. Therefore, the main purpose of the current research project was to investigate EFL undergraduates' perceptions of autonomous learning, strategies used for improving language proficiency, and the extent to of these strategies are deployed. With regard to achieving these objectives, a mixed-method approach was adopted. The quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS v24 by conducting descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that EFL learners had positive perspectives on autonomous learning and were ready to take the initiative in autonomous learning. Qualitative analysis of nine EFL students' interviews revealed that they have to create learning goals for their learning, assess themselves for controlling their learning, and take part in inside and outside classroom activities to improve their language proficiency. This case study concludes that the findings cannot be generalized to other contexts, and the study makes an original contribution to understanding the promotion of autonomous learning at Kandahar University. In addition, this study offers practical implications for policymakers and lecturers who are interested in adopting autonomous learning as a worthwhile educational goal.

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 dimension we highlight the way the colonial past hangs heavy in the present and in the synchronic dimension we explore the case of Afghanistan, and the links between military, development and education strategy. In the conclusion we reflect on their implication for improved ethical practices in EiE and in the broader field of International Education and Development.

Many refugee children experience trauma in early childhood. Effective, tailored interventions are needed to improve refugee children's access to preventive mental health. We interviewed refugee-serving stakeholders and parents participating in an evidence-based preventive mental health and wellness intervention adapted for Afghan refugee children and families who may have experienced trauma. Interview guide development was informed by two implementation science frameworks: the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and the Model for Adaptation Design and Impact. A three-person team coded transcripts via rapid qualitative analysis, and the study team reached consensus on themes. Six refugee-serving facilitators and five refugee parents discussed key determinants of successful implementation. Themes included: (i) modeling cultural humility to promote communication about emotions; (ii) needed linguistic support and referral networks to avoid miscommunications and missed communications; (iii) bridging connections between children, families and schools; (iv) different takeaways, or differing goals and expectations between facilitators and participants; and (v) timely, specific cultural considerations to overcome participation barriers. Overall, we found key determinants of successful implementation of a preventive mental health and wellness intervention for refugee children and families included adaptations to enhance cultural humility and sensitivity to cultural context while strengthening communication among facilitators, children and families.

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 factor in affecting oral participation among students and it is due to having large number students in a class. Teacher's related factor is the second influential factor that affects the oral participation of students. Majority claimed that teachers' approach, behavior, and qualification have prominent impact on their level of oral participation. Based on the finding, it can be seen that class-size related, and teachers' factors affected oral participation of the students at the English Department of Laghman University. It is recommended that the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan strive to decrease the number of students in each class and enforce teachers in implementing a student-centered learning approach while teaching.

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 research, there were 50 participants and out of them 25 subjects were female. In learning English language for doctors, they wanted to memorize technical words that are very important in their daily works. They wanted to improve four skills of English language as well because they need to communicate with their colleagues. This paper ends with significance of technical words for doctors in the context of Afghanistan.

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, 2) a fight for access to knowledge, and 3) a hope for envisioned future possibilities as the students seek belonging, refuge, and dreams, reclaiming the power of their own narratives. This inquiry into narrative additionally contributes the three stories and two audio recordings as a cultural data set, which can be used in the classroom.

Gojri speakers, i.e., Gujjars and Bakarwals, are the relatively deprived indigenous tribal communities and groups. The hegemony of dominant languages in significant fields such as polity, judiciary, and education accentuates the exclusion of tribal and minority languages. The study relied on secondary sources and mainly focused on Gojri speakers of Jammu and Kashmir, and India. We examined the indigenous Gojri language, its genesis, evolution, resemblance, geography, and diversity, and the plight of its neglect and exclusion from significant fields. We highlighted how Census operations, official languages of States/UTs, schedules of the constitution, parliament and judicial proceedings, pedagogical medium & school curriculum, language education policies, and initiatives contributed to such exclusion. The study expands our understanding of language landscape and diversity, hegemony and preference for dominant languages, and exclusion of minority and tribal languages. Considering the linguistic diversity of J&K and India, we believe this study can sensitize educational and language policy planners and practitioners about language bias, non-inclusive, discriminant, and unjust treatment, alienating Gojri speakers in different domains.

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 main characters of articles and stories, most of which were about trivial matters (e.g., cooking). They are portrayed in a small number of activities, almost a quarter of which are house-related tasks.

This study reports on the results of a research program carried out to validate the C-Test amongst Afghan EFL learners. One hundred advanced English majors were administered two different language tests namely a language proficiency test (composed of listening, reading, and writing) and a C-Test composed of four different texts to measure the overall language ability of the participants. Various analyses were used to examine the validity and reliability of the C-Test. The C-Test correlated highly with the criterion measures. The results of the study confirmed that the C-Test is a reliable and valid test that can be used as a general English language proficiency test among Afghan students of English as a foreign language.

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 learning. Most of these challenges stemmed from inadequate technological infrastructure, poor course delivery, unavailability of educational materials, poor communication, and other similar factors.

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 findings, lack of inclusive education, lack of quality in education and lack of job opportunities after graduation are recommended to strengthen the role of education for sustainable development in developing countries, especially Afghanistan because education is the cornerstone of development. One of the most important and influential institutions, investing in equal education and creating a safe environment for students at different levels (primary, secondary and tertiary) and adopting sensible strategies can be in the process. Integration, convergence, peaceful coexistence and the elimination of violence between peoples and nations have brought about many effects and changes.

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 Learning. The 80 survey participants analyzed in this paper live in refugee camps, or marginalized areas located in rural and remote areas in Afghanistan, Guyana, India, Iraq, Kenya, Malawi, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. While we could confirm the success factors that also apply for blended learning scenarios in traditional settings, we also found evidence for the crucial role of facilitation in both, online and co-located learning phases, and challenges regarding the access to suitable infrastructure. Both need to be considered during design of blended learning programs for this target group.

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 the digital ethics of students, teachers, and parents.

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 conduct thematic analysis on qualitative data. Results: The quantitative results suggest that students have positive perceptions of the current assessment practices. However, both students and faculty members were dissatisfied with the grading policy, reinforcing summative over formative assessment. Results support that the policy change regarding assessment has resulted in more students passing the courses compared to in the past. The findings also suggest improvements in faculty professional skills such as assessment and teaching and ways that they engage students in assessment processes. Implication for Policy and Practice: Recommendations include revisiting the grading policy at the national level to allow faculty members to balance the formative and summative assessment and utilizing assessment benchmarks and rubrics to guide formative and summative assessment implementation in practice.

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 appear to be any statistically significant differences in participants' responses by their gender or the classes they took. The findings of the current study may lead to policies with regard to lecturers' behaviours and inform instructors to improve classroom practices in the learning environment.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant disruption to teaching and learning activities at all levels. Faculty, students, institutions, and parents have had to rapidly adapt and adopt measures to make the best use of available resources, tools and teaching strategies. While much of the online teaching pedagogies have been theoretically and practically explored to a limited extent, the scale at which these were deployed was unprecedented. This has led a large number of researchers to share challenges, solutions and knowledge gleaned during this period. The main aim of this work was to thematically model the literature related to teaching and learning during, and about, COVID-19. Abstracts and metadata of literature were extracted from Scopus, and topic modeling was used to identify the key research themes. The research encompassed diverse scientific disciplines, including social sciences, computer science, and life sciences, as well as learnings in support systems, including libraries, information technology, and mental health. The following six key themes were identified: (1) the impact of COVID-19 on higher education institutions, and challenges faced by these institutions; (2) the use of various tools and teaching strategies employed by these institutions; (3) the teaching and learning experience of schools and school teachers; (4) the impact of COVID-19 on the training of healthcare workers; (5) the learnings about COVID-19, and treatment strategies from patients; and (6) the mental health of students as a result of COVID-19 and e-learning. Regardless of the key themes, what stood out was the inequities in education as a result of the digital divide. This has had a huge impact not only in middle- and low-income nations, but also in several parts of the developed world. Several important lessons have been learned, which, no doubt, will be actively incorporated into teaching and learning practices and teacher training. Nonetheless, the full effect of these unprecedented educational adaptions on basic education, expert training, and mental health of all stakeholders is yet to be fully fathomed.

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 and a pandemic and suffers from a double whammy in losses. Subsequently, given their chilling effects, higher education becomes devoid of multiples equities, including education. However, because of their historical and geo-civilizational ties, India has focused on development diplomacy in general and education diplomacy (E.D) in particular to improve educational infrastructures.

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 requirements for students during COVID-19 may be an important element of adaptability to the pandemic. Moreover, it was found that Afghanistan already had poor internet and technology infrastructure before the pandemic, which further deteriorated during COVID-19, leading students to experience increasing internet disconnection and costs and decreased communication with teachers. Effective strategies to deal with these problems are discussed.

Language skills are central to refugee integration and the availability of language courses could thus be a limiting factor. We explore how the most important provider of language courses in Germany, adult education centers (VHS), adapted their course supply to the refugee wave of 2015/2016. Our results highlight two channels through which the local environment can affect opportunities for participation in adult learning: First, exploiting the quasi-random allocation of refugees to counties, we causally estimate by how much VHS scaled up their German language course (DAF) supply as a reaction. Moreover, we show that DAF courses were created almost exclusively at the cost of other courses, that is, by crowding out. Second, we uncover heterogeneities in scaling success. VHS with more prior DAF course experience and larger VHS adapted better, which shows the relevance of initial conditions in course offers.

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 accrue economic, cultural, and social capital, transforming them into linguistic entrepreneurs. However, recent events mean this support has been marginalized, diminishing the ability of Afghans to invest in English and leaving the participants in this study in a precarious position as new ideologies which promote opposition to western influence take hold of the country.

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 scores were statistically analyzed. The findings reveal partial gender-based differences along with significant influences of educational qualification and financial support for the variables of acculturative stress and adjustment. In addition to the quantitative data, the opinions of a group of educators, foreign students, and psychologists were sought to understand the issues and challenges experienced in continuing adult education. Implications for interventions are also discussed.

This empirical article presents student affairs and services practitioners' perceptions regarding the sense of accomplishment they feel in their job. Results show helping students, collaborating among colleagues, contributing positively to a broader community, and the autonomous and engaging nature of the work itself provided SAS staff across countries and regions with a sense of accomplishment. Authors discuss findings in terms of supporting SAS practitioners in light of changes globally in higher education's expectations and culture.

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 valuable information for developing effective higher education programs, relationships of trust between students and community stakeholders and the empowerment of students to contribute to local solutions which serve a role in stabilization efforts in conflict-affected contexts.

Objective: Studies suggest that healthcare professionals often feel unprepared to deal with mental health issues in refugees and asylum seekers. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in relation to mental health and healthcare, to inform cultural competency training for undergraduate medical students. Method: Focus groups were conducted with 16 refugees and asylum seekers and staff from relevant charity organisations in Wales. We explored participants' experiences in relation to mental health and healthcare, and training for healthcare professionals. The data were thematically analysed using an inductive approach. Results: Three overarching themes were identified: (1) recognition of the specific mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers, (2) barriers preventing effective mental healthcare delivery for refugees and asylum seekers and (3) authentic learning experiences for medical students. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to actively involve refugees and asylum seekers, along with individuals who work closely with this population, in considering the development of cultural competency training for healthcare students and professionals in relation to mental health. If we are to reduce the risks of exclusion from healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers, training in this area is essential. Findings from this study have informed the development of a guide for healthcare educators with a focus on refugee and asylum seeker mental health.

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 regression were used. The findings indicated that the majority of the learners experience a high level of test anxiety. Further, the results also revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between motivational beliefs and self-regulated learning. Foreign language learning can be enhanced by designing environments in a way that fosters self-regulated learning skills. Further research could be conducted with a larger sample size from other public universities to generate a more fine-grained understanding.