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The main purpose of this study was to explore how engaging in lesson study improves secondary mathematics teachers’ effective lesson implementation to support students’ learning better. The research was conducted in Jimma City, Ethiopia, and employed design-based research with qualitative data collected from two secondary schools and 12 mathematics teachers. A purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. Interviews, observations, and document analysis were the main sources of data. The data were analyzed thematically supported by Atlas-ti qualitative data analysis software. Findings indicated that engaging in lesson study improved mathematics teachers’ effective lesson implementation. LS improved participants’ practice of lesson presentation, use of diverse student-centered teaching methods, assessment, behavior management, instructional aids, time management, and feedback strategies. School leaders’ positive attitudes and teachers’ commitment were found to be supportive, while shortage of time and teachers’ high teaching load were constraints. It would be vital to integrate lesson study into teachers’ school-based professional development programs to improve mathematics teachers’ effective lesson implementation in the study setting. The study suggests further investigation in more secondary schools by incorporating quantitative evidence with larger a sample size.

This study tried to see the impact of professional development program (PDP), specifically the Higher Diploma Programs, on the learning environment in Ethiopian higher education institutions. The constructivist paradigm and a case study research design were used. Data were collected via interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). Twelve respondents (12) and four FGD groups were participated. Participants were selected via purposive and proportional sampling. Transcription, coding development, and identification of sub- and main themes were performed via NVivo version 10 software. The findings revealed that professional development significantly enhances the learning environment. It improves teachers' knowledge and teaching skills and enables teachers to create an engaging, student-centered learning atmosphere. It also helped them to use student-centered and active learning methods, which helped them manage their teaching. However, teachers' reluctance and the lack of discipline-specific content hampered the program's effectiveness. Therefore, it is recommended that higher education institutions, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education revise the HDP module to address discipline-specific needs.

This study investigates factors influencing student engagement in Ethiopian higher education, focusing on self-efficacy, teacher support, and technology support at Mattu University. A cross-sectional survey design was employed; involving 620 undergraduate students selected using stratified sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to assess the impact of these variables on student engagement. The findings reveal that teacher support, technology support, and self-efficacy collectively explain 69% of the variance in student engagement, with teacher support identified as the strongest predictor. The results highlight the importance of supportive teacher-student relationships, accessible digital resources, and students' confidence in their academic abilities for fostering engagement. The study underscores the need for improved teacher preparation, diverse instructional strategies, and enhanced access to digital resources. These findings offer practical recommendations for policymakers and educational institutions in Ethiopia to create more engaging learning environments, ultimately enhancing academic success and retention in higher education.

Learning geometry with conceptual understanding requires the implementation of appropriate methods that actively engage students and support them in becoming autonomous, critical thinkers, and self-directed learners. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of GeoGebra-supported learning on grade ten students’ conceptual understanding of geometry. The study adopted a non-equivalent pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design. Three secondary schools that were purposely selected for the study, along with three classes and mathematics teachers (one from each school), were randomly assigned to treatment group 1, treatment group 2, and the control group. For a 10-week period, these groups were instructed with GeoGebra, using a collaborative approach; with GeoGebra, using a conventional approach; and with a conventional approach, respectively, and the instruction is supported by the 5E (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate) instructional model lesson plan. All groups performed a pre-test and a post-test of their conceptual understanding of geometry. Paired sample t-tests, Scheffe’s posthoc test, and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The study’s findings showed that GeoGebra technology supported by collaborative methods had a greatly stronger effect on students’ conceptual understanding of geometry topics than other forms of classroom instructional methods. These, then, provide information about potential approaches that secondary school teachers might use to enhance their students’ understanding of geometry topics.

Learner-centered instructional practices, such as the metacognitive strategies scaffolding the problem-solving method for Biology instruction, have been shown to promote students' autonomy and self-direction, significantly enhancing their understanding of scientific concepts. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the importance and procedures of context analysis in the development of a context-driven problem-solving method with a metacognitive scaffolding instructional approach, which enhances students' learning effectiveness in Biology. Therefore, the study was conducted in the Biology departments of secondary schools in Shambu Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The study employed mixed-methods research to collect and analyze data, involving 12 teachers and 80 students. The data collection tools used were interviews, observations, and a questionnaire. The study revealed that conducting a context analysis that involves teachers, students, and learning contexts is essential in designing a context-driven problem-solving method with metacognitive scaffolding for Biology instruction, which provides authentic examples, instructional content, and engaging scenarios for teachers and students. As a result, the findings of this study provide a practical instructional strategy that can be applied to studies aimed at designing a context-driven problem-solving method with metacognitive scaffolding with the potential to influence instructional practices.

This article examines the way a group of expert teachers’ educators contextualises their teaching. To this end, a qualitative phenomenological approach was employed to collect and analyse data from 30 expert teachers’ educators. Grounded theory was used to conceptualise and categorise evidences emerged from the analysis of texts while stories of practices were created for each category emerged for illustration. In general, three teaching strategies emerged as means of contextualising teaching: connecting teaching to authentic experiences, aligning practices in teacher education to secondary school teaching and contextualising teaching to students’ level of understanding. Lastly, the lesson each university could draw from one another and implications of the study are highlighted. Contestualizzare l’insegnamento. Una pratica sviluppata da esperti formatori di insegnanti L’articolo esplora come un gruppo di esperti formatori di insegnanti utilizzi la strategia della contestualizzazione nel proprio insegnamento. Uno studio qualitativo di taglio fenomenologico è stato realizzato per raccogliere e analizzare dati relativi a 30 formatori di insegnanti in due università. Per la concettualizzazione è stato utilizzato un approccio “grounded” che ha fatto emergere un insieme di categorie dall’analisi dei testi; per ciascuna categoria sono stati selezionati frammenti di narrazione. Sono emerse tre principali articolazioni di tale strategia didattica: connettere l’insegnamento a esperienze autentiche dei partecipanti, allineare le pratiche della formazione degli insegnanti a quelle presenti nella scuola secondaria e contestualizzare l’insegnamento al livello di comprensione degli studenti. In conclusione si evidenzia ciò che, a questo riguardo, ciascuna università può imparare dall’altra.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to explore how engaging in lesson study enhances secondary school mathematics teachers' pedagogical practice in lesson planning in Jimma, Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a design-based research approach with qualitative and quantitative data collected from two secondary schools, and 12 mathematics teachers. A purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. Interviews, observations, questionnaires and document analysis were the main sources of data. Qualitative data were analyzed using themes with the support of Atlas-ti qualitative data analysis software. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon ranked signs test. Findings: The findings revealed that engaging secondary school mathematics teachers in lesson study enhanced their lesson planning competence. As a result, teachers began to carefully plan detailed lessons, use curriculum materials and create more student-oriented lessons. Lesson study was found to be a potent model on which to build secondary school mathematics teachers' lesson planning competence. Hence, it would be rewarding to integrate lesson study into the present school-based teachers' pedagogical capacity-building program in the study settings. Research limitations/implications: The data were collected from particular localities with a small sample size in the quantitative phase. Therefore, it is difficult to generalize to the entire secondary school teachers in the country. However, thick descriptions were provided that would allow readers to determine the transferability of the findings to their specific school context. Future research should investigate the effects that enhanced TPP in lesson planning has on teachers' mathematics teaching in more schools using a larger sample size. Practical implications: This study provides insight into and empirical evidence of how engaging in the process of LS is essential to enhance teachers' lesson planning competence. It adds important knowledge to a small but growing model of lesson study research. It also informs future researchers in the practical use of LS where lesson planning is a crucial concern in many secondary schools of the country. Originality/value: This research was originally conducted to build mathematics teachers' pedagogical practice in lesson planning through lesson study in Ethiopian secondary school contexts.