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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological and administrative systems for implementing online learning, and the infrastructure that supports its access and delivery, had to be adapted quickly. While disparity in accessibility existed between urban and rural students, extensive resources had been allocated and processes developed to connect learners with course activities and materials, to facilitate communication between instructors and students, and to manage the administration of online learning. Educators needed to make way for this transition with the available technological support and their existing IT skills. Although the pandemic is over, online education still remains a viable option for continuing education in an emergency situation. Exploring the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and delving deep into the nature and the types of these challenges and their possible reasons will pave the way of translating these insights into academic practices required for laying the foundation of blended learning (BL) in higher education. Recently the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh has published a proposal for adopting BL in the higher education institutions of Bangladesh. This case study consisting of both quantitative and qualitative research, explores the challenges faced by the teachers of the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) during the online shift of education because of the pandemic. Based on the findings, a blended learning framework has been developed which can be applied in tertiary level education in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

Involving the global issues as listed in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education is necessarily done in the education process, especially in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. Exposure to global issues is known to improve students' understanding, awareness, and ability to solve urgent issues faced by global society. This paper aims to find out the trend of research on the coverage of SDGs in students' learning process. This systematic literature analysis was done by applying Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Method. A total of 25 studies were recognized through a systematic search by using Sustainability, SDGs, and EFL as keywords. The result shows that the trend of associating SDGs with EFL settings was done mostly in Indonesia. In the recent year 2022, it reached the highest number of studies in the particular matter with 7 total of research. It was also found that the study involving SDGs on EFL learning was mostly done in the tertiary setting, compared with K-12, junior high school, secondary, high school, and other educational institutions. It was also discovered that the specific area of study enhances EFL students' learning achievement, environmental awareness, global citizen values, as well as students' levels of self-norms, beliefs, and self-value.

The use of Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approaches in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms has recently gained special attention. In the context of Bangladesh, "English for Academic Purposes," a contextualized TBLT module prepared jointly by British Council and University Grant Commission Bangladesh, was piloted in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses in private universities in Bangladesh. This study explores TBLT and CLIL teachers' perceptions regarding feedback and how the success of TBLT and CLIL relates to providing feedback to the students of a large English class at the tertiary level. A mixed-method research design was adopted, including a questionnaire(n=50) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (n=10) as research instruments among the English teachers at different universities. The results indicated that the classroom teachers as research participants were positive about providing corrective feedback to learners' tasks in TBLT and CLIL classes. The participating teachers suggest some feasible and plausible ways and strategies to provide effective feedback to the students of a large English class.

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.

This study explores the influences of parental socio-economic status on their engagement practices in rural secondary schools in Bangladesh. This study took place in a specific context where the majority of parents lacked literacy and faced financial constraints. This reality hindered their ability to provide adequate support for their children's education. A qualitative case study research has been chosen to carry out the research. The data has been collected using group discussion, semi-structured interviews and observation from five rural secondary schools in Bangladesh. The findings of this study revealed that parental engagement initiatives related to the annual programs of schools resulted in limited practice of one-to-one communication with parents. The lack of parental literacy, poverty, and being the first generation to receive schooling were identified as fundamental factors that hindered regular and overall engagement initiatives. Furthermore, there is limited opportunity for both parents and teachers to actively participate in the schooling system. In this regard, this study emphasized the importance of place and suggested contextually formed initiatives for further improvement of parental engagement.

COVID-19 pandemic has forced educational institutions to use e-learning systems. Bangladesh is no exception; many students come from underprivileged families who are not well-off. This study aimed to explore the antecedents to the underprivileged undergraduate students' intention to participate in online classes in Bangladesh through the integration of the Technology Acceptance Model, Information Systems Success Model, and Theory of Planned Behaviour. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the hypotheses. The non-probability sampling method was used to select 394 respondents by dint of the subjective judgment of the researchers. Using smart PLS software, the data were analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). It was divulged that e-Learning usage intention (BI) is influenced by attitude (ATT), perceived usefulness (PU), students' online learning satisfaction (SOS) and subjective norms (SN). But perceived ease of use (PEU) and system quality (SQ), internet service quality (ISQ) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) do not influence BI. Even ISQ does not influence SOS. It was also revealed that PEU mediated attitude and PU, and PEU and SQ also influenced SOS. The study contributes to e-Learning literature by incorporating three models which may guide policymakers in understanding how to integrate students from all social classes into e-learning systems to eliminate academic digital discrimination.

This research attempts to explore the challenges of teaching English listening skills at primary-level schools in Bangladesh. A mixed method was applied to conduct the research. The quantitative data was collected by a survey questionnaire from 30 primary-level English teachers. The qualitative data was collected by interviewing 5 primary level teachers. From the collected data, it is explored that the teachers confront several challenges in teaching listening skills, i.e., independent of teaching listening skills, teachers are bound to follow merely the vast syllabus of the institution, and they do not have any liberty to bring something beyond the stipulated instructions given by the authority. Few teachers have access to required teaching instruments like a computer, the internet, speakers, recorders, and a projector, and due to not having such instruments, the teachers cannot expose their students to cartoons, rhymes, stories, poems, and fables. A common view among the interviewees was that listening to--and watching--such types of audio-visual representations is effective in terms of honing students' listening and literacy. Also, teachers' classroom environment is not suitable for the teaching of listening skills. Many teachers are not yet trained to enact the proper pedagogy of listening. However, the time period of the primary level is so pivotal that if learners are not exposed to listening skills at that time, they then remain passive and weak in listening, communication, and literacy. Additionally, this study also provides recommendations for the establishment of and enhancing the teaching of listening skills at the primary level in Bangladesh.

No previous study has explored why the translators selected children's literature while translating Japanese literature into Bangla. This study aims to identify the tendency of selecting Japanese texts for translation into Bangla, which have educationally valued contents. It employed descriptive translation studies approach to prepare a periodized catalog of translated Japanese children's literature in the quantitative section to develop a history. The qualitative part is conducted based on two recent concepts of the sociology of translations: sociology of translation process in functioning and interpreting and sociology of translation as a cultural product. This study reveals that the translators primarily select tales with moral values a child or an adult learns from the societal sectors other than the educational institutions. They intend to circulate those moral values in the target society because the contents are socially apposite and deemed socioculturally necessary in the target region. "Totto-chan" is analyzed as a cultural product to explore why and to what extent it is circulated. The interpreted texts are used to enhance reading literacy in reading programs. This study establishes a fundamental basis for translation, society and education altogether in the target society focusing on Japanese literature translations. In future, this study could be used as a foundational work in the field of translation studies in Bangladesh.

The main aim of this paper is to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of university teachers regarding plagiarism in Bangladesh. An online questionnaire consisted of 20 knowledge questions, 23 attitude items, and 18 practice questions was created using Google Forms. The link to the questionnaire was sent via email to university teachers. The total correct answers for knowledge and practice questions, and the total attitude score were converted to percentile scores and categorized accordingly as poor (< mean -- 1 SD), average (mean ± 1 SD), and good (> mean + 1 SD). Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare the total knowledge, attitude and practice scores based on demographic and academic variables. Multiple linear regressions were used to identify the association between knowledge, attitude and practice scores, and other covariates. The findings revealed an average level of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding plagiarism among the majority of university teachers. The knowledge, attitude and practice scores were significantly higher for teachers who attended academic writing workshops compared to those who did not attend such events. Demographic and academic variables did not impact knowledge and attitude scores. However, the number of papers published in the last two years and their indexing in Web of Science (WoS) or Scopus significantly impacted attitude and knowledge scores. The multiple regression analyses showed that the practice score was significantly associated with age, highest education, and knowledge.

Technology Enabled Learning (TEL) has a major impact on the learning adaptability of the learners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a drastic change in the learning methodology. The adaptability of learners from the various domains, levels and age has been a significant component of research in context to education. In this paper, the authors have proposed a machine learning and explainable AI based solution to identify critical learning parameters for students' adaptability level in online education. In this research the authors have employed various explainable AI (XAI) algorithms namely Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME), SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), FEature iMportance based eXplanable AI algorithm (FAMeX) for identifying the critical learning parameters to decide the adaptability level of a student. To test the efficacy of the solution, a dataset of students of several education levels of Bangladesh, collected from both online and offline surveys has been used. The results revealed are quite interesting, and counter intuitive.

This exploratory mixed-methods study aimed to explore how students' perceptions of positive and negative teacher-student relationships influence their classroom engagement and academic progress. The data in the quantitative phase came from 157 undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students at Government Brojomohun College in Bangladesh who participated in a Google-based survey questionnaire posted on Facebook groups, and a semi-structured interview of eight students was conducted via the Zoom platform. The qualitative data were interpreted and analyzed based on the themes that emerged from literature, open-ended survey questions, and interviews. To acquire a deeper comprehension of qualitative data, quantitative data were presented and analyzed statistically. The findings revealed that college students' positive perceptions of TSR greatly improve their behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, and cognitive engagement in the classroom, as well as their academic achievement, whereas their negative perceptions of TSR significantly hinder all types of classroom engagement and academic achievement. However, this study also found that some students' positive and negative relationships with teachers have no impact on their classroom engagement and academic achievement. This study makes an important contribution to the existing literature by elucidating college students' perceptions of TSR in terms of its positive and negative perceptions, as well as its impact on classroom engagement and academic achievement in college education. The implications and limitations are discussed.

Since most schools and learners had no choice but to learn online during the pandemic, online learning became the mainstream learning mode rather than a substitute for traditional face-to-face learning. Given this enormous change in online learning, we conducted a systematic review of 191 of the most recent online learning studies published during the COVID-19 era. The systematic review results indicated that the themes regarding "courses and instructors" became popular during the pandemic, whereas most online learning research has focused on "learners" pre-COVID-19. Notably, the research topics "course and instructors" and "course technology" received more attention than prior to COVID-19. We found that "engagement" remained the most common research theme even after the pandemic. New research topics included parents, technology acceptance or adoption of online learning, and learners' and instructors' perceptions of online learning.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of existing literature concerning the domains of accreditation and quality assurance in various sectors. Accreditation and quality assurance play vital roles in ensuring the credibility, transparency, and effectiveness of educational institutions, healthcare facilities, industries, and other domains. This paper synthesizes the findings of numerous studies, focusing on the conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and outcomes associated with accreditation and quality assurance processes. The review encompasses a wide range of perspectives, including historical context, best practices, challenges, and advancements in accreditation and quality assurance. Through a systematic analysis of these scholarly works, this paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of accreditation and quality assurance across diverse sectors and shed light on potential future research directions.

The article examines the influence of English movies, series and cartoons on students majoring in English at a university in Bangladesh. The objective of this study was to ascertain the potential impact of films, series, and cartoons on the acquisition of the English language and to determine the extent of their influence. This quantitative research centered on the English department located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A set of questionnaires was employed to administer a series of inquiries to 140 students. The research uses both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data sources include surveys and interviews, while secondary data sources encompass journals, publications, previous research, and websites. This study has shown the significant impact exerted by English films, series, and cartoons on the EFL learners. The development of English language proficiency--reading, speaking, listening, writing--was noticeably improved. It is found that watching English series, cartoons and movies is a quick and effective way for EFL students to pick up the language. The approach functions as an audiolingual method, incorporating visual aids and facilitating situational language instruction. Moreover, the subtitles have been found to enhance both reading and writing abilities, as well as promote social interactions and foster a deeper understanding of the culture of native speakers. This research will also provide valuable insights for future scholars and researchers.

This study explores EAP teachers' views of underlying problems in teaching listening skills and the strategies adopted by them to overcome problems at the tertiary level in EFL contexts. The study is based on the theoretical assumption of listening perception processes and its role in language development as hypothesised by Richards (2008). In this instrumental case study, one EAP teacher was purposively interviewed to identify their understanding of the investigated issue. The generated data were analysed following the basic qualitative analysis method. The findings demonstrate that in teaching listening skills both the top-down and bottom-up approaches should be adopted to integrate process-based listening skills teaching, which promotes target language acquisition in and out of the classroom. The findings may make the EAP practitioners reconsider incorporating the bottom-up approach to improve the existing strategies of teaching listening skills at the tertiary level.

As more students from South Asia seek to study at overseas universities, they increasingly contract the services of local education agencies to facilitate their choice of institutions and their application process. This study seeks to better understand the nature of the relationship between South Asian education agencies and students who wish to study abroad. By using qualitative content analysis of education agency websites from five South Asian countries, this study identifies key issues of potentially unethical practices committed by these agencies. It also identifies the most prevalent "push/pull" factors that South Asian agencies use to encourage students to study overseas as well as the most common services that agencies use to support students. The findings indicate that there are widespread ethical issues amongst education agencies and that students are most motivated to study abroad for quality education that may lead to emigration. The implications of this study are then discussed.

The paper examines the effectiveness of materials designed and distributed among course instructors to teach an intermediate writing course in an online platform during the pandemic. The study is examined in the context of a private university in Bangladesh, where the students enrolled are bi-lingual learners. The paper reviews literature in fields of technology-enhanced language learning (TELL), activity theory and scaffolding to understand the extent to which the teaching materials are effective. In addition, by analysing semi-structured interview responses from course instructors, the paper highlights numerous strengths, weaknesses and suggestions regarding the materials disbursed among the faculty members. The research findings suggest that the given materials were useful and helped to promote understanding of course content, but improvements can be made to assist student learning. Increased emphasis on learner autonomy can facilitate the learning process for students and motivate them to become independent learners. Based on the findings, the writer includes suggestions that might be beneficial for institutions beyond borders.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant disruptions in traditional educational policies and practices worldwide. The study adopted an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens to investigate the impact of the pandemic on international students in a Canadian university. The findings from data analysis identified challenges and supports for international students in five areas: academic, financial, health and well-being, socialization, and housing and accommodation. There were several gaps between international students' academic and social needs during the pandemic and the institutional support. While the university prioritized supports in the academic domain, international students identified social challenges as more significant during the pandemic. The gap was also evident in communicating institutional support to students, as some students were not aware of the spectrum of institutional services. Finally, there was a need for more targeted support for international students. The pandemic called for more fundamental and comprehensive actions to support the diverse student population.

This study explores the possibilities and challenges of online English language classrooms as an alternative to traditional physical classrooms at the tertiary level. To cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, UGC (University Grants Commission) implemented online classes to carry on regular educational activities when the government of Bangladesh shut down all educational institutions, including the universities, to stop the spread of the virus. This study examines the options, opportunities, and challenges of such classrooms from the perspectives of both teachers and learners. There are several studies on e-learning, online platform-based classes, and Massive Open Online Courses that mainly focused on supplementing regular classrooms to enhance English language learning. None of them is designed to replace the physical traditional language classrooms at the tertiary level. On the contrary, this study explicitly examines the gap by employing a quantitative study, particularly a Likert scale-based survey, to identify the prospects and challenges of online classes for tertiary students and teachers as an alternative to traditional English language classrooms. One hundred fourteen participants, including 29 teachers from 12 universities across the country, participated in the study. The results showcase the availability of smart and portable gadgets, the ability to create an interactive learning environment, flexibility, convenience in classroom management and evaluation systems, and many other positive prospects of online classrooms. To address additional challenges, the study identified the lack of training and motivation, psychological pressure, issues with internet connectivity, and adaptation to the new culture to adapt to the 'new normal' in the ELL context of Bangladesh.

Although a growing number of studies focused on the teacher-student relationship in a school context, little research on this issue in a college context is evident in the literature. Even no studies till now focus on factors that affect college teacher-student relationships. This study attempted to explore this issue and the significance of the teacher-student relationship for students. Data for the quantitative phase came from 157 undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from Government Brojomohun College, Bangladesh, who voluntarily participated in a Google-based survey questionnaire posted on Facebook groups; data for the qualitative phase came from eight students who participated in a semi-structured interview via the Zoom platform, using convenience sampling. The findings revealed that the teachers' characteristics and ages, pedagogy, friendlier approach, attitude, students' characteristics, positive and negative experiences, and cultural similarities affect students to make relationships with teachers. However, neither the age nor the sex of the students has any effect on the college teacher-student relationship. Besides, college students value the teacher-student relationship as an influential element for their classroom engagement, academic attainment, college adaptability, relatedness with the educational atmosphere, reduction of disruptive behaviour and dropout tendency.

Contemporary technology, along with the tangible/virtual duality of present-day learner consciousness, are, in the authors' opinion, necessitating and enabling a fundamental educational transformation. A central feature of this development will be 'letting the learners lead', including (from secondary onwards) their identification of the content of their curriculum. This paper considers how this pedagogical innovation might operate in practice. Nine United Kingdom (specifically South Wales) senior secondary students were invited to decide what they would "like to learn in the coming academic year". The group then explored how their agreed set of subjects (including, for instance, Sign Language; History of Coal Mining in My Locality; Mental Health and Me; Being Ready for the Next Pandemic; Pantomime…) might best be learned. These approaches and findings were shared with, understood by, and generally supported by a group of upper secondary school students in Australia and, to a lesser extent, by another group in Bangladesh. Dialogue with a small number of professors and other United Kingdom professionals also took place. The tentative conclusions and implications are that (a) university entrance requirements are predominantly aimed at student selection rather than at covering necessary pre-tertiary knowledge; (b) if, somehow, the competitive element -- including the allocation of grades -- could be eliminated, then giving learners the opportunity to shape their curricula becomes feasible; (c) letting the learners lead is seen (by a sample of them) as realistic and (with some reservations) desirable; (d) much of this learning would involve on-line research through the confident utilisation of familiar devices and systems (i.e. how 'non-school' information is now acquired); (e) there would also be on-line and face-to-face discussions with experts and practitioners; (f) teachers, with radically restructured roles, could offer valuable coordination and encouragement; and (g) the school as 'place' (as opposed to 'process') may wither away as the transformation proceeds. The authors are keen that their provisional findings should be tested by educational planners and researchers in other educational situations across the world.

Globally, fewer students are choosing careers in science. In developing countries like Bangladesh, this attrition is often attributed to limited access to laboratories, lack of qualified science teachers, and limited use of student-centered strategies (SCS). Educators are attempting to design professional development programs to empower teachers with innovative teaching methods that will eventually boost enrolment in STEM-related fields. With this end in mind, we designed a six-month-long grant-funded project that equipped five urban schools in Bangladesh with 20 science toolkits. We also provided 20 science teachers and five site coordinators with ongoing professional development to support use of these toolkits with 109 students for inquiry-based learning (IBL). Using an explanatory sequential design, we analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from three surveys. We also used transcripts from interviews with five site coordinators and four Zoom panel presentations to understand the numeric findings. While quantitative analysis with SPSS revealed that teacher-centered strategies (TCS) continue to be widespread in Bangladesh, we noted that the IBL project influenced student outcomes in several ways. The qualitative data confirmed that teachers who receive training and support over an extended period implemented SCS quite effectively. Both quantitative and qualitative findings revealed that a shift from TCS to SCS enhanced students' ability to hypothesize, experiment, and make real-life connections. In this paper, we describe statistically significant differences in the students' knowledge across curriculum type and gender. We also describe the influence of the project on student attitudes.

The COVID-19 pandemic had has a impact on education in Bangladesh, especially for rural areas students. This research was conducted in the South Bali Para village of Trishal Upazila in Mymensingh and focused to investigate the difficulties faced by rural students in terms of accessing and adjusting to online education during the pandemic. A sample of 300 students from primary to higher secondary levels was surveyed, and empirical research revealed that economic hardship and lack of access to online education were the primary concerns for rural students. This contrasts with urban students, who were primarily affected by mental health issues. According to the research findings, more than 60% of households in rural areas lacked internet access or smartphones, despite the fact that approximately 70% of primary, lower, and higher secondary students resided in these regions. Efforts to provide remote learning through methods such as television or multimedia classrooms in remote areas did not effectively support rural students in their online education during the pandemic. Therefore, the study highlights the socioeconomic challenges and costs of pandemic-led online education in rural Bangladesh, including the increased risk of dropouts and child marriages. The findings emphasize the urgent need for an inclusive and accessible strategy for remote learning that specifically addresses the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable students in Bangladesh.

Students' extensive use of Facebook in their daily lives has led researchers to investigate the affordances of Facebook for educational purposes. To further the research into the use of Facebook to improve language teaching, we conducted a convergent parallel mixed-methods study to examine the use of Community of Inquiry-informed Facebook discussion activities on the speaking performances of undergraduate students in a blended EFL speaking class in Bangladesh. A Facebook group was maintained for both the treatment and control conditions; however, the discussion activities were required only by the treatment condition. We found a statistically significant difference between the initial and post-test speaking scores for the treatment and control conditions. While no difference was observed in post-test scores between the two conditions, students' and the instructor's comments on the Facebook group and student interview data revealed that Facebook was helpful for both conditions in improving their performances, but in different ways.

The present work has revealed an inside story of university physics education in Bangladesh. The four large autonomous universities in the country were chosen to get the real reflection of physics education to perform this investigation. Sophomores, juniors, seniors, and master's students were the participants randomly selected from these four universities at the same time of education years 2013-2014. The number of participants from each year of each university was twenty physics students, and the sample size was 320. The same questionnaire about academic resources and activities in the physics departments was used in the survey. The investigation has revealed that the theoretical results of the secondary and higher secondary students were very good but obtained without complete understanding. About 64% of students study physics against their intention as they were interested in engineering or medical courses, though the interests were not their own in every case. Many of the physics students were not attentive enough to the academic activities in the department. Many students were interested in physics research without proper awareness and induction about research. In addition, teachers were not fully engaged in the department to make the students capable of understanding and learning physics independently. As a result, only 14% of the students were consistent in their opinions and had good confidence about the promising future for physics education and research in Bangladesh. However, devoted quality teachers, students with a substantial interest in physics, and the necessary resources are required to improve physics education.

Education is one of the most important factors in producing human resources. University education can be influenced by many factors that affect students' quality of academic performance. The main focus of this study is identifying the influencing factors that are significantly associated with the academic performance of universities students. Data were extracted from the various departments of two public universities. Data analysis by Contingency and logistic regression were used to identify the determinants of academic performance of the students. Among the students, 56.8% were male and 43.2% were female most of them are Muslims and unmarried. 75.1% of students came from rural areas, only 15% of students' mothers were higher educated and 65% of student's family status was middle class. Higher educated mother, HSC and SSC results, admitted to an expected university, admitted present department by their own choice, study environment in the department and use of the internet had significant effects on the results of 1st year of the students. The findings concluded that increase and improve students' academic performance are some crucial steps regarding securing admission first choice of the department and advising about peer influence should be taken into consideration.

This cross-sectional study investigates the online education intention of undergraduate students in the largest and oldest public university in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under convenient sampling, 843 undergraduate students with rural and urban backgrounds participated in an online self-administered questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to examine the hypothesized relationships. We found that students' online class intention is significantly influenced by their attitude towards online classes (AOC), perceived usefulness (PU), and facilitating conditions (FC). We further identified that external antecedents have significant indirect effects on the outcome variables. Our findings provide new insights and contribute to a learners' community on online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to depict the factors influencing undergraduate students' intention to attend online classes (IOC) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Educational action research in development projects applies participative methods to include people with diverse backgrounds, experiencing learning collaboratively. In this article, I explore the learning activities, and their outcomes, unfolding in those settings. Based on project documents, 34 interviews with project staff and smallholder farmers, and participant observations for three months in Nepal, I analyse the action research and development project 'Strengthening Adaptive Farming in Bangladesh, India and Nepal' (SAF-BIN), and show how inclusive activities allow for critical reflection, individual experience, and dialogue. I find dialectics in this process of adjustment, such as resistant social and cultural arrangements that are activated. The inclusion of specific social groups, for example, goes along with exclusionary dynamics. This case illustrates that inclusion and action research can be conceptualised at least threefold: from a dialectical, institutional, and learning perspective. I conclude that action research in development provides a fruitful basis for learning, allows for legitimacy, and temporarily leads to social change at a micro-level, for better or worse.

Purpose: Entrepreneurship education (EE) through innovative teaching techniques (ITEE) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) are two essential components of entrepreneurship development. Using the assumptions of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), we took three constructs: attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SUBNs), and perceived behavioral control (PBC), and from the assumption of Human Capital (HC) theory, we constructed another variable, ITEE. Thus, the fundamental objective of this study is to find out the essential predictor of EI between entrepreneurial antecedents (ATT, SUBNs, PBC) and ITEE through an artificial neural network (ANN). Design/methodology/approach: Using the snowball sampling technique, a highly structured questionnaire was sent to respondents. Finally, a sample size of 397 business graduate students was chosen. Findings: The findings revealed that two dimensions of entrepreneurial antecedents (attitude and subjective norm) positively impacted EI. Furthermore, ITEE partially mediated the relationship between two dimensions of entrepreneurial antecedents (attitude and subjective norm) and EI. Moreover, through ANN, we found that attitude (ATT) was a crucial predictor of EI among business graduate students in Bangladesh. Research limitations/implications: In this study, only business graduate students were included as respondents; thus, further research should include students from other departments or disciplines to generalize the findings. Practical implications: This study covers numerous actors in terms of practical contributions, including students, academics, the government, and the state. This article should draw the attention of Bangladesh government policymakers regarding the significance of ITEE for developing entrepreneurship. The research framework of this study proposed that ITEE should implement antecedents of entrepreneurship into business education, boosting the ability of students to make judgments, which will also enhance EI in the future. Originality/value: Integrating the TPB theory with human capital theory represents a significant scholarly advancement in business education for graduate students in Southeast Asia, namely Bangladesh. Furthermore, we developed a novel ITEE scale by synthesizing information from many literary sources, providing valuable insights for future researchers.

The unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic have required the global world to adapt swiftly and cope with the demands. The pandemic, in particular, has caused severe disruptions to young children's learning experiences, requiring a closer examination of teacher resilience. This complex, individual and context-driven quality requires educators to adapt, negotiate existing challenges and endure in adverse stress-inducing environments. Drawing on two models of teacher resilience, with a specific emphasis on protective factors, we present the empirical findings of a study that involved 284 early childhood educators from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Norway and Singapore. Participant experiences in their professional contexts indicate the role of protective factors, which include both individual and contextual factors, that facilitated quality teacher-child interactions during the pandemic. The data highlight personal strength and learning situated in their heritage cultures as crucial components of developing a strong sense of professionalism. In addition, the findings reveal the importance of professional development opportunities as an enabler of teacher resilience.

Purpose: The integration of ESD is a complex problem. It calls for an innovative, student-centred curriculum, as well as professional learning and agency, by which university teachers feel empowered to change their practice and direct their peers and institutions towards ESD. This study aims to explore what university teachers consider to be the most important attitudes in supporting their agency to deliver Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) via a Problem Based Learning (PBL) programme. Design/methodology/approach: This study presents a theoretical framework for professional agency comprising three domains--intrapersonal, action and environmental. A Q methodology is adopted to explore university teachers' perceptions of the most important environmental factors in supporting their ability to deliver ESD via a problem-based learning (PBL) programme. Twenty-eight participants from six Southeast Asian universities took part in a PBL-based professional development programme designed to improve teachers' ESD- and PBL-based skills and competencies. Findings: The results indicate that the participants were confident in their ability to implement PBL and saw PBL as an approach suitable for addressing current educational, professional and societal challenges. This study offers a series of recommendations to help university teachers develop their ESD and PBL practices. Originality/value: Although the literature on human agency is extensive, research surrounding teachers' professional agency in the context of ESD and PBL in higher education is lacking. The present study addresses this gap by capturing individual teachers' beliefs, perceptions and views and by using Q methodology to examine the subjectivity of study participants.

Soft skills, absolute knowledge, various skills, positive attitudes, values, beliefs, and habit are vital for graduates' professional, social, and personal success. Many graduate and postgraduate students struggle to adapt their learning to their daily lives and work. Thus, Bangladeshi graduates face substantial unemployment. Knowing and practicing soft skills during school helps them meet workplace needs. Therefore, soft skills training must be included in the curriculum to help students use soft skills gleaned from English literature in real life. This study assesses the soft skills needed for employment by English graduates of tertiary colleges affiliated with Bangladesh's National University (NU). The study reviewed national and international government documents, published and unpublished studies, online resources, and researchers' experiences and observations. The outcomes were categorized thematically to determine the most essential soft skills for English graduates' employability. Finally, drawing from lessons learned from national and international perspectives, some policy gaps have been explored in Bangladesh, and some policy suggestions have been made to implement soft skills training in the curriculum of English language and literature courses at NU-affiliated colleges. The findings suggest studying instructional methodologies, classroom management, question sets, teacher preparation, assessment systems, soft skills instruction, mentorship, and counseling. After reviewing the literature, the researcher finds that English graduates need 49 sub-skills in twelve soft skills: communications, interpersonal, self-management, people management, collaboration, emotional intelligence, time management, problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, leadership, and creativity. Upon evaluating the literature, the study found that while soft skills can be improved in the English curriculum, the instruction for implementation is unclear.

Background: The university cafeteria is a crucial element in shaping students' dining experiences and their physical well-being. This study was conducted at a public university in Bangladesh. Purpose: This research has a dual purpose: firstly, to assess student satisfaction with the university cafeteria using key indicators and secondly, to identify critical factors influencing this satisfaction through advanced data analysis employing recursive feature elimination (RFE). The ultimate goal is to enhance cafeteria services, align them with student preferences, and boost overall satisfaction. Methods: Data collection involved 150 paper-based questionnaires with mixed data types, including questions based on prior research assessments. The model-building process included the chisquared test and the recursive feature elimination process. Results: The study identifies 12 factors significantly affecting cafeteria food satisfaction, with four factors having a notable impact: meal type and freshness, staff attitude, and wait length. Discussion: This research highlights the interconnectedness of seemingly distinct cafeteria factors and their potential to influence health outcomes. Practical recommendations are made for improving cafeteria efficiency and adapting to changing student needs. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health education interventions aimed at enhancing the cafeteria experience for university students should include a quantitative analysis of factors impacting students' overall cafeteria satisfaction.

Purpose: Considering that knowledge, skills and behavior can influence sustainability efforts, this study aims to assess which personality traits influence one's sense of feeling connected to nature and presumably make more sustainable choices. The study also explores the situational factors that might pose barriers, despite an individual's preference for a sustainable lifestyle. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 54 faculty members from six Higher Education Institutions in Bangladesh were interviewed based on a semi-structured questionnaire on the barriers to a sustainable lifestyle in Dhaka city, while their personality traits were assessed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Big Five Factors and the Connectedness to Nature Scale through a survey. Findings: The results state that Empathic Concern and Fantasy, as dimensions of empathy, have strong positive correlations with feeling connected to nature. The physical, social and psychological challenges also cause fewer people to lead a sustainable lifestyle, despite feeling highly connected to nature. Research limitations/implications: Sustainability efforts need to be context-specific due to localized challenges the people face. While educators play a key role in mainstreaming sustainability, generalizing the findings of the study to the wider population is limited. Further investigation to explore demographic and socioeconomic factors will provide key insights to the determinants of sustainable behavior. Practical implications: The findings highlight that educational institutions can play a key role in the development of empathy and sustainability education, while addressing the need for good governance and policies in mainstreaming sustainability for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030. Originality/value: Few studies have been conducted to understand sustainable behavior in Bangladesh and identify effective methods to promote sustainability. This study provides insights to sustainable behavior in the context of a least-developed country. Additionally, it will support educational institutions to work toward sustainable development by enabling empathic skills development in curricula, leading to more concrete sustainability efforts.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress among international students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 188 international students from two large U.S. universities participated in the study. Perceived discrimination, psychological distress, and demographic information were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Results: COVID-related variables and perceived discrimination were significantly associated with international students' psychological distress. Their COVID-related anxiety mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress. Conclusion: Initiatives to mitigate the perceived discrimination experienced by international students may improve their mental health.

Award-bearing transnational professional development training has received little attention in the literature. By taking a longitudinal mixed-methods approach, this project's researchers investigated the ways in which participants on a World Bank-funded programme practised leadership at the start of their training, before revisiting them a year later to find out what, if any, changes had resulted. It was discovered that the award-bearing design had been very influential in endowing the participants with concepts that they enthusiastically adopted, but that, over time, the concepts had undergone a process of simplification, largely driven by incongruities between the concepts and the cultural environments to which they had been applied. It is recommended that award-bearing programmes might more readily take into account the individual and contextual circumstances of their participants at the planning stage.

"It is dark under the lamp"-a proverb that frequently refers to the misery that prevails in confined, lit environments. In terms of economic development, urban regions have risen to prominence as centers of excellence. Cities are populated by individuals from varied cultural, professional, and economic backgrounds. The disparities in their economic conditions have resulted in several groupings of people who are vastly distinct from their rural counterparts. Comparing urban and rural locations, studies frequently conclude that urban education is significantly superior. This study employs "descriptive analysis" of both secondary and primary data to conclude that students living in urban slums suffer in three K-8 (universal) education characteristics (access, attendance, and academic performance). The government's disregard for students living in slums allowed NGOs to intervene. Students living in shacks are educated mostly through government initiatives in Bangladesh, but those living in apartments attend private, international, and elite-public schools. Students residing in tin huts cannot compete with those residing in apartments, much less slums. This situation has been further compounded by the Covid-19 outbreak. A substantial policy intervention by the Bangladeshi government may be the only possible method to protect the urban K-8 (universal) education of developing nations from criticism.

Generally speaking, third-world literary scholars have been seen as representative tools for their societies. The current article aims to look at postmodern African and Asian societies. Thus, these two literary works "The Arrangers of Marriage" by the African novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali belong to third world Contemporary Literature. Dave who is a Nigerian figure when he went to the United States, he leaves his traditions, besides, Nazneen, who stands against her tradition too to formulate a new identity. This article examines the effects of Immigration on third-world characters. Also, the focus on major concepts such as identity. Both authors are involved in what we call living in Diaspora. This article is a comparative study between the two works of two marginalized writers of a Nigerian and Bangladeshi identity, especially as the continent gradually becomes part of the postmodern and globalized world.

The sudden transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic compelled teachers worldwide to develop the skills necessary to contend with online education and execute effective teaching. Whereas several studies have investigated the professional development opportunities provided by educational institutions during this time, research on the effectiveness of engaging in such activities for higher education teachers in Bangladesh seems limited. This study explores Bangladeshi English teachers' experiences of engaging in online professional development (OPD) and the impact it had on their teaching and professional learning during COVID-19. Data were collected using a qualitative survey distributed to twenty-five English teachers working at various public and private universities in Bangladesh. A thematic analysis demonstrated that teachers participated in both self-directed and institution-led professional development activities. While engaging in such activities was beneficial, teachers' application of the knowledge in teaching and professional learning was hindered by an overload of online information, insufficient logistics facilities, and inadequate collegial support. The study recommended that designing cost-effective OPD and ensuring a collegial environment might inspire teachers to explore OPD opportunities. In addition, providing institutions with proper orientation and awareness would ensure better institutional support in executing OPD even in the post-covid-era.

The ideological role of English, beyond its instrumental value, is reported to be immense. British colonial rule deployed English as an ideological tool which facilitated colonial subjugation and religious conversion. Connections between English and evangelism have widened in the postcolonial and globalising world, leading to labelling English as a missionary language. Acknowledging the association of English with Christianity, scholars have called for examining relationships between English and other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The relationship of English with Islam is especially complex. While its global spread has encouraged Muslims to utilise it as an Islamic language, English has also been used by the post-9/11 West for moderating Islam. How have Muslim-majority societies responded to English in this complex ideological and geopolitical terrain? How do they manage English teaching in their secular and religious streams of education? This article examines how education policymakers in Bangladesh have dealt with the imperatives of secularisation for mainstream education and de-secularisation for religious education by localising English along the line of world Englishes. Taking the perspective of language as situated practice, I illustrate how the same English language textbooks are used for different ideological goals, with educational, social, and political implications.

Purpose: Presenteeism is the productivity loss due to working with ill health. This paper aims to develop a presenteeism scale for students (PSS) and reveals its association with the academic achievement of undergraduate (Bachelor) students. Design/methodology/approach: This is a cross-sectional study based on a reputed public university in Bangladesh. The study collected data from 164 undergraduate students by relying upon the systematic random sampling technique. Findings: Nearly 70 percent of the study population have reported some health problems, with male students reporting frustration (59.6 percent) and female students reporting migraine (61.2 percent) as the most prevalent issues. Predictors such as gender, living status, television and social media use, absenteeism, physical activity, BMI (body mass index), hygienic meal intake, exhaustion score and PSS score have significantly influenced presenteeism and reduced academic performance. As many students face multiple health issues, it is recommended that the issue of presenteeism on university campuses be addressed. Originality/value: This study breaks from the conventional approach of studying presenteeism in business settings and expands knowledge in the education domain. Additionally, it examines the interconnection of primary health conditions, work impairment score, presenteeism and academic performance.

Administering coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines among the student of higher secondary schools has unprecedented importance for securing community health and ensuring in-person class attainment. This study investigated higher secondary students' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and identified the underlying sociopsychological determinants of vaccine acceptance and hesitance. An anonymous, multi-item, and closed-ended questionnaire was developed from a theoretical analysis of relevant literature. Data were collected from April 2022 to August 2022 using a face-to-face interview approach. Binary logistic regression was employed to assess the study objectives. A total of 1514 students participated and the pooled COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate was 69.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 67.9-71.9). Out of 13 key determinants, "safety," "efficacy," and "communication" had highly significant positive associations (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 95% CI = 3.542, 2.305-6.090; 2.494, 1.513-4.347; and 1.047, 1.008-1.912 respectively, p < 0.01), while "culture" had a significant positive association (AOR, 95% CI = 1.421, 1.002-1.502, p < 0.05) with vaccine acceptance. The binary logistic model also revealed that "side effects" and "injection anxiety" had significant negative associations (AOR, 95% CI = 1.483, 0.920-2.449; and 1.312, 0.911-1.625 respectively, p < 0.05) with the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The odds of receiving the vaccine were found to be 1.9 and it was highly significant (p < 0.01) in the X[superscript 2] test. Psychological response to COVID-19 vaccine from higher secondary students was found slightly lower. Side effects and injection anxiety were the psychological barriers associated with school-going students' vaccination decision.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that includes deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted and repetitive behaviours, interests, or activities. This survey was done to assess autism spectrum disorder prevalence in 16- to 30-month-old children at an urban-rural distribution and determine the association of socioeconomic and demographic conditions. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 districts of Bangladesh. Three-stage cluster sampling was used with 'Red Flag', Modified Checklist for Toddlers and "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition," respectively. Data editing and analysis were done using CSPro 6 and SPSS 23. The survey included 37,982 households (71% rural, 29% urban) with 38,440 children. 'Red Flag' was positive in 209/10,000 children. Modified Checklist for Toddlers was positive in 149/10,000 children. "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition"--positive autism spectrum disorder prevalence was 17/10,000 young children (boys 24/10,000, girls 9.8/10,000). Prevalence was higher in urban than rural (25/10,000 and 14/10,000 respectively). It was 77/10,000 in mothers aged 35-39 years and 23/10,000 in children of fathers aged 40 years. For families within the lowest wealth quintile, the autism spectrum disorder prevalence was 15/10,000. Autism spectrum disorder at very young ages in Bangladesh is still low. It was higher in urban areas, with the advanced age of parents, especially mothers, and in families with higher wealth quintiles.

The study investigated integrating a combined approach of translingualism and transculturalism in an anthropology content learning classroom of a Bangladeshi private university. Data were collected from classroom observation, a pedagogical intervention, a focus group discussion with six students, and a semi-structured interview with the class teacher. The analysis of the observation data demonstrated several attempts at integrating translingual-transcultural approaches to make sense of anthropology content despite the stipulated English only policy. The intervention data and participant responses revealed a contact zone of diverse cultural and ethical systems to draw on through this translingual-transcultural approach, providing a holistic teaching and learning experience for the researcher and the students. The participants' response revealed a structured linguistic inequality imposed by the English-only policy among different student groups in the focal university. Without the confines of an English only classroom culture, the combined approaches of translingualism and transculturalism supported a classroom environment with reduced discrimination and injustice arising from student backgrounds and English competency. The participants were able to reflect positively on their relationships, investments, and experiences with broadened dispositions involving their fuller semiotic resources, including both language and culture elements.

We draw upon Appadurai's 'scapes' and Latour's Actor Network Theory (ANT) to interrogate historical and spatial flows in relation to specific testing technologies. We reveal how testing systems, conceptualised as actor-networks, rearticulate colonial legacies of inequality which are intensified by new and emerging technologies. ANT helps trace social and relational interactions occurring in various national and global data spaces, and helps make sense of incessant transformations in education datascapes. Mapping actor-networks, and translations, help name and navigate neoliberal forces acting through colonial legacies via emerging educational datascapes. Our examination shows how educational technologies associated with standardised testing in northern and southern contexts -- specifically, England, Singapore, Bangladesh and Australia -- exacerbate structural inequalities. We consider how such technologies are actants and reflective of co-existing historical and temporal influences, and global cultural and spatial flows, allowing us to map the multiple ways in which educational technologies are manifested in an emerging education datascape.

The adoption of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has gained popularity in China's tertiary education as a result of globalization. International students in Chinese universities are celebrated as part of soft power projection to extend China's global impact. Informed by Piller and Cho's concept of "Neoliberalism as language policy" (2013) and Collins' "social reproduction theory" (2009, 2012), this study attempts to explore the EMI learning experiences of a cohort of international students at a border university in China. The policy documents, in-depth interviews, classroom observation, reflective journals and online interactions converge to reveal that, international students in EMI programmes experience exclusion and inequality despite the welcoming discourses of diversity. The paper highlights the necessity to pay attention to the ways in which higher education institutions reproduce inequalities of social stratification of international students through explicit and implicit institutional practices. It is argued that EMI policy in China's peripheral regions targeting international students from less-developed countries tends to perpetuate and accentuate educational inequalities. The study sheds light on a more inclusive pedagogical approach to alleviating international students' marginalisation and educating students of diverse linguistic, cultural, socioeconomic backgrounds for global citizenship in the context of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

In classrooms worldwide, the use of English to teach science subjects is becoming increasingly common. There is an increasing number of English-as-a-second/foreign-language learners studying science in English. This review examines 66 empirical studies on this topic published from 2000 to 2021. We critically review and synthesise evidence of the language challenges faced by teachers and students in secondary and tertiary English medium instruction (EMI) science courses, as well as proposed coping strategies. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we examine our findings from three fields of research: science education, language policy and applied linguistics. Our study extends EMI research by combining language learning and canonical content learning. Our synthesis of previous findings enhances understanding of content teaching in a second/foreign language in language immersion classrooms (e.g. content and language integrated learning, content-based instruction) and provides evidence-based pedagogical suggestions for enhancing EMI science teachers' instructional practices worldwide.

"Pashe Achhi" is a telecommunication model that emerged out of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh to provide support to 0- to 5-year-old children and their caregivers through mobile-to-mobile phone calls. It is a caregiver-child facing and/or only caregiver focused, low-resource, low-tech model that constitutes a 20-minute phone call. The phone calls include a 10-minute psychosocial support segment to caregivers and a 10-minute stimulation segment to their children through play. After the initial intervention period during the pandemic, this model has been tested further and evaluated based on two modalities: 5-month and 9-month interventions. An experimental study design using randomized assignment of the treatment and comparison group was used for this evaluation. The improvement in cognitive development scores among children has been found to be higher after 5 months than after 9 months of intervention. The model has implications for further research as an early childhood development (ECD) solution during crisis situations and ECD access to children of ultra-poor households.