Asian Journal of Contemporary Education

Integrating task-based and blended learning to improve sight reading and instrumental performance

Yalu Fu — 2025-07-18

The present study aims to explore the efficacy of an instructional method combining Task-Based Learning (TBL) and Blended Learning (BL) for developing sight-reading skills and musical instrument playing among undergraduate students of Chinese traditional instrumental music. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 50 second-year students from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, who were allocated to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a six-phase instructional intervention with TBL activities and blended materials in 20 sessions. Post-test findings revealed the experimental group's significant improvement in both sight-reading ability and musical instrument playing, with medium to large effect sizes. The approach successfully supported technical skill acquisition, artistic expression, and self-regulated learning. The synthesis of TBL and BL has been shown to be a highly effective pedagogical approach to enhancing the technical and expressive dimensions of musical education. The six-stage model exhibited high instructional coherence and flexibility, providing valuable guidelines for curricular change in performance-oriented music education.

Senior high school students thinking levels in permutation and combination using solo taxonomy

Stephen Junior Appiah — 2025-08-01

Although the Ghanaian mathematics curriculum emphasizes critical thinking as a core competence, students still appear to lack this skill. In this mixed-method study, the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy was used to assess senior high school students’ thinking levels in permutation and combination. A sample of 256 males and 104 females was randomly selected from three senior high schools for the study. The data were collected using tests and interviews, and analyzed descriptively and inferentially using Kruskal-Wallis tests. The results showed that while only one-fifth of the students reached the higher relational and extended abstract thinking levels, the majority (73.9%) remained at the lower levels of pre-structural, uni-structural, and multi-structural thinking. These students struggled to apply basic counting and multiplication principles in solving higher-order thinking problems. The Kruskal-Wallis H test further revealed statistically significant differences in thinking levels across the study programmes. General Science students demonstrated the highest thinking levels, followed by General Agriculture and Business students. The study concluded that students’ thinking levels in permutation and combination were low. It is recommended that teachers, textbook authors, and curriculum developers adopt representations and activity-based teaching strategies to help students develop a conceptual understanding of the topic.

Dimensions of holistic education in Indian higher education: A LIBRE/EMC²-guided systematic literature review

Mannu Brahmi — 2025-08-08

Recognizing the increasing emphasis on whole-person development, this study investigates key dimensions of holistic education in Indian higher education by integrating philosophical, policy, and literature perspectives. Drawing from contemporary Indian spiritual-philosophical wisdom and policy frameworks such as the National Education Policy 2020 and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4.7, the study identifies LIBRE/EMC² as a culturally grounded, neurocognitively informed framework for holistic education in India. A qualitative systematic literature review, conducted in line with PRISMA guidelines, was undertaken using Scopus and Semantic Scholar databases to evaluate the presence of four core LIBRE/EMC² dimensions, empathy, mindfulness, compassion, and critical inquiry, within holistic education literature. Eight original peer-reviewed articles were selected and analyzed using thematic coding and qualitative comparative methods to validate these dimensions. The findings confirm their consistent presence, often linked to themes such as interpersonal sensitivity, lifelong learning, social-emotional competencies, and reflective practice. The review further underscores the institutional and pedagogical need for holistic approaches to foster whole-person development. These insights suggest that culturally sensitive, evidence-based frameworks like LIBRE/EMC² can inform curriculum design, policy implementation, and assessment in India, and potentially beyond. The study calls for developing localized assessment tools and scalable strategies to integrate these dimensions into higher education.

Learning support teacher competencies in dealing with digital learning units in Jordan

Burhan Mahmoud Hamadneh — 2025-08-08

This study investigates the competencies of Learning Support Teachers (LSTs) in utilizing digital learning units and explores differences based on gender, academic qualifications, and years of experience. A descriptive survey method was used, with a sample of 114 male and female LSTs randomly selected from public schools in Irbid Governorate during the second semester of the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected through an electronic questionnaire comprising 32 items across four domains: (1) essential digital learning competencies, (2) management of digital systems and content, (3) use of social media to enhance interaction in digital environments, and (4) integration of digital learning to support instruction and problem-solving. Results indicate that LSTs possess a moderate level of competence in using digital learning units. Significant differences were found in favor of teachers with postgraduate degrees and those with less than ten years of experience. No significant differences emerged based on gender. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education enhance digital teaching competencies among LSTs, particularly in supporting students with disabilities.

Enhancing innovative thinking of digital technology teacher students by using project-based learning: Case of Nakhon Sawan Rajabhat University in Thailand

Siribhorn Buranahirun — 2025-08-11

This research aimed to study students’ innovative thinking by using Project-Based Learning. The quasi-experimental one-group pretest/posttest design was implemented for the target group, which consisted of 29 third-year Digital Technology teacher students who were enrolled in the second semester of the academic year 2023. Research instruments included learning management plans based on Project-Based Learning, an innovative thinking assessment form, and a project assessment form. The statistics such as percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. The result showed 1) there was posttest score of all observed variables in innovative thinking higher than pretest, 2) there was different between pretest and posttest of latent variables in innovative thinking a significance level of 0.01 (p<.01), 3) the score of project works were between 77-88 points, 4) the correlation coefficients between observed variables with statistically significant values different from zero (p<.01) were 42 pairs and from zero (p<.05) were 21 pairs, and 5) the correlation coefficients between latent variables with statistically significant values different from zero (p<.01) were 6 pairs. The results show that Project-Based Learning can be used to promote innovative thinking in digital technology teacher-students, which may be applied to other teacher-students in the future.

Student opinions on the evaluation of performance with fuzzy logic method in art and design education

Sehran Dilmaç — 2025-08-29

This research was conducted to obtain students' views on the evaluation of artificial intelligence (AI)-supported design applications in art and design education using the fuzzy logic method. It aims to provide a new perspective for educators in identifying real learning situations and deficiencies in art and design education. The study utilized the DALL-E AI tool developed by OpenAI in design projects assigned to students in a basic art education course. The research took place during the autumn semester of the 2024-2025 academic year with 21 first-year students from the Visual Communication Department at the Faculty of Art and Design of a university located in western Turkey, all of whom participated voluntarily. A semi-structured interview, a qualitative research method, was employed as the data collection model. The interview questions were validated and analyzed using MAXQDA qualitative data analysis software, with an inter-coder agreement of 97.32%. The findings indicated that evaluating students' work with fuzzy logic increased their creativity, positively influenced their motivation towards the course, proved to be a more reliable evaluation method compared to traditional approaches, and enhanced their self-efficacy by improving their technological skills.