Language, Literature and Education: Research Updates Vol. 6

African Universities: Sites of Resistance and Agents of National Development

N’Dri T. Assié-Lumumba — 2025-06-12

The public university in Africa was a corollary of, and dialectically related to, the national development project. It was conceived to be a public institution with a public mission in addressing with effectiveness the challenges of the development process. The main objective of this study is to analyse the evolution of the African university as a site for the continued struggle for self-determination. It was argued that, in spite of the history of a few institutions in a handful of countries, the African university in the 21st Century reflects essentially colonial relations. Thus, for instance, the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and distance learning programmes, and the emerging private universities in the context of liberalisation mantra, were also analysed in the framework of the liberalisation policies that have been promoted by the global colonial proxies. In this article, the public mission of the university, be it public or private, was examined. The approach was basically historical, assessing the actors and their transformations and mutations within the same reality of the structural inequality of power in the global system and various African responses through continued resistance and affirmation. The study addressed the fundamental question of the search for a public university or a university with a public mission for the production of relevant knowledge in the various disciplines, critical thinking and new paradigms, and methodologies to promote social progress amidst the challenges of the dominant liberal globalisation and the objective conditions of the African States, societies, and people. The study stated that, based on people’s aspirations for development, dynamic expressions of democracies, and tangible world resources, it is possible to boost higher education. However, based on the realities and the expectations for real chances for a better life, the exercises of critical reflection can only conclude that there will not be generous financial support devoid of interest. By and large, through various mechanisms, private institutions rely on considerable indirect and direct subsidies from the state to function. The public mission of higher education must include private institutions as part of a national agenda. More importantly, African states should feel invigorated in the pursuit of building and maintaining public institutions to respond to demand.

Impact of Podcasts on Enhancing English Vocabulary for Non-Native Speakers

S Archana — 2025-06-12

A podcast is an audio file that may be listened to on a website or app on your phone, computer, or other device. It is comparable to a radio broadcast. Individuals would record their works and disseminate the audio online, akin to auditory blog entries. In today’s global world, a student needs to compete with the outside world to retain their professional career. In this process of attaining success, a non-native speaker needs to make progress in their language skills to compete with industry standards. As people are immersed in a technology-driven society, it’s laying a platform where students are encouraged to involve themselves and improvise their language skills with the help of English podcasts, which play an important role in language acquisition. Digital recordings called podcasts are a highly well-liked technical aid for language acquisition, particularly for English language learners. Podcasts are particularly popular with the younger generation since they are flexible and give language learners access to resources from anywhere at any time. These podcasts aid in the development of contextual vocabulary and the pronunciation of native speakers, which varies between British and American English speakers. This provides the opportunity to familiarize oneself with the correct pronunciation to meet professional requirements and foster a smooth working environment. Acquiring a list of vocabulary words may lead to pupils using them incorrectly; nevertheless, listening to podcasts can help students expand their vocabulary by selecting new words while engaging in an engaging narrative. These will assist the student in extracting words precisely from the context. Podcasts such as Podcasts in English, The English We Speak, ESL Pod, Better at English, Voice of America Learning English, English Class 101, Elementary Podcasts, Splendid Speaking, This American Life, Global News, etc., will reduce stress and improve active listening skills, which expands learning and reduces time. Thus, the mentioned podcasts will not only improve English vocabulary but also increase students' English Fluency and encourage speaking English confidently. In conclusion, podcasts are a popular technical instrument for language learning, particularly among English language learners.

Digitalization in Uzbekistan's Higher Education: A View Through the Lens of Opportunity

Usmonov Botir — 2025-06-12

The global educational landscape underwent a dramatic shift during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing educational institutions worldwide to embrace digital solutions. This study examines the digital transformation of Uzbekistan's higher education system and its implications. Despite significant strides in digitalization globally, Uzbekistan faces unique challenges in modernizing its traditional educational structures, creating a notable research gap in understanding effective digital transition strategies for developing educational systems. Research indicates that digitalization has profoundly improved various aspects of higher education: streamlining administrative processes, enhancing educational assessment methods, facilitating the transition from traditional to online learning environments, introducing innovative educational business models, and reshaping employment market requirements. This study analyzes the various digital initiatives undertaken by Uzbekistan's Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and examines their impact within the framework of the "Concept of Development of the Higher Education System of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030." This finding suggests that comprehensive implementation of digital education tools is essential for addressing the existing challenges in Uzbekistan's higher education system, with significant implications for educational accessibility, quality, and labor market alignment.

Tech-Enhanced Mathematics Education: Digital Literacy in Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs)

Martin L. Nobis, Jr. — 2025-06-12

In today's digital age, technology plays a vital role in enhancing mathematics education, equipping educators with tools to improve teaching effectiveness and student engagement. This study examined the digital literacy of mathematics educators in Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) and its alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on quality education, which emphasizes equitable access to technology-driven learning. Using descriptive research design, survey questionnaire, and universal sampling, the findings revealed that limited digital infrastructure hindered teachers’ ability to fully integrate educational software, social media, and mathematics applications into instruction. Despite these challenges, educators demonstrated a strong awareness of digital literacy, with institutional factors, such as learning management systems, information systems, and computer laboratories, significantly influencing the adoption and utilization of digital tools. To bridge digital gaps and foster innovation in mathematics instruction, the study highlighted the need for expanded technological resources, structured digital literacy training, and strengthened policy support, ultimately improving teaching practices, student engagement, and overall education quality.

An Analysis of Feminine Delicacy and Strength in Kamala Das’s Poetry

Ameer Ahmad Khan — 2025-06-12

Indian social system have been exploited and swindled by males but as education spread feminist movements emerged and have supported women's liberation from numerous problems created by males. This awareness has been realized by many educated Indian women writers. Kamala Das, one of the pioneers of post-independence feminist poets, explores themes of feminine consciousness, love, identity, desire and social tyranny in her poetry. Her work breaks conventional norms offering an intimate portrayal of female experiences. Kamala Das has tried to emphasize her feminine identity and her personal identity. Through her poetry, she challenges patriarchal constraints and cuddles female sexuality. Major themes of Kamala Das's poetry are her quest for love and her failure to find fulfillment in love in life. Her poems may just as well be the poetry of resistance. This chapter delves into the feminist essence of Kamal Das's poetry, analyzing how her poetic genius embodies the struggle and resilience voice of women in a patriarchal culture.

Assuring a Short-term Research Abroad Activity is an Educative Experience: Avoiding the Boondoggle

Kelly George — 2025-06-12

Background: Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are typically written and decided upon by faculty in institutions at a high level and do not change rapidly or often. In contrast, the pace of globalisation, cultural knowledge, trade agreements, regional political stabilities, technology and population growth change constantly and, sometimes, at breathtaking speeds.

Purpose: At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, an annual short-term, research abroad non-credit program was created in 2012 as a core component of the undergraduate research initiative that achieves learning outcomes in a meaningful way. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/Methodology/Approach: In order to describe and analyse the short-term research abroad activity, an instrumental case study design was created. The instrumental case study was chosen as a means of allowing the facilitators/authors to communicate how they attempted to ensure that the program was educative. In order to determine if the program was, in fact, educational and that it met its goal of being an effective research experience, the authors utilised two additional research methods. The first was a document analysis of the participant’s research artefacts. Each participant was required to communicate their findings by writing a paper that was submitted for publication to an applicable research journal.

Findings: The study found that an experiential education as a pedagogical framework coupled with a short-term research abroad activity can lead to a substantive educative experience, where the authors described and analyzed attempts to ensure that the short-term research abroad program was educative, it also describes the educational assessment findings which describe what was found when the authors tested whether they, in fact, met this goal.

Research limitations/Implications: During the design phase of the short-term research abroad program, the authors turned to experiential education as a principle for how they would ensure that the program was grounded in an acceptable educational theory. Experiential education is a widely accepted educational practice used in experiences such as co-ops and internships, study abroad, undergraduate research and service learning.

Practical Implications: To frame the short-term cultural research abroad program as something from which students could learn, the authors utilised the National Society of Experiential Education’s (2013) list of eight principles of good practice. In order to safeguard that an activity is educative, an assessment or an evaluation of a demonstrative artefact is essential. In assessing the final artefact against a rubric or some other non-biased or less biased criteria, an educator can ensure that the student has gained new knowledge in the form of student learning outcomes (SLOs). In addition, the educator can use the results of this assessment to modify many different aspects of the experience, ranging from the timing, the modality, the pre-work, and even the learning outcomes themselves.

Social Implications: As the need for global citizenship and a globally developed workforce increases, the need for variants of the traditional semester abroad study will increase. While this study did set out to research the attainment of a meaningful study abroad experience based on duration, it did confirm that students did successfully attain SLOs in a structured, non-credit, short-term study abroad experience. Given the financial and curriculum inflexibility of some students, Universities and faculty could achieve attainment of research-based, program-agnostic SLOs by offering short-term study abroad alternatives to the traditional semester or year-long experiences. With graduates looking to enter the job market where businesses are more globalised and executives’ recognition of a need for more international experience, carefully constructed short-term study abroad programs are meaningful avenues to build those credentials.

Originality/Value: Such offerings can be constructed as customised experiences to achieve highly integrated skills across all degree programs.

A Study on the Impact of STREAM Education on South African Students' Engagement and Creativity: Exploring a Holistic Educational Pathway

Mfanelo Ntsobi — 2025-06-12

This study evaluates the transformative impact of STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education on student engagement and creativity in South African schools. Integrating arts and research components into the curriculum fits global pedagogical changes meant to promote holistic learning, as traditional STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) frameworks change. Inspired by projects like Sci-Bono Discovery Centre and the Schools of Specialism run by the Gauteng Department of Education, the study stresses the need for developing creativity, critical thinking, and research skills alongside technical ability.

Constructivist learning theory, which supports experiential and inquiry-based learning and thereby helps to synthesise multidisciplinary elements within the STREAM framework, provides the theoretical basis. By use of qualitative techniques comprising interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations, the study seeks to investigate how the incorporation of arts, research, and reading shapes student involvement and creative output.

Global experiences show how well multidisciplinary approaches integrate research and arts into curricula to increase engagement and real-world preparedness, therefore highlighting their advantages. According to the study, in line with African philosophical concepts like Ubuntu, indigenous knowledge systems and culturally relevant pedagogies are also very important in helping students to feel belonging and actively participate.

The study also explores how reading could inspire research and multidisciplinary knowledge and emphasises how artists help to develop soft skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity, which are fundamental qualities vital for Industry 4.0. The study provides legislators, teachers, and curriculum experts with practical insights and recommendations to improve instructional methods, thereby assuring that the learning environment is inclusive, interesting, and fit for producing graduates with flexible, creative, and social consciences. In conclusion, the study emphasises the importance of integrating and implementing the STREAM model to equip South African students with the multidimensional skills required to resolve complex societal challenges, foster innovation, and contribute meaningfully to economic growth.

Supervisor and Doctoral Student Perspectives on Roles, Approaches and Type of Relationship: A Study at Kyambogo University

Jacob L. Oyugi — 2025-06-12

African universities are increasing enrolment in higher degrees, especially at doctoral level. Supervisors play an important role in guiding the doctoral candidate to become an independent professional researcher, able to adapt to various fields of research, whether in academia or industry. Kyambogo is one of the universities in Africa, found in Uganda, that is offering doctoral studies, though it is still fairly young. This study explored the perspectives of supervisors and doctoral students regarding their roles, approaches and type of relationship, as well as understanding how these relationships impact doctoral education at Kyambogo University. The study design was an exploratory survey using qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Online questionnaires and structured interviews were used as methods of data collection. Data was collected in two phases; Phase 1 was a face-to-face interview with the Heads of respective departments, and Phase 2 online survey which was emailed to 28 respondents. Findings revealed that the most important roles of the supervisors are constructive critics (87.5%) and providing guidance (75.0%). Adhering to ethics was ranked as the most important role (88.3%), followed by adhering to evaluation and follow-up, together with self-management and pacing and making use of consultation. The study confirms that the supervisors and doctoral students have a set of roles they play in the supervision process. However, the results also indicated that those who had gained full admission for doctoral study were very few. No single doctoral student had graduated since it was introduced. Low institutional capacity and lack of funding were key factors in this. The features of the supervision approaches are emphasised differently in each approach. The approaches form a continuum with different stages of development of the doctoral candidate. Each stage determines the type of supervision approach. Eight types of relationships occur in the supervision process, but at different frequencies. The finding also indicates that out of all the eight types of relationship, the “captive” and “con” relationships had not occurred at all. The study concluded that the roles and approaches can be affected by the type of relationship that exists between the supervisor and the doctoral candidate.