the iafor

journal of
education
Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018
Editor: Yvonne Masters

ISSN: 2187-0594

iafor
IAFOR Journal of Education
Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

IAFOR Publications

The International Academic ForumIAFOR Journal of Education
EditorYvonne Masters, University of New England, Australia
Associate Editors
Lynda Leavitt, Lindonwood University, USA
Massoud Moslehpour, Asia University, Taiwan
Raimond Selke, Goethe-Institut Jakarta, Indonesia

Published by The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
IAFOR Publications, Sakae 1-16-26-201, Naka-ward, Aichi, Japan 460-0008

Executive Editor: Joseph Haldane
Editorial Assistance: Nick Potts

IAFOR Journal of Education
Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018
Published June 1, 2018

IAFOR Publications © Copyright 2018
ISSN: 2187-0594
ije.iafor.org

IAFOR Journal of Education
Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018
Edited by Yvonne Masters

Table of Contents
From the Editor
Yvonne Masters

1

Notes on Contributors

2

A Comparative Analysis of the Attitudes of Primary School Students
and Teachers Regarding the Use of Games in Teaching
Branko Anđić
Srđan Kadić
Rade Grujičić
Desanka Malidžan

5

Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Mentorship of HealthProfession Students: A Content Analysis Exploring the North Carolina
Health Careers Access Program
Kaye Thompson-Rogers
Dannielle Joy Davis
Denise Davis-Maye
Claudine Turner

17

Examining the Effects of Reflective Journals on Students’ Growth Mindset:
A Case Study of Tertiary Level EFL Students in the United Arab Emirates
Hinda Hussein

33

School Administrators’ Competencies for Effective English Language
Teaching and Learning in Thai Government Primary Schools
Singhanat NomnianThithimadee Arphattananon

51

Home Environment of Selected Filipino Gifted Individuals
Greg Tabios Pawilen

71

Reviewers

91

Guide for Authors

92

IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

From the Editor
Dear Readers,This second issue of the IAFOR Journal of Education for 2018 continues to respond to the
IAFOR call to be international, intercultural and interdisciplinary. The five articles display the
research being undertaken from a range of locations: Montenegro, the Philippines, Thailand,
the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. While the contexts are different, the themes
are relevant to educators globally.
As with locations, the articles in this issue again cover a range of themes: the use of games inteaching; mentorship in historically Black colleges and universities to assist in acceptance tohealth career courses; reflective journals as a strategy to assist in the development of a growthmindset; the competencies required by school administrators to assist in effective language
teaching and learning; and the importance of home environment in the development of gifted
Filipino students. The topics reflect the diversity of issues in the broad nature of education.
We hope that you enjoy these articles, find application for them in your own contexts, andconsider sharing your own research and experiences in the journal. The next issue is due to be
published on December 1, 2018.
Yvonne Masters
Editor, IAFOR Journal of Education,
ije.iafor.org

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IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

Notes on Contributors
Article 1: A Comparative Analysis of the Attitudes of Primary School Students andTeachers Regarding the Use of Games in Teaching
Mr Branko Anđić is a PhD student in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Podgorica at the University of Montenegro, Montenegro. His research areas are biology
education, motivation, environmental education, and digital education.
Email: brankoan@yahoo.com
Dr Srđan Kadić is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Podgorica at the University of Montenegro, Montenegro. He teaches courses in mathematics
and computer science. His research areas are information and communication technologies,
computer graphics and visualization, and software engineering.
Mr Rade Grujičić is an Assistant at in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Podgorica at
the University of Montenegro, Montenegro. His research areas are information andcommunication technologies, robotics, and mechanics.
Ms Desanka Malidžan is a biology teacher at “Radojica Perović” Podgorica, Montenegro.
She is the author of biology textbooks for primary schools in Montenegro.
Article 2: Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Mentorship of Health Profession
Students: A Content Analysis Exploring the North Carolina Health Careers Access
Program
Dr Kaye Thompson-Rogers has been employed with North Carolina Central University(NCCU) in Durham, North Carolina since 1996, where she is the Director of the Health Careers
Center and the North Carolina-Health Careers Access Program (NC-HCAP). Her researchinterests are Black women in academia, Black women and beauty, African American womenand barriers in academe, Black women and health disparities, as well as Blacks and voting
rights amendments.
Email: krogers@nccu.edu
Dr Dannielle Joy Davis is a tenured Associate Professor of Higher Education at Saint Louis
University. She is the first known African American woman to earn tenure in the history of theinstitution’s School of Education. A graduate of the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, she has studied and conducted research in Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt,
Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Her interdisciplinary research examines theexperiences of marginalized groups in educational settings, as well as spirituality in theworkplace and other learning environments. She has published over 60 refereed journal
articles, book chapters, volumes, academic commentaries, and reviews.
Email: djdavis@slu.edu

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

Dr Denise Davis-Maye, a licensed independent clinical social worker, is a native of New York
City who spent most of her formative years in the South Bronx and Harlem. A Professor withprimary responsibilities in the MSW program, she has over 26 years of experience in Social
Work practice, Dr Davis-Maye is an alumna of Clark Atlanta University. Her research interests
include the cultural, community and familial impact on the emotional development ofadolescent girls of African descent, as well as emotional and physiological health disparities
and their influence on the well-being of women and girls of color.
Email: ddavisma@aum.edu
Article 3: Examining the Effects of Reflective Journals on Students’ Growth Mindset: A
Case Study of Tertiary Level EFL Students in the United Arab Emirates
Mrs Hinda Hussein is a Lecturer in General Studies in the Higher Colleges of Technology inthe UAE. She has 20 years of experience both in the UAE and the US. A large part of her
teaching responsibilities focus on EFL learners. Hinda is currently pursuing a PHD in
Education in Management, Leadership & Policy. Her research interests are in teaching andlearning, CLIL, leadership and policy in education and educational technology.
Email: hhussein1@hct.ac.ae
Article 4: School Administrators’ Competencies for Effective English Language
Teaching and Learning in Thai Government Primary Schools
Associate Professor Dr Singhanat Nomnian completed an EdD TESOL and Applied
Linguistics degree at the University of Leicester, UK, and Advanced Specialist Certificate in
Language Assessment at RELC, Singapore. He was an Endeavour Postdoctoral Fellow at the
University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. He is currently the chair of an MA in
Language and Intercultural Communication at the Research Institute for Languages andCultures of Asia, Mahidol University in Thailand. His research interests include Global
Englishes, ESP, EAP, intercultural communication, multilingualism, and sociolinguistics. He
also serves as a Thailand TESOL executive committee member.
Email: snomnian@hotmail.com.
Assistant Professor Dr Thithimadee Arphattananon received her PhD in Education
Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she is affiliated with the
PhD Program for Multicultural Studies, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia,
Mahidol University, Thailand. Her research focus is education for culturally diverse students.
Email: thithimadee@yahoo.com.
Article 5: Home Environment of Selected Filipino Gifted Individuals
Dr Greg Tabios Pawilen is an Associate Professor at the College of Human Ecology of the
University of the Philippines Los Banos. His research interest focuses on curriculum studies,science education, early childhood education, indigenous science, teacher education, and giftededucation. Some of his research works have been published in academic journals and books inJapan, India, UK, Brunei, South Korea, Australia, and in the Philippines.
Email: gtpawilen@up.edu.ph3

IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

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IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

A Comparative Analysis of the Attitudes of Primary School Students and Teachers
Regarding the Use of Games in Teaching
Branko Anđić
University of Montenegro, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Podgorica,
MontenegroSrđan Kadić
University of Montenegro, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Podgorica,
Montenegro
Rade Grujičić
University of Montenegro, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Podgorica, Montenegro
Desanka Malidžan
School “Radojica Perović”, Podgorica, Montenegro

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IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the attitudes of students and teachers toward the use of
educational games in the teaching process. The study encompassed a didactic experiment, andadopted interviewing techniques and theoretical analysis. Likert distributions of attitudes toparticular game types are presented in tables and the arithmetic means of Likert values are used
as indicators of centrality. Spearman’s rank correlations between teaching and student attitudes
are also discussed. The research has shown that word associations, memory games, anagrams
and quizzes are games that enhance students’ motivation the most, whereas crosswords andrebuses have been found to be least interesting. Teachers, on the other hand, find that self-madegames are better than ready-made games, as they inspire creativity in teaching.
Keywords: educational games, teaching, motivation, primary school, students, teachers

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

Introduction
For children, most learning comes from play, which is their most natural activity. As many as
91% of American children between the ages of 2 and 17 play video games (NPD Group, 2011).
The Entertainment Software Association (2012) states the following reasons for playing
games: they are fun, challenging, they bring families and friends together and provide
entertainment.
Educational games are games used for educational purposes. There are numerous definitionsof educational games. However, one of the generally accepted definitions is that a game is asystem in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, which results in aquantifiable outcome (Salen & Zimmerman, 2004). The strategy of educational games is toplace students in situations where a competitive spirit and intelligence need to be brought intoplay. Students are guided by the competitive spirit towards gaining a certain knowledge whichhelps them win the game and, at the same time, relieves stress and provides additional
motivation.
Many scientists believe that educational games make up an important area of research in thefield of developmental psychology (Erikson, 1977; Piaget, 1962; Vygotsky, 1978). The
characteristics of every educational game should be as follows: clear goals and objectives,opportunity to apply what is being learned, ensuring that the learner can only succeed in thegame if they have the required knowledge, learning based on experience, providing immediate
feedback on the results achieved, encouragement to learn from mistakes, enabling cooperation,
presenting challenges tailored to students’ abilities, the visual appearance, and animations that
help maintain learner’s attention (Fischer, 2005; Kelly, 2005; Prensky, 2002). One of the mostimportant features of educational games lies in considering wrong answers as part of thecognitive process and the possibility for a student to learn from their own mistakes (Groff,
Howells, & Cranmer, 2010; Ke, 2009; Klopfer, Osterweil, & Salen, 2009). Many researchstudies have shown that games are a great motivational tool in learning (Chang, Yang, Chan,& Yu, 2003; Schwabe & Goth, 2005). However, as the selection of activities and games
depends on the teaching that is carried out by a teacher, it is necessary to analyze the teachers’
opinions on educational games.
Apart from being used as a teaching technique geared towards acquisition of knowledge, agame is also a highly motivational tool for better learning, and a tool for affirmation andexpression of students’ attitudes. In fact, a game shapes the content of a course, stimulates
cognitive abilities and makes otherwise boring contents interesting (Facer, 2003; Prensky,2003). A successful educational process entails not only motivated students, but also motivatedteachers. It is therefore important to allow teachers to independently create teaching materials
for teaching classes including educational games. If a teacher is highly motivated then so aretheir students, and the teaching process overall is better (Maehr, 1984). Some research studies
have shown that teachers are motivated when they see students achieving desirable results(Lortie, 1975; Menlo & Low, 1988). One of the important factors that determines teachers’
motivation level is the selection of, and access to, contemporary teaching aids (Namestovski,2013).
The majority of previous research studies have revolved around the use of ready-made software
games in classrooms. This study seeks to analyze the possibilities for teachers to design
educational games on their own and adjust them to the needs and abilities of students, as wellas to the lesson plan. The aim of this research is to assess the capacities of teachers to create

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IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018self-made games, the impact of such games on students’ motivation level, and their role as acomplement to theoretical knowledge. In addition, one of the main objectives of this researchstudy is to describe the games that motivate students the most from those considered to be least
interesting. Previous research studies have not sufficiently tackled teachers’ attitudes toward
educational games, which is why this paper provides a comparison of teachers’ and students’opinions on the use of educational games in teaching.
Materials and Methods
An experiment was conducted with both teachers and students to explore their attitudes to
educational games designed by teachers. The part of the experiment that involved teachers asa target group entailed practical training on the creation of educational games, followed by asurvey. The practical training for teachers, entitled “Using educational games in theclassroom”, was approved by the Institute of Education of Montenegro, and listed in theCatalogue for the Professional Training of Teachers for the school year 2015–2016 (Instituteof Education of Montenegro, 2015). As many as 270 teachers from 8 Montenegrin primaryschools underwent the practical training. Out of the said total number, 148 teachers (54.8%)
teach classes to younger children between the ages of 6 and 11, whereas 122 of their peers(44.2%) teach pupils in the upper elementary grades between the ages of 11 and 15. Aftercompleting the training, the teachers went on to apply the skills for creating games in theirclassrooms. The teachers conveyed their attitude regarding the use of these games in teaching
through a survey. After the classes involving educational games were delivered, the students
who were learning through play were also surveyed. A total of 428 pupils were surveyed, 217(50.08%) being those between the ages of 6 and 11, while 221 (49.02%) were pupils aged 11–
15. The research involved students from city schools in Montenegro. The students who
participated in the survey were of similar social status. A flowchart of the research process ispresented in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The layout of the research study stages.

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

Games used in the research
For the purpose of this research, the following educational games that teachers can create on
their own were chosen: rebuses, anagrams, crosswords, word associations, memory games,
quizzes and “Break the Wall”. Rebus is an educational game that engages students’ logicalthinking, combinatorics, linking of concepts, and helps transform explicit into experiential
knowledge. The solutions to rebuses are meaningful notions that are reached throughconversion of characters and images into words. An anagram is a type of letter-rebus
educational game which requires that a meaningful notion be figured out from an illogicalcombination of words. With crosswords, answers to questions are entered in a grid. Word
association is an educational game in which an associative pattern between concepts leads tothe solution to the game. A memory game requires students to locate and pair up several hidden
notions, hidden notions with images or several associated images. A quiz is an educational
game in which students opt for one of the offered answers to a question. An impact of quizzes
in the teaching process is not clarified so far, so additional research in this direction is needed(Wang, Øfsdal, & Mørch-Storstein, 2009). “Break the wall” is a game in which an image ishidden behind a set of questions. With each correct answer, another brick gets torn down, thus
uncovering a part of the image. The aim is to provide as many correct answers as possible, so
as to unveil the entire image. The teachers were trained to use Microsoft PowerPoint for
designing all of the abovementioned games, so that they could, at any point in time,
independently design games and use them to achieve lesson goals.
The survey
The survey for teachers comprised 12 questions, 8 closed-ended and 4 open-ended questions.
The closed-ended questions pertained to teachers’ evaluations of each game and its purpose asa motivational teaching aid, as well as its benefits and disadvantages. The games were rated ona scale of 1 to 5. In the open-ended questions, teachers were asked to write down suggestions
on how to improve the use of educational games in classrooms, and on which parts of a classthese games would be most suitable for. The survey for students contained 8 closed-ended
questions in which students were to rate each game, as well as 4 open-ended questions asking
for their suggestions for the further use of educational games.
Data processing
The results obtained through the study are presented in tables and a graph. Statistical processingof data involved calculation of the arithmetic mean of Likert values and correlation coefficients
between teacher and student Likert returns. Likert results obtained served as input data for
calculating Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and in this case, they represent the extent towhich quantitative assessments provided by teachers match those provided by students.
Finally, the said results were compared to other published findings by students. Finally, thesaid results were compared to other published findings.
Results and Discussion
Of the total of 270 teachers, 67 (23.7%) had already used the existing computer-based
educational games in classroom teaching, whereas 203 (76.3%) had never used them. The
survey has shown that 165 (61%) teachers find their schools to be technically equipped for theuse of educational games in teaching, whereas 135 (39%) believe the opposite. The majorityof teachers, 228 (84.4%), claim that they will be using educational games in classrooms on aregular basis, owing to the positive experience gained through such activities, whereas 42(15.6%) say otherwise.

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

The opinions of teachers on self-made educational games used in the teaching process arepresented in Table 1.
Table 1: Attitudes of teachers toward games as being a motivational factor(5=Excellent, 4=Good, 3=Average, 2=Below Average, 1=Poor)
Question:
How would you rate
educational games as a means
for increasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?
How would you rate the“associations” game as ameans for increasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?
How would you rate the“memory” game as a means
for increasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?
How would you rate the“quiz” game as a means forincreasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?
How would you rate the“Break the wall” game as ameans for increasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?
How would you rate the“anagram” game as a means
for increasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?
How would you rate the“rebus” game as a means forincreasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?
How would you rate the“crosswords” game as ameans for increasing students’motivation for the teachingprocess?

1
n
0

%
0

n
0

%
0

n
0

%
0

n
2

%
0

n
0

%
0

n
6

%
6.67

n
34

%
2.96

n
13

%
3.33

n
17

1
n
0

n
5

%
2.22

n
17

%
12.59

n
72

%
4.81

n
34

%
6.30

n
54

n
89

%
5.93

n
123

%
1.85

n
11

%
32.96

n
178

%
45.56

n
129

%
4.07

n
254

%
6.30

n
128

%
47.41

n
119

%
26.67

n
89

%
32.96

n
57

%
12.59

n
96

%
35.56

n
119

%
20

n
124

%
45.93

n
66

%
94.07
5
%
44.07
5

4

3

%
47.78
5

4

3

%
65.93
5

4

3

%
59.63
5

4

3

2

n
161

4

3

2

1
n
9

%
0

5
%
37.41

4
%
1.11

3

2

1
n
8

n
16

2

1
n
18

%
0.74

4
n
101

3

2

1
n
0

n
3

2

1
n
0

%
0

2

1
n
0

%
0

Answers:
3
n
%
8
2.96

2

%
21.11
5

4

%
44.07
5
%
24.44

The average grade that teachers have assigned to educational games serving as a motivational
factor in teaching is 4.56. Out of a total of 270 teachers who have undergone training for selfmade games to be used independently in the classroom, 161 (59.6%) found educational games
to be a very good motivational tool, marking them with the highest grade. The lowest grade
assigned to games as being a motivational tool was a Likert category of three (3), assigned by
8 or 2.96% teachers. These attitudes of the teachers are consistent with those expressed inprevious research studies in this area (Gee, 2001; Kebritchi, Hirumi, & Bai, 2010; Liu & Chu,
2010; Woo, 2014; Yang, 2012). Students find learning through play to be very interesting,10

IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018giving it an average grade of 4.77. As many as 332 (77.57%) students rated the interesttriggering aspect of games with the highest grade, whereas 96 (22.42%) assigned the grade offour (4), being the lowest grade overall. Table 2 provides the review of students’ opinion ongames.
Table 2: Attitudes of students on the use of games in teaching(5=Excellent, 4=Good, 3=Average, 2=Below Average, 1=Poor)
Question:
How interesting do you findthe use of games in classroom
teaching?
How interesting do you findthe “word association” game
to be?
How interesting do you findthe “memory” game to be?
How interesting do you findthe “quiz” game to be?
How interesting do you findthe “Break the wall” game tobe?
How interesting do you findthe “anagram” game to be?
How interesting do you findthe “rebus” game to be?
How interesting do you findthe “crosswords” game to be?

1
n
0

2
%
0

n
0

%
0

n
0

%
0

n
0

%
0

n
0

%
0

n
12

%
0

n
0

%
6.78

n
56

%
5.61

n
37

1
n
0

2

1
n
0

%
0
2

1
n
24

%
2.80
2

1
n
29

%
0
2

1
n
0

%
0
2

1
n
0

%
0
2

1
n
0

%
0

%
13.08
2
%
8.64

Answers:
3
n
%
0
0
3
n
%
23
5.37
3
n
%
0
0
3
n
%
28
6.54
3
n
%
0
0
3
n
%
2
0.47
3
n
%
12
2.80
3
n
%
82
19.16

4
n
96

5
%
22.43

n
332

%
51.64

n
184

%
36.45

n
272

%
36.68

n
243

%
52.10

n
193

%
31.31

n
292

%
56.78

n
88

%
34.58

n
137

4
n
221

5

4
n
156

%
68.22
5

4
n
148

%
45.09
5

4
n
243

%
56.78
5

4
n
134

%
63.55
5

4
n
223

%
42.99
5

4
n
157

%
77.57

%
20.56
5
%
32.01

According to the teachers, the best motivation-triggering game is the quiz game, giving it the
4.92 score, while students rated it with 4.50. This educational game is a very good motivational
tool in the teaching process, a conclusion that follows up on the results from the previous
studies such as Wang, Øfsdal, & Mørch-Storstein (2008) and Anđić & Malidžan (2015).
Teachers find anagrams to be least motivational, assigning an average grade of 3.47, whereas
students described this game as a very interesting one, giving it a score of 4.68. The data fromthe relevant literature correlate with the students’ opinion, describing anagram as a very good
motivational tool (Deci, 1991; Melero & Hernández-Leo, 2014). The students surveyed found
the rebus game to be least interesting, giving it an average score of 3.74 while the teachers’score was 4.12. Some research studies have shown that the rebus game helps pupils master theskill of reading in an interest-inducing manner (U.S. Department of Education, 2005).
For classroom teaching with educational games to be successful, a balance needs to be struck
between the games that educators find to be motivational and those that students find to beappealing. By using a Spearman’s rank correlations coefficient, a comparison of teachers’ andstudents’ ranks (1 to 5; n=5) frequencies is made for each game. This research reveals a highcorrelation between opinions of teachers and students when it comes to games such as quizzes,
word associations, memory games and crosswords, the Spearman’s correlation coefficient
being ρ=0.90. A lower Spearman’s coefficient of correlation between opinions of teachers and11

IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018students was recorded with rebuses, anagrams and “Break the Wall,” and amounts to ρ=0.70
or less. The overall correlation of opinions for each question is presented in Graph 1. The
teacher-student responses Spearman’s correlation coefficient is fairly high, and its averagevalue in this research amounts to ρavr=0.85.

Figure 2: Educational games in teaching – the Spearman’s correlation coefficient ρ between
opinions of teachers and students (n=5 for each game).
In the open-ended questions of the survey, students and teachers were to provide answers intheir own words. When asked about the shortcomings of educational games in teaching,teachers stated the lack of IT equipment, preparation of games as being time-consuming, andcomputer illiteracy. The lack of IT equipment in schools in developing countries has been notedin the report “ICTs and Education” (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2006). The promotion ofcomputer literacy and use of computers in teaching has been designated as one of the priorities
in the report “Conclusions and recommendations to UNESCO and CEI” for the entire
Southeastern Europe (UNESCO, 2006). The time-consuming preparation of games to be usedin teaching has to do with the moderate computer literacy of teachers who underwent thetraining for designing games. Students do not see educational games as having any
shortcomings whatsoever, and think they should be used as much as possible in classroom
teaching. Both students and teachers believe that games can be used during any part of a single
class, as well as both in the course of introducing a new lesson and while reviewing previous
ones.
When asked about other ways to induce motivation with students, teachers mostly stated theuse of computers, outdoor classes and more advanced teaching aids. In addressing the verysame question, students responded with: classroom experiments, practical work and the use ofcomputers. Both groups of respondents agree that use of computers in classrooms induces
motivation as a number of papers have shown (Dale, 2008; Mellar et al., 2007; Strzebkowski& Kleeberg, 2002; Turvey, 2006). Teachers also give preference to creating games themselves,as it is thus easier to tailor them to the lessons being taught, as well as to students’ capabilities,

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

whereas fewer teachers feel that ready-made games would be more suitable to them, mostly
due to the reason of time-saving.
The Implications of Educational Games in the Teaching Process
Educational games impact positively on the teaching process and encourage greater motivation
for learners for learning. Students have different attitudes about different games whichsignificantly affect the success of the teaching process. Therefore, each teacher of the gameshould adapt primarily to the teaching content, but also to the students for whom the games areintended. In this way, it is likely to achieve the best pedagogical and educational benefits ofeducational games.
Conclusion
This research has shown that educational games serve as a solid motivational tool. In addition,
there is a high level of correlation between opinions of teachers and students on educational
games, with Spearman’s correlation coefficient of ρ=0.85. The average grade that students
assigned to educational games to be used in classroom teaching amounts 4.77, whereas teachers
gave an average grade of 4.65. From the students’ perspective, the best games used inclassroom teaching are word associations, memory games, anagrams and quizzes, whereas
crosswords and rebuses have been said to be least interesting. When comparing games thatteachers create and adjust themselves with ready-made educational games, the preference has
been given to the former, since teachers thus have the freedom to customize the games to thelessons being taught, as well as to students’ capabilities. Future research studies should bedirected toward the development of educational software that enable teachers to use games thatare adapted to the material being taught and to students’ capacities.

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

ReferencesAnđić, B., & Malidžan, D. (2015). Educational game quiz as a motivational tool in the
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Corresponding author: Branko Anđić
Contact email: brankoan@yahoo.com

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Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Mentorship of Health Profession Students:
A Content Analysis Exploring the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program
Kaye Thompson-Rogers
North Carolina Central University, USA
Dannielle Joy DavisSaint Louis University, USA
Denise Davis-MayeAlabama State University, USA
Claudine Turner
Sisters of the Academy Institute, USA

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Abstract
The medical profession, as well as allied health careers, in the United States continues toexperience a lack of diversity in terms of the number of African Americans practicing in thesefields. This work highlights a postsecondary program developed to increase the population ofBlack physicians and health care workers throughout the nation: the North Carolina Health
Careers Access Program. Data from this study centers upon multi-year evaluation reports andjournaling. Mentoring serves as the conceptual framework in interpreting content analysis ofthese reports and the current program director’s reflective notes. Recommendations for practice
center upon mentor training and cultivating stronger program mentoring relationships between
students, faculty, and staff.
Keywords: mentoring, mentor model, HBCU, medical school admission, health careers

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Introduction
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) emerged to meet the education andtraining needs of traditional African American students previously excluded from higher
education in the United States. These postsecondary institutions became centers of higher
learning that both educated and prepared group members to be contributors to theircommunities and the nation , and emphasized contributions their communities made (Cantey,
Bland, Mack, & Davis, 2011; Gasman, Nguyen, & Conrad, 2015). This paper describes theNorth Carolina Health Careers Access Program (NC-HCAP) at a historically Black college anduniversity (HBCU) located in North Carolina. The NC-HCAP program prepares minority
students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and pre-health fields to be
more competitive applicants when applying to medical schools, graduate and professional
programs. The purpose of this study centers upon offering a potential model for similar
mentoring efforts via review of the program history and outcomes of the featured initiative.
Literature Review
Research suggests that cultural environments employing a nurturing, supportive, family-likeatmosphere supports the academic and personal growth of students which contributes to student
academic success (Kendricks, Nedunuri, & Arment, 2013). HBCUs have cultivated this kindof environment and, as a result, have emerged as leaders in professional development andmatriculation of students into the health professions (Li, 2007). According to the U.S. Census
Bureau (2017), minorities comprised approximately 40% of the population of the UnitedStates: Blacks/African Americans (13.3%), American Indians (1.3%), and Hispanic Americans(17.8%). However, they account for merely 16.8% of the nation’s registered nurses, less than
10% of Ddoctor of Pharmacy enrollment, and approximately 9% of the physician workforce(Carter, Powell, Derouin, & Cusatis, 2015; Tejada, Parmar, Lang, & Ghogomu, 2015; Nivet &Castillo-Page, 2017). In other words, African American, Hispanic American, and American
Indian professionals collectively represented less than 20% of professionals in the healthsciences fields (Valentine, Wynn, & McLean, 2016). While these numbers highlight the
disparity in representation between the population of historically marginalized communities in
the United States and the population of health care providers from (and for) these communities,
it has been noted that HBCUs play an integral role in preparing professionals from thesecommunities for medical and health related service (Burrelli & Rapoport, 2008; United Negro
College Fund (UNCF), 2008; Gasman and Arroyo, 2014;; Gasman & Nguyen, 2016).
Mentoring, or transferring professional knowledge, skills, attitudes, and social capital from one
generation or person to another, has long served as an effective vehicle for educating andpreparing people for future careers (Davis, 2010). Rampton (2016) outlined several benefits of
having a mentor, including that mentors serve as trusted advisors who provide information andknowledge, create necessary boundaries for protégés, and provide an unfiltered opinion of
protégé ideas. He also suggested that mentors benefit protégés by sharing their experiences toimprove upon and areas to avoid, to encourage progress, and to stimulate personal andprofessional growth. Finally, mentors sponsored protégés by connecting them with personal
and professional networks, thereby offering their knowledge, skills, and achievements(Rampton, 2016).
Mentoring has been found to be particularly critical in the development of trainees, juniorfaculty, and early career investigators from under-represented backgrounds working inacademic research, medicine, and related disciplines. Pololi and Knight (2005) found that19

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mentoring contributed to an individual’s career development and personal growth in all fieldsof study and facilitated junior faculty developing personal, academic, and career management
skills, as well as a collegial network. They further found that mentoring in academia helped
junior faculty acclimate to their new environment by avoiding practices that lead to burnout,
while providing an effective means by which departments may address institutional anddepartmental needs for faculty retention and success (Pololi & Knight, 2005). Malmgren,
Ottino and Nunes Amaral (2010) revealed that, in terms of professional performance, both
protégés and mentors benefit from the mentoring relationship, with protégés more likely torank high in their performances ratings, receive higher salary, and promotions. Eby, Allan,
Evans, Ng and DuBois (2008) investigated mentoring relationships among youth in academics
and in the workplace, paying specific attention to whether the relationship between mentoringand individual outcomes were modified by the type of mentoring relationship. They found thatlarger amounts of validity were detected for the academic and workplace mentoring compared
to youth mentoring (Eby et al, 2008). Mentoring programs improved job placement and student
retention rates, engaged alumni, and provided an enriching college experience. Universities
and colleges with good mentoring programs ensured that mentors were knowledgeable,
effective, and had experience within diverse contexts, enabling them to offer support andassistance to meet the needs of novices (O’Brian, 2014).
Historically Black colleges and universities hold an extensive history of admitting andmentoring students from underserved and underrepresented communities (Gasman & Nguyen,2016). HBCUs were the first minority serving institutions established in the United States,
founded to provide access to quality education for Black students. While HBCUs enroll
students from all ethnicities, the constant throughout their 150 year collective history has been
students’ desires to be taught by mentors coming from the same backgrounds, experiencing thesame challenges, and holding success in their fields of study. Undergraduate and graduate
students have benefited from HBCUs and mentorship relationships available there by engaging
in opportunities and developing meaningful relationships with colleagues (2016).
Existing best practices
Chickering and Reisser (1993) suggested seven vectors of student identity development thatencourages practitioners to incorporate co- and extra-curricular initiatives with curricularlearning to educate the whole student (as cited in Patton, Renn, Guido, & Quaye, 2016).
Practices that promote access and affordability, academic achievement, as well as social andprofessional development were found to encourage persistence and graduation fromundergraduate institutions (Gasman & Arroyo, 2014). Mentoring has proven central to thesepractices. Faculty, professional staff, and administrators at HBCUs across the nation havementored students towards a more critical understanding of their curricular and social
experiences, guided career plan development using those experiences, and successful
introduction to their chosen professions (Griffin, 2012; Turner, Fries-Britt, & Snider, 2015).
HBCUs have been leaders in developing and implementing best practices to prepare students
from historically marginalized communities for careers in the health sciences. Three HBCUs(Howard University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Spelman College) were among thenation’s top ten undergraduate feeder institutions for African Americans applying to medical
schools in the United States (Association of American Medical Colleges [AAMC], 2016).
These universities combined academic, social, and financial support with intrusive advisement,
professional development, preparation for standardized professional school entrance exams,
internships, and varied mentoring initiatives.

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Howard University has been home to a combined bachelor’s and medical degree program. As
such, undergraduate students in the pre-medical program, identified as medical students, werementored by medical school faculty and students on a consistent basis. Early identification withthe professional community built student confidence and a sense of belonging (Howard
University, 2017). Faculty and medical school student mentors provide targeted individual andgroup reviews as well as tutoring, where they encourage and supervise students’ academic
skills and co-curricular enrichment activities (undergraduate research, shadowing, andinternship experiences, among others). Of Howard’s 126 Black participants, 111 applied to
medical school (88%). Howard’s medical school applicants represent 2.1% of all Blackapplicants to US medical schools (AAMC, 2016).
Likewise, Xavier University of Louisiana utilizes formal faculty mentoring and informal peer
mentoring to promote student success and secure standing as the nation’s third highest supplierof Black medical school applicants (AAMC, 2016). Xavier faculty collaborated on a uniform
set of freshman chemistry and biology courses and developed an early alert system to inform
advisors and faculty of students who might benefit from additional support in their core
prerequisite courses. Xavier faculty provided supplemental instruction for students in course
work and in Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation. Additional contact throughsupportive instruction external to the traditional classroom served as the foundation to formal
mentoring relationships. Further, faculty collaborated with professional advisors andcoordinators to provide intrusive advising and step-by-step guidance in the development of a
medical school application portfolio (including personal statements and faculty
recommendations, mock interviews, and a final review of medical school applicationmaterials). In addition, a supportive student environment has been fostered throughcollaboration within a cohort model that includes peer mentors, thereby facilitating peer-topeer learning and encouraging students to share responsibility in everyone’s success (HannahJones, 2015). Xavier’s commitment to mentoring recently produced 84 Black medical school
applicants out of 91 students. Xavier achieved a 92% rate of medical school application fromthat year’s cohort representing 1.6% of all Black applicants to US medical schools.
Spelman College, a women’s college, was the nation’s fourth largest supplier of African
American applicants to US medical schools in 2016, with 76 total Black applicants and 1.5%of all Black applicants to US medical schools (AAMC, 2016). Spelman mentors coordinatedand promoted introduction to the medical field through visits to healthcare facilities andprofessional schools; professional and paraprofessional training; and a health shadowing
program (Spelman College, 2017). Spelman has also been intentional about coordinating
recruitment fairs, campus visits, and lectures from medical school recruitment personnel.
Mentors exposed students to academic enrichment activities including undergraduate researchand professional school application workshops. Additionally, Spelman integrated the intrusive
advising and supplemental academic instruction necessary to support students in establishinggoals and preparing students to be competitive in medical school application process (Spelman
College, 2017).
This literature review suggests that the following are among the best practices employed by
HBCUs to prepare students for medical school admission: a purposeful, goal-directed, closeknit academic community; intrusive advising; intensive test preparation; intentional
preparation for the medical school application process; and mentoring. The mentoring
component is especially crucial for the following reasons:21

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1. It guides students in their preparation for the academic discipline and professional
training;
2. It inculcates students in a community of scholars and practitioners;
3. It celebrates students’ accomplishments.
The following section discusses strategies employed by the featured initiative, the North
Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) North Carolina Health Careers Access Program (NCHCAP), to prepare under-represented minority students to be competitive applicants forgraduate and professional programs in the health professions.
Significance of the Study
In recent years, getting into medical school has become more competitive. An application
surplus exists in medical school admission, with not enough colleges or universities to keep up
with the demand (Med School Admissions is Getting Too Competitive, 2015). Over the years,
the first author has had students with 4.00 GPAs score in the top percentile on the MCAT,
apply to sixteen or more medical schools, and not get an interview. This proves particularly
concerning and significant given America’s physician shortage of doctors of color (underrepresented racial minorities). Given the desperate need for increasing high quality health carein communities of color and unique medical and cultural characteristics that inform their degreeof well-being, the need of more culturally sensitive doctors and health care providers of racial
minority backgrounds is critical. This paper explores the program history and outcomes of one
initiative seeking to address the nation’s need for more Black doctors and health care
professionals: The North Carolina Health Careers Access Program.
Background of the Study
Dr. Cecil G. Sheps, a former physician at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina (NC), reviewed the state of North Carolina in 1971 and realized
the state had physicians, but a shortage of physicians of color. This shortage was mainly in therural and inner-city areas. Dr. Sheps knew that there had to be a solution. As he brainstormed
and discussed this situation with several colleagues, he developed an idea of how to address
the shortage. Sheps targeted minority and disadvantaged students to pursue health professions
as career options. He wanted students to be prepared academically to be competitive applicants
when applying to medical school and other health related graduate and professional programs.
This was the origin of the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program (NC-HCAP),
formally the North Carolina Manpower Development Program (Beecham-Green, 2011). The
program has been in existence for more than 40 years on the campuses of the University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, Elizabeth City State University, University ofNorth Carolina at Pembroke, and North Carolina Central University in Durham.
The Director of the Health Careers Center manages the North Carolina Health Careers Access
Program in the NCCU Health Careers Center. The goal of the NC-HCAP is to increase thenumber of under-represented and disadvantaged minority students pursuing careers in healthprofessions. Furthermore, it seeks to prepare students to be academically competitive
applicants when applying to medical and other health related graduate and professional
programs. In preparing students, NC-HCAP offers:
a. mentoring;b. academic and health career counseling;

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018c. health science seminars;
d. informational sessions/workshops;
e. graduate program seminars;
f. professional tests prep courses;
g. test-taking tips;
h. shadowing opportunities;
i. tours/site visits to health facilities/medical schools;
j. special presentations;k. conferences;l. study abroad;m. international experiences;
n. internships;
o. job placement;
p. other health related educational resources and materials.
Once students enroll, advisors in University College send a list of students interested in careers
in the health professions to the Health Careers Center. An e-mail is prepared and sent to
students providing information about NC-HCAP.
In 1988, the director of NC-HCAP on NCCU’s campus wanted students to have clinicalexperiences in an area of their health profession’s interest. She contacted numerous healthcare
facilities but found it difficult to locate agencies that were willing to accept undergraduate
students for clinical shadowing experiences. Determined not to give up, the director contacted
the Director of Duke University Hospital and Human Resources (DUH&HR). She explained
her situation and what she wanted her students to experience. During this conversation, shealso mentioned establishing a partnership with DUH&HR to provide clinical summer
internship opportunities for NCCU students. Students interested in medicine and other healthrelated areas would be eligible to apply for the internship based on certain criteria. Research
confirms that it is necessary for students interested in health professions to understand firsthand the day-to-day life of physicians and other health care professionals. Clinical shadowing
experiences are one of the most important components in preparing students for careers in thehealth profession (Johnson, 2011). The NC-HCAP director felt that adding this resource would
increase students’ probability of being more competitive applicants when applying tograduate/professional programs. Johnson (2011) holds that to be a competitive medical school
applicant a student must shadow a doctor at least once. He also recommended shadowing morethan one doctor if possible to give the student different perspectives (Johnson, 2011).
A partnership was developed between NCCU and DUH&HR. The DUH&HR director was
successful in contacting eight willing preceptors (teachers or instructors) willing to participate
in the program and supervise the NCCU undergraduate interns. As a result, in 1988 the ClinicalWork-Study Summer Health Program (CWSSHP) - now the Clinical Health Summer Program(CHSP) - began, and continues today (Thorpe, 1989). Thus, the academic resources, mentoring
and the Clinical Health Summer Program comprises the North Carolina Health Careers Access
Program.
Students interested in a career in the health professions complete a profile on their first visit to
the center, providing contact information, major, and career aspirations. Names are included
on the program listserv. Staff inform students of opportunities of their interest when the center
receives them. E-mails pertaining to health professions, recruiting events, internships,
jobs/fellowships, lectures, seminars, scholarships, and other health related opportunities are e-

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mailed to students on the list (Thompson-Rogers, 2016). The director provides academic andcareer counseling to all students interested in medicine and other health related careers.
Students interested in a career in the health professions are given a checklist for preparing for
medical school/health careers. The list is separated by classifications, beginning with whatcriteria are required by students during the freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior year tostay on track when preparing for medical school or other health related professions. All raceand ethnic groups are enrolled in the program.
The director of the NC-HCAP, who is also the University Pre-Health advisor, works withstudents preparing for graduate level health professional programs in medicine, dentistry,
physical therapy, occupational therapy, optometry, physician assistant, and other health-related
careers. The role of the University Pre-Health Advisor is to guide students on their paths to
medical school and other health related programs. Most universities that have a pre-healthadvisor also have an advisory committee that works closely with the Center and students.
Committee members craft letters for student applicants and send it to the pre-health advisor.
The letters are combined with the pre-health advisor’s letter to formalize the committee letter.
A committee letter from the pre-health advisor provides an all-inclusive description of theapplicant’s professional development and preparation. The letter also includes the student’s
perspectives and experiences. Medical School Admission Committees sometimes prefer and/or
require a committee letter. The committee letter gives the admission committee an overall
evaluation of the student from a group of professionals that know him or her. The letter
provides a detailed and precise assessment of the candidate. The committee letter carries anofficial endorsement from the college or university. This letter is only provided to students
with specific criteria (Nimonkar, 2017).
Mentoring components of the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program
The North Carolina Health Careers Access Program has several mentoring components: formal
staff-to-student mentoring relationships, peer-to-peer mentoring relationships, formal
professional mentoring relationships through the Clinical Health Summer Program, andinformal mentoring relationships. The formal staff - to - student mentoring relationship is afunction of the University College. Staff in the University College train the mentors. Mentoring
programs can be formal or informal. Formal mentoring programs have specific goals andpurposes, while informal mentoring is unstructured without goals and are based on personalneeds as they develop (Ross-Sheriff, Edwards, & Orme, 2017). Students who mentor otherstudents receive community service hours for their participation. NCCU requires all students
to complete 125 community service hours, which is mandatory before graduation. Mentors
associated with NC-HCAP are trained by staff in the Health Careers Center. The following
describes the mentoring programs in detail.
Formal staff-to-student mentoring relationships
As students enroll at NCCU, advising for freshmen begins in University College the first two
years of matriculation. University College is an academic success and enrichment departmentthat works with students to cultivate and enhance academic performance as they transition
through the first two years of their academic programs. Student engagement sessions, testtaking skills, stress management, time management, how-to-study, tutoring, and supplemental
instruction are offered during this phase. Formal staff-to-student relationships normally begin
during the first advising visit or once students receive a permanent advisor. The students meetwith this same advisor for two years, unless the advisor discontinues employment, transfers toanother position, or the student changes majors. University College advisors schedule
appointments to meet with students during the semester. These advisors keep a close

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relationship with their advisees/ protégées to make sure the students retain good grade point
averages (GPA) are attending classes, and are making use of resources if additional assistanceis required, such as tutoring. For students receiving an early warning grade (grade below a C),
the advisor contacts the student and discusses a plan to bring up the grade before the end of thesemester. Other alternatives might be to advise the student to drop the course if the advisor
feels the load should be reduced or the student feels it would be in his/her best interest to drop.
Once students complete the years in University College they transition to the department of
their major where they are provided an advisor within the department. Departmental advising
will be provided to students until graduation, unless the student changes majors.
Peer-to-peer mentoring relationships
The Health Careers Center implements peer-to-peer mentoring relationships. The purpose ofthis program is to provide guidance and positive influences to first-year students. The program
began in August 2015 and was implemented by the NC-HCAP director. Students are asked ifthey would like a peer mentor once they register with the Center. Peer mentors are juniors with
the Center who have registered to be a mentor and are assigned to first time freshmen or transfer
students. Normally the match is with two students in the same or similar disciplines. During
freshman matriculation, the junior mentor supports and encourages the freshman protégée in
his/her academic and personal growth. As relationships continue, the mentor becomes a friend
as well as a role model to the protégée. Mentors assist with study skills, improving social skills,
and setting career goals. The mentor also takes on other roles when mentoring. For instance,
listening to the protégée’s problems and making recommendations when needed. One of themost important objectives of the mentor is assisting the protégée with acclimating to college
life (Malmgren, Ottino, & Nunes Amaral, 2010). Mentors are asked to meet with the protégée
twice a week for two hours or more. Since its inception the program has had 53 mentors and
45 protégée participate. Mentors and protégée provide assistance to the Health Care Center
during special projects. Students receive community service hours for assisting the Center.
For peer-to-peer mentoring, the mentor or protégée has the option to continue the program
during the sophomore year and keep the same mentor, who will be a senior. The relationshipfollows the same process for that academic year. The mentor/protégée can withdraw from theprogram at any time without consequences. Sometimes, protégées would like to change
mentors. This request is permitted. Some of the protégées who have been mentored register tobe mentors when they become juniors and provide the same support that they received fromtheir mentors. This continuous cycle supports incoming NC-HCAP freshmen through their firsttwo years of enrollment at North Carolina Central University and prepares the protégée tosupport incoming NC-HCAP freshmen during their last two years of enrollment as a mentor(Thompson-Rogers, 2016).
Professional mentoring relationships
Professional mentoring relationships exist between the director of NC-HCAP and the students
with profiles registered with the Health Careers Center. The director mentors students byassisting them with making positive choices academically, taking ownership of their
responsibilities, cultivating life skills, developing core values, appreciating diversity/good peer
relationships, and assisting in graduate college preparations, all of which reflects the purposeand mission of the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program.
The director normally mentors 175 to 215 students each academic year. Students have a close
relationship with the director. The consistent increase in the number of students applying toparticipate in NCCU’s NC-HCAP indicates this program’s success. With specific reference to25

IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018the mentoring component of the program, participants mention the following academic andpersonal development milestones as benefits of the program via evaluations: increased selfconfidence; more objective and intentional views of their future; increased positive attitudes;
development of practical skills; increased employability; enhanced academic and study skills;
improved grade point averages and academic achievement; improved chances of application
to medical and professional study; and focus on their career aspirations. Professional
development mentoring components, such as career building workshops, seminars, and lectureattendance, reportedly improved participants’ comprehension, interviewing skills,
communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and soft skills (Thorpe, 1988).
The Clinical Health Summer Program
Another component of NC-HCAP mentoring lies within the Clinical Health Summer Program.
The Clinical Health Summer Program (CHSP) comprises a seven-week experiential learning
opportunity provided to eight eligible students. Eligibility is based on students enrolled in ahealth science or health related degree seeking program at NCCU. Applicants must have a 2.5
minimum grade point average, and have completed biology, chemistry, and math with at least
eight credit hours. Finally, students must be members of a racial group that is under-represented
in the health professions (i.e., African American, Native Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, andPacific Islanders) or from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Student
interns work at Duke University Hospital/Duke University Health Systems or at a private
practice in the Raleigh-Durham area for six weeks under the supervision of a licensed
healthcare professional in medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, public health, nursing,health administration, allied health, or veterinary medicine (as a preceptor). CHSP students are
exposed to various medical procedures based on their field of interest (i.e., neurology, physicaltherapy, pediatrics, cardiology, oncology, dermatology, urology, and endocrinology). The
seventh week consists of professional development activities including work on resumes,
personal statements, presentation skills, soft skills, and interview skills. During this final week,
they also attend field trips and scheduled science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM) and science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) seminars. The
program culminates with a ceremony where interns provide presentations on a topic of interest
to them during their internship.
The CHSP assures that interns acquire experience, knowledge, skills, professional judgement,
and remain interested in pursuing careers in the health profession (Thompson-Rogers, 2016).
Indicators of success for this component of the program include the eagerness of interns,
preceptors, and Duke University Medical System’s interest in expanding the program. For
instance, the Duke University Medical System requested that the internship be extended
beyond six weeks and that the numbers of interns be increased. In addition, many interns havebeen invited to continue the internship, volunteer, apply for employment, and/or offered otheropportunities (Thompson-Rogers, 2014). During site visits at placement agencies, preceptors
and their co-workers have complimented the effectiveness of the program and theprofessionalism of the interns (Thorpe, 1988). Preceptors further support the program and its
interns by writing recommendation letters for graduate and professional programs andproviding ongoing mentoring. The annual report for academic year 1989-1990 noted that sevenof the students participating in the Clinical Health Summer Program planned to continue theireducation and pursue a degree in the health profession. One student graduated and gained
employment with Duke University Medical Center (Thorpe, 1988).

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Informal mentoring relationships
The third mentoring phase is the relationship between students and faculty, staff, alumni, andstudent organizations. Some students who enroll at NCCU have a pre-existing relationship witha mentor. These mentors could be faculty, staff, alumni (K-12 teachers), sorority members,
church members, boys and girls club staff, staff working with summer NCCU STEM and
STEAM programs, or programs in neighboring communities. Students may request that theCenter match them with a mentor or students may seek their own mentors (Thompson-Rogers,
2014). The staff employed by the NC-HCAP work with students by providing resources toassist in achieving success in their academic programs.
Medical and health related graduate and professional matriculation
Annual reports offer a historical view of activities associated with the Health Careers Centerand the NC-HCAP. The 1989–1990 Annual Report notes the acceptance of six students into
medical programs, one into a dental program, and one into a pharmacy program for the 1989–
1990 academic year. Thorpe (1988) indicates that this was an increase from previous years.
Further indication of NCCU’s NC-HCAP success is the occurrence of past participants who
return to NCCU to assume tenured positions in the College of Arts and Sciences, where theNorth Carolina Health Career Access Program takes place (Thompson-Rogers, 2014).
Methods
Evaluation results from program reports serve as data for the study’s content analysis of
documents from 1989 to 2016. The population comprised undergraduate program participants.
In addition, journal notes from the current director of the featured program contributed tounderstanding the history and effectiveness of the initiative. The concept of mentorship served
as the conceptual framework used to view and interpret the data, as well as to form
recommendations. The constant comparative method of data analysis was employed.
Triangulation of data took place in terms of the use of both program reports and reflective
journaling. In addition, the use of reports from multiple years offers triangulation in terms oftime, thereby strengthening the study.
Results
Since its 1989–1990 annual report, the NC-HCAP program continues to show progress. For
instance, over the last five years, the student retention rate [shown in Table 1] rose from 69.2%
in 2009 to 80.6% in 2015. The rate has not met the projected goal, but continued to increase2009 - 2015, yet dropped to 77.7% in 2016.

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Table 1: Retention rates, 2009-2016 (freshman to sophomore year)
Cohort

Rate

Goal

2009

69.2%

70%

2010

67.7%

78%

2011

71.5%

79%

2012

73.2%

80%

2013

73%

80%

2014

79.8%

82%

2015

80.6%

82%

2016

77.7%

82%

Data collected by the College of Arts and Sciences further reveal that 34 students were admitted
to graduate and professional programs and 247 students completed internships. The following
academic year, 2013–2014, 40 students were admitted to graduate and professional programsand 221 participated in internships. In the 2014–2015 academic year, 45 students were admitted
into graduate and professional programs, while 103 were involved in internship opportunities.
In 2015–2016, 42 students were admitted to graduate and professional programs, with 99
students completing internships. Finally, during the academic year 2016–2017, 22 students
were admitted to graduate and professional programs and 118 students interned (Wilson &Nwosu, 2017). Mentoring contributed to this success as noted in personal communications tothe current program director.
Discussion
While the data suggest benefits to program participation, they also note areas of improvementin terms of the mentoring component of the featured initiative. While some sources advocate
mentoring relationships held between protégés and mentors who share ethnicity and culturalexperiences (Davis, 2010), the presumption is often that position and professional experiences
are sufficient preparation for practicing professionals to support and guide novices. Yet formal
mentors must be trained and engaged in practices that make mentoring relationships successful,and in fact mutually beneficial.
In addition, institutions should recruit Black faculty in STEM fields, which may encourage
confidence and, ultimately success of Black students via validation from experiencing
instruction and guidance from a faculty member possessing the same race. Historically Black
colleges and universities hold strong records in producing STEM undergraduates who pursue
graduate and professional degrees. This record has resulted in HBCUs being included among
the top twenty institutions awarding science and engineering bachelor’s degrees to Blacks from2006 to 2010.
Conclusion
While the target program discussed in this work realized success via increased numbers ofBlack students entering medical and health training programs/ careers, work in the area must
continue. The under-representation of members of marginalized groups of color in all health28

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018professions continues to exist today (AAMCNEWS, 2017). Though significant progress has
been made through the contributions of the NC-HCAP, students are still faced with multiple
challenges presenting barriers to successful navigation of the medical career trajectory. For
instance, some students struggled with attaining MCAT and Graduate Record Exam scores
which make them eligible to enter medicine and other health-related graduate and/or
professional programs. This reflects the dearth of rigorous science and math curricula in asignificant number of traditional K-12 schools in the U.S. and a lack of resources and training
for K-12 STEM educators serving minority populations.
The lack of representation of native speaking, under-represented ethnic groups among STEM
faculty in higher education presented another challenge for program participants of this study.
For instance, during program evaluations, students mentioned difficulty in understanding theaccented English of some foreign born faculty members as a barrier to learning (ThompsonRogers, 2014). However, these language barriers might be remedied via multifaceted modes ofsharing information from the mentor. Overall, mentoring at HBCUs is essential to insure
students’ successful navigation of their academic journeys, professional development, andeventual careers in medicine and allied health professions. Recommendations for practice
center upon further cultivating program mentoring relationships between students, faculty, andstaff at HBCUs.

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References
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Cantey, N. I., Bland, R., Mack, L. R., & Davis, D. J. (2011). Historically Black colleges anduniversities: Sustaining a culture of excellence in the twenty-first century. Journal of
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Carter, B. M., Powell, D. L., Derouin, A. L., & Cusatis, J. (2015). Beginning with the end inmind: Cultivating minority nurse leaders. Journal of Professional Nursing, 31(2), 95–
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Davis, D. J. (2010). The academic influence of mentoring upon African American
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Eby, L. T., Allen, T. D., Evans, S. C., Ng, T., & DuBois, D. (2008). Does mentoring matter?
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Gasman, M., Nguyen, T., & Conrad, C. F. (2015). Lives intertwined: A primer on the history
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Gasman, M., & Nguyen, T-H. (2016). Historically Black colleges and universities as leaders
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Griffin, K. A. (2012). Learning to mentor: A mixed methods study of the nature and influenceof black professors' socialization into their roles as mentors. Journal of theProfessoriate, 6(2), 27–58.

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Hannah-Jones, N. (2015, September 13). A prescription for more Black doctors. The New YorkTimes. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/a-prescriptionfor-more-black-doctors.html
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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2006). Health Careers Access Program
celebrates 35th anniversary [Press release]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov06/nchcap111406.htm
Thompson-Rogers, G. K. (2014). 2014 - 2015 Annual report of North Carolina Health Careers
Access Program: Clinical Health Summer Program. Durham, NC: Author.
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Health Summer Program (CHSP) Guidelines. Durham, NC: Author.
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Corresponding author: Dannielle Joy Davis
Contact email: djdavis@slu.edu

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Examining the Effects of Reflective Journals on Students’ Growth Mindset: A Case
Study of Tertiary Level EFL Students in the United Arab Emirates
Hinda Hussein
Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates

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Abstract
The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to examine the effects of reflective journals
on students’ learning, how they foster students’ growth mindset, and the students’ own
perceptions of the journaling process. To this end, 15 students enrolled in an introduction to
nutrition course participated in writing reflective journals about their eating habits with respect
to the course content. This research used a qualitative instrumental case study design and therequired data were collected from students’ journals and focus group interviews. A content
analysis approach was employed to examine the journals and this indicated that reflective
writing improves learners’ conceptual understanding of the course, promotes growth mindset,
and helps shed light on the students’ inner thoughts. The finding of this study revealed thatreflective journal writing has a significant impact on EFL learners’ understanding of concepts
and on fostering growth mindset.
Keywords: reflective journals, growth mindset, critical thinking skills, EFL learners

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Introduction
The current higher education environment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aligned withits business community, is moving towards preparing its students for the 21st century market(HCT, 2017). This entails focusing on building not just content and language, but developing
higher order thinking skills and growth mindset. The impact of reflective journals on learners
in higher education has been praised, studied (Korstange, 2016) and found useful. Reflective
journals have also been found to enhance the learning process as this practice bridges the gap
between what the learners are doing and what they should be doing (Cathro, O'Kane, &Gilbertson, 2017). It also develops students’ awareness of their own skills (Boud, Keogh, &Walker, 1998). Studies have shown that learning while reflecting on the metacognitive process
is an important way of learning, however, it is not spontaneously learned and it must be taught(Wallin & Adawi, 2017). Giving learners the opportunities to reflect on their learning is a
substantial way to focus learners and give them tools for improvement. Chau and Cheng (2012)
state that in the current literature of second language learning (L2), there is a significant effecton the development of learning in reflective writing. The importance of being cognitively
aware through reflection in higher education has been extensively covered in the literature.
Nevertheless, reflection journals may not increase students’ grades in content, but it enhances
their conceptualization of meaning and thinking skills (Murphy & Ermeling, 2016).
There is rather limited research on how EFL learners reflect on their learning when involvedin their academic content and their awareness of growth mindset. This is particularly true withstudents in the United Arab Emirates who are studying their content in English as a medium of
instruction. A practice of writing reflective journal by students, for this nutrition course, wasundertaken and a questionnaire was designed and conducted by the researcher to gather
information on students’ perceptions of the journal writing. This study will observe how thesereflective journals reveal students’ awareness of concept learning, mindset and move towards
growth mindset. The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of reflective journals on
students’ learning, how it fosters students’ growth mindset and their perceptions of the journal
writing. This research aims to answer the following questions:
1. Can reflective journals reveal students’ conceptual development?
2. Do reflective journals foster growth mindset?
3. What are students’ perceptions of their own growth mindset?
The drive for the current study was encouraged by the growing population of UAE citizens
studying a four year degree in an English medium. In this level of education, EFL learners needto improve their linguistic competency and their critical thinking skills. Research indicates that
language is more effectively learnt when the target language is in authentic use and contentbased language instructions (CBLI) are used (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). The term contentbased language instruction refers to an approach that integrates content and language learning.
Hence, use of a reflective journal is aimed at building learners’ content knowledge and theirthinking skills at the same time. This is in line with the current educational environment in the
UAE, which is geared towards preparing students for the 21st century market with the focus onbuilding not just content and language, but also developing critical thinking skills and growthmindset. Furthermore, there is a need for future research in examining EFL learners’ reflective
journal writing in the content classroom (Goris, Denessen, & Verhoeven, 2017).

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Literature Review
Reflective journals
Researchers view reflective journals as an instrumental tool for alerting and guiding students
towards improving their learning. Dewey (1933) was one of the first to write about reflection
in education. He stated that reflective thinking is “the active, persistent, and carefulconsideration of belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support
it and the further conclusions to which it ends” (p. 9). In 1987, Schon further explained theconcept of reflection as a conversation between thought and action. Reflective journals areused in many courses as written logs of students’ thoughts about specific concepts and theirlearning process (Thorpe, 2004). Other researchers stressed the importance of reflective
journals focusing on the process of learning in enhancing students’ performance rather than the
product (Park, 2003). Boud, Keogh, and Walker (1998) further explain the significant impactof the reflection on the actual process of the learning at a deeper level.
Other authors such as Sumsion & Fleet (1996) state that reflective processes allow the learners
to be “looking back on experiences, decisions and actions; recognizing values and beliefs
underlying these actions and decisions; considering the consequences and implications ofbeliefs and actions; exploring possible alternatives; and reconsidering former views” (Sumsion& Fleet, 1996, p. 121). With reflection, people are usually engaged in a period of thinking
within which they examine complex experiences or situations. Moreover, it is suggested thatin addition to the reflection embedded in the practice, reflective writing provides a measure of
the writer’s L2 ability (Hyland, 2007). Importantly:
By engaging in reflection people are usually engaging in a period of thinking inorder to examine often complex experiences or situations. The period of thinking(reflection) allows the individual to make sense of an experience, perhaps toliken the experience to other similar experiences and to place it in context. Facedwith complex decisions, thinking it through (reflecting) allows the individual toseparate out the various influencing factors and come to a reasoned decision orcourse of action. (Clarke & Graham, 1996)
Theoretical framework
Journaling is utilized as an exercise for reflection and a tool for teaching, learning, and researchwithin education and in academic fields (Fabriz, Ewijk, Poarch, & Buttner, 2014). This study
uses Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle or Reflective Model (1988), which is a theoretical model forreflection often taken as a framework for reflective writing in coursework assignments that
require reflection stressed within the learning process of the course. The model has six stages,
usually displayed as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Description
Feelings
Evaluation
AnalysisConclusion
Action Plan.

This study has taken Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (adapted by Bulman and Shultz, 2013) as its
frame because of its clear and elaborated stage settings which can give learners an opportunity
to reflect on their experience, and to understand what they did well and what they could do

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018better in the future. Gibbs’ model stems from an earlier theoretical model formulated by Kolb
(1984) as an experiential learning model, depicting learning through experience. Kolb’s model
constitutes a four-stage experiential learning cycle (Kolb, 1984). Referred to, sometimes, as an
iterative model, the version of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle given to students may be slightly
adapted.
Growth mindset
According to psychologist Dweck’s (2006) research, there are two mindsets: a fixed mindset
and a growth mindset. Students with a fixed mindset believe that abilities are innate and cannot
be enhanced. On the other hand, growth mindset learners believe that effort can bring a positivechange and that challenges are ways to improvement if one focuses on the effort and process
not just product. Figure 1 outlines the two mindsets.

Figure 1: Two Mindsets Chart(Dweck (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success, p. 245.
New York: Random House.)
This research study supports that these two mindsets are not permanent in that learners can be
guided to move from a fixed mindset to growth mindset. This change of the mindset requiresa learning effort and does not happen accidently. Dweck (2015) acknowledges that everyone
has a combination of both mindsets, but cautions that there is a need to be aware of when the
fixed mindset appears in the behavior.
Other researchers who embraced reflection with growth mindset and applied it in the classroom
associate reflection and metacognition to development (Davis, 2016). This research reports thatreflective thinking is one of the ways of moving these mindsets from fixed to growth mindset.
Boyd (2014) characterizes Dweck’s work on growth mindset as “a transformative and37

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irrevocable way of thinking about something . . .” (p. 29), and a source of qualitatively new
outlooks of learning and for course design.
Related work
Current research reports the significance of writing reflective journals (Wallin & Adawi, 2017).
However, Wallin and Adawi point out that, in higher education, most of reflective writing
research comes from teacher education and nursing. Supported by the work of these researchersand other examples of reflective journal writing, this study aims to fill part of the gap byexamining the impact of students’ journal writing thoughts on the value of journaling. The
theoretical underpinning of this paper, therefore, is broadly based on concepts contained in
Gibbs’ 1988 reflective model and practice. It also draws from Dweck’s growth mindset andthe insights that have emerged out of the data gathered for this study.
Methodology
This research paper is based on an empirical research designed as an instrumental case study.
This approach gives the study a potential output to provide insight and understanding into thephenomenon of students’ reflective journals and the impact these reflective writings have on
learning. Stake (1995) justifies the case study approach as it gives the researcher an opportunity
to notice the natural life. Encouraged by such testimony, this research’s qualitative approach isdesigned to understand more about the students’ learning process through reflective
journalling. Because the case study method simulates a representation of an actual situation,
Merriam (1998) confirms its usefulness: “Anchored in real-life situations, the case study results
in a rich and holistic account of a phenomenon” (p. 41). This qualitative case study research
applied two methods of data collection: documents (reflective journals) and focus groupinterviews. A variety of information sources is used to ensure the use of triangulation, which
enhances the validity of the study. This approach is in alliance with those promoting the use ofmultiple methods, including observation, interview and document review, in a qualitative casestudy research (Stake, 1995).
This type of design in methodology is appropriate because it is flexible in its nature and suitable
for the unpredictability of the findings (Stake, 1995). In qualitative research, the focus is onwhat meaning and understanding participants attribute to their experiences. Stake notes “a casestudy cannot be defined through its research methods, but rather in terms of its theoreticalorientation and interest in individual cases” (Stake, 2000, p. 435). The questions for thereflective journals were modeled with a growth mindset in design, and were about describing,evaluating and analyzing the situation.
Participants and study design
This research used convenient participant samples – the researcher’s students. The participants
were 15 female students who were Emirati nationals and between the ages of 19 and 23. They
were studying in a bachelor program in a public tertiary institution in the United Arab Emirates(UAE). This institution has more than 23,000 students and offers various English-taught
programs in Applied Communication, Business, Computer and Information Science,
Engineering Technology and Science, Health Sciences, and Education. All programs aredesigned in consultation with business and industry leaders to ensure that students’ skills arejob-relevant and to the highest standards. This course, requiring the reflective journals, is a 16
week nutrition course for the bachelor degree. Most of the students are in their second year ofcollege, which is the time they are required to take this general elective course in their program
structure. In this English medium program, enrolled students (whose native language is Arabic)

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are required to pass English proficiency tests such as the International English Test (IELTS)
and/or theTest of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to be admitted to the bachelor
programs. Students had also taken three academic English courses in their first year to improvetheir English competency. As part of the course assessment students write a reflective journalof a minimum length of 200 words concerning their eating habits and in relation to the content
of the course. Participants submitted the reflective journal by week 8 of the 16-week semester.
Before they started writing, participants responded ‘yes’ to the question of whether or not they
were familiar with journal writing. They were familiar with journal writing as it was introduced
during their foundation English courses. Nevertheless, the researcher gave a brief orientationand explained about the process of reflective journals. Journals from 15 (one class)participating students were analyzed. The themes that emerged from the reflective journals
were examined to better understand students’ growth mindset in relation to their understandingof the course content and their personal experiences of the reflective process.
The participants wrote a reflective journal in week eight of a sixteen-week semester (seeAppendix A). The questions for these reflective journals were modeled with a growth mindset
in design. Participants were familiar with journal writing in English courses, but have not done
it in a content class. An induction of topic preparation was needed and conducted before thestart of the writing. Later, a focus group interview was carried out to understand if the reflective
journals helped students comprehend the concepts better, enhanced their growth mindset, andto draw out student perceptions (see Appendix B). A group of five students voluntarily
participated in the focus group.
Data collection
This study used two ways of gathering the qualitative data: reflective journals and a focus groupinterview. In addition to being data collection methods, reflective journals and focus groups
also serve as a strategy for research when trying to find how a perspective of a problem isformed (Mertens, 2009).
Reflective journals
The main source of data was the reflective journals (see appendix A). There were practicalreasons for using journal writing in this study. It was imperative that students in the nutrition
class, who were engaged in learning about food and health, reflect on what they are learningand how it is related to them on a personal level. Furthermore, studies suggest that journal
writing encourages students to reflect (Fabriz, Ewijk, Poarch, & Buttner, 2014) and to learncontent, and that “reflective diaries can focus on learning content or behavior” (Wallin &Adawi, 2017, p. 2). The data from the journals was anonymised for ethical considerations. The
journals were identified by number (S1, S2, S3,…). The researcher, who is also the instructorof the course, described the research to students and got their verbal agreement, but no signed
consent forms were collected.
Focus group interview
The second set of data for this study came out of a focus group interview (see Appendix B)
which took place a couple of weeks after completing the journal writing. The two weeks gave
time for students to process their learning, and to take a concept based quiz planned within thecoursework. The researcher chose the focus group interview to evoke students’ perspective andhave them actively engage in an exchange of information (Mertens, 2009). The focus groupinterview would provide an opportunity that allows students to express their views and reflect
on their learning. Other methods, such as a questionnaire, could not offer that kind of
information exchange. One objective of the focus group interview was also to determine

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whether participants went on with writing reflectively beyond the class assignment and study
exercise. Another objective was to ascertain whether there was perceived merit in reflective
writing using the Gibbs reflective cycle. Prior to organizing the focus group, the researcher ofthis study informally discussed in an open conversation with students about their experience
with reflective journals. Five questions guided the follow-up focus group interview (seeAppendix B). The interview was conducted with a group of five students. The interview session
was recorded using audio recorder and was later transcribed. The researcher took notes withthe aim of capturing any evidence of paralinguistic clues such as nods of agreement or
disagreement, which added additional dimension to the transcript.
Reflective journal coding
The coding process of this study was guided by an inductive approach based on Gibbs’ modelof reflective learning. Gibbs’ six-stage model would later be used to frame the thematic coding.
This qualitative content analysis, using an inductive approach thoroughly discussed in theliterature (Merriam, 1998), has followed Gibbs’ model of reflective learning (Figure 2). The
researcher further used Creswell’s suggestions of thinking about the data and its generalmeaning and recording ideas and thoughts (Creswell, 2007). Data was analyzed concurrently
with data collection (Miles, Huberman, & Saldana, 2014). At the first stage, a number was
assigned to each student to protect students’ identities and initial open codes were allocated toeach recurrent word or phrase with a particular idea. Then, the researcher used axial coding
and grouped the ideas into the following topical categories: description, emotions, evaluation,
and action. After completing this stage, the researcher further examined the data using selective
coding and began to merge the recognized categories into three distinct themes by considering
the meaning of each theme and how it is connected to the process of reflection. This resulted
in an augmentation (Kember, Wong, & Leung, 1999) of the data which helped in organizing
each theme and reflection. This helps the researcher in organizing the data. (Glesne, 2011).

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Figure 2: Reflective Learning Model(Bulman and Schultz (2013). Reflective Practice in Nursing, p. 232. Wiley-Blackwell)
After the data were carefully analyzed, three major themes emerged from the categorization of
topics:1. Specific learning experience,
2. Connection to the experience
3. Changes due to the process.
The first theme entails a discussion of the participants’ understanding of their specific learning
experience. This is followed by a look at their personal connection to the experience as thesecond theme. Finally, the third theme marks the changes that occurred due to this process. The
various models of reflective learning from Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning, to Gibbs (1988)
reflective model, to the adaptation of Gibbs’ model by Bulman and Shultz (2013) support thesethree themes as key aspects of the reflection process that should be experienced by students(Korstange, 2016).
Data Analysis and Results
The themes that arise from the data of this research clearly respond to the research questions
presented at the beginning of the study.
Research question 1: Is there an impact of reflective journals on conceptual development?
In theme one, which constituted remarks on specific learning experience, it is evident in thedata as shown in the excerpts below that, through reflection, many participants demonstrated
making sense of learning the content as the concepts and theories became embedded in41

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their writing about their eating habits. The excerpts exhibit students’ responses withaccurate and specific knowledge of the content of the units studied.
S1: Because of my food diary was focused in simple carbs, but I will concentrate to
an intake of more complex carbohydrate by adding on my meals more vegetables
and there is a wide variety of them I did not include in my diet such as Broccoli andasparagus which gives me a fiber.
S2: I would like to be away from simple sugars and starches that will help my bodyto be healthier
S6: By Return to daily food it's clear to see that my food need more of bothcarbohydrate that’s mean simple carbohydrate and complex carbohydrates. If we
eat large amounts of carbohydrates, it will negatively affect our health, for example
gaining excess weight. If it falls short of the limit, the body needs energy to work so
there will be no energy will indicate the body is idle.
S5: So I will replace fast food by eating vegetables every day, because it is thevegetables are a nutrient-rich, low-calorie, high-quality carb. Eating vegetables
helps me meet your vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and folate needs.
But then we have three student responses below which are indicative of a learner who has
general knowledge, but not concrete information.
S3: I should add more vegetables, cause it contain a huge amount of vitamins likevitamin B-6, vitamin A and vitamin C to my lunch and dinner, beside I should takenot less than 100 mg of mineral a day like fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, legumes,
whole grains to balance my diet.
S15: it’s better to not take supplement because the high proportion of vitamincaused problem in the body
S11: Improving your intake of carbohydrates and fiber means you will need to start
selecting wholesome, non-processed foods. These foods are not refined and they
are found in their natural form.
It is at this stage that students receive feedback to guide them back to the units. One common
theme in students’ responses was that the units that dealt with starches, vitamins and minerals
were not well understood by students and thus required more explanations by the teacher. To
this end, there is a display of a clear impact of reflective journals on the students’ conceptual
development.
Research Question 2: Do reflective journals foster growth mindset?
The second theme that is evident in the data is the notion of connecting to the experience. Prior
to fostering the growth mindset, Dweck informs researchers that it is important to comprehend
students’ mindset (Dweck, 2006). In the context of this study, participants candidly described
their eating habits and factors that affected those habits. Nevertheless, a close examination ofparticipants’ responses indicates that a number of them came with a fixed mindset about theireating habits, as illustrated in the following excerpts:
S4: I have many bad eating habits. For example, I usually stay awake at night, I
am a night person which makes me hungry so I like to eat chips and order fast foodto satisfy my hunger.

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S7: I like sugar a lot, all my family like it and my mother bakes all the time. We
have a lot traditional sweets in our house. I eat it when I go to my grandmotherhouse.
S9: I don’t know. I tried before to eat healthy, but it never works. I always quit. I
tried many diet, but fail.
S3: Every Friday we go to grandmother’s house. I love her food, it is rich. We eat
a lot.
S4: If one day I went out with my friends to the fast food restaurants, in eachrestaurant their healthy options I can select from these healthy meals. if there is
not I can order a grilled burger with lettuces instead of white bread. I can also add
extra vegetables on my meals, or I can order a salad instead of sandwiches thatwould contain complex carbs. I can ask for brown bread or grain whole one insteadof white bread or white pasta.
S4: Of course it is very difficult to change my eating habits, but if I want to do that
I must try to change these habits more than once and without giving up. The firstthing I should do when I feel hungry I make a salad made up of vegetables that I
love and try not to order from fast food restaurants. At lunch eat salad with a little
rice because the rice also important to my body.
S6: There are many people trying to change their eating habits to become healthier
and without disease. I want to change my eating habits, for example reducing thefast food because it is make me fatter and Increases the incidence of diseases. So I
will replace fast food by eating vegetables.
This kind of reflection must precede the development of growth mindset because it transforms
the experience into genuine learning about the individual values and goals and about larger
social issues. Students’ writing repeatedly exhibited discontent with their eating habits, which
created an opportunity for a shift of these habits to a positive direction. In this nutritionallypersonal context, it is encouraging for students to write so freely and connect to their personal
experiences. This practice allows the learners to relate facts and connect with them. This is a
step in the right direction of analyzing the information and moving towards mind shift (Boyd,2014). The researcher sees a shift towards growth mindset in the making as the participants
discussed steps they could and will do in the future. This study shows that reflective journals
can successfully serve as a mechanism to foster growth mindset.
Research Question 3: What are students’ perceptions of their own growth mindset?
The students’ feelings and perceptions of their own reflective journals were explored from thefocus group interview responses. Four out of the five who voluntarily participated in the focus
group interview discussed their views about their growth mindset. Respondents strongly
recognized the importance of writing reflective journals towards understanding their potential
for growth as illustrated in the excerpts below. However, one student found journaling andwriting, in general, an unpleasant experience because of the effort required, but would have
liked to discuss the journal questions in an informal open discussion instead. The findings
showed that most participants realized the benefits of reflective writing as the following
excerpts of student writings illustrated.
S2: I learned a lot. I think I can change
S6: I believe I can improve and do better
S9: I know now that I have think positive to change. Usually I don’t think I can, but
now I think I can
S3: I will make changes slowly day by day

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Discussion
The current research established the efficacy of journal writing for EFL nutrition students. The
purpose of this research was to answer if writing reflective journals could enhance students’conceptual learning, foster their growth mindset, and to gauge their views of the process ofjournaling. The first research question focused on finding out students’ understanding of theprinciple concepts of the nutrition course. This question was addressed by analyzing students’reflective journals using a qualitative content analysis approach (Merriam, 1998). The results
suggest that journal writing positively improved students’ learning of the concepts as can beseen from excerpts of students’ writing. It clearly indicated those who understood the concepts
and gave an opportunity for the others to review the concept.
The second question was posed to investigate if learners’ reflective journals about their eating
habits could foster growth mindset. To answer this question, students answered a questionnaire(see Appendix A), which showed that a number of the learners had a fixed mindset in regard
to their eating habits. This was exhibited through their writing. This understanding is crucial atthis point as students gain deeper understanding of their thoughts, which ultimately paves theway for moving from fixed to growth mindset (Boyd 2014).
As discussed earlier, in order to answer the second question, five students were invited toparticipate in a focus group interview to gather their views on writing journals (see Appendix).
They all agreed that the use of reflective writing was informative as one of the students
summarized. Previous studies varied in how they approached the role of reflective journal
writing. Some studies focused on allowing students to reflect on new knowledge learned inclass, reinforce their learning experience by recording their thought process as they progress
further in the course (Wallin & Adawi, 2017). Other studies have used it for language
development (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). It can also teach them to formulate new opinions
and perspectives, and gives them a risk free venue to explore, think, and practice skills learnedin class. The present study explored self-evaluation, intellectual growth and self-awarenessresulting from the process of reflective journaling. The current study provides evidence thatreflective journals improve learners’ conceptual knowledge, promote growth mindset, andenhance understanding their thoughts through writing. Reflective journal writing holds asignificant advantage for EFL learners studying content.
Conclusion and Implications
This study examined the effort of reflective journal writing of learners’ conceptual
development, fostering of growth mindset, and understanding students’ perceptions of thejournaling process. Reflecting allows a deeper comprehension of the specific experience,
concepts learned and offered some new insight to this phenomenon. This paper described theroute taken by learners through the process of learning and understanding about their own
thoughts, their current mindset and the road towards growth mindset. The findings from thequalitative data analysis clearly show that the use of journaling could positively enhance
student’s learning process. A number of themes were visible in the documents and the focus
interview that could develop learner’s critical thinking skills and meta-cognitive skills. These
results have important implications for the EFL student in a content classroom as it contributes
to the development learners’ skills in understanding concepts and their growth mindset.
Similarly, it could have significance to teachers’ development as they design, deliver lessons
and develop materials.

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After interpreting the results, two limitations were faced. One of the limitations of this study isthat the sample size was small, therefore, future similar research should be done on a larger
sample. Another limitation is the fact that there was only female representation and it would
be interesting to investigate how male learners would use reflection writing.

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References
Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (Eds.). (1998). Reflection: Turning experience into
learning. London: Routledge.
Boyd, D. E. (2014). The growth mindset approach: A threshold concept in course redesign.
Journal on Centers for Teaching & Learning, 6, 29–44.
Bulman, C. & Schultz, S. (2013). Reflective Practice in Nursing. Wiley-Blackwell.
Cathro, V., O'Kane, P., & Gilbertson, D. (2017). Assessing reflection: Understanding skill
development through reflective learning journals. Education & Training, 59(4), 427–
442. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-01-2017-0008
Chau, J., & Cheng, G. (2012). Developing Chinese students’ reflective second language.
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Clarke, D. J., & Graham, M. (1996). Reflective practice: the use of reflective diaries byexperienced registered nurses. Nursing Review, 15(1), 26–29.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Davis, V. W. (2016). Error reflection: Embracing growth mindset in the general musicclassroom. General Music Today, 30(2), 11–17.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1048371316667160
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Amherst, NY: Prometheus (Original work published 1910).
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: the new psychology of success. New York: Random House.
Fabriz, S., Ewijk, C. D., Poarch, G., & Buttner, G. (2014). Fostering self-monitoring ofuniversity students by means of a standardized learning journal – a longitudinal study
with process analyses. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 29(2), 239–255.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-013-0196-z
Fulwiler, T. (1986). Seeing with journals. English Record, 32(3), 6–9.
Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. London: FEU.
Glesne, C. (2011). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction (5th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.
HigherColleges of Technology, (2017).
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https://doi.org/10.1348/000709999157752
Korstange, R. (2016). Developing growth mindset through reflective writing. Journal ofStudent Success and Retention, 3(1).

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Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mertens, D. M. (2009). Research methods in education and psychology: Integrating Diversity
with quantitative and qualitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis (3rd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Murphy, D. L., & Ermeling, B. A. (2016). Feedback on reflection: comparing rating-scale andforced-choice formats for measuring and facilitating teacher team reflective practice.
Reflective Practice International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 17(3), 317–333.
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Park, C. (2003). Engaging students in the learning process: The learning journal. Journal of
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Schon, D. A. (1987). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York:
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Corresponding Author: Hinda Hussein
Email: hhussein1@hct.ac.ae

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Appendix A
Journal Questions:
1.

What do you think your general eating habits are like?

2.

What things affect the way you eat?

3.

What do you think about the quality of your carbohydrates intake?

4.

What would you change in your eating habits?

5.

How would you make these changes? What could you include? Think practically.

6.

If you eat out, how could you make sure you have a better intake of food?

7.

Do you think your current diet gives you enough vitamins and minerals? Why, why not?

8.

How could you get more quality vitamins and minerals into your diet?

9.

What do you think is the long term effect of not having enough vitamins and minerals?

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Appendix B
Focus Group Interview Questions:
Prior to the focus group: 5 students voluntarily participated. Researcher explained to them toanswer honestly and that there are no right or wrong answers, just what they think:
Mindset Questions
1. Did answering questions in the journal help you understand the concept?
How?
If no, Why?
2. Have the journal questions make you think or change your health habits?
3. How did the journal reflection writing help you think differently?
4. How did you feel about writing the journal?
5. Would you do similar journal in your other classes? Why?

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Appendix C
Open codes
Axial Codes
Categories
White bread, brown bread, simple &complex
whole grains, soda, milk,
carbohydrates, fiber,
laban, yogurt, candy bars,
vitamins, minerals;
Dairy product;
Time, sleep, wake up late,
Not having enough time
get up late class time,to eat breakfast or cook. Description ofcurrent
homework, tests, busy,
Busy with homework
situation
Family, friends, school
and assignments.
meals, canteen, snack
Grab anything I canmachines, coffee machine, find.
unhealthy snacks, junkUnhealthy food in thefood traditional meals,
college.
grandmother cooking/visits
the way I eat; I can’t watch
TV or online series without
eating snacks.
Feel bad, depressed, badmood, stressed, guilty, myeating is bad; feel guilty
after eat lot of snacks; feelvery bad; feel bored,
nothing to do;Peer pressure, weight gain,skin problems, clothes
don’t fit', no energy, tired
all the time, focus
problems in class, tried
diets before it never works.
My mood can really affect.

Eating unhealthy foods
and feeling bad about it.
Bad moods negatively
affects choice of food.
Family & friends
pressure of food.
Having eight gain;
Lack of energy;
Inability in focusing on
studies;

Change, I should, I can I
will, I can replace,try to cook healthy food,
fix my habit, for my skin.

Specific Learning
Experience

Emotions
NeutralPositive
Negative
Evaluation

Action50

ThemesConnection toExperience
Connection toExperience

Changes to theProcess

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School Administrators’ Competencies for Effective English Language Teaching and
Learning in Thai Government Primary Schools
Singhanat Nomnian
Mahidol University, Thailand
Thithimadee Arphattananon
Mahidol University, Thailand

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Abstract
This study aims to explore school administrators’ insights into the key competencies that play
an important role in achieving success in English language teaching and learning at government
primary schools in Thailand. The study employed semi-structured interviews with six school
administrators, including four principals and two head teachers of foreign language
departments from Bangkok and five regions in Thailand. Based on SEAMEO INNOTECH’s(2015) Success Competencies of Southeast Asian School Heads, the results reveal that school
administrators’ essential competencies include strategic thinking and innovation, managerial
leadership, instructional leadership, personal excellence, and stakeholder engagement. These
competencies are overlapped, interconnected, and underpinned by complex factors including
school administrators’ visions and administrative policies, English as a medium of instruction,
Thai teachers, foreign teachers, teacher professional development, students’ learning
behaviors, learning materials and ICT, English language development activities, family
engagement, and the strong support of the Ministry of Education. These factors are notmutually exclusive; they are, rather, interwoven in the sophisticated educational networks that
require consistent and mutual collaborations from all relevant stakeholders who will gear the
students towards English language learning success. School administrators’ competencies andleadership skills should be enhanced for effective administration. Professional learning
community partnerships need to be initiated and strengthened for long-term collaborations inorder to enhance sustainable development of English language teaching and learning in primaryeducation in Thailand.
Keywords: competencies, English language teaching and learning, government, primaryschools, school administrators

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Introduction
English, one of the designated foreign languages core curriculum documents, is a compulsory
and foundation subject for all Thai students at government primary schools in Thailand.
Primary education students’ acquisition of English as a foreign language (EFL) can provide a
crucial stepping stone for their English proficiency development and intellectual growth. From
Nomnian’s (2013) review of the 2008 Core National Curriculum with regard to English
language education policies, there are a number of changes and challenges both internal andexternal that require development in the school curriculum, language education policies andteaching approaches in order to meet national and international standards for the success ofThai primary school students.
It is undeniable that primary education provides a strong foundation for English acquisition inorder to promote higher English proficiency and instill positive attitudes towards English forprimary school students. Thai primary school students’ English language proficiency andperformance is assessed against the standardized Ordinary National Educational Test (O-NET)
under the supervision of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS), which
can demonstrate school accountability, promote school competition, monitor students’ learning
outcomes, assess education quality levels, and meet with related educational standards criteria(UNESCO, 2014). However, O-NET English results have revealed primary school students’
low English proficiency for nearly the past decade (see Figure 1).

38.37

36.99

31.75

36.61
31.42

32.88

2013

2014

31.11

32.73

32.54

2017

Mean

20.99

2009

2010

2011

2012

2015

2016

Figure 1: Average Scores of O-NET English for Primary Education (Grade 6) 2009-2017(Data Source: National Institute of Educational Testing Service)
Figure 1 chronologically illustrates fluctuations in primary school students’ annual averagescores in English which have not exceeded the national expected minimum of 50 points out of100. These scores are indicative of the undesirable outcomes and unmet goals of English
language teaching and learning at primary school education in Thailand. Prapphal (2008)
argues that educational quality and standards at various stages in the teaching and assessment
process can be achieved by enabling teachers, learners, administrators and stakeholders, or end
users to recognize the purposes, nature, benefits and drawbacks of each testing and assessment
method when evaluating English language learning outcomes.

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There are challenges encountered by Thai teachers who have low language proficiency and noprior training in the learner-centered and communicative language teaching approaches,
underpinned by certain impeding factors such as teacher, learner, institutional, internal andexternal factors (Tongpoon-Patanasorn, 2011). Nomnian’s study (2012), for instance, claims
that Thai primary school English teachers who have not majored in English prefer “standard”
or “native-like” English pronunciation to teach students. In addition, these teachers experiencechallenges in teaching primary school students whose language learning behaviors, inhibitions,age, parental dependence, ethnicity, and linguistic differences hinder the students’ English
proficiency development (Nomnian, 2012).
Kaur, Young, and Kirkpatrick (2016) suggest the following five strategies to improve English
language teaching in Thailand: learning English informally through print media, the Internet,
radio and television; engaging teachers in educational planning at a national level; establishinga network for local English teachers to organize seminars, presentations and training sessions
for other teachers to gain English knowledge and skills; expanding bilingual schools byrecruiting qualified foreign teachers; and increasing teachers’ salaries based on their English
skills and teaching abilities. It is also important to be aware of English as a lingua franca (ELF),
which is the official working language of ASEAN. English teachers should employ more
realistic and practical teaching approaches among Thai primary school students who willcommunicate with other non-native speakers within the Southeast Asian region.
Although pedagogical implications have been suggested to enhance English language teaching
and learning at primary school education, Thailand’s language education policies have been
relatively inconsistent due to political instability. Under the current government led by Prime
Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, there have been a number of initiatives such as bootcamps and digital English resources and innovations to boost English skills and proficiency for
all education levels in Thailand. Part of the impetus is because English is agreed by the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member nations to be a working language
within Southeast Asia, and the Thai government is highly aware that to gain internationalpresence and be competitive within the region, English language education needs to be
introduced from primary school levels.
Baker and Jaruntawatchai (2017), however, argue against the over-emphasis of English
language education policies underpinned by native-speaker ideology and Anglo-centric models
of English. In early 2016, the government used its special administrative powers to thecentralized educational system by promoting a more top-down management model that wasclaimed to ease policy implementation in spite of the red tape, bureaucratic, traditional, andhierarchical structure (Oxford Business Group, 2016). Located in EFL academic settings,
educational institutions in Thailand should promote English-medium instruction and mediatedteaching materials (Forman, 2016). The Education Minister, Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, has set
a new standard for English teaching and learning based on the Common European Frameworkof Reference for Languages (CEFR). CEFR is an international standard for assessing teachers’
and learners’ English language abilities by striving for all Grade 6 (Prathom Suksa 6) graduatesto achieve the A2 level (pre-intermediate level) with frequently used expressions, and to beable to express themselves in English in everyday situations within five years (Fredrickson,2016). Despite the fact that a large amount of the budget has been allocated for English
language teaching reforms, initiatives and innovations by the Ministry of Education (MoE),
students’ English proficiency is under-achieved (Kaur, Young, & Kirkpatrick, 2016).

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English language education policies, such as Thailand 4.0 proposed by the current government,
have been implemented nationwide at public primary schools. School administrators play anessential administrative role in educational policy implementation that can promote teaching
and learning capable of driving schools in a more effective direction in order to meet thenational education goals. Key competencies of school administrators’, including school
principals and head teachers, for effective English language teaching and learning are underexplored. Funded by the Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC), this present study
aims to draw on school administrators’ perceptions of the competencies that lead to desirable
English language learning and teaching. Affected by the current political uncertainties andEnglish education reform, this study highlights key challenges and provides some practical
recommendations for the government and the Ministry in terms of educational policies,
planning, and administration for strengthening primary English language education in
Thailand.
Literature review
The conceptual framework of this present study draws on Success Competencies of Southeast
Asian School Heads: A Learning Guide, developed and proposed by the Southeast Asian
Ministry of Education Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology. The
framework (Figure 2) suggests five key competencies including strategic thinking andinnovation, managerial leadership, instructional leadership, personal excellence, andstakeholder engagement (SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2015).
Designed by Nomnian (2018)
Stakeholder
Engagement

Personal
Excellence

Schooladminister's
competencies

Instructional
Leadership

Strategic
ThinkingandInnovation

Managerial
Leadership

Figure 2: Five Competencies of School Administrators(Data Source: SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2015)
In terms of the competences, first primary school administrators must be equipped withstrategic thinking and innovation that accommodates with the rapid change of newtechnological advances in English language education. Kenan Institute Asia (2017) states that
Thailand 4.0 policy aims at promoting Thai primary school students developing 21st century
skills in English, digital literacy, and creativity in order to be a competitive workforce for
Thailand’s digital economy. An education advisor at the Primary Educational Service Area
Office in Nakhon Nayok province calls for school administrators and teachers to implement
innovative ELT pedagogies through Project-Based Learning (PBL) (Kenan Institute Asia,

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 20182017). It is thus essential that English teachers must be supported by school administrators withappropriate teaching materials and resources for effective teaching and learning (Forman,2016).
Secondly, managerial leadership is essential for school administrators who need to leadacademic and support staff to meet the government’s vision and mission as well as the MoE’s
policies. Drawing upon Sakulsumpaopol (2010), school administrators must perform key roles
as follows: team building, professional development, curriculum leadership, community
partnership establishment, administration, creation of school vision and missions, effective
communication, collegial support, task delegation, monitoring and evaluation. In this study,
school administrators are crucial in administering and managing staff and resources to meetthe national education goals. It is, however, important to consider situated socio-cultural andpolitical influences that may affect school administration and performance. Establishing astrong collaboration among academic and administrative staff within the school can help
sustain the school goals.
The third competency regarding instructional leadership enables school administrators tomonitor and advise teachers’ pedagogical development. Borg, Birello, Civera and Zanatta(2014), for example, identify pre-service primary school English teachers’ beliefs about
effective EFL lessons as follows: lessons should have Content and Language Integrated
Learning (CLIL) content; parents should have opportunities to contribute to lessons; lessons
should employ new technologies; lessons should include interactive activities such as roleplays; lessons should use English as a medium of communication; the teacher’s role is to guide;
and, resources should include language-learning games, computers, and authentic materials. It
is advisable for all primary school teachers of English to receive continuous professional
development in order to keep up-to-date on relevant ELT methodologies (Borg et al., 2014;
Hayes, 2014; Uysal, 2012).
Personal excellence is the fourth competency related to school administrators’ recognition of
professional development for themselves and staff. English language teacher education is vitalto the promotion of effective ELT at primary school level. Uysal (2012), for example, statesthat effective educational reforms and productive change in in-service primary school teacher
education programs require an ongoing professional learning process with a follow-up
component by establishing collaborations among authorities or change agents, trainers, andtrainees at all stages of this professional development process. Teachers should be allowed toparticipate in and reflect upon what they learn, such as new techniques and methods throughdifferent models; be provided practical resources and materials; and be valued, and additionally
supported and monitored, in their own contexts in order to develop a sense of ownership of
their change process (Uysal, 2012).
Last but not least, stakeholder engagement is essential as school administrators have to meetthe needs of stakeholders including the Government, the MoE, communities, and parents.
Young learners are, of course, central to all stakeholders’ goals that aim to build their soundfoundation. As Hall (2014) notes, the increasing demand for English language learning at an
early age is underpinned by governmental obligations, parental expectations and nationaltargets. Hall (2014) addresses four principal reasons for the growth of Primary ELT, which are
due firstly to the widespread assumption that younger children are more likely to be successful
language learners; secondly, to the increasing globalization-driven demand for English; thirdly,
to government and policy-makers’ needs of English-speaking workforce for higher economic
gain; and finally, to parents’ expectations of their children to benefit from learning English.

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The conceptual framework of this study is related to both the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, andCultural Organization (UNESCO). OECD/UNESCO (2016) suggests four main aspects ofThailand’s education system that are crucial for progress: curriculum, student assessment,teacher and school leader policies, and the use of information and communication technologies(ICT) in education, which will potentially promote a high-quality education system that drives
socio-economic development in order to gain competitiveness in ASEAN community. These
aspects focus on the revision and improvement of curriculum standards for all students, assess
students across their full range of competencies being relevant for their life-long learning,develop a holistic strategy to prepare teachers and school leaders for education reform andimplementation, and create effective ICT strategies to equip all schools, teachers and students
for the 21st century skills and competencies (OECD/UNESCO, 2016).
Thailand’s Ministry of Education is a significant agent in developing school administrators,
teachers and students to meet targeted international standards through professional
development and sufficient resources, including teaching materials and ICT facilities forteachers and students (Rasyidah, 2017). Vungthong, Djonov and Torr (2017), for instance,
claim that, in 2011, the Thai government initiative called “One Tablet Per Child” (OTPC) was
not effective because there were pedagogical drawbacks regarding teachers’ roles in guiding
EFL learners to use tablets as a portable device for English language learning (p. 32). It is
important to note that, according to Hayes (2014), effective primary English language
education should be conducted by competent English-major teachers, teachers with positive
attitudes toward English, continual professional development mindset, stimulating themebased activities promoting genuine communicative language use, and considerable extra-mural
exposure to English through films and television programs in English that are subtitled rather
than dubbed into learners’ L1 in order to promote language competence across the education
system (p. 28).
Besides the education system, socializing processes such as access to social network, family
support and the positive influence of friends, directly and indirectly influence learners’
personal choices and engagement in interaction for language learning, which will in turn affectstudents’ motivation, and this can be seen not only in teacher-student relations but also instudent-student relations and in the informal out-of-class interactions in which learners engage(Dadi & Jin, 2013). Creating the school and family partnership can help both parties to monitor
learners’ physical, mental, social and academic growth by strengthening the relationships
between teachers and parents because their mutual support can effectively synergize learners’
English language learning (Nomnian & Thawornpat, 2015).
Although this conceptual framework categorizes each competency, school administrators needto employ appropriate competencies when performing certain administrative tasks. Thus, thesecompetencies are not mutually exclusive, but rather interconnected, overlapped, and contextdependent. This conceptual framework can potentially address and assess individual school
administrators’ competencies that are relevant for professional, institutional, local and national
levels. It is a meaningful, useful, and practical framework for this study because it can pinpoint
educational administrative issues for further improvement. Thai primary school administrators
can therefore evaluate their performance by themselves in enhancing students’ English
language proficiency and promoting the sustainable development of Thailand’s English
language teaching at a primary education context.

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Research Methodology
A qualitative study was employed as the research methodology in this study. Creswell (2009)
states that qualitative research offers a way to explore and interpret the meanings of social,
cultural, and political issues and problems. Therefore, to gain school administrators’
perceptions on meaning making of these underlying competencies in this study, a qualitative
research design can enable researchers to recognize particular competencies that surveys andstatistics may not bring to life since education is a complex and interwoven system that needs
a closer lens to examine it (Farnsworth & Solomon, 2013).
Six primary schools were purposively selected from exemplar schools that were representativesof each region in Thailand (i.e. Bangkok, Central, North, South, East, and Northeast). These
primary schools were chosen according to a range of criteria. First, they had to be government
schools under the supervision of OBEC. Secondly, students at the schools had to have gained
high achievements in O-NET English tests over the past decade. Thirdly, the schools had tohave been assessed according to the educational quality standards by Office for National
Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA) and gained a “high distinction” level.
These large-scale schools, with more than 1,000 students, were publicly well-known as they
were located in downtown areas of major provincial cities in each region. Parents were keen to
send their children to study at these schools as the students’ academic performance, teachers’
credentials and support were highly qualified and reliable. All of them also had classes such as
English and Gifted programs for academically competent and talented students, which were
not only financially supported by the government, but also parents associations.
Approved by the Mahidol University Ethics Committee in Social Sciences (MU-SSIRB) prior
to data collection, ethical issues were regarded in this study as the school administrators werehigh-ranking government officials whose identities had to be kept strictly confidential prior to
the data collection. The school administrators in this study preferred not to reveal themselvesbecause some information they gave might be traced back and could have adverse effects on
their positions and career paths. The researchers understood their concerns and confirmed forthem that their information would be treated with the greatest degree of security. Their names
would not be stated in any published reports, materials, and articles so as not to hint togovernment authorities or readers in any way.
Following confirmation of the ethical guidelines, the participants signed the informed consent
form and allowed the researchers to interview them at their schools. Having educational
administration degrees, the six school administrators, including four principals and two headteachers of foreign language departments, were highly competent with more than 20 years ofadministrative experience. Choosing administrative career paths, they moved from small tolarge-scale schools with a large number of students and staff, exceeding 1,000. Challenged by
the current government and national educational policies, they had to implement and carry out
the policies that meet the Ministry’s objectives, goals, and standards. The role andresponsibilities of school principals also included school performance, quality assurance,teacher supervision, resource and budget allocation, staff promotion, parents association, andcommunity outreach and engagement. Head teachers were more concerned with academic andlanguage subjects that had to meet the Ministry’s expected learning outcomes.
In this study, although the school principals were more accountable than the head teachers,
they worked closely together. For instance, the head teachers had to put ELT policies such as
the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach into teaching practice. They were all58

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018accountable for national policies and stakeholders’ expectations for the students’ academic
performance based on O-NET results. It is worth noting that there were two main processes
comprising top-down and bottom-up. The former focuses on policy implementation andassessment while the latter emphasizes the actual practices as a response to the policies. School
principals liaise between the MoE and fellow academic staff and students. Head teachers, on
the other hand, were rather practical and realistic as they had to work with teaching staff andstudents and gain feedback to be returned to the principals. Thus, their roles and responsibilities
were equally significant, leading to the effective teaching and learning of English.
Semi-structured interview was the main research tool used for data collection in this study
because the researchers could gain deeper insight into their real-world experience. They
influenced school administration and students’ academic performance as they made final
decisions and supervised overall planning and quality assessment. Interview questions weresequenced in terms of school information and background, government policies (theirimplementation and challenges), English language teaching and learning practices and successstories, parental and family support, government support, and further needs andrecommendations. Each interview lasted for an hour, was conducted in Thai, audio recorded,
then transcribed, translated, and validated by the researchers.
Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis was employed in this study as it enables social
science researchers to examine people’s perceptions and interpretations of their meaning suchthat they might reflect the “reality” of their lived experiences, in particular the social contexts
in which they live. In this study, the perceptions shared by each school administrator would, tosome extent, reflect on key competencies impacting on the desirable outcomes of teaching andlearning at one’s school.
Results
Drawing upon SEAMEO INNOTECH’s (2015) Success Competencies of Southeast Asian
School Heads: A Learning Guide, the results of this study reveal five competencies including
strategic thinking and innovation, managerial leadership, instructional leadership, personal
excellence, and stakeholder engagement, which are shared by school administrators for
effective ELT in primary school education in Thailand.
Strategic Thinking and Innovation
Because of the government’s current policy of Thailand 4.0, school principals and headteachers are advised and encouraged to employ various kinds of technological devices andinnovations to enhance students’ English language learning. Schools should also be equippedwith sufficient computer facilities and Internet that can not only facilitate teaching practices,
but also promote ICT literacy in their students.
Extract 1
Every class is equipped with computer and Internet. Teachers are encouraged to promotestudents’ ICT skills for seeking knowledge and information on-line.
Extract 2
Our library offers English textbooks and subscribes to search engines that are made available
to students both off-line and on-line database.

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Extract 3
We try to allocate an IT budget sufficient for equipment ready for mediated on-line learningand teaching materials.
Both on-line and off-line teaching and learning materials have become essential learning
devices in 21st century classrooms for everyone. Schools that know how to utilize them will
gain a comparative advantage over other schools in terms of teaching effectiveness and updated
information that students can access anytime, anywhere (Hayes, 2014; OECD/UNESCO, 2016;
Vungthong, Djonov, & Torr, 2017). Yet, schools must allocate the budget wisely for effective
returns on teaching and learning.
Managerial Leadership
School principals play a significant role in envisioning the schools’ direction and policy
implementation. They need to lead by example and show that they sincerely care about theirteaching staff in order to attain school goals and objectives in terms of promoting students’English language skills and proficiency.
Extract 4
The school principal needs to be a leader in prioritizing and recognizing the importance ofEnglish in school. Instead of telling teachers to follow English language policies, the principal
has to monitor how teachers implement the policies and see whether the implementation iseffective.
School principals’ attitudes toward English are equally vital since they can provide analternative lens for seeing English as a communicative tool rather than a subject. In the schoolsthat participated in this study, principals stated firmly that English is valued as a learning toolthat helps gain knowledge from other subjects such as the sciences, mathematics, and social
sciences.
Extract 5
I would like see English as a tool for learning rather than a subject. English can be learned
through other subjects such as maths, science, and social sciences, which I think will be more
beneficial.
Besides possessing visionary leadership skills, principals need to have management skills for
issues such as foreign teacher salaries in order to meet the Ministry’s requirements. In
particular, for schools with an English Program, principals need to hire foreign teachers toteach most of the subjects, and that increases the school fees that parents have to pay.
Extract 6
In terms of the budget for recruiting foreign teachers, school fees according to the Ministry
regulations are no more than 70,000 baht a year -- that’s 35,000 baht per term. However, ourschool only collects from parents 25,000 baht per term; that equals 50,000 baht per year as abudget from which to hire foreign teachers.
Nevertheless, continual teacher professional development is a must for all teachers who shouldseek professional learning communities that can offer them opportunities to keep up-to-datewith current research and practices that allow them to feel empowered and meet other teacherswith whom they can share and learn from one another (Borg et al., 2014; Hayes, 2014; Uysal,

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Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 20182012). Teacher professional development enhances effective teaching practices and heightens
teachers’ English competency, which eventually promotes students’ English achievement.
Extract 7
Our school is sponsored by ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) to provide
professional teacher training courses to our teachers and other schools in the area to improvetheir English language proficiency and skills.
Extract 8
Our school values teacher professional development. We usually support our teachers and coteachers to attend English language development training every year because they can improve
our students’ English proficiency.
Extract 9
I think teacher training is important; yet, it is also advisable to analyze factors impacting on
effective teaching and learning first, so teacher training courses will not be a waste of time,
and the Ministry can tackle the issues more directly. Otherwise, our students’ English
proficiency will remain low.
It is undeniable that school administrators emphasize the professional development of theirteachers because they strongly value the contribution of teachers who have a significant impact
on students’ English development. Teachers must set themselves up as examples for life-longlearning for students who will then be motivated to learn English (Borg et al., 2014; Hayes,
2014; Uysal, 2012).
Instructional Leadership
Since the English Program was initiated by the MoE to meet the demands of ASEAN andglobalization, it has become an alternative means by which parents can encourage their children
to attend classes because English is used as a medium of instruction in most courses taught byforeign teachers. The number of teaching hours in the English Program is more than that in theThai program, which exposes students to more English than their Thai program counterparts.
Extract 10
Besides the normal Thai program, our school has had an English Program (EP) since 2003
because English is an important subject to prepare our students for ASEAN.
Extract 11
EP students study maths, the sciences, computer science, and PE in English with foreignteachers for 18 hours a week while those in the Thai program study 3-5 hours a week forEnglish classes.
Extract 12
EP students have high English proficiency compared with students in the Thai program
because they use English with native-speaking teachers.
Foreign teachers are consequently sought after for English language teaching and learning inThai primary schools to expose children to authentic communication within the educationallandscape. Foreign teachers also provide linguistic and cultural resources to which students are
not readily exposed beyond the classroom.

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Extract 13
The main difference between foreign and Thai teachers is that students need to use English
constantly with foreign teachers.
For school administrators, foreign teachers are roughly classified into native-speaking and nonnative-speaking teachers with the former coming from countries that use English as a first
language (e.g. USA and UK), and the latter coming from countries that use English as a second
language (e.g. the Philippines).
Extract 14
Our native-speaking teachers are British and American. But for kindergarten, we use Filipino
teachers who understand children because they have an education degree in Early Childhood.
Extract 15
Native-speaking teachers cannot teach grammar. Thus, we use Thai teachers to teachgrammar. But, the sciences, maths, and health science are taught by Filipino teachers who canspeak English. Filipino teachers seem to understand Thai ways of teaching and learning better
than native-speaking teachers.
Although school administrators view native-speaking teachers as linguistic representatives ofEnglish, Filipino teachers are preferred since they are culturally more familiar with Thai
primary education practices.
Extract 16
We have a job opening for native-speaking teachers who are required to demonstrate whether
they can teach. Then, they are required to attend a teacher training to develop their teachingskills. Yet, we prefer to hire Filipino teachers since they are Asian, who are like Thai teachers,
easy to work with, and never absent from school. We also use an agency to find native-speaking
teachers because they are normally problematic and often leave without notice. The agency
will find a replacement teacher immediately.
Currently, foreign teachers have not only become part of the academic discourse in Thai
schools, but have brought linguistic and cultural diversity to their schools’ socio-culturallandscape where teachers, students, and staff benefit from and seek possible opportunities toimprove their English and intercultural communicative competence.
Personal Excellence
Although school administrators’ personal excellence varies, their attitudes toward English canunderpin the recruitment of Thai and foreign teachers. They need to determine whether or notforeign teachers are properly qualified to teach English rather than just focusing on theirnationality and accent (Baker & Jaruntawatchai, 2017; Nomnian, 2012).
Sharing Thai as a first language with students, school administrators can help facilitate andovercome communicative challenges and academic misunderstandings between Thai students
and foreign teachers where they occur.
Extract 17
In EP, there are two types of Thai teacher. One is a teacher assistant whose background is in
English, who can co-ordinate between Thai and foreign teachers. The other one is a classroom
teacher who has graduated in another field such as Thai or maths. They serve as points of62

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contact for students who have difficulties in any subject. There are a few teachers who do nothave an English-major degree; yet, if they can show their English proficiency through ourinterview, they are also qualified to teach. We have an English teacher who has a degree in
tourism.
Although most Thai teachers of English should have a degree in English, some Englishcompetent teachers are recruited on the basis of sound teaching experience. Additional English
training is required to enhance their English proficiency and teaching skills.
Extract 18
Most of our Thai teachers have a degree in English. However, there are also teachers without
an English-major degree who are experienced in teaching English because we have about
3,000 students. Our school still lacks English-major teachers.
Extract 19
English teachers who do not have a degree in English are required to attend English training
so that they will gain expertise in teaching.
These extracts show that Thai teachers of English are part of these schools’ success because,
without them, students may encounter difficulties dealing with academic and personal issues
that foreign teachers may not be able to mitigate due to different socio-cultural backgrounds.
Stakeholder Engagement
Key stakeholders in this study include families, communities, students, and the MoE. Family
support contributes significantly to the development of young language learners who aredependent on their parents’ decisions as to which academic program (Thai or English) theyshould be enrolled in. However, well-to-do parents who would like their children to excel inEnglish from an early age, normally opt for the English Program due to their belief that themore exposure their children have, the better and more quickly they can acquire English
proficiency.
Extract 20
Parents are the most important factor in supporting students’ English language learning. In
particular, those parents whose children study in EP are interested in extra-curricular
activities for their children because they are financially able to do so.
Extract 21
Parents can afford to pay 25,000 baht per term, which is 50,000 baht a year for their children
studying in EP. Students will be provided with all the books, teaching materials, extracurricular activities, and school uniforms they need.
Extract 22
Parents would like the school to improve their child’s vocabulary by reciting 10-20 words
daily, with which I agree; but, these words need to be relevant for students.
Parents should, however, recognize the importance of their supporting role, which needs to bebalanced and not conflict with school requirements otherwise, they may unintentionally disrupt
the schooling process (Dadi & Jin, 2013; Hall, 2014; Nomnian & Thawornpat, 2015).

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Schools with high O-NET scores tend to gain a positive reputation with parents who trust andcontribute to all their school’s needs in order to meet their child’s achievement goals. Someschools are, however, able to set up tutorial classes for students’ English development withhelp from university student volunteers. English Camp, for example, can promote positive
attitudes in students toward English and language development should be encouraged because
they allow students to use English in a fun and meaningful way.
Extract 23
Students normally attend English camp twice a year. They play games and take part in a walkrally. They enjoy using English without fear and gain more confidence.
Extract 24
We have a weekend tutorial class for students. There are university student volunteers to help
our school.
School connections with local colleges or universities facilitate collaborations with external
experts to be part of academic success because these experts not only bring with them theirexpertise, but also opportunities for further collaborations, which will be beneficial for students
and teachers.
Extract 25
Every year, we often seek English language experts to give talks to our Thai and foreignteachers to improve their English knowledge and skills.
English language development activities not only provide a platform for English language use
for teachers and students, but also create a mutual space for learning English through various
collaborations that are extremely valuable and from which the participating schools can benefit(Hayes, 2014; Kaur, Young, & Kirkpatrick, 2016; Nomnian, 2013).
Being one of the key stakeholders, students must develop their active learning behaviors andclassroom engagement. However, since Thai teachers focus on strict classroom management
more than foreign teachers, students tend to be more confident using English in classes
conducted by foreign teachers.
Extract 26
Thai students are very shy to speak. Comparing Thai and foreign teacher classes, the students
are given more freedom to speak in foreign teacher classes than Thai ones that focus more onclassroom management.
Extract 27
Students who learn with foreign teachers are more confident in speaking.
Besides the influence of teachers, using English media can motivate students to engage morein class since the media can stimulate positive attitudes towards learning, particularly for young
Thai learners.

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Extract 28
Students need to be exposed to English media like movies or cartoons so that they will havepositive attitudes toward English and become more confident to communicate. Teachers should
also encourage them to pronounce English with confidence.
Teachers and mediated learning and teaching materials promote students’ active learning
behaviors towards English. Thai teachers, however, need to accommodate and be more open
to students’ different learning styles rather than keeping students in silence simply forclassroom management purposes (Forman, 2016).
Last but not least, the obvious role of the Ministry of Education has greatly impacted on all
aspects of language education in schools nationwide.
Extract 29
Our school would like the Ministry to act as a central agency in seeking and recruiting
qualified foreign teachers. We are ensured of having qualified teachers for an English
Program.
The second issue is that the Ministry should provide support to schools by producing qualified
and competent Thai teachers of English who can work together with foreign teachers. Thisway, students are developed by both Thai and foreign teachers.
Extract 30
There are two kinds of support I would like the Ministry to help with. First of all, we need
qualified foreign teachers. Secondly, we need Thai English teachers who have graduated withan English-major degree. This kind of support will promote our students’ English proficiency.
Extract 31
The most urgent issue I would like the Ministry to help with is to reconsider the salary forforeign teachers. Currently, the Ministry set the cap of 25,000 baht, which is not attractive fornative-speaking teachers from England or America. We can only attract Filipino teachers withthis salary.
School administrators stress the need for qualified foreign teachers to be recruited directly by
the Ministry of Education, so that budgeting issues remain the responsibility of the Ministry of
Finance. Otherwise, schools can only afford to recruit Filipino teachers who are prepared towork for less than native speakers.
Discussion
Based on the results, school administrators’ key competencies for desirable English teaching
and learning outcomes include strategic thinking and innovation, managerial leadership,
instructional leadership, personal excellence, and stakeholder engagement. School
administrators play a significant role in creating a school vision, establishing professional
community partnerships, maintaining and delivering effective communication, supporting andpromoting teacher professional development, building teamwork, delegating tasks andadministration, promoting curriculum development, and enhancing staff morale. English as themedium of instruction used by foreign teachers enables students to think and use English in ameaningful way because they not only need to employ the four language skills (listening,speaking, reading, and writing), but they also develop other relevant skills such as critical65

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thinking, ICT, intercultural communication, and interpersonal relationship (Borg et al., 2014;
Forman, 2016). Recruiting qualified foreign teachers, producing competent Thai English
teachers, and reconsidering foreign teacher salaries are the demands of highly effective schools
for the Ministry to consider in order to facilitate the teaching and learning process and thereby
promote students’ English achievement (OECD/UNESCO, 2016; UNESCO, 2014).
School principals need to be equipped with competencies and capabilities for handlingadministrative tasks that can drive schools to meet the demands of the Ministry andstakeholders like parents. Success in English language teaching and learning is not easy; rather,
it requires careful planning and implementation with the support of teaching and administrative
staff (Hall, 2014; Hayes, 2014). The results also reveal the value of reciprocal support between
school administrators and stakeholders such as teachers, students, families, communities andthe MoE, which are vital at primary stages of students’ physical growth and intellectual
development for building a strong foundation and positive attitudes toward learning English
for the effective outcomes in the future. These stakeholders’ involvements are intertwined andembedded within socio-cultural and political networks that go towards establishing quality
language teaching and learning in government primary schools in Thailand.
Acquisition of English at the primary level is an important foundation for young Thai English
language learners, who need careful cultivation. To obtain effective English language teaching
and learning outcomes requires collaboration between relevant parties that share similar goals
in producing the best for both schools and stakeholders. To create and strengthen stakeholder
partnerships, a professional learning community is necessary to provide a collaborative spaceamong groups of stakeholders such as school administrators, teachers of English, parents, andpublic and private organizations to establish a strategic partnership community that can createsynergies that drive all parties in a uniform direction under the leadership of school
administrators. Thus, the students will be better-rounded and better equipped with 21st century
skills required to meet the needs of ASEAN and globalization.
Conclusion
This study explores school administrators’ essential competencies, namely strategic thinking
and innovation, managerial leadership, instructional leadership, personal excellence, andstakeholder engagement, which contribute to the desirable outcomes of English language
teaching and learning at primary schools in Thailand. This study addresses complex education
networks for promoting English language teaching and learning in government primary schoolsin Thailand. The results reveal the shared viewpoints and experiences of school principals andhead teachers, who are considered as top-down stakeholders who are instrumental to policy
implementation and practices. These underlying competencies are not mutually exclusive, but
do in fact, overlap and interconnect. The practical implications of this study suggest thatprimary school administrators need to develop the necessary leadership skills andcompetencies that support the strategic thinking and innovation, managerial leadership,
instructional leadership, personal excellence, and stakeholder engagement that their positions
require. In so doing, school administrators can perform their roles and responsibilities inenriching students’ English language proficiency and life-long learning skills strengthened andsustained in the long term by the establishment of school-family-community partnerships. To
this end, this qualitative study makes no claim to universality. It does, however, highlightschool administrators’ opinions on the complexity of the Thai primary education system andthe maximum efforts required to meet the government’s goal of elevating the standard ofEnglish language learning and teaching for young learners in Thailand.

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Acknowledgments: This research project is funded by the Office of Basic Education
Commission (OBEC), the Ministry of Education, Thailand. The authors would like to thank
Assoc. Prof. Arunee Wiriyachittra for her constant support and constructive feedback
throughout this project.

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Baker, W., & Jaruntawatchai, W. (2017). English language policy in Thailand. European
Journal of Language Policy, 9(1), 27–44. https://doi.org/10.3828/ejlp.2017.3
Borg, S., Birello, M., Civera, I., & Zanatta, T. (2014). The impact of teacher education on preservice primary English Language teachers. London: British Council.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Researchin Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
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good. English Language teaching global blog. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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Oxford Business Group (2016). The Report 2016: Thailand. Retrieved April 15, 2018 fromhttps://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/improving-system-government-actionmoving-improve-standards-and-reorganise-sector
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English Education, 6(1), 64–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.24127/pj.v6i1.819
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Victoria University, Australia.
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learning guide. Quezon City, the Philippines: SEAMEO INNOTECH.
Tongpoon-Patanasorn, A. (2011). Impact of learner-centeredness on primary school teachers:
A case study in Northeast Thailand. The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 8(3), 1–28.
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Corresponding author: Singhanat NomnianContact email: snomnian@hotmail.com

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Home Environment of Selected Filipino Gifted Individuals
Greg Tabios Pawilen
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Abstract
This study investigated the home environment of selected Filipino gifted individuals. It aims
to answer two research questions: (1) what is the giftedness profile of the selected Filipino
gifted?; (2) what types of home environments do Filipino gifted have? This study uses
qualitative methods, specifically narrative research strategy, to provide a description of thehome environment, the socio-emotional, intellectual, and physical environment that nurtures
the intellectual skills, exceptional talents and leadership abilities of the gifted. The study
highlighted important Filipino family values in describing this home environment. In thisstudy, the home environment of the gifted contributed immensely to their positive
development, not only in the nurturance of their giftedness, but also in the development of theirsocio-emotional skills and values system. This study recommends that there should be a stronglink between the school and the family of the gifted, leading towards the establishment ofstronger family support programs for the development and nurture of Filipino gifted students.
Furthermore, schools can also develop different student support programs for gifted students
to create stronger collaboration with the families of gifted students.
Keywords: home environment, giftedness, Filipino gifted72

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Introduction
The Philippines, through the Department of Education, is currently developing its first national
gifted education curriculum standards for the country. This national curriculum will be used inboth public and private schools that will offer gifted education programs. Except for thePhilippine Science High School System, the Philippine High School for the Arts, and public
regional Science high schools, most of the programs for the gifted offered in the Philippines
are adapted from abroad, such as multiple intelligence and Headstart programs, among others.
There are also special classes for music, arts, sports, and science offered in elite private schools.
The K-12 Basic Education Curriculum is designed primarily for regular students but it also
encourages educators and schools to develop and implement curricular programs for otherstudents specially the learners with special education needs, including the gifted.
While it is necessary to develop a curriculum and programs for Filipino gifted learners, it isalso imperative to develop a support system for the development of their personalities, socioemotional skills, and values system. In this study, the role of the family for the development ofFilipino gifted learners is examined.
The study draws inspiration from the home-family experiences of the Filipino gifted that
contributed to their positive personal and social development leading towards positive behavior
and motivation, and academic success. The study aims to examine the family that molded them,and the home that served as their immediate environment during their early childhood days. In
this study, giftedness could be innate to all human beings; however, the development of thisgiftedness and of the gifted could be a product of a positive home environment and happy
relationship among family members.
The concept of giftedness varies between scholars. Davis, Rimm, and Siegle (2011) noted that
there is no single definition of “gifted” that is universally accepted. Some scholars refer to it
as having special talents and abilities, while others think of it as a state of high intellect or
genius. Reading the literature from a myriad publications and studies conducted by experts on
giftedness gives a clear insight that the concept of “giftedness” is always associated to theattributes of “great people” having “great accomplishments”, developing “great ideas” andproducing “great works, inventions or performances”. In some cases, giftedness is also
associated with people having outstanding talents.
Tannenbaum (2003) proposed a definition of giftedness in children to denote their potential forbecoming critically acclaimed performers or exemplary producers of ideas in spheres ofactivity that enhance the moral, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, or aesthetic life of
humanity. For Gagne (1985), giftedness refers to domains of human abilities, talents, todomains of human accomplishments. Giftedness also involves excellence, rarity, productivity,
demonstrability, and value attached to the skills/products of the individual (Sternberg & Zhang,1995).
Given the nature of giftedness, gifted learners can move beyond the limits of their knowledge
and skills. They can easily adapt to any new topics or skills to learn. Upon examining several
studies, Davis, Rimm, and Siegle (2011) reported that gifted individuals are well adjusted inchildhood, and reported to have had greater personal adjustments, emotional stability, selfesteem, professional success, and personal contentment.

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Pfeiffer and Blei (2008) identified the Gifted Rating Scales (GRS) developed in the UnitedStates as a tool to assist in the identification of gifted students. In the GRS, there were six
principles that were considered:
1. Intellectual ability – the student’s verbal and/or non-verbal mental skills,
capacities, or intellectual competence.
2. Academic ability – student’s skill in dealing with factual and /or school-relatedmaterial.
3. Creativity – student’s ability to think, act, and/or produce unique, original, novel,
or innovative thoughts or products.
4. Artistic talent – student’s potential for, or evidence of ability in drama, music,
dance, drawing, painting, sculpture, singing, playing a musical instrument, an/or
acting.
5. Leadership ability – student’s ability to motivate others toward a common or
shared goal.
6. Motivation – student’s drive or persistence, desire to encourage, tendency to enjoy
challenging tasks, and ability to work well without encouragement orreinforcement (pp. 117–118).
Generally, most identified characteristics of gifted individuals appear to be always positive.
However, some examples of negative characteristics of gifted can also be observed in various
social and educational situations like strong preference to work independently, lack ofmotivation and underachievement in areas uninteresting to them, extremely perfectionist, nonconformity, impatient, and sometimes they are not comfortable following rules (Page, 2006;
Davis, Rimm, & Siegle, 2011; Pawilen, 2014). Pawilen (2014) observed that the environment
where they live, especially the family, influenced these characteristics of gifted. Furthermore,
the negative attitudes of the gifted towards learning and other academic tasks are
manifestations of their dissatisfaction to traditional classroom instruction. Thus, given a
positive social, educational, and home environment, gifted individuals can overcome theseweaknesses.
In the Philippines, there are few studies conducted on the gifted characteristics of Filipinos.
Camara (1994) first identified a list of attributes of Filipino gifted that includes intelligence,
attitudes, and values. Wong-Fernandez and Bustos-Orosa (2007) did a study to look into theconceptions of giftedness among Tagalog-speaking Filipinos and suggested a culture-based
understanding of giftedness based on the experiences of the Tagalog people. Mingoa (2006)
examined the making of Filipino scientists and identified gifted characteristics of scientifically
gifted students. Similarly, Larroder and Ogawa (2015) identified scientific awareness, rational
observation, experimentation, application, visualization, initiative, quantification, oblivion inlearning, engrossment in learning, integrated learning, and acquiring of skills (p. 15) as
characteristics of students who are gifted in the field of science based on the checklist
developed by a Japanese scholar, Manabu Sumida, in 2010. Pawilen (2014) also identified
general attributes of Filipino gifted individuals and classified the characteristics of Filipino
gifted into three areas: (1) high intellectual ability, (2) exceptional talents, and (3) outstanding
leadership skills.
This study will be an addition to the growing study and literature on gifted education in thePhilippines. Understanding the home environment of the gifted will provide insights to
educators and parents, and possibly influence the government to provide proper nurture andsupport to the gifted members of the society, especially young children.

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Conceptual Framework
The characteristics of gifted students are greatly influenced by personal and social factors
related to the individual’s immediate environment, especially family and community values
and culture. The nature of gifted students demands an environment that is supportive,
empowering, creative, and democratic. Reichenberg and Landau (2009) pointed out that
despite strong genetic influence on intellectual potential, evidence shows that children’sdevelopment is also largely affected by their family lifestyle, values, goals, and otherenvironmental characteristics. Amabile (1996) and Hennessy (2004) also opined that theenvironment of the gifted also plays a central role in the degree to which high-ability learners
can become independent, innovative, imaginative thinkers. A gifted individual should be
nurtured in an appropriate, compassionate environment
In this study, home environment is necessary for the holistic development of the gifted
potentials and abilities of every person. Tannenbaum (1989) emphasized that society and theenvironment, which includes the home environment, provides the direction and pathway
towards fulfillment of the giftedness of each individual. Knafo and Plomin (2006), in theirstudy, also pointed out that the overall family environment, particularly the relationships andcommunication between its members, provides the foundation for children to develop bothcognitive and affective components of psychosocial behavior, such as social relatedness andempathy.

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework
Figure 1 shows the Conceptual Framework of the study. It shows that the home environmentof the selected Filipino gifted had great impact and influence in the development of their gifts
and in the formation of their character. The positive support from their parents contributed
much to their personal, social, and intellectual development. Filipinos are generally familyoriented. They value their relationship with their family members as a source of inspiration andstrength. Pawilen (2014) observed in his study that Filipino gifted draws their inspiration to
succeed in their studies or in all endeavors, in order to be of help to their families. Filipino
parents are also influential in the development of their children. Parents set the norms andexpectations for each members of the family. For Filipinos, the home is always the center of
their lives. It provides them an environment where they can experience comfort, empowerment,
love, and affection. Thus the home is influential in the development of the gifted.

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Methodology
This study is qualitative. It utilizes a narrative research strategy of inquiry in which theresearcher studies the lives of individuals and asks one or more individuals to provide stories
about their lives (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000). The narrative research strategy is used in thisstudy to describe the home environment of selected Filipino gifted. It aims to describe thesocio-emotional, intellectual, and physical home environment of the selected Filipino gifted. It
seeks to understand how the home-environment contributed to the nurture of the Filipino gifted
individuals. Specifically, it aims to answer the following research questions: what is thegiftedness profile of the selected Filipino gifted?; what types of home environment do Filipino
gifted have?
Research Participants
Purposive sampling was used to identify and select 10 Filipino gifted individuals, from ages
20—30, to participate in this study. Purposive sampling helped the researcher to select gifted
participants from different disciplines and areas. Ethical considerations were also observed in
the selection of the research participants. A letter was sent to the participants to confirm their
willingness to be part of this study. The letter also provided assurance that the researcher willhandle data and responses with utmost confidentiality and respect for privacy. The research
participants were selected using the following criteria:
1. They belong to any of the fields of Science, Mathematics, Language,
Social Sciences, and Humanities.
2. They possess exceptional talents and outstanding leadership skills.
3. They received different academic awards and recognition from theirschools and from the community where they belong.
4. They belong to the top graduates of their schools.
Research Instrument
An interview questionnaire was developed and used to gather data about the profile ofgiftedness and family background of the gifted participants. The questions are not strictly
structured in order to allow the researcher to make follow-up questions on important
information relevant to the study. The interview questionnaire asked the gifted participants todescribe their relationship with their family, parents, and siblings. It also asked the gifted todescribe the socio-emotional and physical environment of their homes.
Data Gathering Procedure
This study is limited to the profile of giftedness and the home environment of 10 identified
Filipino gifted. The profile of the participants will focus only in identifying the specificdomains or disciplines where the participants are identified as gifted, and in identifying their
special talents and abilities. The researcher had the privilege of having personal encounterswith these gifted individuals.
The personal meetings provided opportunities for the researcher to interact with the gifted in anatural setting to gather important information about the home environment of the gifted. The
data gathering procedure included the following:
1. Preparation of questionnaire for the interview
2. Schedule for personal or online interview with the gifted
3. Online and personal interviews to the gifted76

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4. Consolidation of result
Data Analysis
Using the narrative research strategy proposed by Clandinin and Connelly (2000), theresearcher studied the lives of selected Filipino gifted individuals and asked them to provide
stories about their lives through interview. The researcher reported the information into a
narrative chronology that provided meanings that are relevant to the aims of the study.
The researcher used thematic analysis to analyze the result of interviews. Only the important
information and statements of the gifted participants were recorded for the analysis. Some ofthese original responses of the gifted participants were included in this paper to provide support
to the analysis. The statements were organized into different themes that will describe the homeenvironment of the gifted. Statements that include confidential information were excluded in
the study to respect the privacy of the research participants.
Results and Discussion
The results of the study were organized based on the two main research questions explored inthis study.
1. What is the profile of giftedness of the selected Filipino gifted?
The first result of the study provided a profile of giftedness of the selected Filipino gifted. It
identifies the specific disciplines or domains where the participants are considered gifted,
including their special talents and abilities.
Table 1: Gifted Profile of the ParticipantsParticipant
Gifted 1
Gifted 2
Gifted 3
Gifted 4
Gifted 5
Gifted 6
Gifted 7
Gifted 8
Gifted 9
Gifted 10

Discipline/Domain of
Giftedness
Political Science/Economics
Language
Natural Sciences
Music
Social Science
MathSocial Science
Social Science
Social Science
Mathematics

Special Talent & Abilities
Literature& Leadership
Leadership
Leadership
Leadership & Language
Music & Leadership
Music & Language
Leadership & Sports
Music
Theater Arts & Leadership
Language

Table 1 shows the giftedness profiles of the Filipino gifted participants. The result of the study
confirms several studies (Sternberg & Zhang, 1995; Davis, Rimm, and Siegle 2011, Pawilen,2014) that gifted individuals excel in one or more disciplines and they also possess exceptional
talents in different areas like literature, music, art, sports, and foreign language. They also
possess outstanding leadership skills. They are leaders in university organizations; some areoccupying middle management positions in local government units and private companies.
They belong to the top graduates of the universities where they study. The researcher observedthat in spite of their outstanding performance and accomplishments, they are highly sociable
and very humble people.

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The gifted participants are fully aware that they are gifted in their own special way. They grew
up knowing that they have special talent and they are motivated to study various topics that areinteresting to them. For example, aside from his musical intelligence, Gifted 4 pursued his
interest in declamation. Gifted 8 pursued his interest in music and learned to play the organand piano by himself. Gifted 9 joined a theater arts group to pursue her interest in drama, andGifted 10 joined a students’ organization to develop his leadership and social skills. The gifted
individuals are products of a happy home environment. Nurture plays an important factor in
the development of their giftedness.
The result of the study shows an interesting story about the 10 Filipino gifted. First, they
possess high intellectual ability, outstanding talent and skills, and leadership skills. They excel
in different areas and domains from sciences, social sciences, and humanities. They also
possess various talents in arts and music. These findings support earlier studies done on thecharacteristics of Filipino gifted conducted by Pawilen (2014), Camara (1994), and WongFernandez and Bustos-Orosa (2007).
The gifted in this study are aware of their gifts that made them different from other people.
They are aware of their intellectual ability and they are also happy to have special talents andinterests in other areas especially in music, arts, and literature. They see the world differently
compared to other people. They think differently and they express their ideas and thinking in
the most creative way. They understand that giftedness is embedded in their identity as aperson.
2. What types of home environment do Filipino gifted have?
This section provides a description of the home environment of the selected Filipino gifted
participants in the study in terms of (a) socio-emotional environment, (2) intellectual
environment, and (3) physical environment of their home.
The Socio-emotional Environment of their Home
The result of the interview and discussion with the gifted provides interesting insights that are
valuable for the study to understand the home environment of the gifted. The Filipino gifted inthis study live in a happy home with parents, brothers and sisters, and some with their relatives.
The results from the interview were analyzed based on the several themes based on theirexpressions and statements. In this section, sample statements for each theme or category arereported.
A. The participants grew up in different socio-economic contexts. Not all of them camefrom rich or middle class families. Out of the nine Filipino gifted participants in thisstudy, only three come from upper class families. Seven of the gifted belong to poorfamilies.
We are largely dependent on the salary of my father who works abroad augmented bysome rental payments collected from our small landholdings. We are also a Christian,United Methodist family and we value our faith as we count it to be the glue that binds
us together (Gifted 1).
My family is the exact definition of a simple conventional family. My father was afisherman while my mother used to sell seafood at the market. We were 9 in the family:
my parents, my 6 siblings, and me. We belong to the average type of family in terms offinances and resources (Gifted 5).

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We have a simple family but my parents provide everything we need (Gifted 7).
I came from a family of farmers. We are poor, but my parents work hard to provide ourdaily needs (Gifted 8).
My parents are working. We don’t see each other much because we all have work andschool in the morning (Gifted 9).
I grew up in a modest house. We have a simple life compared to our neighbors. My
mom works hard for our family (Gifted 10).
B. The gifted grew up in religious families. This confirms the former study of Pawilen(2014) that while there are Filipino gifted who are known to be atheists, many of them
are raised in deeply religious families. Six of the gifted are very active in churchorganizations as youth leaders. Gifted 2 and 3 are youth leaders in the church, Gifted 4
and 8 are church musicians, and Gifted 6, 7, and 9 are active in the church.
We are Christians. We value our faith as we count it to be the glue that binds us
together (Gifted 1).
My family is guided by the wisdom from the Lord. We usually talk about matters in the
church and our spirituality (Gifted 5).
We are a protestant family. We are all active in the church (Gifted 8).
We are very close to the Lord. We always go to church on Sundays (Gifted 9).
I go to church with my family. They are devoted Christians (Gifted 10).
C. The participants grew up with parents who are loving and supportive. All the gifted
received full support from their parents who appreciated their giftedness. Their parents
provided them emotional support whenever they encounter academic or personal
problems. This contributed much in the development of their behavior and character.
Their parents served as their first mentors. It can also be observed that, although thegifted have had very good relationship with their fathers, all of them are closer to theirmothers.
A spirit of openness permeates my relationship with my parents. However, I am closer
to my mother. (Gifted 1)
I have a loving, supportive, and caring family (Gifted 2).
My family is very supportive of my gifts, and they affirmed those early on, and foundopportunities and avenues for me to continuously hone my God-given abilities.
However, they do not push me too much, as some parents do who have a “advance tobe recognized” attitude (Gifted 4).
I treat my family as a gift from the Lord. They have always been my source of comfort
and wise decisions. I always find joy whenever we have conversations over dinner andsimple family bonding like going to church (Gifted (5).

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I believe my family nurtured my gifted potential and abilities by showing me support
to achieve my dreams in spite of numerous predicaments that hinder the path to thisdream. Moreover, allowing and supporting me to join and compete in several schoolcompetitions have greatly helped me to develop my potentials and abilities (Gifted 6).
My parents are very supportive. They put no pressure on us but see to it that they liveby example all the values and skills they want to impart to us. I can say that I’m closer
to my mom, “mama’s boy.” My father’s traits balance the perfectionism brought by
my mother (Gifted 7).
In spite of their limited resources, my father and mother make sure that our basic
needs are provided (Gifted 8).
D. The gifted have positive relationships with their parents especially with their mother.
This helped them develop their self-esteem. The gifted shared about their positive
relationship with their parents as a key to their success. The emotional bond between
them and their parents developed in them a positive outlook about life. The open
communication between them and their parents allowed them to become independentand create their own identity. They are not pressured to follow either the footsteps oftheir mother or father.
I treasure my relationship with my parents. I am very close to both my mother andfather. I can easily share them my struggles and problems. I always seek and follow
their advice before making decisions (Gifted 3).
I am more open to my mom rather than to my dad. We spend a lot of time together.
Most of the time, I defer to their opinions, views, and decisions, especially on
important matters (Gifted 4).
I feel that whenever I need their assistance, they, especially my mother, always show
their everlasting support. Moral values imparted by my parents have also guided me
to not stray from what is right and just, to always dream for something extraordinary,and to exhaust all rightful means to overcome difficulties (Gifted 6).
My father is strict but my mother is a good team leader of the family. We areencouraged to pursue our interests and develop our talents. They encouraged us tojoin church and social activities that can help us further develop our abilities (Gifted
8).
It was my mom who always ensured that I excel in class. After school, she would tutor
me and would give me a lot of exercises and worksheets (Gifted 9).
I enjoyed their company. They support me in everything I do. They helped meunderstand peoples’ behavior and how to deal with them (Gifted 10).
E. The participants have good relationships with their siblings. The gifted in this study
talked about happy moments they spent with their brothers and sisters. While there weretimes when they had disagreements or arguments at home, their relationship with theirsiblings remained strong.

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I am more open to my sister since she is my twin. She knows well about my strengths,
weaknesses, problems, victories, and dreams. We have different temperaments but wehave learned to understand each other and support each other’s tasks (Gifted 3).
My brother and I are very close, and we bond together by doing different activities,
such as playing music together, playing sports such as basketball, and even in playing
computer games. (Gifted 4).
My little sister and I are very close to each other. We were playmates during ourchildhood. Though we have a six-year gap, we can still identify with the interests ofeach other and laugh at the same jokes. (Gifted 5).
I usually get along with my brothers although we have different personalities andideologies (Gifted 6).
I enjoyed the company of my siblings. They are loving and very supportive. We makesure to support each other in everything we can (Gifted 10).
F. The gifted learned essential values and important lessons at home. Their parents served
as their mentors and guides. They helped the gifted examine their personal values. Theirparents taught them to behave properly and to develop good rapport or relationships
with other people. Their parents also taught them to have positive personal discipline,
to value education, and to dream for a good life. Their parents never failed to remindthem to focus on using their gifts to create a good life.
Most important is to make Jesus the center and core of my life because only in Him istrue peace found. Further, loving one’s work and oneself was always emphasized(Gifted 1).
I have learned simplicity, humility, faith, and perseverance from my parents. These
have served as the fundamentals of my life, equipping me with the right tools to facelife’s battles (Gifted 2).
Without the perpetual reminder of our parents to always be gritty, to persevere, andto value education, I would be misguided and not so adamant about dreaming big andtaking necessary steps to pursue success (Gifted 6).
Simplicity, humility, Christ-centeredness, excellence, perseverance, and courage are
the values I learned from my parents (Gifted 8).
I learned basic conventions like proper food etiquette and proper occasion etiquette.
They would also always remind me of my gender and that I should be careful because
I am a woman (Gifted 9).
I learned much of my life skills from my parents (Gifted 10).
G. The participants’ families served as their inspiration to be successful. The gifted areaware of the sacrifices of their parents for their families. They want to give their family
a sense of pride. They were not pressured to have academic awards in school, except
Gifted 9, but it seems natural for them to be successful and strive for accuracy and81

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perfection in everything they do. This is considered to be a good way of “giving back”
to their parents. Helping the family, particularly their parents, is one of the traditionalfamily values.
My family served as my safe zone that defends and protects me from the hostility oflife. They also served as my provider, counselor, critic, and comforter (Gifted 1).
They have supported my dreams and endeavors, so they are a huge part of my success.
They also taught me that I should learn to be independent. This made me discover andlearn things by my own, which boosted my self-confidence and maturity as a person(Gifted 4).
They have always been my inspiration. The sacrifices of my parents and my desire to
be a good “kuya” fueled me to work hard for what I am now (Gifted 5).
My family, especially my mother, always serves as my inspiration and my motivation
to dream big and pursue things that I think would be helpful both to me and to myfamily in the long run. They also guided me and helped me both personally andfinancially to overcome hindrances on the path I am taking (Gifted 6).
My family is basically who I am today. They have been very supportive, especially myparents, in all my endeavors. The never failed to provide (material/non-material)(Gifted 7).
I always considered my parents to be my inspiration in life. I will strive to do my best
to become the pride of my family (Gifted 8).
I believe that without their constant nagging and reminder to always be the best
versions of us in school, I wouldn’t aim extra high. They would always remind us ofwhat we could attain if we study hard and if we have a lot of achievements (Gifted 9).
My family serves as my inspiration in everything I do. They are my constant guides(Gifted 10).
H. There is a feeling of security with their family. The gifted consider their homes to be
their comfort zones for all the support they need in life. At home they are happy
knowing that they do not need to prove anything.
My family provided financial, emotional and spiritual support in forms of gifts, prayers,kind words, tender touches, advises, and prayers, that allowed me to dream freely andattain such (Gifted 1).
Despite of the fact that our parents were not able to graduate from college, they are
doing their best to support our education. Our parents have always been willing tosupport us in our trainings in school and outside the school. My father always reminds
us that our education is the best treasure they can offer to us (Gifted 2).
Our home is safe and secured. It is a place where I can relax after days of tiring work.
It also has a welcoming feeling. I think the positive vibe coming from our relationshipwith one another adds to the good ambiance of our home (Gifted 5).

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My family is surely my source of comfort and strength. They surround me with greatlove and support (Gifted 8).
Our home is a haven for me (Gifted 10).
I. The participants are gifted, but they have always been treated as normal. The giftedgrew up normally like their brothers and sisters. They did not receive special attention;
instead, they were allowed to experience a normal family environment with no pressure
to excel or be a model to their brothers and sisters, except Gifted 9 who is expected toget high grades and academic awards. This helps the gifted in their social adjustment
and in the development of their social competence.
We were always treated equally, in my opinion. [There was] No favoritism involved(Gifted 4).
They have a fair treatment. Favoritism was never an issue in the family. We have ourdifferences in terms of our biological sexes, age, and interests. So, different but notunequal treatment was given to us (Gifted 5).
I think our parents are trying their best to be fair to all of us (Gifted 7).
I have not heard my parents compare me to my siblings. I believe my parents consider
the differences we have (Gifted 6).
I grew up as a normal child. There is no favoritism at home. I always have a great timewith my siblings (Gifted 10).
Filipinos are generally known to be family-oriented. The 10 Filipino gifted in this study are
products of a happy family environment. They are all happy to belong to a good family. They
were nurtured and supported by families who understand their giftedness and feel proud of
their accomplishments. This study affirms that the family plays a vital role in nurturing thegiftedness of gifted individuals. This is supported by a study of Gecas and Schwalbe (1986),
and Webb, Gore, Amend, and DeVries (2007) where the family is regarded as a place where achild’s initial sense of self is formed through intimate, intensive interactions with thesignificant people in his or her life. These also support earlier studies on the Filipino gifted
done by Pawilen (2014), Camara (1994), Mingoa (2006), and Wong-Fernandez and BustosOrosa (2007) where family environment and the positive relationship among family members
was found to play an important role in the development of Filipinos who are gifted.
The selected Filipino gifted considered their homes to be the major influence in thedevelopment of their behavior and giftedness. It can be observed from the responses of theselected gifted participants that they have an intimate relationship with their mothers. The
feminine touch of a mother inspired them to develop their talents and pursue their interests. It
was also their mothers who inspired and guided them in their academic journey. The hands-on
mentoring of their mothers developed their high level of motivation in all their endeavors.
Intellectual environment of the home
The intellectual environment of the home is important in the development and nurture of theselected Filipino gifted. The responses reported here demonstrate the participants’ perceptionsof this environment.

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A. The participants discuss different issues and were trained to analyze and solve
problems. The gifted shared common sentiments that their parents are good teachers.
They were trained to develop analytical and critical thinking by engaging them incritical discussions about various topics and social issues. Campbell and Verma(2007) pointed out that an academic home climate is an essential environment for thegifted.
Political and theological matters spring out as usual topics of conversation and thatsuch are not considered to be taboo, even if one contradicts the older people, thetradition, and even if one talks about relationships, romance, sex and sexuality(Gifted 1).
Both my parents are academic achievers, and they strongly believe in the value of
education. My mom helped me to have a love for books. My dad is good in
Mathematics and logic. There is always a craving for information, and we almost
always have a newspaper everyday. We also have discourses and discussions during
dinnertime about the day’s events, politics, news, and anything worth talking about(Gifted 4).
I have always been open to them about my problems in all aspects of my life. My
parents just listen, process my thoughts, help me analyze, and encourage me to findsolution by myself (Gifted 5).
My family values excellence. We seldom talk of non-sensible things (Gifted 7).
We always have discussions on various issues every night before we sleep. I learned
to value history because of this (Gifted 8).
My mother and my sisters are the ones who love reading and studying (Gifted 9).
We do have a lot of intellectual discussions at home. It’s like we are in a classroom(Gifted 10).
B. The gifted are encouraged to pursue their own interest and develop their giftedness.
The gifted in this study are not products of stage parents. They were allowed to
explore possibilities and opportunities to develop their interests and passion forsomething. Their parents and older siblings are there to provide advice only whenneeded. This allowed the gifted to make personal decisions and experience taking
risks.
I believe my parents have provided us equal support to what we think is importantand necessary for us. (Gifted 6)
Their unconditional support motivates and inspires me to keep growing anddreaming (Gifted 2)
I was not that sheltered, my parents made it sure that I would have a well-balanced
upbringing by giving me the chance to learn life by experiencing various
circumstances by myself. It made me more open and understanding of otherpersons’ perspectives. (Gifted 4)84

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My mother always reminds us to do our best. She supported us. She always
encouraged me to do all the things that can improve myself and so I had many
extracurricular activities way back then. (Gifted 5)
My parents were not able to go to college because of poverty. However, they are
persistent in encouraging us to do well in our studies. They also taught us someskills in music like playing instruments and voice. They made sure that we havenormal lives. Our mother is good in helping us process our problems. (Gifted 8)
My mother encouraged me to pursue my interest in Mathematics. She encouraged
me to develop my talents too (Gifted 10).
The intellectual environments of their homes are essential in the development of the gifted.
This provides nurture to the intellectual abilities of the gifted. They were exposed to different
social issues, they were encouraged to speak out and share their opinions, and they were trained
to argue and develop reasoning skills. This made the gifted develops their critical thinking andcommunication skills. For the Filipino gifted, the role of the mother is essential in supporting
the development of their giftedness. Freeman (2001) noted that for all high achievers, the mostimportant influence in their lives has almost always been exceptional support andencouragement from their parents.
The Physical Environment of their Home
The physical environment is also contributory to the development of the selected Filipino giftedin this study. This section describes the physical environment of their homes.
A. The participants live in simple homes. They do not have the luxury that other people
and families are enjoying. The gifted in this study grew up in homes that are enoughto give them the space they need, equipped with basic amenities.
We have a comfortable and safe home nestled in the countryside, with most of themodern conveniences of life (Gifted 1).
Our home is very simple yet orderly and neat. There is enough space for leisureand study (Gifted 2).
Our home is very simple yet orderly and neat. My mother is very responsible inmanaging our needs at home. She also wants us to develop such skill so that we canalso manage our future families well (Gifted 3).
Our home is a medium sized place, modest but warm. There is always free space toroam around, and there is a big garden at the side. My parents enjoy nature so
there are a lot of plants and there are several trees planted in our lot. Our village
is not yet that heavily populated so there is still a lot of greenery left. This enhances
my way of thinking, and also refreshes the mind during times that I need some space(Gifted 4).
The house is small but enough to accommodate all of us in the family. It is locatedin a remote area from the town proper. Because of the location, establishments are
not readily available (Gifted 6).

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Our house is not that big but spacious enough for the five of us. It’s basically thestandard type of house and nothing much grand inside it (Gifted 9).
We live in a normal urban home. My mother tried her best to provide everything weneed (Gifted 10).
B. The participants have books and other resources in their homes that they can use todevelop their intellectual skills and abilities.
We have a pretty mini library where encyclopedia, books on theology, history
books, and elementary, secondary, and tertiary textbooks abound along withprintouts of some academic journal articles (Gifted 1).
Three quarters of my room are devoted to books. We have enough educational
resources that we can use at home. We have musical instruments and musical pieces
that we can use to develop our music skills (Gifted 4).
My parents are good providers. They try their best to give us lots of learningmaterials at home, from books to personal computer (Gifted 7).
We aren’t rich and so we couldn’t afford extra classes and workshops. My motherwas always the one who would review me for quizzes and tests (Gifted 9).
We have books, computer, and other resources at home. My mother tried her best
to provide everything we need (Gifted 10).
C. Some of the gifted have limited resources for learning and live in simple homes,
but they are surrounded by nature. Their context inspired them to develop
themselves and to strive for success and develop creative ideas. Nature has its own
way to nurture the gifts of the gifted. They did not allow the limits of theirenvironment to impede their giftedness. In fact, they use their environment as
inspiration and as a laboratory for pursuing their interests and to dream.
Our house is far from the town proper. Because of the location, establishments are
not readily available and we do not have all the resources we need. However, weare surrounded by nature that inspires my creativity to study science andmathematics (Gifted 6).
We have limited resources at home. We borrowed books and magazines from ourneighbors. We were taught to be creative and make use of what we have. Farms
also surround our house, so I developed my interests of science looking at theinsects, local plants, and other objects that make me curious about the world. At
night, I would look up to the sky and feel that I am surrounded by science (Gifted
8).
The study stressed the importance of the physical home environment in the development of thegifted. Csikszentmihalyi (2013) pointed out that even the most abstract mind is affected by thesurroundings of the body. In this study, the selected Filipino gifted grew up in homes withresources like books and other printed resources, have access to basic technology, and aresurrounded by nature. Two of the gifted do not have all the resources they need but they seem86

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to disregard this. Instead, they study and live happily even in the most dismal surroundings.
Weiner (2016) also sets out to examine the connection between the surroundings and the mostinnovative ideas. According to Weiner, the gifted draws inspiration from their environment todevelop ideas and inventions, which contribute to solving problems. This also holds true in thisstudy. The spatiotemporal context in which gifted participants live has consequences in theirlives. Csikszentmihalyi (2013) pointed out that regardless of whether the conditions they findthemselves are luxurious or miserable, the gifted manage to give their surroundings a personalpattern that echoes the rhythm of their thoughts and habits of action.
Conclusion
The study attempted to describe the home environment of selected Filipino gifted. It subscribes
to the idea that the outstanding abilities of the gifted are raw materials that need to be nurtured,and the home environment of the gifted are contributory to the holistic development of thegifted. The 10 Filipino gifted in this study belong to families of different socio-economic
backgrounds. They were born with outstanding intellectual abilities and talents. They haveoutstanding academic performance in various areas and disciplines like mathematics, science,
language, music, humanities, and social sciences. They are fully aware of their giftedness,talents, and potentials.
The study concludes that the home environment has a positive impact in the development of
the gifted. The study shows that the selected Filipino gifted are products of a positive homeenvironment. Parents who are loving and supportive nurtured them, and equally loving andsupportive siblings provided support in the development of their giftedness. These enabled thegifted to develop their self-esteem, social competence, intellectual ability, positive behavior,and high motivation. Furthermore, the study concludes that there is a need to strengthen thefamily support for gifted students. Educational institutions and professional organizations mayneed to reach out to parents and families of gifted individuals to help them understand thegiftedness of their children and develop ways how to support them. Love, support, andunderstanding from the family could be the best gifts that a family could give to a gifted person.

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References
Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Davis, G., Rimm, S., & Siegle, D. (2011). Education of the gifted and talented. (6th Ed.). Upper
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Camara, E. (1994). Highly gifted children: Recognition and management. (Unpublished
Research Report). College of Education, University of the Philippines, Diliman,
Quezon City.
Campbell, J. & Verma, M. (2007). Effective parental influence: Academic home climate linked
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Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story inqualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2013). Creativity: the psychology of discovery and invention. New
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Freeman, J (2001). Gifted children grown up. London: David Fulton Publishers.
Gagné, F. (1985). Giftedness and talent: Reexamining a reexamination of the definitions.
Gifted Child Quarterly, 29(3), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/001698628502900302
Gecas, V., & Schwalbe, M. L. (1986). Parental behavior and adolescent self-esteem. Journalof Marriage and the Family, 48, 37–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/352226
Hennessy, B. A. (2004). Developing creativity in gifted children: The central importance of
motivation and classroom climate. Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the
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Knafo, A., & Plomin, R. (2006). Prosocial behavior from early to middle childhood: Genetic
and environmental influences on stability and change. Developmental Psychology, 42,
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Mingoa, T. (2006). The making of outstanding Filipino scientists: Implications for enhancing
giftedness in science. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of thePhilippines, Diliman, Quezon City.
Page, A. (2006). Three models for understanding gifted behaviors. Kairaranga, 7(2), 11–15.
Pfeiffer, S. and Blei, S. (2008). Gifted identification beyond the IQ test: Rating scales and otherassessment procedures. In S. I. Pfeiffer, (Ed.), Giftedness in children: Psychoeducational theory, research, and best practices (pp. 177–198). Florida: Springer.
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Olszewski-Kubilius, P, Seon-Young Lee, & Thomson, D. (2014). Family environment andsocial development in gifted students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 58 (3), 199–216.
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Pawilen, G. (2014). Developing curriculum standards for gifted students in elementary science.
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Reichenberg A., & Landau, E. (2009) Families of gifted children. In L. V. Shavinina (Ed.)
International handbook on giftedness (pp. 873–883). Dordrecht: Springer.
Sternberg, R. J., & Zang, L. (1995). What do we mean by giftedness? A pentagonal implicit
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Wong-Fernandez, B., & Bustos-Orosa, A. (2007). Conceptions of giftedness among Tagalogspeaking Filipinos. In S. N. Phillipson, & M. McCann (Eds.), Conceptions ofgiftedness: Sociocultural perspectives (pp. 169–196). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Corresponding author: Greg Pawilen
Contact email: gregpawilen@yahoo.com

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Reviewers Volume 6 – Issue 2
The editorial team would like to thank the following reviewers for their contributions to peer
review for this issue of the journal. Their dedication and assistance are greatly appreciated.
Christina Belcher
Caroline Dacwag
Raymond Q Datuon
Heloísa Orsi Koch Delgado
Tania Fonseca
William C. Frick
Shin-ying huang
Lynda Leavitt
Marcel Lebrun
Jin LeeAndrew Leichsenring
Richard Mather
Catalino N. Mendoza
Massoud Moslehpour
Nomazulu Ngozwana
Shinji Okumura
Agnes Papadopoulou
Cornelius Riordan
Akihiro Saito
Bethe Schoenfeld
Raimond Selke
Meliha Simsek
Pearl Subban
Daniel Velasco
Kyle Whitfield
Mai Zaki
Links to full lists of editorial board members and peer reviewers for the IAFOR Journal of
Education can be found on the journal website: https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-ofeducation/editors/.

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Only papers that demonstrate the following attributes are accepted further.
••••

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ISSN: 2187-0594