Edita Bekteshi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Edita Bekteshi
İmgelem, Dec 31, 2022
In the last decade, many studies have focused their attention on the status of English in differe... more In the last decade, many studies have focused their attention on the status of English in different countries, world English(es), and the usage of English. Nevertheless, none of the studies were conducted via a Kosovar context in the Balkans, although the usage of English in Kosovo is extremely important. Therefore, this paper aims to review other studies and to shed light on the abovementioned issue by discussing and reflecting on national, historical, social, political, educational, cultural, and economic issues that contribute to the use of English language in everyday Kosovar lives. In taking into consideration historical points of views, the English-speaking countries' impact in Kosovo's independence, the high level of penetration of English loanwords, and Kosovars' aspiration to accept and integrate these loanwords, one can come to understand the high regard for the English language among Albanian/Kosovar society which has affected the everyday communication and lexis in different fields, as evident among different age groups, especially young adults. However, educational factors play the most important role in English learning. The institutional support in enhancing pedagogical practices, continuous teacher training programs, provision of desired books, and native teacher mobility are considered to be the main factors that contribute to authentic English language acquisition.
Journal of Technology and Science Education
Online learning has become important approach in education nowadays, that requires practical chan... more Online learning has become important approach in education nowadays, that requires practical changes at all levels of education. These educational changes can be best noticed through students who have experienced three phases on learning in higher education: Pandemic era-the isolated learning from homes, hybrid learning-home combined with in-class learning, and the recent/traditional phase: all-in-class learning. As such, 159 students/future teachers participated in the study in order to see the differences regarding online learning and their attitudes towards inquiry-based learning (IBL) in English classes. The results reveal that future teachers did not have any previous experience in online learning before Covid-19 and they are not eager to learn online, however, if they have to, then inquiry is their best learning as it triggers their critical thinking and self-paced learning, especially focused in the ‘Exploration Phase’. The study concludes that inquiry-based learning via onli...
Journal of Educational and Social Research, Nov 5, 2022
The environment where the child is educated must offer different opportunities for children throu... more The environment where the child is educated must offer different opportunities for children through which they will be helped in their social and emotional development, in accordance with their age and level of development. The physical and social environment affects the behavior of both, the educator and the child. By owning the environment and taking control of the classroom space, the educator and the child fulfill the need to feel capable of responding to any demand or challenge they face. Being a country in transition, Kosovo faces various challenges in terms of providing a suitable environment for education according to standards for children at an early age. The research focuses on early care and education institutions and how they provide adequate conditions in terms of physical and social environment and what are the differences between public and private institutions. The study was carried out with heads of nursery, kindergartens and preschool institutions, as well as, with educators and parents (N = 137). Precisely, ten public and ten private institutions were included in the study. The study was carried out in 8 municipalities or about 1/3 of the municipalities of Kosovo. The results of the study show that 74.1% of the institutions are satisfied with the physical spaces. However, there are significant differences between public and private institutions. The results of the study show that there is a higher satisfaction with 90% of public institutions with physical spaces compared to private ones which is 57%. Regarding social activities carried out in public and private institutions, the results show that there are no significant differences (p=0.129).
International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 2022
The purpose of this study was to ensure a better understanding of learning and teaching opportuni... more The purpose of this study was to ensure a better understanding of learning and teaching opportunities when applying play-based learning activities with children in Special Needs Education (SNE) and their interaction with other children. Special Needs Education includes students with disabilities and it is carried out in various forms using different methods and teaching materials. The study is based on classroom observations and teachers' experiences in inclusive classes in Upper Austria. It was conducted in four different schools and it included 12 teachers. Based on the teachers’ experiences and SNE, the findings show the application of different play-based learning activities, the application of Montessori methods, as well as the application of games that develop motor skills, social games, communication games, concentration games, games for encouragement, video games, memory games, games for calculation, and /or role play. The interviews revealed that teachers faced challeng...
The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on stud... more The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on students from the engineering faculty in bilingual CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) application. It was conducted in a public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Kosovo, at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing in which data were collected from 180 students. There were 56 students involved in the experimental group, whereas the control groups comprised of 68 students following conventional Technical Drawing with Descriptive Geometry class in native /Albanian language, and 56 students followed conventional English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes as the second control group. Two teachers, one in engineering field, and one ESP teacher were involved in this study throughout the semester, i.e. fifteen weeks. The study incorporated parallel teaching, the same content in two different languages in the experimental group: Albanian/native language by the engineering...
Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 2020
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of Sustainable Development (SD) and its goa... more The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of Sustainable Development (SD) and its goals to the students of the Faculty of Education, future teachers, in order to become skilled and knowledgeable and then introduce these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to their students. As such, this study tries to link the concept of English Language Learning (ELL), English Language Teaching (ELT), and the SDGs as a type of all-inclusiveness within the “3 Ps”: Planet, People, and Profit. The instrument used for the purpose of this study was an online questionnaire sent to the students of the Faculty of Education in Kosovo. The total number of participants was 89. The students’ responses revealed that 60 percent of the future teachers are aware of the SD concept; however, the results indicate that not all “3 Ps” are hit upon by the future teachers. Based on the results, the most common areas of interest and societal needs of learning about SDGs are related to education, gender equal...
Folia linguistica et litteraria
The aim of this study was to investigate the application of the 5E Learning Model (Engage-Explore... more The aim of this study was to investigate the application of the 5E Learning Model (Engage-Explore-Explain-Elaborate-Evaluate) among university teachers, to understand how teachers deliver each ‘E’ phase at the Faculty of Education, and to evaluate whether they pay similar attention to all phases. The sample of the study consisted of 139 university students who responded to a standardized online questionnaire regarding the 5E Learning Model. The results revealed that all phases of the 5E Model were covered while teaching the tertiary level students; however, the initial phase, the engagement phase, was paid less attention compared to the other ‘E’ phases. The students also considered that most activities were performed in the exploration and explanation phase, reasoning that they are hands-on phases. Although all phases of the 5E Model were demonstrated while teaching, the conclusion is that not all are similarly distributed. The study recommends that the same attention should be pai...
ANGLISTICUM. Journal of the Association for Anglo-American Studies, 2017
All of English Language (FL) teachers, whether new career teachers or those with a long-teaching ... more All of English Language (FL) teachers, whether new career teachers or those with a long-teaching experience, don’t sometimes know where to begin a lesson and how to begin it. The uncertainty of appropriate balance between the learners’ interests and the national curricula has sometimes made teachers dream about ‘fundamentally’ or ‘slightly’ changing various aspects of English Language Teaching (ELT) and the national curricula i.e. change of teaching. Although there are few teachers who havecourage to make decisions about their teaching, for some teachers this kind of (un)fulfilled wish may have become almost habitualand no step has been taken. The study is an observationof the detailed curriculum for English learning in Portugal called The National Curriculum and Metas Curriculares de Ingles, Ensino Basico 1, 2, e 3 Ciclos, conducted by the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Portugal and a comparison with English language Curriculum of Kosovo. It examines different ELT skills and...
![Research paper thumbnail of [R]Evolution in Foreign Language Teaching - Giving Voice to International Teachers](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/76947205/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](In the last few decades, foreign language instruction in Higher Education institutions (HEIs) has... more In the last few decades, foreign language instruction in Higher Education institutions (HEIs) has changed from its traditional teaching mode (transmission of knowledge) to a more modern teaching mode (development of competences); however, this change has been implemented in disparate ways in different contexts around the globe. In terms of foreign language teaching (FLT) methodology in an international context, these changes may be seen to represent an Evolution, in certain contexts or a Revolution, in others. This study aims to give voice to FLT practitioners from just such different educational settings: professionals who are concerned with developing better FLT methodology. How difficult are the ideas of [R]evolution in education to describe? How easy or how hard is to put the new educative practices in place? The conclusion is that nowadays teachers’ interpretations of what is ‘modern’ is based on modifying students’ learning behaviours through the use of effective, cognitive me...
ESP books are usually treated with regard in the classroom. These learning and teaching materials... more ESP books are usually treated with regard in the classroom. These learning and teaching materials are viewed as unbiased concerning the view of the teachers and institutions. Therefore, teachers and students usually accept the ESP books by challenging the content and assumptions expressed within the text. Since professional education should focus on enhancing students' ability for thinking, doing and making, it is important for the students to be able to view and question the topics critically. There are several classroom strategies that can be used in the classroom where students can develop their critical awareness about the topic/content. Regarding reading, the paper describes strategies at pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading ESP topics, with a focus on language accuracy and fluency, as well as in content. It focuses on reading/understanding, thinking/analyzing, writing/exercises, and speaking abilities. The assumption is that critical awareness and critical thinking ...
English language learning is considered as a language that must be learned as it is needed in eve... more English language learning is considered as a language that must be learned as it is needed in everyday life in local and global context. In response to students need to learn English, it is obvious that modern technology, i.e. modern environment is ‘ the ’ environment suitable for students’ prosperity nowadays. However, the longer and more complex things are to learn, the more the need to emphasise the importance of evolution in teaching English. This is because our society may be characterised by its diversity, complexity and interconnectedness. The educational systems must embrace this fact and adjust the 21 st century societal needs by using all teaching tools. Young Adults (YA) nowadays are keen on speaking and understanding English, which is spontaneously connected with reading and writing, such as texting, using social media, but when it comes to book/novel reading, there is a believe that they do not prefer real, hard copy books. Of course, they substitute books with technolo...
Journal of Modern Research in English language Studies, 2021
The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on stud... more The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on students from the engineering faculty in bilingual CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) application. It was conducted in a public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Kosovo, at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing in which data were collected from 180 students. There were 56 students involved in the experimental group, whereas the control groups comprised of 68 students following conventional Technical Drawing with Descriptive Geometry class in native /Albanian language, and 56 students followed conventional English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes as the second control group. Two teachers, one in engineering field, and one ESP teacher were involved in this study throughout the semester, i.e. fifteen weeks. The study incorporated parallel teaching, the same content in two different languages in the experimental group: Albanian/native language by the engineering practitioner, and English by the ESP teacher. The results of three test terms for all the three groups were analyzed by applying SPSS statistical package, and revealed that the experimental group achieved higher success in learning. The study concluded that if there is no teacher available to offer CLIL to future engineers, then teaching engineering courses with the engineering practitioner can be conducted in parallel fashion with the ESP teacher, who can contribute to positive effect in terms of certain engineering subcategories and English professional vocabulary. As such, this study may be considered as a potential example in offering new professional engineering courses which include bilingual paired teaching, of English and a professional course.
Social work and education
Educational Process: International Journal
Journal of International Social Research
English as a lingua franca, is considered to be as a leading language throughout the world. As su... more English as a lingua franca, is considered to be as a leading language throughout the world. As such inclusive language that is needed for the 21 st century's societal global connection, more people are learning it for the purpose of communication. This communicative learning includes learning of communicative competencies, which can be accomplished with the combination of the 'Four Cs': (a) collaboration, (b) critical thinking, (c) communication and (d) creativity in the learning process. These have been chosen because they are considered to be as a 'mainstream' that surely reflect the current practice of the 21 st century language pedagogy not only in Portuguese context observed by a non-Portuguese researcher. As such, this study discusses the impact of the 'Four Cs' in English language classes at higher education at the University of Porto, Department of Anglo-American Studies, Porto, Portugal, conducted in a period of five months, September-January 2016. It included classroom observations (for teachers, and students' activities) and researcher's teaching classes. The observations and the researcher's teaching participation show that the students and the teachers are eager to collaborate, to think critically, express their creativity and communicate, i.e. to grasp new teaching/learning activities and techniques from the others, respect their own (and their friends') ideas, and then adapt their learning based on the teachers', i.e. group's demands.
İmgelem, Dec 31, 2022
In the last decade, many studies have focused their attention on the status of English in differe... more In the last decade, many studies have focused their attention on the status of English in different countries, world English(es), and the usage of English. Nevertheless, none of the studies were conducted via a Kosovar context in the Balkans, although the usage of English in Kosovo is extremely important. Therefore, this paper aims to review other studies and to shed light on the abovementioned issue by discussing and reflecting on national, historical, social, political, educational, cultural, and economic issues that contribute to the use of English language in everyday Kosovar lives. In taking into consideration historical points of views, the English-speaking countries' impact in Kosovo's independence, the high level of penetration of English loanwords, and Kosovars' aspiration to accept and integrate these loanwords, one can come to understand the high regard for the English language among Albanian/Kosovar society which has affected the everyday communication and lexis in different fields, as evident among different age groups, especially young adults. However, educational factors play the most important role in English learning. The institutional support in enhancing pedagogical practices, continuous teacher training programs, provision of desired books, and native teacher mobility are considered to be the main factors that contribute to authentic English language acquisition.
Journal of Technology and Science Education
Online learning has become important approach in education nowadays, that requires practical chan... more Online learning has become important approach in education nowadays, that requires practical changes at all levels of education. These educational changes can be best noticed through students who have experienced three phases on learning in higher education: Pandemic era-the isolated learning from homes, hybrid learning-home combined with in-class learning, and the recent/traditional phase: all-in-class learning. As such, 159 students/future teachers participated in the study in order to see the differences regarding online learning and their attitudes towards inquiry-based learning (IBL) in English classes. The results reveal that future teachers did not have any previous experience in online learning before Covid-19 and they are not eager to learn online, however, if they have to, then inquiry is their best learning as it triggers their critical thinking and self-paced learning, especially focused in the ‘Exploration Phase’. The study concludes that inquiry-based learning via onli...
Journal of Educational and Social Research, Nov 5, 2022
The environment where the child is educated must offer different opportunities for children throu... more The environment where the child is educated must offer different opportunities for children through which they will be helped in their social and emotional development, in accordance with their age and level of development. The physical and social environment affects the behavior of both, the educator and the child. By owning the environment and taking control of the classroom space, the educator and the child fulfill the need to feel capable of responding to any demand or challenge they face. Being a country in transition, Kosovo faces various challenges in terms of providing a suitable environment for education according to standards for children at an early age. The research focuses on early care and education institutions and how they provide adequate conditions in terms of physical and social environment and what are the differences between public and private institutions. The study was carried out with heads of nursery, kindergartens and preschool institutions, as well as, with educators and parents (N = 137). Precisely, ten public and ten private institutions were included in the study. The study was carried out in 8 municipalities or about 1/3 of the municipalities of Kosovo. The results of the study show that 74.1% of the institutions are satisfied with the physical spaces. However, there are significant differences between public and private institutions. The results of the study show that there is a higher satisfaction with 90% of public institutions with physical spaces compared to private ones which is 57%. Regarding social activities carried out in public and private institutions, the results show that there are no significant differences (p=0.129).
International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 2022
The purpose of this study was to ensure a better understanding of learning and teaching opportuni... more The purpose of this study was to ensure a better understanding of learning and teaching opportunities when applying play-based learning activities with children in Special Needs Education (SNE) and their interaction with other children. Special Needs Education includes students with disabilities and it is carried out in various forms using different methods and teaching materials. The study is based on classroom observations and teachers' experiences in inclusive classes in Upper Austria. It was conducted in four different schools and it included 12 teachers. Based on the teachers’ experiences and SNE, the findings show the application of different play-based learning activities, the application of Montessori methods, as well as the application of games that develop motor skills, social games, communication games, concentration games, games for encouragement, video games, memory games, games for calculation, and /or role play. The interviews revealed that teachers faced challeng...
The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on stud... more The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on students from the engineering faculty in bilingual CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) application. It was conducted in a public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Kosovo, at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing in which data were collected from 180 students. There were 56 students involved in the experimental group, whereas the control groups comprised of 68 students following conventional Technical Drawing with Descriptive Geometry class in native /Albanian language, and 56 students followed conventional English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes as the second control group. Two teachers, one in engineering field, and one ESP teacher were involved in this study throughout the semester, i.e. fifteen weeks. The study incorporated parallel teaching, the same content in two different languages in the experimental group: Albanian/native language by the engineering...
Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 2020
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of Sustainable Development (SD) and its goa... more The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of Sustainable Development (SD) and its goals to the students of the Faculty of Education, future teachers, in order to become skilled and knowledgeable and then introduce these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to their students. As such, this study tries to link the concept of English Language Learning (ELL), English Language Teaching (ELT), and the SDGs as a type of all-inclusiveness within the “3 Ps”: Planet, People, and Profit. The instrument used for the purpose of this study was an online questionnaire sent to the students of the Faculty of Education in Kosovo. The total number of participants was 89. The students’ responses revealed that 60 percent of the future teachers are aware of the SD concept; however, the results indicate that not all “3 Ps” are hit upon by the future teachers. Based on the results, the most common areas of interest and societal needs of learning about SDGs are related to education, gender equal...
Folia linguistica et litteraria
The aim of this study was to investigate the application of the 5E Learning Model (Engage-Explore... more The aim of this study was to investigate the application of the 5E Learning Model (Engage-Explore-Explain-Elaborate-Evaluate) among university teachers, to understand how teachers deliver each ‘E’ phase at the Faculty of Education, and to evaluate whether they pay similar attention to all phases. The sample of the study consisted of 139 university students who responded to a standardized online questionnaire regarding the 5E Learning Model. The results revealed that all phases of the 5E Model were covered while teaching the tertiary level students; however, the initial phase, the engagement phase, was paid less attention compared to the other ‘E’ phases. The students also considered that most activities were performed in the exploration and explanation phase, reasoning that they are hands-on phases. Although all phases of the 5E Model were demonstrated while teaching, the conclusion is that not all are similarly distributed. The study recommends that the same attention should be pai...
ANGLISTICUM. Journal of the Association for Anglo-American Studies, 2017
All of English Language (FL) teachers, whether new career teachers or those with a long-teaching ... more All of English Language (FL) teachers, whether new career teachers or those with a long-teaching experience, don’t sometimes know where to begin a lesson and how to begin it. The uncertainty of appropriate balance between the learners’ interests and the national curricula has sometimes made teachers dream about ‘fundamentally’ or ‘slightly’ changing various aspects of English Language Teaching (ELT) and the national curricula i.e. change of teaching. Although there are few teachers who havecourage to make decisions about their teaching, for some teachers this kind of (un)fulfilled wish may have become almost habitualand no step has been taken. The study is an observationof the detailed curriculum for English learning in Portugal called The National Curriculum and Metas Curriculares de Ingles, Ensino Basico 1, 2, e 3 Ciclos, conducted by the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Portugal and a comparison with English language Curriculum of Kosovo. It examines different ELT skills and...
In the last few decades, foreign language instruction in Higher Education institutions (HEIs) has... more In the last few decades, foreign language instruction in Higher Education institutions (HEIs) has changed from its traditional teaching mode (transmission of knowledge) to a more modern teaching mode (development of competences); however, this change has been implemented in disparate ways in different contexts around the globe. In terms of foreign language teaching (FLT) methodology in an international context, these changes may be seen to represent an Evolution, in certain contexts or a Revolution, in others. This study aims to give voice to FLT practitioners from just such different educational settings: professionals who are concerned with developing better FLT methodology. How difficult are the ideas of [R]evolution in education to describe? How easy or how hard is to put the new educative practices in place? The conclusion is that nowadays teachers’ interpretations of what is ‘modern’ is based on modifying students’ learning behaviours through the use of effective, cognitive me...
ESP books are usually treated with regard in the classroom. These learning and teaching materials... more ESP books are usually treated with regard in the classroom. These learning and teaching materials are viewed as unbiased concerning the view of the teachers and institutions. Therefore, teachers and students usually accept the ESP books by challenging the content and assumptions expressed within the text. Since professional education should focus on enhancing students' ability for thinking, doing and making, it is important for the students to be able to view and question the topics critically. There are several classroom strategies that can be used in the classroom where students can develop their critical awareness about the topic/content. Regarding reading, the paper describes strategies at pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading ESP topics, with a focus on language accuracy and fluency, as well as in content. It focuses on reading/understanding, thinking/analyzing, writing/exercises, and speaking abilities. The assumption is that critical awareness and critical thinking ...
English language learning is considered as a language that must be learned as it is needed in eve... more English language learning is considered as a language that must be learned as it is needed in everyday life in local and global context. In response to students need to learn English, it is obvious that modern technology, i.e. modern environment is ‘ the ’ environment suitable for students’ prosperity nowadays. However, the longer and more complex things are to learn, the more the need to emphasise the importance of evolution in teaching English. This is because our society may be characterised by its diversity, complexity and interconnectedness. The educational systems must embrace this fact and adjust the 21 st century societal needs by using all teaching tools. Young Adults (YA) nowadays are keen on speaking and understanding English, which is spontaneously connected with reading and writing, such as texting, using social media, but when it comes to book/novel reading, there is a believe that they do not prefer real, hard copy books. Of course, they substitute books with technolo...
Journal of Modern Research in English language Studies, 2021
The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on stud... more The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on students from the engineering faculty in bilingual CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) application. It was conducted in a public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Kosovo, at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing in which data were collected from 180 students. There were 56 students involved in the experimental group, whereas the control groups comprised of 68 students following conventional Technical Drawing with Descriptive Geometry class in native /Albanian language, and 56 students followed conventional English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes as the second control group. Two teachers, one in engineering field, and one ESP teacher were involved in this study throughout the semester, i.e. fifteen weeks. The study incorporated parallel teaching, the same content in two different languages in the experimental group: Albanian/native language by the engineering practitioner, and English by the ESP teacher. The results of three test terms for all the three groups were analyzed by applying SPSS statistical package, and revealed that the experimental group achieved higher success in learning. The study concluded that if there is no teacher available to offer CLIL to future engineers, then teaching engineering courses with the engineering practitioner can be conducted in parallel fashion with the ESP teacher, who can contribute to positive effect in terms of certain engineering subcategories and English professional vocabulary. As such, this study may be considered as a potential example in offering new professional engineering courses which include bilingual paired teaching, of English and a professional course.
Social work and education
Educational Process: International Journal
Journal of International Social Research
English as a lingua franca, is considered to be as a leading language throughout the world. As su... more English as a lingua franca, is considered to be as a leading language throughout the world. As such inclusive language that is needed for the 21 st century's societal global connection, more people are learning it for the purpose of communication. This communicative learning includes learning of communicative competencies, which can be accomplished with the combination of the 'Four Cs': (a) collaboration, (b) critical thinking, (c) communication and (d) creativity in the learning process. These have been chosen because they are considered to be as a 'mainstream' that surely reflect the current practice of the 21 st century language pedagogy not only in Portuguese context observed by a non-Portuguese researcher. As such, this study discusses the impact of the 'Four Cs' in English language classes at higher education at the University of Porto, Department of Anglo-American Studies, Porto, Portugal, conducted in a period of five months, September-January 2016. It included classroom observations (for teachers, and students' activities) and researcher's teaching classes. The observations and the researcher's teaching participation show that the students and the teachers are eager to collaborate, to think critically, express their creativity and communicate, i.e. to grasp new teaching/learning activities and techniques from the others, respect their own (and their friends') ideas, and then adapt their learning based on the teachers', i.e. group's demands.