This paper examines the impact of primary level classroom environments on the acquisition of English as a second language (L2) in Bangladesh, comparing English-medium and Bangla-medium schools. The study investigates how different instructional approaches and early exposure to English influence language proficiency among students. Through a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and proficiency tests, the research reveals significant differences in language acquisition outcomes between the two educational settings. Findings indicate that students in English-medium schools, who are exposed to Natural approach methods of language learning and immersive English-speaking environments, demonstrate higher proficiency in speaking and listening skills compared to their Bangla-medium counterparts, who primarily receive grammar-focused instruction. The study highlights the critical role of early exposure to English, with students who begin learning the language at a younger age showing better phonological and syntactic development. Additionally, the integration of technology in language teaching emerges as a valuable tool for enhancing language learning, particularly in contexts with limited classroom exposure. The research suggests that Bangla-medium schools could benefit from adopting more interactive, student-centered teaching methods and integrating digital tools to support practical language use. The study's findings have significant implications for educational policy, advocating for a shift towards more immersive and communicative teaching practices to improve English language acquisition in Bangladesh. This research contributes to the broader understanding of SLA and offers practical recommendations for enhancing language education in similar contexts.

This study investigated the pedagogical implications of out-of-field teaching in Social Studies. The Out-of-field Social Studies teachers could encounter several challenges in their preparation and the implementation of the integrated Social Studies curriculum. This study sought the lived experiences of the out-of-field teachers concerning the causes of out-of-field teaching in social studies, problems encountered by the out-of-field teachers and the mechanisms they employ to cope with the teaching of Social Studies. The study chose the qualitative phenomenological research design. Data were collected from all the 17 out-of-field Social Studies teachers through in-depth structured interview. Data were transcribed and analysed, through the inductive thematic analysis approach, unveiling of themes and concepts from the narratives of the research participants. The study revealed that out-of-field teaching in Social Studies occurs as a result of teacher shortage in integrated social studies programme. It is also caused by the perception that any teacher could teach Social Studies irrespective of the teachers’ qualification. Out-of-field teacher encounter problems such as inadequate content and pedagogical knowledge, lack of classroom managerial techniques and inability to deliver lessons through the integrated approach. Engaging in professional development courses, peer coaching, in-service training and workshops were some of the mechanisms employed by out-of-field teachers to cope with the teaching of Social Studies. The pedagogical implications of this phenomenon are that when teaching the Social Studies, the out-of-field teachers place more emphasis on aspects of the Social Studies curriculum where they have much knowledge and skip or put less emphasis on other aspects they lack in-depth knowledge, thus, the integrated approach to teaching Social Studies is not adopted effectively by out-of-field teachers. This waters down the content of Social Studies at the Senior High School level. Addressing the problem of out-of-field teaching in Social Studies requires training and recruiting more teachers who have background training and experience in the integrated approach to the teaching of Social Studies.

Qualitatively, the study focused constructivist research paradigm. A case study research design was adopted for the study. The study population comprised all six (6) Social Studies teachers, the headmaster and the School Improvement Support Officer (SISO). Purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used to select the participants for the study. The main instrument for data collection was a semi-structured interview guide and observation protocol. The data were analysed using the interpretative technique based on the themes arrived at during the data collection from the semi-structured interview. The study revealed that multimedia usage is a quality enhancer in educational settings for teaching Social Studies concepts. It also indicated that teachers perceived their incompetence when using technology as they feel less in control of their classes and are unlikely to explore new possibilities that utilise technology when planning their lessons. They learn the theoretical aspect and practice and perceive the teacher’s role in the classroom changes from an instructor to a facilitator, which changes the teaching method to student-centred (constructive methodology) which aids content absorption by the learner through learning by doing. The study also indicated that teachers perceived their incompetence when using technology as they felt less in control of their classes and were unlikely to explore new possibilities that utilised technology when planning their lessons. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education and National Teaching Council collaborate with Ghana Education Service to set up Social Studies training centres in all the district capitals equipped with competent staff to periodically organise in-service training for teachers to build their capacity on how to pedagogically incorporate multimedia resources in their instructions to improve students learning outcomes.

The social aspect of education is an important part of the learning process. In this study two research questions were asked to explore this idea. Social network analysis provided multiple measures of AP Physics 1 students’ network centrality. These measures were used to predict physics achievement. Further, survey results measuring extroversion (EPI, alpha=.84-.94), motivation (PGOS, alpha=.64-.83), and self-efficacy (SOSESC, alpha=.94) were used to determine students’ personality characteristics. These personality results were used as moderators for the moderation analysis. The sample consisted of 106 students from a large, Midwestern, suburban high school taking AP Physics 1. Numerous centrality measures significantly correlated with physics achievement. Extroversion and self-efficacy increased the effect of centrality in most cases, whereas motivation did not change the centrality-achievement relationship. In most cases, having many, high quality connections was beneficial to learning physics, but personality characteristics must also be included in pedagogical decisions. Based on the results, teachers are strongly advised to account for personality and student connections when forming groups.