Journal of Education in Black Sea Region

The Significance of Language Games in the Process of Teaching EFL to Military Students in Georgia

Megi Sabanashvili — 2025-07-30

With the growing popularity of language games and their successful application in educational contexts, this article aims to investigate whether they can be effective teaching tools in military classes in Georgia. It discusses the notion of game-based language learning from a teaching perspective. The study investigates military students' motivation and involvement in English language classes as well as the possible advantages of language games. The emphasis is on games' role in student engagement and language gaming content interaction. The goal is to identify the role of games and their significance in the process of teaching EFL to military students in Georgia. The study was conducted as a descriptive questionnaire survey to define military students' awareness of the mentioned teaching method and their opinions concerning the games in the English language classes. The questionnaire was filled out by 46 randomly selected military students of the language training school to assess the students’ attitude toward the language games. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that games are to this or that degree implemented in the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL), students on average dedicate about two hours a week to using games for language learning, and the games are positively assessed by military students. They believe that English teachers should actively include games in military English teaching practices. The article also provides recommendations for successful game-based instruction of military students.

Information Technology Skills and Organisational-Supports as Predictors of Institutional Repository’s Utilisation by Researchers in Universities in South-west, Nigeria

Musediq Tunji BASHORUN — 2025-07-30

Institutional Repositories (IRs) play a significant role in disseminating and preserving scholarly research outputs; however, there is a decline in IRs’ utilisation. This study investigated information technology (IT) skills and organisational supports as predictors of IRs’ utilisation by researchers in universities in South-west, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A sample size of 736 was derived using Research Advisor from the total population of 9,921 researchers in selected universities. A questionnaire was used as an instrument, and the data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that researchers possessed adequate skills which are essential for accessing and using materials from IRs. Also, it was revealed that universities provided support such as internet facilities, IT infrastructure, electricity supply, training, and many more. Moreover, the study found out that the relative contributions of the independent variables to the dependent variable, expressed as beta weights, IT skills (β =.156, p<.05), and organisational supports significantly predicted IRs’ utilisation (β =.350, p<.05) respectively. The challenges facing researchers in IRs’ utilisation included infrastructure issues, management support, search skills, internet connectivity, attitudes towards IRs, and policy support. The study concluded that IT skills and organisational support had significant relationships that placed them as predictors of IRs’ utilisation. The study recommends that universities should provide more support such as research grants to researchers, more IT infrastructure, adequate bandwidth for internet connection, and formulate IRs supportive policies.

Teachers’ Perceptions of their Profession’s Prestige

Natela Doghonadze — 2025-07-30

The article is dedicated to the problem of teaching jobs’ popularity and prestige, which are said to be decreasing in the world, which, in turn, can bring about a disastrous decrease in education levels worldwide. The goal of the article was to investigate the issue from the teachers’ perspective. An online teacher survey was conducted with 383 respondents from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq (as developing/oriental countries) and the USA/Canada (as developed, Western countries). During two months, the questionnaire was available online, and its links were shared with the professional community. Conclusions were made that teachers’ views on the prestige/popularity of their profession are average (the obtained means were mostly between 3 and 4 on a 5-point Likert scale). The need for the improvement of job’ safety and security, working conditions, teacher autonomy, decreasing their overload, stress and burnout, and increasing salaries and professional and financial support was emphasised.

Azerbaijani-American Parental Involvement in U.S. Schools

Gunel Alasgarova — 2025-07-30

This qualitative study explores how Azerbaijani American parents engage with their children’s education in the U.S. context and the decision-making processes that guide their school choices. Using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven parents residing in various states, the study investigates patterns of involvement both at home and in school settings. Findings reveal that parents prioritise high-ranking schools when relocating, often making significant financial and logistical sacrifices to access quality education. While participants expressed overall satisfaction with the U.S. education system, particularly its individualised learning approaches, communication, and extracurricular offerings, they also voiced concerns about school safety, moral development, and identity preservation. Parental involvement was found to be primarily home-based, including support for reading, math, and monitoring academic progress, while engagement in school-based activities such as volunteering or joining Parent-Teacher Organisations was limited. This limited participation stemmed from cultural norms, time constraints, and perceptions of the school’s role. The study highlights the proactive yet culturally nuanced role Azerbaijani American parents play in their children’s academic lives and emphasises the need for schools to adopt inclusive, culturally responsive engagement strategies.

Effect of Human-Centred Design (HCD) – Based Virtual Laboratory on Senior Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement in Biology

Oluwakemi Opeyemi Lasisi — 2025-07-30

The study investigated the effect of Human-Centred Design (HCD) based virtual laboratory on senior secondary school students’ academic achievement in Biology in Ijebu-Ode Local Government area of Ogun state, Nigeria. Three null hypotheses were tested in the study using a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. The population comprised all Biology students in public senior secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode. The sample consisted of one hundred and thirty-nine (139) students. Data were collected using the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and the Human-Centred Design form. Analysis was done using means, standard deviation, Analysis of Variance (ANCOVA) and Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA). Results showed a significant difference in academic achievement in favour of the experimental group (F (23.256) =, P<0.05). No significant difference was found between male and female students’ achievement after exposure to the instructional strategy (F(1.323) =, P>0.05), nor was there a significant interaction effect of instructional strategy and gender (F(0.452) =, P<0.05). The study concluded that virtual laboratories positively affect students' academic achievement in Biology and that educational tools should consider students' needs. It is recommended that government and school authorities should encourage virtual laboratory use and adopt the HCD approach in developing such resources.

Developmental Approach to Peer Observation

Ekaterine Archvadze — 2025-07-30

This research examines formative and summative models of peer observation of teaching at two universities in Georgia: Akaki Tsereteli State University (ATSU) and the International Black Sea University (IBSU). While peer observation can take various forms, often driven by quality assurance and appraisal, our study focuses on the developmental model that prioritises professional growth through self-reflection and collaborative feedback. Within both institutions, peer observation was implemented through a structured three-step process: a pre-observation meeting, classroom observation, and a post-observation discussion. Observation criteria were developed to address general teaching strategies, and non-judgmental feedback guidelines were carefully formulated to ensure constructive dialogue. As a result, departments introduced a five-stage peer observation model to promote reflective practice and continuous improvement. Analysis of observer and observed teacher reflections demonstrates that developmental peer observation significantly impacts teaching practice by fostering a culture of openness, collaboration, and shared professional learning.

Effects of Social Networking Sites (SNS) on the Academic Performance of Students in University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State, Nigeria

Blessing Chinonyerem Chiedozie — 2025-07-30

The study investigated the effect of social networking sites on the academic performance of students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study population comprised all students in the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State, Nigeria. The sample consisted of students in six faculties out of the nine faculties in the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos state, Nigeria, selected through purposive sampling techniques. The subjects were 300 respondents, 50 from each faculty. The instruments were a questionnaire and an interview paper validated by test test-retest method. The research design was a survey-type descriptive research design. The obtained results showed that respondents mostly use social networking sites mainly for chatting and educational purposes. The majority of the respondents agreed that social networks enhance their academic performance when used properly for assignments and academic discussion. Result also indicated no differences in the academic performance of male users and female users. It was recommended that policymakers and all stakeholders should evolve strategies to guide and ensure that social networking sites are adopted mostly for academic purposes, especially among the students of tertiary institutions.