This study investigates the effectiveness of the reflection-based reciprocal teaching (RBRT) approach for Myanmar upper secondary school students’ reading comprehension in English. In the RBRT approach, the main frame is based on the reflective teaching model for reading comprehension (Oo and Habók in Int Electron J Elementary Educ 13(1):127–138, 2020), in which the reciprocal teaching method (involving questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and predicting) was applied. This study used cluster randomized trials. Two groups participated in the research: the experimental group, who were taught with the RBRT approach, and the control group, who were taught with traditional methods. Results showed that the RBRT approach has a strong effect on students’ English reading comprehension achievement. The experimental group increased its achievement on the posttest significantly, and the students’ results showed high effect size. It was also found that teachers’ reflection on the instructional context had a considerable impact on raising students’ reading comprehension achievement. The RBRT approach can be successfully applied in the classroom environment to develop students’ reading comprehension in English in Myanmar.

Education is a pillar of the socio-economic development of a nation. Higher education (HE) is an engine for national development through producing the required skilled manpower, technology, innovations, research, and training services. The purpose of this study is to highlight the functioning, challenges, and emerging initiatives in public universities in Ethiopia. It employs a narrative review method for the synthesis of the findings. A total of 2004 published articles were searched using Boolean syntax from Scopus, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and Web of Sciences databases, and 40 articles were maintained for analysis. Thus, the Ministry of Education (MoE) oversees the overall system of higher education. Public universities have shown relatively rapid expansion in the last three decades compared to the 1950s, followed by an increase in gross enrollment rate (GER). However, concerns were raised about the sustainability of these changes due to low investment in the educational sector. Various reforms have been introduced into the higher education system like differentiation, curriculum changes, national comprehensive exit exams for undergraduates, and admission tests for postgraduate programs. The higher education system is struggling with persistent challenges such as quality concerns, inadequate educational inputs, rigid structure, poor working environments, unemployment, and professional skill gaps. Due emphasis should be given to strengthening leadership, supplying adequate educational resources, sustainable financing, staff development, improving service delivery, and quality education.

In the current age, digital technology is rapidly changing daily routines, and young people today spend most of their time using various digital tools. Therefore, traditional reading of the printed page is being transformed into digital reading of online texts among students. Thus, online reading strategies have become crucial for their development in online reading performance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online reading strategies used by lower secondary students on reading comprehension achievement. It conducted an online survey of reading strategies, involving three types of reading strategies, global, problem-solving, and support. The study recruited 4527 students at the lower secondary school level in Hungary. The study examined the students' attitudes toward literature and grammar in their native language (L₁), use of online reading strategies, reading comprehension skills, and language arts achievement as well as examining the relations between them with various methods of analysis (descriptive/inferential, Rasch and path analyses). The findings demonstrated that the students' problem-solving strategies (from among the three reading strategies) exerted significant and positive impacts on reading comprehension. Additionally, the students' attitudes toward L₁ had a positively significant effect on their use of online reading strategies and language arts achievement and an indirect effect on reading comprehension skills. The study also found a significant relationship between language arts achievement and reading comprehension achievement. Therefore, this study is beneficial for language teachers in helping students improve reading comprehension skills.

Fine motor skills (FMS) are fundamental for children’s growth, influencing their writing progress and everyday activities. However, the development of these skills is a multifaceted process that is affected by various factors. Consequently, it becomes essential to comprehend the disparities in children’s fine motor skills (FMS) development and the predictive factors. To address this aspect, we aimed to investigate the development of children’s FMS, and the factors that can predict their development. Our analysis encompassed comparing FMS development between the two countries, examining gender and age discrepancies, and discerning the variables that predict FMS development. Employing a reliable instrument (the FMS development battery), we conducted a survey study involving 3050 Hungarian children living in both Slovakia and Hungary. The analysis, powered by R packages, yielded significant findings. Notably, students from Slovakia showcased significantly higher levels of FMS compared to their counterparts from Hungary. Furthermore, we observed a noteworthy gender disparity, with female students outperforming male students in both countries. Additionally, differences emerged across various age groups, indicating that older age groups exhibited more advanced FMS compared to their younger counterparts. With the help of regression analyses, our research also revealed the direct impact of gender and age on students’ FMS development, while parental education entered an indirect influence on this aspect. These discoveries offer valuable insights for educational leaders and policymakers seeking to enhance children’s FMS.

This study aimed to investigate the sustainability of an instructional design utilizing the novel approach of the Reflective Teaching Model for Reading Comprehension (RTMRC), and to continuously develop and validate instruments for reflective measures to ensure the sustainable teaching of reading comprehension. The RTMRC design was featured based on two main parts: the reflective teaching process (planning, acting, reflecting and evaluating) and the reading comprehension process (reader, strategy, text and task). Then, a quasi-experiment (the pre- and post-test control group design) was conducted with 168 grade-9 students to assess the performance of the RTMRC in practice. The reflective questionnaire was also applied as an instrument to gather feedback from students about the instructional context, with the aim of supporting the sustainable reflective practices of the teacher. The reading achievement in the experimental group was evaluated and fostered using this model. Through the analyses of t-tests and Cohen’s d effect size, it was found that the experimental group teaching with RTMRC outperformed the control group without RTMRC teaching. Using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Rasch analysis and testing measurement invariance across groups, we report that the instruments were found to be valid for measuring the effect of the RTMRC in teaching reading comprehension in English Language Teaching (ELT) in a sustainable manner.