The need for achieving sustainable community have been a major concern for governments around the world, although, the concept of sustainability first came to the centre stage within the 1980’s. While sustainability becomes a major concern, however, its achievement, within the local community, national and international levels, requires the need for change in human values, attitudes, and behaviours, as values in particular, direct humans to their goals, frame their attitudes, and provide standards against which the behavior of individuals and societies are judged. While values (particularly social equity and environmental values) are absolutely necessary for social functioning, however, Nigeria as a nation has gone through and still going through value and value system laxity, hence, the need for moral education and the family in strengthening eroding values for social equity and environment in communities. This paper examined moral education and families in shaping values for community sustainability in Nigeria. Review of extant literatures revealed that moral education is required particularly by adolescents and youths in communities in differentiating between right or wrong, as moral consciousness acts as guide in decision-making. Similarly, the family was seen as the nucleus from which the formation of an environmentally literate generation starts, and with parents as the prominent educators. Although, morality is required for communal survival, however, the family which is seen as the primary agent of socialization, wield enormous influence in children’s ethical behavior, as it serves as vanguard for sustainable community development.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | Dec. 10, 2025
Undergraduate Students’ Self-Assessment of Social–Emotional Learning and Competency-Based Instruction in Vietnamese Higher Education
Sy Van Pham
Page no 579-584 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/jaep.2025.v09i12.002
Social–emotional learning (SEL) has become increasingly relevant in higher education as universities worldwide seek to cultivate adaptable, ethical, and socially responsible graduates. Yet empirical evidence on SEL-related competencies among Vietnamese undergraduates remains limited, particularly regarding their ability to connect SEL with competency-based instructional approaches. This study addresses this gap by examining the self-assessed SEL and competency-based instructional competencies of 388 students recruited through random sampling from four universities in Ho Chi Minh City. An eight-item SEL competency scale, originally developed by Huynh and colleagues, was adapted to assess students perceived abilities across conceptual, procedural, and application-oriented domains. Responses were rated on a 0–4 Likert-type scale. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 20, employing frequency and percentage distributions, with the instrument demonstrating excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .945). Results showed that most students rated themselves at moderate to fair levels across all competencies, while proficient performance remained consistently low. Conceptual understanding was stronger than procedural or applied competencies, and the lowest levels of confidence appeared in items requiring integration between SEL and competency-based instruction or demonstration of SEL in instructional practice. These findings suggest that undergraduate students possess foundational awareness of SEL but lack opportunities for deeper experiential engagement and structured pedagogical development. The study highlights the need for intentional curricular design, increased practice-based learning experiences, and university-level initiatives that embed SEL more explicitly within instructional processes. Implications for educational policy, curriculum innovation, and future research are discussed to support the advancement of SEL within Vietnamese higher education.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | Dec. 13, 2025
Models and Structure of Competencies of Training of the Future Specialist Field of Information Protection in Globalization
Kymbat Saginbayeva, Alimbubi Aktayeva, Assiya Makatova, Dinara Zholamanova
Page no 585-594 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/jaep.2025.v09i12.003
In the modern world, information security plays a key role in protecting data, financial transactions and personal information from cyber threats. Every year, the number and complexity of cyber-attacks grow, which requires information security specialists not only to have deep knowledge, but also to be able to quickly adapt to new challenges. Globalization leads to an expansion of the scale of interaction and data exchange, which, on the one hand, contributes to the development of technology and the economy, and on the other hand, creates new risks and threats. In the context of globalization, it is especially important to prepare students for future professional activities in the field of information security, providing them with relevant knowledge and skills. Educational institutions are faced with the task of developing and implementing effective training programmers that allow students to master advanced technologies and methods of information protection. An important aspect is the integration of innovative approaches into the educational process, such as the use of virtual reality, simulations, project-based learning and cooperation with industry. This article aims to study modern challenges in the field of information security, analyze existing programmers for training specialists and suggestions for their improvement. New methods and approaches to training, development and implementation of educational standards, as well as examples of successful integration of innovative technologies into educational programmers will be considered. The purpose of the article is to suggest ways to improve the training of students in the field of information security so that they can effectively counter cyber threats in the context of globalization
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | Dec. 15, 2025
Perceptions of English Undergraduates in Northern Bangladesh on the Development of Soft Skills through their Academic Experience
Md. Ashikullah, Riyad Ahamed , Md. Al-Amin, Afsana Tanti Moni
Page no 595-607 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/jaep.2025.v09i12.004
This study explores the perceptions of undergraduate English literature students in Northern Bangladesh concerning the
improvement of their soft skills through academic experiences. The paper mainly focuses on five core skills:
presentation skills, technological skills, leadership skills, job searching skills, and CV writing skills. A mixed-method
research approach is used to conduct the research. The quantitative data is collected through a structured survey among
300 participants and the qualitative data is collected through open-ended interviews with 50 participants. All the
respondents are undergraduate English literature students of 3 private universities, 2 public universities and 2 colleges
under national university in northern Bangladesh. The results reveal that though students of the private universities get
moderate help from the university for the development of their soft skills, public university students and especially
national university students do not get that much assistance for their soft skills development
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | Dec. 31, 2025
Teachers’ Competence on Information and Communication Technology and Its Influence on Students’ Performance in Gezawa, Nigeria
Abdulkadir Shehu Adam, Charles Too, Zainabu Ramadhan
Page no 608-615 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/jaep.2025.v09i12.005
Many countries around the world have fully integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into their educational systems. The expansion of ICT use in educational settings has sparked a rush of research work examining the link between ICT and academic performance. In Nigeria's education sector, ICT is integrated in secondary school’s syllabus. However, their use in teaching and learning has remained sporadic. This paper sought to determine teachers’ competence on ICT in teaching and learning and their influence on students’ performance. The hypothesis tested was there is no significant relationship between teachers’ competence on ICT in teaching and learning and students’ performance. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) by Venkatesh, Davis, and Morris (2003) was used to guide the study. The sample size consisted of 152 teachers and 297 students from 16 schools. Questionnaires for teachers and document analysis for students were used to collect data in this study. Descriptive statistics included frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviation, whereas inferential statistics involved Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient, factor and multiple regression analysis. The results of the study revealed a weak negative relationship (r=-.021, p>.05) between teachers’ competence on ICT and students’ performance. It can be concluded that teacher’s competences among the ICT users in the studied schools are generally limited especially to the staff members of older age, and the connection between teachers’ competences on ICT and students’ performance were negative. It is recommended that teacher training colleges should incorporate computer education and training on how to integrate ICT in education in the curriculum so that pre-service teachers leave the college being well prepared with ICT skills. This would enhance and maintain teachers’ ICT passion for effective ICT integration in teaching and learning for better student’s performance in secondary schools.