Research News
TIMSS performance of Kosovar students: an analysis of teacher approaches and application in daily teaching and learning activities
A wide range of reforms to improve the teaching capacities of pre-service and in-service teachers have been carried out in Kosovo. In assessing the success of these previous interventions, large-scale assessment data is invaluable. In 2019, 4754 students from 145 schools participated in the TIMSS assessment. Results reveal that student's performance, in mathematics and science, is significantly higher when teachers are clear in their instructions, satisfied with their job, and have more teaching experience. Teacher qualifications also impact achievement, with students performing higher when the teacher only has a secondary education without a bachelor's degree. Students' higher readiness for instruction, preferences for the subjects, and confidence in their abilities are linked to higher literacy levels. Finally, TIMSS data of the 2019 study also raise questions regarding the type of homework assigned to students, the importance of experience over qualifications, and the academization of teacher preparation programs that may hinder practice.
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Exploring the link between achievement goals, motivation and parental expectations among University students in Kosovo
This paper sheds light on the link between achievement goals, motivation, and parental expectations in a sample of 600 students attending higher education institutions in Kosovo. Aside from exploring the stipulated link between the constructs, the research aims to discover whether cultural differences mediate expected results. The results proved that the mastery of goals positively correlates to intrinsic motivation in addition to which curiosity as a subscale of intrinsic motivation positively predicted preferences for the mastery of goals. As expected, performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, correlated to extrinsic motivation with extrinsic motivation, successfully predict preferences for both types of performance goals. The data proved that among students in Kosovo, all types of goals correlated to intrinsic motivation. Achievement goals were differentiated in extrinsic motivation with mastery goals correlating rather weakly to only one subscale of extrinsic motivation.
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Examining the role of socioeconomic stauts, formal and information education on political interest levels among university students
Present research examines political socialization trends among student populations in Kosovo (N = 303). The study examines the variables influencing and determining political interest trends in students, initially hypothesizing that variables such as formal education and socioeconomic status will shape political interest trends. As expected, formal education settings that endorse political discussions resulted in students reporting higher rates of political interest. Surprisingly, the present study found a gender effect on political interest with female students reporting lower rates of political interest compared to male students. Since this study is the first to address the topic of political interest among students in Kosovo, it does bridge the existing gap in research. To that end, the study also addressed a gap in international literature by examining the role of informal learning. Results indicate that role models are strong agents of socialization, more specifically parents and professors were strong predictors of political interest levels in participants.
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Digital competencies among student populations in Kosovo: The impact of inclusion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and type of residence
Present research studies the impact of variables such as inclusion, exclusion, residence, socioeconomic status, gender and parental education on digital competences among student populations in Kosovo (N = 303). The findings reveal that in accordance with international literature inclusion and exclusion in academic settings predict levels of digital competences reported by participants. To that end students who reported being included in academic settings also reported the highest levels of digital competences. Participants who reported feeling excluded were the ones to report the lowest levels of digital competences. Socioeconomic standing was also a powerful influential variable with participants reporting low digital competences when they reported financial hardship. Similarly, participants who reported a higher socioeconomic standing reported the highest levels of digital competences. Residence was also an influential variable with participants residing in urban areas reporting the highest levels of digital competences while participants living in rural areas reported the lowest levels of skills. Finally, along with providing data from a country that is not present in international research, present study is a first one to offer information on digital competences in Kosovo and as such is important for policy building in the future.
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A study of research skills of Kosovar Students: An assessment of the influence of inclusion, exclusion, ethnicity, parental education and gender
The aim of the current study is to address a gap in literature as well as explore the factors influencing the perceptions that Kosovar students hold over their research skills. To that end, the study assessed students’ perceptions on their research abilities as well as the variables which influence these perceptions, namely inclusion, exclusion, ethnicity, gender and parental education. The study employed the quantitative research approach and 303 Kosovar university students participated in the study by answering an instrument composed of three different scales measuring the variables in the study, namely the research skills scale, inclusion scale and exclusion scale. In addition the participants answered ten demographic questions. Participation in the study was on a volunteer basis and the results were analyzed with the SPSS package. Participants in this study reported the highest levels of research skills when they reported being included in academic settings. Ethnicity was a powerful influencing variable. Participants who belonged to minority groups were the ones to report the lowest levels of abilities. Contrary to existing literature, gender did not influence perceptions on abilities. Additionally, unlike in a vast number of research studies, parental education did not influence perceptions that Kosovar students held over their research skills. This study is the first one to research skill acquisition among student populations in Kosovo; a region that is almost absent in international literature. This research presents an overview of variables predicting perceptions held by Kosovar students on their research skills with ethnicity and inclusion being detrimental to perceptions of research skills.
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Exploring achievement goals tendencies in students: The link between achievement goals and types of motivation
This research explored the link between motivation types and achievement goals. More specifically the research focuses on exploring goal endorsements among learners as well as their correlation with motivation. The sample of 600 participants was gathered among students enrolled in private (N= 156) institutions and public universities (N=444). The study was a quantitative one and utilized the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ-R) as well as the Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation scales (Lepper, Corpus, &Iyengar, 2005). The results stipulate that achievement goals are closely linked to situation factors such as university and department. Supporting the premise of fluidity of goal constructs. Ultimately, mastery approach, performance approach and performance avoidance goals did not discriminate between types of motivation, with three goals being positively correlated to both types of motivation. Mastery avoidance goals were not correlated to any of the motivation types (intrinsic or extrinsic), but they showed a tendency to be negatively correlated to extrinsic motivation, a correlation that was not significant. Present research reveals that there are significant differences among participants in goal adoption according to year of study. Specifically, as expected first year students were significantly more mastery oriented than participants attending the second and third year of studies. Gender differences were also evident, with female students reporting higher levels of mastery orientation compared to male students. Finally, the inconclusive results regarding motivation types and achievement goals need future studies to reestablish the stipulated link
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Kosovar student`s performance in the 2019 TIMSS assessment: Why school and home resources drive achievement
Results of the TIMSS 2019 reveal that Kosovar students have lower achievement levels in both mathematics and science. In understanding this gap in achievement, it is of value to take a closer look at factors that may influence student learning. Results of this analysis reveal that factors such as home and school resources influence achievement with students who report more home resources and attend high-resource schools outperforming other groups of students. Student perceptions of their learning also shaped achievement with students performing higher when they had higher levels of confidence and preference for the subjects.
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Project News
FCTT official Kick-off meeting
The Professional Development Institute (PDI) participated in the Kick-Off Meeting of the project FCTT -Transforming Fan Culture: Promoting Respect, Fair Play, and Positive Values in Sports, which took place in Athens, Greece on February 16–17.
🇪🇺 FCTT is an Erasmus+ funded project focused on transforming fan culture across Europe, aiming to: Promote respect, inclusion & fair play in sports; Address negative fan behaviour and Develop research-based tools & practical strategies for clubs, fan groups & youth organisations
During the two-day meeting, partners aligned on the project objectives, work plan, roles, and implementation framework, and discussed current challenges related to fan culture as well as the next steps for collaborative activities.
BLOOM.25 official Kick-off meeting
The Professional Development Institute (PDI) participated in the Kick-Off Meeting of BLOOM.25 – Balkans Learn for Opportunities in Organic and Sustainable Markets .
The meeting brought together project partners to formally launch the initiative and align on its strategic and operational framework. Throughout the day, we reviewed the project phases, defined roles and responsibilities, agreed on reporting procedures, and examined the Quality Assurance, Communication, and Risk Management plans. The session concluded with the definition of the next implementation steps. This meeting marks the official start of a structured and results-oriented collaboration focused on strengthening opportunities in organic and sustainable markets.
Call for partnerships
We are passionate about providing quality micro-credential programs and are constantly looking to find like-minded partners to join forces with. If you want to become part of our vision, please let us know. Together we can make a real difference in education and create cuttin-edge opportunities for those looking to further their learning and advance their career prospects.
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Pre-Kick-Off Meeting of the Erasmus+ Sport project FCTT
Today, we held the Pre-Kick-Off Meeting of the Erasmus+ Sport project FCTT – Transforming Fan Culture: Promoting Respect, Fair Play, and Positive Values in Sports.
FCTT aims to address negative fan behavior by promoting respect, inclusion, fair play, and positive values across sports communities. A big thank you to AEK, the project coordinator, for hosting the meeting, and to all partners for their engagement and constructive discussion.