Browsing by Author "Zuha, Aishath"

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    Comparison of lecturers’ competency in Maldives higher education institutes
    (2023) Zuha, Aishath; Waheeda, Aishath; Wong, Chee Hoo
    Researchers in the past have found that instructors’ levels of competence have an important effect on their ability to teach. This research aims to determine if there is a quality gap in Maldives’ higher education institutions between public and private institutions and between full-time and part-time lecturers. An online structured questionnaire was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey as part of the quantitative research strategy. Lecturers from both public and private universities took part in this investigation. The Mann-Whitney U test found a statistically significant difference between public (M= 67.52) and private (M= 48.07) institution lecturers in terms of competency; U= 829.50, p= 0.021. However, lecturers’ competency mean rank scores of full-time lecturers (M= 64.82) and part-time lecturers (M= 59.34) indicate the difference of mean scores of lecturers’ competency was not statistically significant, U= 937.50, p= 0.55. It is likely better recruitment and in-service professional development policies at public institutes are established at the institutional level, thereby improving lecturers’ competency compared to private institutes.
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    Correlation between lecturers’ professional development activities and their competencies in Maldives higher education institutes
    (2021-09-30) Zuha, Aishath; Intan, Marfarrina Omar; Waheeda, Aishath
    The quality of higher education (HE) is one of the key areas the higher education system of the Maldives focuses on to develop and expand the sector. Two of the factors that contribute to and influence the quality of HE are professional development (PD) and lecturers’ competency. However, in the context of Maldives, although efforts are made in the area of PD, little to no research has been conducted in this area. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between lecturer PD activities and their competencies in Maldives’ higher education institutes. A quantitative research design was adopted, which conducted a cross-sectional survey by administering a structured online questionnaire. A total of 171 lecturers participated, which included both full-time and part-time lecturers from two public and two private institutions. Data analysis revealed that there is a weak positive correlation between PD activities and lecturers’ competency; r s (129)= 0.232, p= 0.008. It is also possible that PD activities conducted do not cater for the needs of lecturers, and a culture where structured and individual PD activities are supported and encouraged is not efficiently established. In light of these findings, it is important to strengthen and expand the existing PD policies and focus on providing effective PD sessions on topics and areas that are most needed for lecturers, rather than on generic topics. This study contributes to the empirical literature on PD in the context of Maldives and to the overall development of the HE sector.