ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Context of Distance Students: Differences in On- and Off-Campus Engagement with an Online Learning Environment
Author: Palmer, Stuart
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Online Courses,Higher Education,Student Surveys,Student Experience,Telecommunications,Technology Uses in Education,Satisfaction,On Campus Students,Commuting Students,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Access to Computers

While a growing number of higher education institutions are providing online modes of study for both on- and off-campus students, do the differences in demography, technology experiences and reasons for study between on- and off-campus students mean that they interact differently with online learning environments (OLEs)? Australia's Deakin University is a major provider of distance and online education that provides a case study of a higher education institution with a mature and large-scale OLE implementation providing support to both on- and off-campus students. Deakin Studies Online (DSO) is Deakin University's OLE. Based on a representative sample of 1322 responses to the 2011 DSO evaluation survey, this paper presents a large-scale, up-to-date and fine-grained investigation of the impact of mode of study on the student experience of using an OLE. It was found that the primary place of access to DSO for both groups was home; mobile access to DSO seems likely to be of growing importance to both groups; and there was no statistically significant difference in the mean satisfaction ratings between on- and off-campus students for virtually all DSO functions. Off-campus students gave significantly higher mean ratings of importance (though not satisfaction) to a range of DSO functions that could be viewed as &quot;value adders&quot;, enhancing their overall learning experience. For more than half of the DSO functions surveyed, on-campus students reported statistically significant higher mean frequency of access than off-campus students. The finding that elements of the institutional OLE are not universally perceived and used the same way by all student groups challenges the value of standard, &quot;one-size-fits-all&quot; institutional policies and templates relating to the use of OLEs.
E-Learning and Higher Education: Understanding and Supporting Organisational Change in New Zealand
Author: Marshall, Stephen
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Electronic Learning,Higher Education,Organizational Change,Educational Change,Technology Uses in Education,Benchmarking,Models,Case Studies,Influence of Technology,Strategic Planning,Technology Planning

Over an 18-month period four New Zealand educational institutions--a university, a private tertiary enterprise, a wananga, and an institute of technology/polytechnic--have engaged in a process of change influenced by technology. Their e-learning capability was benchmarked using the E-Learning Maturity Model, and this information was used to stimulate change activities. The resulting case studies, discussed in this paper, illustrate the issues that face tertiary organisations and leaders engaging with the opportunities and challenges of e-learning. Five factors have been identified as significant influences on the ability of organisations to change in response to technology in the current political and educational landscape of the New Zealand tertiary sector.
A Systematic Review of Small-Group Communication in Post-Secondary Online Courses
Author: Jahng, Namsook
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Postsecondary Education,Online Courses,Trend Analysis,Interpersonal Communication,Journal Articles,Group Discussion,Meta Analysis,Learning Processes,Content Analysis,Research Methodology,Individual Characteristics,Input Output Analysis,Gender Differences,Instructional Design,Group Dynamics,Communication Strategies,Educational Practices,Literature Reviews

This systematic review establishes a comprehensive understanding of research trends and the findings of current studies that focus on small-group communication in post-secondary online courses. The review includes 18 journal articles which are categorised and summarised on the basis of their common themes. This review finds that a majority of the studies focus on understanding or uncovering &quot;learning processes&quot; by conducting content analysis (CA). Further research is suggested to investigate &quot;instructional design or methods&quot; to provide instructors with practical knowledge and ideas to enhance and assist the learning processes. Methodological issues are also discussed, including coding reliability in CA, quantitative measures for assessing collaboration, and a need for causal relational experimental studies.
Supervision Challenges Encountered during Kenyan University Students' Practicum Attachment
Author: Kathuri-Ogola, Lucy
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Community Organizations,Field Experience Programs,Supervisors,Interviews,Qualitative Research,Teaching Experience,Phenomenology,Practicum Supervision,Barriers,Teacher Attitudes,Behavioral Objectives,Extension Education,College Students

There is little published research that examines the supervision experience of field attachment supervisors in Kenya. In this study, we identify the challenges encountered by field supervisors during student field attachments with community organizations. Fifteen organizations that had hosted third year students from the Department of Community Resource Management and Extension (CRM&amp;E) at Kenyatta University during their practicum attachment were sampled using purposive and convenience sampling. Data was collected using face-to-face key informant interviews with field supervisors (n = 15). Data was analyzed using NVivo10 software for qualitative analysis. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of key themes related to clarity of learning objectives for students and the supervision challenges encountered by field supervisors during practicum. Key findings indicate that the supervisors largely lacked a clear understanding of practicum expectations and the academic preparation of students in the Community Resource Management and Extension program. The main supervision challenge is largely on orienting students to community based field work so as to enable them link theory to practice. These results can be helpful for any academic program to improve the field attachment experience of university students and the community organizations hosting the students. A better understanding of the challenges that field supervisors' encounter is fundamental to the enhancement of the practicum experience of university students since the requisite and appropriate support can be provided to the host organizations. Subsequently, the students will be more likely to optimize the intended benefits of the practicum as a result of the host organizations enhancing the quality of field-based learning.
The Potential for Building High-School Students' Vocabulary Using an iPod Touch and Gaming App
Author: Redd, Jennifer
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High School Students,Vocabulary Development,Courseware,Handheld Devices,Instructional Innovation,Educational Games,Predictor Variables,Correlation,Educational Technology,Instructional Design,Design Preferences,Informal Education,Pretests Posttests,Word Study Skills,Student Attitudes,Student Surveys,Student Journals,Learning Strategies,Mastery Learning,Learner Engagement,Achievement Gains,Regression (Statistics)

This study focused on the potential for building 25 high-school students' word knowledge by using a mobile learning device and gaming app. Using a game as an instructional tool is a portable way for students to engage with content. The amount of vocabulary mastered after using the app on the mobile device was examined in relation to a pre-test and a post-test, completed 3 weeks apart. The aspects investigated were the transfer potential of learning on a mobile device, and the variation in performance levels. The results indicated a direct correlation between the pre-test score as a predictor for the post-test score. Also, the choice of techniques used to play the app indicated that participants called upon the &quot;process of elimination&quot; and &quot;roots/word parts&quot; as tools to help them master the vocabulary. These findings point to the potential for incorporating a game as an instructional tool for vocabulary development.
Use of Portfolio Assessment Technique in Teaching Map Sketching and Location in Secondary School Geography in Jos, Nigeria
Author: Ugodulunwa, Christiana
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary School Students,Portfolio Assessment,Geographic Location,Locational Skills (Social Studies),Teaching Methods,Quasiexperimental Design,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Achievement Tests,Pretests Posttests,Map Skills,Gender Differences,Instructional Effectiveness,Hypothesis Testing

This study investigated the use of portfolio assessment technique in teaching map sketching and location in geography in Jos, Nigeria. It adopted a quasi-experimental design. Two schools were selected using a table of random numbers from a population of 51 schools in Jos South and assigned to each of experimental and control group. The experimental group consisted of 49 students while the control group had 52 students. Three hypotheses were formulated for the study. Hypotheses one and three were tested using t-test for correlated samples statistics while t-test for independent samples statistical technique was employed in testing hypothesis two. The instrument used for data collection was a Geography Achievement Test (GAT). The two groups were given a pre-test after which the experimental group was taught map sketching and location using portfolio assessment technique while discussion method was employed to teach the control group. The same test was later administered on the two groups. The findings of the study revealed that portfolio assessment helped in improving students' performance in map sketching and location, where the experimental group recorded higher mean gain scores of 33.32 as against 1.65 gain scores recorded for the control group. Results of the t-test analysis revealed that a significant mean difference existed between the pre-test and post-test GAT mean scores of the experimental group. Gender was found not to have significant effect on the post-test GAT of the experimental group. The study recommended that teachers and schools should employ portfolio assessment technique in teaching to help improve performance in secondary school geography.
A Corpus-Based Lexical Study of Sermons in Nigeria
Author: Esimaje, Alexandra Uzoaku
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computational Linguistics,Semantics,Discourse Analysis,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Religious Factors,Churches,Foreign Countries,Moral Development,Language Usage,Christianity,Speeches,Religion

Religious sermons play a very significant role in a pluralist setting like Nigeria, as organs of social, political and moral education. The fulfilment of these functions is partly contingent on the effective use of language. If the sermon-giver and his audience draw from the same pool of lexis, communication in the genre will not only be enhanced but its teaching and practice will also align, thereby bridging the gap between the two. It is to this end that this study attempts to identify the words most associated with Christian sermons in English, in Nigeria. To carry out this study, a corpus of present-day sermons in Nigeria was constructed and compared to a reference corpus of sermons from other parts of the world, in order to find out those lexical items which are characteristic of sermons, whether in terms of types, frequency or usage. The study reveals the role of textual context to be the definition of thematic focus because, although the sermon words in the two contexts manifest high similarity, their degrees of significance in the contexts differ substantially. Additionally, the findings reveal diversity, both in lexical choice and the discourse structure of sermons. However, in both contexts, the sermons demonstrate similarity in semantic grouping. So, for the teacher of English for religious purposes (ERP) and the user of English in church contexts, this work offers insights into the lexical world of sermons in Nigeria.
The Effect of Instruction Based on Multiple Intelligences Theory on the Attitude and Learning of General English
Author: Soleimani, Habib
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multiple Intelligences,English (Second Language),Pretests Posttests,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Statistical Analysis,Foreign Countries,Quasiexperimental Design,College Students,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,Attitude Measures,Instructional Effectiveness

The purpose of the present study is investigating the effect of instruction based on Multiple intelligence (MI) theory on attitude and learning of General English course among students of Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah Branch in the second semester of educational year of 2010-2011. 61 male and female students in two different classes participated in the present study that were assigned to experimental (32 students) and control (29 students) groups based on random cluster sampling. A quasi experimental method of research with a pre- and post test was used. The experimental group was taught according to the theory of MI and the control group was instructed based on the traditional method of teaching General English in eight weeks time. In order to determine the effect of MI-based instruction compared with traditional method, a researcher constructed test including 30 items were utilized. In order to assess the attitude of the learners toward English, a 15 items scale of attitude toward English Language was also employed. For analyzing data we used ANCOVA and independent sample t-test. The results of the study indicated that there was a significant difference between improving in General English course between experimental and control groups. In other words, students taught based on MI theory exceeded the traditionally instructed students both in general and in each sub-skill of learning English (vocabulary, reading comprehension, and structure). The results also indicated that attitude of students towards learning English in experimental group improved significantly.
The Role of Cognitive Style in the Collocational Knowledge Development of Iranian EFL Learners through Input Flood Treatment
Author: Mahvelati, Elaheh Hamed
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cognitive Style,Experimental Groups,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Role,Phrase Structure,Language Proficiency,Control Groups,Linguistic Input,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Language Tests,Questionnaires,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis

The differences in cognitive style between individuals and the effect these differences can have on second language learning have long been recognized by educators and researchers. Hence, this issue is the focal center of the present study. More precisely, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of participants' cognitive style (field dependence vs. field independence) in their collocational knowledge development. That is, the study explored possible differences between field-dependent and field-independent learners with regard to the role of input flood treatment as an implicit method of collocation instruction. Two intact classes comprising sixty-four upper-intermediate learners with roughly the same level of language proficiency participated in this study. One class was randomly assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group. The analysis of the data revealed that input flood treatment improved the performance of the experimental group at post-test stage. A deeper analysis concerning the differences between field-dependent/independent learners, however, indicated that this kind of teaching approach was more beneficial for field-independent learners in both short and long term. Moreover, the results of within-field-dependent/independent group showed that while input flood treatment did not have long-term effect on improving the field-dependent's knowledge of the target collocations, it had durable effect on the field-independent's collocation development.
Development and Validation of Mechanical Engineering Trade Skills Assessment Instrument for Sustainable Job Security in Yobe State
Author: Adamu, Gishua Garba
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Engineering Education,Test Construction,Program Validation,Skill Analysis,Psychometrics,Job Analysis,Teacher Surveys,Student Surveys,Task Analysis,Test Items,Test Reliability,Hypothesis Testing,Metallurgy,Correlation,College Students,College Faculty,Career Readiness,Foreign Countries

Mechanical Engineering Trade Skills Assessment Instrument (METSAI) is aimed at determining the extent to which students have acquired practical skills before graduation that will enable them get employment for sustainable job security in Yobe state. The study employed instrumentation research design. The populations of the study were 23 mechanical engineering trade teachers and 98 mechanical engineering trade students. The study answered two research questions and tested two hypotheses. The METSAI comprising of practical skills items or operations based on NBTE curriculum and NABTEB syllabus were developed and validated by four experts. Mechanical engineering trade teachers from technical colleges in Yobe state were used for further content-validation of the METSAI items which was tried out on 98 mechanical engineering trade students. Data collected were analyzed using statistical mean, Standard deviation, Split-half technique, t-test and ANOVA. The result of the study showed that 13 basic tasks and 72 practical skills items were found appropriate for the METSAI. The instrument was found to possess a high reliability of 0.92. Based on this result, it was recommended amongst others that teachers and examination bodies (NABTEB, WAEC and NECO) should use METSAI for assessing performance of students in mechanical engineering trade.
A Pilot Study of the Challenges of Infusing Almajiri Educational System into the Universal Basic Educational Programme in Sokoto, Nigeria
Author: Isiaka, Tajudeen Onitada
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Pilot Projects,Barriers,Integrated Curriculum,Integrated Services,Special Schools,Educational Methods,Disadvantaged,Models,Questionnaires,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Finance,Educational Facilities,Educational Planning,Program Implementation,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Educational Policy,Educational Change,Educational Opportunities,Equal Education

The Almajiri falls among the category of extremely poor children in Nigeria. These children constitute about seven and half million street-begging, maladjusted, aggressive and out of schools. The menace of the Almajiri has recently attracted the of attention of federal and state Governments which led to the establishment of special schools geared towards providing these children with knowledge and skills that will enable live meaningful life and contribute to national development. Therefore, this present study examines the challenges' of infusing Almajiri educational system into Universal Basic educational programme in Sokoto State Nigeria. The target population of the study comprised of all the teachers in all the Almajiri Model schools in sokoto. The sample involved sixty (60) teachers who were randomly selected from different Almajiri Model schools. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire developed by the researcher. Data were analysed with frequency count and percentages. The results of the findings revealed that the programme is being adversely affected by some problems such as insufficient funding, inadequate infrastructural facilities, poor planning and supervision and poor public enlightenment programme. The study also made recommendation for solving these challenges.
The Effect of Teaching Vocabulary through Semantic Mapping on EFL Learners' Awareness of the Affective Dimensions of Deep Vocabulary Knowledge
Author: Nilforoushan, Somayeh
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semantics,Cognitive Mapping,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Vocabulary Development,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Language Tests,Females,Phrase Structure,Multivariate Analysis,Adult Students,Foreign Countries,Outcomes of Education

This study focused on the effect of teaching vocabulary through semantic mapping on the awareness of two affective dimensions, evaluation and potency dimensions of deep vocabulary knowledge as well as the general vocabulary knowledge of EFL students. Sixty intermediate EFL female adult learners participated in this study; they were chosen among 90 students through Preliminary English test and a general vocabulary knowledge test. They were thus randomly divided into two groups, experimental and control, each consisting of 30 students. As for the treatment, modifiers describing peoples' characteristics were taught in the text and through semantic mapping, whereas these words were taught by usual vocabulary instruction in the control group. At the end, students took a vocabulary achievement test and a test of awareness of evaluation and potency dimensions of deep vocabulary knowledge. A t-test was run to analyze the data from the vocabulary achievement test. Results showed that teaching collocations has great influence on the students' general vocabulary knowledge. To see if the independent variable had significant effects on awareness of evaluation and potency dimensions of deep vocabulary knowledge, a MANOVA was run revealing that teaching vocabularies through semantic mapping significantly improved learners' awareness of the two dimensions.
Postcolonial Reading of a Colonial Text
Author: Aladaylah, Majed hamed
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Policy,Discourse Analysis,Asians,Indians,Social Differences,Racial Differences,Cultural Traits,Racial Bias,Geography,Literary Devices,Sociocultural Patterns,Cultural Differences,Authors,English Literature

The discussion and analysis focuses on the ways colonialist discourse, in this case Maugham's short story &quot;Footprint in the Jungle,&quot; positioned the colonized natives into European colonialist socio-cultural hierarchy. This study examines Maugham's depictions of non-white communities--Malay, Chinese and Indian. Hence, we look at how this colonialist writer reinforced and spread the idea of physical and social differences between the Europeans and the non-European races, rendering the latter an inferior position to the former. In this section we see that the distinction made was not only rooted in physical grounds but culturally and socially as well, which go hand in hand with Edward Said's notion of Orientalism. The analysis shows that Maugham's narrative represents the Eastern social and cultural practices in an unpalatable manner. For example, the geography and landscape of the colonized territory is sketched as evil, savage, dark, etc. We see the forest in Maugham's &quot;The Footprint in the Jungle&quot; as a place where everything becomes dangerous: people lose their sanity; loves takes on the face of violence and hatred.