ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Motivational Factors in Continuing Education an Academic Achievement of Adult Learners
Author: Lee, Pei Ling
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Continuing Education,Academic Achievement,Adult Students,Motivation Techniques,Part Time Students,College Students,Questionnaires,Profiles,Individual Development,Career Development,Social Development,Social Influences,Regression (Statistics),Correlation,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between motivational factors in continuing education and academic achievement of adult learners. The study is conducted due to a lack of research pertaining to academic achievement among adult learners particularly in Malaysia. Methodology: A random sample of 150 part-time adult learners from a public university in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, represented 202 part-time adult learners in the areas of social sciences and humanities at the university. A thirty-item questionnaire, adapted from Boshier's Education Participation Scale(EPS) (1991) and Neill's The University Students Motivation and Satisfaction Questionnaire 2 (TUSMSQ2) (2004) was used to examine their motivational factors i.e. personal development, career advancement, social pressure, social and communication improvement, and escapism. Self-reported cumulative grade point average (CGPA) was utilized as the measurement of academic achievement. Rasch analysis reaffirmed the content validity of items in the questionnaire. Findings: The findings indicate that personal development and social pressure are the best predictors of academic achievement among adult learners. The motivational factors that are not significant as predictors are career advancement, social and communication improvement, and escapism. Adult learners with higher motivation for personal development (intrinsic motivation) perform better academically. Conversely, adult learners with higher motivation based on social pressure (extrinsic motivation) perform lower academically. Intrinsic motivation seems to be more powerful in enhancing academic achievement of adult learners as compared to extrinsic motivation. Significance: This finding is crucial for program planners and adult educators. They will be able to lead adult learners to be more intrinsically motivated in continuing education. In this way, they will optimize their learning outcomes and develop quality human capital in Malaysia.
Technical Efficiency and Primary Education in South Africa: Evidence from Sub-National Level Analyses
Author: Boateng, Nana Adowaa
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Efficiency,Evidence,Delivery Systems,Elementary Schools,School District Spending,Operations Research,Audits (Verification),School Surveys,Educational Finance,Educational Policy,Educational Administration,Outcomes of Education,Accountability,Expenditures,Resource Allocation,Administrative Organization,Money Management,Human Resources,School District Wealth,Fiscal Capacity,Statistical Analysis

The paper examines the extent to which sub-national public officials are efficient in delivering basic education services and argues that technical inefficiencies, especially in the management of public funds for education, could potentially contribute to poor education service delivery in South Africa. A conceptual framework is proposed to show the underlying mechanisms by which these technical inefficiencies can adversely affect education outcomes. The analysis is based on two micro-level surveys that were applied at 175 public primary schools and 13 district education offices (DEOs) in two provinces in South Africa: the North-West Province and Gauteng. The analysis reveals that South Africa has a well-planned decentralised structure to administer education. However, districts have significant human resource constraints. Capacity is often lacking and record-keeping, particularly of financial information, is very poor. Lack of technical efficiency has resulted in misappropriation of funds (leakage) and extensive delays in remitting funds to schools. The paper concludes that these inefficiencies potentially affect education outcomes and therefore should be given due consideration when designing and implementing education policy reforms.
The Contribution of a Particular &quot;Kids in Parks&quot; Programme to the Professional Development of Teachers
Author: Ferreira, J. G.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Faculty Development,Focus Groups,Interviews,Program Effectiveness,Parks,Outdoor Education,Environmental Education,Disadvantaged Youth,Qualitative Research,Teacher Attitudes,Knowledge Level

This article considers the possible contribution of the &quot;kids in parks&quot; programme offered at Golden Gate Highlands National Park to the professional development of teachers. Focus group interviews were held with teachers who participated in the programme, and an interview with open-ended questions was held with a learning facilitator from the provincial education department. Although the programme has not primarily been developed to focus on professional development, the setting creates an ideal opportunity for the professional development of teachers away from the formal school situation. This research suggests that the programme, and consequently similar programmes offered at other national parks in South Africa, could make a contribution to the professional development of teachers.
The Investigation of STEM Self-Efficacy and Professional Commitment to Engineering among Female High School Students
Author: Liu, Yi-hui
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: STEM Education,Self Efficacy,Student Projects,Questionnaires,Sex Role,Role Models,High School Students,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Social Cognition,Career Choice,Engineering,Single Sex Schools,Learning Activities,Females,Path Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Foreign Countries

This study employed social cognitive theory and social cognitive career theory (SCCT) as foundations to explore the influence of high school students' beliefs about female gender roles and female engineer role models on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) self-efficacy and professional commitment to engineering. A total of 88 students from a national girls' high school participated in STEM project-based learning. A survey questionnaire named The STEM Self-efficacy and Professional Commitment to Engineering Questionnaire, developed by the researchers, was administered to collect data, and a structured equation model was employed to confirm the multi-theoretical model developed in this study. The results of this study show that enhancing the gender role beliefs and engineer role models of female students may increase their STEM self-efficacy and professional commitment to engineering. In other words, the female high school students' professional commitment to engineering model can explain students' intentions for future engineering careers. Thus, this study suggests integrating STEM project-based learning into the curricula of various schools and integrating female engineer role models into STEM project-based learning activities for female students, which can enhance female high school students' STEM self-efficacy and professional commitment to engineering.
Preschool Teachers' Perceptions towards the Use of Play-Based Approach in Language and Literacy Development for Preschool
Author: Nor Puteh, Sharifah
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Teachers,Statistical Analysis,Play,Language Acquisition,Foreign Countries,National Curriculum,Questionnaires,Teacher Attitudes,Interviews,Literacy Education,Time Management,Teaching Methods,Preschool Education,Educational Quality,Curriculum Implementation

Purpose: In the new mandatory National Preschool Curriculum Standards introduced by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, the play-based approach has been emphasized in the teaching and learning process. This study aimed to find out teachers' perception towards the use of the play-based approach in the language and literacy development of preschoolers. Method: A structured questionnaire survey was the main instrument used for data collection. The respondents consisted of 60 teachers from four agencies which provide preschool education, namely the Ministry of Education, KEMAS, Jabatan Perpaduan Negara (JPN), and private preschool centers in the district of Hulu Langat Selangor. All respondents were randomly selected. Of the 60, 51 respondents completed the survey. To gain additional insights into teachers' perceptions 12 respondents were purposely selected from this group to be interviewed. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze data from the survey. Findings: The results showed that teachers have a positive response towards a play-based approach in preschoolers' language and literacy development. They believed children like to play and are actively involved in play. However, they were unsure about the use of play- based approach. Issues and constraints such as time allocation for play activities, limited and unsuitable space for play, and lack of knowledge and skills required to implement developmentally appropriate teaching including play, made them resort to a didactic teacher-directed approach in their classrooms. Significance: The study points to the importance of providing teachers with knowledge and skills on the use of play in their teaching approach. Intervention programs and collaborations among the agencies providing preschool education must be established to enhance the quality of teaching practices and to ensure the new curriculum is effectively implemented.
The Need for Invariant Assessments in South African Education
Author: Dampier, Graham A.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Evaluation,Mathematics Skills,Measurement Techniques,Mathematics Tests,Young Children,Item Response Theory,Evaluation Methods,Test Format,Cultural Context,Statistical Analysis

Presently, a plethora of instruments designed to assess a mathematical skill, disposition, or competence prevail in South Africa. Yet few of them adhere to the basic requirements of the unidimensionality and invariance of measures. The Marko-D is a mathematical instrument designed to test learners between the ages of 4 and 8. The instrument, thus far, appears to adhere to the central tenets of fundamental measurement, which hold that a test should be invariant across different groups of people and that it should measure a single variable to a level of precision that is useful practically and theoretically. The Marko-D was used to assess the mathematical competence of 249 foundation phase pupils. Even though we cannot conclude at this stage that the Marko-D satisfies the requirements of invariance and unidimensionality completely, this study provides an elucidation of the need for invariant assessments in South African education.
The Relationship between Temperament, Gender, and Behavioural Problems in Preschool Children
Author: Yoleri, Sibel
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Gender Differences,Personality Traits,Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Personality Measures,Foreign Countries,Withdrawal (Psychology),Behavior Problems,Statistical Analysis,Ethics

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between gender and the temperamental characteristics of children between the ages of five and six, as well as to assess their behavioural problems. The sample included 128 children selected by simple random sampling from 5-6 year old children, receiving preschool education in the city centre of Ýzmir province in Turkey. Of the children, 65 were girls (50.8%) and 63 (49.2%) were boys. The data collection instruments were the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales and the Short Temperament Scale for Children, respectively. The results of this study reveal that there is no significant difference between gender and the child temperament subscales of approach/withdrawal; persistence and rhythmicity; and a child's behavioural problems, respectively. However, the gender of the children was found to be significantly related to the reactivity sub-dimension of their temperament (p &lt; 0.05). Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between the temperament subscale of reactivity and externalising problems subscale of behavioural problems (p &lt; 0.05). On the other hand, a negative correlation was observed between the persistence temperament dimension and the behavioural problem dimension of self-centredness (p &lt; 0.05). In the opinion of the researcher, it is important to know the children's personality features, monitor their behaviour, and take respective measures when necessary. These research results contributed positively to this end.
Parental Attachment as Predictor of Delinquency
Author: Gaik, Lee Phaik
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parent Child Relationship,Attachment Behavior,Correlation,Crime,Deception,Surveys,Student Behavior,Delinquency,Trust (Psychology),Alienation,Academic Failure,Secondary School Students,Mothers,Pornography,Social Control,Measures (Individuals),Statistical Analysis,Fathers,Foreign Countries,Multivariate Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out the relationship between adolescents' parental attachment and delinquent behaviour in the aspects of trust, communication and alienation. In this study, delinquent behaviour refers to the set of behaviours which is against any mainstream established rules or norms. It is believed that delinquent behaviour has the potential to cause school failure, impairments in socio-emotional development, peer rejection, and adult crime. Methodology: Data were gathered from a sample of 300 secondary school students aged 15-18 years old in Selangor. These students were selected from the &quot;hardcore schools&quot; which was obtained from the so called &quot;hardcore schools&quot; listed by the School Division for serious disciplinary problems. Two instruments, namely surveys on the &quot;Behaviour of Students&quot; and &quot;Parental Attachment&quot; (PA) were utilized to collect the research data. The researchers employed correlational research design in this study. Findings: Data showed that the highest delinquency among the adolescents was misbehaviour in school, followed by crime, vandalism, pornography, dishonesty and drugs. Results also revealed a negative linear relationship between parental attachment (r = -0.282,p = 0.0001) and delinquent behaviour, implying that adolescents with better parental attachment had lower levels of delinquency. In addition, findings showed that adolescents trusted in their mothers (M = 3.70, SD = 0.63) more than they trusted in their fathers (M = 3.51, SD = 0.72) in relation to communication and alienation. It is suggested that close supportive parents and frequent communication between parents and their children serve to prevent adolescent delinquency. Significance: This research is significant to parents, school, teachers, counselors and the community.
&quot;We Were Not Part of Apartheid&quot;: Rationalisations Used by Four White Pre-Service Teachers to Make Sense of Race and Their Own Racial Identities
Author: le Roux, Adré
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Change,Racial Segregation,Blacks,Whites,Racial Differences,Institutional Characteristics,Power Structure,Social Differences,Poverty,Advantaged,Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Teacher Education,Qualitative Research,Indo European Languages,Females,Native Language,Foreign Countries,Interviews,Focus Groups

Despite fundamental reforms to South African education, large performance gaps still prevail between former black schools and former white schools. Nineteen years into a democracy and education in post-apartheid South Africa still retains a strong racial dimension between poorer communities and more affluent communities. Differential access to power and privilege in post-apartheid South Africa is the logical consequence of a racialised society, and the latter constitutes the context in which pre-service students have to make sense of their racialised subjectivities that ultimately affect their decisions and active agency to bringing about a less polarised society. In this paper, Bonilla-Silva's &quot;structural theory of racism&quot; is used as a theoretical lens to unpack the rationalisations used by four white pre-service teachers to make sense of race and their own racial identities. By claiming that they were not part of apartheid, the participants use various rationalisations to provide them with information to maintain a belief in white innocence in racism and to disengage them from structural racism.
Weaknesses of South African Education in the Mirror Image of International Educational Development
Author: Wolhuter, C. C.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: International Education,Foreign Countries,Educational Quality,Comparative Education,Public Education,Educational Development,Educational Opportunities,Higher Education,Achievement Tests,International Assessment,Mathematics Tests,Elementary Secondary Education,Science Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Science Tests,Grade 4,Reading Achievement,Reading Tests

The aim of this article is to present a systematic, holistic evaluation of the South African education system, using international benchmarks as the yardstick. A theoretical model for the evaluation of a national education project is constructed. This consists of three dimensions, namely: a quantitative dimension, a qualitative dimension, and an equality dimension. International databases and the existing international taxonomies of national education systems are then used to evaluate the South African education system, along the three dimensions of the model. It is found that the weakest links are the facts that primary and secondary education enrolment ratios are not followed through to the higher education level; that input, particularly financial input, does not render a commensurate return in terms of the quality of teaching and learning, and learning outcomes; that the administrative component of the system and teacher input appear to be the two weak links in the system in this regard; and that stark inequalities exist in the education system. In conclusion, some recommendations for the improvement of practice and for further research are made.
When Teacher Clusters Work: Selected Experiences of South African Teachers with the Cluster Approach to Professional Development
Author: Jita, Loyiso C.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Faculty Development,Teacher Collaboration,Communities of Practice,Social Networks,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Benefits,Guidance,Teacher Leadership,Secondary School Teachers,Science Teachers,Mathematics Teachers,Case Studies,Semi Structured Interviews

Recent scholarship on teacher professional development has shown renewed interest in collaborative forms of teacher learning. Networks, communities of practice and clusters are related concepts that describe forms of collaboration between schools and/or teachers that encourage such learning. In South Africa, teacher clusters represent a relatively recent and popular experiment in teacher professional development. However, there is no verdict yet about their effectiveness. While the utility of such collaborative structures for teacher learning is fairly well established in many developed countries, we still know very little about how the intended beneficiaries (the teachers) experience these non-traditional structures of professional development. Using qualitative data from a large-scale research project, we explore teachers' perspectives on what constitutes a successful clustering experience, and the kinds of professional development benefits they derive from their participation therein. Our major findings are twofold: First, clusters seem to enhance teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Second, and somewhat unexpectedly, the teachers identified another set of benefits, the so-called &quot;process benefits&quot; that include collaboration, instructional guidance and teacher leadership. In a context where teachers have tended to work solo and insulated their classroom practices from influence, the presence of the &quot;process benefits&quot; represents a significant finding. We conclude the paper by exploring several possible directions for further research on these process benefits of clusters for teachers in South Africa and elsewhere.
Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students' Academic Achievements
Author: Kasim, Maznah Mat
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Weighted Scores,Academic Achievement,Student Evaluation,Case Studies,Evaluation Methods,Foreign Countries,Elementary School Teachers,Elementary School Students,Computation,Scores

Purpose: It is a normal practice that students' overall scores are computed by simple average (SA) method which considers all academic subjects as having the same weights or same degree of importance. This paper highlights the application of simple weighted average (SWA) as an alternative method in aggregating students' academic achievements. The weights of the academic subjects must be determined prior to the use of SWA. Methodology: In a case study, a group of five teachers from one primary school was asked to rate five main subjects taught in primary schools according to their importance. These five teachers have taught the five subjects for more than six years. The obtained weights values were used to re-compute 2011 mid-semester final examination scores of 33 year-six pupils at the selected primary school. Findings: The teachers decided to give different weight to three subjects, but same weights to two subjects. Furthermore, the SWA scores give different ranking to the pupils as compared to the SA scores. Another sentence or two needed here to explain the findings. Significance: It is argued that the use of the SWA method is more suitable than the simple average method in finding the overall scores of students' achievements. The SWA method considers the subjects to have different degrees of importance, as they do in the actual educational context.
Inductive Learning: Does Interleaving Exemplars Affect Long-Term Retention?
Author: Zulkiply, Norehan
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Retention (Psychology),Learning,Painting (Visual Arts),Evaluative Thinking,Statistical Analysis,Teaching Methods,College Students,Logical Thinking

Purpose: The present study investigated whether or not the benefits of interleaving of exemplars from several categories vary with retention interval in inductive learning. Methodology: Two experiments were conducted using paintings (Experiment 1) and textual materials (Experiment 2), and the experiments used a mixed factorial design. Forty students participated in each experiment for course credit. In each experiment, participants studied a series of exemplars from several categories which were presented massed and interleaved, and later their induction was tested either shortly after the study phase (short-term retention) or after a week's delay (long- term retention). Findings: Consistent with findings from previous studies, the interleaving effect was found in the short-term retention condition, and crucially, the present study provided the initial evidence that interleaving of exemplars also affected long-term retention. Interestingly, massing was judged to be more effective than spacing (interleaving) in most groups, even when actual performance showed the opposite. Significance: The present study shows that interleaved exemplars have considerable potential in improving inductive learning in the long term. For example, induction is used in case-based reasoning which requires one to start with learning from specific cases, and then form generalizations of these cases by identifying the commonalities between them. In order to enhance long-term retention, educators may want to consider using interleaved presentation rather than massed presentation in teaching examples or cases from a particular category or concept.