ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Improving Preschool Teachers Attitude towards the Persona Doll Approach and Determining the Effectiveness of Persona Doll Training Procedures
Author: Acar, Ebru Aktan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Attitude Measures,Foreign Countries,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Statistical Analysis,Instructional Effectiveness,Inservice Teacher Education,Teaching Methods,Pretests Posttests,Toys,Multicultural Education,Attitude Change,Questionnaires,Factor Analysis

The study features two basic steps. The first step of the research aims to develop a scale to measure the attitude of preschool teachers towards the Persona Dolls Approach and to verify its validity/reliability through a general survey. The cohort employed in the research was drawn from a pool of preschool teachers working in and around the cities of Çanakkale and Mardin, Turkey during the 2011-2012 academic year. The first sampling taken with the purposive sampling method was carried out in June 2011 with 187 preschool teachers employed in schools in and around the city of Çanakkale. Validity was measured through the application of structure and scope verification procedures, while reliability was established using the test-re test method and internal consistency procedures. The resulting analyses presented a scale with KMO Value (Kaiser Meyer Olkin) of 0.812 and an internal consistency value of 0.916, where a value approximate to +1.00 indicates a high level of internal consistency. The second step of the research involved a cohort of 46 preschool teachers from Mardin and surrounding districts, 23 in the trial group and 23 in the control group. The aim was to assess whether the trial group teachers would present a change of attitude following a two-day training in the Persona Doll Approach. A pre test-post test and control group trial method was employed for this purpose. The groups were equalized taking into account the validity-reliability studies related to the teacher survey and attitude scales from the first step of research, and related and unrelated Group T Tests were applied in data analysis. At the conclusion of the experimental model, comparing pre and post-test results, significant levels of positive attitude change were perceived in terms of measurable variances among teachers in the experimental group receiving instruction in the Persona Doll Approach. These results would appear to imply the positive effects of training in the Persona Dolls Approach for teachers in the experimental group.
Evolvement of Pre-Service Language Teachers' Beliefs through Teacher Education
Author: Kavanoz, Suzan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Preservice Teacher Education,Student Attitudes,Student Development,Phenomenology,English (Second Language),English Teachers,Questionnaires,Teacher Education Programs,Program Effectiveness,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,College Freshmen,College Seniors,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Content Analysis

In language teacher education, beliefs of language teachers about language learning and teaching have a powerful effect on the way they teach. Therefore, the quality of teacher education programs should be considered as an influential variable that might cause changes in pre-service language teachers' beliefs. The main purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the beliefs future English language teachers hold toward learning and teaching, and the impact of the courses given in the program on altering their beliefs about learning and teaching a foreign language. The data gathered from twenty-three first year and twenty-one final year language teacher candidates through an open-ended questionnaire form were analyzed using content analysis. The results revealed that the program created an increase in their awareness and an improvement in their understanding of the processes inherent in foreign language teaching and learning.
An Exploration of English Language Teachers' Perceptions of Culture Teaching and Its Effects on Students' Motivation
Author: Yesil, Seyma
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English Teachers,English (Second Language),Teacher Attitudes,Cultural Education,Student Motivation,College Faculty,Semi Structured Interviews,Qualitative Research,College Students,Academic Achievement,Language Proficiency,Instructional Effectiveness,Foreign Countries

As the seamless connection between language and culture is commensurate with related research carried on language and culture; language is greatly affected and structured by cultural values, attitudes and beliefs. The goal of the present study is to investigate and analyse English language teachers' perceptions and opinions about the integration of target culture into the foreign language courses. In the same vein, this research aims at finding out the connection between the instructors' thoughts about the integration of the target culture elements and students' motivation in English classes. Having been randomly selected on a voluntary basis, the participants of the study included 7 English language instructors, working at a Turkish state university. Semi-structured interviews were implemented as the instrument to elicit data. The results were analysed qualitatively and indicated that the instructors espouse the incorporation of target language culture into the courses; however they cannot allocate enough time to have culturally embedded courses. They claim that these two inextricably connected fields are to be evaluated concurrently in L2 courses. As for the effects of target culture teaching on students' academic achievement and motivation, they unanimously agree that it has a positive and motivating impact on their proficiency level of English.
The Need to Introduce System Thinking in Teaching Climate Change
Author: Roychoudhury, Anita
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Systems Approach,Climate,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Educational Strategies,Science Education,Grade 7,Grade 8,Statistical Analysis,Pretests Posttests,Qualitative Research,Achievement Gains,Knowledge Level,Misconceptions

Research related to teaching climate change, system thinking, current reform in science education, and the research on reform-oriented assessment indicate that we need to explore student understanding in greater detail instead of only testing for an incremental gain in disciplinary knowledge. Using open-ended items we assessed details in student successes and challenges in thinking about climate change and climate system. Twelve teachers of the 7th and 8th grades and 457 students from four schools in a Midwestern state participated in this study. Statistical analysis of student responses on the pre- and post-test showed a significant (p&lt;0.0001) gain in knowledge but more importantly, qualitative analysis of student responses showed that they learned that our climate is changing but had constructed a linear connection between variables such as surface temperature and drought. The students did not develop a connected body of knowledge or an understanding of climate as a system. Future research needs to focus on curriculum development, effective system pedagogy, assessment, and teacher development in the context of climate change as an interlinked system.
Examination of a Successful and Active Science Club: A Case Study
Author: Behrendt, Marc
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Success,Case Studies,Qualitative Research,High Schools,Youth Clubs,Science Programs,Teacher Attitudes,Experiential Learning,Informal Education,Field Experience Programs,Behavioral Objectives,Educational Philosophy,Learning Activities,Interaction,Teacher Student Relationship,Field Trips,Semi Structured Interviews

This qualitative evaluative study explores the views of two science club advisor/educators of an active 122-member rural high school science club program that is thriving in spite of increasingly busy student schedules, decreasing school budgets, and a demanding standardized curriculum. It is essential to understand the teacher-advisors' objectives and how they run science club, to understand why the organization is popular for students. What do the two teachers do to make this science club vital to the students? Why do the students connect to the program? Four emergent categories were identified during analysis: (a) the teachers established goals and a philosophy concerning science club, (b) the science club was based on activities, (c) the social aspects of science club were nurtured, and (d) there was a connection between the informal (science club) learning and the formal (classroom) learning. The results of this study informs our understanding of how an active, strong science club may be structured and managed, and the study tangentially illustrates the benefits that a well-run science club may provide to the student membership as well as the overall science program at the school.
Teacher Logs: A Tool for Gaining a Comprehensive Understanding of Classroom Practices
Author: Glennie, Elizabeth J.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Classroom Environment,Classroom Techniques,Transcripts (Written Records),Educational Practices,Data Collection,Class Activities,Computer Mediated Communication,High Schools,Secondary School Teachers,Lesson Plans,Program Implementation,Faculty Mobility,Teaching Experience,Faculty Development,Beliefs,Teaching Models,Technology Uses in Education,Course Evaluation

Examining repeated classroom encounters over time provides a comprehensive picture of activities. Studies of instructional practices in classrooms have traditionally relied on two methods: classroom observations, which are expensive, and surveys, which are limited in scope and accuracy. Teacher logs provide a &quot;real-time&quot; method for collecting data on classroom practices by giving teachers a tool to document and reflect about specific lessons and the impact they may have had on their students. Logs can collect data for review by teachers, their colleagues, administrators, and researchers. These self-reported data, collected online repeatedly over a specified period of time, present a series of snapshots that capture ongoing classroom practices and lesson strategies. In this article, we describe the use of teacher logs to understand classroom practices by highlighting the kinds of activities teachers emphasized and their perceptions of effectiveness. In a National Science Foundation-funded evaluation of a high school reform program, we used online teacher logs to understand the education delivery in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in redesigned North Carolina high schools. We find that teacher logs are an appropriate, efficient, and useful tool for documenting practice. Teachers can use log data to reflect on practice, determine areas of strength and challenge, and set goals for personal improvement. Administrators can use logs to support teachers in examining practice and setting goals.
Assessment Data-Driven Inquiry: A Review of How to Use Assessment Results to Inform Chemistry Teaching
Author: Harshman, Jordan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Chemistry,Instructional Innovation,Teaching Methods,Literature Reviews,Evidence Based Practice,Educational Practices,Secondary School Science,Evaluation Utilization,Instructional Improvement,Inquiry,Curriculum Guides,Educational Resources,Evaluation Methods,Performance Based Assessment

With abundant access to assessments of all kinds, many high school chemistry teachers have the opportunity to gather data from their students on a daily basis. This data can serve multiple purposes, such as informing teachers of students' content difficulties and guiding instruction in a process of data-driven inquiry. In this paper, 83 resources were reviewed to provide a complete description of this process, which has not been previously done. In reviewing the literature, we found that: 1) there is very little research detailing the data-driven inquiry process in a way that can be readily implemented by teachers; 2) the research largely neglects the incorporation of disciplinary content in the data-driven inquiry process; 3) suggestions for teachers' actions provided by the research is general, limiting the impact of these suggestions; and 4) the practical considerations and fidelity of implementation of data-driven inquiry have not been examined. Implications for chemistry teachers are presented along with a call for future research on key areas, thus benefiting researchers of assessment processes. Finally, general data-driven inquiry research is described in the context of chemistry-specific examples that provide useful, practical suggestions for high school chemistry teachers.
Convincing Science Teachers for Inquiry-Based Instruction: Guskey&apos;s Staff Development Model Revisited
Author: Zambak, V. Serbay
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Teachers,Inquiry,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Faculty Development,Inservice Teacher Education,Teacher Attitudes,Attitude Change,Mathematics Achievement,Middle School Teachers,Quasiexperimental Design,Correlation,Beliefs,Teacher Surveys,Observation,Achievement Tests,Scores,Statistical Analysis,Program Effectiveness

For many years, changing beliefs has been considered a prerequisite for changing classroom practices. However, professional development research has also shown that the opposite relationship is also true--change in practice can precede change in beliefs. This study investigated the effect of a one-year professional development program on in-service science teachers' instructional practices, beliefs, and their students' achievement. The professional development program specifically emphasized supporting middle school in-service science teachers to implement inquiry-based instruction. A non-random, single group, interrupted time-series, quasi-experimental design was used to test Guskey's model of staff development and the relationships among changes in teachers' instructional practices, beliefs and their students' achievement. Similar to Guskey's model, findings from this study show the importance that evidence of improved student achievement has on teachers changing their practices. Teacher change models emerging from our data did not find any links between general teacher change variables. However, factors such as teachers' focus on discourse and curriculum were found to be important components of inquiry-based instruction and teachers' contextual beliefs.
Reading Place, Reading Landscape: A Consideration of City as Text™ and Geography
Author: Hostetter, Ellen
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Geography,Fundamental Concepts,Experiential Learning,Honors Curriculum,Human Geography,Educational Resources,Horticulture,Professional Development,College Programs,Place Based Education,Social Behavior,Educational Practices

The fundamental concepts employed by City as Text™ (CAT)--the established experiential learning practice in honors education-and the discipline of geography, specifically the landscape tradition within human geography, share much in common. The overlaps offer CAT practitioners additional intellectual support from a source outside of honors while the differences suggest opportunities for incorporating new material into CAT programs. While CAT and the landscape tradition share the general concepts of professional orientations grounded in place, of close attention to place, and of place as a text to be read, the landscape tradition offers specific terminology to support and build on these shared concepts: landscape as unwitting autobiography, landscape as an act of will, landscape in a continuous process of becoming, landscape as power, and object orientation vs. people orientation. Since readers of &quot;Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council&quot; (&quot;JNCHC&quot;) are far more likely to be familiar with CAT than with the landscape tradition, the Appendix offers an annotated list of key texts in human geography's tradition of landscape scholarship that may have immediate use and resonance for those working in CAT programs.
Using Hybrid Courses to Enhance Honors Offerings in the Disciplines
Author: Youmans, Karen D.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Honors Curriculum,Blended Learning,Curriculum Enrichment,Curriculum Design,Dual Enrollment,College Programs,Educational Change,Educational Strategies,Educational Practices

How honors faculty and administrators might best respond to the challenge of AP/IP/dual enrollment credit mandates across the country will depend largely on the nature of their institutions and the size, structure, and mission of their individual programs. While the debate will continue about long-term consequences for the quality of higher education, the realities of the mandates have begun to force new and creative thinking about curriculum design in honors programs that could lead to positive developments for both students and faculty. In response to the demand to develop honors course offerings beyond the general education curriculum, the honors program at Oklahoma City University has experimented with creating hybrid courses that have expanded the honors curriculum in some beneficial new ways, enabling more students to complete honors requirements while increasing the scope of our program's positive impact on our institution as a whole.
Urban Elementary Science Teacher Leaders: Responsibilities, Supports, and Needs
Author: Wenner, Julianne A.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Urban Schools,Elementary School Science,Elementary School Teachers,Science Teachers,Leadership Responsibility,Science Achievement,Achievement Gap,Teacher Leadership,Science Education,STEM Education,Professional Development,Semi Structured Interviews

The challenge of science achievement gaps is one that scholars have struggled to solve. Teacher leadership holds great promise in closing those gaps. Therefore, the purpose of the research reported here was to explore the responsibilities and supports of formally designated science teacher leaders (STLs) in urban elementary schools that have been successful in closing science achievement gaps. Using York-Barr and Duke's (2004) review on teacher leadership as a framework, findings from this study indicate that urban elementary STLs emphasize certain dimensions of practice (e.g., building partnerships) while deemphasizing or even omitting others (e.g., working with preservice teachers). Findings also indicate that a positive culture that supports STEM education, a principal that works with the STL yet encourages autonomy, control over scheduling, and training for the STLs seem to best support STLs. Finally, it appears that STLs would benefit from more targeted training and evaluation measures, and an STL network. Given that this study took place in schools that have been successful in closing science achievement gaps, these findings have implications for schools that wish to employ STLs to promote more equitable science achievement.
A Critical Vision of the CLIL Approach in Secondary Education: A Study in the Valencian Community in Spain
Author: Guillamón-Suesta, Francisco
Date: 2015-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Course Content,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Teacher Attitudes,Positive Attitudes,Language of Instruction,Interdisciplinary Approach,Language Teachers,Preschool Teachers,Secondary School Students,Secondary School Teachers,Questionnaires

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has emerged in European education as an effective method to enhance and reinforce students' competence in English and skills while covering traditional content areas. This paper presents a research study into CLIL in secondary education in the area of Castellón in the Valencian Community, Spain. Our first objective of this work involves defining whether some content subjects in some secondary schools of the area are being delivered using English as the vehicular language or not. Secondly, the study also pursues to detect the attitudes and background of the English-language and the content teachers of those centres in relation to CLIL by means of two types of CLIL questionnaires. Results show that even though CLIL has not been introduced officially in any of these secondary schools, some of the teachers have already applied it in specific modules of nursery and primary education. English and content teachers show a positive attitude towards the effects that CLIL could have on their students, and they are eager to cooperate in its implementation.
Science Fairs: A Qualitative Study of Their Impact on Student Science Inquiry Learning and Attitudes toward STEM
Author: Schmidt, Kathleen M.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Fairs,Inquiry,Active Learning,Student Attitudes,Program Effectiveness,Qualitative Research,Student Participation,STEM Education,Grade 7,Focus Groups,Science Careers,Middle School Students

Little is known about the impact of science fair participation on student science inquiry learning. Furthermore, there is only a small research base relating to science fair participation and student attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and coursework. In this study, 41 seventh-grade science fair contestants from three schools participated in focus group sessions to qualitatively assess their interest in STEM careers and coursework and their understanding of science inquiry. Science fair participation increased student understanding of science inquiry, and positively influenced the attitudes of the majority of students in the study toward STEM courses and careers. The strengths of the science fair programs were a focus on science inquiry as well as student choice in choosing and carrying out projects. However, for a subgroup of students, the stress level they experienced as they worked on their projects resulted in negative attitudes toward STEM fields. The length and complexity of the science fair process was of concern for many students, but especially so for this sub-group. It is possible that an undertaking of the length and complexity of a typical science fair project is not appropriate for all students in this age group. Alternatives for students include carrying out several shorter projects, rather than one large project, or working with partners or small groups. These strategies could serve the larger goals of increasing student science inquiry understanding and increasing positive student attitudes toward STEM fields in a more age-appropriate manner.
Filling in the Gaps: An Explicit Protocol for Scaffolding Inquiry Lessons
Author: Hitt, Austin M.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Science Teachers,Teaching Methods,Inquiry,Learning Theories,Scientific Concepts,Prompting,Concept Formation,Elementary Secondary Education

The goal of this paper is to introduce an explicit protocol that preservice science teachers can use to improve the quality of the scaffolding (written and oral prompts) of their inquiry lessons. Scaffolding is an essential component of effective inquiry lessons because it keeps students focused on the target science content and divides the content into manageable bits of information, a process referred to as chunking. The significance of scaffolding for inquiry lessons and the theoretical framework, development, and implementation of the inquiry scaffolding protocol are discussed.