ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Physical Sciences Teaching and Learning in Eastern Cape Rural Schools: Reflections of Pre-Service Teachers
Author: John, Merlin
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physical Sciences,Science Instruction,Rural Schools,Preservice Teachers,Educational Experience,Instructional Effectiveness,Reflection,Critical Theory,Educational Environment,Barriers,Foreign Countries,Educational Resources,Disadvantaged Schools,Teacher Qualifications,Place Based Education,Consciousness Raising,High Schools

The experiences of pre-service teachers who come from rural backgrounds differ widely from those who are from urban schools. It can be assumed that these experiences play a crucial role in shaping their teaching careers during and after the formal teacher training. Even though much research has already dwelt on the various challenges experienced by rural schools in South Africa, little has been done on pre-service teachers' perspectives. Using an exploratory research method, this article explores the status of physical sciences teaching and learning in rural schools in one of the most disadvantaged provinces of South Africa, using pre-service teachers enrolled in a rural-based university as the participants. While many factors were reported as hindering the effective teaching and learning of physical sciences in rural schools, it was found that some schools and teachers used some appropriate strategies to promote teaching and learning.
Faculty Perceptions of Attendance Policy in an AACSB School
Author: Pinto, Jo Ann M.
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Attendance,Business Schools,Accreditation (Institutions),Professional Associations,State Universities,Gender Differences,Tenure,Research,Time Management,Adults,College Students

The issue of attendance policies has been studied by higher education professionals for nearly a century. Prior research has shown a strong statistical link between class attendance and student grades. The aim of our research project is to gauge the attitudes and policies of business school professors in an AACSB accredited school on this topic. An online survey was conducted during the early Fall 2018 semester. Results suggest the vast majority of respondents institute an attendance policy in their classes. Respondents taught courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and are a diverse set of faculty as indicated by academic rank, age, gender and level of education.
Schooling Experiences of Children Left behind in Zimbabwe by Emigrating Parents: Implications for Inclusive Education
Author: Tawodzera, Mazvita Cecilia
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Inclusion,Family Structure,Barriers,Teacher Student Relationship,Interaction,Political Issues,Social History,Student Rights,Access to Education,High Schools,High School Students,Student Attitudes,Student Needs,Child Rearing,At Risk Students,Teacher Role

Since the year 2000, a deepening political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe has forced parents to emigrate en masse to regional and international destinations such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand respectively. Without guaranteed employment and with little knowledge of the education systems and the living conditions in the destination countries, most parents chose to initially emigrate on their own, settle down and later on send for their children. However, most of these children never joined their parents, owing to the various challenges that the majority of parents encountered in the diaspora: unemployment, lack of documentation, and poor living conditions. Against this background, this paper assesses experiences and challenges faced by the left-behind children (LBC) and explores these children's perceptions of their interactions with teachers through inclusive education practices. A phenomenological research approach was adopted; in-depth interviews were used to collect data. The high schools were purposively sampled, one from a low-income area and the other from a high-income area in order to get a more pronounced picture of the experiences of LBC in the city. The results of the study indicate that LBC faced numerous challenges: excessive household chores, little help from guardians with homework, inadequate representation at school meetings, and non-payment of school expenses. Most children viewed their interaction with teachers as generally negative and reported that most of their needs were not met. The study recommends the crafting of inclusive education legislation for the country so that new vulnerabilities are holistically dealt with.
Influences of Teacher Power and the Use of Phonetics Website over EFL Undergraduate Students&apos; Attitudes toward Speaking English Intelligibly
Author: Tananuraksakul, Noparat
Date: 2019-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Phonetics,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Undergraduate Students,Student Attitudes,Positive Attitudes,Power Structure,Native Speakers,Language Teachers,Web Sites,Teaching Methods,Language Attitudes,Foreign Countries

This paper investigates two hypotheses: 1) EFL undergraduate students have positive attitudes towards the use of the phonetics website; and 2) teacher power can greatly influence their positive attitudes toward speaking English intelligibly. Research outcomes derive from questionnaire (n=79), crosschecked with interview data (n=47), revealing their alignments. The first hypothesis was confirmed at a high level; the second was partially supported. Teacher power appeared to be distracted by power relations in interactions between native and nonnative English speakers and among non-native English speakers themselves. The study offers two insightful directions for EFL teachers.
Teachers for Rural Schools -- A Challenge for South Africa
Author: du Plessis, Pierre
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Rural Schools,Teacher Recruitment,Educational Quality,Disadvantaged Schools,Educational Resources,Teacher Attitudes,Barriers,Teaching Conditions,Educational Environment,Classroom Environment,Energy,Sanitation,Water,Poverty,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Promotion,Curriculum,Educational Administration,Elementary Secondary Education,Teachers,Principals,Blacks

Poverty is rife in many African countries and this has serious implications for the provision of quality education. Rural schools face severe challenges that are unique to their environment. A lack of parental interest in children's education, insufficient funding from the state, a lack of resources, underqualified teachers, and multi-grade teaching are some of the barriers to effective education. These challenges can be attributed to numerous sources, from within school structures and from the external environment, including local communities and education authorities. After 25 years of democracy, educational standards and learner performance in rural schooling has shown little improvement. This study illustrates the complexity and inter-connectedness of the problems faced by teachers in South African rural schools. Using qualitative research within the interpretivist paradigm, this article explores the perceptions and experiences of teachers in rural schools located in White River in the Mpumalanga province. This grounded-theory research focuses on effective teaching and learning. The findings reveal that most rural schools do not have water, sanitation, or electricity, and classrooms are in a terrible state. These issues have serious implications for effective teaching and learning.
Evaluating Endodontontic Dental Education by Clinical Errors (Iatrogenic Perforations) Made by Students in Their Last Year of Education
Author: Dimitrova, Ivanka Veselinova
Date: 2019-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Dentistry,Medical Education,Undergraduate Students,Error Patterns,Foreign Countries,Incidence

The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical procedural iatrogenic errors, especially to determine the frequency of dental perforation made by undergraduate students in Sofia, Faculty of Dentistry, Bulgaria, in the school years of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. The assessment was by examination of periapical radiographs of completed endodontically treated teeth, performed by last year dental students. A total of 748 teeth were evaluated and 30 perforations were found. From 285 treated in 2015, 10 perforations were found. From 493 teeth treated in 2016, 20 perforations were found. The overall frequency of perforations was 3.9% for 2015 and 4.1% for 2016. The frequency of perforations made by postgraduate Bulgarian students established by us is low and it is similar to that made by general practitioners and found by other Bulgarian researches. Perforation frequency found in this study is due to the large number of retreatments (36% of all cases) and the prevailing number of elderly patients with calcified canals that come to be treated in our facility. And yet it is not significantly different from other published data.
Learners and Educators as Agents of Social Transformation in Dysfunctional South African Schools
Author: Moloi, Kholeka
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Change Agents,Social Change,Disadvantaged Schools,School Effectiveness,Teacher Student Relationship,Critical Theory,Consciousness Raising,Curriculum Development,Low Achievement,Equal Education,Postcolonialism,Urban Schools,Rural Schools,Racial Segregation,Freedom,Children

The problem addressed in this theoretical paper is that of learners and educators as agents of social transformation in dysfunctional schools of South Africa. While 80% of South African schools are said to be dysfunctional, learners and educators in these schools can be activated to challenge and actively struggle against any form of social oppression that dehumanises and renders them failures. Educators can work in collaboration with learners to conscientize the latter so that they are able to question different forms of inequalities and discrimination implicit in the curriculum offered at school, which excludes their cultural learning experiences. This paper argues that township and rural school educators and learners can become social agents for change if they are exposed to critical pedagogy which fosters emancipatory methods of teaching and learning. Consequently, structural factors surrounding the South African education system must be addressed if learner performance in dysfunctional schools is to improve.
Thuma Mina and Education: Volunteerism, Possibilities and Challenges
Author: Beckmann, Johan
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Policy,Educational Change,Volunteers,World Views,African Culture,Opportunities,Cooperation,Guidelines,Barriers,Educational Improvement

South African education has become used to dealing with an array of new policy and strategy initiatives. Often these policies and strategies appear on the scene only to disappear into the sand later on. When President Ramaphosa announced the Thuma mina initiative in February 2018, educationists would have been tempted to ask questions about the viability and the practicality of this initiative to help turn education in the country around. Unfortunately, like many other countries, South Africans are used to policies and strategies that often do not produce any significant results. During the State of the Nation Address on 16 February 2018, President Ramaphosa used the song by Hugh Masekela, &quot;Send me,&quot; to call on people to volunteer their services to the country by helping address some pressing problems, including problems regarding education -- one of the four pillars of the New Dawn announced by President Ramaphosa. In light of South Africa's history of failed initiatives, I assessed the potential of Thuma mina to address urgent problems in South African society and in education in particular, through volunteerism. To do this, I traced the roots of Thuma mina and analysed the information that became available since February 2018 to determine under what circumstances it might succeed, and what might militate against its success. My conclusion is that the campaign has the potential to make a significant contribution to the improvement of education. However, certain obstacles also need to be addressed for volunteerism, in the form of Thuma mina, to succeed in education.
School-Based Mathematics Teacher Professional Learning: A Theoretical Position on the Lesson Study Approach
Author: Mhakure, Duncan
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Faculty Development,Mathematics Teachers,Communities of Practice,Teacher Improvement,Program Effectiveness,Economically Disadvantaged,Foreign Countries,Disadvantaged Youth,Teacher Collaboration

This theoretical paper focuses on how school-based continuous professional development (CPD) for mathematics teachers in schools located in disadvantaged areas can be carried out using the lesson study approach. School-based CPD is based on the notion that teachers need real-time and on-site professional training tailored to improve the instructional practices unique to their school and classroom contexts. The paper seeks to address the research question: How can a lesson study [or research lesson] be used in the school-based CPD of mathematics teachers in schools located in disadvantaged areas? Empirical evidence from lesson study research suggests that it is an effective tool for CPD activities because it is school-centred, focuses on learner learning, and draws on the collective and collaborative experiences of teachers working in the same school mathematics department. Therefore, this paper significantly contributes to theoretical and practical debates on school-based CPD activities in schools located in disadvantaged areas, using lesson study. Further research would necessitate a focus on understanding how the social learning processes within school-based CPD can be linked to school contexts.
Theory and Practice of the Quintile Ranking of Schools in South Africa: A Financial Management Perspective
Author: Van Dyk, H.
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reputation,Educational Equity (Finance),Standards,Social Change,Racial Segregation,Poverty,Institutional Characteristics,Institutional Evaluation,Slum Schools,Urban Schools,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,School Effectiveness,Equal Education,Advantaged,Resource Allocation,Governing Boards,Foreign Countries

Equitable funding of public schools to reduce the disparities in education inherited by the post-apartheid government of South Africa in 1994 has become a priority. The Amended National Norms and Standards for School Funding (ANNSSF) required the ranking of schools into one of five quintiles of which Quintile 1 represents the poorest schools and Quintile 5 the most affluent. This amendment determines that schools serving impoverished communities should receive more funding. However, challenges exist regarding the implementation of the system, as well as the calculation base for maintenance allocation. In this study we used semi-structured interviews to collect data from 24 respondents from urban and township schools in Gauteng. Participants were selected by means of purposive sampling. Permission to conduct the research was obtained from the Gauteng Department of Education, the university's Ethics Committee and the school governing bodies. We handled financial information from schools with utmost confidentiality. We identified themes from interview transcriptions and we analysed schools' financial statements. The main findings relate to inaccuracies in quintile ranking, which result in inadequate and unfair school funding, which impact on schools' maintenance and learning and teaching. It is recommended that a more holistic approach should be followed to achieve equity in education.
Taming the Tide of Achievement Gap by Managing Parental Role in Learner Discipline
Author: Lumadi, Rudzani Israel
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Achievement Gap,Parent Role,Academic Achievement,Parent School Relationship,Discipline,Behavior Problems,Family Environment,Educational Environment,Teacher Effectiveness,Parent Teacher Cooperation,Student Behavior,Foreign Countries,Children,Social Development,Intervention

Parental involvement is germane and crucial to a child's well-being and development in later life. Involvement is subjective in nature and difficult to evaluate. The family is the primary cell of society where the child's upbringing commences at birth. This study focuses on the parental role in managing learner discipline with the aim of improving learner academic achievement and reducing educational inequities in underachieving schools. The question guiding this study is: how can parents as stakeholders in the school ensure that learners are disciplined for the school environment, in order to tame the tide of achievement gap? A qualitative empirical approach was employed in this study, with the semi-structured interview as the main data-collection instrument. Social cognitive theory underpinned the study to highlight the impact of the role of parents on learner discipline for improved performance in the school environment. Findings suggest that lack of disciplinary management skills may result in unruly behaviour, non-adherence to school rules and poor learner performance in school. This study reveals that parental involvement in children's education has a powerful impact on the attainment of positive results.
The Impact of Immersive Strategy with English Video Clips on EFL Students&apos; Speaking Performance: An Empirical Study at Senior High School
Author: Muslem, Asnawi
Date: 2019-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Video Technology,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Audio Equipment,Language Teachers,Teaching Methods,Comparative Analysis,Instructional Materials,Pretests Posttests,Speech Communication,Oral Language,Skill Development,High School Students,Foreign Countries

This study aimed at investigating the effects of an immersive strategy using English video clips on students' speaking performance. A quasi-experimental design was employed in this study. The study comprised 45 students; 23 in the experimental group (EG) class using English video clips and 22 in the alternative group (AG) class using English audio CD's. All teaching materials used in this study were selected from YouTube. A pre-test and a post-test were implemented in each of the groups. Data were analyzed statistically using SPSS to obtain the mean, standard deviation, and undertake t-tests. The results showed that the students participating in the immersive strategy through English video clips group outperformed the students subjected to the immersive strategy through English audio. The findings have pedagogical impacts for EFL teachers, teacher trainees, practitioners and policy makers to employ English video clips to improve students' speaking performance.
&quot;You Can Be Anything&quot; -- Career Guidance Messages and Achievement Expectations among Cape Town Teenagers
Author: Morse, Katherine
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,High School Students,Academic Aspiration,Postsecondary Education,Student Attitudes,Expectation,Grades (Scholastic),Career Guidance,Goal Orientation,Self Efficacy,Adolescents,Grade 11,Beliefs

Do high school learners in Cape Town have realistic tertiary study plans? During 2015, 813 Grade 11 learners were surveyed with regard to their expectations for academic achievement and post-school plans. Learners attended average-performing, noor low-fee Cape Town high schools. Follow-up discussions were held with 10 learners, 2 teachers and 1 family. In line with previous South African studies, it was found that almost all Grade 11 learners expected to study at tertiary level. Although learners expressed confidence that they would achieve their goals, 70% predicted that their school marks would increase over the following 15 months to an unlikely or impossible degree. Learners in the lowest quartile of school performance were most at risk of overestimating their future improvement and, additionally, reported that their current marks were higher than reflected in school records. Young people are encouraged to plan for university education without consideration of how realistic or attainable this option is for them. They are repeatedly told: &quot;You can be anything!&quot; Some learners moderate this message with practices of self-regulated learning, involving careful checking of recent marks, setting goals, and reviewing progress. Others pretend to have marks that they do not have and rely on the power of self-belief to make their expectations a reality. This leads to a likely mismatch between plans and actual academic attainment.
Learners&apos; Perceptions of the Impact of Using Digital Storytelling on Vocabulary Learning
Author: Leong, Amelia Chiew Har
Date: 2019-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocabulary Development,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Story Telling,Language Usage,Technology Integration,Teaching Methods,Elementary School Students,Handheld Devices,Learning Motivation,Multimedia Instruction

Learning vocabulary is one of the problems faced by English language learners. The inability to use vocabulary poses difficulties to learn the language effectively. One of the ways to attract to and interest learners in learning vocabulary is through the integration of technology, such as the use of digital storytelling as its interactivity can create interest in learning. This study examined the effects of digital storytelling in vocabulary learning among young Malaysian English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. Qualitative case study was employed as the research design of this study. Findings revealed that there were several impacts of digital storytelling on vocabulary learning and all of these effects are positive. Some implications of digital storytelling on education are also discussed in this paper.
Teachers&apos; Perceptions of the Impact of a One-Year In-Service Teacher Education Programme in the Solomon Islands
Author: Edwards, Richard
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Inservice Teacher Education,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Education Programs,Faculty Development,Elementary School Teachers

The recent development of a one-year campus-based teacher education programme in the Solomon Islands was intended as a step towards improving access to teacher development opportunities for local teachers wanting to upgrade their skills and qualifications. A group of ten teachers from the second cohort of this programme was interviewed individually to explore their perceptions of the impact that their involvement in the programme had on their teaching and on their lives as teachers. A thematic analysis indicated that the teachers perceived some important benefits in the areas of classroom practice, school leadership and management, and teacher professional skills. It also identified a number of challenges that the teachers felt made it difficult to implement what they had learnt, including a lack of resources, the nature of the local classroom, and the responses of their colleagues. In highlighting specific issues in this context, this research contributes to the sparse literature on teacher development in the Solomon Islands and in the wider Pacific.