ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Improving Peer Learning for Students' Academic Performance: The Case of Second Year Rural Development and Agricultural Extension Students, College of Agriculture, Wolaita Sodo University
Author: Gebeyehu, Bogale
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peer Groups,Peer Teaching,Academic Achievement,Rural Development,Rural Extension,Undergraduate Students,Active Learning,Interviews,Questionnaires,Barriers,Student Interests,Student Participation,Educational Resources,Cooperative Learning,Foreign Countries

Modern universities are facing challenges due to the increasing number of young people attending higher education. The sheer number of students raises the question of how to organize teaching-learning activities that allow the students to become active learners and engaged participants in academic discussions within their disciplines rather than passive spectators. Mass universities face heterogeneous students of those who are motivated by career opportunities and need situational motivation to engage in deep levels of learning that are necessary to reach the necessary deep level of understanding of the often complex phenomena studied at the university level. Within the last decade, &quot;student-centered&quot; instructional methods have become increasingly popular in higher education and one such method is peer learning. Peer learning was not well understood in earlier education system as it was perceived learning as matter of competition rather than cooperative. Still there are evidences showing that not all students are willingly involved and participating in the process of peer learning at higher institution. Therefore, this study is intended to identify factors affecting peer learning, and thereby to improve students' academic performance through strengthening peer learning. In this regard, all the third year students of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension were taken and interviewed. The descriptive results revealed that there is awareness problem among some students about the importance of peer learning. Moreover, many students were engaged in peer learning outside the classroom learning only for a few activities and not regularly practiced.
The Role of Language Laboratory in English Language Learning Settings
Author: Mohammed, Abdelaziz
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Laboratories,Teaching Methods,Majors (Students),College Students,Correlation,Foreign Countries,Listening Skills,Oral Language,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Language Tests,Instructional Effectiveness

This study aims at determining the relationship between language labs and the effective ways of mastering better performance of English language. The study raised two questions. They are &quot;Is language laboratory useful in teaching English to Saudi students?&quot; And &quot;How do language labs help in improving students' performance?&quot; Descriptive and analytical approaches have been adopted in this study. Two subject groups representing different situations are selected for investigation. Each group contained 27 students from fourth level who are studying English as their major. The instruments used were tests of all English components to draw significant findings. Generally, the findings proved that using effective language laboratories in teaching English is essential in teaching listening and mastering better features of speaking. In addition, the study recommends that the using of language labs in the teaching of English is highly needed in colleges.
An Empirical Study on the Application of Cooperative Learning to Comprehensive English Classes in a Chinese Independent College
Author: Meng, Ji
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cooperative Learning,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Comparative Analysis,Lecture Method,Private Colleges,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Linguistic Competence,Language Tests,National Competency Tests,Control Groups,College Students,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Interviews,Outcomes of Education

This research investigated a comparison between the effect of cooperative learning and lecture teaching on Comprehensive English classes in a Chinese Independent College. An empirical study for two semesters was carried out in the forms of pretest, posttest, questionnaire and interviews. While control class was taught in the conventional way, experiment class was instructed based on cooperative base groups with positive interdependence structured on purpose. Compared with traditional instructions, cooperative learning as pedagogy can improve students' performance on course exams, but not necessarily their language competence as shown in national English competency tests taken before and after the experiment. Test results also indicate students from experiment class who excelled in competency test outnumbered those from control class, revealing that cooperative learning has positive impacts especially on students at a relatively higher academic level. Questionnaire results show that students are most inclined to agree they have more chances to practice the language in a cooperative environment.
The Implication of Large Class Size in the Teaching and Learning of Business Education in Tertiary Institution in Ekiti State
Author: Ayeni, Olapade Grace
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Class Size,Large Group Instruction,Postsecondary Education,Developing Nations,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,College Seniors,College Faculty,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Business Administration Education,Instructional Effectiveness,Teacher Effectiveness,Learning,Hypothesis Testing,Classroom Techniques,Behavior Problems,Stress Variables,Outcomes of Education,Data Analysis,Correlation

Large class size is one of the problems in the educational sector that developing nations have been grappling with. Nigeria as a developing nation is no exception. The purpose of this study is to provide views of both lecturers and students on large class size and how it affects teaching and learning in tertiary institutions in Ekiti State of Nigeria. The study employed survey design; the population consisted of all lecturers and students in College of Education in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ikere Campus and Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. The total populations of thirty (30) lecturers were used for the sample, while five hundred and twenty (520) final year students were randomly selected. The research instruments used in data collection were questionnaire. The findings of this study revealed that large class size has negative implications on effective teaching and learning of Business Education in tertiary institutions. The relationship between large class and effective teaching and learning is very low. The authors recommended among others that management should employ more lecturers for the teaching of Business Education in tertiary institutions if they want to admit large number of students because of income, also the institution should make extra effort to provide more resources and facilities to promote effective teaching and learning of Business Education.
Motivation and Autonomy in Learning English as Foreign Language: A Case Study of Ecuadorian College Students
Author: Bravo, Jorge Cevallos
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Personal Autonomy,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Vocational Education,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Statistical Analysis,Independent Study,Learner Engagement,Learning Processes

This quantitative research aims to examine how different levels of motivation relate to frequency of occurrence of autonomous language learning activities undertaken by undergraduate students. Eight hundred and sixty-two college students from 10 vocational training programs of a public university located in Ecuador, South America, participated in this study. Spratt's questionnaire that regards &quot;autonomy and motivation&quot; as a cyclical interaction in the language learning process, was updated by the researchers, adding digital education elements. The data were analyzed using the program SPSS v24.0.0. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between: the language learning stimulation generated by professors and the participants' learning attitudes. In addition, it was determined that the most frequent language practices in which the participants showed greatest autonomy were: listening to songs in English language, worrying about the correct pronunciation, and noting down interesting words or expressions in English.
Technological Knowledge and Reasoning in Finnish and Estonian Technology Education
Author: Autio, Ossi
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Technological Literacy,Technology Education,Thinking Skills,Questionnaires,Mechanical Skills,Statistical Analysis,Middle School Students,Knowledge Level,Scientific Concepts,Teaching Methods

The main idea of this research was to find out if there is a relationship between students' undertakings within Craft and Technology education and their ability to understand technological concepts. Study participants' technological knowledge and reasoning was measured with a questionnaire regarding mechanical systems connected with simple physical phenomena. The research was undertaken in Finnish and Estonian schools during the years 2014-2016. The research model was quantitative survey and the data was collected using a questionnaire distributed to 303 students in Estonia and 317 in Finland. The age of study participants was eleven and thirteen. The results highlighted general lack of technological knowledge and reasoning, which could be due to old-fashioned pedagogical methods in teaching technology. The total average of right answers to 28 questions was in Estonia 15.4 and in Finland 15.0. Main difference was found between Finnish and Estonian 11-year-old students while the Estonian figure was 14.9 and 14.1 in Finland. For 13-year-old students, the difference was almost diminished while the average in Estonia was 15.8 and 15.7 in Finland. This is explained by curriculum differences. In Finnish technology education both Technical craft and Textile craft are compulsory for both boys and girls. In Estonia, students can choose the subject based on their wishes and interests. This allows students to study in greater detail the subject that they are really interested in. In addition, boys' and girls' different interests and earlier experiences obviously have an impact on motivation for learning about technology.
Metacognitive Listening Strategies Used by Saudi EFL Medical Students
Author: Alhaison, Eid
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metacognition,Listening Comprehension,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Medical Students,Medical Education,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Problem Solving,Learning Strategies,Translation,Language Processing,Teaching Methods,Statistical Analysis,Likert Scales

The present study investigated the metacognitive listening strategies among Saudi EFL medical students. The participants were 104 males and females, randomly selected to fill in the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ), developed and validated Vandergrift Goh, Mareschal, and Tafaghodtari (2006). The results revealed that participants use problem-solving and direct attention strategies more frequently than other metacognitive listening strategies. On the other hand, mental translation and personal knowledge strategies were reported to be the least used strategies. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
Impact of Cloud Services on Students' Attitude towards Mathematics Education in Public Universities in Benue State, Nigeria
Author: Iji, Clement Onwu
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,College Students,Mathematics Teachers,Preservice Teachers,Public Colleges,Questionnaires,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Self Esteem,Learner Engagement,Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Laptop Computers,Scores,Gender Differences,Internet,Information Management

This study focused on the impact of cloud services on students' attitude towards mathematics education in public universities in Benue State, Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. The instrument for the study is the researcher-developed Cloud Service Impact Questionnaire--CSIQ (Cronbach Alpha Coefficient = 0.92). The CSIQ was administered to a sample of 328 mathematics education students drawn from the two public universities having operational cloud service delivery system in Benue State. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions while t-test was used in testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. In-depth analysis of data obtained in the study revealed that there is a positive high level of impact of cloud services on the mathematics confidence (cluster mean attitude score = 2.85), affective engagement (cluster mean attitude score = 2.87) and behavioural engagement (cluster mean attitude score = 2.92) of mathematics education students in public universities in Benue State. The results also indicated a high frequency of usage of cloud services, with smartphones (49%), tablets (24%) and laptops (16%) being the set of computer devices readily available among mathematics education students in public universities in Benue State. The t-test analysis of mean attitude scores established a statistically significant difference between the public universities. The mean difference in attitude scores between male and female mathematics education students was also found to be statistically significant. The outcome of this study has shown that adoption of cloud services for augmenting learning results in strong positive mentality and confidence among mathematics education students, leading to students feeling good, thinking hard and actively participating in their own mathematics learning.
De-Identification in Learning Analytics
Author: Khalila, Mohammad
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Research,Data Collection,Data Analysis,Technology Uses in Education,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Confidentiality,Student Records,Parent Rights,Educational Legislation,Privacy,Ethics,Identification

Learning analytics has reserved its position as an important field in the educational sector. However, the large-scale collection, processing, and analyzing of data has steered the wheel beyond the borders to face an abundance of ethical breaches and constraints. Revealing learners' personal information and attitudes, as well as their activities, are major aspects that lead to identifying individuals personally. Yet, de-identification can keep the process of learning analytics in progress while reducing the risk of inadvertent disclosure of learners' identities. In this paper, the authors discuss de-identification methods in the context of the learning environment and propose a first prototype conceptual approach that describes the combination of anonymization strategies and learning analytics techniques.
Privacy-Driven Design of Learning Analytics Applications: Exploring the Design Space of Solutions for Data Sharing and Interoperability
Author: Hoel, Tore
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Privacy,Data Analysis,Computer Oriented Programs,Systems Development,Models,Information Security,Educational Research,Design

Studies have shown that issues of privacy, control of data, and trust are essential to implementation of learning analytics systems. If these issues are not addressed appropriately, systems will tend to collapse due to a legitimacy crisis, or they will not be implemented in the first place due to resistance from learners, their parents, or their teachers. This paper asks what it means to give priority to privacy in terms of data exchange and application design and offers a conceptual tool, a Learning Analytics Design Space model, to ease the requirement solicitation and design for new learning analytics solutions. The paper argues the case for privacy-driven design as an essential part of learning analytics systems development. A simple model defining a solution as the intersection of an approach, a barrier, and a concern is extended with a process focusing on design justifications to allow for an incremental development of solutions. This research is exploratory in nature, and further validation is needed to prove the usefulness of the Learning Analytics Design Space model.
Learning Analytics for 21st Century Competencies
Author: Buckingham Shum, Simon
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Minimum Competencies,Data Analysis,Research Tools,Lifelong Learning,Research Reports,Systems Analysis,Educational Trends,Educational Needs,Skill Development,Student Development

Many educational institutions are shifting their teaching and learning towards equipping students with knowledge, skills, and dispositions that prepare them for lifelong learning, in a complex and uncertain world. These have been termed &quot;21st century competencies.&quot; Learning analytics (LA) approaches in general offer different kinds of computational support for tracking learner behaviour, managing educational data, visualizing patterns, and providing rapid feedback to both educators and learners. This special section brings together a diverse range of learning analytics tools and techniques that can be deployed in the service of building 21st century competencies. We introduce the research and development challenges, and introduce the research and practitioner papers accepted to this section, before concluding with some brief reflections on the collection and relevance of a complex systems perspective for framing this topic.
Trace-Based Microanalytic Measurement of Self-Regulated Learning Processes
Author: Siadaty, Melody
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metacognition,Learning Processes,Intervention,Technology Uses in Education,Data Analysis,Measurement Techniques,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Outcomes of Education,Research Methodology,Work Environment,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Data Collection,Information Systems

To keep pace with today's rapidly growing knowledge-driven society, productive self-regulation of one's learning processes are essential. We introduce and discuss a trace-based measurement protocol to measure the effects of scaffolding interventions on self-regulated learning (SRL) processes. It guides tracing of learners' actions in a learning environment on the fly and translates these data into indicators of engagement in SRL processes that reflect learners' use of scaffolding interventions and contingencies between those events. Graphs of users' learning actions in a learning environment are produced. Our trace-based protocol offers a new methodological approach to investigating SRL and new ways to examine factors that affect learners' use of self-regulatory processes in technology-enhanced learning environments. Our application of the protocol was described in a study about Learn-B, a learning environment for SRL in the workplace. The findings of the work presented in this paper indicate that future research can gain substantially by using learning analytics based on users' trace data and merging them with other quantitative and qualitative techniques for researching SRL beliefs and processes.
Towards the Discovery of Learner Metacognition from Reflective Writing
Author: Gibson, Andrew
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metacognition,Reflection,Writing Assignments,Undergraduate Students,Natural Language Processing,Sentences,Heuristics,Models,Knowledge Level,Classification

Modern society demands renewed attention on the competencies required to best equip students for a dynamic and uncertain future. We present exploratory work based on the premise that metacognitive and reflective competencies are essential for this task. Bringing the concepts of metacognition and reflection together into a conceptual model within which we conceived of them as both a set of similar features, and as a spectrum ranging from the unconscious inner-self through to the conscious, external, social self. This model was used to guide exploratory computational analysis of 6,090 instances of reflective writing authored by undergraduate students. We found the conceptual model useful in informing the computational analysis, which in turn showed potential for automating the discovery of metacognitive activity in reflective writing, an approach that holds promise for the generation of formative feedback for students as they work towards developing core 21st century competencies.
Students' Preferences for Syntax Usage in Turkish Language Using Distributional Linguistic Theory
Author: Erdem, Cem
Date: 2017-01-23
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning,Native Speakers,Turkish,Interaction,Syntax,Linguistic Theory,Statistical Analysis,Sentences,Written Language,Documentation,Content Analysis,Polish,Comparative Analysis

Communication is one of the most important aspects of social life. Social interactions have increased the necessity for communication and learning of language. Social needs which constitute the main goal of teaching activities fill the gap of learning language. Linguistic surveys have revealed an important finding on educational activities and outputs. One of them is distributional linguistic theory. The purpose of this work is to describe the connection between Polish speakers who learned Turkish as a foreign language having preference for syntax and Turkish native speakers having preference for syntax using distributional linguistic theory. In this study, survey model, a kind of quantitative research, was used. Quantitative research data were collected by document review. The survey was carried out with Polish and Turkish university students in 2013/2014 academic year in spring semester. The working group consists of 20 students who were chosen with stratified random sampling. The findings explain the meaning statistically, and consequences were tabulated. There are differences in the syntax and sentence length of the working group in written language.
A Data Protection Framework for Learning Analytics
Author: Cormack, Andrew
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Data Analysis,Data Collection,Educational Research,Information Security,Privacy,Informed Consent,Models,Early Intervention,Self Disclosure (Individuals),Ethics

Most studies on the use of digital student data adopt an ethical framework derived from human-subject research, based on the informed consent of the experimental subject. However, consent gives universities little guidance on using learning analytics as a routine part of educational provision: which purposes are legitimate and which analyses involve an unacceptable risk of harm. Obtaining consent when students join a course will not give them meaningful control over their personal data three or more years later. Relying on consent may exclude those most likely to benefit from early intervention. This paper proposes a new framework based on the approach used in data protection law. Separating the processes of analysis (pattern-finding) and intervention (pattern-matching) gives students and staff continuing protection from inadvertent harm during data analysis. Students have a fully informed choice whether or not to accept individual interventions. Organizations obtain clear guidance: how to conduct analysis, which analyses should not proceed, and when and how interventions should be offered. The framework provides formal support for practices already being adopted and helps with several open questions in learning analytics, including its application to small groups and alumni, automated processing, and privacy-sensitive data.