ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Integrated Functional Adult Literacy: Existing Practices and Challenges in Eastern Ethiopia
Author: Awgichew, Sisay
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Adult Literacy,Program Effectiveness,Mixed Methods Research,Questionnaires,Focus Groups,Adult Education,Literacy Education,Barriers,Cooperative Planning,Agency Cooperation,Nonformal Education,Interviews

The purpose of this study was to examine the existing practices and challenges of Integrated Functional Adult Literacy Program in eastern Ethiopia. To achieve this objective, the researchers used mixed research design. Questionnaires, interview and focus group discussions were used as viable instrument for data collection. The questionnaires were filed by 302 adult learners and 153 facilitators. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that since the introduction of adult education programs with an integrated manner, harmful traditional practices are reduced, community participation in environmental conservation are growing; societal life skills and usage of new agricultural technologies are improved. However, dysfunctional management structure, poor institutionalization, integration and coordination among the sectors, lack of financial package, trained personnel and low and inconsistent salary were the major bottlenecks in the implementation of the program. Therefore, collaborative efforts among government, NGOs and the community need to put in place to alleviate both human and non-human related problems for the effective realization of the program with pioneering structure, financing,organization and management to achieve transformational and sustainable development goals.
Technological Preferences, Levels of Utilization and Attitude of Students towards Mobile Learning Technologies in Chartered Universities, Kenya
Author: Mugo, David Gitumu
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Telecommunications,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Handheld Devices,Student Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Questionnaires,Preferences,Use Studies,Statistical Analysis

The affordances of mobile technologies are being felt in many sectors of world's economy including university education. By solving the limitations of fixed instructional technologies, mobile technologies have received ready acceptance in the education place. The purpose of the study was to investigate the student technological preferences, their levels of utilization as well as attitudes toward mobile technologies. The target population was 30,752 third year undergraduate students in Kenyan Universities. The participants (n = 375) were selected by systematic random sampling. They provided data using self-fill questionnaires. Results indicated that the smartphone was the most popular mobile device; Tecno was the most preferred handset brand; and Android was the most popular operating system. Safaricom was the dominant service provider amongst the student population. Regarding the levels of utilization of mobile technologies by students, it was concluded that though students use their mobile devices sufficiently, the use of the devices for accessing teaching and learning content was considerably low. On the attitude of students towards mobile technologies, it was observed that a sizeable number of students preferred to use the technologies over other existing instructional technologies. The findings of this study will be useful to instructional technologists, education policy makers, mobile handset manufacturers, mobile service providers and university managers as they partner to roll out digital learning infrastructure for Kenyan tertiary education.
The Sources of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety of Iranian English Language Learners
Author: Sadighi, Firooz
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Anxiety,Barriers,English (Second Language),Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Coping,Foreign Countries,Late Adolescents,Young Adults,Communication (Thought Transfer),Likert Scales,Measures (Individuals)

Foreign language learning anxiety is one of the affective factors which influence language learning negatively. It has several sources and different types. The present study aimed at investigating the sources of foreign language speaking anxiety of Iranian EFL learners. To do so, 154 EFL learners participated in the study. They were required to fill out a foreign language anxiety questionnaire which was developed based on the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986). The results of the study indicated that &quot;fear of making mistakes,&quot; &quot;fear of negative evaluation,&quot; and &quot;lack of vocabulary knowledge&quot; were the main factors which caused anxiety among students. Some strategies are recommended for the students to use in order to cope with the anxiety-provoking factors.
Improving Students&apos; Writing Skill through the School Online Newspaper at a Public University in Vietnam
Author: Trang, Lê Thi? Thu
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Writing Skills,School Newspapers,Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Student Motivation,Public Colleges,Student Attitudes,College Students

Writing is a crucial skill for students, particularly for those at tertiary level, yet it is a fact that many find writing challenging to master. A number of methods and strategies, therefore, have been employed in an attempt to develop students' writing skill, and a student-run school newspaper is one of them. This paper aims at reporting whether the school newspaper &quot;The SFLook&quot; results in its members' improved writing and how the students self-evaluate the impact of the project. First, the students' (n = 20) pre-test and post-test before and after a twelve-week action were examined to assess their writing performance. Besides, a questionnaire was delivered to investigate their attitudes towards different aspects during the time working for the newspaper. The findings indicate that the school newspaper has reinforced its members' writing skill and their motivations for writing are bound to external factors. The research results would suggest further applications of student-run newspapers in various educational contexts.
Inquiry-Based Integrated Thematic Instruction on Character Education of Primary School Students
Author: Chumdari
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Thematic Approach,Inquiry,Active Learning,Values Education,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Interviews,Observation,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Content Validity,Construct Validity,Statistical Analysis,Scores,Hypothesis Testing

This study aimed at investigating the differences between the yields of inquiry-based integrated thematic instruction and thematic instruction model on the character education of primary school students. The population was 253 elementary schools and 63,433 students in Surakarta City, Central Java, Indonesia. Samples were obtained through multistage cluster random sampling, which were then divided into experimental group (four classes, 129 students) and control group (four classes, 139 students). The Randomized Static Group Comparison Design was employed as the design of experiment. Data collection methods were interview, observation, questionnaire, and documentation. The instruments were validated by content validity and construct validity. Test for normality and homogeneity of data used Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Levene Test. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U Test. The result showed that students in the inquiry-based integrated thematic group obtain better score (3.48) than those in the thematic group (3.28). Moreover, the mean rank of the first group (176.07) was also significantly higher than that of the second group (95.92) (Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed). 000&lt;0.05). In overall, inquiry-based integrated thematic instruction has more significant and positive contribution on the character education of primary school students in compared with the thematic instruction model.
The Publicness of the Curriculum and the Ambiguity of the Shift to Participatory Politics: The Intersection of Politics and Education Regarding &quot;Representation&quot;
Author: Izawa, Shigeki
Date: 2018-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Curriculum,Politics of Education,Democracy,Elections,Political Issues,Foreign Countries,Voting

This paper considers the functions and effects of &quot;representation&quot; in politics and education. The voting age for public elections in Japan has been lowered from 20 or older to 18 or older, calling for a shift in the curriculum to the basics of political participation and competence. In this paper, while focusing on the political issues concerning the publicness of the curriculum up until now in particular, I will demonstrate experimentally that considering this problem means radically reconsidering the struggles contained in the meaning of participatory politics itself, not only the situation of representative democracy in modern society, and that it clarifies once again the covertly configured educational problems of competency. [Translated by Nadezhda Murray. This article was originally published, in Japanese, in &quot;The Japanese Journal of Educational Research&quot; v82 n4 2015.]
Relationship between Different Types of Educational, Emotional and Spiritual Intelligence and Second Grade High School Female Students&apos; Religious Orientation, in Sari, Iran
Author: Toosi, Seyyed Ali Doustdar
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,High School Students,Females,Emotional Intelligence,Religion,Academic Ability,Religious Factors,Correlation,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis

In the current research, we investigated how significantly the second grade high school female students' educational, emotional, and spiritual intelligence were associated with their religious orientation. This research is descriptive (non-experimental) with a correlation design. The research population includes all of the second grade high school girl students, during the 2015-16 educational year in Sari, a city in the north of Iran. In this research, 260 samples were selected randomly. Research results showed that educational, emotional, and spiritual intelligence (independent variables) had positive and significant relationship with internal and external religious orientation (dependent variable). As the levels of educational, emotional, and spiritual intelligence increased, so did the level of religious orientation. Also the results of multiple regression analysis showed that educational, emotional, spiritual intelligence were anticipants of religious orientation and its dimensions (internal and external religious orientation).
Using the Process-Genre Approach to Improve Fourth-Grade EFL Learners&apos; Paragraph Writing
Author: Arteaga-Lara, Héctor Mauricio
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Grade 4,Reading Instruction,Second Language Learning,Vocational English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Writing Instruction,Paragraph Composition,Qualitative Research,Action Research,Teaching Methods,Process Approach (Writing),Grounded Theory,Outcomes of Education,Foreign Countries,Writing Improvement,Writing Skills,Personal Narratives,Writing Evaluation,Scoring Rubrics

Writing plays a significant role in language learning. Previous research has reported on the effectiveness of several approaches to develop writing skills to enhance writing competence, but little attention has been given to the paragraph writing of elementary students. The present qualitative action research study used artifacts, teacher's journals, learner's journals, and a focus group interview to collect data on the way the process-genre approach assisted fourth-grade EFL learners in writing well-structured narrative paragraphs. Data were analyzed using the grounded theory approach, showing that most of the participants managed to write well-structured paragraphs in which they developed only one idea and supported it without deviating from the subject. Learners also became aware of the role of the audience and the features of the narrative writing genre. The findings of the study lend support to the notion that the process-genre approach is an effective way for young learners to achieve the expected goal; hence, it could be more widely adopted in writing courses at the elementary school level.
A Critical Review of Translation: A Look Forward
Author: Saroukhil, Morteza Abdi
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Translation,Educational Theories,Educational Trends,Performance Factors,Definitions,Second Language Instruction,Competence,Educational History,Relevance (Education)

Human beings live in a social world and interaction is at the heart of human society with language being the tool for this interaction and communication. In a world marked by globalization and global communication, there is a deeply-felt need for mutual understanding among people of diverse cultures and languages. In the absence of a common universal language for all, this very need is met by translation. Translation plays a fundamental role in exchanging views and information between languages. Thus, translation coexists with communication and language, and various societies need translation for communication purposes. This article aims at providing a concise background of the translation studies, theories and areas, as well as a discussion on the current issues and future perspectives. Meanwhile, the necessity of teaching translation and integrating it into school program is discussed. It is hoped that the article will familiarize the reader with a comprehensive view of translation and current issues of interest in translation.
Reading and Writing Experiences of Middle School Students in the Digital Age: Wattpad Sample
Author: Bal, Mazhar
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Middle School Students,Student Experience,Phenomenology,Qualitative Research,Semi Structured Interviews,Turkish,Questionnaires,Student Surveys,Reading Habits,Writing Achievement,Reading Achievement,Courseware,Electronic Learning,Foreign Countries

This study aimed to determine the in-school and out-of-school reading and writing experiences of middle school students. This study used phenomenology from qualitative research methods. All 12 participants (8 female, 4 male) were middle school grade 6 students. Various data collection techniques were employed: a survey and a semi-structured interview about the use of Wattpad, a semi-structured interview about the Turkish language subject, a semi-structured interview about the relationship between in-school and out-of-school reading and writing experiences, a diary of the students' Wattpad reading list, a diary of the students' Wattpad writing list, and the texts written by the students on Wattpad. Data collection lasted 16 weeks. The data collected from the survey questionnaire were analyzed descriptively. The data from the semi-structured interviews and diaries were analyzed using content analysis. The results indicated that most of the participants had a negative perception of in-school reading. Similar conclusions were drawn from the results in-school writing because most of the participants felt restricted and under pressure during the in-school writing process. Wattpad was considered a venue where participants can express themselves comfortably. The participants shared positive experiences characterized by willingness, diversity, meaningfulness, and entertainment. By contrast, in-school reading evoked negative experiences, such as feeling obliged, bored, and restricted, and perceiving the activity as meaningless. Out-of-school writing experiences were determined to promote internal motivation, to develop self-expression of one's anxiety and enjoyment alike, and to develop digital writing skills in out-of-school writing experiences. Overall, no relationship was found between in-school and out-of-school reading and writing experiences.
Gender Differences in Beliefs about English Language Policies (ELPs): The Case of Saudi Higher Education English Departments
Author: Alnasser, Suliman Mohammed Nasser
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Beliefs,English (Second Language),Educational Policy,English Departments,College Second Language Programs,Online Surveys,Statistical Significance,Hypothesis Testing,Accountability,Familiarity,Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis

Review of literature suggests that issues in English language policies (ELPs) in higher education foreign language department levels have not been addressed, and the relationship between beliefs about general notions of ELPs and gender has been disregarded. The current study investigates gender-related differences in beliefs on five main notions of ELPs among staff members in Saudi Arabian English departments. An online survey was administered to staff members in different Saudi English departments from different regions in Saudi Arabia. Five general statements on ELPs were included in the survey and were responded to by male (n = 67) and female (n = 143) staff members (total = 210). Pearson's chi-square test of independence and the calculated percentages of responses were used to analyze gender differences. No statistically significant differences were found between male and female participants, with the exception of one statement. Both genders had generally similar beliefs on ELPs. Moreover, the female staff had slightly stronger beliefs than the male staff, and males showed more hesitation than females did when deciding on ELP matters. The study also discusses the implications of the findings and provided recommendations for future research.
The Effect of Learning-Oriented Assessment on Learning Pronunciation among Iranian EFL Learners
Author: Navaie, Leila Ashegh
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pronunciation Instruction,Foreign Countries,Speech Communication,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Proficiency,Language Tests,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Language Teachers,Pronunciation,Summative Evaluation,Formative Evaluation,Pretests Posttests,Females,Adult Students,Second Language Instruction,Thinking Skills,Retention (Psychology)

Oral communication is one of the main reasons language learners attend language classes. As pronunciation is among the most significant aspects of oral communication, this study attempted to see how learning-oriented assessment (LOA) could affect pronunciation learning of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 64 language learners in a private language institute in the city of Amol, Iran, were given NELSON language proficiency test as homogeny test. A total of 40 learners were selected and assigned to two groups. Both groups were given a researcher-made pronunciation test at the beginning and two pronunciation tests (immediate and delayed tests) at the end of the treatment. The control group participants followed the conventional curriculum of the language center and the experimental group learners went through LOA treatment. The findings of the study revealed that LOA can positively affect pronunciation learning of Iranian EFL learners. In addition, it was observed that LOA has a significant effect on the participants' retention of pronunciation knowledge. This study can have pedagogical implications for language teachers and teacher trainers.
Improving Teacher Pedagogic Competences in Remote Areas through Lesson Study Activity
Author: Asari, Slamet
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Improvement,Teaching Skills,Teacher Competencies,Competency Based Teacher Education,Special Education,Rural Areas,Secondary School Teachers,Faculty Development,Training Methods,Observation,Interviews,Community Services,Program Effectiveness,Learning Activities,Program Implementation,Fidelity,Foreign Countries

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a community service activity on improving teachers' pedagogic competence in Bawean Island of Gresik Regency, Indonesia. The treatment method was based on a model of special education profession in a remote island by implementing lesson study activity introduced and developed previously on different period of community services. The samples of this activity were teachers from a Junior High School and a Senior High School in Tambak, sub-district of Bawean Island. Ten teachers from those two schools were chosen using snowball sampling technique. The data collection methods used were observation and interview. The lesson study activity implemented three cycles with stages such as Plan, Do and See. The results of this community service program indicate that there is an improvement in pedagogic trait of teacher competence as shown in teacher skills in developing teaching and learning plans, implementing learning and evaluating learning.
Imagining the Affordances of Mobile Devices as a Mechanism in Teaching and Learning
Author: Lloyd, Margaret
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Affordances,Educational Benefits,Handheld Devices,Educational Technology,Observation,Learning Theories,Higher Education,Educational Experiments,Literature Reviews

This paper reports on two experiments in mapping the affordances of mobile devices in supporting teaching and learning. The first argues for personally imagined rather than fixed affordances of educational technologies--what a technology &quot;affords&quot; is not static but is rather how an individual imagines a technology's use and how this is enacted. The second melds affordance theory with the structure of realist evaluation and positions affordances as mechanisms in selected educational settings. The paper's findings are drawn from observation and a review of literature. [Note: The publication year (2019) shown on the full text is incorrect. The correct publication year for v5 n1 is 2018.]
Factors Affecting Thai Taxi Drivers&apos; English Competence
Author: Thadphoothon, Janpha
Date: 2018-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Transportation,English (Second Language),Language Proficiency,Structural Equation Models,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Educational Background,Prior Learning,Attitudes,Cultural Awareness,Motivation,Second Language Learning,Language Tests,Regression (Statistics),Work Environment,Language Acquisition,Barriers

This study investigated the factors affecting Thai taxi drivers' English competence. Altogether, 342 taxi drivers answered questionnaires and performed tasks that measured their English language competency; aiming to find out what the factors are that affect their English competency. The taxi drivers were all Thais sampled from three zones in the Bangkok metropolis. The instruments included the test and the questionnaires. The data collection was carried out during January to May 2016. The structural equation model, based on relevant theories and research findings, was constructed to explain the factors affecting their English language competence. The exogenous factors were their educational background and previous English language training, attitudes towards non-Thai passengers, motivation, and their independent language learning behavior. The results showed that the model was supported by the empirical evidence. The model was fitted with the Chi-square of 53.821, CFI of 0.996, NFI of 0.972, GFI of 0.977, and RMSEA of 0.022. The majority of Thai taxi drivers' English language competence was at the low level (Mean = 2.50). It was also found that their educational background and English language training significantly affected their English competence directly and indirectly.