ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
An Investigation into Iranian EFL Learners&apos; Reading Comprehension Problems and the Tentative Solutions: Learners&apos; Perceptions in Focus
Author: Torabi, Saeedeh
Date: 2022-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Reading Difficulties,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Grammar,Foreign Countries,Females,Language Proficiency,Student Attitudes,Time Management,Anxiety,Vocabulary Development,Teacher Student Relationship

The present study set out to explore Iranian EFL learners' Reading Comprehension Problems (RCPs) and the tentative solutions for such problems from learners' perspectives. The participants included 20 female EFL learners within the age range of 18 to 28 studying at the intermediate level of language proficiency at Safir language institute in Tehran. The participants were selected based on convenience sampling. In order to collect the data, semi-structured interviews were held. The interviews were recorded and then to analyze the collected data, content analysis was employed. The results of data analyses indicated that vocabulary knowledge, text origination, grammar, limited time and anxiety were the problems of reading comprehension mentioned by participants. Learners offered four solutions for their RCPs including: working more on vocabulary, improving grammar, teachers' help for anxious students and teachers' offering more time for learners to read. EFL teachers are encouraged to take the RCPs into account while dealing with reading texts and tasks.
Audio Podcast Retelling versus Corpus-Based Learning and Vocabulary Knowledge Development of English Language Learners
Author: Razaghi, Amin
Date: 2022-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocabulary Development,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Handheld Devices,Information Dissemination,Audio Equipment,Adolescents,Conventional Instruction

This study aimed to investigate the effects of audio podcast retelling vs. corpus-based vocabulary learning on vocabulary knowledge development of Iranian English language learners. To conduct the study, 60 homogenous students were selected as the participants. They were divided randomly into three groups, two experimental groups and one control group, each consisted of 20 students. The participants then took part in the pretest. The first experimental group was treated via teaching vocabulary through podcasts, and the second one was treated via teaching vocabulary through corpus examples. Finally, all the participants took part in the posttest. The results of the data analysis showed that the participants in the corpus-based learning group significantly outperformed the participants in the podcast group. The results of this study could be
Developing Android-Based Mobile through Local Ecosystem Materials to Improve Thinking Skills of High School Students
Author: Aminatun, Tien
Date: 2022-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High School Students,Handheld Devices,Foreign Countries,Telecommunications,Science Instruction,Biology,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Science Process Skills,Thinking Skills,Secondary School Science,Problem Solving,Problem Based Learning,Student Projects,Program Effectiveness,Student Attitudes

This was second year's research in developing a biology learning module of ecosystem material that promotes mobile android-based local region potentials, after first year conducted a field examination on android e-module and limited testing in East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara and Sleman Regency, D.I. Yogyakarta. The second-year research aimed to investigate the results of biology learning on local ecosystem material towards the development of scientific process skill and divergent thinking ability in Senior High School of Yogyakarta City and Sleman Regency. This module development followed a Design and Development Research approach. Data collecting technique used a posttest of scientific process and divergent thinking skills. Analysis technique were quantitative descriptives analysis. The result showed that the comparison of second year android module dissemination result towards the development of scientific process and divergent thinking skills of Senior High School students of Yogyakarta City and Sleman Regency showed a higher results in problem solving design than project based learning design, however, in z value of problem solving design obtained a value of -1,11, while in project based learning design obtained z value of 12,6. It meant there were other factors that influenced the android module application.
Citations and Gamed Metrics: Academic Integrity Lost
Author: da Silva, Jaime A. Teixeira
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Measurement,Citation Analysis,Citations (References),Authors,Periodicals,Scientific Research,Foreign Countries,Reputation,Productivity,Publish or Perish Issue,Publishing Industry,Professionalism

Author-based metrics (ABMs) and journal-based metrics (JBMs), as well as citations, are the dominant currency of intellectual recognition in academia. These metrics and citations continue to be dominated by the Clarivate Analytics Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and are still widely used as a surrogate to determine prestige, scientific credit, and influence. However, the author argues, their dominance in this area needs to be rethought, especially in China, which accounts for approximately 19 percent of total scientific research papers globally. China, like several other countries, games the JIF for financial compensation in pay-to-publish schemes based on JIF-carrying journals. The culture of metrics, especially the JIF, to measure success, reputation, and productivity, or JIF-based praise platforms such as Clarivate Analytics' &quot;Highly Cited Researchers&quot; report inflate the problem because they elevate the perceived excellence of single individuals above all others, when in fact most publishing success is collaborative. The survival of many academics and journals in this publish-or-perish culture depends on such metrics, as authors seek journals with higher JIFs in which to publish their findings. Since federal or public funding is often based on the ranking of journals, the abuse of ABMs and JBMs lies beyond a lack of professionalism. Not only does JBM manipulation constitute academic misconduct, there is a widening discussion about the need to criminalize journals that game their JIF.
Higher Teacher Education: Raising Awareness toward Constructing Teaching Philosophy Statements
Author: Muthanna, Abdulghani
Date: 2022-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Network Analysis,Educational Philosophy,Case Studies,Teaching Methods,Consciousness Raising,Teacher Educators,Teacher Attitudes,Material Development,Foreign Countries,Student Teachers,Student Teacher Attitudes,Instructional Material Evaluation,Faculty Development,State Universities,College Faculty

This article focuses on exploring whether teacher educators and teacher students at higher teacher education programs have constructed their teaching philosophy statements, how they implement such philosophy statements, and how they develop and evaluate the contents of the teaching materials related to the courses they are instructing. By following the qualitative case study methodology, the author employed semi-structured interviews with twenty teacher educators and fifteen teacher students from one state higher education institution in Yemen. With the employment of thematic network analysis techniques, the findings report on the lack of awareness concerning the teaching philosophy statements construction, the random process of designing and evaluating teaching materials, and the lack of teaching aids for realizing the teaching philosophies of those with developed teaching statements. For practical implementation, university leaders and administrators are recommended to establish a program that focuses on the professional development of the teaching faculty with a focus on highlighting and providing useful knowledge on the 'teaching philosophy statements' construction and 'materials design and evaluation' processes.
Pedagogical Science Practices in Public Higher Education Institutions of Ethiopia: Progress Made but Challenges Remain
Author: Egne, Robsan M.
Date: 2022-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Higher Education,Educational Change,State Universities,Sustainable Development,Change Strategies,College Graduates,Outcomes of Education,Administrator Attitudes,Student Centered Learning,On the Job Training,College Faculty,Critical Theory,Teacher Attitudes,Progressive Education,Transformative Learning,Educational Theories,College Administration

The contribution of education to the overall development of a nation becomes evident especially through higher education. This is because higher education is considered a key to delivering the knowledge required for ensuring sustainable development. Studies reveal a strong positive correlation between higher education participation rates and levels of development, as high levels of education are essential for designing and producing new technologies, and enhancing innovative capacities for the development of a society. While the reforms of higher education in high-income countries have received much attention, relatively little is known about the change dynamics in higher education system in developing countries. Therefore, with this research I want to contribute to a better understanding of higher education system in Africa, from the perspective of the type of pedagogy being practiced frequently and its consequences in producing competent graduates for the world of work by taking Ethiopian public higher education system as a case. To this end, data were collected from selected higher education institutions? officials and instructors using questionnaire and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using mixed method. Findings of the study revealed that despite the offering of on-job pedagogical science trainings in the sample universities, little progress has been made in terms of applying student-centered pedagogy. Most of the instructors in the institutions still predominantly use traditional teaching methods. It is recommended that instructors in higher learning institutions should use critical pedagogy.
Development of an Instrument to Assess Early Number Concept Development in Four South African Languages
Author: Henning, Elizabeth
Date: 2021-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: African Languages,Young Children,Number Concepts,Concept Formation,Foreign Countries,Translation,Elementary School Students,German,Indo European Languages,Mathematics Skills,Grade 1,Language of Instruction,English,Test Validity,Mathematics Tests

A recently published interview-based test, known by its partly German acronym, MARKO-D SA, is introduced in this article by way of a narrative of its development through various cycles of research. The 48-item test, in 4 South African languages, captures number concept development of children in the 6 to 8-year age group. The authors present their argument for the South African versioning and translation of the test for this country, where there is a dearth of suitable assessment instruments for gauging young children's mathematical concept development. We also present the findings of the research that was conducted to standardise and norm the local version of the test, along with our reasoning about the theoretical strength of the conceptual model that undergirds the test.
Foundation Phase Teachers&apos; Experiences of Teaching the Subject, Coding, in Selected Western Cape Schools
Author: Geldenhuys, Cindy Jean
Date: 2021-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Teachers,Teaching Experience,Programming,Foreign Countries,Curriculum Implementation,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Teaching Methods

Several teachers have recently started introducing coding into their teaching in primary schools. This comes on the back of the emerging prominence of educational technology and the teaching of computational skills at school level, in light of the country's policy commitment to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Coding has been punted as 1 of 2 essential subjects to be launched in schools countrywide from 2020; the other being robotics. In this article we focus on the implementation of coding as a subject in selected Foundation Phase classes in the Western Cape. We aim to gain an understanding of coding as a subject from the perspective of teachers who are implementing this very new subject in the Foundation Phase. We specifically discuss the experiences and challenges of teachers who have been teaching the subject over the last few years, based on in-depth qualitative interviews with 4 Foundation Phase teachers. Overall, we provide a set of considerations for the optimal implementation of coding as a subject in Foundation Phase in South African schools. The participants' experiences highlight the challenges associated with implementation, teachers' pedagogical skills and competences, and resource requirements. We raise the following areas that need to be addressed for the successful implementation of coding: professional development addressing teaching methodologies on the development of computational thinking skills in young learners, providing support for teachers, addressing time constraints in the teaching of the subject, and providing resources.
Addressing a Theory-Practice Gap in Teacher Education by Using a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) Approach
Author: Neethling, Marinda
Date: 2021-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Theory Practice Relationship,Teacher Education,Participatory Research,Action Research,Scholarship,Reflection,Teacher Student Relationship,Cooperation,Problem Solving,Research Methodology,Higher Education,Diaries,Foreign Countries,Participant Observation,College Faculty,Teacher Role

In this article we combine Boyer's 4 domains of scholarship with Hutchings' 4 types of questions and Ghaye, Melander-Wikman, Kisare, Chambers, Bergmark, Kostenius and Lillyman's (2008) reflective learning framework using a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) method to explore the perceived gap in in-service teachers' experience in classroom contexts. Qualitative data were collected in an action learning set (ALS) consisting of distance learning in-service teachers enrolled in a learning support programme through purposeful discussions, reflective diaries, observations, and open-ended reflective learning questionnaires. In the research reported on here we found that collaborative partnerships initiated scholarly thoughts and actions when sharing and evaluating insights during the research process, which resulted in building on learning that has been gained together. The findings point to the need for collaboration between lecturers and students to develop an awareness to not only take knowledge &quot;from&quot; one another to create theories &quot;about&quot; how they should deal with problems but rather to &quot;jointly&quot; become reflective collaborative scholars to address the theory-practice gap.
Applicability of Two Standard Setting Methods for Enhancing the Reporting of Assessment Results within the South African Education Context
Author: Moloi, Qetelo
Date: 2021-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Standard Setting (Scoring),Student Evaluation,Elementary School Students,Grade 6,Cutting Scores,Mathematics,English,Evaluation Methods

The study reported on here contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the use of standard setting methods for improving the reporting and utility value of assessment results in South Africa as well as for addressing the conceptual shortcomings of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) reporting framework. Using data from the &quot;verification&quot; version of the Annual National Assessments (ANAs), we explored relevant technical and conceptual factors to consider for the application of standard setting methods. Two sets of panellists were trained to generate cut scores for Grade 6 mathematics and English First Additional Language (FAL), one using the Angoff method and the other the Objective Standard Setting (OSS) method. The findings indicate that the 2 methods generated different sets of cut scores across the performance levels for both subjects. While these cut scores had significant implications for the percentage of learners classified at each performance level, they were consistent with findings from other studies. We also identified 4 key factors to address when undertaking standard setting exercises: engagement with test content, resource requirements, requisite expertise and software, and collective accountability. We conclude that standard setting approaches should be the preferred option to the CAPS reporting framework when reporting assessment results in South Africa. More importantly, the decision on the most appropriate method for the South African context depends largely on the extent to which the 4 key factors identified can be addressed.
&quot;You Detain Yourself if You Detain Children&quot;: Educators&apos; Perceptions of Detention as an Alternative to Corporal Punishment
Author: Mayisela, Simangele
Date: 2021-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Discipline,Teacher Attitudes,Punishment,Foreign Countries,Elementary School Teachers,Educational Change

Detention as a method of disciplining children in South African schools has been mandated by the post-apartheid legislative abolition of corporal punishment. Educators have traditionally used corporal punishment to discipline children since the inception of schooling in colonial times. In this article I report on a qualitative case study conducted in the Mpumalanga province, South Africa, where 26 educators participated in the study. Observations and key stakeholder interviews in line with the Cultural Historical Activity Theory were used to explore primary school educators' transition from using corporal punishment to using alternative forms of punishment, with specific reference to detention. Findings suggest that educators view detention as contradictory to the objectives of schooling, cumbersome in application, contextually irrelevant, and ineffective.
Primary School Pre-Service Teachers&apos; Solutions to Pattern Problem-Solving Tasks Based on Three Components of Creativity
Author: Ubah, Ifunanya J. A.
Date: 2021-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Mathematics Instruction,Higher Education,Creativity,Problem Solving,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Content Analysis,Mathematical Concepts,Teaching Methods,Lesson Plans,Creative Thinking,Foreign Countries

Education stakeholders and researchers in South Africa have emphasised the need to enhance teachers' creativity through problem-solving tasks. Teachers' creativity entails using new ideas of creative devices to solve problems, implement solutions, and make learning more effective. In the research reported on here, Guilford's theory was used to explore primary school pre-service teachers' solutions to pattern problem-solving tasks based on 3 components of creativity. The data for this research were produced from primary school pre-service teachers' written responses to the pattern problem-solving tasks, and an extract from participants' semi-structured interviews. The research involved a qualitative design using convenient purposive sampling to sample 62 pre-service teachers enrolled for a primary mathematics module at a selected higher education institution. Participants' responses to the written tasks were analysed using content analysis, while the semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. The result shows that 35 participants were able to draw patterns and express patterns in nth form, while 27 failed to do so. The most common method used to draw a new pattern was counting in 2s and 4s. Furthermore, the result shows that half of the pre-service teachers who participated in the study were not capable of producing varied solutions to pattern tasks. An indication that they did not have the creative potential to prepare learners even after they had been exposed to advanced mathematics content as part of their training process. We recommend that pre-service teacher education programmes should include academic activities that could help pre-service teachers enhance creativity through tasks with divergent thinking.
The Effect of Using Google Classroom and Whatsapp Applications on Learning Activities
Author: Suparman, Asep
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Educational Technology,Computer Mediated Communication,Learning Activities,Instructional Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,High School Students,Vocational High Schools

This study aims to describe the effect of using google classroom and WhatsApp applications on learning activities. The method in this research is a quantitative approach. The sample in this study were students of class X clinical pharmacy expertise program totaling 31 respondent persons. Data collection instruments: using a questionnaire in the form of a google form with a Likert scale, namely use of google classroom, WhatsApp application, and learning activities. The data analysis technique used multiple linear regression. The results of data analysis show that the use of google classroom has a positive and significant effect on learning activities with a significance of 0.000; The WhatsApp application has no positive and significant effect on learning activities with a significance of 0.472, and Simultaneous use of Google Classroom and WhatsApp applications has no significant effect on learning activities as much as 54.5% with a significance of 0.000. This research can be used as consideration for policy makers in using the Google Classroom and WhatsApp applications. The use of google classroom has an effect on learning activities. While the use of the WhatsApp application does not have an effect on learning activities. Novelty in research: researchers want to see the effect of google classroom and WhatsApp application on learning activities at the vocational high school level. By knowing whether or not the influence of Google Classroom and the WhatsApp application on learning activities in vocational high schools can be taken into consideration for state vocational high schools 3, Rejang Lebong Regency, Bengkulu Province. In order to advance this research, it is necessary to carry out further research activities.
&quot;Unfiltered and True to Itself&quot;: How Content Creators Represent the Black Community in &quot;The Sims 4&quot;
Author: St. Fleur, Abdah
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Games,African Americans,Diversity,Disproportionate Representation,Attitudes,Cultural Influences,Motivation,Programming

Using interview data from six Black content creators for &quot;The Sims 4&quot; (2014), the authors consider the politics of representation and self-expression in computer games. Black content, the authors find, consists not merely of depictions of skin tones, but also of the diverse global cultures of Black lived lives and Black experiences--including hair textures and styles, fashion, and objects and assets. These Black creators, the authors find, are filling the gap left by &quot;The Sims 4&quot;'s predominantly white designer group and engaging in playbour, or work that resembles play. The authors highlight Black players' motivations to create, diversity of Black identities, creative skill development, and creative identities. The authors call for the industry to include Black designers and creators from the beginning of the creative process and offer a gallery of Black content created by those they interviewed--a snapshot of the diversity of representation in &quot;The Sims 4&quot; community of modders (players who make changes--&quot;modify&quot;--the game).