ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Teaching-Learning Effectiveness by Creating Online Interactive Instructional Modules for Fundamental Concepts of Physics and Mathematics
Author: Moradi, Moein
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Science Instruction,Physics,Learning Modules,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,College Students,Teaching Methods,Program Effectiveness,Student Attitudes,Engineering Education,Cognitive Processes,Problem Solving,Self Evaluation (Individuals)

This study explored the effectiveness of online instructional modules for providing supplementary instruction in basic mathematics and physics concepts. The modules were developed in accordance with a cognitive apprenticeship model. Participants (N = 47) were students enrolled in a required Statics course at a midwestern university. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. The results show that the intervention group performed significantly better on post-tests through using the online instructional modules, while there was no significant improvement of performance in the control group. Based on survey results, students expressed their engagement to the instructional materials. Furthermore, they expressed a self-paced learning experience through providing feedback that they had control over the course materials by using the developed online instructional modules. Survey results also were indicative of students' approval of using the modules as a supplemental material to classroom lectures.
As Symbol as That: Inconsistencies in Symbol Systems of Alleles in Textbooks, and Students&apos; Justifications for Them
Author: Livni-Alcasid, Gur A.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Genetics,Science Instruction,Grade 9,Problem Solving,Visual Stimuli,Textbooks,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Science,Secondary School Students,Visualization

In genetics education, symbols are used for alleles to visualize them and to explain probabilities of progeny and inheritance paradigms. In this study, we identified symbol systems used in genetics textbooks and the justifications provided for changes in the symbol systems. Moreover, we wanted to understand how students justify the use of different symbol systems when solving genetics problems. We analyzed eight textbooks from three different countries worldwide. We then presented a genetics problem to eight 9th-grade students and probed their justifications for the use of different symbol systems. Our findings showed that there is no one conventional symbol system in textbooks; instead, symbol systems are altered along and within textbooks according to the genetic context. More importantly, this alteration is not accompanied by any explicit explanation for the alteration. Student interviews revealed that some students were able to identify the genetic context of each symbol system, whereas others, who were unable to do so, provided justifications based on different non-genetics-related reasons. We discuss the implications of our analysis for how multiple symbol systems should be presented in textbooks, and how they should be introduced in the classroom.
Effects of Modeling Instruction Professional Development on Biology Teachers&apos; Scientific Reasoning Skills
Author: Stammen, Andria N.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Models,Faculty Development,Science Teachers,Biology,Science Process Skills,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Secondary School Teachers,Workshops,Outcomes of Education

International assessments have revealed that students in numerous nations lack scientific reasoning skills. Science teachers who support students' scientific skill development through the use of authentic practices provide students with tools needed for success in future science courses. Teachers training focused on pedagogy that supports student scientific reasoning development is particularly important as some studies have also suggested that pre-service teachers have a tendency to display a lack of scientific reasoning skills. Additionally, few studies exist that assess teachers' scientific reasoning skills, including the effectiveness of professional development to strengthen teacher scientific reasoning abilities over time. To help fill this gap, this study examines the effects of a Modeling Instruction in a biology workshop on teachers' scientific reasoning skills. In addition to teacher interviews, focus groups, and writing samples, data from Lawson's Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) were collected from teachers before and after the workshop. The results suggest that the three-week Modeling Instruction in the biology workshop contributed to gains in in-service teachers' scientific reasoning, and thus provides evidence that the teachers in this study are more prepared to help develop similar skills with their own students as they engage in the Modeling Instruction curriculum.
Effects of Teachers&apos; Professional Knowledge and Their Use of Three-Dimensional Physical Models in Biology Lessons on Students&apos; Achievement
Author: Förtsch, Sonja
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Science Instruction,Biology,Science Achievement,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Secondary School Students,Secondary School Teachers,Science Teachers,Correlation,Foreign Countries,Models,Geometric Concepts

Using three-dimensional physical models elaborately in their learning, students can develop high-level understanding of models and modeling in science, thereby attaining higher achievement. However, there are in the literature few indications of how teachers should use three-dimensional physical models in instruction and whether teachers' professional knowledge is a prerequisite for teaching with elaborate use of models. Therefore, our study used a mixed-methods approach to analyze the effects of biology teachers' domain-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and content knowledge (CK) on students' achievement mediated by elaborate model use (ELMO). Our quantitative sample comprised 36 German secondary school teachers whose lessons on the topic of neurobiology were videotaped twice (N = 72 lessons). Teachers completed professional knowledge tests on their PCK and CK. Students' achievement was measured using pre- and post-knowledge tests. Our qualitative analysis involved five selected teachers according to aspects of ELMO. The results of our study indicated that teachers' PCK and CK had no direct effect on students' achievement. However, teachers' PCK had a significant indirect and positive effect on students' achievement mediated by ELMO. The findings of our study can provide teachers and researchers examples of how to implement biology instruction with elaborate use of three-dimensional physical models.
Provision of Integrated Early Childhood Development in Namibia: Are We on the Right Track?
Author: Kamara, Elizabeth Ngololo
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Early Childhood Education,Child Development,Educational Quality,Educational Needs,Health Needs,Nutrition,Child Development Centers,Rural Areas,Caregivers,Qualifications,Barriers

The provision of Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) positively impacts children's futures physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. The assessment sought to inform intervention programs to improve the status of children's physical, social-emotional, cognitive and educational needs, as well as their health and nutritional needs. A mixed method approach was used to collect data: a survey and multiple case studies through interviews with 32 caregivers were conducted and focus group discussions were held with community members. The findings show that the Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers lacked the essential prerequisites for the provision of quality IECD education as per the requirements stipulated in the Adapted Theory of Change (ATC). The study recommends formation of smart partnerships in providing integrated childhood development services at ECD centers to meet their health, sanitation, nutritional, physical, socio-emotional and cognitive needs.
Realist Review of Literature on Catering for Different Instructional Needs with Preteaching and Extended Instruction
Author: Smets, Wouter
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Needs,Student Needs,Individualized Instruction,Educational Strategies,Advance Organizers,Instructional Effectiveness,Progress Monitoring,Student Evaluation

This literature review focuses on achieving educational equity through catering for differences in students' instructional needs. In heterogeneous classes the need for tailored direct teacher instruction is dependent upon students' instructional needs. Realist review methodology is used to study how instructional strategies can add to catering for students' different needs. The focus lies on two proactive strategies in which teachers cater for these differences, namely preteaching and extended instruction. The aim of this realist review is to verify how preteaching and extended instruction may contribute to catering for students' different instructional needs. It is noticed that the complexity of differentiated teaching is not always reflected in studies on preteaching and extended instruction. The focus of many studies lies in measuring learning progress in a linear and fixed way for a selected group of students which is not aligned with theory on differentiated instruction which suggests cyclical teaching processes. To respond to students' needs ongoing monitoring of cognitive and affective indicators of learning is needed. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Effects of Peer Tutoring on the Academic Achievement of Students in the Subject of Biology at Secondary Level
Author: Ullah, Irfan
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Peer Teaching,Tutoring,Academic Achievement,Biology,Secondary School Science,Secondary School Students,Science Achievement,Knowledge Level,Taxonomy,Males,Grade 10,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Scores

The present study is aimed at analyzing the effects of peer tutoring on the academic achievement of students in the subject of biology at secondary level. The objectives of the study were: (1) To find out the effects of peer tutoring on the academic achievement of students in the subject of biology; and (2) To examine the effects of peer tutoring with respect to knowledge, comprehension and application levels in cognitive domain of Bloom Taxonomy. All 433,405 male students at secondary level of 10th grade of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the population of the study. Forty students were taken as the sample of the study from the Allied National Software Institute (ANSI) Mardan. The Posttest-Only Equivalent Group Design was used. The data collected from pretest and posttest were analyzed through an independent sample t-test. It was found that the mean score of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group. It was concluded that peer tutoring enhanced the academic achievement of students in the experimental group significantly as compared to the control group; hence, it was an effective method of instruction for teaching biology at secondary level. It was suggested that peer tutoring may be incorporated along with other teaching methodologies for the subject of biology and it may be given due consideration in all teacher education practices in the country.
On the Concept of Context
Author: Dohn, Nina Bonderup
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Environment,Definitions,Classification,Physical Environment,School Location,Institutional Characteristics,Intellectual Disciplines,Learning Processes,Academic Achievement,Learning Activities,Competence,Student Experience,Transfer of Training

This article aims to clarify the concept of context. Our motivation is the lack of consensus on what context is, despite common accept of the claim that learning is context-dependent to some degree, and despite a widespread interest in researching learning in specific contexts such as museums, classrooms, or workplace settings. We provide a minimal concept which is applicable to all references to context, properly construed. We point out that more general considerations of contextuality and compositionality must be reconciled and balanced out if the role of context in relation to learning is to be understood. We then flesh out the minimal concept with a typology of context categories relevant for understanding the significance of context for learning. The categories are &quot;location,&quot; understood both in a physical-geographical and an institutional sense, &quot;knowledge domain,&quot; &quot;sequence of occurrences,&quot; &quot;activity,&quot; &quot;historical period,&quot; &quot;social relationship,&quot; and &quot;horizon of significance.&quot; We illustrate the usefulness of the typology through pointing out how it could help clarify discussions about transfer of knowledge and skills.
Concept Raps versus Concept Maps: A Culturally Responsive Approach to STEM Vocabulary Development
Author: Young, Jamaal
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Concept Mapping,Culturally Relevant Education,STEM Education,Vocabulary Development,Teaching Methods,Popular Culture,Music,Poetry,Mathematics Education,African American Students,Mathematics Instruction

This article argues that the development of rap song lyrics or lyrical concept mapping can be a viable pedagogical alternative to the development of concept maps as a means to reinforce STEM vocabulary. Hip-hop pedagogy is a culturally responsive pedagogy that leverages the funds of knowledge acquired from hip-hop culture. Unfortunately, many students with strong hip-hop cultural identities may lack equally strong mathematics identities. Given the success of hip-hop pedagogies within the science content area, we posit that hip-hop pedagogies are appropriate in other STEM content areas such as mathematics. Concept mapping is an instructional tool that has been empirically validated as an effective means to develop strong conceptualizations of mathematics content. While hip-hop pedagogy is well established in the science content area, it remains underdeveloped within mathematics education. We argue that the lyrical structure of a rap song is fundamentally similar to the structure of a concept map. This article provides a framework to support lyrical concept mapping as a culturally responsive instructional tool that can be used as an alternative to traditional concept mapping. Special attention is placed on the use of hip-hop pedagogy to affirm and empower dually marginalized students.
Longitudinal Socio-Emotional Learning Intervention for Autism via Smartglasses: Qualitative School Teacher Descriptions of Practicality, Usability, and Efficacy in General and Special Education Classroom Settings
Author: Keshav, Neha U.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Assistive Technology,Barriers,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Intervention,Attention,Simulated Environment,Early Adolescents,Middle School Students,Mainstreaming,Social Development,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Program Effectiveness,Skill Development,Student Behavior

There is considerable demand for special education services for the over half a million students with autism in the United States. While assistive technology may augment educational services, its implementation is often prevented by a number of practical and attitudinal barriers. These barriers are especially pertinent for the newest and thus least familiar digital systems, such as computerized smartglasses loaded with specialized software modules. Computerized smartglasses are a technology that has already been shown to have an ability to deliver educational interventions through augmented reality. With this in mind, we sought to understand how school educators received and assessed the practicality of a smartglasses-based educational intervention in a single-subject study. The intervention was designed to aid with attention and social educational learning in autism. The intervention was delivered twice a day during a two-week study on a 13-year-old student with autism who was attending a mainstream middle school in Massachusetts. Three different school educators delivered the intervention: the student's general education teacher, special education teacher, and paraprofessional. Educators recorded their attitudes, the practicality of the technology, and its impact on the student and their classroom through the use of a digital log and a series of in-person interviews. Overall, the school educators experienced a positive view of the smartglasses. The smartglasses intervention was found to be logistically practical to implement, easily usable by both the educator and student, and not time-consuming to learn or implement. Educators also identified the experience as being fun for the student, and felt that the student demonstrated improvement in his verbal and non-verbal skills. There were no adverse effects on the other students or the classroom, and the technology did not result in a distraction. These findings suggest that social skills interventions delivered by smartglasses may be practical, useful, and may lead to improvements in social communication skills. Further research on smartglasses may help to clarify the future role for augmenting special education in students with autism.
Comparing Perceptions of Dual-Role Administrators and Teachers Regarding the Effectiveness of Dual-Role Administrators in a Rural State
Author: Rasmussen, Jerry
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Districts,Principals,Superintendents,Administrator Responsibility,Board Administrator Relationship,Public Relations,Educational Finance,Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Time Management,Leadership Responsibility,Rural Areas

One increasingly utilized option for rural school districts under fiscal constraints is to utilize one person to fulfill both administrative positions of superintendent and building principal in the same school district. This study compared the perceptions of rural school administrators in this Midwest state who are serving in these dual-roles with the perceptions of teachers in this Midwest state whose principal is also tasked with serving as the superintendent. The population for this study consisted of 58 dual-role administrators and a sampling of approximately 350 teachers in schools with dual-role administrators. Results of the t-test for independent samples indicated that dual-role administrators identified school board relations, public relations, and school finance as significantly more important than did their teachers. Teachers desired that dual-role administrators spend significantly more time on student discipline and attendance. A significant difference existed in the perceptions of time allocation between dual role administrators and teachers, with teachers perceiving that dual-role administrators spend more time on the superintendency than the principalship. Results also indicated a significant difference existed in the desired time allocation with dual-role administrators desiring to spend more time on the superintendency than teachers desired of their dual-role administrators.
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Digital Learners: An International Empirical Integrative Review of the Literature
Author: Creighton, Theodore B.
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Generational Differences,Technological Literacy,Competence,Age Differences,Research,Foreign Countries,Context Effect,College Students,College Faculty

The author, preparing for a new position as a doctoral research faculty at the American College of Education (ACE), conducted an extensive integrated literature review of &quot;digital natives&quot; and related terms. Focus of the review was directed specifically around digital learners defined as those born between 1980 and 1994. The results clearly revealed a variety of definitions for &quot;digital natives&quot; and &quot;digital immigrants&quot; with no specific clarification or research-based rationale. In addition, strong evidence points toward little connection between a student's age and digital skills and increased learning. Much of the research suggests that students' digital competence may be much lower than their &quot;digital professors.&quot;
The Relationship between School District Instructional Related Expenditures to State Exam Scores in Small, Mid-Size, and Large School Districts in Texas
Author: Nicks, Robert E.
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School District Size,Expenditures,Standardized Tests,Scores,Correlation,Expenditure per Student,Operating Expenses,Curriculum Development,Accountability,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation

There has been much debate by and among federal and state education agencies, state legislatures, courts, and educators regarding the identification of school district expenditures that best facilitate effective and efficient schools. The issue of equitable funding is far from being resolved (Education Week, 2017). Contradictory studies associated with school district funding, expenditures, and student achievement have been used to substantiate varied opinions on the subject (Archibald, 2006; Gigliotti &amp; Sorensen, 2017; Pan, Rudo, Schneider, and Smith-Hansen, 2003). While much of the existing research is focused on overall school revenue and/or expenditures, research is needed that provides information specific to instructional expenditures and student performance. The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between instructional related expenditures and student performance on a state mandated exam in small, mid-size, and large school districts in Texas. This correlational study utilized secondary data analysis of Texas school district accountability data to test the relationship between various district-level instructional expenditures and school district student performance. A stratified random sample of school districts were used in the study: Small = 1,000-2,000 students n = 120, Mid-Size = 5,000-10,000 students n = 59, and Large = 25,000 or more students n = 43. Based upon the findings of the partial correlations, two variables, per-pupil instructional expenditures as a percentage of operational expenditures and per-pupil expenditures for curriculum development had a statistically significant relationship with district performance on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR).
Practices That Support Leadership Succession and Principal Retention
Author: Cieminski, Amie B.
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership,Administrative Change,Occupational Mobility,Principals,Labor Turnover,Strategic Planning,School Districts,Recruitment,Personnel Selection,Orientation,Socialization

Principals are instrumental to successful school improvement efforts and positive student outcomes. However, recent workforce trends, increased accountability, demands of the job, and turnover rates for school principals are worrisome. Succession planning is a systematic approach that involves all aspects of identifying and retaining leaders (Rothwell, 2010) including preparation, recruitment, selection, onboarding, induction, development, and retention. Although succession planning is underutilized in public school settings, it is one avenue to address leadership issues and help school district leaders meet their long-term leadership needs. This qualitative study examined the succession practices of five large school districts in Colorado by gathering the perspectives of principals and school district leaders. The findings indicate several actions that educational leaders can take to address the challenges of well-qualified candidates and the do-ability of the principal position. Findings further indicate that leaders may influence principal retention by differentiating support and purposefully fostering relationships. These findings might be used by other educational leaders to strengthen their succession practices and policies and affect the retention of school leaders.