ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Science and Social Studies Teachers' Beliefs and Practices about Teaching Controversial Issues: Certain Comparisons
Author: Kus, Zafer
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Social Studies,Science Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Beliefs,Controversial Issues (Course Content),Educational Practices,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research,Semi Structured Interviews,Observation,Classification,Coding,Violence,Females,Terrorism,Nationalism,Democracy,War,Power Structure,Asian History,Cancer,Food,Climate,Knowledge Level,Student Educational Objectives,Data Analysis

The current study aims to investigate social studies and science teachers' attitudes and classroom practices associated with controversial issues. The study is a qualitative research based on data collected through interviews and observation. Social studies and Science teachers participated in the current study which was conducted in Kirsehir, a city in the center of Turkey, during the 2012-2013 academic years. Data were collected through classroom observation and interviews with teachers. In this study, teachers' positioning during controversial issues are determined by Kelly's (1986) positioning classification: Exclusive Neutrality, Exclusive Partiality, Neutral Impartiality, and Committed Impartiality. According to results of the research, violence against women, education system, terrorism and nationalism are the leading issues among the controversial issues that both social studies and science teachers listed in Turkey. In relation to their area, social studies teachers stated that the issues such as Kemalism, democracy, military coups, and deep state, which are associated with recent history of Turkey, were among the important controversial issues. Science teachers on the other hand stated issues such as cancer and anti-toxic foods and global warming among the controversial issues in Turkey. Both social studies and science teachers stated that the most frequently encountered problem in discussions was lack of knowledge by students. Whereas social studies teachers stated that their priority goals were particularly to raise active citizens and to set up a democratic classroom environment, science teachers pointed to raising scientifically thinking students and increasing students' knowledge as their priority goals. During in-class discussions teachers take some positions. The positions stated by the teachers and in-class observations of them conflict. Whereas the teachers stated that they prefer the 4th and 3rd positions, the in-class observations showed that they mainly adopted the 2nd position. Results of observations in social studies classes show that teachers definitely stated their positions about the discussed issue as a priority; they tried to teach the students their positions about the issue; and occasionally about some issues, they told just their positions.
A Case Study of Teacher Reflection: Examining Teacher Participation in a Video-Based Professional Learning Community
Author: Steeg, Susanna M.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Communities of Practice,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Literacy Education,Sociocultural Patterns,Video Technology,Interviews,Faculty Development,Qualitative Research,Teaching Methods,Learning Theories,Vignettes,Student Needs,Reflection,Case Studies,Grade 5,Observation

Professional learning communities (PLCs) constitute worthwhile spaces in which to study teacher participation in the reflective practices that have potential to shift their teaching. This qualitative case study details the interactions between dual-language and ELL teachers in a grade-level PLC as they met together to confer over video-clips of their literacy instruction. The group aimed to extend their learning about balanced literacy practices as part of a larger, whole-school professional development effort. Sociocultural learning theory constitutes the theoretical perspective informing this study, allowing for an examination of teachers' diverse ways of meaning making. Qualitative methods of data collection, including interviews, videos of teachers' instruction, and transcripts of PLC conversations comprised the data set. Constructed narrative vignettes of teachers' talk and meaning-making demonstrate how the group asked questions emerging out of their practice, discussed specific ways to meet students' needs, and shared advice on how to navigate the technical aspects of teaching. This study revealed that video-based reflection offered significant opportunities for teachers to reflect on and revise their teaching practices.
Generational, Cultural, and Linguistic Integration for Literacy Learning and Teaching in Uganda: Pedagogical Possibilities, Challenges, and Lessons from One NGO
Author: Ngaka, Willy
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sustainable Development,Literacy,Nongovernmental Organizations,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Volunteers,Foreign Countries,Information Technology,Literacy Education,Rural Areas,Informal Education,Teaching Methods,Multilingualism,Intervention,Poverty,Partnerships in Education,Neoliberalism

This qualitative case study focuses on a volunteer-led local NGO in Uganda to examine how integrating generations, cultures, and languages is enhancing literacy learning to help ethnically and linguistically diverse rural communities survive in the prevailing globally competitive neoliberal environment. Immersing the study in the social practices approach to literacy, the authors argue that in light of the currently globalizing world in which information, knowledge, and the emerging Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are crucial for survival, a single approach to literacy learning that over-emphasizes formal literacy for children in an ethno-linguistically diverse nation is counterproductive, because it will only help to undermine efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Findings from data collected through qualitative methods revealed that the NGO's voluntary initiative is not only uniting the rural communities across generations and cultures, but also significantly contributing toward reinforcing the informal literacies and practices they badly need to tackle the diverse challenges facing the present generation. The authors recommend that since rural communities' literacy experiences and practices are unique and diverse, efforts by all stakeholders should be directed toward supporting and sustaining such an innovative informal initiative that promotes learning and application of informal literacy practices of the rural communities so as to bridge the gap among informal, non-formal, and formal education/learning and contribute toward the realization of the SDGs.
What's Wrong with Secondary School Economics and How Teachers Can Make It Right--Methodological Critique and Pedagogical Possibilities
Author: Brant, Jacek Wiktor
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Secondary School Students,Secondary School Teachers,Economics Education,Financial Exigency,Economic Climate,Universities,Educational Philosophy,Intellectual Disciplines,Predictor Variables,Teaching Methods,Criticism,Educational Change,Foreign Countries

In the wake of current world financial crisis serious efforts are being made to rethink the dominant economic assumptions. There is a growing movement in universities to make economics more relevant and to embrace an understanding of diverse models. Additionally, philosophical schools such as critical realism have provided new tools for thinking about economics. However, not much attention has been paid to relate these developments to school economics and this paper aims to respond to this need. It is about economics as a discipline, school economics and issues pertaining to the teaching and learning of school economics. Mainstream economists focus predominately on static neo-classical models that are poor predictors of the future and do not even adequately explain current states of affairs. I argue that conceptualised differently, economics can be seen as a social science, concerned with understanding the often conflicting values, interests, and capacities of large numbers of individuals operating within the constraints of limited resources. In line with this orientation, I recommend that economics teachers start engaging in exploring the purpose of economics and adopt an interactive pedagogy that seeks to explain the world in which we live.
Reframing Interdisciplinary and Interprofessional Collaboration through the Lens of Collective and Sociomaterial Theories of Learning
Author: McMurtry, Angus
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interdisciplinary Approach,Interprofessional Relationship,Learning Theories,Social Theories,Communities of Practice,Teamwork,Cooperation,Professionalism,Network Analysis

The purpose of this article is to begin to explore how collective and sociomaterial theories of learning might be applied within interdisciplinary and interprofessional contexts--in particular the team-based collaboration that is playing an ever larger role in both fields. It ?? articulates several key features of interdisciplinary and interprofessional activities and then speculates on how they might be productively reframed through the lenses of the following theoretical perspectives: communities of practice, cultural historical activity theory, complexity science and actor-network theory. The article is not intended to be comprehensive; its aim is to begin the process of developing deeper, more theoretically sophisticated understandings of the collective learning and knowing that emerge--often across deep paradigmatic divides--through interprofessional and interdisciplinary collaboration.
About the Use of the Word &quot;Market&quot; in the Teaching of Economics: The Lexicon at Work at the High School and at the University
Author: Blanchard, Hervé
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Economics Education,Lexicology,Educational Change,Educational Practices,Course Descriptions,Course Content,Secondary School Curriculum,College Curriculum,Textbook Content,Educational Theories,Educational Development,Free Enterprise System,Marketing,Foreign Countries

In France, syllabuses and teachings of economics have changed a lot in first degrees and at the high school as well since their creation. Wondering whether this imperceptible transformation does not lead finally the subject towards a regression as for its ambitions, by impoverishing it, we analyse these evolutions. Concentrating our work on the word &quot;market&quot;, which has got a considerable place so much in the syllabuses of the high school and Bachelor's degree today, we show that this whole transformation is a lexicon effect. We support our reflection by analysing syllabuses and textbooks. We show that market has become a keyword in the lexicon of our society; that is the reason why its use is obvious at the present time, and does not need an accurate definition. That is what we call a lexicon effect. But it poses questions about the impoverishment of the teaching of economics at high school and university, as many controversies testify. It would be necessary to make sure of a true &quot;knowledge growth in teaching&quot; (Shulman, 1986), by questioning content and relationships to knowledge such as ways of teaching. The involvement of teachers in this kind of approach should be encouraged. In other words, research on dynamics of knowledge should be initiated. On which conditions is it possible?
Navigating Complex Trade-Offs in Conservation and Development: An Integrative Framework
Author: Hirsch, Paul D.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Conservation (Environment),Development,Problems,Models,Interdisciplinary Approach,Difficulty Level,Inquiry,Sustainability,Values,Power Structure,Governance

We present a framework that makes space for multiple perspectives and ways of thinking about complex trade-off problems in conservation and development. At the core of the framework are three &quot;integrative lenses&quot; designed to facilitate lines of inquiry according to three unique ways of perceiving complexity. The aim of the framework is not to produce a unified theory or a model that justifies one choice over another to all audiences; rather its purpose is to yield a more integrative and context-sensitive set of problem definitions that can open the way to a variety of pathways for action and research. The approach we present is particularly relevant in the context of highly complex problems--those involving complicated and uncertain dynamics, a multiplicity of values, a multiplicity of perspectives, and the exercise of multiple forms of power (including the power to frame the problem). We argue that setting aside the urge for synthesis--and thereby preserving enough of the complexity of the problem--can serve as a starting point for fertile and productive engagements between researchers working across disciplines, and between researchers and practitioners.
The State of the Field: Interdisciplinary Research
Author: Szostak, Rick
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interdisciplinary Approach,Educational Research,Educational Practices,Learning,Instruction,Best Practices,Definitions,Research Methodology,Research Needs,Theory Practice Relationship

Our understanding of the process of interdisciplinary research has expanded considerably over the last decades. The purpose of this brief paper is to take stock of where we are and where we are going. The first section addresses definitional issues and discusses the relationship between teaching and research. The second section discusses potential objections to the idea of identifying best practices for interdisciplinary research. The third section outlines best practices for each step in the interdisciplinary research process, and identifies avenues for further research.
Why We Need to Question the Democratic Engagement of Adolescents in Europe
Author: de Groot, Isolde
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Democratic Values,Classification,Citizenship Education,Adolescents,Citizen Participation

Since the beginning of the 21st century, academics in various disciplines have stressed the need to address democratic deficits in Europe as well as lacunae in the citizenship development of European youth. In this article we explore the value of various types of democratic engagement for strengthening the democratic character of local and international communities throughout Europe. To this end, we present our democratic engagement typology and its derivation from empirical and conceptual research, and discuss several strengths and limitations of each type of engagement. We also explain the additive value of our typology in relation to existing engagement typologies, and conclude that in order to vitalize democratic communities, local and (inter)national communities and institutions also need to cultivate a thick type of democratic engagement among European youth.
Iranian EFL Teachers' Voices on the Pedagogy of Word and World
Author: Safari, Parvin
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Critical Theory,Social Justice,Social Change,Disadvantaged,Foreign Countries,Transformative Learning,Interviews,Qualitative Research,Pragmatics,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes

Critical pedagogy (CP) with the eventual aim of creating changes in society towards the socially just world rests upon the premise that language learning is understood as a sociopolitical event. Schools and classrooms are not merely seen as the neutral and apolitical sites or oxymoron of transmitting taken-for-granted knowledge and common sense to students but rather as the political and democratic sites in which teachers, through praxis-oriented activities, furnish opportunities for students to critically question oppressive systems, hierarchies, and sociopolitical inequalities. Through the connection of word to the world, or the relationship between classroom learning and students' lived experiences and worlds, teachers can create social transformation and empowerment in the marginalized students' lives. However, teachers as the transformative intellectuals can facilitate this transformative process only if they are equipped with the critical theories, theoretical underpinnings and practical implications of CP. A brief look at the CP literature reveals that most of the researches center on its theories and conceptual dimensions without presenting any pragmatic discourse or practical realizations to critical pedagogues. In fact, this study intends to investigate the problems, concerns, and frustrations that Iranian EFL teachers encounter while enacting this alternative pedagogy. So, the researchers adopted purposive sampling to choose thirty-four EFL teachers from private English language institutes in Tehran, Yazd and Shiraz, Iran; and focused interview as the appropriate data gathering instrument of qualitative research. Finally, the researchers unearthed the relevant themes concerning the practical dimensions as the supplementary components of CP in EFL context of Iran.
The Development and Validation of the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST)
Author: Slater, Stephanie J.
Date: 2014-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Astronomy,Academic Standards,Science Tests,Test Content,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Construct Validity,Knowledge Level,Test Construction,College Science,Statistical Analysis

The Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) is a comprehensive assessment instrument designed to measure students' general astronomy content knowledge. Built upon the research embedded within a generation of astronomy assessments designed to measure single concepts, the TOAST is appropriate to measure across an entire astronomy course. The TOAST's scientific content represents a consensus of expert opinion about what students should know from three different groups: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Research Council, and the American Astronomical Society. The TOAST's reliability and validity are established by results from Cronbach alpha and classical test theory analyses, a review for construct validity, testing for sensitivity to instruction, and numerous rounds of expert review. As such the TOAST can be considered a valuable tool for classroom instructors and discipline based education researchers in astronomy across a variety of learning environments.
Teaching Sociology Students to Become Qualitative-Researchers Using an Internship Model of Learner-Support
Author: Tolich, Martin
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,College Seniors,Sociology,Student Research,Researchers,Qualitative Research,Research Methodology,Internship Programs,Research Projects,Outcomes of Education,Student Evaluation,Cohort Analysis,Research Skills,Skill Development,Student Educational Objectives,Semi Structured Interviews,Mentors,Feedback (Response),Teamwork,Experiential Learning,Self Efficacy,Time Management

This article examines the experiences of final year undergraduate sociology students enrolled in an internship course where they researched a local community project, mostly in small groups, for a client. A sociology lecturer supervised their projects. Course-related outcomes were assessed using conventional university procedures but a research process was used to evaluate the extent to which the cohort developed characteristics, or identities, of qualitative researchers. The research demonstrates that the students made many false starts but through processes of trial and error, and with effective support, they considered that they had increased their confidence and became capable of planning and carrying out research. For the students, this internship was not just another class. Their stories reflect on their abilities as researchers and adoption of attitudes towards appropriate research approaches, processes and outputs typical of professional qualitative researchers.
Teaching Multiple Literacies and Critical Literacy to Pre-Service Teachers through Children's-Literature-Based Engagements
Author: Lee, Cheu-jey
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multiple Literacies,Critical Literacy,Preservice Teachers,Childrens Literature,Concept Teaching,Theory Practice Relationship,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Teacher Education Programs

This paper presents a pragmatic way of introducing pre-service teachers to multiple literacies and critical literacy through children's-literature-based engagements. The concepts of multiple literacies and critical literacy are reviewed, and their interrelationship is explained. Two instructional engagements, which connect theory to practice through children's books, are then discussed in detail. This paper argues that the instruction of multiple literacies and critical literacy is aligned with the definition of literacy as multiple social practices, which should be examined critically. In addition, the utilization of children's books provides a feasible way to help such instruction take root in the classroom.
Economics from a Different Point of View--Good Practice in Teacher Training: How to Handle, Use and Judge External Standardized Tests in Schools
Author: Prieß-Buchheit, Julia
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Standardized Tests,Best Practices,Preservice Teacher Education,Value Judgment,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Learning Modules,Teaching Methods,Relevance (Education),Program Effectiveness,Behavioral Objectives,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Skill Development,Foreign Countries

The Economic Actions in Education training module (EAE) teaches how to handle, use and judge external standardized tests in schools. The EAE programme was implemented in teacher training at the University of Kiel, because teachers are increasingly under external scrutiny and are being held accountable for student and school achievements. The EAE programme includes a reader (in English), through which prospective teachers understand and analyze core terms of the field. Furthermore, different didactical methods such as think-pair-share, role play and short lectures provide a group dynamic in which students gain an insight into standardized tests at a macro level. Students learn what is involved in standardized tests and they develop the ability to make a critical judgement about how they will use or refuse standardized tests in schools. EAE enables teachers to use standardized tests for curriculum and instruction improvement as well as refuse standardized tests to highlight autonomous teaching and decline governance from outside.