ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Academic Writing Experience of Jordanian Postgraduate Students at a University in Malaysia
Author: Almatarneh, Anas Hmoud Mohammad
Date: 2018-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Writing Skills,Foreign Students,Writing Difficulties,Case Studies,Student Attitudes,Vocabulary Skills,Graduate Students,English for Academic Purposes,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Grammar,Spelling,Semitic Languages,Native Language,Citations (References),Writing Instruction,Student Characteristics

Writing in English for academic purpose is a difficult task for many Jordanian postgraduate students (JPS) as English is a foreign language to them. This study aimed to explore academic writing problems encountered by JPS at a Malaysian university and to investigate how they address the problems. Employing a case study approach, a total of 182 online questionnaires were administered via email to registered JPS at UniSZA to which 90 responses were received. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 of the respondents to get further clarification of the questionnaire data and to gain rich insights into the phenomenon being investigated. The findings reveal that JPS faced several problems such as lack of vocabulary, difficulties in expressing the ideas, organizing the sentences and creating paragraphs, paraphrasing, the inability to build critical discussions and ideas, erroneous grammar, spellings, weak referencing and difficulty in finding the article/journal for literature review. In order to address these problems, they acquire help from their classmates, seniors, teaching faculties, participate in educational forums, workshops and lectures, attend paid tuition classes, translate Arabic to English, subscribe to journals and magazines and used online resources. The JPS recommend the provision of extensive language support at the university, regular lectures and workshops on improving academic writing and availability of language enrichment centre at the university to aid JPS to resolve their problems related to academic writing.
Kindergarten Deforestation Experts: Interdisciplinary Learning for Understanding and Addressing Global Issues
Author: Waite, Kim
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Environmental Education,Social Justice,Inquiry,Student Centered Learning,Interdisciplinary Approach,Natural Resources,Ecology,Kindergarten,Student Projects,Global Approach,Sustainability,Urban Schools,Learning Activities,Forestry,Conservation (Environment),Student Attitudes,Citizenship Responsibility,Teacher Role

In our interconnected world, what does it mean to teach global environmental issues to young children? Using theoretical foundations from the social justice learning community and child-directed, inquiry-based learning best practices, this practitioner reflection details a seven-week, student-centered, interdisciplinary learning experience conducted in the author's classroom. This exploration of the Amazon rainforest and deforestation promoted content knowledge development across fine arts, math, earth science, English language arts, and social studies disciplines; standards-based skills acquisition; collaboration; self-determination; and critical engagement among students in a diverse kindergarten class at a public school in Los Angeles County, California, in the United States. To guide the development of the project, an appropriate social studies framework was utilized along with the popular culture resource &quot;3 Questions That Can Change The World&quot; from the Kid President enterprise. Students conducted research and took concrete action through a variety of projects, including raising and donating funds for injured wildlife and reporting on their experiences verbally, in writing, and graphically. I analyzed my field notes, reflective teacher journal, and student work samples to improve my practice and pedagogical progress in teaching young students about global environmental issues. In this process of critical reflection and action inspired by Freire's (1993) concept of praxis, I found that inquiry-based learning that encourages students to ask meaningful questions, investigate answers through interdisciplinary learning, and find meaningful solutions to the problems they encounter increases their self-determination.
Nature Preschool as a Promoter of Physical Activity in Young Children: An Exploratory Study of Nature Preschool in a Northern Climate
Author: Ernst, Julie
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Education,Physical Activity Level,Physical Activities,Preschool Children,Natural Resources,Outdoor Education,Weather,Geographic Regions,Climate

Preschools and other early childhood education and care settings are influential in the promotion of physical activity (PA) for young children. This study utilized the Yamax Digiwalker pedometer within a quasi-experimental design to quantitatively explore the influence of nature preschools on the PA of 154 preschool-aged children. Results suggest that nature preschools support sufficient PA; furthermore, participants were able to achieve recommended PA during cold and wet months through unstructured nature play. These findings suggest that nature preschools support PA, even during winter months. The results also point to the important role unstructured nature play has in supporting children's physical activity and overall well-being. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.
Motivational Differences between Turkish Students and International Students for Learning English at a University Context
Author: Sakarya Akbulut, Hayriye
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Motivation,College Students,Foreign Students,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Individual Differences,Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes

The study aimed to investigate if there was a motivational difference between Turkish students and international students for learning English at a prep-school of a state university in Turkey in terms of attitude, integrative orientation, instrumental orientation, altruistic motivation and parental encouragement. It was also carried out to find out if there was a relationship between the students' motivational level and their performance in English. 20 Turkish students and 16 international students participated in this study. The data was collected through an adapted questionnaire and the students' midterm exam results were obtained as a sign of their performance in English. The analysis of the quantitative data revealed that although both groups had high mean scores on the questionnaire, the mean of the Turkish students' motivational level for learning English was lower than the mean of the international students'. It was also found that while there was a statistically significant difference regarding integrative orientation and altruistic motivation between the groups, there was no statistically significant difference regarding attitudes towards learning English, instrumental orientation and parental encouragement. In addition, the Pearson Correlation did not disclose a significant correlation between the groups' scores in the mid-term exam and their mean scores on the questionnaire. Another purpose of the study was to discover what motivated and demotivated both groups most in English courses. Minute papers were conducted for this purpose and the findings showed many motivating and demotivating factors. Based on the results, some implications were presented and discussed.
Perceptions of Elementary and Middle School Teachers about the Role of Organizational Gossip on School Climate
Author: Safak, Hikmet Faruk
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Interpersonal Communication,Educational Environment,Foreign Countries

The aim of the study is to determine perceptions of teachers about the role of organizational gossip on the school climate in elementary and middle schools. The study adopted the correlational survey model. The participants were selected using simple random sampling method, and were composed of 427 teachers at different elementary and middle schools in different districts of Rize in Turkey in 2020-2021 academic year. The data were collected via the &quot;Organizational Gossip Scale&quot; developed by Han and Dagli (2018), the &quot;School Climate Survey&quot; developed by Kavgaci (2010), and the &quot;Personal Information Form&quot; developed by the researchers. The results showed that teachers' perceptions of organizational gossip and the levels of school climate were moderate, and a low level negative and significant relationship was found between organizational gossip and school climate. According to the regression analysis, it was concluded that organizational gossip is a significant predictor of school climate and explains 7% of the variance of school climate.
Self-Efficacy Sources and Reading Comprehension of L2 Undergraduate Learners
Author: Alharbi, Mohammed Abdullah
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Efficacy,Undergraduate Students,Reading Comprehension,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,State Universities,Teacher Role,Language Teachers,Educational Environment,Reading Instruction

In EFL context of higher education, reading comprehension is considered one of the most indispensable skills to learn. The aim of the present was to explores the perceptions of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) with regard to the role of Bandura's four hypothesized sources for reading self-efficacy in reading comprehension. A qualitative research methodology was implemented to realize the study's objective. In total, six EFL learners were selected from six public Saudi universities using homogeneous purposeful sampling over one academic semester. A semi-structured interview protocol was developed to collect the data, and thematic analysis was employed. The findings revealed several factors that influence the effectiveness of the different self-efficacy sources on reading comprehension, such as the role of teachers, the competitive environment, confidence, and time constraints, etc. These findings underlie useful implications for teaching and learning reading comprehension in an EFL context. The study offers several theoretical and practical implications for EFL learners, instructors, and educational policymakers to assist in enhancing self-efficacy beliefs among learners to facilitate their English reading comprehension.
Preparing Philippine Higher Education Institutions for Flexible Learning during the Period of COVID-19 Pandemic: Curricular and Instructional Adjustments, Challenges, and Issues
Author: Pawilen, Greg Tabios
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,COVID-19,Pandemics,Higher Education,School Closing,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Barriers,Access to Computers,Internet,Curriculum,Teaching Methods,Adjustment (to Environment),Online Courses

The current situation, which is considered the &quot;new normal,&quot; calls for an immediate response and action from all higher education institutions (HEIs). This is a qualitative study that shares the experiences and preparations of universities and colleges in the Philippines during the first four months of shifting to flexible learning as an alternative way to deliver curriculum and instruction at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through analysis of public documents like memoranda, advisories, reports, and updates from leading organizations and HEIs, this study identifies curricular and instructional adjustments done and discusses several challenges and issues experienced by higher education institutions in shifting to flexible learning. The study also recommends a model that universities and colleges could use in planning for an effective and efficient implementation of flexible learning.
Teaching Methods and Academic Performance of Students in Civic Education in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria
Author: Odey, Clarence O.
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Secondary School Students,Citizenship Education,Civics,Instructional Effectiveness,Performance Factors,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Lecture Method,Discovery Learning,Student Centered Learning,Incidence,Public Schools,Foreign Countries

This study interrogated the prevalence and effectiveness of teaching methods on students' academic performance in Civic Education in Calabar Metropolis of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was directed by two research questions and one hypothesis. The design used was quasi-experimental. The population of the study comprised all Senior School two (SS2) students (3,193 in number) in the 23 public secondary schools in the area in 2018/2019 academic year. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the 362 respondents (255 teachers and 107 students) for the study. The instruments used for data collection were Teaching Method Checklist (TMC), observation and a Civic Education Achievement Test (CEAT). Data collected were analysed using simple percentage and independent t-test and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the prevalent teaching methods in Calabar Metropolis are lecture, discussion and demonstration methods. It was also found that students' performance was found to differ significantly after being taught with discovery and lecture methods with those taught with discovery method being more impacted upon. Based on these findings, it was recommended that teachers should be frequently retrained and supervised to enable them to utilise current and best teaching methods. Teachers were also encouraged to use learner-centred teaching methods like discovery method rather than teacher-centred teaching methods like lecture method to curtail students' poor academic performance.
The Opinions of Prospective Teachers on the Design and Use of Digital Educational Comics as a Technological Teaching Material in Science Education
Author: Akcanca, Nur
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cartoons,Teaching Methods,Science Instruction,Case Studies,Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Educational Technology,Science Education,Content Analysis,Instructional Materials,Preschool Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Undergraduate Students,Instructional Design,Computer Software,Foreign Countries

In this study, it is aimed to examine the opinions of prospective teachers about the design of digital educational comics designed within the scope of science education and their use in educational environments. This study, conducted with 129 prospective teachers determined by purposeful sampling method, is suitable for a case study. After the prospective teachers received a four-hour training on digital educational comics, they designed their digital educational comics for two weeks. After the design process, their views on design and applicability of these designs were determined with structured survey forms. The collected data were analyzed in four stages with the MAXQDA-20 program in accordance with content analysis. In the study, it was determined that the prospective teachers had difficulties at the point of designing visual and graphical elements in digital environment during the digital educational comic design process and that they were negatively affected by technological insufficiencies. In addition to this, the prospective teachers expressed the views on the need to pay attention to the digital educational comic's subject-acquisition relationship, scientific knowledge and the relationship of this knowledge with daily life. It is recommended to increase the use of technology-oriented alternative teaching materials such as digital educational comics in science education from preschool to undergraduate level instead of traditional teaching materials.
The Intellectual Legacy of Gold Coast Hand and Eye Curriculum and Art Education in Ghana
Author: Nortey, Samuel
Date: 2021-07-09
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Art Education,Educational History,Educational Change,Creativity,Foreign Policy,Duplication,Elementary Secondary Education,Cultural Influences,Art

In 1887, the British colonial masters in the Gold Coast implemented an Arts education reform that prioritized the faithful representation of everyday objects in still-life artistic works. This was known as the Hand and Eye curriculum, an Arts education which was geared towards industrialization and functionality rather than innovation and creativity. This study assesses the educational code of 1887, the art during that period, what the legacy offers for creativity in art-making, and how colonialism impacted the Ghanaian art scene. Using a mixed-method approach and drawing on diverse data sources such as audio-visual materials, school visits, archival studies and exhibition histories, the study finds that the intellectual legacy of copying what one sees is still a significant component of the Ghanaian curriculum and educational practice today. While there are examples of exciting developments in Ghanaian artistic education and practice, the country's basic and secondary art education is still steeped in the still-life paradigm of colonial art-making and education.
Beating Time: Methodological Questions Arising from the Evaluation of a School-Based Arts Project
Author: Foster, Victoria
Date: 2021-07-20
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,Student Projects,Opera,Music Education,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Evaluation Methods,Qualitative Research

This article reflects on the evaluation of an innovative educational arts project at a primary school in Liverpool. Based on an animated film version of Janácek's &quot;Cunning Little Vixen,&quot; an opera populated by animals, this child-led project was considered to be a successful endeavour. Yet there remain unanswered questions over how this success might be defined and indeed what conventional methods of evaluation research can hope to capture. The article draws on debates from the new wave of childhood studies and considers how some of the recent theoretical and methodological developments in this field, particularly around post-qualitative research, could and should influence the way that evaluation is carried out. Yet there are tensions between the complexities that these developments raise and the intention of evaluation which is to provide straightforward answers.
The Characteristics of Linguistic Features Enfolded in Suicide Notes
Author: Fata, Ika Apriani
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Suicide,Letters (Correspondence),Victims,Discourse Analysis,Males,Classification,Internet,Emotional Response,Text Structure,Grammar,Punctuation,Logical Thinking,Emotional Disturbances,Linguistics,Crime,Legal Problems

Suicide notes are messages left by individuals who commit suicide or who intend to commit suicide. These written messages express the victims' feelings that were not expressed when they were alive. And thus, this qualitative study intends to investigate the characteristics of linguistic features of suicide notes written by eleven male well-known individuals. The approach to this study is qualitative content analysis. Data were obtained from suicide notes written by eleven male well-known individuals. These notes were retrievable online. The researchers read, classified, and described the data based on the five characteristics of linguistic features of suicide notes, they are clear reasoning, expressing emotion, structure text, grammar, punctuation. The results showed that all of the characteristics of linguistic features were found in the well-known individuals' suicide notes. The characteristics of clear reasoning took place as the most frequent one to occur since it tells the readers of the victims' point of view about the problems that they were facing that led them to suicide. While the absence of doubt and form of address took place as rare. In the end, the result of this research can provide more information in research regarding the study of suicide notes in forensic linguistics, an application of linguistic on analyzing data or legal issues.
The Relationship between Intelligence and Divergent Thinking--A Meta-Analytic Update
Author: Gerwig, Anne
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intelligence,Creative Thinking,Correlation,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Scoring,Creativity Tests,Test Items,Psychological Studies

This paper provides a meta-analytic update on the relationship between intelligence and divergent thinking (DT), as research on this topic has increased, and methods have diversified since Kim's meta-analysis in 2005. A three-level meta-analysis was used to analyze 849 correlation coefficients from 112 studies with an overall N = 34,610. The overall effect showed a significant positive correlation of r = 0.25. This increase of the correlation as compared to Kim's prior meta-analytic findings could be attributed to the correction of attenuation because a difference between effect sizes prior-Kim vs. post-Kim was non-significant. Different moderators such as scoring methods, instructional settings, intelligence facets, and task modality were tested together with theoretically relevant interactions between some of these factors. These moderation analyses showed that the intelligence-DT relationship can be higher (up to r = 0.31-0.37) when employing test-like assessments coupled with be-creative instructions, and considering DT originality scores. The facet of intelligence (g vs. g[subscript f] vs. g[subscript c]) did not affect the correlation between intelligence and DT. Furthermore, we found two significant sample characteristics: (a) average sample age was positively associated with the intelligence-DT correlation, and (b) the intelligence-DT correlation decreased for samples with increasing percentages of females in the samples. Finally, inter-moderator correlations were checked to take potential confounding into account, and also publication bias was assessed. This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive picture of current research and possible research gaps. Theoretical implications, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.
Serial Order Effect in Divergent Thinking in Five- to Six-Year-Olds: Individual Differences as Related to Executive Functions
Author: Bai, Honghong
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Serial Ordering,Creative Thinking,Individual Differences,Executive Function,Attention,Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,Short Term Memory,Inhibition,Cognitive Processes

This study examined the unfolding in real time of original ideas during divergent thinking (DT) in five- to six-year-olds and related individual differences in DT to executive functions (EFs). The Alternative Uses Task was administered with verbal prompts that encouraged children to report on their thinking processes while generating uses for daily objects. In addition to coding the originality of each use, the domain-specific DT processes memory retrieval and mental operations were coded from children's explanations. Six EF tasks were administered and combined into composites to measure working memory, shifting, inhibition, and selective attention. The results replicated findings of a previous study with the same children but at age four years: (1) there was a serial order effect of the originality of uses; and (2) the process mental operations predicted the originality of uses. Next, the results revealed that both domain-general EFs and domain-specific executive processes played a role in the real-time unfolding of original ideas during DT. Particularly, the DT process mental operations was positively related to the early generation of original ideas, while selective attention was negatively related to the later generation of original ideas. These findings deepen our understanding of how controlled executive processes operate during DT.