ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Expanding Participation in Problem Solving in a Diverse Middle School Mathematics Classroom
Author: Weber, Keith
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Activities,Mathematics Education,After School Programs,Problem Solving,Participation,Secondary School Mathematics,Middle School Students,Low Income Groups,Urban Schools,Mathematics Activities,Teacher Role,Social Attitudes,Student Responsibility,Classroom Environment

In this paper, we discuss our experiences with an after-school program in which we engaged middle-school students with low socioeconomic status from an urban community in mathematical problem solving. We document that these students participated in many aspects of problem solving, including the posing of problems, constructing justifications, developing and implementing problem-solving heuristics and strategies, and understanding and evaluating the solutions of others. We then delineate what aspects of our environment encouraged the students to take part in these activities, particularly emphasising the proactive role of the teacher, the tasks the students completed, and the social norms of our after-school sessions. Finally, we discuss the relationship between our study and the literature on equity research in mathematics education. (Contains 1 table and 4 footnotes.)
Understanding Consumer Needs through Market Research
Author: Overton, Cynthia
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Assistive Technology,Marketing,Research,Needs,Institutional Cooperation,Organizations (Groups),Administrator Attitudes,Interviews,Alignment (Education),Technology Uses in Education,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Financial Support,Educational Research,Resources

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how existing market research in the assistive technology (AT) field can be leveraged to create new solutions and to help those solutions reach wider markets. To do so, we discuss market research projects, focusing on seminal activities that have occurred in the assistive and learning technology field; present a collaborative market research activity involving the National Center for Technology Innovation and AbleNet[R], Inc.; and offer suggestions for how an organization with little or no experience with market research can initiate such activities. As demonstrated in this article, findings deriving from market research activities can be used to benefit individual corporations responsible for conducting market research as well as the broader AT community. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)
Assessing Calculators as Assessment Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Author: Bouck, Emily C.
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Disabilities,Grade 7,Mathematics Tests,Testing Accommodations,Assistive Technology,Graphing Calculators,Problem Solving

This study explored the performance of 75 seventh-grade students with and without disabilities, educated in inclusive mathematics classes, on open-ended, problem-solving mathematics assessments. In the study, approximately half of the students used a graphing calculator on the first assessment and not on the second assessment (n = 35; 46.7%), whereas the other half used it on the second assessment and not on the first (n = 40; 53.3%). The results indicate that all students did better when using a graphing calculator, regardless of the order of calculator use (i.e., Assessment 1 or 2). The results also suggest that calculators may not be a valid accommodation for some students with disabilities on assessments. This study has implications for providing calculators as accommodations on mathematics assessments. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)
Campus Community Partnerships with People Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
Author: Matteson, Jamie
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Deafness,Partial Hearing,School Community Relationship,State Universities,Cancer,Doctoral Programs,Computer Science,Graduate Students,Undergraduate Students,Medical Schools,Focus Groups,Assistive Technology,Feedback (Response),Technological Advancement,Interpersonal Competence,Cultural Differences,College Faculty,Budgets

In 1997, the Moores University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Cancer Center and advocacy groups for people who are deaf and hard of hearing launched a highly hearing, successful cancer control collaborative. In 2006, faculty from the Computer Science Department at UCSD invited the collaborative to help develop a new track in their doctoral program. This track would train computer scientists to be culturally competent when working with people who have hearing and visual challenges, with the ultimate goal of developing assistive living devices that would be welcomed by, and useful to, the anticipated end users. Faculty and students began developing ideas for technological advances that were anticipated to benefit people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Computer science graduate students and faculty worked with the medical school faculty, staff, and undergraduates to design culturally competent focus groups for people who were deaf and hard-of-hearing. The focus groups were designed to gather opinions of these presumed end users about three, very promising ideas for assistive listening devices. The result was a productive interchange between the computer science team and focus group members. The insights garnered have subsequently been used to refine the three devices. This paper provides an overview of how computer science students were trained to present their technological innovations to people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing and to gain feedback on how their devices might best serve them. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)
Sight Word Recognition among Young Children At-Risk: Picture-Supported vs. Word-Only
Author: Meadan, Hedda
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Emergent Literacy,Sight Vocabulary,Preschool Children,At Risk Students,Word Recognition,Intervention,Assistive Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Visual Aids,Games,Instructional Effectiveness,Quasiexperimental Design

A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the impact of Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) on sight word recognition by young children identified as &quot;at risk&quot; for academic and social-behavior difficulties. Ten pre-primer and 10 primer Dolch words were presented to 23 students in the intervention group and 8 students in the control group during interactive games. Assessments occurred at four points and results indicated that children in the control group learned sight words faster under similar conditions of activities and time. These findings are consistent with previous literature and offer further insight into the learning of sight words by this population. Interactive games proved effective with children; they learned quickly over a relatively short time exposure. In the last assessment (word and picture) the intervention group performed better than the control group, indicating that pictures assisted young children to identify and learn new words in a relatively short period of time. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Technology (AT) Reutilization (Reuse): What We Know Today
Author: Kniskern, Joy
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Assistive Technology,Recycling,Equipment Utilization,Classification,National Surveys,Federal Legislation

The history, scope, and evolving definitions of assistive technology reutilization activities, from both grassroots and legislative perspective, are discussed. A national classification system of AT reuse activities and data gathered from several national surveys of AT reutilization programs using this classification approach are presented. The rationale, benefits, and potential perils of AT reuse are discussed from the viewpoint of suppliers, consumers, agencies, and organizations engaged in AT reutilization activities. Examples of both successful and damaging AT reutilization initiatives are cited with cautionary recommendations to organizations interested in establishing or expanding AT reutilization initiatives. The role of the National Assistive Technology Reutilization and Coordination Technical Assistance Center (Pass It On Center) is shared. The value and limitations of the current AT reuse data and outcomes are discussed and recommendations for future research on AT reutilization activities and outcomes are offered.
Perspectives of Assistive Technology from Deaf Students at a Hearing University
Author: Lartz, Maribeth N.
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Deafness,College Students,Student Attitudes,Assistive Technology,Federal Legislation,Barriers,Advocacy,Teamwork,Interviews,Case Studies

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of Deaf students attending a large &quot;hearing&quot; university regarding their use of assistive technology (AT). Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants and responses were videotaped and transcribed from sign language to English. A collective case study approach was used to analyze the data. Three primary categories concerning perspectives of AT emerged from the qualitative analysis: (a) self-reported use of assistive technology and overall benefits, (b) barriers to AT use, and (c) facilitators to AT use. Discussion centers on the struggle to balance the triad of information that deaf students encounter in the university classroom and offers recommendations to assist deaf students in &quot;hearing&quot; classrooms at the university level. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Assistive Technology and Emergent Literacy for Preschoolers: A Literature Review
Author: Floyd, Kimberly Kris
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Assistive Technology,Emergent Literacy,Preschool Children,Disabilities,Technology Planning,Barriers,Research Needs,Cultural Influences,Social Influences,Literature Reviews

Despite the legislative mandate for assistive technology (AT) consideration and the tenacity of researchers, educators, and practitioners to develop more proficient readers at younger ages, cohesive and comprehensive emergent literacy technology planning has not been sufficiently developed for preschool children with disabilities. The purpose of this review is to synthesize information and research on available AT used with young children to promote the development of emergent literacy skills. Following the background discussion, key articles will be summarized, synthesized, and critiqued. Discussion focuses on the lack of empirical research in the combined areas of emergent literacy, AT, and preschool children; the need for conceptualized definitions of AT and emergent literacy across disciplines; existing barriers; and gaps in the research. (Contains 1 table.)
Environmental Education in Finland--A Case Study of Environmental Education in Nature Schools
Author: Jeronen, Eila
Date: 2009-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physical Activities,Student Attitudes,Environmental Education,Compulsory Education,Experiential Learning,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Case Studies,Outdoor Education,Questionnaires,Classification,Inquiry,Teacher Attitudes,Models

The article aims to introduce Environmental Education (EE) in Finland and to discuss how it has been taken into account in Finnish nature schools. Firstly, we present EE models used in Finland. Thereafter we describe a qualitative case study on EE in nature schools (NS). The aim of the study was to get information for the development of EE. The research questions were: Who are the visitors to NSs? What are the educational aims in NSs? What kind of educational methods and approaches do NS teachers use? The resultant data for the questions from 1 to 3 is based on the questionnaires completed by 23 (61 %) NS teachers in 2006. The data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively using both deductive and inductive content classification methods. The results showed that most NSs offered their services almost exclusively for children and young people and the main visitor group to the NSs were pupils from primary and lower secondary schools. The ideas on fostering a sustainable way of life and environmental responsibility mentioned in the criteria of the nature and environmental schools were expressed by most respondents. The most used educational methods were nature trips and inquiry learning methods, while the most common approaches were physical activity and learning by doing in nature. The impact of the NSs cannot be very strong when each pupil typically only visits a NS once or twice during her or his entire compulsory education. Based on the results, it seems that the teachers did not take into account the meaning of evaluation. None of them mentioned it as a part of EE. (Contains 1 table and 11 figures.)
Science Teachers' Beliefs and Practices: Issues, Implications and Research Agenda
Author: Mansour, Nasser
Date: 2009-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Practices,Beliefs,Cultural Influences,Context Effect,Schematic Studies,Scientific Attitudes,Performance Factors,Science Education,Constructivism (Learning),Social Influences

The study of teachers' beliefs forms part of the process of understanding how teachers conceptualize their work which in turn is important to the understanding of teachers' practices and their decisions in the classroom. A growing body of research argues that teachers' beliefs should be studied within a framework that is aware of the influence of culture. These studies also argue that teachers' beliefs and practices cannot be examined out of context. This shows that the relationship between teachers' beliefs and their practices is complex and context dependent. Some researchers have found consistencies between teachers' beliefs and their practices whilst others have found inconsistencies. The purpose of this paper is to present an argument about the relationship of teachers' beliefs and practices and to find out frameworks of understanding the consistency and inconsistency of this relationship. In this paper, I explore the nature of teachers' beliefs. Then, I discuss how teachers' beliefs have been formed. Also, I will argue the relationship between knowledge and beliefs. Researchers' key vision of the relationship between beliefs and knowledge was that whether knowledge directs beliefs or beliefs leads to knowledge. I will argue that the relationship among beliefs, knowledge and practices are intertwined. Then, I present sociocultural perspectives to explain the consistency and inconsistency between teachers' beliefs and practices. I will follow these perspectives by presenting sources of forming teacher's beliefs which will lead to a discussion about potentials of changing teachers' beliefs.
Using the Deficit Model, Public Debate Model and Co-Production of Knowledge Models to Interpret Points of View of Students Concerning Citizens' Participation in Socioscientific Issues
Author: Pouliot, Chantal
Date: 2009-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science and Society,College Bound Students,Student Attitudes,Debate,Models,Citizen Participation,Science Education,Science Curriculum,Telecommunications,Participant Observation,Foreign Countries

In the first part of this article I propose a conceptual framework--based on the deficit, public debate and co-production of knowledge models articulated by (Callon, 1999)--with which to examine students' appropriation of de socioscientific issues (SSI). The second part of this article presents the way a group of three post-secondary/pre-university students described the attitudes, interests and capacity for understanding of citizens concerned by the controversy surrounding the use of cellular telephones, and how they viewed the conditions under which citizens could contribute to public debates. This study was conducted on the basis of an ethnographic approach. Participant observation was performed by the researcher for three hours during each of fifteen weeks. Findings indicate that the group of three students ascribed to citizens deficits of knowledge and comprehension, and authorized a limited participation of citizens in public debates. Implications for science teaching are discussed. It is argued that the use of the conceptual framework set out in this article in a science classroom would, on the one hand, enable teachers to &quot;problematize&quot; SSI in a way accounting for citizen participation in sociotechnical debates and, on the other hand, provide students with a basis for developing an understanding of SSI management that breaks with an interpretation centering on the deficit model as applied to relationships between citizens and scientists. (Contains 4 figures and 8 notes.)
The Effect of Type of Instruction on Expression of Children's Knowledge: How Do Children See the Endocrine and Urinary System?
Author: Prokop, Pavol
Date: 2009-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Anatomy,Human Body,Comparative Analysis,Teaching Methods,Knowledge Level,Freehand Drawing,Early Adolescents,Preadolescents,Age Differences,Science Instruction,Elementary Schools,Gender Differences,Foreign Countries

Children's knowledge about human anatomy can be examined through several different ways. Making a drawing of the internal features of the human body has been frequently used in recent studies. However, there might be a serious difference in results obtained from a general instruction to students (&quot;What you think is inside your body&quot;) and specific (e.g. &quot;Draw bones that are inside your body&quot;) instruction. We examined relationships between these two types of instructions using drawings of the urinary and endocrine systems as the examples with pupils aged 10-14 years. An ANCOVA showed significant relationships between general and special instruction, but further comparison showed significant correlation only for urinary system. The level of students' drawings significantly increases with previous knowledge about human anatomy and age. These findings suggest that relationships between two types of instructions strongly depend on the complexity of the organ system that children draw as well as their previous knowledge. We propose that drawings from general instructions are therefore appropriate especially for comparative studies. Special instructions are better for eliciting a deeper understanding of children knowledge about human anatomy. (Contains 4 tables and 14 figures.)
Climate of Concern--A Search for Effective Strategies for Teaching Children about Global Warming
Author: Taber, Fiona
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Hands on Science,Climate,Teaching Methods,Environmental Influences,Environmental Education,Consciousness Raising,Pretests Posttests,Interviews,Student Attitudes,Educational Strategies,Instructional Effectiveness,Foreign Countries

Recent research suggests that the issue of global warming is one of great concern for Australian children. This point to the need for effective teaching about this issue. Children should be properly informed about actions that help reduce carbon emissions as this may give them a sense of empowerment and go some way to alleviating concerns. This study followed the development in the knowledge of global warming of 29 primary school students in year 6 (the final year of primary) from two regional Australian schools over one school term. A hands-on science unit dealing specifically with global warming was prepared and taught over a period of eight weeks. A mixed methods approach was adopted and data was gathered through pre- and post-testing, through post intervention interviews. The findings of the study indicated that after the unit, students had a clearer understanding of the science of climate change, with the largest improvement in student knowledge occurring where the students had engaged in hands on activities or had effective visual aids. The data also indicated that an increase in knowledge was accompanied by an increase in levels concern in some cases. However, there was also an overall increase in students' belief about their ability to make a positive impact in relation to global warming and climate change. (Contains 1 table and 5 figures.)
Using Notable Women in Environmental Engineering to Dispel Misperceptions of Engineers
Author: Hoh, Yin Kiong
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Engineering,Technical Occupations,Males,Whites,Secondary School Teachers,Science Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Misconceptions,Stereotypes,Females,Disproportionate Representation,Environment,Role Models

This paper describes an activity the author has carried out with 72 high school science teachers to enable them to overcome their stereotypical perceptions of engineers. The activity introduced them to notable women in environmental engineering, and raised their awareness of these female engineers' contributions to engineering and society. The results revealed that the activity was effective in countering high school teachers' misconceptions of engineers. By providing detailed information about the personal lives and work experiences of the female engineers, the biographies might be useful in countering existing cultural stereotypes of female engineers and initiating changes in perceptions needed to narrow the gender gap in engineering. Teachers and professors can use the examples of these notable female engineers as role models to inspire their female students to become engineers. (Contains 1 table.)
Evaluation of a Course: &quot;Education and Awareness for Sustainability&quot;
Author: Erdogan, Mehmet
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Summative Evaluation,Formative Evaluation,Foreign Countries,Needs Assessment,Sustainable Development,Course Evaluation,Environmental Education,Consciousness Raising,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Observation,Interdisciplinary Approach,Attitude Change,Values Education

This article reported and discussed the evaluation of a lecture, designed to change university students' values related with sustainable ways of living. The outcomes of the study were those obtained from the evaluation of the course titled &quot;Education and Awareness for Sustainability&quot;, which has been offered for three years in the Department of Elementary Education, Middle East Technical University-Ankara (Turkey). The study was realized with the participation of 85 students from different faculties (faculty of education, economy, administration and engineering). The study comprised three steps: need assessment (NA), formative evaluation (FE) and summative evaluation (SE). The evaluation model of DIPO emphasizing needs-objectives relationship was used for evaluation. Analyzes, on the other hand, were realized by the use of both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. It was concluded as a result of the study that integrating real life cases with the issues in the course makes students feel comfortable about the course and feel themselves sensitive and responsible. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)