ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Perception of Teachers and Administrators on the Teaching Methods That Influence the Acquisition of Generic Skills
Author: Audu, R.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Basic Skills,Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Engineering Education,Questionnaires,Job Skills,Educational Practices,Likert Scales,Regression (Statistics),Best Practices,College Programs,Teaching Models,Foreign Countries

This study is designed to identify the most significant teaching methods that influence the acquisition of generic skills of mechanical engineering trades students at technical college level. Descriptive survey research design was utilized in carrying out the study. One hundred and ninety (190) respondents comprised of mechanical engineering trades' teachers and the administrators in the technical colleges in north central states of Nigeria responded to a structured questionnaire which addressed the research question. Based on the findings it was recommended that the technical college administrators must emphasize that teachers use the teaching methods identified from the result of the study as the most significant teaching method that influence the acquisition of generic skills in order for the students to acquire the skills for gainful employment in the labor market after graduation from the school.
School Effects, Gender and Socioeconomic Differences in Reading Performance: A Multilevel Analysis
Author: Shera, Perparim
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Secondary School Students,Reading Achievement,Gender Differences,Socioeconomic Influences,Foreign Countries,Institutional Characteristics,Family Structure,Teaching Methods,Learner Engagement,Classroom Environment,Influences,Public Schools,Private Schools,Rural Urban Differences,Geographic Location,Predictor Variables,Reading Habits,Hierarchical Linear Modeling

The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of Albanian secondary schools, which are associated with reading achievement and the effects of gender and socio-economic status on reading performance of 15-year-old students. This study used data on the background and achievement of 4,596 students in 181 Albanian schools from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Given the nested structure of the data, two-level Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) methods were used to address multilevel research questions. About a third of the total variance in reading performance lies between schools, indicating that school characteristics are important in predicting student achievement. The results clearly reveal the significant relationships of socio-economic status (SES) and gender with student achievement, even after controlling for family structure (two parent families versus others), learning strategies use, and reading engagement. There is also a substantial variability among schools on gender difference in student performance and the effect of SES on student performance. The results from the between-school model suggest that school type, school SES and classroom environment are significant predictors of school performance. Moreover, gender gap in reading performance is associated with school sector (public/private), school location (urban/rural), and average reading engagement; and SES effect on student performance is associated with school type (general/vocational), school location and average reading engagement. The characteristics of schools that make them excellent and more equitable are summarized.
Why Singaporean 8th Grade Students Gain Highest Mathematics Ranking in TIMSS (1999-2011)
Author: Lessani, Abdolreza
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Grade 8,Mathematics Achievement,Mathematics Curriculum,Textbooks,Numbers,Algebra,Geometry,Data,Probability,Statistics,Secondary School Mathematics,Competition

The international comparison of students' mathematics knowledge and competencies is an effective method of evaluating students' mathematics performance and developing policies to improve their achievements in mathematics. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are among the most well-recognized international comparisons that provide valuable information about students' mathematics achievement in an international area. The results of TIMSS in the period of 1999 to 2011 in students' mathematics achievement, particularly in 8thgrade, shows that Singapore has had one of the best students' mathematics achievement. The present study, therefore, deeply analyzes the mathematics curriculum, and compare the mathematics textbooks (Secondary 1 &amp; 2) with contents domain of TIMSS including Numbers, Algebra, Geometry, and Data and Chance (Statistics and Probability), to highlight the reasons for such a desirable mathematics achievement. Findings of the present study may offer valuable insights to mathematics educators and syllabus designers.
Effect of Instructional Media in the Learning of English Grammar on the Achievement of Teacher Training Students at Namakkal District
Author: Arulselvi, Evangelin
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Courseware,Grammar,Teacher Education,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Teaching Methods,Computer Assisted Instruction,Role,Experimental Groups,Language Teachers,Achievement Tests,Language Tests,Statistical Analysis,Reliability,Foreign Countries

The present study is aimed at finding the effect of Instructional software program in the learning of grammar on the achievement of teacher training students of Namakkal District. Parallel group experimental method was adopted in this study. A sample of 80 students studying in the teacher training college were selected on the basis of their knowledge in English grammar. 40 students were involved in conventional learning of English grammar and another 40 were considered for learning grammar based on instructional media. The instrument of the study was an instructional software program used for teaching particular grammar items. Achievement test was used after establishing validity and reliability. It is evident from the analysis that instructional media played a significant role in the learning of English grammar. Experimental group students have made significant higher gains in learning grammar in comparison to conventional group students. In light of the findings of this study, it was recommended that English teachers use Computer Aided Instructions in their teaching.
Iranian Students' Performance on the IELTS: A Question of Achievement
Author: Ghaemi, Farid
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Language Tests,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,High Stakes Tests,Scores,Foreign Countries,Correlation,Reading Ability,Language Proficiency,Majors (Students),Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

Reading comprehension has won much effort on the part of teachers, testers, and researchers in Iran due to the fact that the immediate need of Iranian students at different university levels is the ability to read in order to get new information on the topic they are studying. The question raised is how much reading practice can move learners along the horizontal axis of development predetermined by high stake tests like the IETLS. To this end, this study tried to investigate the relationship between Iranian students' reading ability varying in their level of education (sophomore, junior, and senior) and their IELTS band score. Data from 431 Iranian students taking the IETLS were collected and analyzed descriptively and inferentially. The results showed that there was no significant relation between learners' level of education and the IETLS band score within the present data; that is learners were not different in terms of their level of education. Surprisingly, the highest band scores of 7 and 8 on the IELTS belonged to students in the lower levels of education.
Trends of Students of the College of Basic Science towards Teaching the Course of Athletics and Health by Using Computer Technology in the World Islamic Sciences and Education University (WISE)
Author: Salameh, Ibrahim Abdul Ghani
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Questionnaires,College Students,Hypothesis Testing,Student Attitudes,Computer Uses in Education,Health Education,Athletics,Statistical Analysis,Educational Technology,Teaching Methods,Computer Attitudes,Gender Differences,Foreign Countries,Islam

The Study aimed at identifying the trends of the students of basic sciences College in the World Islamic Sciences and Education University towards teaching health and sport course by using computer technology as a teaching method, and to identify also the impact of the variables of academic level and the gender on the students' trends. The study sample was selected among 140 male and female students (65 males and 75 females) from Basic Science College in The World Islamic Sciences and Education University in order to test the hypotheses of the study, a questionnaire was made to suite the nature of study objectives to identify the students' attitudes towards using computer in teaching health and sport course. Wherein statistical processors were used: (SMA, standard deviation, (T-Test) and results of the analysis were as follows: There are positive attitudes towards teaching health and sport course by using computer technology as a teaching method, as well as the computing experience has a statistically significant impact on the students' attitudes towards using computer. Also the lack of statistically significant differences in the male and female students' trends towards using computer technology attributed to the academic level as a teaching method.
Second Language Grammatical Proficiency and Third Language Acquisition
Author: Moghtadi, Laleh
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Correlation,Statistical Analysis,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Bilingualism,Language Proficiency,Language Tests,Grammar,Indo European Languages,Females,High School Students,Student Placement,Questionnaires,Multilingualism,Student Characteristics,Turkic Languages

The main concern of the present study was to investigate the probable correlation between the bilinguals' second language grammatical proficiency level and their third language grammatical proficiency level. The current study was implemented on selecting a total of 100 Iranian female high school students studying at second grade from two educational districts of Tabriz (an Azeri-speaking city in Iran). The participants were homogeneous in terms of their English proficiency level (achieved through the Oxford Solutions Placement Test), sex, and age. They attended public high schools; they were taught the same material and they had the same number of hours of instruction. Two grammatical proficiency tests (Persian and English), a background questionnaire were administered to the participants. Statistical analyses including descriptive statistics and a Spearman's Rho Correlation revealed a significant correlation between the bilinguals' second language grammatical proficiency level and their third language grammatical proficiency level. Finally, the implications of the results as they relate to educational programs were discussed.
A Perspective Evaluation of Problem-Based Learning in ESL Classroom in the Malaysian Higher School Certificate Program
Author: Rashid, Radzuwan Ab.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Problem Based Learning,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Secondary School Students,Likert Scales,Foreign Countries,Cooperative Learning,Peer Relationship,Learning Processes,Thinking Skills,Critical Thinking,Teaching Methods,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes

This study was initiated to explore how pre-university students who enrolled in the Malaysian Higher School Certificate program perceived their experiences in learning ESL through Problem-Based Learning (PBL). This small scale study involved 35 pre-university students in an upper sixth form in a secondary school in Kelantan, Malaysia. Participants were given three sets of self-administered questionnaire with a 5 point Likert scale adapted from Fauziah et al., (2004). The questionnaires were aimed to explore the students' perspectives regarding the use of PBL in ESL, student-peer collaboration and student-facilitator collaboration involved in the learning process after they have gone through two PBL learning sessions. Descriptive statistic which involved frequency counts was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that majority of the students had positive views regarding the use of PBL, student-peer collaboration and student-facilitator collaboration in promoting language learning and enhancing their thinking skills. However, in comparison, student-peer collaboration is perceived as less positive than student-facilitator collaboration. This implies that problem-based learning, if carefully guided by the facilitator, could be an effective approach in developing critical thinking skills and fostering language learning among pre-university students.
The Most Prominent Roles of an ESP Teacher
Author: Ghafournia, Narjes
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Role,English for Special Purposes,English Teachers,Psychological Needs,Preferences,Adult Students,Integrated Activities,Teacher Collaboration,Andragogy,Counselor Role,Student Needs,Meta Analysis,Educational Practices,Adult Learning

One prominent feature of many ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses, which make them rather different from EGP (English for General Purposes) courses, is the presence of adult learners, who are primary workers and secondary learners. As ESP is a highly learner-cantered approach, paying close attention to the multidimensional needs of learners is of essential importance. Therefore, ESP teachers should follow a comprehensive adulthood-oriented approach, not only focusing on the linguistic needs of learners but also paying particular stress on the learners' psychological needs and preferences. In this humanistic context, an ESP teacher should follow an integrative approach, acting as a simultaneous teacher and counselor. Thus, ESP teachers should go beyond classroom settings, which lead them to their second important role concerned with a close collaboration with content teachers. This collaboration provides ESP teachers with useful information on the most effective syllabuses and instructional approaches to meet the learners' needs. Unfortunately, due to the unreasonable prejudice of many content teachers, it is rather difficult for many English teachers to develop a close collaboration with them. In response to this difficult situation, cooperation between English teachers and ESP learners is highly recommended. ESP teachers should also act as action-based researchers and theorizers to fulfill the ongoing needs of language learners effectively.
The Effectiveness of the Comprehension Hypothesis: A Review on the Current Research on Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition
Author: Ponniah, Joseph
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Incidental Learning,Vocabulary Development,Second Language Learning,Linguistic Theory,Linguistic Input,Language Proficiency,Language Processing

The Comprehension Hypothesis (CH) is the most powerful hypothesis in the field of Second Language Acquisition despite the presence of the rivals the skill-building hypothesis, the output hypothesis, and the interaction hypothesis. The competing hypotheses state that consciously learned linguistic knowledge is a necessary step for the development of second language competence whereas the CH posits that comprehensible input as the crucial ingredient of SLA. Moreover, conscious knowledge of second language can be used only to edit the output of the acquired language. The article further reviews some of the current research on vocabulary acquisition and the review confirms that incidental acquisition of vocabulary is more powerful than intentional learning.
Critical Discourse Analysis of Religious Sermons in Egypt--Case Study of Amr Khalid's Sermons
Author: Eldin, Ahmad Abdel Tawwab Sharaf
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Discourse Analysis,Foreign Countries,Islam,Ideology,Language Usage,Religious Factors,Correlation,Power Structure

This paper attempts to provide an ideological approach within a critical discourse analysis (CDA) in order to investigate the Islamic discourse and to trace the ideological devices in Amr Khalid's sermons. In so doing, this paper tries to show how language, employed in Khalid's sermons, reflects the common conceptual structures and interrelationships between him and his audience. The study is also concerned with uncovering certain forms of ideological disguises and demystifying power relations in discourse within specific context. This approach makes it possible to explore the tension between idealism and pragmatism, the conflict between &quot;us&quot; and &quot;them&quot;, and the other aspects of ideologies existing in the Khalid's sermon.
Psychometric Properties on Lecturers' Beliefs on Teaching Function: Rasch Model Analysis
Author: Mofreh, Samah Ali Mohsen
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Psychometrics,Beliefs,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Surveys,Item Response Theory,Community Colleges,College Faculty,Teaching Experience,Item Analysis,Construct Validity,Models,Goodness of Fit,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Competency Testing,Pilot Projects,Questionnaires,Foreign Countries

This paper focuses on the psychometric analysis of lecturers' beliefs on teaching function (LBTF) survey using Rasch Model analysis. The sample comprised 34 Community Colleges' lecturers. The Rasch Model is applied to produce specific measurements on the lecturers' beliefs on teaching function in order to generalize results and inferential studies. The items proved to measure a single dimension of lecturers' beliefs and how it influences the teaching function. The developed instrument termed LBTF covers six sub dimensions. Both construct and content validity were achieved through the Rasch Model analysis using the dimensionality, item fit, and item polarity parameters. The reliability of the instrument was achieved by conducting person and item separation analysis, Cronbach alpha, and calculated person and item reliability estimates. The results of Rasch Model analysis show that the items of LBTF fit the model appropriately.
Teachers' Role in Fostering Reading Skill: Effective and Successful Reading
Author: Jose, G. Rexlin
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Role,Reading Skills,Reading Instruction,Reading Programs,Writing Skills,Reading Comprehension,Teaching Methods,Multimedia Instruction,Critical Reading,Newspapers,Oral Reading

Reading bestows enjoyment and enlightenment. It unlocks the unknown. It is a complex cognitive activity that is indispensable for the kind of knowledge society. So the students of today's world must know how to learn from reading and to enter the present literate society. One who reads can lead others to light. People who read can be free because reading banishes ignorance and superstition. Reading has the power to revolutionize everyone's ways of thinking and living. It makes everyone think critically and creatively. Teachers must emphasize all kinds of reading, especially critical reading which is not just reading on the lines but it deals with reading between and beyond the lines. A critical reader challenges the author's assumptions, inferences, and conclusions, and judges the accuracy, reliability, quality and value of what he reads on the basis of sound criteria or standards developed through previous experiences. This kind of reading paves clear path for students to acquire better comprehensive ability through SQ3R techniques, computer multimedia and other activities such as skimming and scanning. Although there are ways and means to acquire reading skill, there are a few factors which affect it severely. Teachers must be careful in avoiding these hindrances and make their wards' reading easy, effective and successful. Teachers are the prime source for students in cultivating their reading habit. Their advice and encouragement will help the students move a step further in developing their attitude towards reading. Teachers can teach phonetics to readers of initial stage and help them pronounce the sounds of letters and words properly. They should also emphasize writing task in the primary grade as it is directly associated with reading programme. They can teach them syllabication to recognize new words. Special assistance may be given to students with regard to the selection of materials for reading based on their age, time and capacity and determine their reading levels. They must realize that they have to play major role in encouraging and engaging the students to become voracious readers.
Multiple Intelligences Profiles of Junior Secondary School Students in Indonesia
Author: Emmiyati, Nuri
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Multiple Intelligences,Junior High School Students,Student Characteristics,Gender Differences,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Scores

This study aimed to investigate the Multiple Intelligences profiles of the students at junior secondary school in Makassar. The Multiple Intelligences Inventory was used to identify the dominant intelligence among the students. The sample of this research was 302 junior secondary schools students in Makassar Indonesia who willing to participated in this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to investigate the students' MI profiles. The results of this study showed that all intelligences were possessed by the students either in strong, moderate, or weak category. Existential intelligence became the strongest intelligence among the nine types of multiple intelligences. Moreover, other types of multiple intelligences in strong category were interpersonal intelligence and verbal-linguistic intelligence. They were the second and the third intelligence of the strongest intelligences. The other types were in moderate category, were intrapersonal intelligence, musical intelligence, visual-spatial intelligence, logical mathematic intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, and naturalist intelligence. In terms of gender, the study revealed, male students significantly possessed stronger in logical-mathematic intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence, Meanwhile, Female students were significantly stronger in musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and existential intelligence. The results also showed that there was no significant difference between male students and female students in verbal linguistic intelligence, visual-spatial intelligence, and naturalist intelligence.