ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Building an Efficient and Effective Test Management System in an ODL Institution
Author: Yusof, Safiah Md
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Computer Assisted Testing,Computer Managed Instruction,Management Systems,Open Universities,Distance Education,Multiple Choice Tests,Test Items,Classification,Quality Control,Item Analysis

Open University Malaysia (OUM) is progressively moving towards implementing assessment on demand and online assessment. This move is deemed necessary for OUM to continue to be the leading provider of flexible learning. OUM serves a very large number of students each semester and these students are vastly distributed throughout the country. As the number of learners keeps growing, the task of managing and administering examinations every semester has become increasingly laborious, time consuming and costly. In trying to deal with this situation and improve the assessment processes, OUM has embarked on the development and employment of a test management system. This test management system is named OUM QBank. The initial objectives of QBank development were aimed at enabling the systematic classification and storage of test items, as well as the auto-generation of test papers based on the required criteria. However, it was later agreed that the QBank should be a more comprehensive test management system that manages not just all assessment items but also includes the features to facilitate quality control and flexibility of use. These include the functionality to perform item analyses and also online examination. This paper identifies the key elements and the important theoretical basis in ensuring the design and development of an effective and efficient system.
MOOC Adaptation and Translation to Improve Equity in Participation
Author: Wolfenden, Freda
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Foreign Countries,Equal Education,Access to Education,Partnerships in Education,Teacher Education Programs,International Programs,Teacher Educators,Program Implementation,Online Courses,Large Group Instruction,Pretests Posttests,Surveys,Access to Computers,Questionnaires,Attitude Measures

There is an urgent need to improve elementary and secondary school classroom practices across India and the scale of this challenge is argued to demand new approaches to teacher professional learning. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) represent one such approach and one that, in the context of this study, is considered to provide a means by which to transcend traditional training processes and disrupt conventional pedagogic practices. This paper offers a critical review of a large-scale MOOC deployed in English, and then in Hindi, to support targeted sustainable capacity building within an education development initiative (TESS-India) across seven states in India. The study draws on multiple sources of participant data to identify and examine features, which stimulated a buzz around the MOOCs, leading to over 40,000 registrations and a completion rate of approximately 50% for each of the two MOOCs.
The Un-Named &quot;Native Informant&quot;: A Subjective Academic Narrative
Author: Arnold, Josie
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: World History,Foreign Policy,Political Issues,Educational Methods,Foreign Countries,Cultural Influences,Cultural Maintenance,Language Usage,Racial Bias,Social Bias,Personal Narratives,Indigenous Knowledge

In this paper I address educational matters that challenge academic and scholarly &quot;givens&quot; so as to enrich knowledge. This acts in two ways to alert educators to the Eurowestern enculturization of knowledge and to propose some useful insights. Firstly, I make a personal scholarly narrative about the situation of the un-named native informant in postcolonial times. I call this a &quot;subjective academic narrative&quot; to highlight that cultural stories are all subjective and personal narratives even when (maybe especially when) they claim to be scholarship that arises from disinterested data collection. Through the stories that are told we come to a view of the native informant that needs reconsideration. Secondly, this paper looks at such stories, at postcolonialism and at decolonization of knowledge, asking us to look anew at what we think of as black and white. Throughout I interpolate quotes from relevant narratives that admit their fictional genre. This paper considers how it is very startling to question the givens of Eurowestern knowledge structures when we see anew the foundations upon which they lie. In surveying this, I suggest that it is not sufficient merely to identify the colonised mind in the workings of the academy: it is also necessary to do something about introducing change. There is no way to recover an unchanged idealised past once colonisation has occurred. Today postcolonialism issues a challenge to the once geographically and now electronically colonised as well as the colonisers. It is to see how they can transform themselves into a culture that can reinstitute elements of the past in a culture that has been both traumatised and enriched by colonisation. This is a massive challenge as cybercolonisation occurs with its inevitable globalisation of cultures into EuroAmerican ways of being, thinking and knowing.
Designing Reflective Practice in the Context of OER-Based E-Learning
Author: Karunanayaka, Shironica P.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Instructional Design,Reflection,Electronic Learning,Reflective Teaching,Faculty Development,Shared Resources and Services,Instructional Materials,Computer Uses in Education,Vignettes,Learning Activities,Concept Mapping,Computer Mediated Communication,Journal Writing,Scoring Rubrics,Feedback (Response),Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Critical Thinking,Creativity,Cooperative Learning,Self Esteem

Much is said about the importance of reflective practice especially in the professions. Yet much of what happens as part of reflective practice in the professions such as teaching is most of the time left to chance. Reflective practice allows practitioners to see the link between theory and practice by thoughtfully considering their own experiences, and applying knowledge to practice. In this paper we argue that for reflective practice to be meaningful and useful to professionals, it should be carefully designed with appropriate structure and guidance. We discuss how this was achieved by being pro-active about promoting and nurturing reflective practice within the context of a professional development program with Sri Lankan educators on OER (Open Educational Resources)-based e-Learning, and how it supported fostering Open Educational Practices (OEP). The OER-integrated online learning experience was designed with various strategies adopted to enhance reflection &quot;in&quot; and &quot;on&quot; action, within a situated learning pedagogical design--Scenario-based learning (SBL). Content analysis of the qualitative data mainly gathered through participants' self-reflections, supplemented with course team members' reflections, focus group interviews and the open-ended questions in questionnaire surveys, revealed that a scenario-based approach to learning incorporating authentic learning activities and assessment tasks, such as concept mapping, online discussions, reflective journal writing, and rubric-based feedback on assessment tasks, all helped scaffold participants' approach to reflective practice. Results show that these strategies that were adopted enhanced their critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative learning as well as self-esteem, also indicating a shift towards OEP. We conclude that careful design of the learning experiences is critical in promoting and supporting reflective practice among educators, and the use of such strategies in the design of OER-based e-Learning
Exploring Youth Civic Engagement and Disengagement in British Columbia, Canada
Author: Broom, Catherine A.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Citizen Participation,Youth Programs,Youth Opportunities,Beliefs,Student Behavior,Student Interests,Ecology,Ecological Factors,Citizenship Education,Educational Practices,Student Surveys,Democratic Values,Individual Characteristics,Change Strategies,Demography,Personality,Social Influences,College Students

This paper reports upon the findings of a research study conducted with British Columbian university youth in Canada, investigating youth beliefs about, and actions towards, civic life and the connections between these factors and youths' personal conditions and surrounding contexts. The findings illustrate the complexity of connections between youth civic views and behavior. Paying more attention to the dynamic interaction between individuals and their lived experiences and considering citizenship education curricula and teaching practices in relation to this complexity may help to improve citizenship education.
Improving the Quality of Basic Education through the Use of Gender-Sensitive Student Councils: Experience of Six Selected Districts in Tanzania
Author: Mnubi, Godfrey Magoti
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Student Government,Foreign Countries,Democracy,Leadership,Advocacy,Student Rights,Elementary Schools,Secondary Schools,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Principals,Mentors,Student Leadership,Focus Groups,Females,Equal Education,Educational Quality,Interviews,Accountability,Journal Writing,Qualitative Research

This paper analyses whether the gender-sensitive and democratically elected student councils helped in strengthening school leadership and providing a platform for increased awareness and advocacy for male and female students to address their needs and rights in primary and secondary schools in Tanzania. The data were collected through qualitative methodology using in-depth interviews with purposively selected 29 school heads, 35 mentor teachers, 24 champions and 54 student leaders. Other data were obtained from focus-group discussions with 590 student leaders. The findings show that the student council plays a major role in strengthening school leadership and increasing the ability of students, particularly girls, to voice their needs and concerns. Some students' needs and concerns were sexual harassment, the right to quality education and health services and the elimination of corporal punishment. The use of student councils helps to improve the delivery of quality education in schools.
Pre-Service Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs towards Educational Technologies Integration in Tanzania
Author: Raphael, Christina
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Self Efficacy,Beliefs,Educational Technology,Technology Integration,Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Social Influences,Regression (Statistics),Secondary Education,Usability,Expectation

This study examines pre-service teachers' (N = 386) self-efficacy beliefs towards educational technologies integration in the classroom at the two colleges in Tanzania that prepare secondary education teachers. Using regression analysis, the study found out that the determinants of self-efficacy beliefs among pre-service teachers towards educational technologies integration are support, perceived ease of use, performance expectancy, and social influence. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of factors that hinder teachers from integrating educational technologies into the classroom.
Methods of Interoperability: Moodle and WeBWork
Author: Gage, Michael E.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Homework,Web Based Instruction,Integrated Learning Systems

The first requirement for an online mathematics homework engine	is to encourage students to practice and reinforce their mathematics skills in ways that are as good or better than traditional paper homework. The use of the computer and the internet should not limit the kind or quality of the mathematics that we teach and, if possible, it should expand it. Now that much of the homework practice takes place online we have the potential of a new and much better window into how students learn mathematics, but only if we continue to ensure that students are studying the mathematics we want them to learn and not just mathematics that is easily gradable. Learning Management Systems handle mathematics questions poorly in general but when properly combined with specialized mathematics question engines, they can do much better and still retain their own look and feel for managing a course and collecting data. This paper presents an overview of two interoperation mechanisms developed to connect Moodle (an LMS) and WeBWorK (a mathematics question engine) for use in the WEPS (World Educational Portals) Open Online Courses. It provides a preview of the type of data that can be collected using these tools.
The Interaction of Economic Livelihood Strategies and Literacy and Numeracy Practices of Urban Gambian Women with Low Educational Attainments
Author: Njie, Haddy
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Literacy,Numeracy,Urban Areas,Womens Studies,Educational Attainment,Ethnography,Sex Role,Community Surveys,Focus Groups,Interviews,Participant Observation,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Gender Differences,Economic Development,Daily Living Skills,Low Income Groups

This paper is based on eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in the periphery of Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. It explores relations between the gender roles of women with modest educational achievement and their uses of literacy and numeracy. The paper applied New Literacy Studies theoretical framework of literacy as a &quot;social practice&quot;. Data was collected from 120 women with low and no educational qualifications in the urban Gambia who participated in the three different stages of the study, namely: survey, focus group discussions and individual interviews along with participant observations. The study data was analyzed through the use of both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques. The survey data was analyzed and presented in the form of descriptive statistics for illuminating the demographic characteristics of the study participants. The analysis of the qualitative data was done through the use of both inductive and deductive coding strategies for identifying common themes and patterns across the different data sources. In this paper, a detailed ethnographic account of four cases of women who participated in the study is provided for illuminating the literacy environment as well as the circumstances subsumed within it that induce or suppress literacy practices among women of limited educational qualifications in The Gambia. The study uncovers instances where women's uses of literacy and numeracy added greater efficiency in their economic activities and highlight other scenarios where literate women did not rely on those skills in the exercise of their economic activities. Findings confirm New Literacy Studies (NLS) theoretical claim that literacy skills do not automatically create their uses. Rather, literacy uses are a product of their socio-cultural context of their application. From the four cases reported here, this paper substantially illuminates women's economic livelihood strategies, the contextual barriers they encounter in performing their economic roles and their opportunities and limitations for using and sharpening their written numeracy and literacy skills. Knowledge concerning the interaction of women's economic livelihoods and literacy uses constitutes critical information that could inform adult education and economic policy development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Her/Him, Them, and Me: Using a Three-Perspective Format in Elementary Social Studies Methods to Promote Intercultural Education Initiatives
Author: Casey, Erin M.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multicultural Education,Social Studies,Elementary Education,Methods Courses,Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Research Universities,Novels,Coding,Case Studies,Journal Writing,Reflection,Cultural Awareness,Attitude Change,Learning Experience,Transformative Learning,Perspective Taking

Intercultural education, focused on understanding, respecting, and engaging in dialogue among and about different cultures (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2006) adds to multicultural educational efforts by addressing diverse needs in learning and teaching students. This paper argues for focus on intercultural education in elementary social studies methods courses for pre-service teachers (PSTs) and describes the author-created three-perspective format for developing intercultural educational activities. Use of the three-perspective format is described followed by results from a study using the approach to guide response journals focused on the multicultural novel, &quot;Inside Out and Back Again&quot; (Lai, 2011), with 89 PSTs at a highly research-intensive university in the southern United States. Open coding of collective case studies revealed three themes in students' journal reflections when using the three-perspective format: insight into diverse perspectives, changes in attitudes for teaching, and a valuable learning experience. Combined with researcher field notes and student-generated emails, these emergent themes could indicate that some students experienced lasting change in attitudes and feelings towards others and themselves that had not been previously considered or held. This level of change could facilitate individual transformation and help make meaningful impressions and paradigm shifts in PSTs as described by Mezirow (1991) in Transformative Learning Theory.
Factors Conditioning Community Utilization of Environmental Education in Tanzania: The Case of Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro Municipality
Author: Manase, Joseph
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Environmental Education,Case Studies,Conservation (Environment),Community Involvement,Performance Factors,Interviews,Community Surveys,Community Attitudes,Program Implementation,Land Settlement,Information Utilization,Forestry,Forestry Occupations,Beliefs,Energy,Agricultural Occupations,Resistance to Change,Qualitative Research

In order for the community to bring meaningful and sustainable environmental conservation and change, it must take action in implementing environmental education values acquired from environmental learning programmes and organizations. This study therefore aimed at assessing factors conditioning community implementation of environmental education in forest conservation. Cultural, neoclassical, political-ecology and impoverishment theories were used to guide this study. Case study research design and qualitative approach were employed. A sample of 20 informants was used and data were collected by the use of interview among community members. Content analysis was used in analysis of qualitative data whereby themes were established as sub headings. Findings indicate that land tenure, traditional beliefs (culture), poverty, and community involvements in logging activities are among the factors conditioning community implementation of environmental education values. Others findings were animal hunting and farming. Findings show that Land tenure system, community involvement in logging; traditional beliefs in sacred forests, animal hunting and farm preparation were factors conditioning community implementation of EE in Uluguru Mountains. This implies that these factors are the contributing factors to poor utilization of EE knowledge and therefore continued environmental degradation in the Uluguru Mountains.
What Can We Learn from Taiwanese Teachers about Teaching Controversial Public Issues?
Author: Hung, Yu-Han
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Studies,Controversial Issues (Course Content),Professional Identity,Self Concept,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,History Instruction,Curriculum Development,Teacher Attitudes,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Correlation,World Views,Secondary School Teachers,High School Students

This study explores how history teachers in Taiwan make curricular decisions while engaging controversial public issues. The main political controversies discussed in Taiwanese society center on the relationship between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. This study documents how four social studies teachers formulate their curricular decisions through the intersecting lenses of professional knowledge and personal beliefs. Findings illuminate the role of personal experience and belief in teacher's curricular-instructional gate keeping in socially divisive contexts. In sum, this study helps us understand the relationship between a teacher's own imaginative worldview, sense of personal and professional identity and their classroom teaching practices.
The Effect of Four Different Approaches to Parent-Child Reading on Young Chinese Children's Reading
Author: Yang, Feng
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Parent Child Relationship,Reading Programs,Reading Habits,Reading Interests,Reading Comprehension,Picture Books,Early Childhood Education,Observation,Questionnaires,Comparative Analysis,Reading Achievement,Reading Strategies,Participant Satisfaction,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Interviews,Pretests Posttests

Forty families with four- to five-year-old Chinese children were chosen as experiment participants and equally divided into four groups for an eight-week parent-child reading experiment in different reading modes. (1) Groups A, B, and C read one of three kinds of Chinese-English audio bilingual picture books respectively: touch reading books, electronic books, and printed books + CDs, 30 minutes per day with their parents in the approach of Early Synchronous Bilingual Reading (ESBR). After the eight-week experiment, children participants cultivated good habits of and interest in reading and their reading comprehension, retelling and expression competence were improved significantly. Performance of each group in weekly reading time and frequency, proportion of recognized Chinese and English words was A&gt;B&gt;C&gt;&gt;D and differed significantly (p&lt;0.01). The results show that reading bilingualism synchronously is effective and economical, and it not only enhanced children's bilingual competence, but broadened their multicultural international horizon and developed their creative thinking and leadership. (2) Group D kept their original family reading mode and did not progress significantly in reading habits and test indicators (p-value=0.5-1). (3) Determinants of reading effect are parents' awareness and choice of reading material, mode, frequency and time. The experiment results suggest that parents can choose bilingual picture books, cultivate their preschool children's reading habits, and develop their children's bilingual reading, listening, and speaking competence through interactive parent-child reading.