ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Teacher Perceptions of Response to Intervention Implementation in Light of IDEA Goals
Author: Jenkins, J. Kevin
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Response to Intervention,Learning Disabilities,Disability Identification,Special Education,Disabilities,Educational Legislation,Equal Education,Federal Legislation,Delphi Technique,Experience

Traditionally, school systems have identified students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) by a measured gap between achievement and ability in a specific area. Recent amendments to the IDEA allowed for the use of alternative methods of identifying students with a SLD. Some states have responded by using Response to Intervention (RTI). This new method represents a radical change in identification of SLD students. Consequently, policy makers need to know if RTI, as it is actually implemented, is serving the goals of the IDEA. Attempting to provide information on this subject, the authors conducted a modified Delphi study in a school system that requires RTI as the method of SLD identification. They analyzed the resultant data in light of the identified goals of IDEA. This article describes the research process employed, provides the aforementioned analysis, and draws conclusions and makes some initial recommendations for further research in this area.
The Surveys to the Companies: A Tool for the Improvement of Degrees
Author: Cruells Cadevall, Montserrat
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Surveys,Competence,Comparative Analysis,Science Education,Chemistry,Educational Improvement,Total Quality Management,Higher Education,College Science,College Faculty

In scientific and technical degrees, the opinion of the final employers on the given subjects is really important. For this reason, the Quality Committee (CQ) of the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Barcelona prepared a survey for chemical, engineering and pharmaceutical companies asking about the academic training required by the companies. The survey consists of nine sections including items related to laboratory operations, chemical processes, calculation methods, management systems (quality, environment and safety) or general management information. In addition, at the end of each section, a question inquires the companies about the competences shown by students in the items of the section. The results were compared with those of a similar survey carried out in 2007. The scores obtained were between 2 and 3 for all the items (score: 1, not important; 2, less important; 3, important; 4, very important) and show that companies accept the training given to our students and the competences achieved by them. However, according to their opinion, it is possible to improve this training, especially in the subjects related to management (time, information, environment, quality, safety, etc.). Therefore, surveys are a good tool for the evaluation of the training achieved in our degrees and, consequently, for improving our teaching task, according to the Quality Management System implemented in the Faculty of Chemistry.
Action Learning in Undergraduate Engineering Thesis Supervision
Author: Stappenbelt, Brad
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experiential Learning,Undergraduate Students,Undergraduate Study,Engineering Education,Doctoral Dissertations,Cognitive Style,Higher Education,Research Projects,Supervisor Supervisee Relationship,Student Surveys,Observation,Case Studies,Foreign Countries

In the present action learning implementation, twelve action learning sets were conducted over eight years. The action learning sets consisted of students involved in undergraduate engineering research thesis work. The concurrent study accompanying this initiative investigated the influence of the action learning environment on student approaches to learning and any accompanying academic, learning and personal benefits realised. The influence of preferred learning styles on set function and student adoption of the action learning process were also examined. The action learning environment implemented had a measurable significant positive effect on student academic performance, their ability to cope with the stresses associated with conducting a research thesis, the depth of learning, the development of autonomous learners, and student perception of the research thesis experience. The present study acts as an addendum to a smaller scale implementation of this action learning approach, applied to supervision of third and fourth year research projects and theses, published in 2010.
The Misunderstood Variable: Age Effects as a Function of Type of Instruction
Author: Pfenninger, Simone E.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Age Differences,Predictor Variables,Secondary School Students,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Language Fluency,Difficulty Level,Morphology (Languages),Syntax,Accuracy,Vocabulary Development,Listening Skills,Immersion Programs,Early Experience,Language Acquisition,Foreign Countries,Comparative Analysis,Multivariate Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Significance

This study was designed to investigate the effects of age of onset and type of instruction on ultimate EFL attainment at the end of the period of normal schooling in Switzerland, measured in terms of written fluency, complexity, morphosyntactic accuracy, vocabulary size, and listening skills. Data were gathered from four groups of 18-year-old Swiss German learners of English: 50 were early starters who had attended an immersion (CLIL) program in elementary school and who continued CLIL in secondary school (EARLY CLIL), 50 had followed the same elementary school program but then received traditional EFL instruction after elementary school (EARLY MIX), 50 were late starters who began learning English immersively in secondary school, (LATE CLIL), while the other 50 attended a traditional EFL program in secondary school (LATE NON-CLIL). Results show that age of onset alone does not seem to be the distinguishing variable since early introduction of English in elementary school did not result in a higher level of proficiency when exposure to the language was limited to a few hours of class per week. The performance of the EARLY MIX participants was equaled and in certain areas significantly surpassed by the other groups, despite the additional five years of English study they had had in elementary school. The best results were found when early CLIL instruction was followed up by the use of English as an additional language of instruction in secondary school (EARLY CLIL group), which confirms the link between young starting age, implicit learning and long and massive exposure.
Starting Age and Other Influential Factors: Insights from Learner Interviews
Author: Muñoz, Carmen
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interviews,Second Language Learning,Performance Factors,English (Second Language),Qualitative Research,Age Differences,Individual Differences,Undergraduate Students,Language Tests,Low Achievement,High Achievement,Questionnaires,Online Surveys,Participant Characteristics,Profiles,Early Experience,Language Acquisition,Foreign Countries

The present study uses oral interviews with foreign language learners in search of influential factors in their language learning histories. The sample for the study was drawn from a larger sample of intermediate/advanced learners of English as a foreign language with a minimum of 10 years of exposure/instruction. The sample includes 6 early learners (range of starting age: 3.2-6.5) and 6 late learners (starting age: 11+). Half of them in each group were among those with the highest scores on two English language tests in the larger sample and half among those with the lowest scores on those same tests. A qualitative analysis of the interviews of these learners yields insights into their experience of foreign language learning and the role played in it by starting age and other significant factors, such as motivation and intensive contact with the language.
What's Age Got to Do with It? Accounting for Individual Factors in Second Language Accent
Author: Moyer, Alene
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Dialects,Pronunciation,Age Differences,Early Experience,Phonology,Experiential Learning,Self Concept,Learning Motivation,Language Attitudes,Interpersonal Communication,Cognitive Style,Self Management,Affective Objectives,Cognitive Objectives,Performance Factors

Empirical research conducted over the past few decades suggests that the age at which an individual is first exposed to a second language affects long-term outcomes, in particular for phonology. The question that has occupied scholars of various bents is what, exactly, underlies the robust age effects observed. Does age imply immutable changes in one's ability to ever sound native-like? Are these changes neurological, cognitive, or socio-psychological in nature? What role do L2 use and contact play? Do age-related influences apply to all individuals, or can language learners actually chart their own course when it comes to accent? This paper will outline basic assumptions of the critical period for phonology while suggesting a different approach to the age question that highlights the individual's role in both process and outcome. Constructs such as L2 experience, motivation, self-concept, learning approach, and willingness to communicate are discussed in depth in order to show the fundamental connection between cognition and affect so critical for late phonological learning. A re-orientation of the age research is suggested as a result, to prioritize contextual understandings of language use and learner agency.
Online Quizzes in a Virtual Learning Environment as a Tool for Formative Assessment
Author: Cohen, Donita
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Assisted Testing,Formative Evaluation,Virtual Classrooms,Foreign Countries,Integrated Learning Systems,Technology Uses in Education,Higher Education,College Science,Physics,Science Instruction,Outcomes of Education,Technology Integration,Blended Learning,Statistical Analysis

Assessment in education employing web tools, also known as e-assessment, deals with the effective use of technology to support successful instruction. The aim of this study was to investigate learning outcomes and the students' attitudes to online Moodle quizzes in order to improve instructional design. The research population included 204 college students enrolled in life sciences who were participating in an introductory physics course. A blended learning model was used, based on large, traditional face-to-face lectures, practice sessions held with smaller groups of about 25 students and a rich Moodle learning environment. The students' knowledge and understanding were assessed weekly throughout the semester, using two different methods: three ordinary short written tests and online quizzes in the Moodle environment. The students' attitudes towards the online quizzes as compared to the written tests were investigated by questionnaire. Results indicate that both the average grade on written tests and the average grade on online quizzes were found to be significant predictors of the grade on the final exam. Students significantly improved their scores and greatly shortened their performance time on the last attempts of the online quiz, as compared to their first attempts. The investigation into the students' attitudes towards online quizzes reveals a generally positive attitude. Learning outcomes and the students' attitudes to online Moodle quizzes were considered to improve instructional design, which demonstrates formative assessment in higher education.
Contextual Factors, Methodological Principles and Teacher Cognition
Author: Walsh, Robert
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Communicative Competence (Languages),Educational Policy,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Misconceptions,Context Effect,Language Teachers,Schemata (Cognition),Case Studies,Task Analysis,Teacher Education,Teacher Supervision,English (Second Language),Role,Foreign Countries,Curriculum Design,Adult Education,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Principles,Semi Structured Interviews

Teachers in various contexts worldwide are sometimes unfairly criticized for not putting teaching methods developed for the well-resourced classrooms of Western countries into practice. Factors such as the teachers' &quot;misconceptualizations&quot; of &quot;imported&quot; methods, including Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), are often blamed, though the challenges imposed by &quot;contextual demands,&quot; such as large class sizes, are sometimes recognised. Meanwhile, there is sometimes an assumption that in the West there is a happy congruence between policy supportive of CLT or Task-Based Language Teaching, teacher education and supervision, and curriculum design with teachers' cognitions and their practices. Our case study of three EFL teachers at a UK adult education college is motivated by a wish to question this assumption. Findings from observational and interview data suggest the practices of two teachers were largely consistent with their methodological principles, relating to stronger and weaker forms of CLT respectively, as well as to more general educational principles, such as a concern for learners; the supportive environment seemed to help. The third teacher appeared to put &quot;difficult&quot; contextual factors, for example, tests, ahead of methodological principles without, however, obviously benefiting. Implications highlight the important role of teacher cognition research in challenging cultural assumptions.
Apt to Change: The Problematic of Language Awareness and Language Aptitude in Age-Related Research
Author: Singleton, David
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metalinguistics,Second Language Learning,Language Aptitude,Age Differences,Older Adults,Young Adults,Developmental Stages,Linguistic Theory,Language Proficiency,Native Speakers

&quot;Language awareness and language aptitude&quot; often crop up in discussion of various second language acquisition phenomena, including age-related phenomena. There is a troublesome and ongoing definitional and theoretical problem in this connection: Different researchers have different perspectives on what is to be included in the respective notions; on how do to measure language awareness, on the one hand, and language aptitude, on the other; and on how or whether to differentiate the two constructs in terms of innateness versus experience. This article begins by addressing the entire problematic of the conceptualization of language awareness and language aptitude. The language awareness/aptitude issue features in the maturational debate in connection with two claims. First, it is discussed in relation to the view that second-language (L2) learning of older individuals is explicit (whereas that of younger individuals is implicit). Second, it is referred to in regard to the notion that there are older L2 learners who appear to be able to &quot;beat&quot; the critical period thanks to high levels of language aptitude. The article critically explores both these propositions and concludes that neither is particularly safe, especially given the uncertain state of the relevant research context.
Looking for Structure: Is the Two-Word Stage of Language Development in Apes and Human Children the Same or Different?
Author: Patkowski, Mark
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Acquisition,Animals,Semantics,Syntax,Child Language,Computational Linguistics,Comparative Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Nonverbal Communication,Oral Language,Toddlers

Previously published corpora of two-word utterances by three chimpanzees and three human children were compared to determine whether, as has been claimed, apes possess the same basic syntactic and semantic capacities as 2-year old children. Some similarities were observed in the type of semantic relations expressed by the two groups; however, marked contrasts were also uncovered. With respect to the major syntactic mechanism displayed in two-word child language, namely word order, statistically significant differences were found in all three comparisons that were tested. These results indicate that chimpanzees do not exhibit the linguistic capacities of 2-year old children.
Interactive Online Physics Labs Increase High School Students' Interest
Author: Gryczka, Patrick
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physics,Science Laboratories,Web Based Instruction,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Secondary School Science,High School Students,College Students,Mentors,Scientific Concepts,Teaching Methods,Electronics,STEM Education,Pretests Posttests,Experimental Groups,Control Groups

Here we describe the incorporation of a web-based application focusing on circuits for the physics high school classroom as part of an outreach program. The program involves college mentors creating and implementing science lessons in collaboration with the classroom teacher. Focusing on the challenge of understanding circuit design, a technology rich module is employed to improve learning and motivation of the students. The students' conceptual understanding as well as interest in circuits was increased, the college mentors earned valuable teaching and mentoring experience and the teacher enjoyed more one-on-one time as well as assistance with students.
Teaching Complicated Conceptual Knowledge with Simulation Videos in Foundational Electrical Engineering Courses
Author: Chen, Baiyun
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Computer Simulation,Video Technology,Engineering Education,Mixed Methods Research,Case Studies,Course Content,Telecommunications,Undergraduate Students,Student Surveys,Interviews,Likert Scales

Building a solid foundation of conceptual knowledge is critical for students in electrical engineering. This mixed-method case study explores the use of simulation videos to illustrate complicated conceptual knowledge in foundational communications and signal processing courses. Students found these videos to be very useful for establishing concepts, understanding course content and increasing general knowledge in electrical engineering. We hope that the findings can help inform best practices for producing engaging and effective instructional videos for engineering courses; inspire instructors of electrical engineering to transform their teaching practice; and eventually benefit students by building a solid conceptual understanding that fosters the development of further engineering competencies.
Design and Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Research Skills: Experience with Engineering Students
Author: Cobos Alvarado, Fabián
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Design,Questionnaires,Research Skills,Engineering Education,Validity,Program Validation,Foreign Countries,Correlation,Quasiexperimental Design,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Teaching Methods,Undergraduate Students,Undergraduate Study,Likert Scales,Statistical Analysis

Universities in Latin American countries are undergoing major changes in its institutional and academic settings. One strategy for continuous improvement of teaching and learning process is the incorporation of methods and teaching aids seeking to develop scientific research skills in students from their undergraduate studies. The aim of this study is the validation of a questionnaire to measure research skills with engineering students. Questionnaire validation was performed by: literature review, semantic and content validation by experts from three Latin American universities, finishing with a factorial and reliability validation. The instrument was applied to 150 students (75.3% men and 24.7% women) that were enrolled in the basic level of engineering. The validated questionnaire has 20 items. The correlations between factors of the instrument, show relationship and dependence between them, indicating the validity of the questionnaire. The reliability of the instrument was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which reached a value of 0.91 in the total scale. The statistical results to validate the questionnaire have been significant, allowing us to propose this experience as a starting point to implement further studies about the development of research skills in university students from other areas of knowledge.
L2 Learner Age from a Contextualised Perspective
Author: Djigunovic, Jelena Mihaljevic
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Oral Language,Learning Motivation,Qualitative Research,Socioeconomic Status,Age Differences,English (Second Language),Individual Characteristics,Learning Processes,Comparative Analysis,Elementary School Students,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Interviews,Questionnaires

In this qualitative study the author focuses on age effects on young learners' L2 development by comparing the L2 learning processes of six young learners in an instructed setting: three who had started learning English as L2 at age 6/7 and three who had started at age 9/10. Both earlier and later young beginners were followed for three years (during their second, third and fourth year of learning English). The participants' L2 development was measured through their oral output elicited by a two-part speaking task administered each year. Results of the analyses are interpreted taking into account each learners' individual characteristics (learning ability, attitudes and motivation, self-concept) and the characteristics of the context in which they were learning their L2 (attitudes of school staff and parents to early L2 learning, home support, in-class and out-of-class exposure to L2, socio-economic status). The findings show that earlier and later young beginners follow different trajectories in their L2 learning, which reflects different interactions which age enters into with the other variables.
MSL in the Digital Ages: Effects and Effectiveness of Computer-Mediated Intervention for FL Learners with Dyslexia
Author: Pfenninger, Simone E.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Longitudinal Studies,Program Effectiveness,Computer Software,Dyslexia,German,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Comparative Analysis,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Pretests Posttests,Language Skills,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Phoneme Grapheme Correspondence,Phonological Awareness,Semantics,Receptive Language,Expressive Language,Vocabulary,Elementary School Students,Males,Foreign Countries,Grade 3,Intervention,Multivariate Analysis,Statistical Analysis

The longitudinal intervention study reported here is the first to investigate the efficiency of computer learning software specifically designed for dyslexic Swiss German learners of Standard German as a second language (L2) and English as a third language (L3). A total of 40 subjects (20 of them dyslexics and 20 of them nondyslexics; 10 students from each group participated in interventions and the other 10 from each group served as control groups) were assessed with a battery of verbal and written pre- and posttests involving phonological/ orthographic and semantic measures of their L2 and L3 before and after three months of daily intervention with the software. The results show that computer-based training in the L3 is potentially an important tool of intervention for dyslexic students as it has a positive effect on the components of L3 as well as L2 learning. As a consequence of their progress in acquiring the relationships between L3 graphemes and phonemes, the experimental groups, but not the control groups, made significant gains on L2 naming accuracy and speed, L2 and L3 word reading, L2 and L3 phonological awareness, and L2 and L3 receptive and productive vocabulary and comprehension tasks.