ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Change and Dilemma of School Feature Development of Three Junior High Schools in the Remote and Rural Areas of Taiwan
Author: Chen, Shan-Hua
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rural Areas,Foreign Countries,Junior High Schools,Qualitative Research,Interviews,Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Financial Support,Socioeconomic Background,Academic Ability,Learning Motivation,Competition,Parent Child Relationship,Student Participation,Academic Achievement,Community Support,Career Education,Parent Aspiration,Birth Rate,Athletics,School Community Relationship,Technical Education,Cultural Capital,Futures (of Society)

This research is based on qualitative approach and applies in-depth interview with three principals and administrators in three junior high schools located in the remote and rural areas of Taiwan. The aim of this paper was to explore the school feature development process in these three schools. The findings of this study were as follows: most of students' parents in these three remote and rural schools are labors and have relatively lower social and economic status in the Taiwanese society. School education becomes an important way for these students to develop their academic, cultural, and technical competences. Second, most of the students' learning motivation and academic performance were not well, but good at athletics or vocational skill. Besides, most of the features created by the schools would not last due to the un-stabilization and away of teachers, short of financial support, and lack of favor from community. Fourth, an important reason of developing school features of these three schools is out of the competition between the urban schools. The decline of the birth rate in the whole society of Taiwan also facilitates the motivation. Fifth, parents of these three schools do not support students' participation in local cultural or local career related curriculum. Parents would have a high expectation on school education's effects on their children's future competitiveness.
The Effects of Student and Teacher Characteristics on Teacher Impressions of--and Responses to--Student Behaviors
Author: Noltemeyer, Amity
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Teacher Attitudes,Student Behavior,Influences,Racial Differences,Ethnic Groups,Gender Differences,Teaching Experience,Classroom Techniques,Responses,Teacher Surveys,Discipline,Test Construction,Questionnaires,Interviews,African Americans,Whites,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research

This study examined how student characteristics (e.g., race, gender) and teacher characteristics (e.g., race, gender, years of experience, confidence in behavior management) influence the way teachers perceive and respond to student behaviors in the U.S.A. A rigorous process was used to develop and pilot a survey consisting of questions about a defiant student behavioral incident that might be encountered in a school. This process involved systematically identifying student names that would imply different gender/ethnicity combinations, creating the instrument using these names, expert review, cognitive interviews, and a pilot study using 135 pre-service teachers. After refining the instrument based on feedback from each of these activities, we administered it to 57 practicing teachers. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four scenario conditions, each of which implied a student with a different gender/ethnicity combination (i.e., African American female student, African American male student, European American female student, European American male student). Although some interesting trends in responding emerged based on the implied student race and ethnicity, none were statistically significant. However, teacher characteristics significantly influenced responding, with less experienced teachers being less likely to ignore behaviors--and more likely to address them directly--than their more seasoned counterparts. This adds to the extant knowledge about how teachers in different phases of their careers may interpret and approach classroom situations, and reveals implications for teacher professional development efforts. Further implications, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.
Test-Taking Strategies of Arab EFL Learners on Multiple Choice Tests
Author: Al Fraidan, Abdullah
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Wiseness,Multiple Choice Tests,Arabs,English Language Learners,Cognitive Style,Metacognition,Cognitive Processes,Evaluation Methods,Relevance (Education),Barriers,Concept Formation,Foreign Countries

Many studies have focused on the function of learners' strategies in a variety of EFL domains. However, research on test-taking strategies (TTSs) has been limited, even though such strategies might influence test scores and, as a result, test validity. Motivated by this fact and in light of our own experience as EFL test-makers, this article will discuss TTS in light of the related literature in the Arab world intending to show that Arab EFL learners use different TTS strategies to improve their test performance on multiple choice test items. The paper then concludes by showing some interesting strategic behaviours exhibited by Arab EFL learners.
Planning and Funding of Higher Education in Nigeria: The Challenges
Author: Akinyemi, Samuel
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Higher Education,Educational Quality,College Planning,Educational Resources,Educational Finance,Enrollment Influences,Enrollment Rate,Declining Enrollment,Personnel Policy,Teacher Student Ratio,Unemployment,Graduation Rate,Skill Analysis,Population Distribution,Educational Policy,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators

Higher education remains the pivot of national development in Nigeria. This is because the stock of highly-educated individuals produced by higher education institutions plays an important role in the innovation and the sustainable development of any society. However, over time, these institutions have experienced increase in enrolments and yet the number of candidates seeking admission into these institutions outpaces the available spaces in the institutions. Inadequate fiscal resources have also eroded the desired qualitative higher education and the needed national development. In this paper, challenges facing planning and funding of qualitative higher education in Nigeria are examined. The paper therefore infers the need for proper planning of higher education system to ensure qualitative higher education so as to reduce educational wastages and enhance effective utilization of the available educational scarce resources.
Internationalization versus Localization: &quot;The Case of Primary Education in Taiwan&quot;
Author: Wang, Li-Ping
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: International Education,Elementary Schools,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Educational Improvement,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Cultural Awareness,Self Concept,Intercultural Communication,Likert Scales,Competition,Indigenous Knowledge,Patriotism

Internationalization is receiving increasing attention at academic institutions all over the world. Taiwan is no exception, where the government is promoting internationalization not only in higher education, but also at the primary education level. In this research we identified the key factors of the internationalization of primary education in Taiwan, calculated their relative importance, and determined their relationships with the various internationalization strategies being used in Taiwan. Questionnaires were administered to 300 school teachers, of which 246 were returned. AHP was adopted as the major instrument for determining the relative weight of each factor and strategy, and correspondence analysis was employed to investigate their respective relationships. Based on the findings, we provide suggestions for improving the internationalization of primary schools in Taiwan.
The Importance and Meaning of Learning at School in Students' Consciousness
Author: Kuurme, Tiiu
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Educational Attitudes,Comparative Education,Hermeneutics,Identification (Psychology),Student Empowerment,Locus of Control,Security (Psychology),Coping,Aspiration,Grade 8,Grade 11,Middle School Students,High School Students,Student Characteristics,Preferences

One of the most important functions of learning is the formation of identity. From a hermeneutical viewpoint the formation of ipse-identity is, to a large extent, based on the meaning of the learning experiences. The following questions guide our research: first, what meanings do Estonian and Finnish students gain from curricular facts? And second, what do students in the two countries consider important to learn for their future? The theoretical framework of the study is based on ontological and socio-cultural approaches to learning. Both traditions recognize a connection between one's personal agency as well as structural factors concerning learning contexts. It was found that in meaningful learning contents youth, on one hand, gain authentication of identity, while on the other, they feel the pressure of insecurity and coping with the idea of an uncertain future.
The Comparison of Gender Distribution among School Principals and Teachers in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea
Author: Huang, Yueh-Chun
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Cross Cultural Studies,Principals,Teachers,Gender Differences,Women Administrators,Women Faculty,Elementary Schools,Junior High Schools,Documentation,Content Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Cultural Differences,Equal Opportunities (Jobs),Educational Administration,Middle Schools

In 2008, OECD released one multi-national report about one important survey of its twenty-two member countries, the title of this report is &quot;Improving School Leadership: Volume 1 Policy and Practice&quot;. This report analyzed one specific common trend of its members, which is the &quot;unique gender divide among school principals and teachers&quot;. That meaning of this phenomenon is, in the context of school education in some OECD countries, the ratio of female teachers among all teachers is much higher than male teachers. However, the contrast point is, the ratio of female school principals is significant lower than male principals. This phenomenon is especially significant in the East Asia countries. For example, the percentage of female school principals is significantly lower than male principals when we observed the longitudinal trend in Taiwan. In Japan, the ratio of female teachers in primary schools is 62.7% and the ratio of female teachers in junior high schools is 54.8%, but the ratio of female primary school principals in Japan is only 17.9% of the total principals. When we look at the ratio of female principals in junior high schools in Japan, it is even lower; the ratio is only 5%. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore the unique gender divide among school principals and teachers in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The research methods include document analysis and descriptive statistical analysis. The statistical data is collected from Ministry of Education in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The supplemental data is collected from OECD dataset. This study compares the gender distribution among school teachers and principals in these three countries. In the last section of this study, we discuss the findings and their relationships with social cultures in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Policy and practice implications are offered to rethink the hindrance of female teachers' promotion. How to enhance female teachers' participation in school leadership is another important issue for future studies.
Research on Take an Examination of Oneself Potential Candidates Intend Empirical
Author: Bo, Zhou Lin
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Independent Study,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Tests,Student Evaluation,Marital Status,Family Involvement,Mathematics Achievement,English,Student Motivation,Student Improvement,Academic Degrees,Educational Attainment,Student Attitudes,College Students,Regression (Statistics),Surveys

Through the metrological analysis to Sichuan Province of potential candidates in willingness to take the self-study exam, we find the potential candidates attendance of self-study exam mainly determined by the marital status, family supporting degree, mathematics course, English courses, and the willingness to improve academic degree. Knowing self-study exam or not as the influence of participation in the work of self-study examination may have in future, the influence of different factors influencing degree and significant are also different.
Critical Thinking and Decision Making: Selecting a Distance Education School
Author: Muirhead, Brent
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Critical Thinking,Distance Education,Thinking Skills,Decision Making,Graduate Study,Universities,Online Courses,Psychology,Masters Degrees,Program Descriptions

This paper discusses the role of critical thinking skills in enhancing the decision making process. The application of critical thinking skills is described in the author's decision to return to school and pursue a graduate degree. The discussion highlights the rationale that led the author to select the master's degree in psychology program at the University of Phoenix.
Socio-Emotional Selectivity: A Preliminary Analysis of Perspectives of Adult Learners in the University of Botswana
Author: Pansiri, Nkobi Owen
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Adult Students,Student Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Graduate Students,Student Experience,Educational Environment,Learner Engagement,Teacher Education,Qualitative Research,Interviews

Grounded in the theoretical framework of socio-emotional selectivity theory (SST), this study investigated how the socio-emotional, academic and economic experiences of adult learners in the Primary Education in the University of Botswana affected their academic engagement. This was motivated by the trend of gradual enrolment decline observed by the researchers given the fact that the staff members are not trained as adult educators. The populations of the study were students of the DPE programmes of study The sample involved ten participants in year 3, ten in year 4--five participants per each of the two bachelors of education (B Ed) degree programmes and five participants in the masters of education (M Ed) degree programme. These participants were selected through opportunistic and convenience method. The result of the study reveals varied challenges that affect learners' pedagogical expectations and social experiences in the university programmes at both undergraduate and graduate. While they expect to acquire new skills and knowledge for improved work environment when they complete their studies, the academic environment leaves much to be desired.
Mobile Technologies: Tools for Organizational Learning and Management in Schools. iPrincipals: Analyzing the Use of iPads by School Administrators
Author: Winslow, Joe
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Telecommunications,Educational Technology,Handheld Devices,Technology Uses in Education,Principals,Educational Administration,Administrator Attitudes,Self Efficacy,Administrator Responsibility,Online Surveys,Administrator Characteristics

This paper reports findings from an evaluation of a district-wide initiative deploying iPads to school administrators (principals) to improve workflow efficiencies and promote technology leadership self-efficacy. The findings indicate that iPad utilization not only facilitated administrative tasks (memos, calendars, etc.), but also improved specific complex administrator responsibilities such as teacher evaluations. School administrators perceived that their use of iPads improved their professional image, augmented their ability to lead in a technologically advanced workplace, and generated a significant return on the district's financial investment. Data, analysis, reflections, connections to teacher education, technology in schools, principal preparation and future research directions are presented.
The Use of Theory of Constraints (TOC) in Teaching of Moral Education: Malaysia
Author: Balakrishnan, Vishalache
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Ethical Instruction,Administration,Problem Solving,Goal Orientation,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education

Moral Education has been in existence in Malaysia for the last ten to fifteen years. In fact during pre and post independence days, Moral Education was taught as ethics in almost all missionary schools in Malaysia. Since the subject was formally introduced as a core subject for non Muslim students, various methods have been introduced to teach the subject in educational institutions, right from Pre School up to the university. This paper underlines the use of Theory of Constraints (TOC), one of the latest methods introduced to teach Moral Education.
The Moral Reasoning of Adolescent Boys and Girls in the Light of Gilligan's Theory
Author: Kalsoom, Farhat
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Moral Development,Abstract Reasoning,Adolescents,College Students,Gender Differences,Caring,Justice,Religious Factors,Developmental Stages,Theories,Ethical Instruction,Values Clarification,Responsibility,Scores,Hypothesis Testing

The study was conducted to assess the moral reasoning of adolescent boys and girls in the light of Gilligan theory. The main objectives of the study were to investigate the moral reasoning of adolescent boys and girls with reference to responsibility orientation versus justice orientation and to compare the frequency of adolescent boys and girls with right orientation and responsibility orientation. The population of study consisted of all adolescent boys and girls studying in SSC and F.A/FSc of Fazaia Inter College Chaklala Rawalpindi. They all were sixteen to twenty years of age. The sample of study consisted of 40 boys and 40 girls studying in Matric and F.A/FSc of Fazaia Inter College Chaklala Rawalpindi, were taken applying random sampling technique. The scale developed by Baker and Role (2002), an objective measure of the two orientations was translated into Urdu language for the collection of the data of the study. The main conclusions of the study were that adolescent girls found to be more care oriented than boys, however, they were found to be equal on justice oriented. It was also inferred that religion is the most important factor which influence the moral judgment and justice oriented approach of boys and girls. The present study partially supports Gilligan's theory and it was also concluded that cultural norms do play an important role to make the boys more assertive to boys as compared to girls. It is expected from girls that they should be submissive, introvert and caring as compared to boys.
Study on Innovation of Teacher Training Model in Basic Education from the Perspective of &quot;Blended Learning&quot;
Author: Bu, Huabai
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Blended Learning,Teacher Education,Training,Models,Educational Innovation,Knowledge Economy,Educational Policy,Educational Technology,Technology Integration

Gradual integration of synergetic technology, P2P technology and online learning community furnishes a new research field for innovation of teacher training model in a knowledge economy era. This article proposes the innovative model of &quot;whole of three lines&quot; in teacher training in basic education from the perspective of &quot;blended learning&quot; and specific security policies for effective running of the teacher training model of &quot;whole of three lines&quot;, which offers a brand-new training model for basic education teachers and offers theoretical support and methodology guidance for the government sections and training institutions to make a training decision.
School Types, Facilities and Academic Performance of Students in Senior Secondary Schools in Ondo State, Nigeria
Author: Alimi, Olatunji Sabitu
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary School Students,Academic Achievement,Educational Facilities,Public Schools,Private Schools,Influences,Secondary School Teachers,Principals,Questionnaires

The study investigated the influence of school types and facilities on students' academic performance in Ondo State. It was designed to find out whether facilities and students' academic performance are related in private and public secondary schools respectively. Descriptive survey design was used. Proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 50 schools in Ondo state. Two set of research instruments named School Facility Descriptive and Students Academic Performance Questionnaire (SFDAPQ) for principals; and School Facility Descriptive Questionnaire (SFDQ) for the teachers were used for the study. T-test was used to analyze the data. All hypotheses were tested at a significant level of 0.05. The study revealed a significant difference in facilities available in public and private schools in Ondo State. It however revealed no significant difference in academic performance of students in the two types of secondary schools. Suggestions for the procurement of more facilities in public secondary schools were made in order to enhance students' academic performance.
Extensive Reading in EFL Classroom at Secondary Schools in Bangladesh: Current Practices and Future Possibilities
Author: Haider, Md. Zulfeqar
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Reading Habits,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Positive Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Best Practices,Reading Instruction,Teacher Education,Educational Change

Extensive reading is being practiced in many EFL and ESL classrooms as an effective means for developing learners' reading as well as other related skills. This paper is based on a small-scale study that explores the current practices and future possibilities of using extensive reading in the EFL classrooms at the junior secondary schools in Bangladesh. The study reports the responses of 100 secondary English teachers on different aspects of using extensive reading tasks in the EFL classrooms of Bangladeshi schools. It is found that though the teachers of Bangladesh express positive beliefs about the benefits of extensive reading, the techniques they follow in their classrooms at present mostly encourage intensive reading. It is also evident that teachers who deal with extensive reading do not often follow the best practices in the classrooms. It is suggested in this study that extensive reading needs to be promoted in the Bangladeshi schools through coordinated efforts of all the stakeholders in the secondary education system. It is stressed that a combination of initiatives such as teacher training, awareness raising, curriculum reform and changing existing assessment format can promote the practices of extensive reading activities among the young learners.