ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Self-Efficacy for Pleasing the Instructor: A Validation Study
Author: Montalvo, Gregory P.
Date: 2009-10-17
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Students,Preservice Teachers,Focus Groups,Teacher Student Relationship,Student Attitudes,Self Efficacy,Teacher Expectations of Students,High Achievement,Student Motivation,Persistence,Construct Validity,Measures (Individuals)

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the construct of self-efficacy for pleasing the instructor (SEPI) and explore its usefulness as an alternative to global measures of perceived ability. The results of three studies are presented in this report. Study one was conducted to define the construct SEPI from a student perspective. Study two was conducted to verify the internal consistency reliability of the SEPI scale that reflected students beliefs about pleasing the instructor. The purpose of the third study was to establish further evidence of the construct validity for the SEPI scale and explore its relationship with academic achievement and other motivation constructs. The results provide evidence of a two dimensional construct of SEPI: presenting a positive social image and meeting the instructors expectations. Regression analysis suggests that SEPI--meeting the instructors expectations, may be a significant predictor of academic persistence. Further research may want to be conducted with courses that tend to produce greater student diversity and performance variability. Subscale items on  &quot;The Survey on High School Student Motivation&quot; are appended. (Contains 4 tables.)
Creating a Platform for Sustained Neighborhood Improvement: Interim Findings from Chicago's New Communities Program
Author: Greenberg, David
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Neighborhoods,Urban Areas,Poverty Areas,Neighborhood Improvement,Community Characteristics,Program Implementation,Program Administration,Institutional Cooperation,Quality of Life,Community Development,Agency Role,Investment,Program Effectiveness

Distressed urban neighborhoods face challenges on multiple fronts, but most efforts to confront these problems work in isolation of one another. The New Communities Program (NCP) is an exception, helping selected Chicago neighborhoods develop partnerships to address challenges involving employment, education, housing, and safety in a comprehensive, coordinated fashion. In each community, a local intermediary brings together organizations to plan and then to implement varied improvement projects. A 10-year, $47 million MacArthur Foundation initiative developed and managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Chicago (LISC/Chicago), NCP emphasizes this relational approach by building collaborations as a &quot;platform&quot; for broad and sustained improvement, even as local conditions change. MDRC leads the NCP evaluation with collaborators at the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall, Metro Chicago Information Center, and Wayne State University. This interim report focuses on NCP's rollout and early implementation years, examining community conditions, how local groups worked together, and projects completed through 2008. The report shows that NCP has successfully managed planning and implementation of many different projects to help address varied local problems. Its findings include the following: (1) Community conditions; (2) Initiative management; (3) Implementation; and (4) Collaboration. Each chapter presented in this report contains footnotes. Three appendices are included: (1) Data Sources and Methods; (2) Supplementary Figures for Chapter 2; and (3) Chicago Neighborhoods, by Cluster. (Contains 9 tables, 32 figures and 4 boxes.) [&quot;Creating a Platform for Sustained Neighborhood Improvement: Interim Findings from Chicago's New Communities Program&quot; was written with James Riccio.]
Accessing and Using Research for Evidence-Based Practice
Author: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
Date: 2005-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Research and Development,Literacy Education,Adult Learning,Language Skills,Adult Literacy,Partnerships in Education,Limited English Speaking,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Educational Improvement,Educational Practices,Educational Research,Publications

A federally funded research and development center focused solely on adult learning, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) is a partnership of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, World Education, Rutgers University, Portland State University in Oregon, and the Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. NCSALL's efforts are dedicated to improving practice in educational programs that serve adults with limited literacy and English language skills, and those without a high school diploma. This paper guides professional developers in accessing and using NCSALL materials to promote evidence-based practice. This brochure also describes each of the major types of NCSALL publications.
Applying Research Findings to Instruction for Adult English Language Students
Author: Smith, Cristine
Date: 2005-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Second Language Learning,Teachers,English (Second Language),English,Administrators,Adults,Adult Education,Federal Legislation,Professional Development,Adult Students,Educational Strategies,Educational Research

This brief is written for the practitioners: teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum writers, and program administrators who work with adult English language students in English as a second language (ESL) classes or in mixed adult basic education ABE classes (with native English speakers and English language learners). If educators are not experienced with using research findings to guide instruction, they need to know more about how research can be accessed, understood, evaluated, and used. This brief describes why research is important to instruction, defines scientifically based research and evidence-based instruction, explains what individuals know about how to help teachers use research, gives an example of teachers using research to improve their practice, and lists places where research-based resources can be accessed. (Contains 3 resources.)
Affecting Change in Literacy Practices of Adult Learners. A NCSALL Research Brief
Author: Purcell-Gates, Victoria
Date: 2000-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Literacy Education,Adult Learning,Adult Students,Adult Literacy,Change Strategies,Teaching Methods,Teacher Student Relationship,Learning Activities,Relevance (Education),Social Influences,Cultural Influences

This study investigated the relationships between: (1) two dimensions of adult literacy instruction; and (2) change in the literacy practices of adult literacy students. The two instructional dimensions investigated were: (1) degree of authenticity of the activities and texts employed in the literacy class; and (2) degree of teacher/student collaboration around activities, texts, assessments, and program governance. The construct of authenticity for this study was defined as those literacy activities and purposes used by people in their lives, excluding those that are structured solely around learning to read and write in school settings. The results of this study demonstrate that research can document instructional outcome in ways that reflect actualized literacy learning in sociocultural contexts.
Living with It: Federal Policy Implementation in Adult Basic Education. The Cases of the Workforce Investment Act and Welfare Reform. A NCSALL Research Brief
Author: Belzer, Alisa
Date: 2003-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Welfare Services,Public Policy,Change,Federal Legislation,State Agencies,Federal State Relationship,Government School Relationship,Adult Programs,Program Administration,Educational Change,Accountability,Interviews

Two federal laws with broad impact on adult basic education (ABE) have compelled the ABE system to contend with significant shifts in policy. Enacted in 1998, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) integrated ABE into the federal workforce development system. Historically, ABE had been funded through education-oriented legislation. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (welfare reform), which shares WIA's workforce development emphasis, has also significantly affected ABE. WIA and welfare reform therefore provide two excellent cases for research examining the ways in which policy changes mandated at the highest level--that of federal law--affect ABE practice at the program and classroom level. [For the full report, see ED508604.]
The Characteristics and Concerns of Adult Basic Education Teachers. A NCSALL Research Brief
Author: Smith, Cristine
Date: 2003-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Teachers,Work Environment,Adults,Academic Achievement,Professional Development,Teacher Education,Adult Students,Adult Learning

This Research Brief highlights key findings from an exploratory investigation of adult basic education teachers' characteristics and concerns. This in-depth exploration documents what is commonly known, but not well researched, about teachers in the field; the challenges they face in teaching, in their programs, and as members of the field of adult basic education; the training and preparation they receive; and their current working conditions. The results confirm that teachers and programs are stretched, stressed, and challenged as they try to provide the best possible services to a large number of students. [For the full report, see ED508605.]
Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS). A NCSALL Research Brief
Author: Strucker, John
Date: 2003-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Adult Learning,Adult Students,Native Speakers,Reading Skills,Reading Difficulties,High School Equivalency Programs,English (Second Language)

NCSALL's (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's) Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS), conducted by John Strucker and Rosalind Davidson at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, was designed to describe the various types or clusters of readers enrolled in U.S. adult basic education (ABE) programs, including both native speakers and those in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes. The goal of the study was to help practitioners and policymakers understand who adult learners are as readers and how to gear instruction to their specific reading needs. (Contains 1 table.)
NCSALL Seminar Guide: Establishing an Evidence-Based Adult Education System
Author: Parker, Hazel
Date: 2004-01-00
Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Adult Education,Adult Learning,Family Literacy,Seminars,Program Development,Student Recruitment,Evidence,Theory Practice Relationship

This Seminar guide is part of NCSALL's (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's) effort to help connect research and practice in the field of adult education and family literacy. The purpose of the three-hour seminar is to help practitioners, program directors, state staff, and other policymakers read and discuss NCSALL's proposal (contained in the paper) for creating an evidence-based system for the field and then to understand and judge the relevance of such a system to their work in adult basic education. The Seminar Guide is divided into the following parts: (1) Preparing to Facilitate the Seminar; (2) Session Preparation: What To Have Ready; (3) Session Guide for Facilitating the Seminar; and (4) Handouts, Readings, Recruitment Materials, and Background Information for the Facilitator. Appendices include: (1) Handouts; (2) Reading; (3) Cover Letter and Recruitment Flyer; and (4) Background Materials for Facilitator.
Health Literacy Public Health Forums: Partners for Action. A "How-To" Guide on Designing and Implementing Health Literacy Forums at Departments of Health
Author: Rudd, Rima E.
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Program Development,Program Implementation,Conferences (Gatherings),Public Agencies,Public Health,Health Promotion,Health Materials,Adult Literacy,Continuing Education,Cooperation,Activities,Workshops,Adult Basic Education,Library Services,Functional Literacy,Measures (Individuals)

This guide provides suggestions and materials for the development and implementation of a Health Literacy Forum to be coordinated by a local, county, or state Department of Public Health. Health Literacy Forums, already implemented in several cities and states, have increased awareness about literacy skills of U.S. adults and health implications. The forums have helped staff members of departments of public health forge statewide, county- or city-wide partnerships to develop action plans that improve health messages, health materials, programs and services, as well as outreach. Appendices include: (1) About the Development of the Guide; (2) Insights from Colleagues; (3) Web Links and References; (4) Background Information on Health Literacy; (5) Continuing Education Credits; (6) Sample Invitation Letter; (7) Sample Registration Postcard; (8) Sample Evaluation Forms for the Health Literacy Forum; (9) Powerpoint Slides/Overheads and Handout; (10) Tools for Skills Development; and (11) Sample Evaluation Forms for the Assessing Materials Workshop. (Contains 4 tables and 54 resources.)
NCSALL Health Literacy Study Circle+ Facilitators Training. Training Guide
Author: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
Date: 2007-07-00
Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Adult Learning,Family Literacy,Literacy,Health Materials,Discussion Groups,Study,Coaching (Performance),Seminars,Program Development,Theory Practice Relationship,Feedback (Response)

This training guide was created by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) to help connect research and practice in the field of adult education and family literacy. A Health and Adult Literacy and Learning (HALL)/NCSALL Health Literacy Study Circle+ is a professional development activity for adult basic education (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), or adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) practitioners. The goal of the NCSALL Health Literacy Study Circle+ Facilitators Training is to train new facilitators. The purpose of this guide is to help experienced professional developers and others organize and conduct a one-day session to train and orient those who will serve as facilitators of a HALL/NCSALL Health Literacy Study Circle+. Facilitators of the Health Literacy Study Circle+ Facilitators Training should be experienced trainers. This guide includes the information and materials that are needed to conduct the training, but not background information on planning and facilitating training. This guide includes: (1) A page listing the preparations you need to make before the session. This includes the newsprints to be made, the handouts to photocopy, and the materials to bring; and (2) A step-by-step guide of the activities for the session and the approximate time for each activity, as well as facilitator notes and other ideas for conducting the activities. Handouts, ready for photocopying, are included at the end of the session. There are two main sections in this guide: (1) an introduction to this guide; and (2) steps for facilitating the Health Literacy Study Circle+ Facilitators Training. The training includes an evaluation activity to conduct at the end to get feedback from the participants about what was useful and what could be improved. At the end of the steps, there is a "Quick Reference Sheet for Facilitating..." the training, which can be pulled out of the notebook and taken to the session as an easy reference guide for conducting each activity in that session. This guide is intended to help first-time training facilitators who want a lot of guidance, but it is, however, not intended to be a script that must be followed. To help the reader throughout the steps, the guide includes the following features: (1) another idea for several of the activities,; (2) a note to the facilitator; and (3) questions to prompt discussion. [NCSALL Training Materials are funded by the Educational Research and Development Centers program, as administered by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through contract to Harvard University.]
Learner Persistence in Adult Basic Education: NCSALL Study Circle Guide
Author: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
Date: 2003-12-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Academic Persistence,Adult Students,Adult Basic Education,Student Motivation,School Holding Power,Personality,Barriers,Stopouts,Dropouts,Attendance,Study Guides,Professional Development,Adult Educators

This guide addresses issues of learner persistence, motivation, and retention in adult basic education (ABE). Based on findings from the NCSALL Adult Student Persistence Study, participants engage in an examination of their own interests and experiences with learner motivation and retention and examine strategies of other practitioners. The goal of the NCSALL Study Circles is to help adult education practitioners, in a small group setting, learn about research findings, theories and concepts from NCSALL's research and discuss how these can be applied to practice and policy in adult education. This guide presents three sessions. In Session One, the Study Circle group will share information about their interest and experience with learner persistence and how the topic relates to their own work contexts. Session Two gives participants the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of three perspectives on learner persistence, motivation, and retention: (1) dispositional barriers, (2) stopping out versus dropping out, and (3) turbulence in attendance. In the final session, Session Three, the group will examine ways to hear from learners about the forces that support and hinder their persistence. Each Study Circle guide is divided into eight parts: (1) Goal of NCSALL Study Circles; (2) Tips for Study Circles; (3) Introduction to the Study Circle; (4) Study Circle Outline; (5) Schedule/To Do Form: What To Have Ready; (6) Session Guide for Facilitating the Study Circle; (7) Study Circle Readings and Handouts; and (8) Study Circle Resource Center Materials. Appended to this guide are: (1) Study Circle Flyer; (2) Pre-Meeting Packet of Readings and Handouts; (3) Session One Materials; (4) Session Two Materials; (5) Session Three Materials; (6) Resources for the Facilitator; and (7) Feedback Form for NCSALL.
Mentor Teacher Group Guide: Adult Multiple Intelligences
Author: Hofer, Judy
Date: 2004-01-00
Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Adult Literacy,Multiple Intelligences,Theory Practice Relationship,Study Guides,Mentors,Adult Educators,Feedback (Response),Observation,Professional Development,Group Activities,Coaching (Performance)

This Mentor Teacher Group Guide was created by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) and the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy (NMCL) as part of the Connecting Practice, Policy, and Research Initiative (CPPR). It was piloted with five Mentor Teacher Groups throughout the state of New Mexico in the winter of 2002, and the suggested revisions were incorporated into this version. The Guide is part of a national effort to help connect research and practice in the field of adult basic education and adult literacy. It provides detailed instructions for organizing a mentor teacher group to consider the implications of Multiple Intelligences Theory in instructional practice. A small group of practitioners meets with a mentor to learn about and discuss research on Adult Multiple Intelligences and to receive constructive feedback as the practitioners apply the research to practice. Practitioners meet four times as a group and participate in two individual classroom observations for a total of 20 hours of professional development. Four appendices are included: (1) Meeting One Handouts; (2) Handouts and Articles on Classroom Observation, Peer Coaching, and Mentoring; (3) Meeting Two Handouts; and (4) Meeting Three Handouts.
Implications of NCSALL Research for Program Administrators: NCSALL Seminar Guide
Author: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
Date: 2006-04-00
Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Subjects: Seminars,Educational Research,Program Administration,Adult Learning,Research and Development Centers,Administrators,Guides,Literacy,Guidance Programs,Program Design,Instructional Design,Educational Strategies,Research and Development

This seminar guide was created by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) to assist program administrators in accessing, understanding, judging, and using research for themselves and for their staff. Professional developers may want to use this seminar in place of a regularly scheduled meeting, such as a statewide training. By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to: (1) Discuss their own attitudes and those of their staff about research and its connection to practice; (2) Outline the major findings and implications of a NCSALL research study; (3) Utilize the "Program Administrators' Sourcebook" to address issues/problems and/or responsibilities in their programs; and (4) Plan for the implementation and monitoring of evidence-based practices in their own programs. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [This guide was funded by the Educational Research and Development Centers program.]
Survey and Methodology for Assessing Adult Basic Education Teachers' Characteristics and Concerns
Author: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
Date: 2003-11-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Adult Learning,Professional Development,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Attitudes,Research Methodology,Performance Factors,Barriers,Questionnaires,Teacher Surveys,Psychometrics,Replication (Evaluation),Research Design

This paper offers a survey developed as part of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's Professional Development Study. Most of the questions in this survey were tested with 100 adult education and literacy teachers in the New England area; a few changes have been made to this version to correct poorly worded questions or to cover relevant information that was not addressed in the original study. The goal of the survey was to collect information about the factors that support or hinder teachers within their jobs and their programs. The researchers offer the survey questions as one sample of a questionnaire that states or organizations could use to learn more about the teachers working for them. Collecting and analyzing data using this survey will assist states or organizations in their efforts to design professional development activities or set program policies that support teachers to do the best job possible. [This study was developed by Cristine Smith and Judy Hofer as part of the NCSALL Staff Development Study.]