ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Teachers&apos; Perceptions on Their Awareness of Social Roles and Efforts to Perform These Roles
Author: Balyer, Aydin
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Role,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Student Relationship,Teacher Responsibility,Foreign Countries,Professional Identity,Student Problems,Role Perception,Moral Values,Role Models,Disadvantaged Schools,Disadvantaged Youth,Social Behavior,Social Development,Problem Solving

As in the rest of the world, teachers' roles have been changing in the Turkish educational system. In this process, their roles have been redefined as technical and social roles. In their technical roles, they focus on regular educational core tasks while in their social roles they dwell upon a wide range of social tasks besides teaching. However, there is a tendency to restraining their technical roles, which limits them to dealing with their social roles. As a result, they may lose interest and awareness of their social roles. Therefore, in the research reported on here we aimed to determine teachers' perceptions of their awareness of their social roles. We also aimed to discover teachers' efforts to realise these roles. For this purpose, we employed a qualitative phenomenological research design. The data were collected through interviews with 30 participant teachers chosen using the maximum sampling method. The data were analysed with the content analysis method. The results of this research reveal that teachers were mostly aware of their social roles. It was also found that participating teachers strove to realise their social roles. It is recommended that teachers' social roles are emphasised more during their pre-service education and while performing their roles.
The Effect of Limited Sign Language as Barrier to Teaching and Learning among Deaf Learners in South Africa
Author: Ngobeni, Winnie Poelane
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sign Language,Deafness,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Grade 8,Observation,Deaf Interpreting,Native Language,Inservice Teacher Education,Second Language Learning,Family Environment,Educational Environment,Universities,Language of Instruction

In the study reported on here we investigated the effects of sign language barriers among Deaf learners in special schools for the Deaf and Blind in the Motheo District in the Free State province of South Africa. Semi-structured focus group interviews were held with 7 teachers (2 males and 5 females) and 10 Grade 8 learners (6 males and 4 females) who used sign language as their first language. We employed a qualitative research approach and data were collected, themes identified, and learners were observed in their natural classroom environment. Open-ended questions were used when interviewing the teachers and learners of the selected school. South African Sign Language (SASL) is used as language of learning and teaching in schools for the Deaf. A qualified sign language interpreter translated the data. The results of the study show a lack of in-service training in SASL for teachers. It was found that learners acquired language at school rather than in the home environment, and a lack of physical resources were responsible for the learners' poor performance. We recommend that universities offer SASL as common subject -- especially for education students.
Foreign Language Anxiety and Enjoyment in an Imagined Community
Author: Shirvan, Majid Elahi
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Language Attitudes,Anxiety,Learner Engagement,Emotional Response,Psychological Patterns,Learning Activities,Undergraduate Students,Imagination,Communities of Practice

Learning a foreign language can be frustrating for some people and very enjoyable for some others. Emotions are one of the most important factors in the use of English as a foreign language located in the center of attention of many researchers. One of the emotion-inducing contexts for learning English as a foreign language can be the setting of an imagined community. Our focus in this study was on the emergence of emotions, both positive and negative, of three groups of six university students engaged in an English-speaking literature criticism TV program as an imagined community. The program encompassed a specific day to discuss a fiction and a final report of the program specified for publication in one of the well-established literary bulletins. Each member constructed a specific imagined identity in each group as critics, photographers, reporters, and presenters competing with each other for the final selection of the best critique and presentation on the discussion day as well as the publication of the best report. A triangulation of data was gathered including an interview, observation, an open-ended questionnaire as well as personal journals which were qualitatively analyzed. The results showed the emergence of enjoyment resulting from the constructed imagined identities in the classroom as well as facilitative negative emotions such as anxiety leading to the consolidation of the participants' imagined affiliations.
Informality in Applied Linguistics Research Articles: Comparing Native and Non-Native Writings
Author: Alipour, Mohammad
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Applied Linguistics,Computational Linguistics,English for Academic Purposes,Classification,Journal Articles,Computer Software,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,English,Research Reports,Indo European Languages,Native Language,Form Classes (Languages),Language Usage,Word Frequency,Writing for Publication

This quantitative-qualitative study aimed to fathom out whether and how informal features are exploited in articles of applied linguistics written in English by natives and non-natives. To this end, a corpus of 200 articles was compiled. We employed the classification of informal features proposed by Chang and Swales (1999) representing 10 informal features in academic writing. The AntConc software was used, along with manual search, to detect the informal features. The frequency, percentages, and the density per 1000 words of each informal feature were calculated. The results revealed that informal features are utilized more frequently in native articles than non-native ones, with no significant differences in the two corpora in terms of their most and least frequent informal features. Sentence &quot;initial conjunctions&quot; are the most recurrent informal features, while &quot;exclamation marks&quot; are employed the least frequently in both native and non-native articles. Implications for EAP courses are delineated in the study as well.
How Peer Assessment Could Be Interactive and Effective
Author: El-Senousy, Hala
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peer Evaluation,Active Learning,Skill Development,Females,Peer Teaching,Tutoring,Cooperative Learning,Teamwork,Competency Based Teacher Education,College Students,Instructional Effectiveness,Evaluation Methods

In practical courses, students consider teachers' assessment of various skills to be baseless and unfair. Unfortunately, due to a lack of equipment, only a few students take part in practical skills performance, while the rest of the students remain passive in learning and assessment. In this paper we suggest an original design to use peer assessment as an interactive strategy and examine its efficiency to improve students' individual skills, teamwork skills and practical performance in an educational technology course. In the study reported on here, a quasi-experimental design was used, which included a sample of 73 female students divided into experimental and control groups. The treatment tools were provided to the experimental group while the assessment tools were applied to both groups before and after the intervention. Data analysis revealed that an interactive peer assessment strategy was effective in improving individual skills, teamwork skills and practical performance. We recommend that this suggested strategy is used widely in practical courses.
Learners&apos; Educational Aspirations in South Africa: The Role of the Home and the School
Author: Fadiji, Angelina Wilson
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Academic Aspiration,Family Environment,Gender Differences,Socioeconomic Status,Parent Participation,Educational Environment,Low Income Groups,Correlation,Adolescents,Predictor Variables,Academic Achievement

An extensive body of research exists on the background characteristics that predict learner achievement. However, in South Africa, little attention has been paid to the level of educational aspirations and the factors that shape the level of aspirations. Using a bio-ecological systems theory of development, we explored the role of gender, socio-economic status (determined by resources at home and school), parental involvement and school climate in determining educational aspirations. Using a nationally representative sample of 11,969 learners (females = 5,248; mean age = 15.7 years) from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the statistical analysis technique of structural equation modelling (SEM), we investigated the relationships between parental involvement, school climate and learner educational aspirations. Our study showed that students from low socio-economic status (SES) homes and schools had lower educational aspirations. We also found positive relationships between both positive and negative school climate and learner aspirations. A surprising finding was that parental involvement did not have any influence on shaping learner aspirations. The findings indicate a need to improve educational resources at schools as well as the school climate, as schools matter for learners in low-income countries. Furthermore, it is important to inform learners of the requirements for tertiary education, so that they develop more realistic aspirations.
Stressors and Work-Family Conflict among Female Teachers in Urban Public Schools in Kenya
Author: Muasya, Gladys
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Urban Schools,Public Schools,Females,Women Faculty,Stress Variables,Family Work Relationship,Service Occupations,Parent Responsibility,Teacher Responsibility,Time,Fatigue (Biology),Work Environment,Marital Status,Age Differences,Teaching Experience,Geographic Location,Family Structure,Class Size

In the study reported on here we sought to identify teaching and general stressors, and how they contributed to work-family conflict among female teachers in urban public schools in Kenya. A total of 375 female teachers with at least their youngest child not yet in primary school completed a survey of closed and open-ended questions. Role theory, stressors, and work-family conflict literature informed the study. The data were analysed using hierarchical regression and content analysis. Findings yielded some contradictory results suggesting that, while the work-family conflict is a universal construct, culture and socioeconomic factors likely influence the nature and the impact of stressors. That is, these teachers identified stressors not mentioned in previous Western literature and not captured by quantitative measures. For instance, the greatest stressor cited was domestic workers not being reliable. The study also indicated that disruptions in the normal flow of work was regarded as a stressor. In addition, a sick child, rather than its age, was regarded as a stressor. Theoretical and practical contributions of the study are provided.
Online Discussion Forum: A Tool to Support Learning in Business Management Education
Author: Mtshali, Muntuwenkosi Abraham
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Group Discussion,Computer Mediated Communication,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Foreign Countries,Business Administration Education,College Students,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Interaction,Interpersonal Relationship

The introduction of online-supported teaching and learning in education calls for a better understanding of how online support is experienced by South African students (many of whom encounter this technology for the very first time at university) and how their experiences of online support may influence their learning. The mixed-methods approach used in the study reported on here incorporated a qualitative component that drew on the principles of phenomenography. From 156 students enrolled in a business management education module that forms part of the Bachelor of Education curriculum, 15 participants were selected using phenomenographic sampling. A sequential-exploratory quantitative investigation was then undertaken to test qualitative findings. Qualitative data sources included personal reflective journals, focus group discussions and individual interviews; quantitative data were generated from questionnaires administered to the respondents. In the principal findings participants indicated that the online discussion forum offered them a context for learning through social interaction in qualitatively different ways, and this offers insights into how developing nations might address the need to engage with pedagogical practices in the online space.
The Role of Strengthening Leadership Behaviour on the Psychological Contract in Primary and Secondary Schools
Author: Gokyer, Necmi
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Role,Leadership Styles,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Measures (Individuals),Teacher Administrator Relationship,Instructional Leadership,Teacher Empowerment,Compliance (Psychology),Foreign Countries,Administrator Behavior

In the study reported on here we aimed to determine the role of strengthening leadership behaviour on the psychological contract in primary and secondary schools. The population was a total of 7,772 teachers (3,627 primary school teachers and 4,145 middle school teachers) working in the districts of Baglar, Kayapinar, Sur and Yenisehir in Diyarbakir during the 2017-18 academic year. A total of 621 teachers selected by random sampling participated in the study. Data were collected through the following scales developed by Koçak (2016): the School Administrators' Level of Conformity to Psychological Contract Scale and the Teachers' Level of Conformity to Psychological Contract Scale. Teacher perceptions of school managers' demonstration of empowering leadership behaviour were measured with the Reinforcing Leadership Behaviours Scale developed by Konczak, Stelly and Trusty (2000) and adapted to Turkish by Aras (2013). Teacher perceptions of school administrators' levels of compliance with psychological contracts (SACPC) were found to be moderate and teachers' levels of compliance with the psychological contract (ÖPSUD) was high. Teacher perceptions of school administrators in terms of empowering leadership behaviour (ELB) were found to be high.
An Investigation of the Predictors of Statistical Literacy in Second Language Acquisition
Author: Gonulal, Talip
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Predictor Variables,Statistics,Research Skills,Doctoral Students,Statistical Analysis,Independent Study,Multiple Literacies,Research Training,Thinking Skills,Foreign Countries,Statistical Inference,Second Language Learning,Applied Linguistics

The use of statistics in second language acquisition (SLA) research has increased over the past 30-40 years and continues to increase in both complexity and sophistication (Gass, 2009; Loewen &amp; Gass, 2009). The increased use of statistical procedures has drawn attention to the current state of statistical literacy among second language (L2) researchers. Statistical literacy is a critical skill to acquire on the parts of both the producers and consumers of L2 research. However, it is a relatively new research topic in the field. So, little is known regarding what factors play key roles in the development of statistical literacy. Therefore, this study attempted to investigate the predictors of statistical literacy in SLA. One hundred and twenty SLA doctoral students took a statistical background questionnaire and a discipline-specific statistics survey. A series of multiple regression analyses were conducted on the statistics survey data. The results indicated that number of statistics courses taken, quantitative research orientation, and self-training in statistics were the significant predictors of statistical literacy. In light of the findings of this study, several suggestions directed toward improving statistical literacy in the field of SLA were made.
The Leadership Role of the Principal in Fostering Sustainable Maintenance of School Facilities
Author: Nhlapo, Velaphi Aaron
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Principals,Leadership Role,Sustainability,Educational Facilities,School Maintenance,Strategic Planning,Boards of Education,School Administration,Administrator Attitudes,Administrator Role,Foreign Countries,Advantaged,Disadvantaged Schools,Barriers,Needs Assessment,Management Development,Elementary Secondary Education,Physical Environment

The purpose of the study reported on here was to explore the extent to which the role of the principal as ex officio member of the School Governing Body (SGB) facilitated or hindered the development of strategies that are effective and sustainable for the maintenance of school facilities. The rationale for this study was that the South African Schools Act No. 84 (Republic of South Africa, 1996a) regards the maintenance of school facilities as a school governance function and hence under the legal purview of the SGB. This view could limit the role of the principal concerning this aspect of school management. For this research project, semi-structured interviews were conducted with school principals from primary and secondary schools drawn from both historically disadvantaged and privileged schools in one school district in South Africa. It was found that the principal's role is compromised, especially concerning the development of effective and sustainable facility maintenance strategies, as SGBs are inclined to give due consideration to this aspect. The nature of the benefit of the maintenance of school facilities is intricate and is not understood by school stakeholders. As a result, the overall maintenance of school facilities receives less attention and leads to difficulty in defending the cost-benefit ratio thereof against equally competing priorities. We, therefore, recommend that a whole-school approach be embarked upon. The leadership role of the principal may have to be at the centre of this strategy for the maintenance of school facilities.
The Perspectives of Beginner Principals on Their New Roles in School Leadership and Management: A South African Case Study
Author: Sepuru, Malesela Gilbert
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Principals,Novices,School Administration,Foreign Countries,Role Perception,Leadership Role,Occupational Aspiration,Faculty Promotion,Instructional Leadership,Administrator Responsibility,Management Development,Educational Needs,Elementary Secondary Education

In the study reported on here we aimed to explore how beginner principals perceived their roles as new appointees. School principals are expected to demonstrate proficiency when performing leadership and management roles in schools. Based on the fact that no certificate for principalship exists, newly appointed principals rely on their teaching experience to fulfil the responsibilities of the position. Gronn's theory advocating leadership as a career was used as a lens to analyse the data. In this qualitative study we used interviews and document verification to understand how new appointees perceived their new roles as school leaders and managers. The findings imply that beginner principals regard themselves as ill-prepared to lead and manage schools in their early years of appointment. Their perceptions were that they lacked leadership and management experience in the areas of curriculum, human resources, school finance, stakeholder relations and interpretation of legislation. Beginner principals viewed these as challenges for their leadership and management expertise. From the study we concluded that teachers needed to be exposed to leadership and management responsibilities and that newly appointed principals needed to be trained before they assumed their new positions.
The Effects of a Peer-Tutoring Strategy on Children&apos;s e-Book Reading Comprehension
Author: Tsuei, Mengping
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peer Teaching,Reading Strategies,Instructional Effectiveness,Reading Comprehension,Elementary School Students,Preadolescents,Student Attitudes,Grade 5,Tutoring,Reciprocal Teaching,Foreign Countries,Handheld Devices,International Assessment,Achievement Tests,Reading Tests,Electronic Publishing,Interaction,Books

Reading competence is one of the most critical skills for children's academic success. In the study reported on here we proposed an integrated peer-tutoring strategy for reading comprehension that employs e-books for elementary school students. The effects of this strategy on children's reading comprehension were investigated using a quasi-experimental design. Three classes of 11-12-year-old students (n = 73) participated in the study for 12 weeks. Compared to the control group, students in the experimental group, who engaged in peer tutoring with e-book reading, showed significant gains in reading comprehension. Students' perceptions of the benefits of the peer-tutoring resources to their reading are discussed. The findings demonstrate that the integration of peer tutoring in e-book reading results in an effective instructional model for the enhancement of elementary school students' reading.
The Integration of Semiotic Resources and Modalities in the Teaching of Geometry in a Grade 9 Class in a South African High School: The Four Cases of Congruency
Author: Smith, Charles Raymond
Date: 2020-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semiotics,Geography,Mathematics Instruction,Case Studies,Oral Language,Hermeneutics,Phenomenology,Discourse Analysis,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,Difficulty Level,Grade 9,High School Students,Foreign Countries,Visual Aids,Spatial Ability

In this article we examine the nature of inter-semiotic and intermodal construction in the exposition of a solution for a geometry rider. In the tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology, this case study involved an exploration of the oral discourse and visual texts used in a mathematics lesson. This research was intended to contribute to the understanding of the difficulties in teaching and learning geometry at school level. Results indicate that relational markings, oral and visual modalities in conjunction with gesturing constitute the primary semiotic resources employed by the teacher. This leads to the conclusion that the semiotic perspective, in conjunction with other perspectives on geometry teaching in schools, may provide a mechanism by which to reflect on the complexity of geometry teaching and learning in schools.