ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Perspectives on Complexity, Its Definition and Applications in the Field
Author: Koopmans, Matthijs
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Usage,Definitions,Educational Research,Educational Practices,Systems Approach,Cognitive Structures,Classification,Phenomenology,Theories

There is considerable variation in the dynamical literature in how the term &quot;complexity&quot; is used. While there have been several attempts to describe from an educational perspective what complexity encompasses, the term is frequently used without an explicit definition. To forge a shared understanding of what complexity means, the purpose of this article is to define the term for the field in a way that acknowledges the variety of use that is encountered in the education. Four perspectives on complexity are offered: 1) Information theory, 2) Cybernetics and general systems theory, 3) The use of complexity to describe scenarios of transformation and 4) Complexity as a metatheory. The implications of each of these four conceptualizations for educational research and practice are discussed.
Visualizing Teacher Education as a Complex System: A Nested Simplex System Approach
Author: Ludlow, Larry
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Systems Approach,Preservice Teacher Education,Statistical Analysis,Stakeholders,Visual Aids,Multivariate Analysis,Multidimensional Scaling,Foreign Countries,Preservice Teachers,Teacher Educators,Cooperating Teachers

Our purpose is to provide an exploratory statistical representation of initial teacher education as a complex system comprised of dynamic influential elements. More precisely, we reveal what the system looks like for differently-positioned teacher education stakeholders based on our framework for gathering, statistically analyzing, and graphically representing the results of a unique exercise wherein the participants literally mapped the system as they perceived it. Through an iterative series of inter-related studies employing cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling procedures, we demonstrate how initial teacher education may be represented as a complex system comprised of interactive agents and attributes whose perceived relationships are a function of nested stakeholder-dependent simplex systems. Furthermore, we illustrate how certain propositions of complexity theory, such as boundaries, heterogeneity, multidimensionality and emergence, may be investigated and represented quantitatively.
Reprint 1987: Research Administration in a Time of Change
Author: Brandt, Edward N.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Periodicals,Research Administration,Medical Research,Biomedicine,Interdisciplinary Approach,Change,Accounting,Resource Allocation,Financial Support,Scientific Research

The field of biomedical research has undergone several changes in recent years. These include increased funding, the rapid development in scientific knowledge which speeds up the obsolescence of equipment, facilities and knowledge and the growing complexity of scientific problems. Research administrators can take steps to address these changes such as encouraging interdisciplinary research, making optimum use of resources and developing accounting systems for resources. [This article, originally published in the Fall 1987 issue of the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) Journal and subsequently reprinted in Fall of 1997, is based on a presentation at the Northeast Section meeting of the Society of Research Administrators International in Baltimore, Maryland, May 1987.]
Rural Literacies: Toward Social Cartography
Author: Corbett, Michael
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rural Areas,Literacy,Scholarship,Cultural Influences,Criticism,Interdisciplinary Approach,Citations (References),Social Justice,Politics,Futures (of Society)

In this article we analyze the emergence of the field of rural literacies. We attempt to map this field in a way that illustrates the foundational ideas of literacy and rurality as relational concepts, which are devoid of meaning as what we call &quot;singularities.&quot; Our insistence on the importance of context and place reveals multiple rural literacies instantiated in a diverse range of studies that have emerged from foundational texts in the field. In an effort to apply a spatial lens to rural literacies scholarship, we problematize authoritative decontextualized conceptions of both literacy and rurality. In doing so, we seek to place rurality on the map as an educationally and culturally significant category in the analysis of literacy and education.
Reflective Written Pieces: Inquiry into the Practices of Pre-Service Literacy Teachers
Author: McIntosh, Janet
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reflection,Preservice Teachers,Writing Strategies,Theory Practice Relationship,Literacy Education,Methods Courses,Preservice Teacher Education,Gender Issues,Student Needs,Classroom Techniques,Student Teaching,Student Experience,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Teacher Researchers

The purpose of this action research project was to explore whether a reflective writing strategy, developed and used with pre-service teachers in a literacy methods course, assisted them with integrating theory and practice. The teacher educator analyzed the written reflective pieces and determined common categories. Study findings revealed some themes: meeting student needs, classroom strategies, field link experiences, personal student experiences, and growth statements. Pre-service teachers explored what their current knowledge was and how it had changed through the time spent reading and writing in the course; imbedded within the reflection pieces were references to practicum experiences with students in classrooms. Through the act of writing their thoughts down, they indicated changes in their individual views about how to approach literacy teaching. Findings reveal that the reflective writing strategy served as an effective starting point for pre-service literacy teachers' emerging development.
A Teacher&apos;s Inquiry into Bringing in Biliteracy in a Fifth-Grade English-Only Classroom
Author: Abraham, Stephanie Lynn
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Multiple Literacies,Elementary School Students,Grade 5,Cultural Background,Prior Learning,Writing Assignments,Family (Sociological Unit),Poetry,Bilingual Education,Spanish,English,Bilingual Students,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Power Structure,Bias,High Stakes Tests,Inquiry,Story Telling,Reflective Teaching

This teacher inquiry project explored how I, a non-Spanish speaking teacher at the time, implemented critical, bilingual pedagogies to foster biliteracy development among my fifth-grade students. One, the project showed that students could further their biliteracy by incorporating their funds of knowledge through a family stories writing project. Two, many students were anxious about reading in Spanish, and dual poetry alleviated this due to its compactness and linguistic scaffolding. Finally, the project showed the continual issues of unequal power relations concerning bilingualism and biliteracy in US classrooms by showing how I failed to include languages other than Spanish in this project and how I succumbed to school pressures of high-stakes testing, often abandoning a critical, bilingual pedagogy in the process.
Increasing Active Participation and Engagement of Students in Circle Formations
Author: St. Onge, Justin
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Participation,Learner Engagement,Outdoor Education,Classrooms,Observation,Teacher Student Relationship,Educational Environment,Space Utilization,Parks,Science Teaching Centers,Hypothesis Testing,Middle School Students

Participation and engagement are important factors in students' academic achievement and in increasing interest and motivation in the learning process. This study evaluates participation and engagement in circle formations in both outdoor and indoor education settings. Over a four-week study period, four instructors collected data on different circle formations. The four circle formations tested are: instructor and students standing (allstanding); instructor and students sitting (all-sitting); instructor standing with students sitting; instructor sitting with students standing. Results from 86 observation forms show that students had the greatest active participation and engagement in the all-sitting circle formation. The traditional learning arrangement, with teacher standing and students sitting, had the lowest level of student participation and engagement. Eye level of instructor and students was thought to be a major factor influencing participation and engagement in the learning environment. Results obtained from this study will help inform educators in both traditional classroom and outdoor learning environments on effective teaching practices for increasing student participation and engagement.
E-Pal Exchanges: A Way to Connect Preservice Teachers and English Language Learners
Author: Patton, Anne
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English Language Learners,English (Second Language),College Students,Education Majors,Computer Mediated Communication,Electronic Mail,Program Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Reflection,Student Attitudes,Language Usage,Self Esteem,Communication Skills,Empathy,Preservice Teachers,Consciousness Raising

Pen pal exchanges have been used for years to promote cross-cultural communication. In educational settings, pen pal projects have served additional purposes. One is providing English language learners (ELLs) with a safe but realistic context in which language skills can be practiced and learner motivation increased. This study investigates the benefits of a pen pal project between preservice teachers in the US and English as a foreign language (EFL) students. The overarching question for this study is: What do American preservice teachers learn through e-pal exchanges with Brazilian EFL students? Every semester, Education majors in an Introduction to Applied Linguistics class taught by the second author at a liberal arts college have the option of participating in an e-pal project with intermediate level EFL students in Brazil. The main goals for this assignment include providing firsthand experience on language issues covered in the course readings and lectures and getting to know a non-native speaker of English. The college professor pairs the students in collaboration with the language school coordinator in Brazil. The e-pal pairs exchange emails throughout the semester and the college students then write a reflection on their experience. For this study, the first and third authors, who have both taken this course in the past, independently analyzed 18 reflections qualitatively searching for recurring themes (Taylor &amp; Bogdan, 1998). They then met, discussed their findings, and agreed on the three major themes presented herein.
Out-of-School English Language Use by Newcomer English Learners from Korea
Author: Kim, Catherine E.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Immigrants,Surveys,Interviews,Language Usage,English (Second Language),Parent Role,Family Environment,Language Proficiency,Teacher Role,Elementary Secondary Education,Student Attitudes,Vocabulary Development

This study reports the major findings of an in-depth survey and interview with a group of students and parents who recently immigrated to the U.S. from Korea. The study was conducted to identify how they engage in out-of-school English language use and to what extent parents and teachers are involved and supportive in the process. All the participating students and parents were newcomers and had lived in the U.S. or other English-speaking countries for fewer than three years. The interview questions centered on the following aspects of English language use: amount and frequency, types of engagement, and degree of support from teachers, schools and parents in practicing English outside of the school setting. Findings of the study shed light on unique challenges that these newcomers face in developing second-language proficiency in an English-dominant society, and on how parents and teachers might be oblivious to these challenges. The findings also suggest that out-of-school English language practice could be guided and supported more effectively by teachers and parents.
Perceptions of University Instructors When Listening to International Student Speech
Author: Sheppard, Beth
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Students,College Students,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Intensive Language Courses,Pronunciation,Comparative Analysis,Grammar,Accuracy,Student Evaluation,Scores,Speech Communication,Correlation,Teacher Surveys,Likert Scales,Language Teachers

Intensive English Program (IEP) Instructors and content faculty both listen to international students at the university. For these two groups of instructors, this study compared perceptions of international student speech by collecting comprehensibility ratings and transcription samples for intelligibility scores. No significant differences were found between the two groups, suggesting that the perceptions of these two groups are reasonably well-matched. Seven linguistic features were assessed, and grammatical accuracy was found to have the strongest effect on content faculty's ratings of comprehensibility. None of the linguistic features correlated significantly with intelligibility. These results raise questions about IEP assessment practices for speaking. Rankings of speech samples based on comprehensibility, intelligibility, and linguistic features all yielded different pictures of who was most understandable, highlighting the implications of using different criteria to assess student speech.
Swearing: The Good, the Bad &amp; the Ugly
Author: Finn, Eileen
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Usage,Adult Education,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Curriculum,Cultural Influences,Social Attitudes

This article explores the cases for and against the inclusion of curriculum about swearing (which includes taboo words) as a part of an Adult ESL course. The function and prevalence of swearing are discussed, including the level of exposure students face. Taboo language makes up 4% to 13% of typical daily language use (Fägersten, 2012; Winters &amp; Duck, 2001, p. 60). Exposure to these words without context is also discussed, as it could potentially put students into embarrassing and sometimes dangerous situations (Hansen, 2016; Jay &amp; Janschewitz, 2008; Jay, 2009; Vingerhoets, Bylsma &amp; DeVlam, 2013). It also explores the proper and improper ways of swearing, and how swearing can actually be beneficial for both professional and interpersonal relationships. Moreover, swearing is becoming more prevalent and is no longer specific to a particular group (Hansen, 2016; Vingerhoets et al., 2013); thus, it is a bigger part of daily language. The article expresses that there are positive reasons as to why teachers might want to include swearing as a part of ESL courses for educational purposes. Suggestions for future research are offered.
You Have One Hour: Developing a Standardized Library Orientation and Evaluating Student Learning
Author: Brown, Elizabeth
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Library Orientation,Case Studies,Student Attitudes,Interdisciplinary Approach,Curriculum Design,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Academic Libraries,Information Literacy,Curriculum Development,College Libraries,Pretests Posttests,Librarians,Library Skills

Library orientations continue to excite, or plague, instruction librarians everywhere. Reaching first year students early can preempt academic heartache and research woes, yet the question of &quot;what students really need&quot; continues to evolve. This article presents a case study of a large-scale implementation of library orientations. The main issue addressed in this article involves a systematic review of students' post-instruction responses and assessment of their learning. Related elements mentioned in this article include: interdepartmental participation; curriculum design; and instructional technology. While this implementation may not be appropriate for all academic libraries, its components may offer ideas for augmenting existing programs or building new ones.
Engaging Secondary Students in Collaborative Action-Oriented Inquiry: Challenges and Opportunities
Author: Clark, J. Spencer
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Participatory Research,Problem Solving,Inquiry,High School Students,United States Government (Course),Cooperative Learning,Interaction,Social Problems,Citizenship Responsibility

In this article, the author describes a collaborative problem-based inquiry project with eighty-three secondary students. The students attended a large high school situated in a medium size town, surrounded by farmland and smaller rural towns. Demographically, nearly half of the students identified as Latina/o, while the slight majority of the students were White. The two groups of students also identified with the two dominant religious communities in the area: Catholic and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The students were all seniors in an advanced American Government course. A primary goal of the project was to have students from the two groups work collaboratively to address community problems to promote student interaction outside of the school. The project facilitators agreed that it was equally important for students to understand the power of working collaboratively with multiple and diverse perspectives, while also understanding their ability as a citizen to address problems in their community. This article describes how challenges that arose for the students during the project also created opportunities for them to learn. Based on his reflection on this inquiry project, the author concludes with priorities for a new project he is currently developing for secondary students.
Fifth Graders&apos; Interpretations of &quot;The Red Tree&quot;
Author: Barone, Diane
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grade 5,Elementary School Students,Video Technology,Childrens Literature,Picture Books,Visual Literacy,Student Reaction,Emotional Response,Visual Perception,Imagery,Student Attitudes,Language Arts,Writing Assignments,Color

Fifth graders responded to a video of a picturebook,&quot;The Red Tree&quot; by Shaun Tan. They had not experienced explicit instruction in visual literacy and their responses served as a foundation for basic understanding of their analysis. We learned that they focused on four major areas: emotional aspects; visual qualities, summaries of the story; and a text focus. They understood the character's emotions and were able to interpret many of Tan's images.
Self-Reflections on Differentiation: Understanding How We Teach in Higher Education
Author: Jackson, Nykela
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Teaching Experience,Teacher Education Programs,Expectation,Interviews,Individualized Instruction,Student Centered Learning,Evaluation Methods,Qualitative Research,Teaching Methods,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,College Faculty

Teachers are called to accommodate the individualized learning needs of a wide range of students. To support prospective and current teachers with this challenge, it is imperative to help them not only understand the theory of differentiated instruction, but how to implement it into practice. Building upon past research in the realm of higher education, this study sought to identify the past teaching experiences and expectations of two former K-12 teachers that formed the philosophy and practices that they bring to teacher preparation courses. Framed by interview questions used in past research with faculty, the two researchers self-reflected on their own practices to consider how they related to various differentiation approaches and their individual transitions to higher education. Three themes emerged through the reflection of the two junior faculty members: differentiated instruction is student centered and student involved; assessment is intertwined with instruction; and differentiated instruction is needed in teacher preparation programs.
Developing an Early Reading Intervention Aligned with the Down Syndrome Behavioral Phenotype
Author: Lemons, Christopher J.
Date: 2017-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Intervention,Reading Programs,Down Syndrome,Phoneme Grapheme Correspondence,Decoding (Reading),Word Frequency,Phonological Awareness,Program Effectiveness,Young Children,Correlation,Phonics,Intelligence Tests,Reading Tests,Pretests Posttests,Reading Skills

The aim of this project was to develop an early reading intervention for children with Down syndrome based on the related behavioral phenotype. The intervention targeted learning of letter-sound correspondences, reading of decodable and high frequency words, and phonological awareness. We evaluated the feasibility and potential efficacy of the intervention with seven children between the ages of 6 and 8 years who participated in a series of multiple-probe across lessons single-case design studies. Results indicate a functional relation between the intervention and mastery of taught content for three students. Two students demonstrated positive although inconsistent response; two students demonstrated limited learning. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
A Commitment to Socially Just Teacher Preparation: Novice Teacher Educators&apos; Reflections on Participation in a Community of Practice
Author: Curcio, Rachelle
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reflection,Teacher Educator Education,Beginning Teachers,Participation,Communities of Practice,Social Justice,Teacher Educators

Through reflective narrative, we present our experiences in a Community of Practice (CoP) committed to teacher preparation for social justice. First, we discuss the CoP's origination and then reflect upon how our participation informed our practice as novice teacher educators. Specifically, we propose that novice teacher educators' participation in a CoP may further cultivate an inquiry stance and inform evolving identities as teacher educators for social justice. Additionally, we posit the value of establishing CoPs as a collaborative think-space to problematize practice for all teacher educators striving to bring a social justice stance to their work.
Is This Going to Be on the Test? No Child Left Creative
Author: McCarthy, Cheryl
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Creativity,Preservice Teachers,Undergraduate Students,College Entrance Examinations,High Stakes Tests,Thinking Skills,Education Majors,Statistical Analysis

The role of teachers in fostering creative processes in children is essential. However, high stakes instruction and teaching to the test inundates our current classrooms. This study explores the relationship between ACT/SAT scores and creativity among pre-service teachers. One hundred eighteen undergraduate students identified as Education majors were given the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory (ECC-i). Their total creativity score and four different subskill areas were analyzed: Capturing; Challenging: Broadening; and Surrounding. The students' ACT and SAT admission scores were then compared with their scores on the Epstein Inventory. Those students with lower end ACT scores, scored higher on the creativity survey than students with higher end ACT scores. However, SAT and creativity relationships were not found. It is time to change the value that we are placing on testing and rethink the space and time allocated to classroom environments that allow for deep and critical thinking.