ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Effect of the Conceptual Change Oriented Instruction through Cooperative Learning on 4th Grade Students' Understanding of Earth and Sky Concepts
Author: Celikten, Oksan
Date: 2012-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cooperative Learning,Concept Formation,Scientific Concepts,Science Instruction,Elementary School Science,Grade 4,Elementary School Students,Instructional Effectiveness,Conventional Instruction,Comparative Analysis,Science Achievement,Scientific Attitudes,Misconceptions,Earth Science,Astronomy,Interviews,Foreign Countries

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the conceptual change oriented instruction through cooperative learning (CCICL) and traditional science instruction (TI) on 4th grade students' understanding of earth and sky concepts and their attitudes toward earth and sky concepts. In this study, 56 fourth grade students from the same elementary school took part. This study included two groups which were taught by the same teacher and selected from six general science classes according to their equality-based characteristics such as size, gender, and the frequency distribution in the analysis of their pre-test results. One of the classes was assigned to the experimental group, which was exposed to conceptual change oriented instruction through cooperative learning; the other class was assigned to the control group, which was exposed to traditional science instruction over a period of eight weeks. In order to determine the effect of the study on dependent variables, achievement related to earth and science concepts was measured with an Earth and Sky Concepts Test and their attitude toward earth and sky concepts was measured with an Attitude Scale Toward Earth and Sky Concepts. The results showed that students who used conceptual change oriented instruction through cooperative learning had a significantly better acquisition of earth and sky concepts than the students who received traditional science instruction. Also, the results indicated that there was no significant difference between post-test mean scores of students taught with CCICL and those taught with TI with respect to their attitude toward earth and sky concepts. (Contains 3 tables.)
Is Case-Based Instruction Effective in Enhancing High School Students' Motivation toward Chemistry?
Author: Yalcinkaya, Eylem
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Student Motivation,Chemistry,Grade 10,Conventional Instruction,Case Method (Teaching Technique),High School Students,Academic Achievement,Instructional Effectiveness,Measures (Individuals),Multivariate Analysis,Pretests Posttests,Foreign Countries

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of case-based learning (CBL) over traditionally designed chemistry instruction (TDCI) on 10th grade students' perceived motivation about chemistry as a school subject. Two classes were randomly selected from a high school. One class was assigned to be an experimental group and the other was assigned as a control group. A total of 45 high school students from 10th grade were the participants of the study (25 experimental and 20 control group students). Students in the experimental group were taught by case-based instruction while the control group students received traditional instruction. Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was administered to both groups of students as pre- and post-tests to measure their perceived motivation. The results of one-way MANOVA based on gain scores revealed that CBL was an effective method for promoting students' motivation towards chemistry. (Contains 4 tables.)
Experiences of Teaching the Heat Energy Topic in English as a Second Language
Author: Halim, Lilia
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Video Technology,Educational Strategies,Second Language Learning,Physics,Heat,Foreign Countries,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Energy,Science Instruction,Mathematics Instruction,Qualitative Research,English (Second Language),Interviews,Teacher Attitudes,Indonesian,Teaching Methods,Language of Instruction,Science Teachers,Science Education

In view of the current debate in Malaysia about the teaching of science and mathematics in English, a qualitative study was undertaken involving a purposeful sampling of three non-physics teachers to ascertain how well equipped they were with the necessary pedagogical content knowledge relating to the teaching of the topic of &quot;heat energy&quot; in the second language (i.e., English) to cater to the needs of Year 10 students of diverse interests and abilities in the subject. Data were obtained using video recordings from 10 classroom observations of the teaching and learning of the following topics/concepts: (1) thermal equilibrium, (2) heat capacity, (3) specific heat capacity, (4) latent heat, (5) specific latent heat, and (6) Boyle's Law, Charles' Law and the Pressure Law. This video analysis was triangulated using data from interviews with the three teachers. The findings revealed that the teachers possessed a variety of instructional strategies to teach the concepts in English and displayed commendable ingenuity to further facilitate student understanding by explaining in the Malay language when students experienced difficulty, while at the same time insisting that students used the appropriate English terms. In addition, when not familiar with certain physics apparatus, the teachers opted for simulations of the relevant experiments. As a result, the study has introduced a new component to PCK, i.e., the role of a second language in teaching science. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)
Senior Secondary Indian Students' Views about Global Warming, and Their Implications for Education
Author: Chhokar, Kiran
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Indians,Environmental Education,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Students,Climate,Life Style,Knowledge Level,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Comparative Analysis,Role of Education,Behavior Change,Age Differences

For individuals to make informed lifestyle choices that may help to reduce global warming, they need some understanding of this phenomenon and the factors that contribute to it. However, there is a &quot;gap&quot; between knowledge about global warming and willingness to take personal action. So, although education may be effective in enhancing student knowledge, the extent to which that knowledge leads to action is unclear. In order to explore this a 44-item questionnaire was designed to determine senior secondary students' views about how useful various specific actions in reducing global warming might be, and their willingness to undertake these various actions. The findings gave insight into the extent to which these two parameters might be linked. The instrument was administered to students in Grade 12 (n = 268) from four large schools in New Delhi, India. The findings indicated that this cohort of Indian students exhibited high levels of concern about global warming and a willingness to act to reduce it. These findings are tentatively compared with those younger students (Grade 6-10) within the same schools, and with those from two similar survey studies conducted in Western contexts (Spain and Australia). Implications for the role of environmental education in behaviour change are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)
Exploring South African Grade 11 Learners' Perceptions of Classroom Inquiry: Validation of a Research Instrument
Author: Dudu, Washington T.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Research Methodology,Content Validity,Correlation,Grade 11,Measures (Individuals),Semi Structured Interviews,Prediction,Scientific Research,Inquiry,Student Attitudes,Science Instruction,Regression (Statistics)

This paper discusses the adoption and validation of a research instrument, on determining learners' levels of perception of classroom inquiry based on data collected from South African Grade 11 learners. The Learners' Perception of Classroom Inquiry (LPCI) instrument consists only of Likert-type items which rank activities according to how often they occur. Learners' rankings were used to predict extent to which they are engaged in principles of scientific inquiry in the laboratory. Other data sources included expert and learner interviews for purposes of content validity and corroboration of learners' LPCI responses respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that all five inquiry facets correlate substantially with the total score of all the constructs. Results provide evidence of relevant satisfaction that relates mainly to the instrument having passed the test in terms of face, criterion, construct and content validity. On a wider scale and in larger populations, the instrument can be used with confidence. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Evaluating the Teaching Impact of a Prior, Context-Based, Professional Development Programme
Author: Valdmann, Ana
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Science Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Science Instruction,Chemistry,Biology,Professional Continuing Education,Inservice Teacher Education,Program Effectiveness,Learning Modules,Teaching Styles,Barriers,Teacher Attitudes,Interviews

This paper explores the impact of teacher involvement in a context-based teaching project, involving continuous professional development and classroom module implementation two years after the event. Five chemistry and biology teachers were interviewed to ascertain the degree of ownership gained from the project related to continued use of the teaching modules and a new type of teaching, structured on a 3 stage model. From one-on-one interviews, data was gathered and discussed related to the degree of continued use of modules, the teaching style used, obstacles to continued module use in the manner intended and the value of the continuous professional development sought. Recommendations were made for further continuous professional development which builds on the teaching model and which relates to a new style curriculum introduced into Estonia. (Contains 5 tables.)
Reclaiming the Territory: Understanding the Specialist Knowledge of ESL Education for Literacy, Curriculum, and Multilingual Learners
Author: Cross, Russell
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multilingualism,Monolingualism,Educational Change,Specialists,Politics of Education,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Literacy,Native Language,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Student Needs,Teaching Methods

This paper aims to (re)engage ESL with the broader literacy debate, by calling for a better recognition of what literacy means for second language learners within contemporary Australian education systems, and acknowledging the specialist professional knowledge that ESL teachers bring to the mainstream. The literacy debate that has shaped so much of the educational reform in the last 10-15 years has assumed an almost exclusively monolingual, mother-tongue orientation about what it means to be a user and learner of English. The result has been a muddying of the specialist needs of those learning the same skills in English as a second or additional language, and this paper seeks to identify what must be reclaimed in understanding the nature of those needs as a specialist area of teaching and learning.
Moving beyond an &quot;Instrumental&quot; Role for the First Languages of English Language Learners
Author: Coleman, Jackie
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Second Language Learning,Monolingualism,Metropolitan Areas,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Qualitative Research,Elementary School Teachers,Refugees,Teacher Attitudes,Language Role,Native Language,Language Usage,Transfer of Training,Literacy,Standardized Tests

This article is derived from a small study conducted within a larger qualitative study into the nature of the responses of mainstream primary teachers in a non-metropolitan area in Australia to the Sudanese refugee English Language Learners (ELLs) in their classes. It reports on findings in relation to teachers' attitudes toward the use of their ELLs' first language (L1) in their classrooms. The study found that teachers saw either no role, or an &quot;instrumental&quot; role (Creese &amp; Leung, 2003; Leung, 2005) only, for the L1 in their classrooms. None of the teachers articulated conceptualisations of the L1 as an academic resource which can be harnessed to open up curricular access for ELLs. These findings are considered through the lens of the Bourdieusian framework in which the study was carried out, utilising the concept of monolingual monocultural habitus developed by Gogolin (2002). Suggestions are then made for teacher professional learning. (Contains 1 figure.)
Incorporation of Source Material: The Effect of Instruction
Author: Storch, Neomy
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Academic Discourse,Writing (Composition),Second Language Learning,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Primary Sources,Task Analysis,Plagiarism,Citations (References),Foreign Countries,Foreign Students,College Students,Asians

An important aspect of advanced academic writing is the ability to incorporate source material. Yet this ability often poses considerable challenges for international ESL students. Although a number of scholars have called for the explicit teaching of how to acknowledge and incorporate source materials, research evidence on whether explicit instruction is effective is relatively scarce. This paper reports on a classroom based study which investigated the efficacy of such instruction. Using ESL learners' performance on two integrated tasks (pre and post instruction), the study investigated whether learners' use of sources improves in response to instruction. The study found that instruction seems to lead to a reduced reliance on the language of the source materials. However such decreased reliance on the language of the sources may lead to greater inaccuracies in the attempted interpretation and incorporation of ideas from the source texts. The findings suggest that the ability to incorporate source materials may follow a gradual developmental path and this in turn has implications not only for instruction but also for the development of appropriate descriptors to assess the ability to incorporate sources. (Contains 2 tables and 5 examples.)
International Pre-Service Teachers&apos; Self-Confidence in Critical Reflective Thinking and Writing through an Intercultural Patches Program
Author: Tangen, Donna
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Writing Processes,Writing Workshops,Foreign Countries,Reflection,Critical Thinking,Program Effectiveness,Preservice Teachers,Intercultural Communication,Cultural Awareness,Foreign Students,Self Efficacy,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teacher Education,College Faculty

This paper describes part of an action research study that was designed to explore the outcomes of an ongoing program in which the participants, a group of domestic and international pre-service teachers and lecturers, worked together in reflective writing workshops. While the primary long-term goal of the program was to develop the intercultural competence and understanding of all of the participants through social activities, the development of social relationships was initiated and supported by involving the participants in weekly writing workshops that focused on shared salient skills of critical reflective thinking and writing. The focus of this paper is upon the outcomes for the international students, a cohort of second year pre-service teachers from Malaysia. Findings indicated that the program was successful in developing the Malaysian pre-service teachers' self-confidence in perceiving themselves as writers and future teachers of writing, in shifting their focus from writing product to writing process and content, and in increasing the depth of their critical reflective thinking and writing.
Early Care and Education Leadership and Management Roles: Beyond Homes and Centers
Author: Whitebook, Marcy
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Professional Development,Child Care,Child Development,Individual Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics,Occupational Surveys,Employee Attitudes,Industrial Psychology,Mail Surveys,Delivery Systems,Demography,Educational Attainment,Employment Practices,Skill Analysis,Occupational Information,Early Childhood Education,Administrator Role,Educational Administration

This article reports on a study, among the first in the United States, to examine staff working in early care and education infrastructure organizations, a growing segment of the workforce. This exploratory study used an online survey of 1,091 staff in three different types of organizations in California that receive public funding--child care resource and referral programs, local child care coordinators, and local First 5 Commissions. This study develops a portrait of the demographic and education background of this segment of the workforce, the types of job functions performed, professional development needed, and how this population differs from the direct service workforce. Findings indicate that, like the direct service workforce, staff members in infrastructure organizations are ethnically and linguistically diverse, and they face job-level stratification based on these characteristics. The majority of staff provides direct services, such as training to child care providers, parents, and other organizations, and many are involved in research, planning, and development. Findings also indicate that the education and professional background of staff varies, and that child development, management, and supervision are areas in which staff members most identify wanting additional knowledge. These results, both promising and concerning, suggest that infrastructure staff play an integral role in shaping and delivering services and programs, yet little attention has been paid to their professional knowledge and needs, amplifying the necessity for further research to better understand the range of responsibilities of infrastructure staff and for policies to support their professional development. (Contains 6 tables, 2 figures, and 3 notes.)
Child Care in the American South: Poverty, Costs, and Quality
Author: Collins, Vikki K.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Wages,Poverty,Referral,Infant Care,Costs,Child Care,Early Childhood Education,Academic Achievement,Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Child Development,Scores,Probability,Statistics,Statistical Significance

High-quality child care has been shown to improve the academic success and life adjustments of children living in poverty. During the past decade, many American states have adopted voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement (QRI) systems in an attempt to increase the level of quality in child care. Using data compiled by the National Association of Child Care Resource &amp; Referral Agencies and the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2010, this study examined potential correlations between a variety of economic variables and the use or non-use of QRI systems in 14 states in the southern United States. Analyses of these data revealed no statistically significant relation between these states' implementation of QRI systems and several variables: full-time annual child care cost (center-based care or family child care) for infants and for 4-year-olds, annual infant care costs as a percentage of annual family median income (married-couple families and families headed by single females), annual child care worker wages, and annual mean wages for all occupations. The article concludes with recommendations for future research. (Contains 15 tables and 1 figure.)
Accessing Curriculum Through Technology Tools (ACTTT): A Model Development Project
Author: Daytner, Katrina M.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Concept Mapping,Communication Skills,Special Education,Disabilities,Early Childhood Education,Experimental Groups,Comparative Analysis,Grade 1,Grade 2,Kindergarten,At Risk Students

Accessing Curriculum Through Technology Tools (ACTTT), a project funded by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), developed and tested a model designed to allow children in early elementary school, including those &quot;at risk&quot; and with disabilities, to better access, participate in, and benefit from the general curriculum. Children in treatment classrooms participated in ACTTT's technology-based curriculum activities on a weekly basis. These activities led to many learning opportunities for children in the treatment groups. Children in treatment classrooms scored higher than children in comparison classrooms on all but 3 of the 22 technology skills assessed. In addition, children in treatment classrooms honed their social and communication skills; participated in planning, investigation, and problem-solving situations; and learned about organizing and concept mapping. All treatment teachers increased their technology skills, as well as their confidence with respect to technology over the course of the project and, as a group, outperformed comparison teachers. (Contains 1 figure and 9 tables.)
Examining the Definition and Measurement of Quality in Early Childhood Education: A Review of Studies Using the ECERS-R from 2003 to 2010
Author: La Paro, Karen M.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Definitions,Young Children,Rating Scales,Content Analysis,Educational Quality,Outcomes of Education,Child Development,Accountability,Evaluation

The field of early childhood education continues to grapple with the issue of understanding quality in classrooms. The lack of clarity in definition (or conceptualization) and related ability to assess (or operationalize) quality has contributed to a reliance on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R), which is often interpreted to be synonymous with the quality of a classroom. Likewise, the ECERS-R (although a measurement tool) is often used to define quality. Because of the widespread use of this measure as an evaluation tool, early childhood programs have strived to achieve high ratings on this measure, and subsequently the item content of the ECERS-R has often become a focus for quality enhancement initiatives. The present study examines the definitions of quality (i.e., how quality is operationalized) in research studies using the ECERS-R over the past 8 years (2003-2010). A content analysis of 76 studies conducted in the United States indicates that studies using the ECERS-R to operationalize quality do not use a consistent definition; instead they conceptualize quality in a variety of ways ranging from &quot;quality is ECERs&quot; or &quot;classroom quality&quot; to &quot;environmental quality.&quot; In light of these varying definitions, implications for research and policy in early childhood education are discussed.