ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Addressing the Declining Productivity of Higher Education Using Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. Stretching the Higher Education Dollar. Special Report 2
Author: Harris, Douglas N.
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,Academic Degrees,Educational Finance,Cost Effectiveness,High School Graduates,Costs,Public Policy,Productivity,Expenditures,College Attendance,Graduation Rate,Role,Resource Allocation,Decision Making,Educational Policy

Higher education productivity, as measured by academic degrees granted by American colleges and universities, is declining. Since the early 1990s, real expenditures on higher education have grown by more than 25 percent, now amounting to 2.9 percent of US gross domestic product (GDP)--greater than the percentage of GDP spent on higher education in almost any of the other developed countries. But while the proportion of high school graduates going on to college has risen dramatically, the percentage of entering college students &quot;finishing&quot; a bachelor's degree has at best increased only slightly or, at worst, has declined. What accounts for declining productivity in higher education? Prior research provides an array of potential explanations. Most analysts point to the role of rising costs, and others focus on declining degree attainment. Collectively, these explanations reinforce a widespread perception among higher education administrators and many scholars that productivity is impossible to control. In this paper, the author shows that policymakers and college leaders do in fact have some control over productivity, but generally lack the information necessary to take the appropriate steps toward improvement. Specifically, decision makers have little information about which programs, policies, and resource decisions are most cost-effective. Relative to other areas of public policy, cost-effectiveness analysis is rarely applied to specific education policies and programs. Even research that looks at the higher education system as a whole rarely considers the relationship between the costs and output--that is, productivity. This paper is one of three in a series on higher education costs. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table, and 64 notes.) [For the first report, &quot;Initiatives for Containing the Cost of Higher Education. Stretching the Higher Education Dollar. Special Report 1,&quot; see ED541921.]
Scaling Turnaround: A District-Improvement Approach. Education Outlook No. 3
Author: Zavadsky, Heather
Date: 2013-04-05
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Student Needs,Teaching Methods,Educational Change,School Districts,Educational Improvement,School Turnaround,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Low Achievement,Role,Educational Administration,Instructional Improvement

For years, US education reform has focused on simple, isolated reform elements such as promoting reading programs or redesigning individual schools. These efforts have only provided sporadic improvements in student achievement. School-level and single-focus reforms ultimately fail because they do not acknowledge the larger school system's role in supporting and creating capacity for the system's lowest-performing schools to improve. Driving excellent teaching and learning across schools necessitates considering how districts can be best structured to help schools meet unique student needs while maintaining alignment and system coherence. A handful of US school districts--Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, the School District of Philadelphia, Denver Public Schools, Sacramento City Unified School District, and Long Beach Unified School District--have yielded notable performance gains by employing systemic, district-led turnaround approaches, and provide important lessons for devising systemic turnaround or improvement efforts and overcoming the myriad associated obstacles. (Contains 4 notes.)
Initiatives for Containing the Cost of Higher Education. Stretching the Higher Education Dollar. Special Report 1
Author: Massy, William F.
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,Educational Change,Costs,Financial Audits,Public Colleges,Productivity,Public Policy,Best Practices,Databases,College Administration,Measurement,Technology Uses in Education,Models

In this article, the author offers a comprehensive reform agenda for policymakers interested in cost containment. Massy lays out a series of initiatives that, working in tandem, can promote the larger goal of compelling colleges to spend money wisely. Among the individual reforms Massy proposes are creating a national database of cost-containment practices, a &quot;Race to the Top&quot; for college productivity, and process audits for all public institutions. The primary aim, Massy contends, is to help provide the necessary information for a vibrant higher education market in a way that current policymakers and college leaders can get behind. This paper is one of three in a series on higher education costs. Proven and Emergent Good Practice Areas are appended. (Contains 1 figure and 35 notes.) [For related reports, see &quot;Addressing the Declining Productivity of Higher Education Using Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. Stretching the Higher Education Dollar. Special Report 2&quot; (ED541919) and &quot;Public Policies, Prices, and Productivity in American Higher Education. Stretching the Higher Education Dollar. Special Report 3&quot; (ED541913).]
An Interpretive Study into Elementary School English Teachers' Beliefs and Practices in Turkey
Author: Uztosun, Mehmet Sercan
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Policy,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,English Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Second Language Instruction,Elementary Education,Interviews,Vocabulary Development,Grammar,Theory Practice Relationship,Educational Objectives,Goal Orientation,Elementary School Teachers,Qualitative Research,Pilot Projects

This exploratory study seeks for understanding the relationship between Turkish elementary school English teachers' espoused beliefs about the effective ways of teaching English and their self-reported practices. 6 teachers, who were working at different state schools in a town located in the Northwestern part of Turkey, were interviewed. Interpretation of the data revealed inconsistency between teachers' beliefs and practices. Although there was a strong consensus that English should be taught communicatively, all participants reported that their teaching practices mainly focus on vocabulary and grammar. A number of factors hindering this consistency were mentioned such as exam-based educational policy, time constraints and overloaded syllabus. In the light of these, this study recommends changing the focus of current English testing system to using the language communicatively and implementing an adaptable curriculum where language learning objectives will be shifted from preparing students for the examinations to improving their competences in productive skills. (Contains 3 tables.)
Science Teachers' Views about the Science Fair at Primary Education Level
Author: Tortop, Hasan Said
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scientific Research,Foreign Countries,Science Teachers,Elementary School Students,Science Fairs,Science Programs,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Science,Developing Nations

Science fair is an environment where students present their scientific research projects. Opinions of science teachers who participated as a mentor in science fair are important for determining of the science fair quality and its contribution of science education. The aim of study was to determine science teachers' views about the science fair at primary education level in Turkey. In this qualitative study, seven science teachers who worked in a city in Turkey were interviewed regarding a national science fair called &quot;This is My Work Science and Mathematics Project Study for Elementary School Students&quot;. According to the interviews, the science teachers reported that students and their parents were indifferent to science fair; that they had difficulties developing a project idea; that students do not prepare the projects themselves but their parents or teachers do; and that science fair was important for developing certain skills of students. In developing countries, certain arrangements should be made in science programs as well as in science fair organizations to avoid transforming science fairs into a harmful tool. (Contains 2 tables.)
Implications from the Diagnosis of a School Culture at a Higher Education Institution
Author: Gun, Bahar
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Private Colleges,Teacher Attitudes,Semi Structured Interviews,School Culture,Higher Education,Mixed Methods Research,Rating Scales,Institutional Mission,Gender Differences,Predictor Variables,Status,Tenure,College Faculty

Probing into the school culture is the first step for the enhancement of the effectiveness of any school. Conducted in an English-medium private university in Turkey, this study aims at exploring teachers' perceptions of existing school culture to provide enriched and contemporary understandings of that culture, as well as making implications regarding understanding and improving school culture. Quantitative data was collected using the School Culture Survey (SCS) developed by Gruenert and Valentine, and the School Culture Triage, developed by Wagner and Masden-Copas; and qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with a sample group of teachers from the school. The results suggest that three dominant aspects of the culture of the school studied are collegial support and collaboration, collaborative leadership and unity of purpose. The outcomes of this research study facilitate a &quot;personal critique&quot; for the given school, and implications can be extended to institutions operating in similar settings. (Contains 8 tables.)
Beyond the Classroom: Religious Stressors and Adjustment among Indonesian Muslim Graduate Students in an American Graduate School
Author: Mukminin, Amirul
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Muslims,Graduate Students,Foreign Students,Student Experience,Student Adjustment,Religious Factors,Acculturation,Stress Variables,Student Surveys,Interviews,Phenomenology,Foreign Countries

This paper was to report some of findings from a larger phenomenological study on the lived experience of Indonesian graduate students in a US higher education. Particularly, this paper was to discuss the Indonesian Muslim graduate students' religious life experiences attending an American graduate school. The primary data sources were a demographic survey and in-depth interviews. The demographic data were analyzed descriptively. The interviews were analyzed by using within-case and cross-case displays and analyses. The theoretical framework of acculturation stress model was used to guide this study. Utilizing the acculturation stress model to describe Indonesian Muslim graduate students' cross-culture experiences, we organized our analysis and discussion around their perspectives and the contexts in which challenges they encountered emerge. An analysis of the text revealed that major themes related to religious beliefs and life experiences were unanticipated praying difficulties, longer fasting days, no holiday for Ramadan (the holy month of Muslims) celebration, no taraweeh (Muslim prayer peculiar to the holy month of Ramadan) prayers in mosque during Ramadan, and rare halal food, and decreasing religious stressors. Future higher education research and policy implications are also discussed. (Contains 1 note.)
Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program for Preschool Children in an Urban Private School in California: A Case Study
Author: Cao, Yuan
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Strategies,Immersion Programs,Preschool Children,Private Schools,Mandarin Chinese,Interviews,Urban Schools,Second Language Instruction

This study enlisted language immersion practitioners in highlighting and exploring the issues and challenges that accompany language immersion education. Comprehensive focused personal interviews of preschool Mandarin Chinese language immersion educators in a private school provided the basis of the study. The research literature reviewed indicated that when young children learn a new language it benefits them later in their education. These students have increased competency in their second language compared to children who do not received language instruction in early childhood. Four professionals who are bilingual in English and Mandarin, and one expert in immersion program were interviewed; all four participants worked in a Chinese Mandarin private preschool in the San Francisco area. Following an analysis of responses, the professionals outlined different instructional strategies and various challenges that characterize language immersion education. The study also provides a coherent comparison of this analysis with previous research works in adding value to language immersion schooling.
Teacher Representations of English as a Foreign Language: Case Study of Two Teachers in Turkey
Author: Turkan, Sultan
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Tests,English (Second Language),Developing Nations,Foreign Countries,Data Analysis,Grade 12,Test Preparation,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Social Mobility,Language Role,Case Studies,College Entrance Examinations,Testing,Teacher Attitudes,Guidelines,Classroom Techniques,High Stakes Tests,Diaries,Interviews,Observation,Multiple Choice Tests,Reading Skills,Language Teachers

In a developing nation like Turkey, the English language plays a significant role in educational and socioeconomic mobility. English is acquired and taught as a foreign language (EFL) primarily in the classrooms. However, the ways in which English language is represented in classroom instruction have been hardly examined and understood. With that, this paper aims to depict two teachers' representations of the English language as influenced by a university entrance English language test administered in 2008 in Turkey. The two teachers' representations of the English language are projected from a 12th grade classroom at an Anatolian Lycee located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Doyle's task framework is employed, specifically in order to map what content representations emerged out of the teachers' classroom practices. Data sources include biweekly teacher logs, biweekly interviews, and biweekly classroom observations. The paper highlights that the two teachers' classroom representations of English were entrenched with the idea of high-stakes test preparation for university admissions as they deemed test preparation as a major part of their classroom instruction. That is, representations of the English language were contracted to tested structures and items. The paper illustrates the teachers' representations of reading and grammar with the insight that division of labour, though not in the form of collaboration, made it possible for the teachers to cope with the contraction effect of test preparation. The following are appended: (1) Multiple-Choice Reading Exercise; (2) Reading Exercise; and (3) Codes for Data Analysis. (Contains 1 table.)
Views of Teachers on the Use of Drama Method in Science and Technology Courses
Author: Duban, Nil Yildiz
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Technology Education,Elementary School Science,Hands on Science,Semi Structured Interviews,Drama,Teaching Methods,Scientific Concepts,Animation,Experiential Learning,Role Playing,Qualitative Research,Teacher Attitudes

The aim of this study is to identify the views of the teachers on the use of drama as a teaching method in the science and technology courses. In the current study, qualitative research method was used. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study were selected via maximum variation sampling. The participants consisted of 25 primary school (classroom) teachers teaching in primary schools located in the city-center and county centers of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. The reliability of the interviews was found to be 89%. The findings show that drama can sometimes be used for science and technology topics. Most of the participants reported that the material in science and technology course was easier to learn through drama. While some of the participants make preparations to use drama, others use it without any preparation whenever they feel that the use of drama is appropriate. The participants made several recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the drama method. These recommendations apply to school administrations, teachers, and the Ministry of National Education. (Contains 6 tables.)
Developing and Evaluating an Eighth Grade Curriculum Unit That Links Foundational Chemistry to Biological Growth: Using Student Measures to Evaluate the Promise of the Intervention
Author: Herrmann-Abell, Cari F.
Date: 2013-04-04
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Middle School Students,Grade 8,Chemistry,Biology,Secondary School Science,Intervention,Units of Study,Curriculum Development,Curriculum Evaluation,Misconceptions,Pretests Posttests,Difficulty Level,Test Items

Students often have trouble understanding key biology ideas, in part because they lack an understanding of foundational chemistry ideas. AAAS [American Association for the Advancement of Science] is collaborating with BSCS [Biological Sciences Curriculum Study] in the development of a curriculum unit that connects core chemistry and biology ideas in order to help eighth grade students build the conceptual foundation needed for high school biology. The unit is designed to engage students in (a) observing phenomena that are explicitly aligned to the targeted ideas and address common student misconceptions and difficulties and (b) using models to help interpret the phenomena in light of the targeted ideas. An initial draft of the unit was pilot tested at two schools in 2011. The results of the pilot test were used to revise the unit. In the spring of 2012, the revised unit and teacher materials were field tested with 677 eighth grade students from four states across the U.S. Pretests and posttests were used to measure the change in students' understanding of chemical reactions, conservation of mass, and biological growth. The data were analyzed using Rasch modeling and the racking and stacking methods. The stacking method showed that, overall, the students made statistically significant gains, suggesting that their understanding of the targeted ideas improved. The racking method showed that the difficulty of most of the items decreased as a result of the intervention, suggesting that the unit successfully covered most of the ideas. An analysis of distractor selections and written explanations of their answer choices showed that fewer students held misconceptions after participating in the unit. These results were used to inform a second round of revisions to the unit. (Contains 10 tables and 3 figures.)
Professional Problems Experienced by Information Technology Teachers and Suggested Solutions: Longitudinal Survey
Author: Keser, Hafize
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Longitudinal Studies,Case Studies,Questionnaires,Surveys,Content Analysis,Qualitative Research,Computer Science Education,Information Technology,Educational Policy,Program Implementation,Program Effectiveness,Barriers,Elementary School Curriculum,Secondary School Curriculum,Student Teaching,Preservice Teachers,Problems,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Technology

The study aimed to determine the opinions of teacher candidates in the fourth year of Computer Education &amp; Instructional Technologies department (CEIT) on the Problems Experienced by Information Technology (IT) Teachers and Suggested Solutions and it has been designed in case study routine taking place within qualitative research tradition and in a longitudinal survey model.  The final year IT teacher candidates receiving education in Ankara University Educational Sciences Faculty CEIT department in academic years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 have formed the study group of the research (N = 123). The data obtained in the research by open-end questionnaire have been analysed and interpreted by inductive encoding technique, frequency analysis and descriptive content analysis. At the end of the study carried out, it has been determined that the IT teacher candidates have handled in two sub-dimensions the problems experienced by the IT teachers, these being, problems towards the courses the IT teachers attend and problems regarding the professional lives of IT teachers and suggested solutions in line with these. The leading problems towards the courses the IT teachers attend are that the courses are optional, the courses are grade-free, the course hours are few, the significance of IT not being comprehended very well by the executives, teachers, parents and students, inadequacy of physical means of IT classes and references of the course. And, the main problems regarding professional lives of IT course teachers are  the duty, power and responsibility of IT teachers not made clear enough, difficulties in formative teacher practice, course hours which have to be completed by IT teachers not being able to be completed and problem of permanent staff,  the courses that must be attended by IT teachers being taught by teachers from other branches, lack of executives and experts trained from a field to supervise IT and formative teachers. And, the suggested leading solutions of participants on the problems experienced are that the duty, power and responsibility of IT teachers have to be made clear and some regulations must be made towards IT courses. Moreover, in the study, the teacher candidates have reported that the FATIH project started to be applied could be a chance to overcome such problems. (Contains 6 tables.)
Factors Motivating and Hindering Information and Communication Technologies Action Competence
Author: Kurt, Adile Askim
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,State Universities,Preservice Teachers,Educational Technology,Computer Science Education,Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Qualitative Research,Semi Structured Interviews,Citizen Participation,Motivation,Barriers,Influences,Identification,Content Analysis,Social Responsibility,Critical Thinking,Social Problems,Problem Solving

Information and Communication Technologies Action Competence (ICTAC) can be defined as &quot;individuals' motivation and capacity to voluntarily employ their ICT skills for initiating or taking part in civic actions&quot;. Since academic staff and teachers in ICT related fields have crucial roles in training action-competent individuals, this study aimed to determine the views of preservice teachers and instructors in Computer Education and Instructional Technology (CEIT) departments about the motivating and hindering factors regarding ICTAC. Researchers used purposeful sampling technique and identified seven instructors and 16 students attending outlier CEIT departments from four different Turkish state universities. Since there is no contemporary framework on factors motivating or hindering ICTAC, the study was conducted with a qualitative approach and the data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Factors motivating and hindering ICTAC were identified through a content analysis. Findings of the study are believed to guide ICT and ICT education professionals in training students with higher levels of ICTAC and guide the course developers to focus on relevant social responsibility issues. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.) [The present study is conducted through the funding provided by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for the project entitled &quot;Information and Communication Technologies Action Competence&quot; (Project Id: 110K565).]