ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Effects of Project-Based Learning Strategy on Self-Directed Learning Skills of Educational Technology Students
Author: Bagheri, Mohsen
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Active Learning,Student Projects,Learning Strategies,Independent Study,Educational Technology,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Education Courses,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Teaching Methods,Conventional Instruction,Comparative Analysis,Learning Readiness,Measures (Individuals),Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Randomized Controlled Trials,Scores,Undergraduate Students

Given the importance of globalization as well as the need to train skilled and knowledgeable employees for the 21st century workforce, higher education needs to take a more critical look at the educational practices and instructional methods which lead to improvements in students' essential skills such as self-directed learning. This study sought to examine the effects of project-based learning (PoBL) strategy on students' self-directed learning skills in a system-based education course offered in the educational technology department of Arak University in Iran. In order to achieve this end, a sample of 78 students in the field of educational technology who enrolled in the system-based education course was selected. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: the experimental group (PoBL strategy) and control group (conventional teaching strategy). The self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) was administrated three times (i.e. pretest, post-test one, and post-test two). The experimental group received the PoBL strategy and the control group was exposed to conventional teaching (CT) methods. The results of two-way repeated measure ANOVA tests revealed that students who were taught using PoBL strategy performed significantly better in terms of self-directed learning skills than did students who were taught using CT strategy.
Teachers' Access to and Use of ICT: An Indicator of Growing Inequity in Swedish Schools
Author: Thunman, Elin
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Access to Computers,National Surveys,Teacher Characteristics,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Public Schools,Private Schools,Questionnaires,Technological Literacy

In light of how the knowledge society may give rise to new forms of inequity in schools, the purpose of this article is to examine the stratification of Swedish schoolteachers' access to and use of ICT. The empirical data consist of a nationwide survey conducted in 2010, involving 6000 Swedish teachers in all grades (except pre-school and university). Accounting for teachers' age, gender, grade, and principal organization, bivariate analyses were conducted. The study finds significant differences between teacher's age and principal organization, indicating a growing gap between teachers in public versus independent schools. The finding is discussed in relation to the current research and its potential consequences for equitable learning activities.
Patterns and Pedagogy: Exploring Student Blog Use in Higher Education
Author: Pursel, Barton K.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Publishing,Web Sites,Statistical Analysis,Comparative Analysis,Correlation,Grade Point Average,Technology Uses in Education,Web 2.0 Technologies,Internet,Undergraduate Students,Multivariate Analysis,College Instruction,Adoption (Ideas)

As social and collaborative technologies emerge, educators and scholars continue to explore and experiment with how these tools might impact pedagogy. For over a decade, educators experimented with the use of blogs in academic settings, a tool that allows for students and instructors to enter into a rich dialogue. With most technology tools, users often leave 'digital footprints' throughout the environment. These footprints, in combination with other sources of data, allow researchers to explore relationships between the tool itself and the different types of end users. This study examines two years of institutional blog data, combined with demographic data to help describe the users of a blog platform. Different clusters of users are uncovered, and various use cases are explored, illustrating how different instructors choose to leverage blogs in the flow of a course. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare different blogging groups, results show a strong correlation between entry-dominant bloggers and growth in Grade Point Average (GPA) over time. With the rise in popularity of learning analytics, the results of this study might influence future learning analytics tools and systems.
Perceived Learning and Satisfaction in a Blended Teacher Education Program: An Experience of Malaysian Teacher Trainees
Author: Karimi, Leila
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Multivariate Analysis,Correlation,Teacher Education Programs,Teacher Education,Blended Learning,Student Satisfaction,Statistical Analysis,Case Studies,Questionnaires,Synchronous Communication,Electronic Learning,Preservice Teachers

Blended learning, as a new approach to education, is rapidly being adopted by educational institutions for the purpose of teacher education or teacher training. This study reports the results of a survey exploring the relationships between perceived learning and satisfaction in a blended teacher education program among three different groups of specialization at the Institute of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). This study was mainly exploratory in nature, employing specifically the quantitative research method, utilizing cross-sectional survey as the method of data collection. The respondents consisted of 170 teacher trainees who were randomly selected through quota sampling. The instrument used to collect data was a modified questionnaire that measured the respondents' perception of learning and satisfaction in the blended teacher education program. The respondents reported high levels of perceived learning and satisfaction toward the blended teacher education program. The results showed positive and moderate correlation between perceived learning and satisfaction, while there was no statistically significant difference among all groups of teacher trainees' perception of learning and satisfaction.
Investigating the Role of Collective Trust, Collective Efficacy, and Enabling School Structures on Overall School Effectiveness
Author: Gray, Julie
Date: 2016-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Role,Trust (Psychology),Socioeconomic Status,School Effectiveness,Teacher Attitudes,Cooperation,Elementary School Teachers,Likert Scales,Multiple Regression Analysis

This study investigated the role of collective trust, collective efficacy, and enabling school structures on overall school effectiveness. While the concept of organizational effectiveness can be complex and difficult to measure, the results of this research demonstrated a connection of these variables to school effectiveness. Collective trust had a strong influence on organizational effectiveness, controlling for all the other variables including SES. This finding was consistent with earlier work of Tarter and Hoy (2004), which also indicated the significance of trust in teachers' perceptions of school effectiveness.
New Literacies for Digital Citizenship
Author: Simsek, Eylem
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Citizenship,Technological Literacy,Democracy,Internet,Social Responsibility

The meaning of citizenship has usually been associated with the power of individuals in the process of social decision-making. Throughout the history, effective citizenship has required functional literacy skills as the fundamental factor for attending societal life. In the past, the 3Rs (writing, reading, and arithmetic) were considered to be enough for a normal citizen because people could communicate satisfactorily based on these skills in public spheres. They could also benefit through traditional literacy skills from the mainstream communication channels like newspaper, radio, and television. Depending on the linear characteristic of the mass media, participation of citizens was limited in the social arena. However, new communication technologies have changed the nature and scope of citizenship. New kinds of literacies have emerged regarding the new media such as Internet, Web, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Facebook, mobile technologies and so forth. Today's citizens are expected to attend social processes anytime and anywhere. Thus, they are required to have mastery in new literacies which allow them to use all kinds of emerging technologies to share their views and make their voices heard. In fact, this comes as a requisite for real democracy because digital citizenship is largely based on contemporary literacy skills in which the technology plays an important role. This paper elaborates various kinds of new literacies and discusses their relationships with the current practices of digital citizenship from a technological perspective.
Using the Diffusion of Innovation Theory to Explain the Degree of English Teachers' Adoption of Interactive Whiteboards in the Modern Systems School in Jordan: A Case Study
Author: Jwaifell, Mustafa
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,English (Second Language),Workshops,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Dialogs (Language),Females,Language Teachers,Educational Technology,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries,Innovation,Observation,Teacher Attitudes,Semi Structured Interviews,Decision Making

This study aimed to explain the use of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) by English female teachers in Modern Systems School in Jordan. Viewed from the lens of Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Theory, the study examined and reported teachers' use of IWB and its features that have impact on their decisions to adopt it in Modern Systems School . The study employed the qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through different ways such as semi-structured interviews, document reviews, and participatory observations. Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovations theory was used to guide the investigation. The study concluded that the extent of teachers' use of IWB is related to their perceptions of the five major attributes: Relative advantages, compatibility, simplicity, trialability, and observability. The regular use of IWB has shifted the teachers' methodologies of teaching from traditional ways to using dialogues, open sources, and group work. The study finally recommended giving more attention to training workshops regarding how to integrate IWB into the educational process.
Organizational Practices of High-Achieving Rural School Districts in California&apos;s San Joaquin Valley
Author: Doerksen, Amanda López
Date: 2016-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High Achievement,Rural Schools,Best Practices,Academic Achievement,School Districts,Educational Practices,Identification,Case Studies,Statistical Analysis,Administrator Attitudes,Semi Structured Interviews,Qualitative Research,Focus Groups,Teacher Attitudes,Standards

For over 25 years, researchers have identified &quot;best practices&quot; used by high-achieving school districts. However, little research exists regarding rural school systems, making it difficult to determine whether the best practices identified are relevant within this context. This study filled a void in research by focusing on the organizational practices of high-achieving, rural school districts. The findings from this study demonstrate the complex interrelatedness of organizational practices and the variables that attribute to internal coherence within a district, which resulted in higher levels of student achievement. The findings provide educators with a greater understanding of organizational practices that may assist rural and other school districts in identifying, understanding, and engaging in organizational practices that lead to high academic achievement.
Blogging for Teaching and Learning: An Examination of Experience, Attitudes, and Levels of Thinking
Author: Li, Kun
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Publishing,Technology Uses in Education,Web Sites,Diaries,Content Analysis,Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Critical Thinking,Mixed Methods Research,Online Surveys,Focus Groups,Peer Influence,Technological Literacy,Prior Learning

Blogs have been widely used in education since their emergence. Educational researchers and practitioners have integrated blogs into teaching and learning in different subject areas, but does blog use encourage critical thinking? This paper presents a study, which explores peer commenting for critical thinking in blog writing. In order to discover blogging for skill development, survey method and focus group were employed in this study. Results of blog content analysis indicate levels of critical thinking remain constant with or without peer commenting. Based on the findings, recommendations are provided for effective use of blogs for instruction.
Adaptive Learning Systems: Beyond Teaching Machines
Author: Kara, Nuri
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Teaching Machines,Computer Assisted Instruction,Instructional Design,Learning Processes,Educational Environment,Educational Benefits,Electronic Learning,Individualized Instruction,Constructivism (Learning)

Since 1950s, teaching machines have changed a lot. Today, we have different ideas about how people learn, what instructor should do to help students during their learning process. We have adaptive learning technologies that can create much more student oriented learning environments. The purpose of this article is to present these changes and its effects on learning environment. First, after explaining the concepts of teaching machines and adaptive learning systems including their main features as well as integral components, similarities and differences between these technologies are discussed briefly. Then, following the discussion on weaknesses and strengths of adaptive learning systems, what instructional designers should consider in developing and using them are mentioned.
Social Justice Alert: Future Innovators and Leaders Fall Behind in Academic Achievement
Author: Kim, JoHyun
Date: 2016-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Trend Analysis,Academic Achievement,Academically Gifted,Scores,School Districts,Achievement Tests,Standardized Tests,Longitudinal Studies,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Science Achievement,Student Characteristics,Gender Differences,Ethnicity,Socioeconomic Status,Social Justice,Equal Education,Achievement Gap,Elementary Secondary Education

This study examined the achievement trends of advanced learners and the relationship between Illinois' school district characteristics and student performance using Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) scores. The 3rd grade students scoring in the Exceeds category in ISAT reading and math within 707 Illinois school districts during the school year 2006-2007 formed the cohort groups and were followed longitudinally through the 8th grade. On ISAT reading and math, the pattern of losing advanced learners occurred. For science, increasing proportion of Exceeds students was observed. Significant differences were found by gender, ethnicity, and district socioeconomic status. This study shed many remarkable findings that merit further discussion of policy making and future research.
The Effects of Font Type and Spacing of Text for Online Readability and Performance
Author: Hojjati, Nafiseh
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Layout (Publications),Printing,Word Processing,Design,Visual Aids,Printed Materials,Readability,Reading Rate,Reading Comprehension,Computers,Computer System Design,Computer Mediated Communication,Design Preferences,Retention (Psychology),Graduate Students,Foreign Countries,Hypothesis Testing,Statistical Analysis

Texts are a group of letters which are printed or displayed in a particular style and size. In the course of the fast speed of technological development everywhere and expanding use of computer based instruction such as online courses, students spend more time on a computer screen than printed media. Texts have been the main element to convey messages. It has also been a significant component for learning. The main goal of this research is to measure the effects of font type and spacing of on screen text and its readability in improving and boosting the learner's ability to read easily, recall information, and enhance their reading speed and comprehension from on screen text with different topics. The readability of text on screens is necessary to ensure effective engagement in order to enhance the level of students' readability. For this purpose two font types were selected, Times New Roman (serif) and Verdana (san serif) for the respondents. Verdana was designed only for computer screens display. Readability test on a computer screen was conducted on 30 postgraduate students. Overall, the results showed that there was a significant difference between the readability of serif and san serif font type of on-screen display. The research findings suggest Verdana font type as a better choice in displaying long text for on-screen display.
Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of Technology in Schools
Author: Waxman, Hersh C.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Computer Mediated Communication,Teaching Methods,Information Management,Gender Differences,Experience,Interviews,Questionnaires

A sample of 311 principals from a large metropolitan area in the southwest region of the U. S. responded to a questionnaire that addressed public school principals' perceptions related to the major functions of technology in their schools. Principals reported that the major functions of technology were: (a) communication, (b) instruction, (c) data sharing and management, (d) a resource, (e) administrative tasks, and (f) student learning. Male principals felt that technology was used as a resource and for administrative tasks more than female principals. Furthermore, principals with 12 or more years of experience perceived that technology was used for instruction, data sharing and management, and administrative tasks more than principals with less than 12 years of experience. These results indicate that both gender and years of experience influence how principals perceive the functions of technology in their schools. This could affect the technology leadership of principals, which may influence the success of technology implementation in schools.
Current and Future Education Leaders&apos; Perceptions of Race to the Top&apos;s Teacher Evaluation and Compensation Components, before and after Implementation
Author: Smith, Orin
Date: 2016-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Student Attitudes,Educational Legislation,Federal Aid,Federal Programs,Federal Legislation,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Salaries,Compensation (Remuneration),Program Implementation,Longitudinal Studies,Value Added Models,Administrator Attitudes,Likert Scales,Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Correlation,Educational Change,Attitude Change,Statistical Significance,Poverty

This longitudinal study examined the professional perceptions of educational leaders as to the fairness and impact of teacher evaluation and compensation reforms under Race to the Top. The study surveyed graduate students in education and educational leadership programs to assess changes in their perceptions from prior to RTTT implementation (2011) to the initiative's final funding year (2014). Study results revealed a negative general trajectory for perceptions of the fairness and impact of RTTT reforms between 2011 and 2014. The evaluation and compensation components, including value-added models, were viewed less favorably among administrative and instructional personnel in almost all areas surveyed.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Technology as a Global Learning Tool: Information Systems Success and Control Belief Perspectives
Author: Chen, Charlie C.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Factor Analysis,Correlation,Item Analysis,Hypothesis Testing,Structural Equation Models,Global Approach,Foreign Countries,Behavior Theories,Electronic Learning,Undergraduate Students,User Satisfaction (Information),Intercultural Communication,College Students,Questionnaires,Path Analysis,Beliefs,Internet,Telecommunications,Information Systems,Videoconferencing,Computer Mediated Communication,Student Surveys

Voice over Internet Protocol- (VoIP) enabled online learning service providers struggling with high attrition rates and low customer loyalty issues despite VoIP's high degree of system fit for online global learning applications. Effective solutions to this prevalent problem rely on the understanding of system quality, information quality, and individual beliefs about the usefulness of this technology. This research aims to provide insights into increasing the loyalty of users to VoIP-enabled global learning programs from the perspectives of information systems (IS) success and control belief. A theoretical model is proposed to integrate seven major constructs of IS success and planned behavior theory. We tested our model using the path analysis of data collected from an experiment where 66 undergraduate students from the USA and Taiwan worked in pairs using Skype to improve their English and intercultural communication skills. Data analysis results showed that information quality and perceived behavioral control are much more important than system quality in increasing satisfaction with the use of Skype. An increase in user satisfaction can lead to an improvement in intercultural communication competence and to increased user loyalty. Theoretical and practical implications are drawn from the findings to conclude this study.
Plagiarism: Examination of Conceptual Issues and Evaluation of Research Findings on Using Detection Services
Author: Konstantinidis, Angelos
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Plagiarism,Ethics,Student Behavior,College Students,Computer Software,Teacher Attitudes,Cheating,Program Effectiveness,Student Attitudes

The purpose of this review is to analyze and evaluate the research findings on using Plagiarism Detection Services (PDS) in universities. In order to do that, conceptual issues about plagiarism are examined and the complex nature of plagiarism is discussed. Subsequently, the pragmatic forms of student plagiarism are listed and PDS strategies on detecting plagiarism are accounted briefly. Research findings are categorized into four interconnected areas: (a) effectiveness and efficiency of PDS; (b) university and course context; (c) perceptions and attitudes towards use of PDS from educators; and (d) perceptions and attitudes towards use of PDS from students. Finally, the authors discuss their own perspective on the issue of implementing PDS in various educational contexts.