ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Interactivity in Educational Apps for Young Children: A Multimodal Analysis
Author: Blitz-Raith, Alexandra H.
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interaction,Computer Oriented Programs,Educational Technology,Educational Games,Preschool Children,Semiotics,Cognitive Ability,Discourse Analysis,Data Analysis

Interactivity is an important indicator of an educational app's reception. Since most educational apps are multimodal, it justifies a methodological initiative to understand meaningful involvement of multimodality in enacting and even amplifying interactivity in an educational app. Yet research so far has largely concentrated on algorithm construct and user feedback rather than on multimodal interactions, especially from a social semiotics perspective. Drawing from social semiotics approaches, this article proposes a multimodal analytic framework to examine three layers of mode in engendering interaction; namely, multiplicity, function, and relationship. Using the analytic framework in an analysis of The Farm Adventure for Kids, a popular educational app for pre-school children, we found that still images are dominant proportionally and are central in the interactive process. We also found that tapping still images of animals on screen is the main action, with other screen actions deliberately excluded. Such findings suggest that aligning children's cognitive and physical capabilities to the use of mode become the primary consideration in educational app design and that consistent attendance to this alignment in mobilizing modes significantly affect an educational app's interactivity, and consequently its reception by young children.
Debate Instruction in EFL Classroom: Impacts on the Critical Thinking and Speaking Skill
Author: Iman, Jaya Nur
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Critical Thinking,Speech Skills,Debate,Quasiexperimental Design,Pretests Posttests,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Persuasive Discourse,English (Second Language),Student Improvement,Achievement Gains,High School Seniors,Regression (Statistics),Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis

The research was aimed to find out whether or not using debate significantly improved the students' critical thinking and speaking skill achievements and how much debate contributed to each aspect of critical thinking and speaking skill. A quasi-experimental study of non-equivalent pretest- posttest control group design was used in this research. The findings showed that (1) there was a significant improvement in critical thinking and speaking skill, (2) there was also a significant mean difference between the experimental and control groups, (3) there was high contribution of the debate toward the whole aspects of critical thinking (0.821 or 82.1%). Partially, the contribution of each aspect of Critical Thinking (CT) toward critical thinking (total) achievement was as follows: context was 32.3%, issue was 26.2%, implication was 20.1%, and assumption was 6.6%. On the other side, there was high contribution of the debate toward the whole aspects of Speaking Skill (0.961 or 96.1%). Partially, the contribution of each aspect of Speaking Skill (SS) toward Speaking Skill (total) achievement was as follows: fluency was 67.4%, grammar was 13.7%, pronunciation was 8.3%, comprehension was 5.4%, and vocabulary was 1.4%.
The Role of Input and Output Tasks in Grammar Instruction: Theoretical, Empirical and Pedagogical Considerations
Author: Benati, Alessandro
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Task Analysis,Grammar,Second Language Learning,Teaching Methods,Role,Linguistic Input,Language Processing,Instructional Effectiveness,Intervention,Linguistic Theory,Language Universals,Cooperative Learning,Sociocultural Patterns

In this paper, a review of the role of input, output and instruction in second language acquisition is provided. Several pedagogical interventions in grammar instruction (e.g., processing instruction, input enhancement, structured output and collaborative output tasks) are presented and their effectiveness reviewed. A final and overall evaluation is provided at the end of the paper.
Transitional Woes: On the Impact of L2 Input Continuity from Primary to Secondary School
Author: Pfenninger, Simone E.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Linguistic Input,Second Language Learning,Curriculum Design,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Teaching Methods,Mixed Methods Research,Student Attitudes,Self Efficacy,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Holistic Approach,Articulation (Education),Learning Experience,Essays,Longitudinal Studies,Case Studies,Language Proficiency,Age Differences

In this paper, we discuss the problem of articulation between levels in the educational system, as the transition from a rather more communicative, content-based and holistic approach to English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching at primary level to more formal and explicit ways of foreign language (FL) teaching at secondary is often experienced as problematic by students and teachers alike (see, e.g., Muñoz, Tragant, &amp; Camuñas, 2015). The results of a mixed methods analysis are presented, in which we analyzed, through a questionnaire and language experience essays, perceived continuity between input received in primary school and secondary school, as well as learners' beliefs, attitudes and self-efficacy before and after they transitioned to secondary school. Twelve primary schools and six secondary schools in Switzerland participated in the study, with a total of 280 early learners of EFL (biological age 12-13 years, age of onset 8 years). We will argue that one of the main reasons why early FL instruction seems not to bear fruit later in secondary school is that, on the one hand, coherence in curriculum design and practice vary in a few--but crucial--aspects within and between primary schools. On the other hand, the fact that secondary education becomes a meeting point for mixed ability classes also seems to mitigate the potential advantages of an earlier start.
Are Prospective English Teachers Linguistically Intelligent?
Author: Tezel, Kadir Vefa
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Aptitude,Scores,Selection Criteria,Multiple Intelligences,High Schools,Gender Differences,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Preservice Teachers,Institutional Characteristics,Language Teachers,Teacher Education,Foreign Countries,Measures (Individuals),Correlation,Statistical Analysis

Language is normally associated with linguistic capabilities of individuals. In the theory of multiple intelligences, language is considered to be related primarily to linguistic intelligence. Using the theory of Multiple Intelligences as its starting point, this descriptive survey study investigated to what extent prospective English teachers' high school education contributed to the development of linguistic intelligence which is essential for language teachers. The data were collected, using the Teele Inventory of Multiple Intelligences. The results showed that of the seven intelligences in the inventory, linguistic intelligence was not the most dominant intelligence of the participants. Variables such as the type of high school the students graduated from, the number of years of English learning, and gender did not have any effect on the linguistic intelligence scores of prospective English teachers either. The findings indicate that a change in the criteria of selection needs to be made in admitting prospective language teachers to universities.
Co-Operation is Not Enough: Teacher Educators as Curriculum Developers in Times of Change
Author: Hoydalsvik, Torhild Erika Lillemark
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Teacher Educators,Teacher Role,Preservice Teachers,Curriculum Development,Teacher Education Programs,Interdisciplinary Approach,Semi Structured Interviews,Focus Groups,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries,Preschool Teachers,Educational Change,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Leadership Role,Program Implementation

The purpose of this exploratory two site case study is to examine how teacher educators, student teachers and programme leaders experience their 'curriculum developer role' in times of change, against the background of a new national guideline for preschool teacher education being implemented in Norway. The multidisciplinary team approach established by policy for this reform is examined as a strategy to create coherent programmes. Data collected for the study include fifteen semi-structured interviews and four focus groups conducted at two educational institutions. Qualitative data processing software is used to process four stages of qualitative data analysis. The evidence indicates that the actors involved experienced the &quot;reproduction&quot; of curriculum elements from before the recent reform to a modest extent. Most frequently, they describe incorporation of earlier practices, &quot;moderate translation,&quot; in order to meet the demands of multiple disciplines. &quot;Radical translation&quot; also takes place as part of their new collaborative role.
The Effect of Literature Circles on Text Analysis and Reading Desire
Author: Karatay, Halit
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Attitudes,Literature,Teaching Methods,Reading Comprehension,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Comparative Analysis,Preservice Teachers,Turkish,Student Interests,Action Research,Instructional Effectiveness,Self Esteem,Student Attitudes,Critical Thinking,Cooperative Learning,Reading Skills,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Reading Instruction,Teacher Education,Statistical Analysis

In order to make teaching activities more appealing, different techniques and strategies have been constantly employed. This study utilized the strategy of &quot;literature circles&quot; to improve the text-analysis skills, reading desires, and interests of prospective teachers of Turkish. &quot;Literature circles&quot; was not chosen to be used as the sole strategy throughout the entire weekly class hours; instead, it was used only for one class hour of every weekly four-hour classes, being complementary to and supportive of other teaching activities. The study was carried out as action research. A total of 92 third-year students in two sections of the department of Turkish Education voluntarily participated in the study. In order to improve the students' book reviewing skills and reading interests, &quot;literature circles&quot; was implemented for a period of 12 weeks for one class hour. At the end of the implementation of &quot;literature circles&quot; when the students' reading comprehension pre-test and post-test scores were compared, a significant difference was observed. Based on the results, it may be concluded that &quot;literature circles&quot; is effective in developing students' abilities to find the theme, main idea, and keywords in a text. Besides, the students pointed out that the implementation of this strategy increased their interest and desire for communication, their self-confidence, cooperative learning, critical thinking, reading objectively without bias, and independent reading skills.
Class Council between Democracy Learning and Character Education
Author: Budde, Jürgen
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Values Education,Democratic Values,Teaching Methods,Comparative Analysis,Ethnography,Educational Theories,Politics of Education,Reflective Teaching,Conflict Resolution,Communication Skills,Classroom Techniques,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Urban Schools,Progressive Education

Purpose: Class council has become a popular approach for character education and democracy learning in German schools. However, it is not clear if the expectations are met in social practice. Approach: The data was gained with an ethnographical multiple method approach within three contrasting secondary schools. The study is informed by practice theory, theory of school and theory of social pedagogics. Findings: Logics of the school and logics of social pedagogy clash in class council. Opportunities for a democratic and social pedagogically framed school are inevitably limited. Class council focusses more on personal development and character education and much less on political or democratic education. Certain forms of class council subtly aim at student's approval of undemocratic practices; therefore, class council sometimes camouflages a de-politicization of the school. Research Implications: A comparison of democracy learning and character education in different pedagogical institutions is recommended for further research. The methodology of reconstructing logics of school and logics of social pedagogy from a practice theoretical and ethnographical perspective should be elaborated. Practical implications: Teachers need reflective competencies in order to recognize the limitations of participation in practice. While aiming at the ideal of the mature, civically engaged and socially competent citizen, the limitations of participation and the responsibilities of societal institutions like schools should be made subject of learning, as well.
Maintaining Interest in Politics: &quot;Engagement First&quot; in a U.S. High School Government Course
Author: Lo, Jane C.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: United States Government (Course),High School Students,Student Interests,Politics,Role Playing,Case Studies,Political Issues,Instructional Effectiveness,Class Activities,Active Learning,Student Projects,Grounded Theory,Learner Engagement,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique)

Purpose: Increasing students' political interest has been a longstanding goal of civic education. One way to trigger students' interests in political issues is by engaging them first in an attention grabbing activity (i.e., assigning them to roles). Because it is important to examine not only how roles may trigger political interest, but also students' political interest afterwards, we asked: What happens to students' interest in political issues after engagement first? Methodology: Drawing from Schwartz and Bransford's (1998) &quot;A Time for Telling&quot;, we conducted a case study of three students, who experienced &quot;engagement first&quot; activities in a class, and report on their interests about political issues in one particular activity. Findings: While role-play can help trigger students' political interest. Our findings show that for students to maintain political interest, they need follow-up opportunities to engage in meaningful activities around politics. Research implications: Role assignment is a good way to trigger political interest, but productive disciplinary engagement can be coupled with engagement first to extent students' political interest. Practical implications: Classroom activities that hope to support students' political interest may need to include both &quot;engagement first&quot; and further scaffolds for students to engage productively with politics.
Comparison of Student Performance, Student Perception, and Teacher Satisfaction with Traditional versus Flipped Classroom Models
Author: Unal, Zafer
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Conventional Instruction,Homework,Video Technology,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Pretests Posttests,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Satisfaction,Quasiexperimental Design,Surveys,Elementary Secondary Education,Blended Learning

As new technologies become available, they are often embraced in educational innovation to enhance traditional instruction. The flipped teaching model is one of the most recent and popular technology-infused teaching models in which learning new concepts takes place at home while practice is conducted in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate how using the flipped teaching model affects student performance, perceptions, and teacher satisfaction in comparison to the traditional model. Sixteen teachers implemented the flipped teaching model in their classrooms and reported the results of the flipped teaching model for the first time. Pretests and posttests were used to measure and compare student performance while student and teacher surveys facilitated data collection on student perception and teacher satisfaction. The results of the study showed that, in most cases, the flipped classroom model demonstrated higher student learning gains, more positive student perception, and higher teacher satisfaction compared to the traditional model. This study adds evidence to the current literature that, if the conditions are properly set, the flipped classroom should have the potential to be an extremely effective learning style.
Examining Ethnocentrism, Emotionalization, and Life Syllabus in Foreign Language Achievement
Author: Shakeebaee, Golshan
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ethnocentrism,Second Language Learning,Emotional Response,Second Language Instruction,Course Descriptions,English (Second Language),Structural Equation Models,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Scores,Educational Policy,Policy Formation,Correlation,Student Attitudes,Measures (Individuals),Statistical Analysis

Given the importance of ethnocentrism in social interactions and its influence on language learning and teaching, the present study intends to explore the possible relationships between using life syllabus and &quot;emotionalization&quot; on ethnocentric views using the foreign language achievement (FLA) scores. To this end, 273 Iranian English learners from different language institutes completed the scales. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilized to examine the possible interactions. The findings indicated that while &quot;exvolvement,&quot; as a part of emotionalization, leads to higher FLA scores, &quot;involvement&quot; shows the opposite results. In addition, the results revealed that the language aspect of the life syllabus leads to higher FLA scores, and ethnocentrism was found to be less related to FLA. In the end, the results were discussed and some suggestions were made to help policy makers and materials developers modify the existing syllabuses.
EIA--A Teacher Education Project in Bangladesh: An Analysis from Diversified Perspectives
Author: Karim, Abdul
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Electronic Learning,Comparative Analysis,Teaching Methods,Teacher Behavior,Qualitative Research,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Faculty Development,Fidelity,Performance Factors,Change Strategies,Educational Practices,Influence of Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Observation

English in Action (EIA) is an ongoing teacher education project which places mobile technology at the centre of its action. Most of the studies carried out focused on the changes EIA brought in teachers' classroom actions. Along with this, they also explored the classroom to observe whether the input given during training program is implemented in real life. No study has been conducted that compares and contrasts the components of mobile learning in general and the components EIA is using. This study, particularly, drew a comparative analysis between the mobile learning and EIA initiated mobile learning to reveal the extent it matched or mismatched to the components of mobile learning. It also scrutinized teachers' behavior in the classroom after participating in EIA. It also penetrated to find the contents to be reviewed. Qualitative method was used to conduct this study. The result revealed that the components of EIA match to the mobile learning ones to the extent that EIA entails those suiting the context. Few elements were seemed absent as they are less suitable in such context. Besides, teachers were found bringing changes in their classrooms. The introduction of action research and reflective teaching were suggested to add to EIA's program.
Determination of the High School Students&apos; Attitudes towards Their Teachers
Author: Gelisli, Yücel
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High School Students,Student Attitudes,Secondary School Teachers,Student Surveys,Grade 9,Grade 12,Foreign Countries,Correlation,Scores,Interpersonal Communication,Academic Achievement,Teacher Student Relationship,Gender Differences,Likert Scales,Statistical Analysis

In the current study, the aim is to determine the high school students' attitudes towards their teachers depending on some variables and the relationship between their attitudes and achievements. Thus, the study was designed according to relational survey model. The population of the study, which was specified based on the purposive sampling method, was comprised of 220 ninth and twelfth graders attending a state high school in the city of Ankara. In the current study, &quot;The Scale of Students' Attitudes towards the Teacher (SOSATT)&quot; was used as a data collection instrument to elicit the students' attitudes towards their teachers. The reliability co-efficient of the scale was 0.886. A positive and moderately significant correlation was found between the ninth grade students' achievement scores and their attitude scores taken from the sub-dimensions of the scale and from the whole scale. Finally, teachers can be suggested to establish more effective communication with their students and to use methods and strategies that can enhance academic achievement.
Lexical Complexity Development from Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective: Lexical Density, Diversity, and Sophistication
Author: Kalantari, Reza
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Longitudinal Studies,Case Studies,Lexicology,Systems Approach,Essays,Females,Difficulty Level,Statistical Analysis,Word Lists,Correlation

This longitudinal case study explored Iranian EFL learners' lexical complexity (LC) through the lenses of Dynamic Systems Theory (DST). Fifty independent essays written by five intermediate to advanced female EFL learners in a TOEFL iBT preparation course over six months constituted the corpus of this study. Three Coh-Metrix indices (Graesser, McNamara, Louwerse, &amp; Cai, 2004; McNamara &amp; Graesser, 2012), three Lexical Complexity Analyzer indices (Lu, 2010, 2012; Lu &amp; Ai, 2011), and four Vocabprofile indices (Cobb, 2000) were selected to measure different dimensions of LC. Results of repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) indicated an improvement with regard to only lexical sophistication. Positive and significant relationships were found between time and mean values in Academic Word List and Beyond-2000 as indicators of lexical sophistication. The remaining seven indices of LC, falling short of significance, tended to flatten over the course of this writing program. Correlation analyses among LC indices indicated that lexical density enjoyed positive correlations with lexical sophistication. However, lexical diversity revealed no significant correlations with both lexical density and lexical sophistication. This study suggests that DST perspective specifies a viable foundation for analyzing lexical complexity.