ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Online Video Games and Young People
Author: Ružic-Baf, Maja
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Video Games,Grade 7,Grade 8,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries,Addictive Behavior,Questionnaires,Gender Differences,Computer Games

The availability of new information and communication technologies to an increasingly younger population, the constant availability of the Internet and the opportunity to search information, to create new types and models of communication, types of acceptance and ways of accepting and coping with the infinite amount of information, the velocity and choice of well-designed marketing products, especially video games, in particular in the last decade, caused a real &quot;gaming boom&quot; among almost all age groups. Addictions are a well-known problem of the human kind, and they are as well a challenge for professionals and scientists from different fields of interest. Considering the large amount of addictions, one of the new types is the addiction to videogames affecting a younger and younger population. Smartphones and tablets are available to a growing number of children and youngsters. It is almost incomprehensible and &quot;unacceptable&quot; that a child in the first grade of primary school does not have its own mobile phone, PDA, game console, laptop, desktop or similar. By playing video games for several hours a day, either at school, during school hours or after, they enter a world exit from which sometimes requires seeking the help of experts. Are we facilitating the creation of new types of addictions among the new generation of youngsters? In the paper we present the results of the research conducted with children of the seventh and eighth grades of the primary schools of Pula on the time they spend playing online videogames during and after the lessons, on playing videogames to get to know new people, for fun, to be part of a clan, not performing daily activities to play online videogames, their sleeping problems and other things.
Seventh Grade Students' Problem Solving Success Rates on Proportional Reasoning Problems
Author: Pelen, Mustafa Serkan
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grade 7,Problem Solving,Mathematical Logic,Mathematical Concepts,Student Surveys,Word Problems (Mathematics),Reliability

This research was conducted to investigate 7th grade students' problem solving success rates on proportional reasoning problems and whether these success rates change with different problem types. 331 randomly selected students of grade seven participated in this study. A problem test which contains three different types of missing value (direct proportional, inverse proportional and additive/non-proportional) word problems was designed as a data collecting tool for the research. Descriptive data analysis methods were used in this study. Analysis has shown that 7th grade students solved different problem types with different success rates. The findings of the study also indicate that problem types affect students' problem solving performances.
Reinforcement of Professional Teacher Candidates in Indonesia through Program of Graduates Educating in the Frontier, Outermost, and Disadvantaged Regions (SM-3T)
Author: Hidayah, Isti
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Education Programs,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Fidelity,Questionnaires,Focus Groups,Interviews,Observation,Program Implementation,Barriers,College Programs,Participant Satisfaction

This research aims to evaluate the implementation of the Program of Graduates Educating in the Frontier, Outermost, and Disadvantaged Regions (hereinafter called SM-3T) which has been implemented since 2010 in order to be reinforced for the future period. The scope of evaluation includes: (1) the effectiveness of the program in achieving its purposes, and (2) the compatibility of the pre-condition implementation (training) with the real condition and need of the regions. The subject of this research was the 38 participants of SM-3T program of Semarang State University who were sent to Ende Regency of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province. The data was collected through questionnaire, Focus Group Discussion, interview, documentation, and observation. The data was analyzed by using narrative description method. The result suggests that the implementation of SM-3T is effective in achieving its purposes. The non-academic material delivered in the pre-condition implementation, namely the orientation toward social, culture, and infrastructure condition of the regions should be provided in district-based orientation.
Mathematical Teaching Strategies: Pathways to Critical Thinking and Metacognition
Author: Su, Hui Fang Huang
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Critical Thinking,Metacognition,Teaching Methods,Mathematical Logic,Logical Thinking,Mathematical Concepts,Mathematics Skills,Problem Solving,Multiplication,Numbers,Mathematics Teachers,Higher Education,Colleges,Universities,College Students,National Competency Tests,Standardized Tests,Thinking Skills,Comparative Analysis

A teacher that emphasizes reasoning, logic and validity gives their students access to mathematics as an effective way of practicing critical thinking. All students have the ability to enhance and expand their critical thinking when learning mathematics. Students can develop this ability when confronting mathematical problems, identifying possible solutions and evaluating and justifying their reasons for the results, thereby allowing students to become confident critical thinkers. Critical thinking and reasoning allows students to think about how they utilize their discipline of mathematical skills (i.e., they think about their method of thinking). Metacognition helps students to recognize that math is logical reasoning on solutions to problems. Students are taught how to: identify scenarios; evaluate; select problem-solving strategies; identify possible conclusions; select logical conclusions; describe how a solution was summarized; and indicate how those solutions can be applied to more advanced math problems. This paper indicates the necessity of applying critical thinking and provides an example of how critical thinking; creativity and flexibility in finding such ways help students to better understand the concepts of number sense. This discipline of reasoning results with students who develop the ability with focused thinking, planning and strategizing, which have been identified as key aspects of organizational success, decision making, and life choices.
Attitudes of the Preparatory Class Students towards the Writing Course and Their Attitude-Success Relationship in Writing
Author: Paker, Turan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Writing Instruction,Language Proficiency,Writing Skills,Scores,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Questionnaires,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Comparative Analysis,College Students,Nonparametric Statistics,Gender Differences

This study aims to explore the attitudes of Turkish EFL students towards the writing course at university and to investigate the relationship between students' attitudes and their overall proficiency in writing. The participants were 782 students from various departments in the pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate levels in a preparatory program. The data were collected through questionnaires administered to the students before and after they took the writing course. The students were asked to reflect their attitudes towards the writing course as pre- and post-tests. In addition, their writing scores in the proficiency exam were assessed, and the relationship between students' average attitude scores and their overall writing proficiency was compared and contrasted. Our results revealed that there was a slight decrease in their attitudes towards writing in the post test, which was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the overall writing proficiency results revealed that the students' attitude towards writing skill had a positive effect on their proficiency in writing.
Stance Taking and Passive Voice in Turkish Academic Discourse
Author: Emeksiz, Zeynep Erk
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Turkish,Academic Discourse,Computational Linguistics,Language Usage,Sentence Structure,Discourse Analysis,Prediction,Phrase Structure,Language Research

This study aims at describing the functions of passive voice and how authors reflect their stance through those functions in Turkish academic discourse. Depending on the findings of a corpus based research, this study makes a counterpoint to functionalist views on the ground that passivization does not necessarily result in promoting agents in discourse, and it may not reflect the preference and perspective of writers when used under structural constraints. This study proposes a source-based pattern for the use of passive voice in academic discourse. The distribution of the passive clauses show that writers use passive clauses for different purposes depending on the source of information in epistemic sense. When the source is the writers, they make use of passive voice in four contexts: referring to a phase of their research, guiding the readers to some part of the text, making claims, predictions and suggestions. The writers prefer the passive voice in two contexts when the source is the others: Citing the contemporary work and reporting generic assumptions and shared knowledge.
Solar Radiation and the UV Index: An Application of Numerical Integration, Trigonometric Functions, Online Education and the Modelling Process
Author: Downs, Nathan
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Activities,Calculus,Trigonometry,Problem Solving,Problem Sets,Mathematical Models,Critical Thinking,Skill Development,Data Processing,Class Activities,Educational Practices,Radiation,Spectroscopy,Measurement Techniques,Middle School Students,Foreign Countries

A short series of practical classroom mathematics activities employing the use of a large and publicly accessible scientific data set are presented for use by students in years 9 and 10. The activities introduce and build understanding of integral calculus and trigonometric functions through the presentation of practical problem solving that focuses on Public Health and developing a personal understanding of solar ultraviolet radiation and the UV Index. The classroom activities are presented using an approach that encourages self-discovery of mathematical concepts by application of mathematical modelling. These activities also develop critical thinking skills through application of data mining, data processing and presentation. They also emphasize the importance of drawing valid conclusions, concepts important to scientific research, statistics and epidemiology.
Learning Vocabulary in a Foreign Language: A Computer Software Based Model Attempt
Author: Yelbay Yilmaz, Yasemin
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Vocabulary Development,Statistical Analysis,English (Second Language),Computer Software,Learning Theories,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Qualitative Research,Pretests Posttests,Semi Structured Interviews,College Students,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Computer Assisted Instruction,Multivariate Analysis

This study aimed at devising a vocabulary learning software that would help learners learn and retain vocabulary items effectively. Foundation linguistics and learning theories have been adapted to the foreign language vocabulary learning context using a computer software named Parole that was designed exclusively for this study. Experimental design with control and experimental groups which were formed of English learners at a university program was used and quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were employed. Quantitative data collection instruments were the pre-test, the computer software-Parole, the immediate post-test and the delayed post-test. Both of the post tests were the reimplementation of the pre-test at two different times. The qualitative data collection instruments were the semi-structured interviews done with students after the implementation of the study. The proposed model was successfully implemented and results of the quantitative statistical analyses showed at the end of the study that the software is an effective vocabulary learning model and tool that could be used to learn vocabulary in English; that words are learned more effectively and permanently using this model and that users who used the model for longer durations learned words more effectively and permanently.
Assessing EFL Learners' Writing Metacognitive Awareness
Author: Farahian, Majid
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metacognition,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Questionnaires,Writing (Composition),Factor Analysis,Models,Content Analysis,Second Language Instruction,College Students,Foreign Countries,Language Teachers,Translation,Literature,Language Proficiency,Language Tests,Student Attitudes,Statistical Analysis

Research on metacognition in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing is heavily dependent on a valid measure to assess metacognitive ability. Since there is no report of a validated domain-specific measure of metacognitive awareness of foreign language (FL) writing this study made an attempt to develop and validate a metacognitive awareness writing questionnaire (MAWQ). In order to construct the questionnaire, an interview with 59 EFL learners was conducted. Based on the content analysis as well as the literature, a framework for metacognitive awareness of writing was developed which led to a hypothesized model, as well as a preliminary inventory. To validate the questionnaire, various exploratory factor analyses were run, and as a result, no clear pattern of hypothesized subscales of knowledge and regulation of cognition emerged. However, in the analysis of the whole questionnaire through EFA, the researcher's assumption regarding the two general scales of MAWQ was supported indicating that knowledge and regulation of cognition are two main components of MAWQ.
Learning Computer Hardware by Doing: Are Tablets Better than Desktops?
Author: Raven, John
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computers,Handheld Devices,Telecommunications,Experiential Learning,Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Information Technology,Higher Education,Questioning Techniques,College Faculty,Teacher Surveys,Student Surveys,Student Reaction,Outcomes of Education,Technological Advancement,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research

In this world of rapidly evolving technologies, educational institutions often struggle to keep up with change. Change often requires a state of readiness at both the micro and macro levels. This paper looks at a tertiary institution that undertook a significant technology change initiative by introducing tablet based components for teaching a hardware course across nine campuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using a Learning By Doing (LBD) philosophy. This paper adopts a readiness for change model (RFC) as a method of evaluating the results from a case study that captured the readiness perceptions of both students and faculty. A survey revealed that, while faculty thought that introducing tablets was a good idea and that there was a high level of RFC, they also thought that the students would learn more about hardware from desktop kits. The students' responses also indicates a high level of RFC with many describing tablets as easier to work on yet they were divided about which technology was better for learning hardware concepts. In this context a high level of readiness for change, while supported by LBD, did not necessarily equate to improved learning and effective change.
Participatory Action Research (PAR) cum Action Research (AR) in Teacher Professional Development: A Literature Review
Author: Morales, Marie Paz E.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Participatory Research,Action Research,Faculty Development,Literature Reviews,Research Design,Reflective Teaching,Andragogy,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Quality,Quality Assurance,Foreign Countries,Definitions,Educational Practices,Learning Processes

This paper reviews Participatory Action Research as an approach to teacher professional development. It maps the origins of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and discusses the benefits and challenges that have been identified by other researchers in utilizing PAR approaches in conducting research. It draws ideas of combining the features of Action Research (AR) and Participatory Action Research (PAR) to plot research cell design or teacher network design to enhance research for action, action for research and creation of knowledge and theories while solving problems occurring in classroom settings. The discussion focuses on reflective practice and andragogy as the featured characteristics of AR and PAR. These are noted to develop quality teachers to attain quality learning and quality assurance. The review also provides probable benefits of PAR framework to Philippine education; probable challenges and issues that may arise in the implementation; and future directions of PAR implementation in the Philippines aimed to attain education quality through teacher quality.
Exploring the Relationship between Tolerance of Ambiguity of EFL Learners and Their Vocabulary Knowledge
Author: Basöz, Tutku
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Vocabulary Development,College Freshmen,Computer Software,Foreign Countries,Cognitive Style,Ambiguity (Context),Gender Differences,Student Attitudes,Language Tests,Receptive Language,Statistical Analysis

Learning a new language is akin to exploring an unknown land as ambiguous situations are prevalent in language learning. Ambiguity tolerance, which can hinder or facilitate language learning, is considered as an important learning style. The purpose of the present study was to understand how tolerant/intolerant EFL learners are of foreign language ambiguities in addition to exploring whether tolerance of ambiguity of EFL learners affects their vocabulary knowledge. The study also aimed to probe whether there is any gender-related difference in tolerance of ambiguity of EFL learners and investigated whether ambiguity tolerance is related to self-perceived success of Turkish EFL learners in foreign language vocabulary. This study was conducted with 60 freshmen enrolled in the English Language Teaching (ELT) Department of a state university in Turkey. The data collection instruments consisted of the Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale and the Vocabulary Levels Test. The data were analyzed descriptively using the SPSS 21 Software. The findings of the study revealed that EFL learners have a moderate level of ambiguity tolerance in foreign language learning and that gender does not have any significant impact on tolerance of ambiguity. It was also found that there is no significant relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and vocabulary knowledge whereas a significant relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and self-perceived achievement in foreign language vocabulary learning was identified. In the light of the findings, some practical recommendations were noted.
Reasons Influencing Selection Decision Making of Parental Choice of School
Author: Alsauidi, Faisal
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Decision Making,School Choice,Parents,Public Schools,Private Schools,Class Size,Educational Quality,Teacher Student Relationship,Semi Structured Interviews

There are various studies, primarily conducted in the Western World, that have investigated the reasons why parents select a school, which they perceive best meets their children's needs and parental aspirations for their children. In order to contribute to the established knowledge it was essential to conduct an investigation into parents' reasons for their selection private or public school in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Such an investigation had not been conducted previously. This article details identified a factor highly regarded as influencing parental decision making: Academic Factor - divided into three identified elements - class size, quality of instruction and student/teacher relationship. Analysis and discussion along with the study's conclusions and recommendations will be cited. Randomly selected parents, whose children attend private or public schools in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia were invited to complete a standardized questionnaire after which to participate in a semi-structured interview to identify factors that influenced their preference for school. Two methodologies analysis of the reasons given highlighted demonstrating the frequency of cited range of reasons: class size, quality of instruction and student/teacher relationships, identified as the main elements that influenced their selection decision making.
A Review of the Effects of Visual-Spatial Representations and Heuristics on Word Problem Solving in Middle School Mathematics
Author: Kribbs, Elizabeth E.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Middle School Students,Secondary School Mathematics,Word Problems (Mathematics),Mathematics Instruction,Teaching Methods,Spatial Ability,Visual Perception,Heuristics,Literature Reviews,Problem Solving,Pictorial Stimuli,Disabilities

Mathematics word-problems continue to be an insurmountable challenge for many middle school students. Educators have used pictorial and schematic illustrations within the classroom to help students visualize these problems. However, the data shows that pictorial representations can be more harmful than helpful in that they only display objects or persons while neglecting the spatial relationships between those components (Hegarty &amp; Kozhevnikov, p. 686). Research supports schematic diagrams that highlight spatial relationships and focus on related information within the problem (Hegarty &amp; Kozhevnikov, 1999; van Garderen &amp; Montague, 2003). In addition to these strategies, educators have used heuristics (systematic scripted procedures to solve word problems) as a way to provide structure and routine to a variety of word problems. This review of the literature found varying results for the use of some heuristics being implemented in present-day classrooms. On the other hand, both visual-spatial diagrams and heuristics have demonstrated value in middle school special education classrooms. These findings support the further use and research of visual-spatial representations and problem-solving heuristics in order to solve mathematics word problems.