ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
An Exploration of Teaching Practices of Private, Public, and Public-Private EFL Teachers in Iran
Author: Gholami, Javad
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Public School Teachers,Private Schools,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,High Schools,Context Effect,Coping,Sustainability,Teacher Behavior,Secondary School Teachers,Language Usage,Feedback (Response),Language Skills,Questioning Techniques,Cooperative Learning,Group Activities,Indo European Languages,Statistical Analysis,Nonparametric Statistics,Audio Equipment,Observation

This study investigates the practices of public (high) school, private language institute, and public-private teachers. In particular, it aims at addressing the role of contextual factors, the variations teachers introduce to cope with them, and the degree of sustainable behaviour among these three groups of teachers. High school teachers consisted of those who taught only in high schools and the ones teaching both in high schools and private language institutes. For this purpose, classroom practices of 60 EFL teachers (N = 20 per group) with 3 to 6 years of teaching experience and BA degree in TEF were compared in terms of group/pair work, teacher talking time, L1 use, questioning, corrective feedback, and coverage of language skills. The findings of the study indicate that a significant difference exists among these three groups of teachers in terms of their practices. It is noteworthy that in the same teaching context of high school, the practices of teachers with and without private language teaching experience are significantly dissimilar except in the duration of pair/group work activities and the rates of repetition and explicit correction. This study suggests that high school EFL teachers with teaching experience in private language institutes subscribe more closely to the tenets of communicative language teaching and thus can act as powerful agents of sustainable language teaching in Iranian public schools.
Social Emotional Learning: Implementation of Sustainability-Oriented Program in Latvia
Author: Martinsone, Baiba
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Development,Emotional Development,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Prevention,Program Descriptions,Sustainability,Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Experience,Program Implementation,Teacher Supervision,Teaching Methods,Teacher Role,Interpersonal Competence,Lesson Plans

This article is focused on the description of the content and the implementation process of an originally developed, culturally appropriate and sustainable social and emotional learning program in Latvia. The article also includes the teachers' self-reflected experience illustrated through the perspective of the program's sample activities. The general goal of the program is to develop the emotional and social competencies of pupils, and at the same time to introduce to schoolteachers the principles necessary for combining academic and social emotional learning. As a preventive approach this program is aimed at all ages of pupils (from primary forms to secondary grades). During the school years 2012/13 and 2013/14 the social emotional learning program was introduced in 39 schools in Latvia (a total of 12,699 pupils). The participants implementing the program were 630 classroom teachers (614 female and 16 male with the mean age 45.04 years). As a result of the program implementation, social and emotional learning principles became a common approach for the entire school; the teachers became well versed on social emotional issues and received materials for conducting class lessons at each level; regular teacher supervisions were provided; regional supervisors were trained to sustain the pedagogical practice.
Innovative and Traditional Elements in the Work of Academic Staff: The Views of Pre-Service Teachers
Author: Jurgena, Inese
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Educational Innovation,College Faculty,Teacher Role,Student Surveys,Readiness,Student Participation,College Freshmen,Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Personality Traits,Teacher Characteristics

The academic staff of the institutions of higher education plays a key role in the implementation of innovations in the study process. This article aims to analyze the views of students, pre-service teachers, on the role of innovations and traditions in the work of the academic staff at their institution of higher education. The survey data from 192 full-time and part-time first year students at Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy show that readiness for innovative activity and active involvement in the creation, acquisition and implementation of innovations is an essential factor in the work of the academic staff. The results indicate that according to the views of pre-service teachers, in the context of pedagogy, the term &quot;innovation&quot; refers to the process of renewal, educational reforms, selection of the most appropriate teaching material, and the elaboration, adoption and utilization of innovations in the pedagogical practice.
Values and Values Education in Estonian Preschool Child Care Institutions
Author: Ülavere, Pärje
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Values Education,Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Parent Attitudes,Humor,Preschool Education,Foreign Countries,Child Care Centers,Counties,Questionnaires,Personality Traits,Comparative Analysis,Teacher Attitudes,Kindergarten,Role Models,Teaching Methods

The objective of the study was to provide an outline of the values that principals, teachers and parents of preschool child care institutions consider important to be taught to children, and which activities, in their estimation, should be used to implement values education in child care institutions. A total of 978 respondents from all 15 Estonian counties returned the quantitative questionnaire, including 163 principals, 425 teachers, and 390 parents of preschool child care institutions. The statistical data analysis was applied to process the quantitative data obtained. The values that are more important to be taught to children, according to principals, include sense of humour as well as pride and inventiveness, whereas teachers value patience as a significantly more important value to be taught. Compared to principals, parents consider confidence and commitment more important, while, compared to teachers, parents consider it more important that kindergartens teach the importance of a good education. Values education in child care institutions takes place primarily in adherence to the relevant group's rules in the course of everyday communication and activities. Personal role models are considered to be very important in values education.
How Do Personality Traits Effect Shame and Guilt?: An Evaluation of the Turkish Culture
Author: Erden, Seval
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Emotional Response,Personality Traits,Cultural Influences,Predictor Variables,College Students,Personality Measures,Psychological Patterns,Likert Scales,Correlation,Gender Differences

Problem Statement: Feelings of shame and guilt as negative social emotions have a deep and continuous impact throughout our lives, particularly on our behaviors in both intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. It was widely accepted that these feelings originate from a person's early period of life's interpersonal experiences in the family and other key relationships. According to literature, shame and guilt are also related to personality traits; however, research findings were not consistent with each other. At this point, owing to the possible effect of the culture on shame and guilt, it can be considered that the relationship between these emotions and personality needs to be investigated in the cultural context. Purpose of the Study: The aim of the present study is to investigate the predictive power of the Big Five Model's personality traits on shame and guilt in Turkish culture. Methods: The study was designed according to the Relational Survey Model. The sample of the study consisted of 360 (F = 183, M =177) students who studied in several faculties and departments of a city university located in the western part of Turkey. The participants' age ranged between 17-30 years (M = 21.35, SD = 1.64). The Shame-Guilt Scale and Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO FFI) were used as measurements. Findings and Results: Results showed that shame and guilt were predicted by personality traits. In terms of shame, it was found that neuroticism had the largest effect on both genders. The greater the scores were for neuroticism, the greater was shame. Shame was also predicted by openness to experience for both genders, negatively. Moreover, the results revealed that shame was predicted by conscientiousness and agreeableness among only women. We also determined that guilt was predicted by agreeableness for both genders, but was predicted by conscientiousness among only men. Conclusions and Recommendations: In conclusion, personality traits play a key role in the formation of individuals' shame and guilt. However, the predictive power of personality traits were differentiated in terms of gender, and the findings should be discussed in a cultural context. The findings of the study give clear evidence that besides personality traits based on biological origins, cultural context also has an impact on the development of these feelings. Therefore, the cultural meanings and construction of both these feelings and personality traits should be clearly defined by conducting quantitative research besides qualitative research for further studies.
Turkish Adaptation of Utley Geometry Attitude Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study
Author: Avcu, Ramazan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Attitude Measures,Mathematics Instruction,Geometry,Student Attitudes,Test Construction,Public Colleges,Undergraduate Students,Factor Analysis,Factor Structure,Test Items,Test Reliability,Goodness of Fit,Correlation,Test Validity,Turkish,Translation

Problem Statement: Among attitude measures, attitude scales are the most common, objective, and effective in gathering attitude data and there is a plenty of scales that measure various factors of attitude towards mathematics. However, there is a need for attitude scales that are content specific such as geometry, algebra, probability and statistics. One reason for this is that students' attitudes towards mathematics in general and their attitudes towards specific mathematical topics might differ considerably from each other. Besides, to hear a student say they like mathematics but dislike geometry or algebra is not uncommon. Thus, it is thought that it would be significant to have a scale that particularly measures learners' attitudes towards geometry. Purpose of the Study: Although, a number of studies have developed scales with the goal of measuring geometry attitudes of middle and secondary school students, there is no such instrument in the accessible literature in Turkey that serve the same purpose for undergraduate students. Therefore, the authors wanted to go further in this direction and attempted to fill this gap by adapting Utley Geometry Attitude Scale to Turkish. Methods: The participants of the study consisted of 863 undergraduate students (56% female; 44% male) from a public university in the inner part of Turkey. After the list wise deletion of the missing cases, the remaining sample (N = 750) was randomly divided into two subsamples to perform factor analysis. Data from the first subsample (n = 371) were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to determine the factorial structure of the adapted scale. Later, the data from the second subsample (n = 379) were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to confirm the model obtained from EFA. In addition, item analysis was performed to ensure that there were no problematic items in the adapted scale. Finally, reliability analysis was performed by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficients both for the adapted scale and its factors. Findings and Results: After EFA, the translated version of UGAS consisted of a four-factor structure with 25 items. Subsequently, CFA corroborated this four-factor structure and the goodness of fit indices were found to be appropriate for the acceptance of the model. The item total correlations were all larger than 0.30 and the reliability coefficients for the overall instrument and its factors ranged between 0.81 and 0.94. Conclusions and Recommendations: The results showed that the translated version of UGAS might serve as a valuable instrument both for educators and researchers to measure undergraduate students' attitudes towards geometry.
Ability Level Estimation of Students on Probability Unit via Computerized Adaptive Testing
Author: Özyurt, Hacer
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Probability,Adaptive Testing,Computer Assisted Testing,Item Response Theory,Difficulty Level,Test Items,Foreign Countries,Grade 11,High School Students,Secondary School Mathematics,Item Banks,Grade 12,Item Sampling,Mathematical Concepts,Computation,Comparative Analysis

Problem Statement: Learning-teaching activities bring along the need to determine whether they achieve their goals. Thus, multiple choice tests addressing the same set of questions to all are frequently used. However, this traditional assessment and evaluation form contrasts with modern education, where individual learning characteristics are featured. Hence, the use of Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) systems, which set the difficulty level in accordance with the ability levels of individuals, is spreading. However, these systems are not prevalent in Turkey. Therefore, it is important to develop and assess a CAT system to be integrated into Turkish curriculum. Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to develop a CAT system that can be used in the sub-levels of Turkish curricula (high school) and assess it in terms of reliability. Methods: In this study, a CAT system aimed at the sub-topics (permutation, combination, binomial expansion, and probability) of the unit of probability covered in 11th grade mathematics was developed. Estimation sensitivity of the developed CAT system, from lower to higher ability levels, was assessed. To this end, an exam was implemented in a high school located in Trabzon in the 2011-2012 fall semester. Eighty-four 11th graders participated in the implementation. Using the data derived from the implementation, reliability coefficient values of each learner were calculated. System records were used for data collection. Results: Reliability coefficient values for each student in 5 different exams--permutation, combination, binomial expansion, probability, and end-of-unit--were calculated. Findings of the study indicated that the developed CAT system produced tests with high reliability for all subjects. Average reliability coefficient values for each subject were found as 0.93, 0.93, 0.88, 0.93, and 0.91. Discussion and Conclusion: By addressing questions from lower to higher levels, which are appropriate to the ability level of each learner, CATs increase sensitivity and reliability of measurement. The developed CAT system addresses questions appropriate for the ability level of the learner, which increases sensitivity in measurement. In addition, it was observed that CAT systems developed for exams have the characteristic of making sensitive measurements ranging from lower to higher levels. This study, in relation to UZWEBMAT-CAT assessment, proved that CAT systems can safely be used within Turkish curriculum.
The Relationship between Teacher Leadership, Teacher Professionalism, and Perceived Stress
Author: Kilinc, Ali Çagatay
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Professionalism,Predictor Variables,Anxiety,Multiple Regression Analysis,Correlation,Teacher Leadership,Teacher Collaboration,Foreign Countries,Stress Management,Stress Variables,Teacher Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Questionnaires,Educational Improvement,Measures (Individuals),Depression (Psychology),Likert Scales

Problem Statement: Teacher leadership has recently attracted the attention of scholars and practitioners due to its promotion of student learning and school improvement. Thus, there is a need for investigating the construct of teacher leadership and its relationship with various organizational and personal variables. Considering the fact that research on teacher leadership is scarce, the present study may serve as an important data source for policy makers in regard to developing high-quality teaching and learning in schools. Purpose of the Study: This study sought to examine the relationships between teacher leadership, teacher professionalism, and perceived stress. Teacher leadership was the dependent variable of the study, whereas teacher professionalism and perceived stress were the independent variables. Method: The present study employed a correlational research model where two independent variables and one dependent variable were used. A total of 302 teachers participated in the study. The Teacher Leadership Scale, Teacher Professionalism Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale were used to gather data. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients, and a step-wise multiple-regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings: Results indicated that there were positive and significant relationships between teacher professionalism and dimensions of teacher leadership, such as institutional improvement (r = 0.35, p &lt; 0.01), professional improvement (r = 0.36, p &lt; 0.01), and collaboration among colleagues (r = 0.20, p &lt; 0.01). However, there were negative and significant relationships between perceived stress and dimensions of teacher leadership, such as institutional improvement (r = -0.28, p &lt; 0.01), professional improvement (r = -0.35, p &lt; 0.01), collaboration among colleagues (r = -0.30, p &lt; 0.01), and teacher professionalism (r = -0.21, p &lt; 0.01). Professionalism and perceived stress together explained 16% of the total variance in the institutional-improvement dimension, 21% in the professional-improvement dimension, and 11% in the collaboration among colleagues dimension. Conclusion and Recommendations: Results confirmed that teacher professionalism and perceived stress were important variables predicting teacher leadership. In this regard, an organizational structure supporting the professional behaviors of teachers and minimizing the factors causing them to experience stress should be created, and a school's organizational structure should be supported by a healthy organizational climate to promote teacher leadership.
A Study on Detecting of Differential Item Functioning of PISA 2006 Science Literacy Items in Turkish and American Samples
Author: Çikirikçi Demirtasli, Nükhet
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Achievement Tests,Foreign Countries,International Assessment,Secondary School Students,Test Bias,Science Tests,Scientific Literacy,Factor Analysis,Item Response Theory,Cross Cultural Studies

Problem Statement: Item bias occurs when individuals from different groups (different gender, cultural background, etc.) have different probabilities of responding correctly to a test item despite having the same skill levels. It is important that tests or items do not have bias in order to ensure the accuracy of decisions taken according to test scores. Thus, items should be tested for bias during the process of test development and adaptation. Items used in testing programs, such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, whose results are inform educational policies throughout the participating countries, should be reviewed for bias. The study examines whether items of the 2006 PISA science literacy test, applied in Turkey, show bias. Purpose of the Study: The aim of this study is to analyze the measurement equality of the PISA science literacy test of 2006 in Turkish and American groups in terms of structural invariance and also determined whether the science literacy items show inter-cultural bias. Methods: The study included data for 15 year-old 757 Turkish and 856 American students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to determine whether the PISA science literacy test was equivalent in measurement construct in both groups; multi group confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) was used to identify differences in the factor structure according to cultures. Item bias was detected via the Mantel-Haenszel (MH), Simultaneous Item Bias Test (SIBTEST) and Item Response Theory Likelihood- Ratio Analysis (IRT-LR) procedures. Findings and Results: : According to the MCFA results PISA 2006 science literacy test for both Turkish and American groups showed equivalent measurement construct. Moreover, the three analyses methods agreed at B and C levels for 15 items in the Turkish sample and 25 items in the American sample in terms of DIF. According to expert opinions, common sources for item bias were: familiarity with item content and differing skill levels between cultures. Conclusions and Recommendations: The 38 items that showed DIF by each of the three methods were accepted as having DIF. The findings of the present study, possible source of bias in the items will not change the average level of student performance in participating countries. However, it will be beneficial that the review of item content before test administration, in order to reduce the errors items with DIF across different language and cultural groups in international comparative studies.
The Challenges of Global Citizenship for Worldview Education. The Perspective of Social Sustainability
Author: Miedema, Siebren
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sustainability,Citizenship,Religious Education,Citizenship Education,World Views,Global Approach,Democracy,Correlation,Social Responsibility

In this paper the authors briefly present what their theoretical reflections and empirical research has yielded in respect to citizenship education and religious education. The theoretical as well as political and practical questions of the relationship of global citizenship and worldview education are scrutinized. The main focus is on the issue whether there is or could be a connection between the concepts of &quot;worldview education&quot; and &quot;global citizenship education&quot; from the point of view of inclusivity in respect to both concepts. Habermas's distinction between the concepts of democratic state citizenship and global or cosmopolitan citizenship is conceptually helpful. The authors also take into account the question of whether there is a certain educational, political or religious necessity on a national as well as global level to deal with this possible relationship as viewed through the lens of social sustainability.