ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Experiences of Learners with Disabilities in Mainstream Vocational Training in Nepal
Author: Adhikari, Eka Raj
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Disabilities,Skill Development,Training,Vocational Education,Inclusion,Student Attitudes,Barriers,Transportation,Educational Environment,Accessibility (for Disabled),Symptoms (Individual Disorders),Friendship,Interpersonal Relationship,Mainstreaming,Young Adults

Context: This article explores the lived experiences of learners with disabilities who were attending short-term skills-based training programs in Nepal. The research questions addressed were how the learners with disabilities had been experiencing learning with their peers without disabilities and whether the vocational training was inclusive from the perspectives of learners with disabilities. Approach: Based on a phenomenological design, eight learners with disabilities were purposively selected. In-depth interviews were held with the participants. Data were collected in the forms of audiotaped recordings, field notes, and institutional records. The thematic analysis technique was employed to explicate the transcribed data. Results: The results showed that learners with disabilities faced difficulty in commuting to and from the training center. The physical learning environment was insufficiently accessible, and this affected the learning of students with disabilities. Although the learners with physical disabilities had no problem in understanding the subject matter taught in the mainstream classrooms, the learners with visual impairments and those who were with hard of hearing had, at times, difficulty in following their instructors. The learners with disabilities had trouble with socialization and with forming friendships though they had supportive instructors. The participants' statements revealed that the existing inclusion practices were not enough to address the needs of persons with disabilities. However, they viewed inclusion as a much better option to cater to the needs of differently abled people.
&quot;The Force That Keeps You Going&quot;: Enthusiasm in Vocational Education and Training (VET) Teachers&apos; Work
Author: Wenstrom, Sanna
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocational Education,Vocational Education Teachers,Teacher Motivation,Productivity,Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Characteristics,Teaching Skills,Skill Development,Expertise,Job Performance,Teacher Student Relationship,Teaching Conditions,Retrenchment

Context: Enthusiasm has been noted to increase productivity and quality at work. In teachers' work, this has a connection to student learning and motivation, as well as teaching quality. In the context of Finnish vocational education and training (VET), research on enthusiasm appears especially topical and relevant because of the ongoing wide reform with emphasis on productivity and efficiency. Approach: In this study, Finnish VET teachers' enthusiasm at work was studied qualitatively. Three research questions were set for this study: (1) How do VET teachers describe their enthusiasm?; (2) What factors strengthen their enthusiasm, according to their descriptions?; and (3) What factors weaken their enthusiasm, according to their descriptions? Altogether, 103 teachers who voluntarily participated in the study completed an online questionnaire on enthusiasm. The data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Findings: According to the results, the teachers who participated in the study were very interested in their work. They wanted to share how they experienced enthusiasm in their work. Their enthusiasm manifested as their willingness to develop their skills and expertise. It also showed in their dedication, good job performance, and positive feelings about their work. Student encounters, a positive atmosphere, and work interactions were the main sources of enthusiasm. Lack of resources, changes, cuts in the VET budget, and a lousy work atmosphere weakened enthusiasm. Conclusions: The study found that enthusiasm manifested itself in ways that correspond well with the current VET productivity and efficiency goals. Because enthusiasm was strengthened especially when teachers were working with students, it seems important to ensure a supportive work environment for students also after the VET reform. Positive interactions, collegial support, and working together can help teachers to succeed and to maintain enthusiasm in their everyday work. According to the results of this study, supervisors may play a central role in facilitating teacher enthusiasm.
Foreign Language Teaching in Over-Crowded Classes
Author: Küçükler, Halil
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Crowding,Class Size,Classroom Environment,Teaching Methods

The importance of English in Foreign Language learning has been widely accepted in recent years and the English language is now well established as an international language. There is a growing significance of foreign language in education. As English has been widely used internationally, many people are interested in English and prefer learning English. When it is considered in public schools, English teaching has become more intense in school curricula. There are many barriers in language teaching in from primary education to higher education. One of the most important barriers in foreign language teaching is crowded especially over crowded classes. In crowded classes, classroom management, getting results from language approaches becomes difficult. In addition to this, a small number of class hours per week is another barrier in language teaching. The purpose of this study is to examine this issue and to examine the question of how language teaching is handled in these crowded classes and what different activities are useful to apply. If the educators are unable to change the classroom order, what are the appropriate language activities and how to apply them.
Needs Analysis on Developing EFL Paragraph Writing Materials at Kalimantan L2 Learners
Author: Sabarun
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Class Activities,Paragraph Composition,Writing Instruction,Teaching Methods,Writing Skills,Needs Assessment,Instructional Materials

This study attempts to explore the target needs and the learning needs. This research was conducted at the second semester English department students of Palangka Raya State Islamic Institute of 2017/ 2018 academic years. The respondent was 20 EFL paragraph writing learners. The research findings were as follows: (a) in terms of the target language needs, it revealed that majority of learners (45%) were studying Paragraph Writing course; (b) it was found that majority of the respondents (50%) stated that the skills to develop through the paragraph writing course was the understanding the paragraph development; (c) it was found that majority of respondents said that grammar (45%) and mind mapping (40%) was the students' difficulty in writing paragraph; and (d) in terms of learning style, the learners preferred to get assistance from Internet than other sources, and they preferred to self-learning in the classroom activities. In terms of the learners' appropriate teaching methods it was found that (a) Internet was preferred dominantly by the respondents (75%) as source to be included as instructional materials; (b) the source of corrective feedback preferred mostly by the respondents (80%) was teacher feedback. Therefore, it is recommended that internet-based materials are preferred for developing EFL writing materials. The materials should be made excellent integration of resources available on the web.
A Quantitative Exploration of Two Teachers with Contrasting Emotions: Intra-Individual Process Analyses of Physiology and Interpersonal Behavior
Author: Donker, Monika H.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Burnout,Emotional Response,Teacher Student Relationship,Teaching Conditions,Physiology,Teacher Characteristics,Correlation,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Behavior

Although the association between teacher-student relations, teacher emotions, and burnout has been proven on a general level, we do not know the exact processes underlying these associations. Recently there has been a call for intra-individual process measures that assess what happens from moment-to-moment in class in order to better understand inter-individual differences in emotions and burnout between teachers. This paper explored the use of process measures of teachers' heart rate and their interpersonal behavior during teaching. Our aim was to illustrate different ways of analyzing and combining physiological and observational time-series data and to explore their potential for understanding between-teacher differences. In this illustration, we focused on two teachers who represented contrasting cases in terms of their self-reported teaching-related emotions (i.e., anxiety and relaxation) and burnout. We discuss both univariate process analyses (i.e., trend, autocorrelation, stability) as well as state-of-the-art multivariate process analyses (i.e., cross-correlations, dynamic structural equation modeling). Results illustrate how the two teachers differed in the nature of their physiological responses, their interpersonal behavior, and the association between these two process measures over time. Along implications and suggestions for further research, it is discussed how the process-based, dynamic assessment of physiology and interpersonal behavior may ultimately help to understand differences in more general teaching-related emotions and burnout.
The Meaning and Practice of Professionalism of EFL Teachers in the Saudi Context
Author: Mansory, Mazin
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Professionalism,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Foreign Countries,Faculty Development,Professional Identity,Language of Instruction,Language Teachers,Inservice Teacher Education,Teaching (Occupation)

During the Preparatory Year Program (PYP) year, the English Language Institute (ELI) concentrates on raising the level of English of new students so that they are able to adequately cope with studying in their desired department in the following years. Such a drastic change in the institution's goals has led to some changes in the professional development programme in order to handle these new changes. For the first part of this research study, a review of the past and current research studies on professional development and professional identity issues will be presented. The second part of this paper will report on a small-based inquiry conducted with four (two male and two female) ELI teachers aiming to explore two important and related issues. First, there is the issue concerning the role of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in planning and structuring the professional development programmes offered by the ELI, while the second looks to examine the professional identity of the teachers as sensed by the teachers themselves. In the third and final section, a reflection on how this inquiry can lead to the awareness of the teachers' role (male and female) in training and professional development programmes as well as professional identity perceived by the teachers, which ultimately, should lead to a much deeper interpretation of the status of the English language teacher profession.
Examining the Effects of Aesthetic Education Program on Aesthetic Judgment Development of Five-Year-Old Children
Author: Ünlüer, Esra
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Aesthetic Education,Aesthetics,Young Children,Kindergarten,Program Effectiveness,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Art Activities,Cultural Awareness,Natural Resources,Art Products,Games,Childrens Literature,Photography

This study aims to identify the effectiveness of the Aesthetic Education Program on aesthetic judgment development of the five year old children. The pre-test and post-test control group experimental design was applied throughout the study. The group matching technique was employed in constitution of the study groups. Participants of the study consist of 36 five-year-old children attending at the Kocaeli University Application Kindergarden at the 2016-2017 academic year. Participants were assigned to experimental and control groups equally. Experimental group was taught through Aesthetic Education Program in twice a week for 10 weeks together with their curriculum. Participants in the control group thought through national early childhood curriculum. In the study THPC Aesthetic Judgment Scale which was developed by Taylor and Helmstadter (1971) adapted Turkish culture and validated by Acer (2006) validity and reliability. The validity and reliability of THPC Aesthetic Judgment Scale for five years olds children were by researcher. In statistical data analysis, Mann Whitney U-Test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test were used. The results indicated that Aesthetic Education Program effects positively five-years old children's aesthetic judgment development.
Inter-Worldview Education and the Re-Production of Good Religion
Author: Moyaert, Marianne
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Religion,World Views,Consciousness Raising,Global Approach,Public Policy,Ideology,Social Influences,Power Structure,Political Issues,Educational Policy,Agency Cooperation,Minority Groups,Social Justice,War,Political Attitudes,Equal Education,Christianity,Cultural Influences,Violence

In this article, I focus on the increasing interest taken by European political and educational policy makers in inter-worldview education. My article has two parts. The first part consists of a document analysis of pivotal European publications on this and related issues. In the second and more critical part of this article, I make explicit my concerns about these European pleas for inter-worldview education. The main criticism that I present below is that the European policy on inter-worldview dialogue views the problem of intolerance too much as an individual problem that can and must be dealt with pedagogically, without recognizing that intolerance is just as much a structural socio-political problem. Important European policy documents, to be examined in the first part of this article, do not discuss how the way our societies are structured results in a sustenance of inequalities and in the marginalization of certain groups of people. At no point does these documents link inter-worldview education to the need &quot;to examine the ideologies and structures of society critically,&quot; as a consequence the plea for dialogue loses some of its critical and transforming potential. A list of references and notes is provided.
Integrating Universal Design, Culturally Sustaining Practices, and Constructivism to Advance Inclusive Pedagogy in the Undergraduate Classroom
Author: Grier-Reed, Tabitha
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Inclusion,Disabilities,Equal Education,Access to Education,Culturally Relevant Education,Constructivism (Learning),Educational Methods,Undergraduate Study,Educational Environment,Metacognition,Student Needs,Relevance (Education),Evaluation Methods,Classroom Environment,Feedback (Response),Tests,Student Evaluation,Writing Assignments,Student Projects

While primary and secondary teachers are legally required to adhere to inclusion guidelines for students experiencing disabilities, instructors in higher education have had more leeway to operate under a more traditional paradigm which can marginalize rather than include students in the classroom. Furthermore, students experience exclusion for reasons other than and in addition to disabilities, including, race, ethnicity, language, gender, and sexual orientation. In order to advance inclusion for all students in the higher education classroom, we propose integrating universal design, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. We aim to not only forward an integrative theoretical framework for inclusive pedagogy grounded in a constructivist perspective, but to also provide practical strategies that promote a more inclusive undergraduate classroom.
An Examination of Middle School Organizational Structures in the United States and Australia
Author: Ellerbrock, Cheryl R.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Administrative Organization,Foreign Countries,Middle Schools,Middle School Students,Early Adolescents,Instructional Effectiveness,School Choice,Block Scheduling,Grouping (Instructional Purposes),Middle School Teachers,Teacher Student Relationship

The middle school concept, aimed at creating a more developmentally responsive learning environment for young adolescents, gained a stronghold in the later part of the 20th century. Proponents of this concept have argued continually for the holistic implementation of its six key characteristics if its benefits are to be realized. These characteristics include: (a) a challenging, integrative, and exploratory curriculum; (b) varied teaching and learning approaches; (c) assessment and evaluation that promote learning; (d) flexible organizational structures (i.e., including the physical space, scheduling, and grouping of students and teachers); (e) programs and policies that foster health, wellness and safety; and (f) comprehensive guidance and support services. Recently, Ellerbrock, Falbe, and Pomykal Franz identified key middle school organizational structures of people, place, and time as being interconnected and integral to effective middle school practices. Main also demonstrated the interconnected nature of these key characteristics and how organizational structures of people affected the successful implementation of other characteristics. Thus, how these organizational structures can and are being implemented has implications for our understanding of the effectiveness of other middle school practices. In this paper, researchers from both the United States and Australia examine and compare literature published between 2000 and 2018 addressing ways in which middle school/middle years organizational structures have been reported and categorized by structures of people, place, and time in these two countries. Pertinent literature related to organizational structures of middle schools in the United States and to middle years education in Australia was examined. Findings from studies and evaluations from each country are reported to provide an international perspective on the organizational structures of middle schools/middle years education across the two countries. Overall, since 2000, the body of knowledge about middle schools/middle years organizational structures has been surprisingly limited in comparison to their perceived importance in the field. This lack of research is concerning in the midst of educational reform in both countries, resulting in questions about the impact of school organizational structures on young adolescent development and learning.
When Complexity Is Your Friend: Modeling the Complex Problem Space of Vocabulary
Author: Goodwin, Amanda P.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Factor Analysis,Correlation,Language Tests,Standardized Tests,Literacy,Semantics,Syntax,Word Frequency,Vocabulary Skills,Computer Assisted Testing

The history of vocabulary research has specified a rich and complex construct, resulting in calls for vocabulary research, assessment, and instruction to take into account the complex problem space of vocabulary. At the intersection of vocabulary theory and assessment modeling, this paper suggests a suite of modeling techniques that model the complex structures present in vocabulary data in ways that can build an understanding of vocabulary development and its links to instruction. In particular, we highlight models that can help researchers and practitioners identify and understand construct-relevant and construct-irrelevant aspects of assessing vocabulary knowledge. Drawing on examples from recent research and from our own three-year project to develop a standardized measure of language and vocabulary, we present four types of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models: single-factor, correlated-traits, bi-factor, and tri-factor models. We highlight how each of these approaches offers particular insights into the complex problem space of assessing vocabulary in ways that can inform vocabulary assessment, theory, research, and instruction. Examples include identifying construct-relevant general or specific factors like skills or different aspects of word knowledge that could link to instruction while at the same time preventing an overly-narrow focus on construct-irrelevant factors like task-specific or word-specific demands. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
&quot;There Is Never a Break&quot;: The Hidden Curriculum of Professionalization for Engineering Faculty
Author: Villanueva, Idalis
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Engineering Education,College Faculty,Hidden Curriculum,Self Efficacy,Teacher Attitudes,Self Advocacy,Gender Differences,Race,Academic Rank (Professional),Emotional Response,Role,Institutional Characteristics,Correlation,Teacher Surveys

The purpose of this exploratory special issue study was to understand the hidden curriculum (HC), or the unwritten, unofficial, or unintended lessons, around the professionalization of engineering faculty across institutions of higher education. Additionally, how engineering faculty connected the role of HC awareness, emotions, self-efficacy, and self-advocacy concepts was studied. A mixed-method survey was disseminated to 55 engineering faculties across 54 institutions of higher education in the United States. Quantitative questions, which centered around the influences that gender, race, faculty rank, and institutional type played in participants' responses was analyzed using a combination of decision tree analysis with chi-square and correlational analysis. Qualitative questions were analyzed by a combination of tone-, open-, and focused-coding. The findings pointed to the primary roles that gender and institutional type (e.g., Tier 1) played in issues of fulfilling the professional expectations of the field. Furthermore, it was found that HC awareness and emotions and HC awareness and self-efficacy had moderate positive correlations, whereas, compared to self-advocacy, it had weak, negative correlations. Together, the findings point to the complex understandings and intersectional lived realities of many engineering faculty and hopes that through its findings can create awareness of the challenges and obstacles present in these professional environments.