ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Preliminary Research on the Lifestyle of International Students
Author: Huang, Hsiaowen
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Students,Factor Analysis,Foreign Countries,Mandarin Chinese,Educational Policy,Life Style,Barriers,Language Skills,Predictor Variables,Population Trends,Questionnaires,Social Characteristics,Social Indicators,Life Satisfaction,Acculturation,Student Attitudes

The focus of this study is to explore the lifestyle of international students and also the difficulties faced by them due to the language barrier (difficulty in learning the Chinese language) in Taiwan. Motivation for this study comes from the increasing number of international students, and the related educational policy settings of the government in Taiwan. In general, these international students are very focused on their studies, they foster a close relationship with their families and firmly believe that this family support motivates them to perform better and learn more. However, language seems to be a major barrier for them while adapting to the life in Taiwan, thereby, making it difficult for the students to comprehend the local news and gather information. Moreover, they are also not used to the local food, which might be one of the reasons that may motivate them to return to their own countries/homelands. The purpose of this study is: (1) to determine the relationship between the variables, population statistics and lifestyle; and (2) to understand the lifestyle of international students. We classified lifestyle into seven domains with the help of factor analysis: optimist-oriented, participation-oriented, fashion-oriented, nostalgia-oriented, benefit-oriented, independence-oriented and actuality-oriented. We also analyzed the demographics data and found that there are significances in the dimensions related to participation-oriented, fashion-oriented, nostalgia-oriented, benefit-oriented, independence-oriented and actuality-oriented lifestyle domains. Furthermore, research shows that international students, who were very participation-oriented, mainly chose to live in dormitories, as they could keep in touch with people and also had access to necessary information. Further, marriage also influences their level of participation. (Contains 15 tables.)
School-Based Assessment in Malaysian Schools: The Concerns of the English Teachers
Author: Majid, Faizah A.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Public Schools,Educational Innovation,Educational Change,English Teachers,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Questionnaires,Program Implementation,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Policy,Performance Factors,Foreign Countries

The Malaysian government has proposed to implement SBA (school-based assessment) in public schools with an attempt to replace the current public examinations. However, as SBA has yet to be in full swing, relatively little is known about the concerns of the teachers who would directly be involved in implementing SBA. This paper presents the findings from a survey on 40 English teachers who are currently teaching in Malaysian public schools. The items in the questionnaire elicited information on the stages of concerns of the respondents' concern regarding the adoption or implementation of any educational innovation. The constructs are indifference, informational-personal, management, consequence-collaboration and refocusing. It is from these identified constructs that the categories for the questions are built. Findings from the study indicate that the respondents are concerned about the innovation and that their concerns are multidimensional regardless of their experience in the innovation. The findings not only enlighten to the Malaysian English teachers themselves, but also the professional development trainers in monitoring teachers' concerns, during the process of educational change, such as the SBA. Thus, informed decisions can be made while planning for the in-service teacher trainings on SBA. Several implications on the in-service trainings are drawn in order to ensure the smooth-running of the SBA. Future works, suggested on expanding similar research on other educational innovations, can be carried out. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Grounded Theory as a "Family of Methods": A Genealogical Analysis to Guide Research
Author: Babchuk, Wayne A.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grounded Theory,Educational Theories,Adult Education,Research Methodology,Educational Research,Qualitative Research,Andragogy,Educational History

This study traces the evolution of grounded theory from a nuclear to an extended family of methods and considers the implications that decision-making based on informed choices throughout all phases of the research process has for realizing the potential of grounded theory for advancing adult education theory and practice. [This paper was presented at the 2010 Adult Education Research Conference (AERC).]
Organizational Characteristics and Use of Personal Computer Software by Graduate Students in Makerere University
Author: Bakkabulindi, Fred Edward K.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Computer Software,Educational Technology,Institutional Characteristics,Computer Uses in Education,Use Studies,Questionnaires,Student Surveys,Organizational Culture,Organizational Climate,Organizational Change,Innovation,Foreign Countries

This paper reports a survey that sought to establish levels of use of PC (personal computer) software by graduate students in Makerere University and to link the same to organizational characteristics, related to a given respondent's &quot;unit&quot;, that is school, faculty or institute, namely its ability to absorb change, its ICT (Information and Communication Technology) culture, size and leader's ICT change management style. The correlational and cross-sectional survey involved 175 students who filled a questionnaire. Data analysis, involving summary statistics (e.g., means and standard deviations) and multiple regression, indicated low levels of use of PC software, and only unit ICT culture was a significantly positive correlate of the same. It was thus recommended that stakeholders, such as the Makerere University directorate of ICT support, encouraged respective units to build and continually enhance their ICT cultures as a possible means of enhancing the use of PC software by graduate students therein. (Contains 6 tables.)
The Expansion of Private Loans in Postsecondary Education. Stats in Brief. NCES 2012-184
Author: Woo, Jennie H.
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Graduate Students,Student Loan Programs,Income,Student Characteristics,Undergraduate Students,Student Financial Aid,Tuition,Colleges,Federal Aid,Paying for College,Federal Programs,National Surveys,Predictor Variables,Private Financial Support

This Statistics in Brief examines private loans by institution sector, tuition amount, student characteristics, and level. This study attempts to answer the following questions: (1) How did undergraduate borrowing from private sources change from 2003-04 to 2007-08 and who obtained private loans?; (2) To what extent did undergraduates combine private and public loans?; (3) Did undergraduates borrow the maximum amount from federal Stafford loans before turning to private loans?; and (4) How did private borrowing among graduate and first-professional students change from 2003-04 to 2007-08? Key findings include: (1) The percentage of undergraduates obtaining private loans from 2003-04 to 2007-08 rose from 5 percent to 14 percent. During this period, Stafford loan borrowing among undergraduates increased from 32 percent to 35 percent, and borrowing from all sources, including Parent PLUS loans, rose from 34 percent to 39 percent; (2) Among full-time dependent undergraduates, higher percentages of students from lower middle-income (21 percent) and upper middle-income (20 percent) families than students from low-income (15 percent) or high-income (16 percent) families borrowed private loans in 2007-08; (3) The largest proportion of borrowers who took out private loans either exclusively or in combination with public loans (42 percent) was found among those enrolled at for-profit institutions in 2007-08. Among private loan borrowers at private nonprofit 4-year institutions, for example, 25 percent took out private loans in 2007-08; (4) Fifty-three percent of dependent undergraduates who obtained a private loan had borrowed the maximum federal (Stafford) loan amount in 2007-08; and (5) From 2003-04 to 2007-08, the percentage of graduate students who took out private loans rose 4 percentage points, from 7 percent to 11 percent, compared with an increase of 9 percentage points among undergraduates, from 5 percent to 14 percent. (Contains 1 exhibit, 7 figures, 2 tables and 12 footnotes.)
Access and Success in Learning: Technologies for Scaling Up Open and Distance Learning Programme in the Institute of Distance Learning, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
Author: Essel, Rebecca
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Video Technology,Electronic Publishing,Distance Education,Lifelong Learning,Information Technology,Access to Education,Developing Nations,Questionnaires,Facilitators (Individuals),Interviews,Barriers,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Educational Development

ODL (Open and Distance Learning) has come to stay. In recent years, there has been some extra-ordinary increasing international interest in it and Ghana is no exception. Currently, new ways of providing education are inevitable and ODL provides an effective alternate way. It represents approaches that focus on opening access to education and learning, freeing learners from the constraints of time and place and offering flexible learning opportunities to individuals/group. To the distant learner, ODL means increased access and flexibility and the combination of work and education. Many countries are trying to use ODL as a strategy for opening access to education. Inadequate infrastructure and professional competence in ODL serve as barriers. The study was designed to examine how learners can gain access to and success in learning. Again, it sought to ascertain some technologies which could be used to improve existing conditions at the IDL (Institute of Distance Learning), KNUST. The questionnaire was administered to 200 students and 20 facilitators. Stratified sampling was employed. The facilitators were interviewed. Lessons learnt include the fact that ODL will be an important element of future education and training. The emergent picture was that even though students use some computers, it could be extended to embrace other technologies, such as video conferencing, phone counseling and writing examinations on line so as to curtail any cultural and social barriers. It is worth noting that information could support the quality/variety of existing educational structures which enhance and consolidate capacity. Hopefully, usage of electronic information technologies in ODL would enhance retrieval/storage and distribution of information. It would also increase facilitation/communication among learners, facilitators and stakeholders in providing lifelong education. (Contains 2 tables.)
About the Differences of Teachers' Self-Perceptions to the Statements of Social Competence
Author: Krips, Heiki
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Caring,Feedback (Response),Classroom Communication,Science Teachers,Art Teachers,Interpersonal Competence,Individual Differences,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Teacher Attitudes,Gender Differences,Social Values,Student Empowerment,Ethics,Credibility,Integrity,Emotional Intelligence,Assertiveness,Teacher Characteristics,Questionnaires,Teacher Behavior,Foreign Countries

In this study, 600 school teachers completed a 116-item questionnaire consisting of questions regarding classroom communication as well as a general list of social skills. The aim of the study was to compare the self-perceptions, given by the teachers of art and the teachers of science and the male and female teachers to the statements of social competence. In comparing the mean values, given by teachers to the statements, it was revealed that the teachers of art (N = 246) think more about their communications and they are more &quot;open&quot; to communication with others, while at the same time, the teachers of science (N = 135) are more &quot;straight-forward&quot; in their communication. In the case of four statements of the dimension teachers' caring in the classroom and in the case of two statements of the dimension support to the students' autonomy, the art teachers assessed themselves higher than the science teachers. The science teachers assessed themselves higher than the art teachers in the case of the two statements which expressed objectivity in disputing and feedbacks; in the case of two statements of the dimension teacher's fairness and honesty, and in the case of statement consistent stressing of important elements in one's presentation. In comparing the self-perceptions of the mean values of female (N = 502) and male (N = 51) teachers, it became evident that the female teachers' self-perceptions are higher in the case of fourteen statements. Female teachers assess more highly their emotional skills and the ways of behavior expressing caring for their students in the classroom. The male teachers assess themselves as more assertive, &quot;stronger&quot; and more objective in the feedback. The revealed differences deserve further research to clarify whether and how much such self-perceptions of teachers are expressed in their real behaviors. (Contains 2 tables and 1 footnote.)
The Pursuit of Increased Learning: Coalescing Assessment Strategies at a Large Research University. IR Applications. Volume 30
Author: Kramer, Gary L.
Date: 2011-03-07
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Research Universities,Self Evaluation (Groups),Systems Approach,Outcomes of Education,College Outcomes Assessment,Alignment (Education),School Culture,Evidence,Schools of Education

Assessment drives significant change in higher education. Colleges and universities are being asked to (a) publish expected learning outcomes for each of their programs; (b) provide evidence that the expected learning outcomes are realized by students; and (c) demonstrate how such data collection and analyses lead to continuous improvement of student learning, the curriculum, and the university. This is a significant challenge, especially for large schools with many students. This paper presents (a) a working yet evolving model of an institutional assessment and analysis plan; (b) obstacles and challenges associated with implementing the plan; (c) innovative strategies--some technological--employed to address the obstacles and challenges; (d) a collegewide application of a systems approach to assessment; and (e) lessons learned and future strategies. Institutional, collegewide, discipline-specific, and individual faculty perspectives to a systems approach of bridging assessment, learning outcomes, and accreditation will be presented. The importance of student involvement throughout the process is highlighted. Brigham Young University (BYU) serves over 30,000 students across 11 colleges and 56 academic departments, offering over 400 degree-granting programs. During BYU's recent decennial regional accreditation, emphasis on assessment strategies and learning outcomes accountability was appropriately far reaching and has generated extensive response across the university community. (Contains 6 figures.)
Expanding Opportunities: Postsecondary Career and Technical Education and Preparing Tomorrow's Workforce. A Position Paper
Author: Visger, Brett
Date: 2007-03-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Postsecondary Education,Vocational Education,College Preparation,Expectation,Lifelong Learning,Academic Advising,Academic Support Services,Student Personnel Services,Student Financial Aid,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Articulation (Education),Alignment (Education),Transfer Policy

With nearly a third of all students in for-credit postsecondary education enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs, CTE is a valuable partner in moving reform efforts forward at the postsecondary level by providing leadership in pedagogy as well as systems-building and economic development. This enables CTE to play the role of leader and convener, engaging partners across multiple sectors in the work to improve postsecondary education. Career and technical educators are not only teaching the skills necessary for the workplace, but they are also providing the skills and the human capital students need to move to the next step in the educational system. The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) developed this paper to offer broad recommendations for improving postsecondary success through the experiences and resources of CTE. Systemic improvements to guarantee the availability of information, opportunities and access are imperative if individuals are to increase the number of people earning postsecondary credentials, which will ultimately ensure a highly skilled and well-trained workforce that is able to meet the needs of American business and industry. The recommendations presented in this paper are: (1) Establish postsecondary preparation and expectations for all; (2) Develop education systems that integrate all levels; (3) Develop curriculum and instructional offerings that link to careers, foster lifelong learning, and encourage completion; (4) Ensure portability and transferability of credits and skills attained; (5) Enhance student advising and academic and life-supports; (6) Increase financial support for low-income students; and (7) Pilot innovative approaches to funding. (Contains 32 endnotes.)
Improving the Way Higher Education Institutions Study Themselves: Use and Impact of Academic Improvement Systems. Professional File. Number 118, Fall 2010
Author: Bender, Kim K.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,Research Universities,Educational Change,Educational Improvement,Self Evaluation (Groups),Organizational Communication,College Administration,Labor Turnover,College Environment,Interaction,Technology Uses in Education,Strategic Planning,Systems Approach,Total Quality Management

Can higher education institutions continue using planning and self-evaluation processes that are decades old without any reform? Several recent monographs urge institutions to embrace continuous improvement processes that engage systematic planning and department self-evaluation across whole campuses, but they do not show institutions how to do it. This article describes an improvement system shared by two very high-research universities that includes features such as interactive organizational learning environments, and it highlights the aspects of the system that help deal with some organizational problems such as administrative turnover, disconnected planning efforts, and limited sharing of information. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)
CTE's Role in Adolescent Literacy. Issue Brief
Author: Association for Career and Technical Education
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Vocational Education,Literacy,Adolescents,Content Area Reading,Content Area Writing,Enrichment Activities,Relevance (Education),High Schools

This Issue Brief will explore the key role that CTE [career and technical education] programs can play in increasing adolescent literacy engagement and achievement. High-quality CTE programs expose students to rigorous and relevant information-rich content that motivates them to develop their literacy skills. CTE teachers integrate content-area reading and writing strategies to aid students' learning, and courses provide numerous enrichment activities to help students apply higher-level literacy skills to their interests and future goals. (Contains 31 endnotes.)
Performance Evaluation of Indoor Environment towards Sustainability for Higher Educational Buildings
Author: Khalil, Natasha
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Higher Education,Educational Facilities,Interior Space,Pollution,Educational Facilities Improvement,Use Studies,Satisfaction,Sustainability,Educational Facilities Design,Learning Processes,Evaluation Criteria

The indoor environmental factors considered in higher educational building must be determined in order to meet the user's requirement. Disruption of indoor environment may constitute to reduce occupants' efficiencies and their learning process and activities. But the question is, how to ensure that the provision of indoor environmental aspects achieves high satisfaction to the building user. Therefore, POE (post occupancy evaluation) is a prominent tool that indicates satisfaction and comfort level needs by the building occupants as lessons learned to identify problems in the indoor environment. The information of the building's condition is gained by reviewing what the occupants' feelings are and how they response to their needs by using and occupying the building. With relation to the title, the main aim of this study is to determine the occupants' satisfaction levels and the probability of learning process, which can be affected due to poor environmental conditions, based on analytical study on concept and process of POE. A survey on occupants' satisfaction of 100 students in University Technology of MARA, Perak, Malaysia, has revealed that there is significance of providing good quality of indoor environmental conditions, that will affect the learning process of the students. It is concluded that POE is effective to be used in evaluating performance of environmental conditions in a building, especially to apply the relative impact of aspects towards the design of future buildings. By introducing POE in evaluating environmental conditions in higher educational buildings, it is hoped that it helps to move the industry towards sustainable, healthy and comfortable learning areas. (Contains 1 table and 5 figures.)
Enhancing Clinical Trials by Incorporating Side Effects
Author: Schrag, Francis
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Evidence,Evaluation,Instructional Effectiveness,Learning Motivation,Surveys,Questionnaires,Longitudinal Studies,Experiments

Evidence-based medicine is often seen as a model for evidence-based education, and deservedly so, but evaluators in education have been slow to adopt one of its salient features, attention to side effects. Many education evaluations focus almost exclusively on efficacy, that is on achievement test scores. Regardless of domain, all interventions produce collateral effects beyond those sought by the interveners. As people continue to learn in medicine, in agriculture, and in warfare, failure to consider collateral effects may and often does lead to ill-advised recommendations. Acknowledging that educational interventions produce side effects raises two key questions for those seeking to incorporate them in evaluations: (1) Which side effects?; and (2) How can they be assessed? The problem in education is not the absence of collateral learning but its abundance. Evaluators ought to be obliged to assess the collateral learning which suffices to call into question a verdict based on measures achievement measures alone. One kind of collateral learning "unequivocally" meets this requirement, namely motivation to continue learning (hereafter, CM). A reduction in CM need not always outweigh a gain in academic achievement. However, "evidence concerning the strengthening or weakening of CM is always relevant to, and may overturn a verdict based solely on achievement measures." The author does not deny that educational experiences strengthen or weaken other important dispositions and the more of them that evaluators can incorporate, the better, but assessing CM ought not to be optional.