ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Assessing Tennessee Livestock Producers&apos; Awareness, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Right-of-Way Hay Harvesting
Author: Greer, Sarah Joy F.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Animal Husbandry,Agricultural Occupations,Farm Management,Questionnaires,Familiarity,Community Attitudes,Community Resources,Barriers,Cost Effectiveness,Performance Factors,Needs Assessment,State Policy,Civil Rights,Participation,Agricultural Engineering,Statistical Analysis

Tennessee Statute 54-5-134, Cutting Hay Along Controlled Access Highway Right-of-Way, provided agriculturalists the right to harvest hay along interstate highways' and other controlled access roads' medians and shoulders. Maintenance of these medians and shoulders are routinely contracted to private mowing companies and funded by Tennessee taxpayers. As a result of the Tennessee statute and lack of empirical information, a questionnaire was used to assess livestock producers' awareness, attitudes, and barriers concerning right-of-way hay harvesting. We found 7.2% of surveyed livestock producers were aware of their right to this resource, but none of the producers had applied for a permit. While livestock producers were highly innovative in terms of general agricultural practices, they were moderate in attitude towards right-of-way hay harvesting. Attributes leading to a more positive attitude toward right-of-way hay harvest were: (a) the ability to sell hay harvested from right-of-ways, (b) willing to pay someone else to cut hay from right-of-ways, and (c) currently purchasing hay. Alternatively, an attribute leading to a more negative attitude was currently feeding alfalfa mix hay. There is moderate interest among livestock producers to utilize hay from right-of-ways, but further research and education is needed to explore the practicality of this innovation.
Exploring How Pedagogical Strategies Change Student Perceptions of Writing Apprehension
Author: Fischer, Laura M.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Apprehension,Student Attitudes,Self Efficacy,Qualitative Research,Writing Skills,Agricultural Education,Communication Skills,Educational Strategies,Writing Attitudes,Writing Improvement,Writing Instruction,Case Studies,College Students,Writing Teachers,Self Esteem

Writing skills are imperative for students in any career; however, many students have acknowledged avoiding courses that emphasize writing. These same students fail to learn proper mechanics during their post-secondary education. Writing intensive courses have served as a place where students have the opportunity to improve confidence, minimize avoidance-like attitudes, and improve writing techniques. Prior literature has found a relationship between self-efficacy and writing apprehension; additionally, research has suggested how pedagogical strategies can be used to improve self-efficacy. This study sought to explore how the implementation of pedagogical activities changes self-efficacy and the student's level of writing apprehension. A qualitative research design allowed for a thick description of the students' perceptions and reactions to pedagogical activities. The findings suggested pedagogical practices and the role of the instructor played important roles to improve student confidence in writing. Specifically, practicing writing, opportunities to edit and reflect, following a guide, and writing about what matters may be used in courses to improve confidence and writing skills. Additionally, the instructor should provide constructive criticism and serve as a coach during the learning process. In order to improve writing curriculum and student confidence toward writing, instructors should incorporate these recommendations into their curriculum.
Experiences of Agricultural Education Preservice Teachers Engaging in Critical Friendships
Author: Sellick, Sable
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Agricultural Education,Preservice Teachers,Teaching Experience,Friendship,Reflection,Phenomenology,Student Teachers,Student Teaching,Teacher Education Programs,Qualitative Research,Majors (Students),Peer Relationship,Teacher Collaboration,Observation,Semi Structured Interviews

As teachers search for ways to improve their craft through reflection, critical friendships have proven to be effective at improving preservice and inservice teachers' reflective behaviors. This qualitative study sought to understand the experiences of agricultural education preservice teachers participating in critical friendships with other agricultural education majors and with teachers in other disciplines. After three weeks of engaging in critical friendships, analysis of discussions between critical friends and interviews with participants indicated that, while the critical friendships were perceived as helpful, their utility was dependent on specific conditions within the teachers' settings. Additionally, preservice agriculture teachers engaged in different types of discussions when working with peers within or outside the discipline. The findings and implications from this study can assist teacher educators in developing parameters for critical friendships that can ensure their effective use and success within agricultural education.
Encouraging Engagement in Water Conservation: Can Trust from Extension Create Change?
Author: McKee, Brandon H.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Water,Conservation (Environment),Extension Education,Extension Agents,Trust (Psychology),Community Attitudes,Consumer Economics,Social Capital,Predictor Variables,Agricultural Occupations,Sustainable Development,Costs,Intention,Employer Attitudes,Surveys,Regression (Statistics)

Extension educators seek to provide scientific research and perspective to farmers and the public. The connection that Extension educators foster between farmers and consumers can be capitalized upon to build trust and ultimately encourage behavior change through social capital. Agricultural educators have recognized the need for consumers and farmers to develop trust and mutuality in order to combat complex issues such as water usage. Agriculture is the greatest user of water in the United States; therefore efforts to encourage agricultural water conservation have been explored. Unfortunately, they are largely unsuccessful because of the increased production cost associated with conservation passed on to consumers. This study explored how U.S. consumers' related their willingness to pay for products conserving water with their level of trust that farmers are good conservationists. The findings revealed that trust that farmers will conserve water is predicted by the degree of positive and negative relationships that consumers identify. The findings imply that by developing relationships between consumers' trust and their willingness to pay, Extension educators can encourage engagement in agricultural water conservation practices.
Online Certificate Program Moves Participants to Advanced Stages of Concern for Social Marketing
Author: Chaudhary, Anil Kumar
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Courses,Marketing,Professional Development,Certification,Agricultural Education,Questionnaires,Qualitative Research,Extension Education,Program Descriptions,Behavior Change,Audiences,Likert Scales,Statistical Analysis,Pretests Posttests

Social marketing is an underused strategy that agricultural educators can employ to bring about behavior change. We designed an online certificate program for Extension professionals and other educators based on an identified need for social marketing professional development. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) served as the conceptual framework and stages of concern explained changes in concerns among Cultivating Community Change online certificate program participants. The purpose of the study was to describe participants' stages of concern profile before and after the certificate program and identify how participants' perceptions changed as a result of involvement in the certificate program. We collected quantitative data using the stages of concern questionnaire and qualitative data from participants' open-ended discussion answers. Participation in the certificate program moved participants to advanced stages of concerns for application of social marketing in their work. The certificate program helped to broaden participants' understanding and application of this technique and changed their perceptions positively toward social marketing. We consider the certificate program successful, and we recommend agricultural education professionals use online certificate programs to build Extension professionals' and other educators' skills to change behavior of their target audiences.
Previous Experience Not Required: Contextualizing the Choice to Teach School-Based Agricultural Education
Author: Marx, Adam A.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Agricultural Education,Career Choice,Focus Groups,Preservice Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Preservice Teacher Education,Nontraditional Students,College Students,Teacher Shortage,Teacher Recruitment

The purpose of this study was to identify key career choice items which lead students without previous experience in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) to pursuing agricultural education. The Ag Ed FIT-Choice® model adapted by Lawver (2009) and developed by Richardson and Watt (2006) provided the investigative framework to design this study. Findings were organized around categories of the Ag Ed Fit-Choice Model (Lawver, 2009) with the exception of one additional category, believed unique to this group. Two focus groups were assembled to include ten participants. A myriad of experiences led participants to consider SBAE as a career. Certainly, it can be concluded that a passion for agricultural education does not solely stem from prior SBAE experiences. The intrigue toward the varied content associated with agriculture played a substantial role in participants' choice to teach agriculture. Participants' reflections revealed a distinct interconnectedness of domains within the Ag Ed Fit-Choice® model and the way in which this group of future teachers reflects upon career decision. Further, participants engaged in near constant value-checking and introspective career evaluation resulting through field experiences. The present study generated additional questions on the most effective ways to recruit future SBAE teachers who are non-traditional SBAE students.
Skills Students Need in the Real World: Competencies Desired by Agricultural and Natural Resources Industry Leaders
Author: Easterly, R. G., III
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Natural Resources,Strategic Planning,Communication Skills,Problem Solving,Human Capital,Critical Thinking,Agricultural Education,Leadership,Labor Force Development,Undergraduate Students,College Faculty,Online Surveys,Education Work Relationship,Job Skills,Statistical Analysis

The competencies addressed by undergraduate agricultural education programs should be assessed so programs are effective in supplying a well-prepared agricultural- and natural resources-oriented workforce, and so human capital is optimized. In this study, agricultural and natural resources leaders were surveyed to determine the workforce competencies they believed graduates of post-secondary agricultural education programs should have obtained. An Internet based survey was distributed to graduates of an agricultural leadership development (ALT) group and a natural resources leadership development (NRLT) Group. The highest-rated workforce competency categories for the ALT group were being dependable (n = 103), critical thinking (n = 101), strategic planning (n = 98), and clear communication (n = 98); the highest-rated categories for the NRLT group were active listening (n = 73), clear communication (n = 72), and problem solving skills (n = 72). The personal and leadership skills subscales were not significantly different, but natural resources leaders ranked communication competencies as more important than agricultural leaders. Agricultural educators should evaluate the workforce competencies offered in their undergraduate programs and have deliberate conversations about meeting industry needs to better prepare a future workforce.
Developmental Patterns of Metadiscourse in Second Language Writing*
Author: Kobayashi, Yuichiro
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Proficiency,Computational Linguistics,English (Second Language),Asians,Comparative Analysis,Discourse Analysis,Japanese,Native Language,Thai,Preferences,Chinese,Grammar,Vocabulary Development,Contrastive Linguistics,Taxonomy,Language Patterns,Statistical Analysis

The present study aimed to profile the developmental patterns of discourse in second language (L2) writings among different first language (L1) groups. Applying the list of metadiscourse markers proposed by Ken Hyland to learner language, this study investigates variation of metadiscourse across proficiency levels, as well as across L1 backgrounds. Using the International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English, the present study compared the frequencies of metadiscourse markers used in the writings among different learner groups. The results suggest that the six learner groups that were compared have diverse frequency change patterns of metadiscourse features across proficiency levels. To be specific, Japanese learners' heavy reliance on self-mentions and boosters is remarkably antithetical to Thai learners' preference of engagement markers and hedges. Moreover, B2 and higher level learners in China and Taiwan exhibited greater numbers of evidential patterns (&quot;hereafter&quot; evidentials) than learners in other groups. These differences can be attributable to their L1 rhetorical strategy, not to their lexical and grammatical competence. Therefore, we should consider the idiosyncrasies in metadiscourse of each L1 group when assessing L2 learners based on their language performance.
Examining Japanese EFL Learners&apos; Sensitivity to Unaccusative Verbs through Animation-Based Acceptability Judgment and Composition
Author: Owada, Kazuharu
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Majors (Students),Verbs,Language Tests,Likert Scales,Animation,Writing (Composition),Writing Tests,Computer Assisted Testing

There are some English verbs that can be used both intransitively and transitively. Verbs such as &quot;break,&quot; &quot;close,&quot; and &quot;melt&quot; can appear in intransitive active, transitive active, and passive constructions. Although native English speakers know in what kind of context a target verb is used in a certain construction, previous studies have shown that EFL learners, including Japanese learners of English (JLEs), face difficulties in choosing the appropriate construction of these verb types. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, I examined JLEs' sensitivity to the transitivity of such English verbs by using an animation-based acceptability judgment test. This examination was in comparison with some native English speakers (NESs). Second, I investigated which construction of such verbs JLEs tend to use in an animation-based composition test. The results of this study suggest the following: (1) In the animation-based acceptability judgment test, JLEs accepted the passive more than the NESs did in some contexts with the exception of &quot;fall,&quot; and (2) in the animation-based composition test, JLEs preferred to use the intransitive of &quot;fall&quot; and the transitive of &quot;drop.&quot;
A Contrastive Rhetoric Analysis of English and Hindi Editorials
Author: Bolgün, M. Ali
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Contrastive Linguistics,English,Indo European Languages,Discourse Analysis,Rhetoric,News Media,Persuasive Discourse,Literary Styles,Language Usage

This study explores and identifies a number of key qualitative and quantitative differences in textual discourse styles in English and Hindi editorials found in the &quot;New York Times&quot; (&quot;NYT) and &quot;Navbharat&quot;, respectively. These differences could be the source of strenuous processing of such editorials by learners of Hindi. Our contrastive rhetoric analysis reveals that, in general, &quot;NYT&quot; editorials are more detailed and stand-alone pieces; that is to say, writer-responsible. The arguments, suggestions, and recommendations therein are directly stated. The main argument appears early, and details are provided later, following a deductive writing style. Also, there is an observed avoidance of passive voice constructions. &quot;Navbharat&quot; editorials, on the other hand, seem to rely on readers' background knowledge of the issue presented and, therefore, consists of fewer details and, as such, are reader-responsible. The arguments, suggestions, and recommendations are often indirectly stated. The main argument is often missing or stated at the end of the editorial after a number of details are provided, evidencing an inductive writing style. In &quot;Navbharat&quot; editorials, there is also an observed ample use of passive voice constructions. Rhetorical organization of editorials in each of these publications may work for the readership of the respective publications within the culture in which they operate. However, such differences would require language professionals to develop teaching materials and strategies to help learners comprehend editorials and other high level texts in each of the respective languages. To that end, we are suggesting a few strategies. [A list of editorials used for this study is provided.]
Secret Agents and Innocent Patients: The Mysteries of The English Passive Voice and Its Use (and Misuse) in EFL Writing in Japan
Author: Mathieson, Paul
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Verbs,Language Usage,Writing (Composition),Foreign Countries,Japanese,Contrastive Linguistics,Syntax,Role,Native Language,Transfer of Training,Interference (Language),Language Variation,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,High School Students

Though generally under-utilised in spoken English, the passive voice plays a crucial role in formal, written English (Biber et al., 1999). An understanding of how the passive voice operates in English writing is therefore a vital skill for EFL learners in secondary and higher education so that they may be able to both understand and produce fluent and accurate formal English writing. Using samples of Japanese high school learners' writing, this paper sought to shed light on why many Japanese EFL learners struggle to produce accurate passive constructions in English writing. The paper begins by examining how the passive voice is used in English, focusing on core passive forms, &quot;pseudopassives&quot; (Balcom, 2001), agency, and transitivity. Conveying a sense of objectivity (such as through the use of agentless passives) is also highlighted as a crucial feature of the use of the passive voice in formal, written English. Comparing the use of the passive voice in Japanese to its use in English reveals some structural and functional similarities, although there are some syntactic differences--particularly in relation to verb conjugation. The role of transitivity is also a key point of difference between the two languages. Unlike in Japanese, intransitive verbs cannot be passivised in English. Japanese EFL learners are often able to produce fluent, accurate passive structures in English, especially when the agent and patient are clearly identified. However, many Japanese EFL learners struggle with agentless passives in English--whereas in Japanese agents are almost always specified (Watanabe et al., 1991), the agent is often omitted in written English. This can lead to L1 transfer, the (incorrect) iteration and fossilisation of novel passive constructions. Increasing Japanese EFL learners' exposure to different varieties of English passive constructions is suggested as a potential means of remedying this problem. In addition, focusing on correct passive structure form (through explicit instruction and spoken/written corrective feedback) during in-class written production may also prove to be effective.
Alternative Paths to Diversity: Exploring and Implementing Effective College Admissions Policies. Policy Information Report and ETS Research Report Series No. RR-17-40
Author: Orfield, Gary
Date: 2017-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Admission,Affirmative Action,Selective Admission,Court Litigation,Admission Criteria,School Policy,Educational Practices,Case Studies,College Administration,Student Diversity,Race

The Supreme Court has established the parameters within which universities can practice race-conscious affirmative action for college admissions in a series of decisions beginning in l978. The key issues concern the educational impact of campus diversity and whether or not it is necessary to give some consideration to students' race into order to produce a diverse student body in highly selective colleges. The most recent decision, &quot;Fisher v. University of Texas II,&quot; taken in June 2016, raised the question of whether there was a viable nonracial alternative policy that would produce the level of diversity for universities to realize the benefits of diverse learning experiences that are a central goal of the great majority of selective colleges and universities. This report explores the issues before the court and the continuing responsibilities of universities under the decision and introduces a series of new studies, most commissioned by a collaboration between the Civil Rights Project and ETS--three of which are included in this volume. The study concludes that the best evidence from the most recent social science studies and research syntheses show that the major proposed alternative policies are far less successful than affirmative action and thus do not meet the Court's definition of feasible alternatives. This conclusion led the Court to approve affirmative action.
Baylor University and Midway Independent School District: An Exemplary Partnership
Author: McCall, Madelon
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Partnerships in Education,College School Cooperation,Professional Development Schools,Elementary Secondary Education,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Education Programs,Governance,School Districts

The National Association of Professional Development Schools recognized the partnership between Baylor University and Midway Independent School District as one of three partnerships to receive the 2017 Award for Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement. This Professional Development School partnership began in 2009 and places the utmost value on our combined commitment to engage in research, impact PK-12 student achievement, employ reciprocal professional development, and prepare teacher candidates to be leaders in their field.