ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Developing and Implementing an Instructional Technology Aided Conceptual Change Approach in Teaching Ecology Concepts at Ninth Grade
Author: Cetin, Gülcan
Date: 2004-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ecology,Science Instruction,Computer Assisted Instruction,Concept Formation,Group Activities,Misconceptions,Demonstrations (Educational),Visual Aids,Pretests Posttests,Comparative Analysis,Grade 9,High School Students,Secondary School Science,Conventional Instruction,Foreign Countries,Observation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using conceptual change texts accompanied with small group work on ninth grade students' learning of ecology. The developed texts were constructed to remediation of students' misconceptions with accommodated new ones about ecology. Conceptual change texts were implemented in an instructional technology enriched setting supported with demonstration tools and visual aids. Activities were conducted in small groups working with worksheets, demonstration, posters and slide projector during the instruction. While the experimental groups took instructional technology aided conceptual change approach within groups, the control groups were taught with traditional method over a four weeks period. An Ecology Concepts Test was constructed to identify students' misconceptions and to indicate how successful the course had been in improving students' learning about ecology. All students were administered Ecology Concepts Test as pre-test and post-test. The experimental and the control groups were observed using nonparticipant approach as much as possible. According to pre-test analysis results, there was no significant mean difference between experimental and control groups. After treatment, the results of post-test indicated that experimental groups caused a significantly better acquisition of scientific conceptions related to ecology concepts than the traditional instruction.
An Exploratory Case Study of Online Instructors: Factors Associated with Instructor Engagement
Author: Seaton, J. X.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Electronic Learning,Educational Technology,Learner Engagement,Teachers,Online Courses,Technology Uses in Education,Computer Mediated Communication,Grounded Theory,Foreign Countries,Interviews,Statistical Analysis,Technological Advancement,Technology Integration,Distance Education,College Faculty

This study identified factors associated with instructor engagement in online courses. We believe that this topic deserves attention because quality of instruction is one of the strongest predictors of a successful online course. As researchers, our hope is that, by understanding the factors which influence perceptions of success by online instructors, policies and/or programs can be implemented to support online instructors, which, in turn, will result in higher quality online courses. This research was an exploratory case study in which the experiences of twelve online instructors were examined over one year. The identified themes based on the participants' experiences will inform the direction of a larger quantitative study. Participant interviews were analyzed for evidence of positive and negative experiences and how frequently each occurred. We expected that participants who were less engaged in teaching would describe more negative experiences than other participants. Specific barriers to online engagement included lack of social presence, an increase in workload, and technological issues. Research priorities were determined to influence the instructors' ability to cope with these barriers. Instructors who were hired to teach and conduct research held mixed and often negative feelings about teaching in online environments.
Discovering Argument: Linking Literacy, Citizenship Education, and Persuasive Advocacy
Author: Brett, Peter
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Persuasive Discourse,Writing (Composition),Advocacy,Literacy,Foreign Countries,Citizen Participation,Activism,Secondary School Students,Citizenship Education,Democracy,National Competency Tests,Achievement Tests,Writing Tests,Rhetoric,Teaching Methods

This paper explores persuasive writing and what more might be done to help equip young people with the written literacy tools to be effective participants in civic activism. Firstly, we argue from an Australian (and Tasmanian) context that there may be merit in teachers and students re-visiting some of the advice from classical rhetoric around the discovery of arguments. Secondly, we analyse challenges that 14 year old students face in responding to Australia's national literacy tests which include a persuasive writing task--and exemplify this section with evidence drawn from a data source of outstanding student responses. We conclude by critically reviewing and augmenting the literacy strategies suggested in a representative citizenship education teaching text, and suggest a tentative stepped model for supporting high quality persuasive writing in the context of active citizenship and democratic engagement.
Variations of Young Germans' Informal Conceptions of Financial and Economic Crises Phenomena
Author: Aprea, Carmela
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Economic Climate,Financial Exigency,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Interviews,Student Attitudes,Surveys,Positive Attitudes,Imagination,Logical Thinking,Knowledge Level,Curriculum Design,Teaching Methods,Money Management

The development of a sound understanding of financial and economic crises phenomena must be considered an important goal within the scope of citizenship, economic and social science education. As with every other educational endeavour, this intention requires solid information about what informal conceptions learners hold about this specific aspect of reality. However, even though this necessity is widely acknowledged, respective theoretical and empirical research is rather scarce. The research to be presented here aims to contribute to filling this gap by exploring variations in young Germans' common-sense conceptions of financial and economic crises phenomena. The research activities adhere to a comprehensive view of how economic issues should be involved in education. Moreover, a phenomenographic research approach is adopted. This approach was implemented in an interview study with 56 secondary school students in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). Besides this study, the paper also considers evidence from German survey data. In the interview study, four different conceptions (i.e., denial of the crisis, magical thinking, optimism, realism) could be reconstructed, which vary with respect to whether students' awareness of specific facets of the crisis was given or not. In addition, from this study as well as from the survey data, an excessively optimistic attitude was stated in young Germans. This attitude, however, seems to be more a symptom of insecurity and overstrain than a manifestation of a profound comprehension. These results are discussed with regard to the design of formal curricula and instruction.
Computer-Based Cognitive Tools in Teacher Training: The COG-TECH Projects
Author: Orhun, Emrah
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education,Teacher Educators,Information Technology,Educational Innovation,Computer Assisted Instruction,Computer Uses in Education,Technology Uses in Education,Teacher Education Programs,Foreign Countries,Technology Integration,Secondary Schools,Questionnaires,Interviews,Teacher Effectiveness,Summer Schools,Workshops,Teaching Methods,Cognitive Processes,Instructional Materials,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

The COG-TECH (Cognitive Technologies for Problem Solving and Learning) Network conducted three international projects between 1994 and 2001 under the auspices of the European Commission. The main purpose of these projects was to train teacher educators in the Mediterranean countries to use computers as effective pedagogical tools. The summer schools and local workshops organized by COG-TECH introduced teacher educators and teachers to a set of computer-based cognitive tools. Applied research in the projects addressed such issues as the development of appropriate content and effective methods for training teacher educators to use cognitive technologies in teaching, the identification of the strengths and limitations of several cognitive tools for different learning situations, and the factors affecting implementation of information and communication technology innovation in education.
Lessons Learned: Effectiveness of Courses Developed for Aboriginal Teacher Candidates Delivered at a Distance
Author: Gordon, Megan
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: American Indians,Federal Government,Teacher Education Programs,Culturally Relevant Education,Access to Education,Higher Education,Distance Education,Teaching Methods,Educational Policy,Educational Opportunities,Rural Areas,Program Descriptions,Pilot Projects,Administrator Surveys,Electronic Learning,Foreign Countries,Mixed Methods Research

Recent Ontario provincial and federal education policy developments propose to increase the academic success of an ever increasing number of First Nation children attending urban and First Nation schools. Key to achieving that goal is increasing the number of Aboriginal educators who are skilled in teaching that is grounded in culturally responsive and relational pedagogy. In many instances, those interested in pursuing such a career in education are limited in their ability to attend conventional teacher education programs because they live in remote communities, have familial responsibilities, and/or have limitations related to their employment. Creating and resourcing teacher education programs that consider the realities of First Nation peoples will be fundamental to achieving the goals set out by the Ontario and federal governments. This paper highlights factors that limit access to university education for First Nation peoples and presents the results of a pilot study that evaluated a unique teacher education program for Aboriginal students delivered at a distance from their home communities. The paper also discusses the opportunities and pitfalls associated with technology-mediated Aboriginal teacher education.
Project Report ECLIPSE: European Citizenship Learning Program for Secondary Education
Author: Bombardelli, Olga
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Program Descriptions,Citizenship Education,Instructional Materials,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Grade 8,Self Concept,Teaching Methods,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Teacher Education

This paper reports on a European project, the Comenius ECLIPSE project (European Citizenship Learning in a Programme for Secondary Education) developed by six European partners coordinated by the University of Trento in the years 2011-2014. ECLIPSE (co-financed by the EACEA--Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) aims at developing, testing, and implementing a Programme of European Citizenship, in order to improve citizenship competence and responsibility and to strengthen the sense of belonging and European identity of 8th grade pupils. These goals are reachable thanks to a number of measures in formal, non-formal and informal fields. The project partners created teaching and monitoring tools for pupils: seven ECMs (European Citizenship Modules), knowledge tests, pupils' portfolio, and suggestions for teachers, especially a portfolio for ECLIPSE educators. The ECLIPSE teaching/ testing materials were implemented in several schools of the partner's countries in order to make sure that it is useful for European pupils of different school systems. It can be used in a flexible way keeping in mind different learning needs in each school system, with a view to improving transversal competencies like learning to learn, as well as initiative and active involvement in improving the chances for young people in citizenship and work worlds.
The Greek Financial Crisis: Discourses of Difference or Solidarity?
Author: Bickes, Hans
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Economic Climate,Financial Exigency,Discourse Analysis,Comparative Analysis,News Reporting,Figurative Language,Language Usage,Grammar,Periodicals,Interdisciplinary Approach,Unemployment,Debt (Financial)

The so-called Greek Financial Crisis, which has been the object of close attention in the German media since the end of 2009, has caused a public debate on who should be held responsible for the decline of crisis-hit Greece, the common currency and the Eurozone. The media's enduring and controversial public discussion has lately been referred to as the &quot;Greek bashing.&quot; When the crisis had spread much further in 2012 and also other countries suffered from high debt, economic stagnation and unemployment, the news coverage became more moderate. This project report highlights the role of medial discourses of difference and solidarity during the crisis. Therefore, we rely on an exemplary data-set that does not only take the development of the German media's tenor on the &quot;Greek Crisis&quot; into consideration, but also adds an international perspective in order to compare the medial treatment of different countries involved. The study methodologically focuses on the analysis of (metaphorical) language and grammatical structures in the news coverage of the German daily newspaper &quot;BILD,&quot; the German magazine &quot;SPIEGEL&quot; as well as the international news magazines &quot;Economist&quot; (Great Britain) and &quot;TIME&quot; (USA). Therefore, the interdisciplinary approach of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was used in order to produce insights into public discourses in sociopolitical contexts.
Practice as Prize: Citizenship Education in Two Primary Classrooms in Ireland
Author: Waldron, Fionnuala
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Citizenship Education,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Competition,Foreign Countries,Units of Study,Nongovernmental Organizations,Awards,Educational Practices,Agency Role,Researchers,Dialogs (Language),Educational Environment,Water,Justice,Civil Rights

While citizenship education forms part of the formal curriculum at primary level in Ireland, its inclusion as a strand unit of Social, Personal and Health Education, rather than as a discrete subject, tends to make it less visible. In practice, citizenship education is strongly influenced by external agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in the field as the dominant producers of teaching resources and programmes in the area. In many cases, these programmes are award-driven, requiring schools to compete with others for recognition or to exemplify a particular standard of practice. Using thick description (Geertz 1973) and teachers' narratives, this article presents two cases based on the practice of two experienced primary teachers who negotiate the complex space between professional practice and the particular agendas of external agencies and NGOs. Focusing on two exemplars of their teaching, the article locates their work within the broader context of citizenship education in Ireland, highlighting the extent to which the exemplars chosen typify or challenge existing practice. The article includes the outline plans used by the participating teachers and draws on an extended dialogue between the participants and the researchers in which issues relating to citizenship education, classroom and whole school practice and the broader educational context were discussed and probed.
Intelligent Tutoring System: A Tool for Testing the Research Curiosities of Artificial Intelligence Researchers
Author: Yaratan, Huseyin
Date: 2003-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence,Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Testing,Researchers,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Teaching Methods,Expertise,Computer Interfaces,Models,Tutoring,Computer Assisted Instruction,Problem Solving,Natural Language Processing,Curriculum Design,Learning Activities,Evaluation,Programming,Foreign Countries

An ITS (Intelligent Tutoring System) is a teaching-learning medium that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology for instruction. Roberts and Park (1983) defines AI as the attempt to get computers to perform tasks that if performed by a human-being, intelligence would be required to perform the task. The design of an ITS comprises two distinct features - a sophisticated computer programming feature which has to be programmed by a computer scientist and a comprehensive curriculum design feature which has to be developed by a curriculum specialist. Unfortunately, most of the existing ITS's were designed by AI researchers alone without much involvement of curriculum designers, education psychologists and/or subject specialists. These AI researchers were not primarily concerned about instructional issues and their main concerns were to test their research curiosities in the AI field with minimum involvement of other people. This paper will analyze both features of an ITS; first, the four components (&quot;problem-solving&quot; or &quot;expertise module,&quot; &quot;student model,&quot; &quot;tutoring module&quot; and the &quot;user interface&quot;) of an ITS will be described and then the nine elements (&quot;objectives,&quot; &quot;content,&quot; &quot;learning activities,&quot; &quot;evaluation procedures,&quot; &quot;materials&quot; or &quot;resources,&quot; &quot;teaching strategies,&quot; &quot;time,&quot; &quot;grouping&quot; and &quot;space&quot;) of a curriculum design will be explained. The paper will end with a discussion of the problems that can arise if both curriculum development and computer programming features of the design of an ITS are not taken into consideration.
Diagnosing L2 Learners' Language Skills Based on the Use of a Web-Based Assessment Tool Called DIALANG
Author: Taghizadeh, Mahboubeh
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Statistical Analysis,Language Proficiency,English (Second Language),Listening Skills,Computer Assisted Testing,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Translation,Scores,Writing Skills,College Students,Majors (Students),Self Evaluation (Individuals),Language Tests,Reading Skills

This study was conducted with 68 Iranian students studying at the Alborz Institute of Higher Education. The participants' majors were Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL; n = 23), English Language Literature (ELL; n = 22), and English Language Translation (ELT; n = 23). DIALANG self-assessment scales, consisting of 107 statements with Yes/No responses, were used in this study. DIALANG is an online assessment system used for language learners who want to obtain diagnostic information about their language proficiency (Council of Europe, 2001). Results indicated that ELL students had the highest overall ranking, whereas TEFL students received the lowest overall ranking for listening skills. ELL students had the highest reading skill scores while ELT students demonstrated the lowest scores. ELL students ranked highest in writing ability whereas TEFL students rated lowest in writing skill. Kruskal-Wallis analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in listening and reading skills across the three majors. One-way between-groups ANOVA did demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the writing self-assessment statements for the three groups. Implications and directions for future research with DIALANG are provided based on results from the study.
Testing the Waters: An Analysis of the Student and Parent Experience in a Secondary School's First Blended Course Offering
Author: Siko, Jason Paul
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Blended Learning,Educational Technology,Distance Education,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Secondary School Students,Secondary School Teachers,Student Experience,Teaching Experience,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Academic Achievement,Surveys,Synchronous Communication,Comparative Analysis,Suburban Schools,High School Students,Grade 10,Grade 11,Grade 12,Online Surveys,Test Items,Questioning Techniques,Grounded Theory,Integrated Learning Systems,Discriminant Analysis,Regression (Statistics),Technology Uses in Education,Advanced Placement Programs,Likert Scales,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

In this study, the perceptions of parents (n = 14) and students (n = 47) enrolled in a blended learning course, the first of its kind at their school, were examined. Student performance in the blended and in the traditional portion of the course was examined, and the Educational Success Prediction Instrument (ESPRI) was administered to predict student performance. Both the students and parents were initially excited about the blended learning experience but were concerned about its effect on student performance. Teacher communication was a perceived concern. Differences in student performance between the two portions of the course were not statistically significant (p = 0.35). The ESPRI had correctly predicted approximately 84% of the outcomes (n = 43).
Performing Citizenship Down Under: Educating the Active Citizen
Author: Wood, Bronwyn
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Citizenship Education,Educational Policy,Social Justice,Citizen Participation,Social Change

In democracies such as Australia and New Zealand, education policy increasingly seeks to foster active citizens who are committed to social justice and change. Whilst many aspects of these initiatives are to be applauded for their commitment to empowering young people, in this paper we describe some of the ambiguities that attend young people's experiences of civic engagement and active citizenship. In doing so, we draw on Isin's (2008) reconceptualization of citizenship as something that is, above all, performed or enacted. Isin's focus is upon &quot;acts of citizenship&quot; which he argues are best understood by examining their grounds, effects and consequences. Drawing on illustrations of young people's global and local citizenship actions in schools in Australia and New Zealand, we examine some of the contradictions and tensions that lie within the enactment of such &quot;performed&quot; curricula. We conclude by reflecting on the opportunities that exist within school and community spaces for the active citizen to perform acts of citizenship.
Social Support for Online Learning: Perspectives of Nursing Students
Author: Munich, Kim
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Support Groups,Nursing Education,Student Attitudes,Online Courses,Undergraduate Students,Graduate Students,Learning Motivation,Part Time Students,Child Rearing,Student Employment,Case Studies,Interviews,Telecommunications,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research

The purpose of this study was to identify supports beyond the educator that contributed to undergraduate and graduate nursing students' ability and motivation to learn online. Case study methodology similar to Stake (2000) was bounded or contained by undergraduate and graduate online courses. Twenty-nine undergraduate and graduate nursing students, a majority of whom were women over the age of forty, studying part-time, working and raising children, participated in the study. Participants reported that four supports: informational, instrumental, emotional, and affirmational, were essential for them to complete their online course. Results from this study provide insight into the types of social support that would be beneficial to nursing students to enhance their online learning experience and promote completion of their programs.