ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Open Educational Resources on Various Student Success Metrics
Author: Colvard, Nicholas B.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Success,Educational Resources,Open Source Technology,Adoption (Ideas),Cost Effectiveness,Achievement Gains,Textbook Evaluation,Socioeconomic Background,Grants,Ethnicity,College Students,Statistical Analysis

There are multiple indicators which suggest that completion, quality, and affordability are the three greatest challenges for higher education today in terms of students, student learning, and student success. Many colleges, universities, and state systems are seeking to adopt a portfolio of solutions that address these challenges. This article reports the results of a large-scale study (21,822 students) regarding the impact of course-level faculty adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER). Results indicate that OER adoption does much more than simply save students money and address student debt concerns. OER improve end-of-course grades and decrease DFW (D, F, and Withdrawal letter grades) rates for all students. They also improve course grades at greater rates and decrease DFW rates at greater rates for Pell recipient students, part-time students, and populations historically underserved by higher education. OER address affordability, completion, attainment gap concerns, and learning. These findings contribute to a broadening perception of the value of OERs and their relevance to the great challenges facing higher education today.
The Classroom as Think Tank: Small Groups, Authentic Exercises, and Instructional Scaffolding in an Advanced Writing Course
Author: Peltola, Arlene
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Small Group Instruction,Writing Instruction,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Advanced Courses,Public Relations,Experiential Learning,Writing Exercises,Writing Improvement,Writing Skills,Skill Development,Collaborative Writing,Writing Evaluation,Scoring Rubrics,Critical Incidents Method,Reflection,Writing (Composition),College Students,Likert Scales

A recent (2015) study conducted by the Society of Human Resource Managers concluded that nearly half of US employers, across industries, believe recent college graduates to be lacking in requisite competencies for communication, broadly, and writing, in particular. This paper describes an advanced writing course in public relations that seeks to ameliorate this proficiency gap by using experiential learning modules, small group learning methods, authentic exercises, and instructional scaffolding techniques to improve student writing and promote workplace readiness. The module series, Writer's Bootcamp, is a short, intensive, and rigorous collaborative among students and instructor aimed at shaping independence and aptitude in writing. Authentic exercises, derived from real-time, real-world situations, were assigned. Students in small groups worked together to appropriate the piece (from the PR Toolbox, a collection of trade writing), collaboratively script, and present a response in thirty minutes. An assessment of learning outcomes involving the programmatic writing rubric, critical incident reports (verbal), and a reflection instrument (written) indicates the Bootcamp as engaging, gratifying, and transformative by students. Limitations are discussed followed by implications for teaching and learning in upper-level, pre-professional writing courses.
Overcoming the Challenges of Using Humor in Non-Native Instructional Discourse
Author: Williams, Gwendolyn M.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Humor,Higher Education,Interviews,Video Technology,Observation,Teaching Assistants,Cultural Influences,Social Influences,Language Usage,Barriers,Power Structure,Foreign Students

This article describes a narrative study exploring the challenges that international teaching assistants (ITAs) encounter when using humor in North American university classrooms. Twenty participants were recruited from twelve teaching fields. Each ITA participated in two interviews and a videotaped teaching observation. The participants talked about their use of humor in the classroom and the reasons they were reluctant to engage in humor. These autobiographical narratives were then subjected to thematic analysis (Braun &amp; Clarke, 2013). Findings from this study revealed that the ITAs specified linguistic, cultural, social, and authoritative challenges to using humor, but then explore the ITAs' personal strategies to overcome these obstacles. The article concludes with a discussion of how humor can benefit ITA training programs and provide a way to explore the connections between language, culture, and pedagogy.
Students&apos; Psychosocial Empowerment with the &apos;Steps for Life&apos; Personal and Social Skills Greek Elementary Programme
Author: Kourmousi, Ntina
Date: 2018-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Skill Development,Student Empowerment,Elementary School Students,Social Development,Individual Development,Program Evaluation,Hidden Curriculum,Parent Participation,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Comparative Analysis,Questionnaires,Emotional Development,Grade 1,Grade 2,Self Esteem,Statistical Analysis,Intervention,Qualitative Research

Significant research has been conducted on skills' enhancement school programs, since their importance has been well established. The presented study evaluates &quot;Steps for life&quot;, a Greek, universal, annual, teacher-taught programme, designed to improve personal and social skills in young elementary students by the use of questions, diffusion in formal and hidden curriculum, and parental involvement. The experimental study was conducted in Greece during 2013-2014. The sample consisted of 2439 students, with 1516 forming the experimental group and 923 the control group. The study questionnaire included demographics, Personal and Social Skills Scale-Elementary, and the BASE scale. It investigated students' self-esteem, concentration of attention, participation/cooperation, emotions' identification and expression, emotions' management, ability to control verbal and physical aggressiveness, ability to control victimization, empathy, friendship skills, problem-solving, ability to take responsibility, and use of spoken and written language. The experimental group exhibited significant improvement in all investigated skills post-intervention, while the control group did not improve concentration of attention, emotions' management, and their ability to control verbal and physical aggressiveness and victimization. The analysis also revealed that intervention students had significantly higher improvement than the controls in all dimensions. Appropriately designed mental health promotion programs can improve several children's social-emotional skills and abilities.
Short Comparative Interrupted Time Series Using Aggregate School-Level Data in Education Research
Author: Hallberg, Kelly
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Research,Research Methodology,Comparative Analysis,Time,Data Analysis,School Effectiveness,Teacher Effectiveness,Quasiexperimental Design,Program Evaluation,Grants,Educational Improvement

Short comparative interrupted times series (CITS) designs are increasingly being used in education research to assess the effectiveness of school-level interventions. These designs can be implemented relatively inexpensively, often drawing on publicly available data on aggregate school performance. However, the validity of this approach hinges on a variety of assumptions and design decisions that are not clearly outlined in the literature. This article aims to serve as a practice guide for applied researchers when deciding how and whether to use this approach. We begin by providing an overview of the assumptions needed to estimate causal effects using school-level data, common threats to validity faced in practice and what effects can and cannot be estimated using school-level data. We then examine two analytic decisions researchers face in practice when implementing the design: correctly modeling the pretreatment functional form, which is modeling the preintervention trend, and selecting comparison cases. We then illustrate the use of this design in practice drawing on data from the implementation of the school improvement grant (SIG) program in Ohio. We conclude with advice for applied researchers implementing this design.
Factors Predicting Sustained Implementation of a Universal Behavior Support Framework
Author: McIntosh, Kent
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Positive Behavior Supports,Structural Equation Models,Fidelity,Predictor Variables,Program Implementation,Capacity Building,Sustainability,Intervention,Evidence Based Practice,Statistical Analysis

In this 3-year prospective study, we tested the extent to which school-, practice-, and district-level variables predicted sustained implementation for schools in various stages of implementation of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) Tier 1 (universal) systems. Staff from 860 schools in 14 U.S. states completed a research-validated measure of factors associated with sustained implementation of school interventions during Year 1 of this study. Analyses included multigroup structural equation modeling of school and district implementation fidelity data. Results indicated that adequate implementation fidelity and better Team Use of Data for decision making in Study Year 1 were the strongest predictors of sustained implementation in Year 3. In addition, the number of other schools in the district adopting SWPBIS was a similarly strong predictor. A critical mass of schools implementing was also predictive, especially for schools earlier in implementation. School characteristics were not predictive, except for grade levels served, which was an inconsistent predictor by stage.
Reading Comprehension and Co-Teaching Practices in Middle School English Language Arts Classrooms
Author: Wexler, Jade
Date: 2018-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Instruction,Teaching Methods,Reading Comprehension,Team Teaching,Language Arts,Middle School Teachers,Special Education Teachers,Learning Activities,Grouping (Instructional Purposes),Teacher Role,Disabilities,Teacher Student Relationship,Reading Materials,Observation,Literacy Education,Middle School Students

This study reports practices implemented in over 2,000 minutes by 16 middle school special education and general education co-teaching pairs in English language arts classes. We report the extent to which teachers integrated literacy activities that support reading comprehension, the co-teaching models used, and the frequency with which each teacher led instruction. We also report the types of grouping structures teachers used and the extent to which teachers interacted with students with disabilities. Finally, we report the types of text used. Observations revealed that more than half of time spent on literacy activities involved reading aloud or silently with no co-occurring literacy instruction that supports reading comprehension. Students with disabilities spent a majority of their time in whole-class instruction or working independently with little teacher interaction. Special education teachers spent most of their time supporting whole-class instruction led by the content-area teacher. Implications and directions for future research are provided.
Language Abilities, Phonological Awareness, Reading Skills, and Subjective Fatigue in School-Age Children with Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss
Author: Camarata, Stephen
Date: 2018-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Hearing Impairments,Reading Difficulties,Correlation,Decoding (Reading),Language Skills,Reading Achievement,Fatigue (Biology),Phonological Awareness,Receptive Language,Predictor Variables,Children,Preadolescents,Intelligence Tests,Nonverbal Ability,Verbal Ability,Language Tests,Reading Tests,Statistical Analysis

Although reading outcomes for children with hearing loss are improving, too many of these children continue to display persistent reading difficulties. Because of these difficulties, there is an ongoing need to understand the nature of the relationships among decoding abilities, language skills, and reading achievement in this population more fully. Coincidentally, there has also been an emerging literature on the subjective fatigue in children with hearing loss, which could be directly or indirectly linked to reading ability. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among language abilities, reading skills, and subjective fatigue in 56 children with mild to moderate hearing loss (CMMHL). The results indicated that both phonological awareness and receptive language ability predicted reading achievement in CMMHL, which replicates findings for children without hearing loss. The results also indicated that CMMHL who had poor reading skills reported significantly higher levels of subjective fatigue relative to the other children with mild to moderate hearing loss in the sample.
The Relationship between Test Item Format and Gender Achievement Gaps on Math and ELA Tests in Fourth and Eighth Grades
Author: Reardon, Sean F.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Items,Test Format,Gender Differences,Achievement Gap,Mathematics,Language Arts,Achievement Tests,Grade 4,Grade 8,Scores,Standardized Tests,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Multiple Choice Tests,Responses,National Competency Tests

Prior research suggests that males outperform females, on average, on multiple-choice items compared to their relative performance on constructed-response items. This paper characterizes the extent to which gender achievement gaps on state accountability tests across the United States are associated with those tests' item formats. Using roughly 8 million fourth- and eighth-grade students' scores on state assessments, we estimate state- and district-level math and reading male-female achievement gaps. We find that the estimated gaps are strongly associated with the proportions of the test scores based on multiple-choice and constructed-response questions on state accountability tests, even when controlling for gender achievement gaps as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments, which have the same item format across states. We find that test item format explains approximately 25% of the variation in gender achievement gaps among states.
Indiscipline and Safety in Public Schools: Teachers and Principals at Odds
Author: Gahungu, Athanase
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Elementary Secondary Education,National Surveys,Discipline,Student Behavior,Crime,Zero Tolerance Policy,Discipline Policy,Questionnaires,Bullying,Violence,Substance Abuse,Juvenile Gangs,Conflict,Racial Bias,Student Attitudes,Teacher Role,Administrator Role

This report summarizes analyses of survey responses of approximately 101,310 teachers and principals who, between 1999-00 and 2011-12, answered the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) and the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), two national surveys. Their responses to most recurrent discipline incidents and to most serious problems facing schools were cross-referenced with their responses to safety initiatives, programs, and other practices that were implemented to curb indiscipline and crime. The findings reflect efforts underway nationwide to transition from zero tolerance policies to non-retributive, non-exclusionary discipline practices. For teachers, indiscipline incidents and major problems facing schools continue plaguing schools, and increasingly put their careers at risk. By contrast, compliance requirements of the transition period seem to have pushed principals to under-report the incidents and problems. It appears that a genuine dialogue is needed between administrators and teachers to agree on the overarching implications of indiscipline and safety in schools. Non-retributive and non-exclusionary discipline policies can only be effectively implemented when teachers and administrators are equally committed to their success, and when parents and students are provided opportunities to support initiatives.
Innovative Model for Student Project Evaluation Based on Text Mining
Author: Abuzir, Yousef
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Evaluation,Management Development,Efficiency,Evaluation Methods,Academic Achievement,Vocabulary Development,Data Analysis,Indexing,Attribution Theory,Morphology (Languages),Computational Linguistics

At present, there is a huge amount of unstructured documentation that is generated by students who study the course project management and evaluation. These unstructured documents cannot be used in direct processing to extract useful information or knowledge. At the same time, make use of them to assess student achievement. In this work, we propose text-mining techniques for the evaluation of the progress of student in a course project management and evaluation. The most straightforward approach is looking for the enrichment of the vocabulary, the casual and condition relations, and the structure of the terms in the different phases of the project. In our paper, we used text mining and the structure of the vocabularies as a tool to measure the success and the progress of the students. It is important to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach. The experimental results illustrate an overall performance of project evaluation. By looking into the number of indexing terms, the causal relations and the positive conditional relations, and levels of the hierarchical structure of the terms there is an evidence from this research that the vocabulary enrichment had an impact on the students evaluation and learning ability.
Identifying Mathematics Teachers&apos; Difficulties in Technology Integration in Terms of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK)
Author: Erduran, Ayten
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Competencies,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Technological Literacy,Secondary School Teachers,High Schools,Technology Integration,Barriers,Lesson Plans,Semi Structured Interviews,Observation,Focus Groups,Planning,Knowledge Level,Foreign Countries,Grade 10,Secondary School Mathematics,Self Efficacy,Content Analysis

A number of gaps were seen in the qualitative research on teachers using the TPCK model in our country, and this led us to conduct research focusing solely on Koehler and Mishra's TPCK model (2005). To this end, the purpose of this study is to identify the difficulties high-school teachers face when integrating technology into their classes, and understand the reasons for these difficulties within the framework of TPCK. The method used was the case study. The participants were five mathematics teachers. The data collection tools were lecture plans, class monitoring, semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview. The data analysis techniques used were document analysis, descriptive analysis, content analysis and speech analysis. The findings showed that the teachers have difficulties with components of TPCK (PB-PAB-TPAB) and that the difficulties they face in integrating technology into the teaching process can be sorted under five main headings: (1) &quot;Teaching without planning&quot;; (2) &quot;Struggles to integrate different types of knowledge&quot;; (3) &quot;Lack of basic knowledge&quot;; (4) &quot;Errors in technological knowledge&quot;; and (5) &quot;Lack of field-specific support.&quot; In order for the difficulties teachers face to be minimized, in-service training focusing on the use of technology needs to become more integrated, provide teachers with knowledge applicable to the classroom, and be given by experts in the field.
Understanding the Use of Mathematics Interim Assessments: A Case Study
Author: Martone, Andrea
Date: 2018-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Case Studies,Elementary School Mathematics,Qualitative Research,Formative Evaluation,Summative Evaluation,Elementary School Teachers,Common Core State Standards,Educational Assessment,Mathematics Teachers,Interviews,Observation

The purpose of this study was to understand the use of interim assessment data to inform mathematics instruction. A qualitative case study methodology was used to analyze the use of interim assessment data in a suburban elementary school. Data sources included interviews with three teachers at varying levels of their profession and the principal; observations of teachers working with assessment data in teams or as part of a professional development setting; artifacts representing interim assessments, supporting materials, and analysis results. The study explored the type of culture that was developed around data use, the types of assessments that were used, how the data were analyzed, and teachers' use of the data as a means to inform their instruction. The results from this research will inform the work of teachers and administrators as they design systems to support students' learning.
School Violence: School Administrators&apos; Perspectives and Ways of Solution in Turkey
Author: Çalik, Temel
Date: 2018-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Violence,Administrator Behavior,Semi Structured Interviews,Problem Solving,Educational Environment,Phenomenology,Administrator Attitudes,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,Definitions,Principals,Qualitative Research

The purpose of this study is to determine the ways primary education administrators solve events of violence as a problem. To this end, sample cases of violence were derived from the school violence news appearing on media organs in the last four years. They were categorized based on the type of violence. Data were collected via a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher and administered to school administrators. In-depth data were collected in regard to the ways they would solve problems. The content formed by the obtained data was evaluated via systematic, descriptive analysis. To determine the problem of violence in school, school administrators mostly turn to teachers' and students' views and video-recording and sound-recording. To solve the problems, on the other hand, they resort to family/parent training and implement what is prescribed in the legislation. The administrators did not express any opinion about predetermined possible solutions.
Turkish Validation of Social Emotional Well-Being and Resilience Scale (PERIK)
Author: Saltali, Neslihan Durmus¸og?lu
Date: 2018-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Social Development,Emotional Development,Well Being,Resilience (Psychology),Likert Scales,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Preschool Children,Factor Analysis,Factor Structure,Goodness of Fit,Scores,Correlation

The purpose of the study was to examine the validity and reliability of Social Emotional Well Being and Resilience Scale (PERIK) to measure social-emotional well-being and resilience in Turkish preschool children. Two independent samples of four to six year children were used. Sample 1 served as the calibration sample to explore the most appropriate structure of the PERIK-T (227 children). Sample 2 served as the validation sample (227 children). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the stability of the original factor structure of the six-factor PERIK. Concluding that 36 item PERIK did not fit the data obtained from Turkish sample, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to further explore the factor structure of the PERIK that better represented the sample data. The results of EFA suggested a six-factor 30 item solution. This 30 item model was subsequently cross-validated with the second sample (n = 227). The results of the second CFA showed a good fit to the data. Scale scores showed a relatively high internal consistency and item-total correlations ranging from 0.47 to 0.76. To provide evidence for criterion-related validity of the PERIK, reported differences or relations in terms of gender and age are referenced.