ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Use of Evidence in Practice by Australian Special Librarians
Author: Howlett, Alisa
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Special Libraries,Evidence,Qualitative Research,Library Research,Library Services,Use Studies,Semi Structured Interviews,Diaries,Comparative Analysis,Librarians,Role Perception,Best Practices,Primary Sources,Environmental Influences,Access to Information,Barriers,Information Utilization,Evaluation Utilization,Librarian Attitudes

Introduction: Evidence-based practice is a process through which evidence in its various forms is sourced, appraised and applied in order to solve a problem, inform decision making, or improve practice. The purpose of this paper is to share findings from a qualitative research study that sought to identify evidence used by Australian special librarians, and explore influences associated with its use. Method: Data was collected through participant diaries and semi-structured interviews with five special librarians to capture and explore evidence use in practice. Analysis: Participant diaries were used to inform semi-structured interview questions. Data from the interviews was analysed using the constant comparative method to determine common themes. Results: Findings describe the role of evidence from a practitioner's perspective, which included what constitutes evidence in practice, and how and why it is used. This led to the development of a &quot;map&quot; of evidence used by Australian special librarians, guided by existing evidence-based practice frameworks. Conclusions: Results raise awareness of the types and uses of evidence in different circumstances by special librarians. Findings contribute an initial understanding of what constitutes best available evidence in the current evidence-based library and information practice model in the context of special libraries.
Stories about Children with Disabilities: The Writing Process and the Opinions of the Storywriters
Author: Vuran, Sezgin
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Disabilities,Inclusion,Writing (Composition),Student Characteristics,Books,Childrens Literature,Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Qualitative Research,Semi Structured Interviews,Student Development,Attitudes toward Disabilities,Special Education,Foreign Countries,Early Childhood Education,Elementary Education,Writing Assignments,Attitude Change

Problem Statement: Successful inclusion is established through understanding and respecting differences among individuals. This study emerged from the idea that books play an important role in this understanding and from the lack of published children's books about disabilities. Although, stories are very important in any educational curriculum, there are no example stories including children with disabilities in Turkish children's literature (C'sL). Purpose of Study: The purpose of this research is to examine the opinions of pre-service teachers about their experiences during the storybook writing process. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in two phases. The first phase focused on how stories about successful inclusion situations in the community were developed by college students. In the second phase the experiences of the storywriters were examined through the use of semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed inductively. Findings and Results: The outcomes of the interviews revealed that the story writers gained positive experiences, and the writing process contributed to their individual and career development. The interviews further showed that the stories would increase the social acceptance of children with disabilities. Conclusions and Recommendations: Attitudes, opinions, expectations, feelings and thoughts can be changed by reading storybooks about children with disabilities in Turkey. These changes are based on greater familiarization of special education, the development of positive intentions toward individuals with disabilities (ID), and the encouragement of positive interactive relationships among children of different abilities. This could help the society improve their view of what professional practice could be by developing insights to explore alternative ways of looking at practices and providing access to storybooks about integrated early childhood and primary literacy experiences.
Learned Resourcefulness and Coping with Stress in Mothers of Children with Disabilities
Author: Eroglu, Yüksel
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Stress Variables,Coping,Mothers,Disabilities,Child Rearing,Stress Management,Foreign Countries,Special Schools,Predictor Variables,Psychological Patterns,Self Esteem,Help Seeking,Helplessness,Path Analysis,Correlation,Parent Background,Educational Attainment,Socioeconomic Status,Family Structure,Scores,Surveys

Problem Statement: Research has indicated that some mothers can cope with stressful life conditions and continue their lives normally, whereas others are unable to overcome such challenging conditions. Recent research has shown that mothers of children with disabilities are likely to know more about why some mothers have relatively well-adjusted lives despite stressful conditions, as well as why they cope better with these conditions than others. However, to date, studies in Turkey have only concentrated on the degree to which mothers of children with disabilities feel stress and which coping ways they use to curb the negative effects of stress. Purpose of the Study: This study aimed to examine the relationships between learned resourcefulness and ways of coping with stress. Methods: The study sample consisted of 222 mothers of children attending special education institutions during the 2011-2012 academic year in Sakarya, Turkey. The Self-Control Schedule and Ways of Coping Inventory were used to assess learned resourcefulness and coping strategies, the relationships among which investigated using Pearson correlations. The conceptual model was tested using structural equation modeling, and data were analyzed with LISREL 8.54 and SPSS version 13.0. Findings and Results: Results showed that while three ways of coping--self-confidence, optimism, and support-seeking--correlated positively with learned resourcefulness, the other two--helplessness and submissiveness--were negatively associated with learned resourcefulness. The goodness-of-fit index values of the model (?[superscript 2]/df = 2.10, RMSEA = 0.072, GFI = 0.97, CFI = 0.97, NFI = 0.95, and SRMR = 0.053) indicate that the model was of an acceptable fit. According to path analysis, learned resourcefulness positively predicted self-confidence, optimism, and support-seeking and negatively predicted helplessness and submissiveness. Learned resourcefulness accounted for 36% of the variance for self-confidence, 33% for optimism, 7% for support-seeking, 5% for helplessness, and 8% for submissiveness. Conclusions and Recommendations: This study demonstrated that learned resourcefulness positively predicted three ways of coping--optimism, self-confidence, and support-seeking--and negatively predicted helplessness and submissiveness. These results suggest that highly resourceful mothers of children with disabilities are more likely to use self-confidence, optimism, and support-seeking and less likely to use helplessness and submissiveness when coping with stress.
A Case for Explicit Grammar Instruction in English as Second/Foreign Language Classrooms
Author: Williams, Kent
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),English Instruction,Grammar,Second Language Instruction,Educational Research,Literature Reviews,Meta Analysis,Retention (Psychology),Feedback (Response),Interference (Language),Interference (Learning),Incidental Learning,Form Classes (Languages),Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Teaching Models,Higher Education,Classroom Techniques

This paper will provide a review of research--regarding explicit grammar instruction--that groups recent studies into three main categories and then sub-categorizes these studies under key terms in second language acquisition (SLA) research. The overall purpose of this paper is to argue that in light of these issues, recent studies have shown that explicit instruction in grammar is beneficial in increasing learners' grammatical competence and performance; however, there are learner variables and instructional conditions that influence the extent to which explicit grammar instruction is effective. This paper examines the following: (1) the relationship between explicit and implicit instruction, retention, and types of instructional feedback; (2) studies that reflect the relationship between explicit instruction and the rate and order of developmental sequences; (3) recent studies that discuss various methodologies of grammar instruction in formal classroom settings; and (4) the pedagogical implications, research gaps, and potential orientations for future research on explicit grammar instruction.
The Effects of Mothers' Educational Levels on University Students' Environmental Protection Commitments and Environmental Behaviors
Author: Saraçli, Sinan
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Mothers,Educational Attainment,Parent Background,College Students,Structural Equation Models,Reliability,Factor Analysis,Parents,Gender Differences,Place of Residence,Measures (Individuals),Likert Scales,Validity,Predictor Variables,Models,Environment,Environmental Education,Student Attitudes,Student Behavior

Problem Statement: The damage caused by recent environmental problems has led to increased environmental concerns and the development of environment-friendly consumption behaviours in almost every society. Environment-friendly consumption involves the consideration of environmental benefits by minimizing any damage done to the environment at all stages of consumption. Studies researching the effects of parents in environmental problems have demonstrated that mothers were more concerned and worried about environmental issues than fathers. Purpose of Study: This study investigates the environmental sensitivities of university students and the causal relationships between their environmental protection commitments and environment-friendly consumption behaviors through using Structural Equation Model (SEM) which takes into consideration their mothers' educational levels. Methods: As a pilot study, the prepared scale was applied to 60 randomly chosen students. The final version of the scale was applied after extracting any unclear questions. After determining sampling, the scale was administered randomly to 520 students at Eskisehir Osmangazi University. Cronbach's a values were used to assess the reliability of the scale, and items with low reliability scores were omitted. After reliability analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied, and the structural equation model was developed after removing items which had factor loadings lower than 0.45. Findings and Results: Environmental sensitivity/insensitivity significantly affected the environmental protection commitment. Those with higher environmental protection commitment levels exhibited more environment-friendly consumption behaviour. It was also found that the students' genders, their families' place of domicile and particularly the parents' educational levels were significant factors in determining differences in the development of students' environmental sensitivities and behaviours. Conclusion and Recommendations: Students whose mothers have graduated from a university promise to be active environmentalists by joining related organizations. Our results also show that the inclination toward environmentalism is similar among women as it is among students' whose mothers have graduated from a university. This result may suggest that women tend to be more environmentalist and that this tendency increases with education level. Considering that just 3.7% of mothers in Turkey have graduated from a university, it is made clear once again how important it is to encourage girls, some of whom will be mothers in the future, to pursue a university education.
Effects of a Leadership Development Program on Gifted and Non-Gifted Students' Leadership Skills
Author: Ogurlu, Üzeyir
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership Effectiveness,Leadership Training,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Gifted,High Achievement,Low Achievement,Skill Development,Pretests Posttests,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Statistical Significance,Cohort Analysis,Achievement Gains,Scores,Comparative Analysis,Foreign Countries

Problem Statement: The presence of leaders who will lead societies to success is an important gain for a society. In the present time, leadership development has become a strategic requirement. Although there is a common agreement on the need for leadership education, there are few studies on the education process of leadership and the efficacy of leadership programs in schools. Moreover, leadership and giftedness have been regarded as related, but leadership training is neglected in gifted education. The efficiency of current leadership development programs should be examined, and new effective programs should be developed for young and skillful leaders. This study reports preparation, implementation, and testing effectiveness of a leadership development program that aims to develop the leadership skills of non-gifted students and gifted students who are more likely to become leaders in the future. Purpose of Study: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a leadership skills development program on development of students' leadership skills as applied to gifted and non-gifted students in the second level of primary education on development of students' leadership skills based on scale results obtained from post-test scores and pre-test scores of experimental groups and control groups. Findings and Results: The findings of the study revealed that the program designed to improve leadership skills had positive effects on the leadership skills of both gifted and non-gifted students in the experimental group. Conclusions and Recommendations: Leadership development programs may be useful for both gifted and non-gifted students. Therefore, more leadership training programs should be developed and implemented at all educational levels.
Enriching Project-Based Learning Environments with Virtual Manipulatives: A Comparative Study
Author: Çakiroglu, Ünal
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Virtual Classrooms,Comparative Analysis,Active Learning,Student Projects,Educational Environment,Manipulative Materials,Online Courses,Academic Achievement,Quasiexperimental Design,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Teaching Methods,Intermode Differences,Pretests Posttests,Achievement Tests,Attitude Measures,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Significance,Student Experience,Achievement Gains,Mathematics Achievement,Likert Scales,Mathematical Formulas,Algebra,Equations (Mathematics),Grade 9,Qualitative Research

Problem statement: Although there is agreement on the potential of project based learning (PBL) and virtual manipulatives (VMs), their positive impact depends on how they are used. This study was based on supporting the use of online PBL environments and improving the efficacy of the instructional practices in PBL by combining the potentials of PBL and VMs. Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a PBL environment enriched with VMs by comparing it with a traditional PBL environment. The comparison is focused on academic achievements in Quadratic Equations and Polynomials subjects and attitudes towards mathematics courses. Methods: Since randomly assigning students to groups was not possible, a quasi-experimental design was used in the study. One experimental group (EG; N = 30) and one comparison group (CG; N = 30) were used in the study. While the comparison group was taught with traditional PBL activities, the experimental group received some other PBL by using the web enriched with VMs. Participants in the EG and the CG were pretested and post-tested with an Achievement Test (AT), including 25 questions about Polynomials and Quadratic Equations subjects. The changes in attitudes were investigated by an attitude scale. Findings and Results: The statistical analysis indicates that EG students significantly outperformed CG students with respect to AT results. The change in attitudes towards mathematics courses was not statistically significant among the two groups. Conclusions and Recommendations: The results of the study provided some empirical evidence about the positive effects of VMs that are used to enrich PBL environments. Although changes in attitudes have not been seen, positive academic achievements have been revealed in two subjects. Based on the study, it is concluded that the combination of VMs and PBL may be an effective way to enhance students' understanding of mathematics subjects and to improve their academic achievements.
Use of Social Media in Different Contexts of Information Seeking: Effects of Sex and Problemsolving Style
Author: Kim, Kyung­-Sun
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Networks,Information Seeking,Access to Information,Gender Differences,Problem Solving,Cognitive Style,Online Surveys,Undergraduate Students,Statistical Analysis,Web Sites,Internet,Electronic Publishing,Correlation,Diaries

Introduction: Social media are increasingly popular and emerging as important information sources. The study investigates how users' sex and problem-solving style affect their use and evaluation of social media in two contexts. Method: A Web survey including the problem solving inventory (problem solving inventory) was used to collect data. Over 1,000 undergraduates in the United States participated. Analysis: For each context, two-way ANOVAs were conducted with sex and problem solving inventory score as independent variables and the frequency of using different social media platforms and the frequency of taking different evaluative actions as dependent variables. Results: In academic contexts, significant sex effects were found in the use of wikis, blogs and internet forums. Significant effects of problem-solving style were found in the use of social networking sites, user reviews, blogs and microblogs. An interaction between sex and problem-solving style was found in the use of social networking sites and microblogs. In everyday life contexts, sex effects were found. Males used wikis and internet forums whereas females used social networking sites and microblogs frequently. As for problem-solving styles, ineffective problem-solvers used internet forums frequently. Regarding the use of evaluation strategies, females with effective problem-solving styles checked other users' reactions frequently while males with ineffective style did so in academic contexts. In everyday contexts, effective problem-solvers used most of the evaluation strategies frequently. Conclusions: Social media use and evaluation behaviours varied depending on contexts. sex effects remained significant when problem-solving style has been taken into account. Findings suggest that effects of sex on information behaviour may need to be examined along with other psychological and sociocultural factors. [This paper was published in: &quot;Proceedings of ISIC: The Behaviour Conference&quot; (Leeds, England, Sep 2-5, 2014), Part 2, Paper isic24.]
Using Empirical Data to Refine a Model for Information Literacy Instruction for Elementary School Students
Author: Nesset, Valerie
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Grade 3,Information Seeking,Literacy Education,Models,Lesson Plans,Visual Aids,Pilot Projects,Phenomenology,Qualitative Research,Participant Observation,Semi Structured Interviews,Questionnaires,Cues,Holistic Approach,Validity,Program Effectiveness,Foreign Countries

Introduction: As part of a larger study in 2006 of the information-seeking behaviour of third-grade students in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a model of their information-seeking behaviour was developed. To further improve the model, an extensive examination of the literature into information-seeking behaviour and information literacy was conducted resulting in a revised model that comprised two representations: the preparing, searching, using model to be used to inform the educator for such things as lesson plans and a simplified version, the beginning, acting, telling model to present as a visual aid to the young students. In 2012 a pilot study was conducted in two third-grade elementary classes in Buffalo, New York, USA, to test the two representations. As a result of the findings of this second study, the model was extensively revised once again, combining the two representations into one complete model. Method: The second phenomenological study used a similar qualitative methodology to that of the 2006 study. Data collection methods included participant observation, informal semi-structured interviews, pre- and post-questionnaires, field notes, and audiotapes of classroom sessions. Analysis: The data (transcripts of recorded classroom sessions and interviews and questionnaire responses) were analysed using coding to identify emerging themes and patterns. Results: The simplified version of the model, with its visual and mnemonic cues was appealing to the students, but was so simplistic in its depiction of concepts the teacher was required to make frequent interventions to explain and/or expand upon the concepts presented. Conclusions: The findings indicated that a more holistic, visual, and memorable model that uses child-friendly terminology to appeal to concrete-operational thinkers was required to facilitate information literacy instruction for young students and encourage and empower them as self-learners. [This paper was published in: &quot;Proceedings of ISIC: The Behaviour Conference&quot; (Leeds, England, Sep 2-5, 2014), Part 2, Paper isicsp14.]