ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Abstraction, Declarative Observations and Algorithmic Problem Solving
Author: Ginat, David
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Problem Solving,Computation,Comparative Analysis,Competence,Abstract Reasoning,Novices,Knowledge Level,Elective Courses,Undergraduate Students,Task Analysis,Intervention,Mathematics Education,Coding,Programming,Computer Science Education,Thinking Skills

The notion of algorithm may be perceived in different levels of abstraction. In the lower levels it is an operational set of instructions. In higher levels it may be viewed as an object with properties, solving a problem with characteristics. Novices mostly relate to the lower levels. Yet, higher levels are very relevant for them as well. We unfold the importance of higher level abstractions for novices, by demonstrating the role of declarative observations of algorithmic problems, and the benefit of developing awareness of such observations in algorithmic problem solving. This is shown in a two-stage study, which first reveals the unfortunate lack of declarative observations, and then displays comparative results of experimental and control groups, which stems from different awareness and competence with declarative observations.
Abstraction in Computer Science Education: An Overview
Author: Mirolo, Claudio
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Science Education,Soft Skills,Thinking Skills,Abstract Reasoning,Computation,Concept Formation,Programming Languages,Generalization,Problem Solving

When we &quot;think like a computer scientist,&quot; we are able to systematically solve problems in different fields, create software applications that support various needs, and design artefacts that model complex systems. Abstraction is a soft skill embedded in all those endeavours, being a main cornerstone of computational thinking. Our overview of abstraction is intended to be not so much systematic as thought provoking, inviting the reader to (re)think abstraction from different -- and perhaps unusual -- perspectives. After presenting a range of its characterisations, we will explore abstraction from a cognitive point of view. Then we will discuss the role of abstraction in a range of computer science areas, including whether and how abstraction is taught. Although it is impossible to capture the essence of abstraction in one sentence, one section or a single paper, we hope our insights into abstraction may help computer science educators to better understand, model and even dare to teach abstraction skills.
QEP is HIP: A Case Study Implementing an Institution-Wide Undergraduate Research Community of Inquiry for a Small Private College Setting
Author: Tingle, Melissa N.
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Communities of Practice,Educational Practices,Private Colleges,Educational Quality,Learning Processes,Student Research,Learning Experience,Conferences (Gatherings),Research Training,Creativity,Inquiry,Active Learning,Minority Group Students,First Generation College Students,Grants,Socialization,Mentors,College Faculty,Teacher Student Relationship,Grade Point Average,Student Attitudes,Academic Persistence,Disadvantaged,Case Studies,Small Colleges

Piedmont College's quality enhancement plan (QEP) emphasizes a developmental and progressive integration of high-impact practices (HIPs) into the academic and social fabric of the institution. The QEP is HIP initiative provides students with multiple opportunities to deepen learning and leadership skills, which leads to improvements in student success, persistence, and retention. However, the institution grappled with how to effectively engage students in effective, meaningful research-based experiences. During the 2nd year of its QEP implementation, a campus-wide undergraduate research symposium was launched to showcase students' research and creative inquiry in an effort to (a) gain full institutional participation in this crucial HIP and (b) offer the underserved student population (defined as ethnic minority, Pell-eligible, and first-generation students) an opportunity to participate in professional socialization and experience faculty mentorship. This case study shows the initial influences of this HIP on student success (in terms of grade point average [GPA]), students' perceptions of their own learning, students' persistence (measured with the Grit Scale), and retention from the 2018-2019 to the 2019-2020 academic year. Specifically, this study compared students who presented their research at the undergraduate research symposium to students who did not. While the immediate influence of this HIP on student persistence/perseverance (grit scores) remains undetermined, the retention rates and GPA appear to have been higher for students who presented, in both the dominant and underserved populations. Furthermore, students reported an increase in perceptions of their own learning. These findings are significant and affirm that undergraduate research communities can be considered a HIP for students, including those of underserved populations.
Constructing the Global Diversity or Reproducing the Orientalist Gaze: Evaluating Identity Options and Cultural Elements in an English Intercultural Communication Textbook
Author: Zhang, Yu
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Language Role,Intercultural Communication,Cultural Pluralism,Cultural Awareness,Language Attitudes,Textbooks,Case Studies,Dialogs (Language),Nationalism,Teaching Methods,Content Analysis,Foreign Countries,Asian Culture,College Students,Cultural Influences

English is often ideologically constructed as a global language to facilitate intercultural communication between people of diverse cultural backgrounds. However, it still remains unknown to what extent English learning can enhance English learners' awareness of global diversity. Given the dominant population of English learners in China, it is of great significance to investigate how English learning might facilitate Chinese learners' global vision and cultivate their intercultural competence. Seeing language textbooks as a key site of cultural and linguistic representation, this study scrutinizes the hidden ideologies discursively constructed in an English Intercultural Communication (EIC) textbook targeting Chinese English learners. Data are collected from dialogues, case studies, reading passages, cultural notes, exercises in the textbook. Informed by concepts of orientalism and banal nationalism, the study reveals that the distribution of characters is nation-based, essentialized, and even stigmatized. There is an inconsistency between the discursive construction of English as a global language and the actual representation of USA/UK-centered ideology. Chinese and other non-English learners are linguistically and culturally subjected to orientalist interpretation. The internal orientalist representation of Chinese speakers is also reproduced within the diverse backgrounds of Chinese population. Based on the findings, we argue that the simplified, unbalanced and unequal representations of cultural elements may hinder English learners' awareness of cultural diversity. The study suggests that a more diversified representation of cultural practices should be adopted in EIC textbooks to cultivate the global citizenship through English language education.
A Comparison of Abstraction and Algorithmic Tasks Used in Bebras Challenge
Author: Vanícek, Jirí
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Abstract Reasoning,Thinking Skills,Foreign Countries,Computer Science Education,Secondary Education,Difficulty Level,Computation,Competition,Classification,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Information Science

This paper focuses on the analysis of Bebras Challenge tasks to find Informatics tasks that develop abstract thinking. Our study seeks to find which Bebras tasks develop abstraction and in what way. We analysed hundreds of tasks from the Czech contest to identify those tasks requiring participants to abstract directly or use abstract structures. Results show that an agreement among experts on stating which task is focused on abstraction is at a moderate level. We discovered that tasks focused on abstraction occur four to five times less frequently in sets of contest tasks than algorithmic tasks. Our findings proved that abstract tasks results compared with algorithmic ones did not differ in neither age nor gender group of contestants.
The Relationship between Teacher Candidates&apos; Self-Efficacy Levels and Lifelong Learning Tendencies = Ögretmen adaylarinin öz yeterlik düzeyleri ile yasam boyu ögrenme egilimi arasindaki iliskinin incelenmesi
Author: Aslim, Serap Tüfekçi
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Self Efficacy,Lifelong Learning,Correlation,Gender Differences,Instructional Program Divisions,Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Predictor Variables,Elementary School Teachers,Student Characteristics,Student Motivation,Persistence,Self Management,Personality Traits

This study aims to reveal whether there is a meaningful difference between preservice teachers' self-efficacy levels and their tendencies towards lifelong learning and the relationship between them according to gender and grade. The sample of the study based on correlational survey model consisted of 242 preservice primary school teachers at Gazi Faculty of Education in Gazi University. &quot;Self-efficacy Scale&quot; and &quot;Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale&quot; were used for data collection. While preservice primary school teachers' self-efficacy levels were found above the average in general, there was no meaningful difference according to gender and grade. Preservice teachers' tendencies towards lifelong learning were found high, but did not change according to gender. Freshmen preservice teachers' tendencies were found higher. There is a medium-level (0.53), positively meaningful relationship between preservice teachers' self-efficacies and their tendencies towards lifelong learning. Results of the analyses also reveal that 28.00% of the total variance regarding tendencies towards lifelong learning is explained with self-efficacy beliefs.
A Necessity-Driven Ride on the Abstraction Rollercoaster of CS1 Programming
Author: Sbaraglia, Marco
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Programming,Introductory Courses,Computer Science Education,Programming Languages,Difficulty Level,Novices,Problem Solving,Abstract Reasoning,Instructional Design,Learning Processes,Undergraduate Students,Problem Based Learning,Teaching Methods

Introductory programming courses (CS1) are difficult for novices. Inspired by &quot;Problem solving followed by instruction&quot; and &quot;Productive Failure&quot; approaches, we define an original &quot;necessity-driven&quot; learning design. Students are put in an apparently well-known situation, but this time they miss an essential ingredient (the target concept) to solve the problem. Then, struggling to solve it, they experience the necessity of that concept. A direct instruction phase follows. Finally, students return to the problem with the necessary knowledge to solve it. In a typical CS1 learning path, we recognise a challenging &quot;rollercoaster of abstraction&quot;. We provide examples of learning sequences designed with our approach to support students when the abstraction changes (both upward and downward) inside the programming language, for example, when a new construct (and the related syntactical, conceptual, and strategic knowledge) is introduced. Also, we discuss the benefits of our design in light of Informatics education literature.
Establishing an Operational Model of Rating Scale Construction for English Writing Assessment
Author: Wu, Xuefeng
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Evaluation,Rating Scales,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Majors (Students),Essays,Language Teachers,Factor Analysis,Foreign Countries,Models,College Faculty,Specialists,Language Tests,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Writing Skills,Decision Making,Evaluators

Rating scales for writing assessment are critical in that they determine directly the quality and fairness of such performance tests. However, in many EFL contexts, rating scales are made, to certain extent, based on the intuition of teachers who strongly need a feasible and scientific route to guide their construction of rating scales. This study aims to design an operational model of rating scale construction with English summary writing as an example. Altogether 325 university English teachers, 4 experts in language assessment and 60 English majors in China participated in the study. 20 textual attributes were extracted, through text analysis, from China's Standards of English Language Ability (CSE), theoretical construct of summary writing, comments on sample summary writing essays from 8 English teachers and their personal judgement. The textual attributes were then investigated through a large-scale questionnaire survey. Exploratory factor analysis and expert judgement were employed to determine rating scale dimensions. Regression analysis and expert judgement were conducted to determine the weighting distribution across all dimensions. Based on such endeavors, a tentative operational model of rating scale construction was established, which can also be applied and adapted to develop rating scales in other writing assessment.
The Proliferation of Lesson Study for English Language Teachers: A Meta-Synthesis Study
Author: Baysal, Hülya
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Communities of Practice,Foreign Countries,Faculty Development,Program Effectiveness,Program Implementation,Barriers,Program Development,Teacher Attitudes

Despite studies on the lesson study experiences of English teachers have increased in Turkey in recent years, there is a need for further studies on how to integrate the model into the context. In this study, the qualitative research on the lesson study conducted with English teachers in Turkey was examined, and it was aimed to reach a synthesis to ensure the proliferation of the model. The common databases were searched with keywords, and specific inclusion criteria were used. Selected studies were scored with a checklist to be evaluated in terms of quality, and eight studies (six articles and two doctoral dissertations) that received the required score were included in the research. In the analysis, the steps of developing the first and second-order themes, interpreting, and synthesizing were followed. The common findings in the studies show that the lesson study provides significant contributions to English teachers despite the difficulties in the process. The synthesis includes the initiatives at the individual and institutional dimensions. It is concluded that the pedagogical design capacity and collaboration skills of English teachers should be strengthened at the individual dimension while administrator, mentor/facilitator support should be provided, and policy changes should be made in teacher education at the institutional dimension. We also recommended examining how the model can be adapted to Turkey's cultural-educational context, teacher autonomy, and identity. [This article includes an extended summary in Turkish.]
Development of the Hostility in Pandemic Scale (HPS): A Validity and Reliability Study
Author: Tunc, Emine Burcu
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Psychological Patterns,Pandemics,COVID-19,Test Construction,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Foreign Countries,Factor Analysis

The aim of this research is to develop Hostility in Pandemic Scale (HPS) for Turkey Population to determine the hostility levels of individuals, which is a factor affecting the mental well-being of the society during the pandemic. The study group consists of 855 individuals between the ages of 18-65 from different genders, and have experienced the pandemic process. For the construct validity of the scale results, exploratory factor analysis was conducted and a one-dimensional structure consisting of 22 items was revealed. It was determined that the variance explained by the scale showing a one-dimensional structure was 41.5%. As a result of the confirmatory factor analysis performed through a separate study group, it was revealed that all items have significant t values, and the model established according to model fit indexes has meaningful and acceptable fit values. Buss-Perry Aggression Scale was applied with HPS for the criterion validity. As a result of the criterion validity analysis, a significant relationship was found between the scale scores. The Cronbach Alpha was calculated to analyses internal consistency of the scale and a reliability level of 0.93 was obtained. The test-retest reliability results were found as 0.89. In addition, item statistics revealed that all of the scale items can discriminate well among the respondents. Results of the analysis revealed that, the Hostility Scale in Pandemic Process provides valid and reliable results.
The Effect of Teaching Practices on Pre-Service Teachers&apos; Sense of Efficacy Belief and Attitude towards Teaching Profession = Ögretmenlik uygulamalarinin ögretmen adaylarinin özyeterlik inanci ve ögretmenlik meslegine yönelik tutumu üzerindeki etkisi
Author: Bas, Gökhan
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Teaching (Occupation),Self Efficacy,Teaching Skills,Learner Engagement,Teaching Methods,Classroom Techniques

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect teaching practices on pre-service teachers' attitude towards teaching profession and sense of efficacy beliefs. The explanatory sequential design, which is one of the mixed methods research designs, was used in this study. The study group of this research consisted of pre-service teachers who were studying at Nigde Ömer Halisdemir University, Faculty of Education, Pedagogical Formation Training Certificate Programme (n = 14). While parametric test statistics were used in the analysis of the quantitative data, content analysis technique was employed in the analysis of the qualitative data. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that teaching practices have a statistically significant effect on the attitude of pre-service teachers towards the profession and that these practices were not effective in developing their sense of efficacy beliefs.
Views of the Parents of Secondary School Students on Supporting Their Children&apos;s Learning = Ortaokul ögrenci velilerinin çocuklarinin ögrenmelerini destekleme durumlarina iliskin görüsleri
Author: Gündüz, Gülten Feryal
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parent Attitudes,Secondary School Students,Parent Role,Parent School Relationship,Student Motivation,Parents as Teachers,Learning Activities,Foreign Countries

The aim of this study is to identify the views of parents of secondary school students' about their ability to support their children's learning. In this research, concurrent transformative mixed method. A survey was applied to parents; then semi-structured interviews were conducted. Quantitative data were obtained from 300 parents and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 43 parents. According to research findings, the academic support activities carried out by the parents in their children's learning were mostly general academic support activities. Parents provide less support for their children's courses. Parents' support activities to motivate their children to learn are mostly to praise them with nice words. Parents stated that they mostly participated in school meetings in the support activities carried out with the cooperation of persons or institutions that can be effective in the education of their children.
Improving Early Childhood Teachers&apos; Formative Assessment Practices: Transformative Role of Collaborative Action Research = Okul öncesi ögretmenlerinin biçimlendirici degerlendirme uygulamalarinin gelistirilmesi: Isbirlikçi eylem arastirmasinin dönüstürücü rolü
Author: Aras, Selda
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Formative Evaluation,Action Research,Change Strategies,Teacher Competencies,Preschool Teachers,Preschool Education,Foreign Countries,Faculty Development,Teacher Attitudes,Portfolio Assessment

The aim of this study is to investigate the change process of early childhood teachers' formative assessment practices via collaborative action research. Formative assessment contributes to children's development and learning process and also guides teachers on instructional decisions. Although research emphasizes the importance of formative assessment, teachers encounter difficulties while implementing it in their classrooms. Three early childhood teachers participated in this qualitative study, and the data were gathered through interviews and observations. The findings about the teachers' change processes revealed that despite the difficulties experienced; teachers began to conduct systematic observation, document children's development and learning, and use assessment data for their further plans. The transformative power of action research in changing teachers' practices is highlighted in this study.
The Effect of Self Control and Emotion Regulation Difficulties on the Problematic Smart Phone Use of Young People = Öz kontrolün ve duygu düzenleme güçlügünün gençlerin sorunlu akilli telefon kullanimi üzerindeki etkisi
Author: Sakiroglu, Mehmet
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Self Control,Emotional Response,College Students,Addictive Behavior,Animals,Foreign Countries,Correlation,Predictor Variables

The use of smart phones is quite common among young people. This may sometimes cause problems. Different steps are being taken in the schools regarding the rules that students should follow for the use of telephone. However, student-oriented solutions are needed. The main aim of this study is to reveal the role of self-control, difficulties in emotion regulation and having pet on problematic smartphone use. The sample consisted of 296 university students. In this study, &quot;Personal Information Form&quot;, &quot;Brief Self-Control Scale&quot;, &quot;Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale&quot; and &quot;Smartphone Addiction Scale&quot; were utilized to gather data. According to the findings of the research, high self-control ability and having a pet reduces the time spent on the use of problematic smart phone, whereas the difficulty of emotion control increases it. Findings are discussed within the framework of the related literature and some self-control and emotion regulation exercises were suggested for curricula.
Achievement Emotions, Epistemic Curiosity, and Graded Performance of Undergraduate Students in English Preparatory Classes = Ingilizce hazirlik siniflarindaki ögrencilerin basari duygulari, bilgi ? ye yönelik ? meraki ve ders basarisi
Author: Elmali Özsaray, Alev
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Predictor Variables,Personality Traits,Student Interests,Psychological Patterns,Anxiety,Emotional Response,Foreign Countries,Grades (Scholastic),Age Differences,Gender Differences

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between achievement emotions, epistemic curiosity, and graded performance regarding English courses of undergraduate students in English preparatory classes. Exploratory correlational design was adopted in the study. A total of 475 undergraduate students in English preparatory classes voluntarily participated in the study. The findings showed that graded performance regarding English courses was significantly and positively predicted by both curiosity as a feeling of deprivation and curiosity as a feeling of interest. The findings also showed that graded performance regarding English courses was significantly, yet negatively predicted by anxiety and boredom.