ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Coupled Collaborative In-Class Activities and Individual Follow-Up Homework Promote Interactive Engagement and Improve Student Learning Outcomes in a College-Level &quot;Environmental Geology&quot; Course
Author: Arthurs, Leilani
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Geology,College Science,Science Instruction,Environmental Education,Cooperative Learning,Learning Activities,Homework,Learner Engagement,Interaction,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,Knowledge Level,Concept Formation,Scientific Concepts,Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Interviews,Program Effectiveness

Interactive engagement pedagogies that emerge from a constructivist model of teaching and learning are often a challenge to implement in larger classes for a number of reasons including the physical layout of the classroom (e.g. fixed chairs in an amphitheater-style room), the logistics of organizing a large number of students into small peer-learning groups, the ability of a single instructor to personally interact with each of many small groups, and the design of small group activities that are engaging and facilitate student learning. For a large introductory-level &quot;Environmental Geology&quot; college course, 5 coupled collaborative class-long in-class activities and individual follow-up homework were designed and implemented around key topics and specific learning goals. The goals behind designing and implementing these coupled in-class activities and homework were to (1) improve student attitudes towards science and learning science and (2) improve their content knowledge and conceptual understanding. To evaluate the extent to which these goals were achieved, 5 forms of assessment were used: a pre-instruction entrance questionnaire, pre- and post-instruction attitudinal surveys, pre- and post-instruction course tests, a post-instruction exit questionnaire, and post -instruction exit interviews. The findings from these forms of assessment suggest that the coupled in-class activities and individual follow-up homework improved targeted student learning outcomes.
Calibrated Peer Review Assignments for the Earth Sciences
Author: Rudd, James A., II
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peer Evaluation,Teaching Methods,Science Instruction,College Science,Undergraduate Study,Geology,Assignments,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Essays,Writing Assignments,Student Attitudes,Comparative Analysis,Video Technology,Lecture Method,Homework,Feedback (Response),Program Effectiveness,Quasiexperimental Design,Statistical Analysis

Calibrated Peer Review™ (CPR), a web-based instructional tool developed as part of the National Science Foundation reform initiatives in undergraduate science education, allows instructors to incorporate multiple writing assignments in large courses without overwhelming the instructor. This study reports successful implementation of CPR in a large, introductory geology course and student learning of geoscience content. For each CPR assignment in this study, students studied web-based and paper resources, wrote an essay, and reviewed seven essays (three from the instructor, three from peers, and their own) on the topic. Although many students expressed negative attitudes and concerns, particularly about the peer review process of this innovative instructional approach, they also recognized the learning potential of completing CPR assignments. Comparing instruction on earthquakes and plate boundaries using a CPR assignment vs. an instructional video lecture and homework essay with extensive instructor feedback, students mastered more content via CPR instruction.
Academic Support at the University of Kwazulu-Natal: A Systematic Review of Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles, 2010-2015
Author: Paideya, Vino
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Literature Reviews,Higher Education,Journal Articles,Academic Support Services,Peer Teaching,Curriculum,Intervention,Qualitative Research,Sampling,Research Methodology,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,College Students,Access to Education,Disadvantaged Youth,Questionnaires,Interviews,Observation

The aim of this systematic review was to examine research studies which focus on effective student support practices and show evidence of credible assessment. To identify effective student support practices, and also to provide a contemporary picture of effective support practices at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, 24 studies which met the inclusion criteria were reviewed and analysed in terms of: (i) aims, (ii) main participants, (iii) methodology used and (iv) the main outcomes emerging. The findings from the review indicate that there is a diversity of available evidence, ranging from assessment of peer support programmes, alternative access programmes to curriculum-based interventions. However, most of these studies are cross-sectional qualitative studies, which also draw from relatively small samples. This suggests that more large-scale studies are needed in the field in order to provide greater insight into effective student support practices. In addition, research which examines academic support programmes over long periods of time while also controlling for programme effects is recommended.
An Assessment of the Impact of the Mentoring Programme on Student Performance
Author: Mashela, Langutani Mary
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Mentors,Program Effectiveness,Undergraduate Students,Program Evaluation,Communications,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Interviews,College Faculty,Questionnaires,Academic Achievement,Peer Teaching,Disadvantaged Schools,Academic Support Services,Interpersonal Relationship,Barriers

The University of Venda introduced an academic mentoring programme in 2012. The introduction of the programme was in response to the results of a national study that was conducted by Scott, Yeld and Hendry (2007). The study was replicated at institutional level and it yielded similar results that indicated that at least 30% of undergraduate students drop out at the end of their first year. Using Margaret Archer's morphogenetic framework, this paper seeks to assess the impact of the programme on students' performance. The key question asked in this study is: &quot;What impact has the mentoring programme made on the academic performance of students in the Department of Communication and Applied Language Studies?&quot; This department formed part of this study because the module lecturer was among the first few who exercised her agency by consciously volunteering to join the programme with the hope that it would improve pass rate. The pass rate improved from 80% to 92% the first time the programme was implemented and it has been high ever since, while the students in that department have continued to embrace the programme. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted for this study. Qualitative data consisted of an open-ended questionnaire which was used to collect data from forty-five mentees. Interviews were also conducted with ten mentees, three student mentors, the Media Studies (MST 1541) lecturer and the educational development practitioner (EDP). From the forty-five questionnaire respondents, only ten mentees were also interviewed to confirm responses that were given in questionnaires before the researcher had reached saturation point. Quantitative data were collected through a comparison of module results for 2012 and 2013. The MST 1541 classes in 2012 and 2013 were taught by the same lecturer, who confirmed minimal changes in terms of content and teaching methods which could have influenced the improved pass rate in 2013. The study concludes that the mentoring programme contributed to improving student success. However, the study only focused on one causal mechanism, namely mentoring. It is therefore recommended that a broader study be conducted to evaluate the impact of additional causal mechanisms. Furthermore, the researchers recommend improved monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to curb the inconsistencies and irregularities reported by the mentors, mentees, lecturer and educational development practitioner.
Considering the Role of Tutoring in Student Engagement: Reflections from a South African University
Author: Faroa, Brendon Duran
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Tutoring,Learner Engagement,Instructional Innovation,Peer Evaluation,Mentors,Educational Strategies,Academic Achievement,Student Centered Learning,Psychology,Departments

Student engagement has been defined as the extent to which students are engaged in activities that higher education research has shown to be linked with high-quality learning outcomes. The ubiquitous influence of the term &quot;student engagement&quot; has been felt throughout the higher education landscape. This is especially true for South African higher education where student success has been poor. South African universities have been tasked to improve the student learning experience as a component of improving success. Some of the innovative teaching and learning practices often highlighted by research which are thought to improve student engagement include: having students adopt teaching roles such as peer assessment, tutoring and mentoring. These practices are thought to promote student engagement, leading to greater student academic success. Tutoring can therefore be seen as one of the key strategies to facilitate student engagement in order to achieve academic success. The following paper considers the role of tutoring in student engagement while reflecting on strategies used at a South African university to address the challenges associated with student success.
Stress-Management Strategies among First-Year Students at a South African University: A Qualitative Study
Author: Mason, Henry D.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Stress Management,Qualitative Research,College Freshmen,Coping,Student Surveys,Personal Narratives,Stress Variables,Foreign Countries

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored the use of coping strategies among first-year students in managing academic-related stressors. Qualitative data were collected using a non-probability and purposive sample. A total of 225 first-year students who were registered at a South African university participated in the study by writing naïve sketches. A narrative framework was adopted and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Six categories of stressors emerged from the data and were categorised as financial, spiritual, physical, emotional, mental and institutional. The qualitative findings also pointed to three prominent coping strategies, namely problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and meaning-making. The reported outcomes of employing coping strategies included both positive and negative aspects. An overarching theme, entitled &quot;hanging in there&quot; was interpreted from the data and points to an innate sense of hope that assists participants in managing stressors. Implications for student affairs practitioners and areas for further study are discussed.
The Messiness of Meaning Making: Examining the Affordances of the Digital Space as a Mentoring and Tutoring Space for the Acquisition of Academic Literacy
Author: Arend, Moeain
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Tutoring,Tutors,Literacy,Educational Technology,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Foreign Countries

Having incorporated a digital aspect to our academic literacy course, and having monitored this over the last three years, we have come to believe that online mentoring can serve as an essential form of tutoring and mentoring. Our study is located in the field of New Literacy Studies and examines the affordances of a digital space in a first year academic literacy course in the Humanities. We focus on students' acquisition of academic literacy, as well as critical thinking and reflexivity around a core social science concept; identity. Here, we refer to the ability to think critically and reflexively, as the &quot;analytical mode&quot;, a key driver in shaping the pedagogy of the course. In this paper, we explore the online participation of two students and how they engage with the theme of identity, not only as an academic concept but also as one intrinsically linked with how they see themselves in a diverse post-apartheid South African context. We argue that the digital space promotes a particular form of the &quot;analytical mode&quot; as students grapple with texts and concepts on the academic literacy course. Using a qualitative case study methodology, our analysis of students' online interaction revealed that the digital space allowed students to express themselves with a level of depth and sophistication, and to share dissident views that could not be expressed in the traditional classroom space. Furthermore, we argue that the digital space can suspend students' urgency to agree or disagree with the arguments of authors they read. By holding students between the two positions of agreement and disagreement, we propose that the digital space becomes a space of reflexive discomfort which captures various moments in students' drafting processes as they operate within the analytical mode. Therefore, we argue that the digital space, if harnessed with a particular type of mentoring philosophy and pedagogy that activates the analytical mode, can free up the traditional forms of academic mentoring and tutoring within the academy. This allows students the freedom to live with the messiness of their texts and to grapple with their conceptual understanding, and in doing so, develop their &quot;authorial self&quot; (Clark &amp; Ivanic, 1997).
&quot;Xoa:dau&quot; to &quot;Maunkaui&quot;: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into an Undergraduate Earth Systems Science Course
Author: Palmer, Mark H.
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: American Indian Students,Undergraduate Students,Earth Science,Geographic Regions,Place Based Education,Indigenous Knowledge,Culturally Relevant Education,Tribes,Art,Teaching Methods,American Indian Culture,Story Telling,Figurative Language,College Science,Science Instruction

Very few Native American students pursue careers in the geosciences. To address this national problem, several units at the University of Oklahoma are implementing a geoscience &quot;pipeline&quot; program that is designed to increase the number of Native American students entering geoscience disciplines. One of the program's strategies includes the development of an undergraduate course called &quot;Earth Systems of the Southern Great Plains.&quot; The course focuses on geoscience topics that relate to the southern plains (particularly Oklahoma), emphasizes &quot;sense of place,&quot; integrates indigenous knowledge and geoscience content, makes use of Kiowa stories and metaphors, and uses Native American Art as a vehicle of learning. Students in the course are required to put living indigenous philosophies into practice through teaching activities and the construction of geoscience models using everyday materials. The course is designed to highlight the integrated nature of Earth processes, elicit students' experiences through exploration of case studies illustrating links between indigenous knowledge and Earth processes, and demonstrate the process of practicing science. Formative student evaluations are providing useful information and the course is evolving. Preliminary assessment results suggest that integrating Native American culture, art, and geoscience content is a successful approach.
Siphons, Water Clocks, Cooling Coffee, and Leaking Capacitors: Classroom Activities and a Few Equations to Help Students Understand Radioactive Decay and Other Exponential Processes
Author: Brady, John B.
Date: 2009-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Class Activities,Science Activities,Science Experiments,Demonstrations (Educational),Scientific Concepts,Science Instruction,Geology,Hands on Science,Equations (Mathematics),Algebra,Radiation,Laboratory Equipment,Science Laboratories,Laboratory Experiments,College Science,College Students,Measurement Equipment

Although an understanding of radiometric dating is central to the preparation of every geologist, many students struggle with the concepts and mathematics of radioactive decay. Physical demonstrations and hands-on experiments can be used to good effect in addressing this teaching conundrum. Water, heat, and electrons all move or flow in response to generalized forces (gradients in pressure, temperature, and electrical potential) that may change because of the flow. Changes due to these flows are easy to monitor over time during simple experiments in the classroom. Some of these experiments can be modeled as exponential decay, analogous to the mathematics of radioactive decay, and can be used to help students visualize and understand exponential change. Other, similar experiments produce decay or change that is not exponential. By having classes, in small groups, conduct several experiments involving flows, a learning synergy can be encouraged in which the physical and mathematical similarities of flow processes are emphasized. For the best results, students should be asked to analyze the experimental data, using graphs and algebra or calculus as appropriate to the class, to determine the nature of the decay process and to make predictions, either forward or backward in time as would be done for radiometric dating. Basic quantitative skills are strengthened or developed as part of these activities. Encountering a number of important geologic processes in the same mathematical.
A Novel Approach to Teaching and Understanding Transformations of Matter in Dynamic Earth Systems
Author: Clark, Scott K.
Date: 2009-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Geology,Earth Science,Science Instruction,Instructional Innovation,Scientific Concepts,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Nonmajors,Undergraduate Students

The need to engage K-12 and post-secondary students in considering the Earth as a dynamic system requires explicit discussion of system characteristics. Fundamentally, dynamic systems involve the movement and change of matter, often through processes that are difficult to see and comprehend. We introduce a novel instructional method, termed Cause-MaP, designed to enhance non-science major undergraduates' understanding of complex Earth systems. Students are provided with a mechanism for explicitly following matter as it moves through the environment, and are encouraged to describe this movement both verbally, in response to a structured set of questions, and pictorially, in boxand-arrow diagrams. This approach raises awareness of the underlying causes for the dynamic nature of systems, and encourages reasoning, thoroughness, and transferability of skills. Preliminary data suggest that this method is effective with post-secondary students and we encourage adaptation of Cause-MaP to other courses at both the post-secondary and K-12 levels. A follow-up, more rigorous investigation of the impact of this approach on student learning will clarify the effectiveness of this instructional method.
Using a Historical Controversy to Teach Critical Thinking, the Meaning of &quot;Theory&quot;, and the Status of Scientific Knowledge
Author: Montgomery, Keith
Date: 2009-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scientific and Technical Information,Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Geology,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Science History,Controversial Issues (Course Content)

It is important that students understand the &quot;open-ended&quot; nature of scientific knowledge and the correct relationship between facts and theory. One way this can be taught is to examine a past controversy in which the interpretation of facts was contested. The controversy discussed here, with suggestions for teaching, is &quot;Expanding Earth &quot;versus&quot; Sea Floor Spreading.&quot; Although this was a short and limited controversy within the mainstream scientific comrnunity, it has the advantage of having primary sources that are accessible to students to read for themselves. What makes this controversy intriguing is the later conversion of one of the protagonists (Tuzo Wilson) to tectonics. The controversy is framed explicitly in terms of several criteria for agreeing on the optimal theory: it is an exercise in what has been termed &quot;theory choice&quot; by Thomas Kuhn. Framing the controversy in this way can teach students a great deal about the emergence of scientific theories as well as criteria that can be used to judge ideas in a mature fashion.
Commentary: Fostering Students&apos; Argumentation Skills in Geoscience Education
Author: Trend, Roger
Date: 2009-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Persuasive Discourse,Thinking Skills,Skill Development,Science Process Skills,Geology,Earth Science,Science and Society,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Epistemology,Foreign Countries,Student Interests,Student Motivation,Prior Learning

This paper considers opportunities for teachers to use an argumentation pedagogy in order to develop students' geoscience thinking skills. Educational argumentation principles and procedures are outlined. Argumentation can foster both student and teacher motivation and interest in the context of accessible and well-structured geoscience content. Geoscience lends itself to an argumentation approach because of its physical and intellectual accessibility, its concern with &quot;socio-scientific&quot; ideas, its operation on scales readily understood by children and its regular occurrence in mass media reports. Students need to learn how to construct an argument, supported by evidence, and to learn from counterarguments. Argumentation involves both cognitive and affective skills of both teachers and students. It can be used to help children understand not merely the socio-cultural aspects of science but also basic science concepts and processes. A geosciences argumentation pedagogy is exemplified using coastal evolution: argumentation procedures and protocols are illustrated and explained. Four other potential opportunities in geoscience education are summarised in tabular form. The paper concludes by emphasising the critical role of epistemological understanding: it cannot be ignored.
Teachers&apos; Pedagogical Competence in Adapting Curricula for Children with Learning Difficulties (LD) in Primary Schools in Ghana
Author: Alhassan, Abdul-Razak Kuyini
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Disabilities,Teacher Competencies,Curriculum Development,Academic Accommodations (Disabilities),Inclusion,Elementary School Teachers,Correlation,Barriers,Classroom Environment,Educational Resources,Student Needs,Mixed Methods Research,Questionnaires,Observation,Check Lists,Interviews

Ghana education service (GES) has not achieved much in curriculum adaption to address the needs of children with disability. The aim of this study is to investigate teachers' pedagogical competence (TPC) in curriculum adaptation to include children with LD in primary schools. Mixed-Method Design Strategy involving 387 sampled teachers was used. The results will add to the body of research that show that teachers are inadequately prepared for inclusion of learners with disabilities in primary schools. Specifically, this study showed that some Ghanaian primary school teachers (PST) have limited competences in curricula adaptation. There was a significant association between curriculum adaptation and teachers' competences in teaching children with LD in Primary schools in Ghana. The PSTs are increasingly facing challenges in meeting the needs of children with LD due to: limited competence, poor class environment and inadequate teaching and learning resources. The study recommends that the Government of Ghana (GoG) provides intensive training in curriculum adaptation to PST to enable them address the needs of children with LD effectively.