ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Virtual or Face to Face Classes: Ecuadorian University Students&apos; Perceptions during the Pandemic
Author: Sevy-Biloon, Julia
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: COVID-19,Pandemics,Undergraduate Students,Student Attitudes,School Closing,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Barriers,Interaction,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Internet,Access to Computers,Foreign Countries,Distance Education,Preferences,Student Responsibility

Due to the pandemic, classes have moved online for 2020-2021, and a return to face-to-face classes in the National University of Education (UNAE) in Ecuador is unknown. Students studying in the undergraduate program to be English language teachers are slowly adapting to this new form of E-learning, and some have found that they prefer online classes, while many are waiting for the day they return to classes. The objective of this study is to look at the pros and cons given by 69 students discussing why taking classes virtually or face to face is a better option for EFL and being an ELT professional in these turbulent times. Some prefer online learning for various reasons such as safety, comfort, economic reasons, and having more time in general. Some find E-learning difficult and want to return to synchronous classes because they feel there is little interaction between classmates and teachers, they cannot practice English authentically, cannot get clarification from the teacher, have a hard time concentrating online, and there are constant internet connection issues. In conclusion, this information has great importance for teachers today who are struggling to teach in this new medium and teach to the needs of their students to aid in their planning and will contribute to future teachers who will teach online.
Text Difficulty in Extensive Reading: Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation
Author: Yang, Ya-Han
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Difficulty Level,Reader Text Relationship,Reading Materials,Reading Motivation,Reading Comprehension,Recreational Reading,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Summer Programs,Vocational High Schools,High School Students,Vocabulary Development,Self Efficacy,Foreign Countries

This study investigates the effects of the text difficulty of extensive reading materials on the reading comprehension and reading motivation of English as a foreign language (EFL) vocational high school students in Taiwan. Two experimental groups were assigned, on an individual basis, to read graded readers at either one level below ('i-1') or one level beyond ('i+1') their current level, while a control group followed their regular curriculum. The results showed that after treatment, the 'i-1' group improved their overall comprehension and the subset of literal comprehension. They also outperformed the 'i+1' group on the same measures. For reading motivation, the 'i+1' group's overall motivation was promoted. Both groups enhanced their reading engagement, while only the 'i-1' group inhibited reading avoidance. Moreover, the 'i+1' group outperformed the 'i-1' group in the perception of self-efficacy. Overall, the 'i-1' level yielded better effects on reading comprehension; the 'i+1' level, on reading motivation.
Pre-Service Professional Development for Inclusion Teachers
Author: Hills, Diane Cartwright
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Inclusion,Preservice Teacher Education,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Team Teaching,Elementary School Teachers,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Teacher Attitudes

Teachers struggle to provide stimulating academic support for some students in inclusion classrooms (Chitiyo &amp; Brinda, 2018). Inclusion is the instruction of students considered deficient in certain skills and abilities associated with academic achievement. The students, referred to as special education, learn along with their non-special education counterparts in minimally restrictive environments (Dudley-Marling &amp; Burns, 2014). The learners with dissimilar traits due to psychological, behavioral, social, academic, and physical differences create challenges for many educators (Moore, Ford, &amp; Milner, 2005; Van Tassel-Baska, 2018) because the students require explicit teaching approaches for educational success (Steenbergen-Hu &amp; Olszewski-Kubilius, 2017). Professional development of teachers in undergraduate school minimizes disengagement because the skillful utilization of curriculum to differentiated instruction occurs during pre-service activities (Van Tassel-Baska, 2018). The know-how requires attention to undergraduate developmental processes during pre-service training and in-service classroom supervision (Alila, Maatta, &amp; Uusiautti, 2016; McElwee, Regan, Baker, &amp; Weiss, 2018). To gain the perceptions of teachers about their pre-and in-service professional development for inclusion classrooms, a qualitative exploratory case study was conducted on teaching general education students using both special and general education teachers as subjects. Based on the analysis of the data, a major constant was that professional development for pre-service teachers lacks specificity for inclusion because of the all-encompassing nature of their students' characteristics. Information obtained from this study can assist public school leaders, practitioners, and policymakers to consider future higher education program reforms in the light of inclusion, so teachers are prepared to effectively disseminate lessons.
The Coverage Comprehension Model, Its Importance to Pedagogy and Research, and Threats to the Validity with Which It Is Operationalized
Author: McLean, Stuart
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Difficulty Level,Reading Skills,Vocabulary,Models,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Reading Research,Research Methodology,English Language Learners,Knowledge Level

When learners can comprehend 98% or more of the tokens within a text, the lexical difficulty of the text is unlikely to inhibit reading comprehension (Schmitt et al., 2011). This phenomenon will be referred to as the Coverage Comprehension Model (CCM). The CCM is present in countless articles that describe the percentage of tokens necessary to comprehend reading materials (e.g., Nation, 2006). Further, numerous studies operationalize the CCM to provide evidence that participants were able to comprehend reading materials (e.g., Feng &amp; Webb, 2020) by estimating: (1) the lexical difficulty of a text; and (2) the lexical mastery level of a learner. However, the validity with which the CCM is operationalized is limited by the following four assumptions: (1) 26 out of 30 words on a levels test is an appropriate threshold for mastery of a 1,000-word band; (2) the word counting unit used when estimating the lexical difficulty of a text and the lexical ability of a learner is appropriate for the target learners; (3) the item format used in levels tests can appropriately capture the type of vocabulary knowledge necessary when reading; and (4) the number of items on a vocabulary levels test accurately represents the difficulty of the 1,000-word band. This paper applies the findings of research to evaluate the validity of the first two assumptions, and concludes that the validity with which the CCM is operationalized in research is limited.
The Impact of Information Acquisitions through the Freedom of Information Act to Generate Competitive Advantages within Academia
Author: O'Reilly, Kevin E.
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Access to Information,Freedom,Competition,Colleges,Advantaged,Institutional Characteristics,Commercialization,Information Utilization

Higher educational institutions at all levels of academia are developing competitive advantages such as flexible and hybrid learning environments, modern infrastructure, tailored degree programs and curriculum, or productive faculty to satisfy the individual needs of students, industries, and nations. Consequently, like corporations, higher educational institutions are using traditional business strategies such as information acquisitions to develop an understanding of the markets they serve with the intention of creating the correct competitive advantages to capitalize on those markets. This study will seek to understand the factors that measure, and to what extent, higher educational institutions are creating competitive advantages and how information acquisitions is leading to their successful development; specifically, information acquired through the use of the Freedom of Information (FOIA) Act.
Unassisted Repeated Reading: Exploring the Effects of Intensity, Treatment Duration, Background Knowledge, Individual Variation, and Text Variation on Reading Rate
Author: Lynn, Ethan M.
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Rate,Individual Differences,Comparative Analysis,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Prior Learning,Reading Instruction,Teaching Methods,Reading Materials,Reading Fluency,Foreign Students,Native Language,Intensive Language Courses,College Students,Student Placement,Language Tests,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Reading Comprehension,Vocabulary Skills,Measures (Individuals)

Two groups of English as a second language students engaged in a fourteen-week repeated reading (RR) treatment: (1) a 3x group (n = 16), which engaged in three readings per session, and (2) a 5x group (n = 15), which engaged in five readings per session. Reading rate and background knowledge were measured at five points to assess the effect of treatment length as well. Results from a mixed effects repeated measures ANCOVA model showed that neither treatment group nor treatment length had a significant effect on reading rate, but background knowledge did. The model also revealed that the fixed effects (e.g., treatment, duration, and background knowledge) explained 8.1% of the variation in reading rates (R[superscript 2] = 0.081). The random effects of individual variation and text variation explained 0.9% (R[superscript 2] = 0.009) and 0.3% (R[superscript 2] = 0.003) of variance in reading rate respectively, meaning the entire model could explain 9.3% of the variation (R[superscript 2] = 0.093). It was concluded that reading three times per session was more efficient than reading five times per session, and background knowledge is a variable that must be controlled for in reading studies.
Perspectives of Colombian Higher Education Deans and Faculty Directors on Transformational Leadership
Author: Delgado-Alban, Darling Viviana
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Transformational Leadership,Higher Education,Deans,Administrators,Administrator Attitudes,Administrator Characteristics,Leadership Qualities,College Faculty,Social Change,Leadership Styles,Persistence,Goal Orientation,Objectives,Administrator Behavior,Motivation,Stimulation,Innovation,Creativity,Critical Thinking,Problem Solving,School Effectiveness

Leadership emerges as a powerful force in the effort toward achieving quality education. The transformational leadership style inspires leaders to work toward a common goal to create change. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore higher education deans' and faculty directors' perspectives on their practice of transformational leadership in higher education institutions in Colombia. Transformational leadership theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews with six higher education deans and six faculty directors. Findings from coding analysis revealed seven themes: leadership commitment, shared vision, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, organizational performance, and future orientation. Colombian higher education leaders may use the findings to improve decision-making practices, increase motivation, and enhance organizational commitment and effectiveness.
The Development of an Integrated Scale of Technology Use in Physics
Author: Korur, Fikret
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physics,High School Students,Technology Uses in Education,Measures (Individuals),Test Construction,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Student Interests,Science Achievement,Science Interests,Influence of Technology,Student Attitudes,Science Education

In this study, the Integrated Scale of Technology Use in Physics (ISTUP) was developed to determine students' frequency of technology use, their perceptions about the effects of technology use on physics interest and achievement, and their preferences of technological tools and applications in learning physics. The scale was administered two different times to 670 high school students in total who took physics courses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate the scale. The results of the study suggest that the ISTUP is a valid and reliable scale. Students' frequency of technology use in learning physics corresponded to 'sometimes'. Students perceived that technology use had slightly positive effect on their interest and achievement. Findings regarding the interrelations between students' preference for technological tools and applications were also discussed.
Impact of Instructional Practices on Soft-Skill Competencies
Author: Green-Weir, Robbya R.
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Soft Skills,Job Skills,Skill Development,Competency Based Education,Educational Strategies,Administrator Education,Health Services,Undergraduate Study,Graduate Study,College Graduates,African American Students,White Students,Self Efficacy,Public Colleges,Black Colleges,Career Readiness

Soft-skill competencies are essential for successful careers. Yet, research shows that graduates often lack soft skill competencies. Reasons may be there is no set list of soft skills, soft skills are subjective, and they are challenging to teach and assess. Historically, there has been inconsistent funding for soft skill training in the U.S. for primary and secondary education. Therefore, students arrive to higher education settings with fragmented training in soft skill competency development. This research examined recent graduates of health administration programs to gain a better understanding of soft skill competency training and development. One hundred eighty-six recent graduates of undergraduate and graduate health administration programs that attended a predominantly White institution [PWI] in Michigan and a historically black college and university [HBCU] in Florida participated in the survey. The online survey was developed with input from 20 health administrators in the Midwest that participated in a Delphi technique. The administration period of the online survey began summer and concluded fall of 2018. Findings showed that soft-skill competencies were rarely taught in health administration settings. Yet, recent graduates' self-perception of soft-skill competencies ranked high in comparison to how often soft-skill competencies are taught. There is a striking influence of attending a HBCU on the development of soft skill competencies. Employers look to higher education to prepare students for the workplace. To do so, more research is recommended to unpack the nuances of soft skill competencies and development in students as well as the salient factors in HBCUs that foster soft skill competency development.
Education Deserts in North Carolina: An Analysis of Geographic Disparities and University Access
Author: Stowe, Kristin
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educationally Disadvantaged,Geographic Isolation,Geographic Location,Rural Population,Census Figures,Access to Education,Higher Education,Educational Attainment,Socioeconomic Influences,Universities,Family Income,Youth Employment,Out of School Youth,Internet,Access to Computers,Correlation,National Surveys

Much research on access to the higher education system overlooks the importance of a base factor: place. An 'education desert' is defined as an area in which residents are separated from the higher education system by geography and structural factors. This study employs a granular approach to locate education deserts within the state of North Carolina, and analyze the condition of higher education access across the state. By delineating the state into Census tracts (n=2184), the analysis draws more specific boundaries around deserts than did previous researchers. The analysis then goes beyond the binary classification of desert or non-desert, and ranks each census tract's access to the higher education system on a five-point scale. The data shows that approximately one-quarter of the state's population lives in an education desert. Various socioeconomic indicators, such as median household income and the rate of disconnected youth, are found to be significantly correlated with a census tract's access to the higher education system. Distance learning seems to be an apt solution; however, residents of higher education deserts have low rates of internet access, making online education impractical. Policy makers should recognize that gaps in access to higher education, and the subsequent benefits from a degree, have roots in geography and in infrastructure.
COVID-19 Student Mental Health Check II
Author: Blankenship, Dianna
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: COVID-19,Pandemics,Mental Health,Undergraduate Students,Well Being,Minority Serving Institutions,Hispanic American Students,Stress Variables,Student Employment,Physical Health,School Closing,Online Courses,Distance Education,Access to Computers,Barriers,Family Environment,Student Attitudes

The year 2020 will forever be known as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected the entire population in one way or another. What began in January 2020 still has the world population firmly in its grip a year later. The students' responses, in their own words, to changes in living, daily `routines, and health fears can be seen in the following paper. In this article, the responses of students in several undergraduate classes at a Hispanic serving institution in south Texas were collected and synthesized. The 155 responses were divided into seven frequently observed and repeated themes: jobs and job related, school and courses, routine, family, positivity, infection and stress. Findings for this second half of 2020 period differ from those collected during the first half of 2020 (Blankenship &amp; Jones, 2020) (EJ1293618) in that two new themes (infection and stress) were added, and two themes (graduation and shopping/groceries) were deleted from the mix. Teaching professionals must be mindful to continue providing added support to assist students as they navigate this changing time.
Accentuating the Positive: Can Student Positivity Withstand a Pandemic?
Author: Rist, Sarah
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Positive Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Pandemics,COVID-19,Distance Education,Electronic Learning,Business Administration Education,College Students,Resilience (Psychology),Persistence

This study extends positivity research to identify whether college students' positivity can sustain itself under extreme changes in lifestyle. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether students' positivity would hold in the midst of a pandemic and while shifting from a high-touch, in-class experience to an online, virtual learning space in a Midwest university business course. For these particular students, positivity levels remained high during the pandemic and the move to online instruction. This supports previous research indicating that happy people maintain that outlook even when experiencing adversity.
College Enrollment and Real-Life Factors
Author: Baek, Chung
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Enrollment,Enrollment Influences,Family Income,Socioeconomic Status,Gender Differences,College Bound Students

This study examines how real-life factors influence unexpected shocks/changes in college enrollment. The results are provided for both male and female groups. While family income significantly affects unexpected shocks on female enrollment, college tuition and consumer sentiment turn out to have no significant impact on both male and female groups. Although there is still room to delve into more various causes, given limited data availability, this study contributes to the literature in the sense that the significant relationship between unexpected shocks on female enrollment and family income is identified and it can be partially explained by socioeconomic status of family or gender differences in psychological characteristics.
Development and Assessment of an Undergraduate Research Program at a Two-Year, Rural, Hispanic-Serving Institution: The Essential Role of Partnerships
Author: Loeser, Matthew R.
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Research,Two Year College Students,Mentors,College Faculty,Summer Programs,STEM Education,Partnerships in Education,Minority Serving Institutions,Hispanic American Students,Agency Cooperation,School Business Relationship,Program Effectiveness,Cooperative Planning,Program Development,Student Interests

Yakima Valley College--a two-year, Hispanic-serving institution in south-central Washington state--partnered with four-year universities, agricultural centers, businesses, and federal and state agencies to develop a streamlined undergraduate research experience in which students work closely with a faculty mentor in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field on summer projects of 120 hours each. Assessment metrics reveal high transfer, graduation, and/or continued enrollment rates for research participants as well as increased student perceptions in thinking and working like a scientist, personal gains related to research work, and skills. Faculty also benefited as indicated by high rates of return to the program. This article reviews the importance of multiple stakeholders in program development, including the essential role of university and community partnerships.
Motivation and Motivational Factors of Primary School Teachers from the Self-Determination Theory Perspective
Author: Yildiz, Vahit Aga
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Motivation,Elementary School Teachers,Self Determination,Educational Theories,Foreign Countries,Teacher Characteristics,Predictor Variables,Teacher Attitudes,Influences

This study examines the motivation of primary school teachers from the perspective of self-determination theory, to identify the variables and factors that affect motivation. The research was conducted using an explanatory mixed design. The qualitative data were collected from 414 teachers from 39 schools covering all districts of Erzurum province through the Multidimensional Job Motivation Scale. Qualitative data were collected from 30 participants through the Teacher Interview Form. Quantitative data were analyzed by t test, and ANOVA test; qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. The results indicate that teachers' intrinsic motivation is higher than their extrinsic motivation. Moreover, teacher motivation varies in terms of gender, age, seniority year, class size, and settlement. More extrinsic motivation factors were found than intrinsic; the external factors are mostly negative, while internal factors are mostly positive. The most significant positive motivational factor is students, and the key factor decreasing motivation is class crowding. Future studies could collect more comprehensive results from a larger sample group that includes all types of schools.