ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Rankings and Quality Assurance: Do Rankings Measure Quality? Policy Brief. Number 4
Author: Hazelkorn, Ellen
Date: 2015-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Quality Assurance,Reputation,Measurement,Global Approach,Educational Quality,Commercialization,Universities,College Choice,Institutional Autonomy,Educational Indicators

Rankings work by comparing higher education institutions (HEIs) using a range of indicators, which are usually weighted according to priority. Rankings are used to inform student choice and stakeholder opinion, and to assess the performance of scientific-scholarly research. Research has shown that students, public opinion and government are the biggest users of rankings. For a government, doing well in rankings can heighten a country's status, and help attract foreign-direct investment and talented students and professionals. Because of these consequences, rankings have become inculcated into higher education strategic decision-making and institutional research. While rankings are widely used they are also broadly critiqued. One of the main criticisms is that rankings use the same set of indicators to measure HEIs operating in very different national settings and meeting a diverse set of needs. This undermines mission distinctiveness, ignores diversity amongst the student cohort, and promotes a single model of higher education excellence. Another criticism is that rankings are a hierarchical system, signalling some HEIs or disciplines are more important than others, and focus too narrowly on elite universities and research. Academic quality however, is not easily reduced to measures of quantification. Like it or not, rankings have succeeded in drawing attention to how HEIs are assessed and what these assessments mean in terms of quality. The depth of the global economic crisis has focused attention on the capacity of HEIs to meet the needs of national economies, and to respond to concerns about graduate employability and affordability. Alternatives such as &quot;U-Multirank&quot; and &quot;U21 Ranking of National Higher Education Systems&quot; embrace a greater diversity of HEIs, and look at the over all capacity of higher education to bring benefit to society. On-line country-level profiling tools are being developed to provide quick comparative data on university performance and productivity. In the United States, the &quot;Postsecondary Institution Rating System&quot; (PIRS) aims to link access, affordability and outcomes. In the early days, the emphasis was on quality assurance and student choice; today, the ground is shifting between autonomy and accountability, and between steering and regulation. In response, two actions are essential: (1) Higher education should become more actively engaged in the global conversation about quality, and identify meaningful measures which can demonstrate value and contribution; and (2) Higher Education, along with key stakeholders, should agree upon a common international database to be held by a not-for-profit international organisation.
Students&apos; Perceptions of Basic Communication Skills Training at a Selected State University in Zimbabwe
Author: Admire, Mhindu
Date: 2019-05-30
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Communication Skills,Skill Development,Public Colleges,College Students,Foreign Countries,Agribusiness,Academic Language,Instructional Effectiveness,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Listening Skills,Speech Skills,Young Adults,Reading Strategies,Research Skills

The study was a qualitative case study which sought to establish the perceptions of students in the Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce on Basic Communication Skills training at Victoria State University. Twenty-seven students from the faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce were purposively sampled to participate in the study. Observation and focus group discussions were the major data gathering tools. A thematic analysis of the data was done. The major findings showed that a majority of the students perceived the module as indispensable in their learning as it enhanced their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Participants mentioned that their academic writing, reading, research and listening skills had greatly improved due to the communication skills training they had undergone. However, there were a few students who felt that the module was a waste of their time as it focussed on aspects of communication that they had already covered at 'O' and 'A' Level. The major recommendation from this study was that the university extends the Basic Communication Skills Module to other level 1:1 students in other faculties to facilitate their day to day communication in an educational environment.
Examination of Burnout Levels of Athletes Studying at the Faculty of Sport Sciences
Author: Dogan, Erol
Date: 2019-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Burnout,Team Sports,Gender Differences,Sports Medicine,College Athletics,College Students,Student Attitudes,Universities,Measures (Individuals),Psychological Patterns,Competence

The aim of this study is to investigate burnout levels of athletes studying at the faculty of sports sciences. 250 students (female; 102, male; 148) who study in Ondokuz Mayis University, at the Faculty of Sport Sciences and actively participate in sports life were included in the study. The 5 point Likert type sports burnout scale developed by Raedeke and Smith (2001) and adapted to Turkish by Kelecek et al. (2016) was used to determine the burnout levels of the subjects. SPSS 22.0 program was used in the statistical analysis of the study. When the results of the study were examined, in gender, team and individual athletes status and in emotional / physical, declining sense of success in section variables, in none of the sensitization sub dimensions no statistically significant difference was found (p&gt;0.05). As a result, it is thought that the absence of significant difference in the levels of athletic burnout in the findings of the current research may be due to the subject groups' actively continuing sports , studying at the same faculty and and therefore having the same intensity courses. However, in future researches, when examined with variables such as individually separation of branches, training densities, league levels they play and classes, it is thought that it may make a difference.
Exploring Parent-Teacher Collaboration to Improve Students&apos; Vocabulary Skills: An Action Research
Author: Javier, Darren Ray C.
Date: 2019-09-30
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Parent Teacher Cooperation,Vocabulary Development,Vocabulary Skills,Teaching Methods,Pretests Posttests,Educational Improvement,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,National Competency Tests,Achievement Tests,Family Environment,Foreign Countries,Grade 11,Low Income,High School Students,Student Attitudes,Parent Attitudes,Correlation,Language Tests

This action research was conducted to help students develop their vocabulary skills through parent-teacher collaboration and to help parents and teachers understand that collaboration is an important aspect that warrants enough attention. Thus, few studies have focused on parent-teacher collaboration to help students develop their vocabulary skills. This study applies Beck, McKeown, and Kucan's (2013) three-tiered model of vocabulary to gauge the vocabulary level of the students. Moreover, the researchers used quasi-experimental research to test whether or not collaboration between teachers and parents is effective in improving the vocabulary skills of students. This study used pre-test and post-test to measure students' vocabulary skills. A training matrix was developed by the researchers to be used for the month-long duration of the experiment. In the matrix, the researchers employed vocabulary exercises during the experiment. The data gathered were statistically analyzed using SPSS. The results of the study are presented and discussed with reference to the aim of the study; (1) based on the computed mean of the pre- and post-tests, it was found out that there is an increase in the students' level of performance in vocabulary. Moreover, (2) the results accepted the hypothesis that there is a significant difference before and after the exposure to parent-teacher collaboration. Lastly, (3) it is proposed that parent-teacher partnership shall be the next priority of the school Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) which will highlight communication skills primarily.
Critical Thinking Pedagogy: Using Textbooks Evaluation and Content Analysis Techniques for Saudi University Students
Author: Al-Qahtani, Eman Muhammed
Date: 2019-09-30
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Content Analysis,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Textbooks,Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Skill Development,Role,Learning Activities,Teacher Attitudes,Language Teachers,College Students,College Faculty,Teaching Methods

This research has an aim to investigate to what extent Saudi English textbooks help in enhancing Saudi student's critical thinking skills. The research topic was selected by keeping in mind the experience that Saudi Arabia students always face difficulty in the application of critical thinking skills for the determination of best possible solutions. The critical thinking skills are the necessity of professional life and if students of Saudi Arabia are failed in applying it to a particular situation, then it is important to investigate the reasons for it. The literature has concluded the same thing that the critical thinking skills learning should of that type which helps students in applying it to a particular situation because if they do not know its application, then critical thinking skill is useless. The past studies have revealed that the English textbooks have some elements of critical thinking skills but, it is important to investigate that either specific textbook contains the elements by which learner can learn the critical thinking skill or not. The primary research data was collected through a questionnaire of Five Point Likert Scale, which shows that the teachers of Saudi Arabia have neutral reply towards the role of English Textbook activities in the development of critical thinking skills. Teachers who are the research respondents of this study claimed that some gaps exist in the Saudi curricula for the development of critical thinking skills among students. This study successfully explored the role of curricula in the development of critical thinking skills among students, and how much Saudi Arabia curricula is efficient in it.
Exploring and Learning English: An Analysis of Baidu and Google Translation
Author: Abdur Razzaka, Md
Date: 2019-09-30
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Search Engines,Translation,Foreign Countries,Language Aptitude,Accuracy,Cultural Awareness,Comparative Analysis,Chinese,Computational Linguistics

This paper presents the current status of Google as the world-wide popular search engine and Baidu as the top ranked search engine in China. Although Google is band in China mainland since 2010, it studies the connectivity of both platforms in China. Both the platforms are providing translation services where, being an international language English has been given crown priorities. The paper uses survey among the Chinese people (n=250) to identify user's English learning aptitude according to the coding of ACTLE. The code stands on A=Accuracy, C=Clarity, T=Time, L=Location and E=Environment friendly (emphasized on culturally appropriateness). The article finds a big margin for Baidu from Google translation services in terms of the coding category of time, location and culturally appropriateness. On the other hand, Google is little bit ahead in respect of accuracy and clarity to carry English meaning through its translation services. Above all, both search engines are giving the exploring opportunities to their valued stakeholders and opening a new English learning window for latent talents.
Corruption in Higher Education: Can Quality Assurance Make a Difference? Policy Brief. Number 5
Author: Martin, Michaela
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Deception,Ethics,Educational Malpractice,Higher Education,Quality Assurance,Prevention,Accountability,Accreditation (Institutions),Integrity,Standards

Opportunities for corruption are manifold in higher education. They are present during financial transactions (such as grants, subsidies or fellowships), or when contracts of construction or maintenance are attributed. Opportunities for corruption also typically emerge during admission and examination procedures. Malpractices can be related to professional misconduct such as teacher absenteeism, abuse of power, or illegal fees charged to students and their families. Lack of academic integrity such as plagiarism and falsification of research evidence are another set of ever more frequently encountered malpractices. The development of diploma mills delivering false credentials and diplomas, as well as of accreditation mills issuing fraudulent accreditation (Hallak and Poisson, 2007b) have been observed during recent years. Furthermore, given the potential economic benefits that arise from quality assurance decisions, there is also a strong risk that quality assurance (QA) systems themselves become an object of corruption by providing wrong or distorted evidence on the nature of higher education services. It can be argued that quality assurance has a high potential to prevent corruption, when it is geared towards control and accountability to stakeholders, when it is compulsory, and when it uses accreditation as its main mechanism for quality assurance. Since accreditation applies a standard-based quality model, there are many opportunities for accreditation agencies to insist on the existence of integrity structures, policies, and practices at the level of higher education institutions (HEIs), and to spread existing good practices across the higher education sector. Since accreditation takes place only every three to five years, it is of course not the only solution to corruption; but accreditation can clearly have a strong signalling effect for higher education institutions. In order to make quality assurance more effective in the prevention and detection of corruption, it is, however, evident that expectations expressed in standard systems for accreditation need to be translated by the authorities of higher education institutions into procedures of internal quality assurance (IQA), for which they are responsible. It needs to be acknowledged that HEIs are the main actors in the prevention and identification of risks of corruption and malpractices, provided they are given adequate guidance and resources to translate national policies into institutional practices.
An Analysis of the Grammatical Features and Lexical Features That the Hearing-Impaired Learners Use in Writing to Achieve Cohesion
Author: Mang'oka, Antony
Date: 2019-09-30
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Hearing Impairments,Students with Disabilities,Secondary School Students,Grammar,Writing (Composition),Connected Discourse,Vocabulary,English (Second Language)

Competence in both spoken and written English is very important for all learners regardless of their hearing ability. Previous studies reveal that hearing-impaired learners face several challenges in their written English. These challenges affect their communication, which is likely to affect their education and career aspirations. The thrust of this paper, therefore, was to identify the grammatical features and lexical features that the hearing-impaired learners use in writing to achieve cohesion. The study confined its investigation to the nature of cohesion in the hearing-impaired learners' English written texts. The data for the study was collected from the written texts of Form Three hearing impaired students sampled from three secondary schools located in Nyeri County, Nakuru County, and Machakos County in Kenya. The written texts were picked from written assignments from different subjects as well as from one free composition. The study was guided by Halliday and Hasan's theory of Cohesion to identify, describe and categorize cohesive devices in the texts. In the final analysis, this paper found out that all the cohesive devices posited by Halliday and Hasan were present, but at varying frequency. Reference had the highest frequency of occurrence and ellipsis the least. The hearing-impaired learners had challenges in writing cohesively.
Learning to Look, Looking to Learn
Author: Rothschild, Karen
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Observation,Skill Development,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Teacher Collaboration,STEM Education,Elementary School Teachers,Faculty Development,Special Education Teachers,Student Behavior,Models

In order to plan and implement lessons that will be effective for a wide variety of learners, teachers must assess what students know and how they know it. They must also know students' academic strengths, challenges, and preferences. Careful observation of what students do and say as they work provides a rich source of data about both their knowledge and ways of learning. We highlight three strategies we use to help teachers refine their understanding of individual students: (a) building teachers' skills in observing without making judgements; (b) teaching teachers to use a shared, neurodevelopmental framework through which to view student learning and behavior; and (c) facilitating collaboration among general education and special education teachers in using these tools to assess student learning and plan lessons. The combination of careful observations, a neurodevelopmental lens through which to see and interpret the observations, and the different perspectives of general and special education teachers, builds a foundation for planning appropriately leveled and rigorous lessons that leverage students' strengths while supporting them in their weaker areas.
Toward a Golden Age of Educational Practice
Author: Petrilli, Michael J.
Date: 2019-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Policy,Educational Change,Evidence Based Practice,Educational Research,Research Utilization,Educational Improvement,Culture,Instructional Materials,Coaching (Performance),Alignment (Education),Elementary Secondary Education

In recent years, we have reached a homeostasis in education policy, characterized by clearer and fairer but lighter-touch accountability systems and the incremental growth of school choice options for families--but little appetite for big and bold new initiatives. To be sure, there are still fights--battles in state legislatures between reform advocates and their opponents, and sometimes little skirmishes in Congress--but they are at the margins. The period of big new policy initiatives stemming from Washington or the state capitals appears to be over, at least for now. This state of play will not last forever, but it provides a real opportunity while it is here. The opportunity is, for us as a field, to finish what we started, to usher in a Golden Age of Educational Practice. To implement higher standards with fidelity. To improve teacher preparation and development. To strengthen charter school oversight and quality. To make the promise of high-quality career and technical education real. But how can we get 14,000 local school systems and 7,000 charter schools pursuing better outcomes for kids if big new policy initiatives are off the table? In this new monograph, &quot;Toward a Golden Age of Educational Practice,&quot; Michael J. Petrilli, the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, explores these questions and identifies concrete actions that would make evidence-based practice a likelier reality in our schools. They include: (1) Supporting efforts to collect richer information about classroom practice; (2) Funding the development of new organizations of educators to identify and disseminate evidence-based practices; (3) Scaling up networks of schools committed to using evidence-based practices in their classrooms, especially in the charter sector; (4) Investing in the sales and marketing of high-quality, standards-aligned instructional materials; and (5) Creating a national infrastructure for improving the work of instructional coaches. While policymakers might be taking a break from education policy, we cannot afford to take a break from educational improvement. America's children are waiting.
A Supportive School for Every Student: How Massachusetts Districts Are Bringing Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Health Supports to Schools and Classrooms
Author: Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy
Date: 2019-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Behavior,Social Development,Emotional Development,Behavior Development,Barriers,Child Health,Student Needs,State Policy,Access to Health Care,Mental Health,School Districts,Role,Educational Resources,Agency Cooperation,School Psychologists,Teamwork,Intervention,Health Promotion,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,High Schools,Program Effectiveness

In this study, the Rennie Center for Education Research &amp; Policy sought to uncover the ways in which Massachusetts schools and districts support students' behavioral health needs. This study was guided by the following research questions: (1) What are districts doing to integrate social, emotional and behavioral health supports? (2) What are the opportunities and challenges they face in doing this work? (3) What resources have districts relied on to reach desired levels of implementation? and (4) What student effects do districts report as a result of this work? To address these research questions, the study team conducted the following data collection activities: (1) Interviewed state education agency and school district representatives; (2) Scanned relevant Massachusetts policies to understand legislation and regulations related to behavioral health; and (3) Reviewed the literature base on tiered behavioral health supports in schools.
Addressing Access and Functional Needs (AFN) in School and IHE Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs). Access &amp; Functional Needs Fact Sheet
Author: Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Guides - General
Subjects: Emergency Programs,Planning,Special Needs Students,Accessibility (for Disabled),Needs,Program Development,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,At Risk Persons

Students or staff with access and functional needs (AFN) are those who need accommodations and modifications due to a temporary or permanent condition that limits their ability to take some actions in the event of an emergency. An access or a functional need may be due to physical, sensory, behavioral, mental health, intellectual, developmental, or cognitive disabilities; chronic conditions; injuries; and limited English proficiency (LEP) or an inability to speak English. These individuals may have physical, programmatic, or communication accessibility needs before, during, and after an emergency for which schools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) should plan. This fact sheet begins by taking a look at where this issue is today. Using the &quot;Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans&quot; (see ED571878) and &quot;Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Institutions of Higher Education&quot; (see ED571877) as a foundation, the fact sheet goes on to discuss a six-step planning process to help schools and IHEs develop a high-quality emergency operation plan (EOP) that is flexible, adaptable, and customized to the building or institution level. Lastly, example courses of action that schools and IHEs have implemented to help meet the needs of students and staff with AFN in the areas of communications, evacuation, and sheltering-in-place are described. An annotated list of key resources is also provided.