ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Student Choice and Reading in the EFL Classroom
Author: Arguelles Alvarez, Irina
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Motivation,Student Participation,Decision Making,Teacher Role,Student Role,Reading Material Selection,Literary Genres,English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Foreign Countries,College Students,College Faculty,Questionnaires

This paper deals with the role of both the teacher and the student when choosing materials for the course, more specifically, with the selection of books for extensive reading. Although carried out in a first year tertiary education level, the results of this small scale study could be a good starting point for reflection in previous secondary and pre-university educational levels. It will be attempted here to make explicit the reasons that lead teachers to make their reading choices within the scope of a traditional syllabus type and the actual reasons that students have to make their own choice within a more negotiated syllabus design. The conclusion of this study points to the fact that genre and topic preferences guide the choice when selecting a book to read in the classroom. On the other hand, if students have the option to select their own readings this can have a direct effect in their implication in the learning process, eventually leading to greater motivation and thus, to better learning. (Contains 2 tables.)
Assets First Generation College Students Bring to the Higher Education Setting
Author: Garrison, Nancy J.
Date: 2012-11-15
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: First Generation College Students,Higher Education,Grounded Theory,Interviews,Females,Student Characteristics,Personality Traits,Goal Orientation,Self Esteem,Academic Persistence,Psychology,Well Being,Open Enrollment,Community Colleges

This qualitative research explored first generation college students (FGCS) from a holistic perspective. The study investigated students' personal assets and provided the field of higher education an alternative to the pervasive deficit-orientation of this under resourced population. Psychological capital (Luthans, et al., 2006), framed within positive psychology theory was the conceptual framework; and suggests psychological well-being can be enhanced through the identification and use of personal strengths. Other research has linked well-being to enhanced performance. Grounded theory methodology and appreciative inquiry were used to conduct three qualitative interviews of female, first generation college students. The data revealed that the first generation college students in this study have the following personal assets: proactivity, goal direction, optimism and reflexivity. There were 13 contributing strengths that supported the asset development: resourcefulness, strategic thinking, self-reliance, practical realism, flexibility, persistence, positivity, hopefulness, self-confidence, insightfulness, compassion, gratitude and balance. The development of the students' assets was influenced by their lived experience and occurred in response to their marginalized socio-cultural positioning. The participants described long and varied use of their assets, through flexible curricula and reflexive assignments. Implications based on the study's findings suggest higher education institutions could provide faculty development and augment student services to recognize first generation college students' assets. Instructors could likewise help students identify and use their assets in order to promote well-being and enhanced performance. Finally, students could become attuned to their unique assets and strive to increase mindful use of their strengths.
Beyond the Indicators: An Integrated School-Level Approach to Dropout Prevention
Author: Mac Iver, Martha Abele
Date: 2009-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Academic Achievement,At Risk Students,Dropouts,Educational Change,Young Adults,Dropout Prevention,Dropout Rate,Change Strategies,Dropout Characteristics,Dropout Research,Graduation Rate,Academic Persistence,Developmental Studies Programs,Management Information Systems,Educational Indicators,Educational Assessment,Performance Factors,Etiology,Comprehensive Guidance

Despite decades of school improvement initiatives, many young people still do not cross the finish line of secondary education with the credential that signifies success--a high school diploma. Thousands of young people give up on school and on themselves, or schools give up on them. Without effective support from schools, communities, and families, many at-risk students fall through the cracks and eventually drop out. Persistent high dropout rates are particularly troublesome in large, urban high schools and in poor and rural districts. Young people who drop out of school have few prospects for earning a living wage, which takes an economic and societal toll that cannot be sustained in a competitive nation. Recently, stemming the tide on these--dropout factories, where upwards of 50 percent of students do not graduate, has become a national, state, and local priority. In its Fiscal Year 2010 budget request, the Obama administration proposes a $50 million High School Graduation Initiative to promote innovative strategies for increasing high school graduation rates. This report summarizes the research on &quot;why&quot; students drop out of school, explains the research implications for &quot;how&quot; to create an integrated dropout prevention strategy, and highlights an innovative pilot project that yielded results in a matter of months--a &quot;how-to&quot; example that works. (Contains 8 figures and 3 footnotes.)
Transitioning to Year-Round Education: Satisfaction and Factors of Choice
Author: Ramos, Barbara K.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Year Round Schools,Elementary Schools,Suburban Schools,Satisfaction,Influences,Selection,Focus Groups,Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Family Attitudes,Mixed Methods Research

This study examines a mid-west elementary school transitioning from a school-within-a-school calendar, offering both year-round and traditional calendars, to a year-round only calendar. The satisfaction of teachers and families with the transition, and the factors that teachers and families consider in making a calendar selection, were examined using quantitative non-experimental surveys and focus groups. Teachers and families tended to have positive reactions to the transition. Although some traditional calendar teachers and families had a negative initial reaction to the transition, they became more positive during and after the transition. There was a statistically significant difference in the level of satisfaction by calendar for all five questions asked of families, and two out of five questions asked of teachers. The importance of factors influencing calendar selection differed from the survey prior to, and after, the transition. There was a statistically significant difference in all seven factors for families and five out of seven factors for teachers. When factors impacting calendar selection were examined by calendar, three out of eight factors for teachers, and two out of seven factors for families, had a statistically significant difference. The following are appended: (1) The Future of Year-round Education: Parent/Guardian Perceptions (2004-05); (2) Making the Transition: School-within-a-school to Year-round Education (2010-11) Survey; (3) [a.] Summary of Teacher Satisfaction with Transition to Year-round Only in Percentages and [b.]  Summary of Family Satisfaction with Transition to Year-round Only in Percentages; (4) [a.] Summary of Teacher Satisfaction with Transition to Year-round Only by calendar in Percentages and [b.] Summary of Family Satisfaction with Transition to Year-round Only by calendar in Percentages; (5) [a.] Comparison of Satisfaction Mean Scores for Teachers by Calendar (1 = very satisfied) and [b.] Comparison of Satisfaction Mean Scores for Families by Calendar (1 = very satisfied); (6) [a.] Summary of Factors Influencing Calendar Selection by Teachers in Percentages and [b.] Summary of Factors Influencing Calendar Selection by Families in Percentages; (7) [a.] Summary of Factors Influencing Calendar Selection by Teachers by Calendar in Percentages and [b.] Summary of Factors Influencing Calendar Selection by Families by Calendar in Percentages; and (8) [a.] Comparison of Study 1 and Study 2 Mean Scores for Teachers (1 = major factor) and [b.] Comparison of Study 1 and Study 2 Mean Scores for Families (1 = major factor).
Arts Enrichment in Afterschool. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 56
Author: Afterschool Alliance
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Fine Arts,Standardized Tests,Summer Programs,Music Education,After School Programs,Enrichment Activities,Art Education,Middle School Students,Adolescent Development,Program Effectiveness,Academic Achievement,Reading Instruction,Mathematics Instruction,Learner Engagement,Creativity,Dance Education

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the second in its latest series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief explores afterschool and arts enrichment. The arts have the remarkable ability to positively affect a child in his or her entirety--influencing his or her developmental, behavioral, social and intellectual capacities. Afterschool programs are helping schools and communities ensure that their children have access to the arts and are able to benefit from all the arts have to offer. The role afterschool programs play in providing arts education and enrichment becomes increasingly important as the arts curriculum finds itself pitted against the pressures of standardized tests. Afterschool and summer programs draw on the expertise of arts organizations, arts education organizations, and school arts and music educators, offering broad exposure to the variety of existing art forms and offering dedicated time for deeper learning in the arts. Opportunities for arts education and enrichment, both in school and out-of-school, can help excite children about school, engage them in academic subjects, improve their focus and spark their creativity. The absence of the arts from a student's life is a lost opportunity to inspire change and individual growth. Across the country, afterschool programs are providing a nurturing environment and strengthening students' relationships to the arts and thereby supporting overall student success. (Contains 25 endnotes.) [For the related reports, see "Afterschool: An Ally in Promoting Middle School Improvement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 55" (ED539794); "Afterschool: A Key to Successful Parent Engagement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 57" (ED539790); and "Digital Media & Learning in Afterschool. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 58" (ED539789).]
Implications of the Land Art Training for Kindergarten Teacher Trainees on Their Interdisciplinary Teaching Practices
Author: Efthymia, Gourgiotou
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preservice Teacher Education,Preschool Teachers,Kindergarten,Interdisciplinary Approach,Teaching Methods,Art Education,Environmental Education,Preservice Teachers,Focus Groups,Student Attitudes

Land art (or Earth art, or environmental art) refers to an art movement in which landscape and art are linked, and art work is not just placed in nature, but draws from nature. Land art can refer to several interpretations that can be done by anyone and may be combined materials found in nature, such as leaves, fir cones, twigs, pebbles, rocks, sand, and shells. Last years, land art was connected with education in implementation of interdisciplinary projects. The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of teaching a specific land art model to teacher trainees in Pedagogical Department of Preschool Education of University of Crete in 2011-2012. Through this project, the authors seek to promote a questioning and critical approach to art teaching, and environmental awareness within the context of early childhood education developing a validated inventory of instructional procedures, techniques, and assessments methods that may be used by the profession as a framework for curriculum development and the assessment of program effectiveness. The program, which is still ongoing, began in October 2011 with completion expected in mid-May 2012. Teacher trainees, an advisory teacher, an art education instructor, and a lecturer (as supervisor) worked together to involve young children in interesting and creative land art activities. This cooperation provided an opportunity for innovation and experimentation and, especially, a context for teacher trainees to deepen their understanding of their roles for a sustainable society and improve their teaching strategies. Project evaluation was made through children's land art representations and interviews conducted by all stakeholders (teacher trainees, children, teachers, etc.).
Turkish Students' Perspectives on Speaking Anxiety in Native and Non-Native English Speaker Classes
Author: Bozavli, Ebubekir
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Native Speakers,Social Sciences,Anxiety,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Speech Communication,Classes (Groups of Students),Questionnaires,College Students

The aim of this study is to reveal the effect of FLA (foreign language anxiety) in native/non-native speaker of English classrooms. In this study, two groups of students (90 in total) of whom 38 were in NS (native speaker) class and 52 in NNS (non-native speaker) class taking English as a second language course for 22 hours a week at Erzincan University in Turkey were administered foreign language speaking anxiety scale. The students reported their opinion about this 23-item questionnaire. Collecting the data, results were analyzed by SPSS (Statistical Program for Social Sciences) 15 program. The mean score of each item was measured and the results were discussed in detail by explaining the percentages of students' thoughts. Additionally, the level of classroom anxiety was measured for finding whether there was any significant difference between the two groups. The findings showed that there was no significant difference between the groups statistically in terms of classroom anxiety, but the mean scores showed that students in NS class were more anxious than those in NNS class. (Contains 5 tables.)
Literacy in Afterschool: An Essential Building Block for Learning and Development. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 53
Author: Afterschool Alliance
Date: 2011-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Literacy Education,Literacy,Writing Skills,After School Programs,Income,Reading Skills,Low Income Groups,Middle School Students,Educational Innovation,Enrichment,Intervention

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the fourth in a series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief focuses on literacy education. While literacy's definition continues to expand to encompass more fields, reading and writing still stand as two of the most important pillars in every child's education. Low-income students across the U.S. are falling behind in basic literacy skills due to unequal opportunities to learn both at home and in the classroom. Afterschool programs are uniquely positioned to fill those opportunity gaps and support the acquisition of reading and writing skills among underserved youth to help them build a brighter future. Intervention during the middle school years is vital to overturn losses that occur in elementary school and give children who have fallen behind a second chance to get back on track to successful literacy development. All in all, more time to learn in an afterschool program that provides innovative literacy enrichment opportunities can be a great avenue for middle school students to make academic advances in the classroom and developmental advances in life. (Contains 15 endnotes.) [For the related reports, see &quot;Aligning Afterschool with the Regular School Day: The Perfect Complement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 50&quot; (ED522625); &quot;Afterschool: A Strategy for Addressing and Preventing Middle School Bullying. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 51&quot; (ED539793); and &quot;Service-Learning in Afterschool: Helping Students Grow and Communities Prosper. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 52&quot; (ED539821).]
Digital Media &amp; Learning in Afterschool. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 58
Author: Afterschool Alliance
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Strategies,Teaching Methods,Educational Change,Expertise,Middle School Students,After School Programs,Technology Uses in Education,Electronic Learning,Instructional Effectiveness,Facilitators (Individuals),Educational Innovation,Access to Computers,Disadvantaged,STEM Education

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the final issue brief in its latest series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief explores afterschool and digital learning. At the core of effective digital media and learning is the principle that instructional strategies should be personalized and flexible and that technology is a tool that supports effective teaching and learning practices. There is no one formula for success, but rather a multitude of ways that technology can be effectively applied to support the academic, social and emotional needs of middle school youth. Digital learning does not require educators to be experts on technology, but rather enables them to be facilitators in an environment where youth are encouraged to explore and find the answers on their own. Learner-centered strategies need staff who are invested in both the children and the program, and these strategies are most effective when educators are passionate, supportive and willing to experiment with new technology and new ways of teaching. The lower-stakes environment and higher degree of instructional freedom within afterschool settings allows these programs to more easily develop and test innovative models of technology-enabled learning. These elements of effective digital learning, along with the fact that afterschool programs already excel at providing interest-driven learning opportunities, contribute to afterschool being an ideal setting for digital learning and an excellent partner to schools. (Contains 1 figure and 16 endnotes.) [For the related reports, see &quot;Afterschool: An Ally in Promoting Middle School Improvement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 55&quot; (ED539794); &quot;Arts Enrichment in Afterschool. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 56&quot; (ED539785); and &quot;Afterschool: A Key to Successful Parent Engagement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 57&quot; (ED539790).]
Afterschool: A Key to Successful Parent Engagement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 57
Author: Afterschool Alliance
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Change,Parent Student Relationship,Parent Participation,Middle School Students,After School Programs,Family Programs,Empowerment,Parent Influence,Barriers

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the third in its latest series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief explores afterschool and parent engagement. There is little dispute regarding the benefits that parent engagement brings to a child's academic success. Policy makers, school administrators and teachers are conscientiously working to ensure parents are involved in their child's education. However, these endeavors are challenged by existing obstacles between parents and schools, such as limited resources and time, language barriers, and levels of trust. Afterschool programs are able to transcend these divides, offering an environment where parents can feel at ease; providing parent-related activities and family services during times more accessible to working parents; offering resources to help parent-child communication; and providing parents with the tools to become more empowered in their involvement with their child's education. Together with schools, afterschool programs are strengthening parent engagement efforts and helping provide the foundation necessary to make sure that children are on the path to educational success. (Contains 23 endnotes.) [For the related reports, see "Afterschool: An Ally in Promoting Middle School Improvement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 55" (ED539794); "Arts Enrichment in Afterschool. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 56" (ED539785); and "Digital Media & Learning in Afterschool. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 58" (ED539789).]
Influence of Retraining Programme on Self-Esteem of Primary School Teachers in Ebonyi State of Nigeria
Author: Igbo, Janet N.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Retraining,Foreign Countries,Hypothesis Testing,Urban Teaching,Self Esteem,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Program Effectiveness,Faculty Development,Questionnaires,Rural Education,Self Concept,Teacher Competencies

This study investigated the influence of retraining programme on self-esteem of primary school teachers in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. The study was guided by one research question and a null hypothesis. A purposively selected sample of 775 primary school teachers who attended capacity building retraining programme provided the data collected using an 18-item questionnaire developed by the researchers and face-validated by three test specialists in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Mean, SD (standard deviation), and t-test analysis tested at 0.05 probability level were used for data analysis. Findings indicate that retraining programme influences teachers' self-esteem positively with urban teachers having higher self-esteem (x = 3.16) than the rural (x = 2.96). The null hypothesis testing indicates that there is no significant difference between the mean scores of the urban and urban primary school teachers with regard to the influence of the retraining programme on teachers' self-esteem (t-cal = 0.15; df = 773; P = 0.05; critical-t = 1.96). Based on these findings, it was recommended among others that Nigeria teachers are regularly retrained to help enhance their self-esteem towards teaching profession. (Contains 2 tables.)