ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Early Childhood Educational Settings and School Absenteeism for Children with Disabilities
Author: Ansari, Arya
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Kindergarten,Preschool Children,Attendance Patterns,School Schedules,Grade 1,Enrollment,Predictor Variables,Educational Benefits,Longitudinal Studies,Disabilities,Preschool Education

Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 were used to examine the implications of preschool and full-day kindergarten enrollment for the subsequent school absences of 2,056 children with disabilities. Results suggest that children with disabilities who went to preschool were absent less frequently in kindergarten, but these benefits did not persist through the end of first grade. Conversely, children with disabilities who attended full-day kindergarten programs were absent more frequently during the kindergarten year as compared with children in part-day programs, but these children experienced a sharper drop in absenteeism throughout the following school year resulting in no differences in school absences in first grade. No multiplicative benefits emerged for attending both preschool and full-day kindergarten. And even though these aforementioned benefits of preschool diminished rapidly, there were lingering academic benefits through the end of first grade because of improvements in earlier school attendance. [This paper was published in the journal &quot;AERA Open&quot; v4 p1-15 2018.]
AutoTutor and Family: A Review of 17 Years of Natural Language Tutoring
Author: Nye, Benjamin D.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Natural Language Processing,Computer Software,Artificial Intelligence,Teaching Methods,Logical Thinking,Questioning Techniques,Cooperative Learning,Reading Comprehension,Reading Strategies,Psychological Patterns,Metacognition,Animation,Demonstrations (Educational),Hypermedia,Computer Simulation,Concept Mapping,Semantics,Programming

AutoTutor is a natural language tutoring system that has produced learning gains across multiple domains (e.g., computer literacy, physics, critical thinking). In this paper, we review the development, key research findings, and systems that have evolved from AutoTutor. First, the rationale for developing AutoTutor is outlined and the advantages of natural language tutoring are presented. Next, we review three central themes in AutoTutor's development: human-inspired tutoring strategies, pedagogical agents, and technologies that support natural-language tutoring. Research on early versions of AutoTutor documented the impact on deep learning by co-constructed explanations, feedback, conversational scaffolding, and subject matter content. Systems that evolved from AutoTutor added additional components that have been evaluated with respect to learning and motivation. The latter findings include the effectiveness of deep reasoning questions for tutoring multiple domains, of adapting to the affect of low-knowledge learners, of content over surface features such as voices and persona of animated agents, and of alternative tutoring strategies such as collaborative lecturing and vicarious tutoring demonstrations. The paper also considers advances in pedagogical agent roles (such as trialogs) and in tutoring technologies, such semantic processing and tutoring delivery platforms. This paper summarizes and integrates significant findings produced by studies using AutoTutor and related systems. [The article was published in &quot;International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education&quot; (EJ1042132).]
Secondary Vocational Education in Finland
Author: Merilainen, Raija
Date: 2018-08-28
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Secondary Education,Vocational Education,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Students,Educational History,Educational Change,Educational Policy,Civil Rights,Access to Education,Outcomes of Education

Finland continues to lead the world in the global Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results (Ministry of Education and Culture, 2016). Much has been written about Finland's common basic curriculum for all (grades one to nine), however little has been shared regarding Finland's secondary vocational education programs. Finland has a dual system of secondary education: academic and vocational. In Finland, education is a civic right for all children (and adults). Finland invest in their children from birth. All children receive tuition free preschool/daycare starting at age one, and a common comprehensive public-school education (grades one to nine) starting at age 7 (Sahlberg, 2015). At the age of 16, half of all students select vocational education as their secondary education curriculum. This article describes how Finland's secondary vocational education programs recent growth and change as well as early outcomes of this growth.
Conversations with AutoTutor Help Students Learn
Author: Graesser, Arthur C.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Artificial Intelligence,Communication Strategies,Dialogs (Language),Interaction,Natural Language Processing,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education

AutoTutor helps students learn by holding a conversation in natural language. AutoTutor is adaptive to the learners' actions, verbal contributions, and in some systems their emotions. Many of AutoTutor's conversation patterns simulate human tutoring, but other patterns implement ideal pedagogies that open the door to computer tutors eclipsing human tutors in learning gains. Indeed, current versions of AutoTutor yield learning gains on par with novice and expert human tutors. This article selectively highlights the status of AutoTutor's dialogue moves, learning gains, implementation challenges, differences between human and ideal tutors, and some of the systems that evolved from AutoTutor. Current and future AutoTutor projects are investigating three-party conversations, called &quot;trialogues,&quot; where two agents (such as a tutor and student) interact with the human learner. [This paper was published in &quot;International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education&quot; (EJ1091170).]
FAFSA for Students with Non-Traditional Needs
Author: Babineau, Kate
Date: 2017-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Student Financial Aid,Best Practices,Guides,Nontraditional Students,College Applicants,Information Sources,Educational Finance,Higher Education,Parents,Family Size,Homeless People,Parent Child Relationship,Death,Foster Care

The Cowen Institute has a deep commitment to helping students in New Orleans access financial aid for college. They have previously monitored Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rates in New Orleans and Atlanta, provided resources to help FAFSA completion, and currently convene collaboratives of college counselors and youth practitioners to encourage knowledge sharing and best practice development. This publication provides information about the FAFSA to school counselors, teachers, practitioners, parents, family members, and students. Many students have special circumstances that qualify them as 'non-traditional' students for the purpose of the application. This report highlights some of those situations and provides practical information and resources to help these students maximize their access to federal student aid. A list of additional resources is included.
Sitting Together and Reaching to Play (START-Play): Protocol for a Multisite Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial on Intervention for Infants with Neuromotor Disorders
Author: Harbourne, Regina T.
Date: 2018-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intervention,Infants,Psychomotor Skills,Physical Therapy,Motor Development,Play,Motor Reactions,Longitudinal Studies,Disabilities,Family Environment,Child Development,Problem Solving,Parent Child Relationship,Comparative Analysis,Toys,Outcomes of Treatment

Background: There is limited research examining the efficacy of early physical therapy on infants with neuromotor dysfunction. In addition, most early motor interventions have not been directly linked to learning, despite the clear association between motor activity and cognition during infancy. Objective: The aim of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of Sitting Together And Reaching To Play (START-Play), an intervention designed to target sitting, reaching, and motor-based problem solving to advance global development in infants with motor delays or neuromotor dysfunction. Design: This study is a longitudinal multisite randomized controlled trial. Infants in the START-Play group are compared to infants receiving usual care in early intervention (EI). Setting: The research takes place in homes in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington, and Virginia. Participants: There will be 140 infants with neuromotor dysfunction participating, beginning between 7 to 16 months of age. Infants will have motor delays and emerging sitting skill. Intervention: START-Play provides individualized twice-weekly home intervention for 12 weeks with families to enhance cognition through sitting, reaching, and problem-solving activities for infants. Ten interventionists provide the intervention, with each child assigned 1 therapist. Measurements: The primary outcome measure is the Bayley III Scales of Infant Development. Secondary measures include change in the Early Problem Solving Indicator, change in the Gross Motor Function Measure, and change in the type and duration of toy contacts during reaching. Additional measures include sitting posture control and parent-child interaction. Limitations: Limitations include variability in usual EI care and the lack of blinding for interventionists and families. Conclusions: This study describes usual care in EI across 4 US regions and compares outcomes of the START-Play intervention to usual care.
Targeting the Three Stages of Retrieval from Secondary Memory in a Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Working Memory Training Study
Author: Ralph, Kathryn J.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Short Term Memory,Cues,Training,Early Adolescents,Recall (Psychology),Accuracy,Middle School Students,Executive Function,Parents,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Student Characteristics,Visual Stimuli,Verbal Ability,Spatial Ability,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Motivation

Working memory (WM) is the ability to temporarily store and retrieve a limited amount of information during complex cognitive activities, especially in the face of distraction. The dual-component model describes WM as including active maintenance in primary memory (PM) and cue-dependent search and retrieval from secondary memory (SM). Previously, researchers have found that WM training (WMT) fails to enhance SM capacity, a component that mediates the relationship between WM and fluid reasoning (gF). Thus, a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was conducted to elucidate whether retrieval from SM could be targeted using a two-component WMT regimen versus two control conditions: adaptive one-component WMT targeting solely PM capacity and non-adaptive one-component WMT. Participants were 174 adolescents, aged 10 to 13 years, who were assessed before, after, and six-moths following training. Retrieval from SM was measured using delayed free recall tasks, far transfer to gF was assessed with matrix reasoning and verbal inference tests, and far transfer to academic performance was assessed with reading and math tests. It was predicted that solely two-component WMT would enhance retrieval from SM and result in far transfer. ANCOVAs with pre-test scores as the covariate indicated that two-component participants increased total errors over controls. There were no significant differences between the groups on recall latency, total correct, or gF measures. The non-adaptive one-component group significantly improved on reading, although a drop in the other two groups drove the effect. Additional research is needed to elucidate whether theoretically-motivated WMT can positively impact higher-level cognition through SM retrieval mechanisms. [This paper was published in &quot;Journal of Cognitive Enhancement&quot; v1 p455-477 2017.]
Promoting Educators&apos; Use of Culturally Responsive Practices: A Systematic Review of In-Service Interventions
Author: Bottiani, Jessika H.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Culturally Relevant Education,Inservice Teacher Education,Intervention,Program Effectiveness,Equal Education,Educational Improvement,Educational Research,Research Methodology

Few educators are equipped to bridge cultural differences to ensure that all students have opportunities to learn and succeed. Existing frameworks for culturally responsive practices (CRP) suggest its potential for promoting equitable learning environments, yet the state of the science has not been assessed. This systematic review aimed to 1) describe the features of empirically examined in-service CRP interventions; 2) analyze the quality of the empirical studies; and 3) characterize study measures, outcomes, and conclusions regarding intervention impact. We found a total of just 10 empirical studies of the impact of CRP in-service training models (2 quantitative and 8 qualitative). Study methods universally failed to meet standards of evidence for efficacy, effectiveness, and dissemination; none employed rigorous design features to allow causal inference. Findings suggest that the research base is inadequate to draw conclusions regarding effectiveness and that more rigorous CRP in-service intervention research is needed. [This paper was published in &quot;Journal of Teacher Education&quot; v69 n4 p367-385 Sep-Oct 2018.]
Synthetic and Other Drug Use among High School Students: The Role of Perceived Prevalence, Access, and Harms
Author: Debnam, Katrina J.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: High School Students,Drug Use,Drug Abuse,Risk,Correlation,Incidence,Middle School Students,Institutional Characteristics,Student Attitudes,Educational Environment,Drinking,Smoking,Marijuana,Socioeconomic Status,Health Education,Drug Education

Background: Synthetic and other drugs have become available to teens, yet little is known about risk factors of use. Objective: To examine adolescent use of one class of synthetic drugs and its association with perceptions about its prevalence, access, and risk of substance use. Methods: Adolescents from a convenience sample of 104 middle and high schools (N=59,218) participated in an anonymous survey to assess school climate and substance use in 2013-2014. Multilevel logistic regression examined the association between risk for synthetic and other drug use, perceptions of substance use, and school-level characteristics. Results: Results indicated that 2,407 (4.3%) students reported synthetic and other drug use in the past 30 days. A large proportion of youth perceived drugs to be problematic at school but underestimated the harms associated with drug use. Participants also perceived tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs are easy to obtain. Risk factors for synthetic and other drug use included the perception that substance use was a large problem at school, ease of access to drugs, and limited harm associated with drug use. School enrollment and socio-economic status of students reduced odds of drug use. Similar trends were found regarding marijuana use. Conclusion/Importance: Synthetic and other drug use is an emerging public health concern. Many youth identified substances as problematic and easily accessible in their schools but underestimated their potential harms. Health and education professionals need to increase effective education around substance use, including common risk factors for synthetic drug use. [This is the pre-copyedit version of an article published in &quot;Substance Use &amp; Misuse Journal.&quot;]
Evaluating the Quality of Mindfulness Instruction Delivered in School Settings: Development and Validation of a Teacher Quality Observational Rating Scale
Author: Broderick, Patricia C.
Date: 2018-04-07
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Program Evaluation,Program Implementation,Relaxation Training,Test Construction,Rating Scales,Psychometrics,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Fidelity,Scoring,Coding,Secondary School Teachers,Adolescents,Grade 11

As interest increases in mindfulness in education programs for youth, there is a need to develop reliable measures of the quality of program implementation. This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of a measure that can be used to assess and monitor quality of implementation of mindfulness programs/curricula in typical classroom or out-of-school settings. The Teaching Mindfulness in Education Observation Scale (TMEOS) is a 28-item instrument that integrates qualitative and quantitative aspects of mindfulness instruction. Items focus on procedural adherence as well as aspects of implementation that reflect embodiment during instructional delivery (e.g., alignment with the attitudinal foundations of mindfulness). Reliability and validity data were examined and indicated that the four major scoring domains and key features showed adequate inter-rater reliability and internal consistency.We conclude that observational assessment of multiple dimension of implementation quality, including adherence and process-oriented aspects of implementation such as embodiment, can be reliably used to assess implementation quality of mindfulness programs in education settings. However, adequate preparation and training are critical. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. [This is the online version of an article published in &quot;Mindfulness.&quot;]
Common Core State Standards: What Common Core Means for New Orleans and Louisiana. Issue Brief No. 3
Author: Hand, Dave
Date: 2015-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Common Core State Standards,Elementary Secondary Education,Politics of Education,Federal Aid,Educational Legislation,Federal Programs,Federal Legislation,Standardized Tests,Partnerships in Education

Common Core is at the forefront of contemporary education discussions in the United States. In the coming years, its adoption and implementation will be critical in defining what and how American students learn. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) raise K-12 academic benchmarks, thereby requiring schools and districts to adopt new curricula and state officials to seek new student assessments. While Louisiana originally adopted Common Core, its future in the state is in question. This brief clarifies what Common Core is, presents what it will mean for states, and discusses what its future looks like in Louisiana.
Examining the General Efficacy Perceptions of Candidate Teachers towards Measurement and Evaluation in Terms of Their Programs
Author: Er, Onur
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Student Evaluation,Student Attitudes,Competence,Foreign Countries,Evaluation Methods,Preschool Education,Turkish,Social Studies,Teacher Qualifications,Science Instruction,Self Efficacy,Intellectual Disciplines

The aim of this study is to determine the general competence perceptions aimed at assessment and evaluation of teacher candidates in terms of the program they participate in. The research is designed according to the survey model. The sample of the study consisted of 419 students selected through random sampling among the students having education in Kafkas University Faculty of Education and Karadeniz Technical University Fatih Faculty of Education in 2016-2017 academic period. In the study, &quot;Assessment and Evaluation General Competence Perception Scale for Teacher Candidates&quot; developed by Nartgün (2008) was used as the data collection tool. The scale has three dimensions. The dimensions of the scale have been named as &quot;basic concepts,&quot; &quot;assessment techniques&quot; and &quot;statistical analysis and reporting.&quot; As a result of the research, it has been revealed that there was a significant difference in the perception of competence to analyze and report statistics related to assessment and evaluation in terms of the program of the students. There was no significant difference in the competence perceptions of the students regarding assessment techniques and the basic concepts of assessment and evaluation in terms of the program they were in. While the Pre-school Teaching students had the highest average level of competency perceptions for the basic concepts of the scale, the students of Social Studies Teaching had the lowest average. Students in Turkish Teaching program had the highest average level of competency perceptions in terms of assessment techniques. On the other hand, the students in Classroom Teaching program had the lowest average.
Improving Knowledge Retention via Establishing Brain-Based Learning Environment
Author: Kosar, Gülten
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Brain Hemisphere Functions,Teaching Methods,Educational Principles,Retention (Psychology),Intervention,Language Proficiency,Language Tests,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Neurosciences,Young Adults,College Preparation

This study aims at investigating the impact of brain-based learning on the retention of English language knowledge amongst young adult learners. The participants were subjected to an intervention in brain-based learning principles for approximately four and a half months. The results of the proficiency exams administered at the beginning of and following the intervention were analysed in an effort to explore whether brain-based learning intervention exerts impact on the improvement of participants' proficiency in English. With a view to examining knowledge retention, the results of the retention exam administered six months after the post-proficiency exam were analysed. An interview was conducted both after the post-proficiency and the retention exam to gain insights into the participants' views of the brain-based learning intervention. The findings attained from the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data yield that establishing a learning environment compatible with brain-based learning principles enables knowledge retention.
Diversity in the Educational Process: Basis for a Conceptual Proposal
Author: Hernández-Vargas, Dora
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Cultural Pluralism,Inclusion,Equal Education,Ideology,Democracy,Social Systems,Community,Multicultural Education,Civics,Social Integration

The main thesis of this work is that the elements that raise difficulty with the diversity concept approach are the consequences that we derive from its recognition. And this recognition comes from pedagogy. After succinctly examining the importance of the idea of diversity in mainstream traditions of social philosophy, the author proposes the conceptual basis that from these ideological readings must direct the pedagogical approach to the concept.