ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Discourse Connectives in L1 and L2 Argumentative Writing
Author: Hu, Chunyu
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Persuasive Discourse,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Form Classes (Languages),Essays,Asians,Native Language,College Students,Writing (Composition),Computational Linguistics,English,Profiles,Statistical Analysis,Language Usage,Discourse Analysis,Pragmatics,Communication Strategies,Qualitative Research

Discourse connectives (DCs) are multi-functional devices used to connect discourse segments and fulfill interpersonal levels of discourse. This study investigates the use of selected 80 DCs within 11 categories in the argumentative essays produced by L1 and L2 university students. The analysis is based on the International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English (ICNALE) which consists of essays written by native speakers (NS) and non-native speakers (NNS) from 10 countries and regions in Asia. WordSmith Tools were used to generate the quantitative profile of the DCs, while follow-up qualitative analysis in the context of usage provided additional interpretive insights. The total frequency of DCs used by Hong Kong and Singaporean students is significantly less than do L1 writers, mainly because the addictive &quot;and&quot; is by far less frequent in the essays produced by L2 writers. Hong Kong students use much more enumerating, resultive and summative DCs than both L1 writers and L2 writers from Thailand and Singapore. Thai students, on the other hand, employ the causal device &quot;because&quot; much more than both L1 and other L2 writers. Hong Kong and Singaporean students are more formal in tone than L1 and Thai students when using the adversative and resultive DCs. Despite the apparent differences, there are considerable similarities of usage, with &quot;and&quot;, &quot;but&quot;, &quot;because&quot;, &quot;so&quot;, &quot;however&quot; and &quot;therefore&quot; occurring among the top 10 most frequently used devices of both L1 and L2 writers, although with strikingly different frequencies. These findings shed light on the pragmatic uses of DCs by L1 and L2 writers as a way to influence the interpretation of the message, and thus succeed in achieving their communicative intentions.
Using Facebook to Enhance Independent Student Engagement: A Case Study of First-Year Undergraduates
Author: Clements, Jeff C.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Networks,Case Studies,Undergraduate Students,Learner Engagement,Computer Mediated Communication,Teaching Methods,Questionnaires,Communication Strategies,Student Attitudes,Correlation,Academic Achievement,Technology Uses in Education,Foreign Countries,Telecommunications,Educational Technology,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research

A case study was conducted to assess the efficacy of online communication tools for enhancing independent student engagement in a first-year undergraduate class. Material relevant to course topics was shared with students through three communication platforms and data were extracted to measure student engagement. A questionnaire was also used to validate online data and determine why students chose a particular platform. Online results revealed that more than half of the students engaged with at least one post to some degree through one or more communication platforms. Facebook was the primary platform for student engagement. Students primarily engaged with material on Facebook by &quot;liking&quot; posts and used Facebook to share relevant material that they came across personally. There was no significant difference in student engagement with shared material between instructor-shared and student-shared posts, although Facebook engagement was 29% higher when the instructor commented and/or liked a post 1 day after sharing. Questionnaire results suggested that 90% of all students engaged with material to some extent. Most students engaged with between 3 and 10 posts by seeing a post, clicking the associated link, and reading the material. The majority of students engaged through Facebook and felt most comfortable with this platform. Of those engaging at the highest level, 66% used Facebook. Convenience appeared to be the dominant reason for engaged students choosing a particular platform. Weakly positive relationships between academic performance vs. overall engagement and engagement level were apparent. This study suggests that Facebook can be used to enhance independent student engagement.
Instructors' Perceptions and Barriers of Learner-Centered Instruction in English at the University Level
Author: Tawalbeh, Tha'er Issa
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Student Centered Curriculum,Language Teachers,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Barriers,Teaching Methods,Program Implementation,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Positive Attitudes,Qualifications,Teaching Experience,Universities,Surveys,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

The present paper aims to examine the instructors' perceptions of learner-centered instruction and possible barriers to implementing this instructional method in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the university level in the Saudi Arabian context. To do this, four questions were posed. The first question investigates instructors' perceptions of learner-centered instruction, and the second question examines the barriers that would face EFL instructors while implementing learner-centered instruction when teaching preparatory year students. The third and fourth questions are an attempt to investigate if there are any significant differences in instructors' perceptions at (a = 0.05) due to instructors' qualifications and years of experience. The researchers developed a 4-Likert scale questionnaire of two main parts: personal and professional-perceptions and barriers. The qualitative part includes an open-ended question for instructors to elaborate on possible barriers that would hinder implementing learner-centered instruction. The results of the first question indicated that instructors have a positive attitude toward learner-centered instruction. They believe that it is an effective way to enhance students' learning. The second question reveals that instructors agree with all the barriers that hinder the implementation of this instructional method except one item related to their attitudes which have been demonstrated as positive in their responses to the first question. The third and fourth questions revealed no significant differences in instructors' perceptions due to qualifications and years of experience which could be due to the institutional and educational context that haven't supported instructors' qualifications and years of experience.
On the Validity of Educational Evaluation and Its Construction
Author: Huang, Xiaoping
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Validity,Educational Assessment,Evaluation Problems,Theory Practice Relationship,Concept Formation,Educational Objectives,Construct Validity,Content Validity,Test Reliability,Accuracy,Evaluation Methods,Evaluation Research,Concept Teaching,Higher Education

The main problem of the educational evaluation validity is that it just copies the conceptual framework system of validity from educational measurement to its own conceptual system. The validity conceptual system that fits the need of theory and practice of educational evaluation has not been established yet. According to the inherent attributive character of educational evaluation, this paper constructs eight concepts of validity in educational evaluation: objective validity, construct validity, content validity, cross validity, subject validity, process validity, function validity and result validity, and elaborates its basis and connotation.
A Cross-Institutional Ethnographic Project: Mapping Play in Intercultural Communities
Author: Addo, Akosua Obuo
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Ethics,Interdisciplinary Approach,Curriculum Design,Innovation,Cultural Pluralism,Geographic Information Systems,Weather,Institutional Cooperation,Neighborhoods,Higher Education,Play,Independent Study,Dialogs (Language),Intercultural Communication,Cultural Awareness,College Freshmen,First Year Seminars,Taxonomy,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Caring,Technology Education,Maps,Learning Experience

Curricula content and structure that encourages interdisciplinary learning, inter-level organization, cross-institutional study supports innovation and inspires new ideas about curricular design in higher education. The purpose of this article is to discuss a collaborative effort of two classes on different campuses to map play in the culturally diverse Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of the Twin Cities. Using technology to create geospatially situated digital visual stories about play was an effective mechanism for facilitating interdisciplinary learning, ethics, learner autonomy and dialogue. Cross-institutional pedagogical strategies shifted as we adjusted to the realities of the physical space, weather conditions, ethical and intercultural considerations.
Influence of Study Habits on Academic Performance of International College Students in Shanghai
Author: Cerna, Miguel A.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Study Habits,Academic Achievement,Correlation,Foreign Students,College Students,Student Characteristics,High Achievement,Student Diversity,Individual Differences,Observation,Interviews,Teaching Methods,Measurement Techniques

The present study estimates the global validity of existing constructs and serves as the basis for the development of the &quot;Self-Reported Study Habits for International Students (SR-SHI)&quot; used to identify at-risk students in international programs. One-year classroom observations, recollection of study habits though interviews with high performing students show that they are mainly from low-context and individualistic countries while most low performing students come from high-context and collectivistic countries. Among other aspects, high performing students give opinions based on reading material and class content, use the expression &quot;I think&quot;, ask questions in class, are on time, ask for feedback regarding assignments, take notes in class and while studying, look for the professor after class, sit at the front of the classroom and attend every class, study in silence and alone at regular times along the whole semester, read the material about two weeks before the exam, review notes before the exam, talk about the content with other students. On the other hand, low performing students remain quiet the whole semester, miss at least three classes per semester, are normally late, sit at the back of the classroom, don't take notes in class and never look for the professor after class hours. It seems that specific training programs at the start and during the semester as well as training on cultural intelligence were identified as necessary.
Online Learning and the Education Encounter in a Neo-Liberal University: A Case Study
Author: Natalier, Kristin
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Neoliberalism,Online Courses,Universities,Educational Technology,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Student Relationship,College Students,College Faculty,Foreign Countries,Decision Making,Educational Administration,Educational Policy,Focus Groups

Online education is an increasingly important element of contemporary higher education, but many argue its potential has not been fully realised. Attempts to analyse the limits on educators' uptake or effective implementation of online education emphasise individual and institutional adaptation to technology, at the expense of understanding the context of its introduction and use. In contrast, we apply Biesta's (2006) and Connell's (2013) conceptualisation of the education encounter as a tool for analysing educators' engagement with online education technologies. We argue that educators' uses of these technologies must be contextualised within the ideologies and practices of neo-liberal universities. Educators' sometimes tentative uptake of online education reflects their attempts to manage the ideals of the education encounter with new managerialist demands. We conclude that understanding how and why educators use online education necessitates accounting for the importance of relationships between educators and students, and educators and their institutions.
Perceptions of Multigrade Teaching: A Narrative Inquiry into the Voices of Stakeholders in Multigrade Contexts in Rural Zambia
Author: Kivunja, Charles
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rural Areas,Foreign Countries,Grouping (Instructional Purposes),Educational Strategies,Poverty,Capacity Building,Unemployment,Hunger,Diseases,Elementary School Students,Teaching Methods,Access to Education,Preservice Teacher Education,Interviews,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Administrator Attitudes,Academic Achievement,Educational Attitudes,Resource Allocation,Observation

Multigrade teaching is used widely in primary schools throughout the Majority World. This study reports the findings of a narrative inquiry undertaken to answer the question: what are the perceptions of stakeholders in rural Zambian multigrade contexts about multigrade teaching as an education strategy? We were interested in exploring the reality of multigrade education. The inquiry found that although stakeholders in the main held positive perceptions about multigrade teaching, necessitated by lack of resources in rural areas, they saw it as a poor substitute for monograde teaching. The study confirms that the human and physical infrastructure in rural Zambia is in a poor state making unlikely the achievement of MDGs by 2015. Capacity building to enhance multigrade education is suggested as a possible strategy to accelerate the realisation of the MDG of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. Failure to provide effective multigrade teaching will commit millions of children, particularly in the rural areas in the Majority World, to the vicious cycle of extreme poverty, unemployment, hunger, ignorance and disease.
The Practices of Students' Generic Skills among Economics Students at National University of Indonesia
Author: Hadiyanto
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Basic Skills,Economics Education,Educational Practices,Numeracy,Inquiry,Problem Solving,Minimum Competencies,Teamwork,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Student Surveys,Skill Development,Undergraduate Students,Communication Skills,Technological Literacy

This study aimed to examine students' generic skills practices (communication, IT, numeracy, learning how to learn, problem solving, working with others, and subject-specific competencies) at National University of Indonesia (UI). Survey design with quantitative method was applied in this study. Questionnaires were distributed to 355 students at economics faculty of UI. The findings show that the students rated their overall generic skills practices at the bottom of high mean score. Among seven skills, four skills were applied by the students at high level; they were communication, IT, Numeracy and team work skills, but still its mean score were at bottom level of high level. Moreover, three of seven generics skills were performed at medium level; they are numeracy, learning how to learn and problem solving and subject-specific competencies. Finally, this study suggests that the faculty of economics and the university should formulate and implement generic skills development into action in order to attain intended outcomes of higher education namely employability, lifelong learning and good citizenship.
Higher Education Lecturing and Humor: From Perspectives to Strategies
Author: Nasiri, Fuzhan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,College Faculty,College Students,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Humor,Teaching Methods,Lecture Method,Active Learning

This article will review the issues surrounding the use of humor as an informal teaching method in higher education lecturing. The impact and usefulness of humor, from both a teacher's and a student's perspective, will be investigated. The aim is to classify the challenges and limitations of using humor in classrooms and to investigate and categorize the strategies that have been put into practice in order to approach humor in lecturing. This could serve as a set of guidelines on if/how humor can be used to improve the overall learning experience in classrooms.
SWOT Analysis on Medical Informatics and Development Strategies
Author: Ma, Xiaoyan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Medical Education,Information Systems,Systems Development,Strategic Planning,Research and Development,Feasibility Studies,Educational Opportunities,Barriers,Information Science Education,Educational Strategies,Change Strategies,Curriculum Design,Curriculum Development,Course Content,Scientific and Technical Information,Higher Education

This article aims at clarifying the strategic significance of developing medical informatics, conducting SWOT analysis on this discipline and hence establishing the strategic objectives and focal points for its development.
The Efficacy of Structural Priming on the Acquisition of Double Object Construction by Chinese EFL Learners
Author: Jiang, Lin
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Asians,Role,Priming,Second Language Instruction,Control Groups,Pretests Posttests,Task Analysis,Sentence Structure,Community Colleges,Language Usage,Linguistic Theory,Foreign Countries,Language Tests,Pictorial Stimuli,Statistical Analysis

Structural priming refers to the tendency of speakers to reuse the same structural pattern as one that was previously encountered (Bock, 1986). The effectiveness of structural priming has been an issue of much discussion in the field of second language acquisition over decades. This study aims at investigating the role of structural priming in Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners' acquisition of double object (DO) construction. Specifically, it addresses two questions: (i) whether structural priming can facilitate second language acquisition of English DO construction in the short-term and long-term; (ii) whether different priming conditions by manipulating the intervening lags between prime and target have different learning effect. With a pretest--treatment--posttest--delayed posttest research design, 60 intermediate level Chinese EFL learners from three intact English classrooms in a junior college were assigned to three groups: control group, no-lag priming group and long-lag priming group. Results showed that the two treatment groups showed an overall increase in DO production in picture description tasks after the structural priming treatment, whereas the control group remained almost the same in target structure production over the three testing sessions. In addition, the no-lag priming group outperformed the long-lag priming group in the immediate posttest. These findings suggested that structural priming facilitated Chinese EFL learners' acquisition of DO construction both in the short-term and long-term. Moreover, manipulating the lags between prime and target can only mediate the short-term learning effect. These results are analyzed in light of frequency effect and contextual effect in the frame of usage-based theory of language acquisition.
Conducting Examinations in Nigerian Polytechnics: A Case Study of Kwara State Polytechnic
Author: Olasehinde, Martha O.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Testing Programs,Testing,Educational History,Institutional Characteristics,Stakeholders,Educational Malpractice,Testing Problems,Sanctions,Grievance Procedures,Change Strategies,Educational Policy,Program Administration,Higher Education

This paper posits that the conduct of examinations in any educational institution can make or mar the institution, Kwara State Polytechnic inclusive. This is because examinations constitute the hub of any institution. First, the place of polytechnic education in the growth and development of the country is examined. Next, is a consideration of examinations and the factors involved in the successful conduct of examinations in the polytechnics. The issue of examination malpractice is focused upon and the paper is rounded off by highlighting the way forward.
Study on Design and Implementation of JAVA Programming Procedural Assessment Standard
Author: Tingting, Xu
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Programming Languages,Programming,Behavioral Objectives,Labor Needs,Job Skills,Testing Programs,Instructional Effectiveness,Learning Processes,Educational Quality,Academic Standards,Standard Setting,Educational Experiments,Scores,Achievement Rating,College Students,Computer Assisted Testing,Evaluation Criteria,Outcome Measures

The traditional JAVA course examination is just a list of questions from which we cannot know students' skills of programming. According to the eight abilities in curriculum objectives, we designed an assessment standard of JAVA programming course that is based on employment orientation and apply it to practical teaching to check the teaching efficiency of this assessment standard itself. Procedural assessment standard avoids disadvantages of traditional final examination. It puts emphasis on quality control of learning process. Through tracing and comparison of students during the last three years, procedural assessment has realized the unification of testing contents and curriculum objectives, improved students' abilities and laid the foundation of employment for the future.
The Challenges and Opportunities for Chinese Overseas Postgraduates in English Speaking Universities
Author: Liu, Xu
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Foreign Students,Barriers,Educational Opportunities,Graduate Students,Colleges,Educational History,Educational Trends,Student Attitudes

An increasing number of Chinese students pursue their higher education degree in an overseas university. This research paper sets out to raise a discussion about some of the major challenges that such Chinese postgraduates might experience when studying at universities in English speaking countries drawing from ethnographic and sociological perspectives. The paper seeks to enhance understanding of a growing phenomenon amongst student communities in Higher Education institutions in English speaking countries. The challenges faced by Chinese students can be disorientating and stressful but overcoming them can lead to opening up of a range of opportunities from which the students can benefit particularly after they have graduated from their study. As many HE institutions come to depend upon the growing number of Chinese students enrolling with them the paper touches upon an issue of cross national concern. Both authors have experience of students seeking to study in English-speaking countries. They are currently pursuing research at the Institute of Education, University College London. The present paper is drawn from a wider programme of research into student exchanges and flows.