ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Competitive Team-Based Learning versus Group Investigation with Reference to the Language Proficiency of Iranian EFL Intermediate Students
Author: Hosseini, Seyed Mohammad Hassan
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Experimental Groups,Islamic Culture,Student Attitudes,Beliefs,Second Language Instruction,Cooperative Learning,Teamwork,Language Proficiency,Skill Development,Specialists,Competition,Comparative Analysis,Teaching Methods,College Students,Language Tests,Statistical Analysis,Pretests Posttests

This paper is a report on an experimental study which intended to look into the possible effects of Competitive Team-Based Learning (CTBL) vis-à-vis Group Investigation (GI) method of Cooperative Learning (CL) on the language proficiency of Iranian EFL intermediate students. Seventy homogeneous Iranian intermediate students were selected out of a total population of 110 to serve the present study. The results of the study indicated the advantage of CTBL over GI in terms of its effect on improving the target group's language proficiency. The results of the study were in contrast to the reports of researchers like Ab-Raza (2007), an Israeli language specialist, who have argued that students in Islamic countries &quot;do not value diversity of ideas, beliefs, and perspectives&quot; (p. 5) and so cannot be taught through modern methods like those of CL.
Learning Responsibility and Balance of Power
Author: Çam, Sefika Sümeyye
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Qualitative Research,Teacher Attitudes,Student Centered Learning,Power Structure,Case Studies,Primary Education,Elementary School Teachers,Semi Structured Interviews,Content Analysis,Barriers,Class Size,Reliability,Validity,Learning Experience,Student Responsibility,Academic Failure,Behavior Problems,Classroom Techniques,Assignments,Learning Motivation

This qualitative study aims to determine teacher perspectives on learning responsibility and balance of power. The research design is case study which was conducted on four primary school teachers. The data were collected with semi-structured interviews and the data obtained were analyzed with categorical analysis, a type of content analysis. The findings suggest that teachers think that learner should be at the center of teaching with LCT and they are incapable of applying learner-center teaching. It has been found that the class size and loaded teaching programs prevent them to apply LCT. Therefore, there have been some recommendations about the LCT by the researchers of the study.
Working Together: How Teachers Teach and Students Learn in Collaborative Learning Environments
Author: Burns, Mary
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Active Learning,Professional Development,Middle School Teachers,Mathematics Teachers,Science Teachers,Foreign Countries,Cooperative Learning,Student Centered Learning,Teacher Role,Teacher Student Relationship,Educational Practices,Educational Change,Problem Solving,Program Implementation,Educational Benefits,Learner Engagement,Self Esteem,Qualitative Research,Data Analysis,Case Studies,Formative Evaluation,Behavior Change,Structured Interviews,Focus Groups,Classroom Observation Techniques

Active Learning in Maths and Science (ALMS) was a six-month face-to-face professional development program for middle school maths and science teachers carried out between June and November, 2010 in two Indian states. ALMS's theory of action is grounded in the belief that collaborative learning serves as a &quot;gateway&quot; to learner-centered instruction. Designers theorized that this shift from individual to collaborative learning would redefine the teacher's role; alter the teacher and student relationship; change teachers' organizational, instructional and assessment practices; and begin to lay the groundwork for an eventual shift toward full learner-centered instruction. As this paper will discuss, this proposed theory of action was largely confirmed. Over 80 percent of teachers across the two states regularly implemented collaborative learning techniques and began the larger journey toward learner-centered instruction. This implementation also resulted in a number of benefits for students, including greater levels of engagement, increased confidence, and improved behavior. The research also suggests that when teachers see positive changes as a result of their actions, their deeply-held beliefs about traditional instruction may conflict with what they in fact witnessed in their classrooms. This is the beginning of the evolution of change.
Concept Learning in the Undergraduate Classroom: A Case Study in Religious Studies
Author: Jones, Jennifer L.
Date: 2014-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Concept Formation,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Religious Education,Undergraduate Students,Teaching Methods,Religion,Models,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),War,Foreign Policy,Interviews

Popularized by the work of Jerome Bruner in the mid-1990's, the &quot;Concept Attainment Model&quot; is a process of structured inquiry that requires students to make generalizations and draw conclusions from examples (and non-examples) of a particular concept toward developing new insights, hypotheses, and associations regarding what they have previously learned (Bruner, 1977). In order to broaden some of the typical assumptions about the manners and conditions in which it can be effectively employed in the undergraduate classroom, this qualitative research study offers an example of the Concept Attainment Model in action in the teaching of traditional just war theory in an undergraduate religion class. Data was collected and analysed according to Spradley's qualitative research methodologies (Spradley, 1980). Among the most important findings of this study is that in a religion or similar humanities course, the Concept Attainment Model is most likely to find success when highly scaffolded by the instructor.
An Examination of the Practices of Teachers Regarding the Arrangement of Education According to Individual Differences
Author: Avci, Süleyman
Date: 2014-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Individualized Instruction,Constructivism (Learning),Teacher Attitudes,International Assessment,Teaching Methods,Instructional Materials,Evaluation Methods,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Interviews,Course Content

The present study tries to find out how often teachers in Istanbul employ the methods, techniques, materials, contents and assessment instruments that are preferred within the scope of differentiated instruction, as well as the variables that influence their choices. The results of the research indicate that teachers more frequently use specific practices addressing to individual differences rather than a certain method/technique. While arranging content, teachers primarily consider their own knowledge and interest. They prefer mostly classics assessment instruments rather than student-centered ones and while grading, consider the efforts and in-class participation of students rather than exam results.
Assessment Beliefs and Practices of Language Teachers in Primary Education
Author: Büyükkarci, Kagan
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Formative Evaluation,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Student Evaluation,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,English Teachers,Summative Evaluation,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Statistical Analysis

The use of assessment, the process of collecting information on student achievement and performance, has long been advocated so that learning cycles can properly be planned; instruction can be adjusted during the course of learning, and programs can be developed to enhance student learning. Shifting to a more pedagogical conception, the assessment moves from source of information to an inseparable part of teaching and learning. Theory and research propose that especially formative assessment can play a critical role in adjusting teaching for student learning because assessment for learning (formative assessment) provides information to be used as feedback to adjust the teaching and learning activities in which the students and teachers are engaged. This study aims to show primary school teachers' beliefs about formative assessment. Besides, the study reveals the information about English language teachers' real assessment practices in the primary education context. Despite course requirements, teachers' positive beliefs and attitudes, the results of the study show that language teachers do not apply formative assessment practices as required in the national curriculum. Instead of using assessment formatively, they mostly use assessment for summative purposes.
Parental Expectation and Religious Education in State Schools in Turkey: The Case of Imam Hatip High Schools
Author: Aslanargun, Engin
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Religious Education,Parents,Parent Attitudes,Expectation,Values,Values Education,Public Schools,Educational History,Case Studies,Ethical Instruction,Teacher Responsibility,Administrator Responsibility,High Schools,High School Students,Secondary School Teachers,Semi Structured Interviews

The goal of education is not only making students intellectually or technically knowledgeable but also trains them in virtuous settings. This involves not only building upon the young person's characteristics and socialization into the norms of society, but also some deliberate intervention in teaching and learning environments of home and school to encourage virtuous behaviour and ongoing moral development. Together with education included values of society, education is also a way of liberate persons from limitations and impositions of certain beliefs. Educators' actions either maintain or challenge the dominant ideology should be conscious and aim to liberate pupils. The purpose of this study was to seek out the reasons why parents prefer religious based schools for their children in a secular, modern Turkish Republic in spite of the fact that there have been more academic high schools for university entrance. Also the values that parents hope schools to inject their children have been investigated throughout the study. To achieve this goal, it focuses on key concerns identified in literature associated with values and parental expectations, and discussed the current context in Turkey with reference to the process of de facto situation in the world. As a result, parents included in this study who preferred to send their children to Imam Hatip High Schools (IHHS) that are serving mostly religious courses have purposefully in need of religious courses for their children.
Preschool Education and Primary School Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions about Classroom Management: A Metaphorical Analysis
Author: Uysal, Hatice
Date: 2014-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preschool Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Preservice Teachers,Student Teacher Attitudes,Classroom Techniques,Figurative Language,Content Analysis,Phenomenology,Qualitative Research

The aim of the research was to determine the perceptions of preschool and primary school teachers about classroom management by means of metaphors. The sample which selected by the use of convenience sampling techniques was drawn from preschool and primary school undergraduate students who had taken the &quot;Classroom Management&quot; course in the 2012-2013 academic years. There has a total of 163 participants from two state universities in Turkey. The perceptions were obtained from the question &quot;What does 'classroom management' seem to you?&quot; and from the answers they explained by using the &quot;because&quot; conjunction. The content analysis technique was used to analyse the data. The answers of the participant pre-service teachers were categorized, and suggested that most of those categories were of positive perceptions except that a category included negative perceptions. The findings suggest that at the end of the study, across 10 different categories, preschool pre-service teachers developed 60 metaphors whereas primary school pre-service teacher developed 48 metaphors.
Assessing Principals' Quality Assurance Strategies in Osun State Secondary Schools, Nigeria
Author: Fasasi, Yunus Adebunmi
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Principals,Quality Assurance,Secondary Schools,Administrator Surveys,Questionnaires,Check Lists,Academic Achievement,Reliability,Gender Differences,School Location,Administrator Attitudes,Public Schools,Private Schools,Correlation

This paper examined principals' quality assurance strategies in secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 10 male and 10 female principals, and 190 male and190 female teachers. &quot;Secondary School Principal Quality Assurance Questionnaire&quot; (SSPQAQ) and &quot;Students' Academic Performance Checklist&quot; (SAPC) were used to collect data for the study. The instruments were validated, and test-retest method used to determine their reliabilities yielded 0.74 and 0.71 respectively. One main hypothesis and five operational hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The study further showed that principals' gender and school location had no significant impact on students' academic performance. The implication of the findings is that ability of the principals to put in place strategies that would ensure quality in the production of school output is a critical factor in determining school effectiveness. It is against this background that the paper concludes that quality assurance is a function for all stakeholders within the school system. Because it is a management function, the principal should coordinate teachers and other staff members to see that their activities are geared towards ensuring quality in the schools. As part of quality assurance strategies, the principal should recognize the philosophy of education in all aspects of school activities.
Examining Approval and Disapproval Behaviors of Teachers Working in Inclusive Classrooms
Author: Guner Yildiz, Nevin
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Behavior,Positive Reinforcement,Negative Reinforcement,Incidence,Special Education Teachers,Special Education,Public School Teachers,Observation,Video Technology,Demography,Teacher Characteristics,Data Analysis,Time,Statistical Significance,Instructional Program Divisions,Measures (Individuals)

The purpose of this study is to determine frequency of approval and disapproval behaviors of teachers working in inclusive classrooms during lessons and to investigate whether teachers' approval and disapproval behaviors differ in terms of their demographical characteristics. The study group consisted of 45 teachers who worked in three public schools in Ankara and who had students with special needs in their classrooms. In order to determine approval and disapproval behaviors teachers used, one hour video recordings in the classrooms of teachers in the study group were done and data of this study were analyzed by reviewing video recordings using Teacher Behaviors Observation Form and Demographical Information form was used to determine demographical characteristics of teachers. In terms of the analysis of data, mean of approval behaviors used by teachers per minute in one lesson was 0.42 whereas mean of disapproval behaviors was found to be 1.41 and the difference between these two values was statistically significant. The frequency of approval and disapproval behaviors teachers used did not differ significantly in terms of their gender, age, experience, and departments they graduated however these behaviors changed significantly in terms of teachers' grade levels they were working in.
Observing Pair-Work Task in an English Speaking Class
Author: Achmad, Diana
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Task Analysis,Cooperative Learning,Instructional Effectiveness,English Teachers,Foreign Students,Observation

This paper reports on students' pair-work interactions to develop their speaking skills in an ELT classroom which consisted of international learners. A number of 16 learners of intermediate proficiency with IELTS score band 5.5 were observed. The teacher had paired those he considered among them to be the more competent ones (hereafter, stronger) with the less competent ones (hereafter, weaker); therefore, eight pairs were observed during the lesson. The task given to the students was to express &quot;Agree and Disagree&quot; in the context of giving opinions related to social life. Based on the observations, the task was successfully implemented by six pairs; thus, the two others faced some problems. From the first pair, it was seen that the stronger student had intimated the weaker one into speaking during the task. The other pair, who was both of the same native, did not converse in English as expected and mostly used their native language to speak with one another presumably due to respect from the stronger student towards the weaker one. In situations like this, when pair-work becomes unproductive, rotating pairs is recommended to strengthen information sharing and assigning roles to avoid a student from taking over the activity from his or her pair. In conclusion, pairing international learners with mixed speaking proficiency by teachers must be conducted as effectively as possible by initially identifying their ability and learning culture to profoundly expand the students' language resources.
School Effectiveness at Primary Level of Education in Relation to Classroom Teaching
Author: Panigrahi, Manas Ranjan
Date: 2014-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,School Effectiveness,Elementary Schools,Elementary Education,Educational Facilities,Correlation,Principals,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Effectiveness,Elementary School Students,Academic Achievement,Teaching Methods,School Activities,Teacher Participation,Educational Quality,School Community Relationship,Interviews

The study aims to investigate the relationship of School Effectiveness with regard to classroom teaching at primary level of education. The objectives of the study were to identify the more-effective and less-effective schools; to find out the differences between more-effective and less-effective schools in relation to physical facilities, Head Master and Teachers' performance and Students' performance; to find out the relationship between the school effectiveness and classroom teaching. The descriptive survey method was used to carry out this study. A Total number of 27 more-effective and 35 less-effective primary schools were included in the sample of the present study. And also all principals of selected schools and from each school 2 teachers were selected to know their classroom teaching in the classroom situation. The selection of teachers was based on their teaching the classes (III, IV and V), to investigate their participation in school activities. The findings of the present study on school effectiveness and classroom teaching find adequate support from similar or related studies. Thus, the above discussion reflects that there is no simple combination of factors, which can produce effective school. The study has, however, revealed that school effectiveness has emerged as related to classroom teaching.
The Relationship between Instructor Humor Orientation and Students' Report on Second Language Learning
Author: Ziyaeemehr, Ali
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Second Language Learning,Humor,English (Second Language),Ethnicity,Student Characteristics,Gender Differences,Role,Student Attitudes,Second Language Instruction,Educational Attainment,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,College Students,Foreign Countries,Measures (Individuals)

Humor is an integral component of any language and therefore has an impact on the way languages are acquired/learned. Numerous studies have investigated the role of instructor humor in teaching/learning processes; however, there is little empirical research on the relationship between instructor humor and learning of a second language. This paper investigated the relationship of English as a second language (ESL) instructors' humor orientation (IHO) to students' perceptions of second language learning (SLL). Perceived L2 learning was also examined in relation to students' perceived importance of humor (IH) and effects of humor (EH). Additionally, variations in the interaction between IHO, SLL, IH and EH across students' education level, ethnicity and gender were examined. It was found that high levels of instructor humor orientation associated significantly with students' L2 learning perceptions. Also strong correlations were found between students' perceived SLL behaviors and their perceived IH and EH. However, student perceived IHO, SLL, IH and EH did not vary significantly across their gender, ethnicity, and education level. Implications of the study for second language education and materials development along with the limitations of the study have been discussed.
Use and Mastery of Virtual Learning Environment in Brazilian Open University
Author: Gomez, Margarita Victoria
Date: 2014-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Virtual Classrooms,Higher Education,College Faculty,College Students,Questionnaires,Physics,Science Instruction,Educational Media,Interviews,Open Universities,Distance Education,Student Motivation,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Effectiveness

This paper describes and analyses the dynamics of the use and/or mastery of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) by educators and students Open University, important part of the Brazilian Educational System. A questionnaire with 32 items was answered by 174 students/instructors/coordinators of the Media in Education and Physics courses, of two federal universities, between 2011 and early 2012. The interview with a coordinator was transcribed and related to the data systematised in tables and graphs. Interpretative analysis, in an open dialogue with the references and with the data from the Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB-Open University of Brazil) site resulted in the final considerations. These suggest that the use and/or mastery of VLEs by students are important, and the specificities of these uses subsidise studies and publications, still in a small number in the literature in this area of knowledge. The work reflects the development of the Open Distance Education System, conducted with strong popular participation, as a response to the challenge posed to the educational policies for expanding the public provision of higher education, also using VLEs for this purpose.