ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Prevailing Practices and Challenges of Curriculum Reform in Ethiopian Higher Education: Views and Responses from Within
Author: Jimma, Tefera T.
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Change,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Teacher Education,Undergraduate Study,Undergraduate Students,Educational Quality,Case Studies,Qualitative Research,Focus Groups,Interviews,Curriculum Development

In reflecting on the recent educational change in Ethiopian higher education (HE), this article explores the nature of undergraduate curriculum reform in relation to student-centered pedagogy and continuous assessment method. To this end, the article uses a qualitative case study design collecting primary data from interviews with 4 senior managers and 4 education quality experts, and a focus-group with 6 teachers, and exploring secondary sources. The result shows that the forces, triggering curriculum reform are mostly external providing little room for internal factors and the development of curriculum from within the institution. The prevailing reform applied a government's controlled, centralized, and a one-size-fits-all model. As study participants reported, the most challenging issues are implementation gaps, particularly the absence of a functional enactment zone for teachers. This happens because conformity and uncertainty, as well as the rapidity of change, have created tension for academics when implementing the reforms in their classrooms. This article provides some suggestions as to how these challenges might be overcome.
Using Newspapers and Advertisement as a Focus for Science Teaching and Learning
Author: Akcay, Hakan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Newspapers,Advertising,Teaching Methods,Science Instruction,Scientific Literacy,Critical Thinking,Science Education,Relevance (Education),Science and Society,Vignettes,Science Activities,Learning Activities,Writing Assignments,Student Evaluation

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief literature review and useful suggestions for using advertisements as tools for organizing and accomplishing science teaching and learning. Newspapers and advertisements can be used as a context for developing scientific literacy and for promoting the development of critical thinking skills, through questioning, creating flexible course content, and exploring science beyond the classroom.
The Impact of Parental Attitudes on Problem Solving Skills in High School Students
Author: Tösten, Rasim
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Parent Attitudes,Problem Solving,High School Students,Statistical Analysis,Surveys,Parenting Styles,Correlation,Student Attitudes,Predictor Variables

Problem solving skill is one of the important skills which are expected to be gained during the educational programs. In the development of children's skills and shaping the behaviors, parental attitudes are believed to be effective. That means problem-solving skills and behavioral characteristics of individuals are closely related. From that starting point this research aims at revealing the impact of parental attitudes on problem solving skills of high school students. The research is in quantitative method with relational survey model. The working group of the study is 326 high school students selected randomly from Silvan district in 2015. For the analysis of data, descriptive statistical techniques (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation), cross-correlation and regression analysis were used. Some of the important results of the study are: The level of students' problem solving skills is medium, there is no significant relationship between authoritarian attitudes of mothers and problem-solving skills of high school students, there is a positive medium level relationship between democratic attitudes of parents and problem-solving skills of students, parental attitudes of students predict 20% of students' problem solving skills.
A Validation Study of the Culturally Responsive Teaching Survey
Author: Rhodes, Christy M.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Culturally Relevant Education,Teacher Surveys,Test Validity,Adult Educators,English Teachers,English (Second Language),Psychometrics,Online Surveys,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Praxis,Test Reliability,Correlation,Factor Structure,Construct Validity,Factor Analysis

Amidst the ethnic and linguistic diversity in adult English language classes, there is heightened importance to using culturally responsive teaching practices. However, there are limited quantitative examinations of this approach in adult learning environments. The purpose of this investigation was to describe patterns of culturally responsive teaching practices of adult ESOL teachers and to establish the psychometric properties of the Culturally Responsive Teaching Survey (CRTS), a newly-developed self-assessment survey. Based on Ginsberg and Wlodkowski's Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching, this 17-item online survey establishes patterns of teaching praxis appropriate for adult English language classrooms. Findings revealed a trend of regular to frequent use of the majority of the culturally responsive teaching practices indicated in the CRTS. In addition, analyses demonstrated that the CRTS is a reliable, uni-dimensional scale which yielded positive correlations with multi-cultural knowledge and teaching skills. Thus, the CRTS provides a useful tool for examining the praxis of culturally responsive teaching in adult, second-language classrooms. These findings will lead to improved understanding of how adult educators incorporate culturally responsive teaching practices in ethnically and linguistically diverse learning environments, in addition to supporting the use of this instrument in future research studies.
Let's Not Call in the Lawyers: Using the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Decision in First Nations Education
Author: Phillips, Ron S.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Civil Rights,Canada Natives,American Indian Education,Racial Discrimination,Educational Discrimination,Federal Government,Social Services,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Expertise,Court Litigation

In January 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal released its decision regarding the provision of Child and Family Services to First Nations living on reserves and the Yukon. The Tribunal found that the government of Canada had discriminated against First Nations children on the basis of their race. Many of the arguments made by the government of Canada to describe their actions in the provision of First Nations child and family services can be easily transferred to the provision of First Nations education programs and services to First Nations children throughout Canada. This article has replaced child and family services terms and phrases with education terms and phrases in the decision. Hopefully, the federal government of Canada will see the futility of fighting First Nations in education as they did in child and family services. It is time to provide First Nations students on reserves a comprehensive system of education.
Rhetorics of Play in Kindergarten Programs in an Era of Accountability
Author: Peterson, Shelley Stagg
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Rhetoric,Play,Kindergarten,Accountability,Discourse Analysis,Child Development,Educational Benefits,Educational Policy,Content Analysis

In this paper we conduct a deductive analysis, using Sutton-Smith's &quot;rhetorics of play,&quot; of the published kindergarten programs that have guided Ontario kindergarten teaching since 1944. Our analysis is used to gain an understanding of how we in Ontario have arrived at a point where play-based learning has been taken up by developers of the provincial kindergarten program and approved as a pedagogical focus by politicians. The predominant discourses appear to have changed from a romantic view of play as a natural, child-centered activity, to a discourse of play as progress, with an emphasis on the developmental benefits of play and learning outcomes of play. We believe that the use of the rhetoric of play as progress has been key to the continued prominence of play in Ontario kindergarten programs. It represents ideologies of schooling to which policy-makers seem to be attuned in this era of accountability.
Second Life: Creating Worlds of Wonder for Language Learners
Author: Ocasio, Michelle A.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Computer Simulation,Teaching Methods,Instructional Innovation,Computer Mediated Communication,Interaction,Web Sites,Language Skills,Skill Development,College Students

This article describes Second Life, a three-dimensional virtual environment in which a user creates an avatar for the purpose of socializing, learning, developing skills, and exploring a variety of academic and social areas. Since its inception in 2003, Second Life has been used by educators to build and foster innovative learning environments and simulate real-life experiences. Avatars can be customized to have a similar physical appearance to its user, or any object--human or otherwise--of one's choosing. Second Life is an exciting and innovative way for young people to experience learning and development in a variety of academic fields. Instructors can create their own space to be used for parent-teacher or distance conferences, and students enjoy the social context of seeing their classmates in a virtual world. Second Life offers enhanced interactivity and adds dynamism to learning provided that the technology is used skillfully and with an objective in mind, rather than using virtual worlds simply because they exist. The author also provides a resource section to assist in learning in this environment.
The &quot;Fun with Languages&quot; Project: Making Learning Another Language an Early Priority
Author: Saint-Paul, Thérèse
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,FLES,Multilingualism,Peace,Interviews,Correlation,Elementary School Students,Educational Benefits,Educational History,Educational Change,Comparative Education,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Foreign Countries,Cognitive Processes

There is no denying the importance of multilingualism in the 21st century; increased travels, student exchanges, global business, diplomacy, and security are mediated by communication. Education is the key to building a strong multilingual world community that will work for peace and stability. However, it may be often overlooked that a successful educational system is measured in part by the investment that governments place in early education (&quot;Equality and Education&quot; OECD report 2012). The first part of this paper reviews the essential benefits of early foreign language exposure and learning for the development of the whole child. It also looks at the historical changes of Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) in the United States, along with some comparisons to European trends. In the second part, the article describes a FLES initiative at the K-12 level, launched three years ago in partnership with Murray State University in Kentucky that aims to kindle a love of and interest for foreign languages at an early age and whose cutting-edge approach aligns itself with some of the recent studies and trends mentioned below.
Leveled and Exclusionary Tracking: English Learners&apos; Access to Academic Content in Middle School
Author: Umansky, Ilana M.
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English,Language Arts,Course Content,Language Proficiency,Track System (Education),Classification,Regression (Statistics),Middle School Students,Urban Schools,School Districts,Academic Achievement,English Language Learners,Longitudinal Studies,Educational Theories,Least Squares Statistics

This study examines the characteristics and determinants of English learners' (ELs') access to academic content in middle school (Grades 6-8). Following 10 years of data from a large urban school district in California, I identify two predominant characteristics of EL access to content: leveled tracking in which ELs are overrepresented in lower level classes and underrepresented in upper level classes and exclusionary tracking in which ELs are excluded from core academic content area classes, particularly English language arts. Using regression analysis and two regression discontinuity designs, I find evidence that ELs' access to content is limited by a constellation of factors, including prior academic achievement, institutional constraints, English proficiency level, and direct effects of EL classification. This study contributes to understanding of the experiences and opportunities of students learning English as well as theory regarding educational tracking.
Noncognitive Factors in an Elementary School-Wide Model of Arts Integration
Author: Simpson Steele, Jamie
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Schools,Art Education,Integrated Curriculum,Elementary School Curriculum,Elementary School Students,Case Studies,Parents,Elementary School Teachers,Student Attitudes,Student Educational Objectives,Learning Strategies,Interpersonal Competence,Focus Groups,Middle School Students,Interviews,Middle School Teachers,Student Development,Qualitative Research

Pomaika'i Elementary School has answered a call to improve education by providing content instruction through the arts. How does school wide arts integration in an elementary setting support students as they transition to middle school? This bounded case study examines the experiences of eight families through a series of interviews with students, parents, and teachers. It describes and explains learning through the arts within three overarching noncognitive factors: a) academic mindsets, or the psychological and socially related attitudes a student holds with respect to academic goals; b) learning strategies that support thinking, remembering, or understanding concepts; and c) social skills or inter-personal behaviors such as interacting through cooperation, assertion and empathy. This study concludes that noncognitive factors provide a valuable lens for examining preparation for college, career and community readiness, with arts integrated learning as a viable pedagogy to that end.
Off the Wall: A Case Study of Changing Teacher Perceptions of Arts-Integrated Pedagogy and Student Population
Author: Windsor-Liscombe, Suzanne Gloria
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Art Education,Integrated Curriculum,Elementary School Curriculum,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Students,Case Studies,Interviews,Foreign Countries,School Choice,Credentials,Fine Arts,Teacher Collaboration,Teamwork,Trust (Psychology),Qualitative Research

This paper, derived from a larger case study, presents new perspectives on arts-integrated elementary schools. It focusses on several issues including teacher understandings of arts-integrated pedagogy, willingness to collaborate, arts credentials, and teacher perceptions of those students enrolling from outside catchment area. Hence it raises the question as to whether school districts should consider new policies specific to arts-integrated schools for both students enrolling, and teaching staff. As a teacher-administrator at Mosaic for several years, the researcher became interested in the motivations for student enrollments from outside of Mosaic's catchment area. Through interviews with educators and parents, the case study investigates perceptions and motivations for student enrollments. This paper's focus is the analysis of interviews with Mosaic educators: their understandings and perspectives on arts-integrated pedagogy, student profiles, and their own valuing of the arts.
Using Arts Integration to Make Science Learning Memorable in the Upper Elementary Grades: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Author: Graham, Nicholas James
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Art Education,STEM Education,Scientific Methodology,Elementary School Science,Quasiexperimental Design,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Science Achievement,Art Teachers,Science Curriculum,Integrated Curriculum,Scientific Concepts,Science Education,Technology Education,Mathematics Education,Engineering Education

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have brought a stronger emphasis on engineering into K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) instruction. Introducing the design process used in engineering into science classrooms simulated a dialogue among some educators about adding the arts to the mix. This led to proposals for a STEAM (STEM + arts) curriculum, as well as warnings that integrating the arts would weaken STEM instruction. The study summarized in this article tested the hypothesis that the arts might provide upper-elementary students, who were still concrete thinkers, with a powerful means of envisioning phenomena that they could not directly observe. This study investigated the impact of STEAM lessons on physical science learning in grades 3 to 5. Ten out of the 55 high-poverty (Title 1) elementary schools in a large urban district were randomly chosen as treatment schools and divided into two cohorts. Using a quasi-experimental design that holds general student scientific achievement constant, the study found that students exposed to the STEAM lessons demonstrated greater improvement on physical science benchmark assessments than students exposed to a STEM-only physical science curriculum.
Methods and Models for Museum Learning at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
Author: Wyman, Sarah Mead
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Art Education,Museums,State Universities,College Curriculum,Critical Thinking,Innovation,Interdisciplinary Approach,Experiential Learning,Learning Activities,Student Reaction,Transfer of Training,Citizenship,Course Content,Curriculum Development,Biology,English,Creative Writing,Twentieth Century Literature,Integrated Curriculum,College Students,Scoring Rubrics,Student Evaluation

Recent education policy designed to promote arts education tends to focus on how such curriculum supports &quot;skills for innovation&quot; required for success in the global economy. Emphasis on the transfer of arts-based learning to professional innovation and achievement, a dynamic that is difficult to determine, can undermine the value of teaching the arts for their own sake. Three professors at the State University of New York at New Paltz discuss curriculum they developed to take advantage of museum learning opportunities that promote critical thinking, foster innovation, support course content, and increase students' sense of citizenship and belonging. Jennifer Waldo, a professor of Biology, Dennis Doherty, a professor of English and Creative Writing, and Sarah Wyman, a professor of 20th century Comparative Literature, use their campus museum as an applied learning environment where they facilitate interdisciplinary, experiential educational activities that develop student agency and encourage imaginative inquiry. The professors comment on their curriculum, their cross-disciplinary conversations, student reactions, and indicators of transfer. In addition, they present a strategy for assessing student-learning outcomes within a context that values the visual arts as fundamental to liberal arts and sciences education.
Tributes beyond Words: Art Educators&apos; Use of Textiles to Memorialize the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Author: Mercurio, Mia Lynn
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: United States History,Preservice Teachers,Art Teachers,Art Education,Interdisciplinary Approach,Textiles Instruction,Design,Creativity,Common Core State Standards,National Standards,Content Area Reading

Through the study of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, pre-service art teachers learn the about interdisciplinary design and the importance of using discipline-specific literacy strategies alongside the materials and methods of their craft. The creativity and enthusiasm with which these preservice teachers approached the work convinced us that some type of &quot;art-making&quot; in any content area classroom can be a valuable way for students to construct meaning from text.
Exposition and Synthesis of Benin Bronze Casting: Emphasis on the Olotan Casters of Benin
Author: Ifeta, Chris Funke
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Art Products,Sculpture,Access to Education,Sustainable Development,Social Values,Global Approach

The introduction of Western education to Nigeria has brought in its wake great strides toward development. Changes in Benin dates far back to the dawn of the 20th century. This paper investigates the critical role of education in development. The paper integrates interview data collected from bronze casters in Benin. The first section of the paper discusses sustainable development in Nigeria involving an infrastructure that supports accessible educational system and Benin social values. The second part of the paper discusses the present dispensation of bronze casting by Olotan casters of Benin. The paper identifies education as being critical to sustainable development. Some characteristics connected to development in the practice of bronze casting in Benin include visioning, relaxing of age old practices and acceptance of western influences.
The Exclusion of the Creative Arts from Contracted School Curricula for Teaching the Common Core Standards
Author: Gormley, Kathleen
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Common Core State Standards,Creative Activities,Art Education,Integrated Curriculum,Teaching Methods,Drama,Music,Language Arts,Freehand Drawing,English Instruction,Grade 3,Grade 6,Grade 9,Units of Study,Curriculum,Content Analysis

Many people would agree the creative arts are essential for children's education and development. For years, the creative arts were integrated into classroom learning units, especially in the language arts, by using drama, music, and drawing; this was considered good teaching. In this study we examined whether contracted curricula designed for teaching the Common Core State Standards integrated the creative arts into English language arts units for grades 3, 6, and 9. Using content analysis as the method, findings indicate the creative arts are largely absent from these curricula. We argue that school districts with limited financial resources will likely adopt the contracted curricula, and their children will be further disadvantaged because they will not have opportunities to learn with the creative arts when participating in lessons designed to teach the Common Core.