ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Manufacturing Consent for Privatization in Public Education: The Rise of a Social Finance Network in Canada
Author: Poole, Wendy
Date: 2016-11-26
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Privatization,Public Education,Foreign Countries,Public Sector,Private Sector,Social Networks,Network Analysis,Discourse Analysis,Partnerships in Education,Social Responsibility,Financial Policy

Multiple forms of privatization are emerging in the Canadian public sector, including public-private partnerships. This article focuses on one approach to public-private partnerships called &quot;social finance,&quot; and a network of public, private, and not-for-profit organizations that promotes social finance as a means of funding public services, including education. The authors employ social network analysis to identify key members of this network, and critical discourse analysis to examine the discourse the network produces. Findings reveal a number of discursive and extra-discursive practices the network uses that legitimize social finance approaches to funding public services. These practices manufacture consent for increased privatization in the public sphere, and this has important implications for public education.
&quot;Strengthening&quot; Ontario Universities: A Neoliberal Reconstruction of Higher Education
Author: Rigas, Bob
Date: 2016-11-26
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Neoliberalism,Higher Education,Creativity,Innovation,Competition,Productivity,Government Role,Educational Objectives,Futures (of Society),Educational Trends,Foreign Countries,Educational Quality,Accountability,Standards

This paper reviews neoliberalism as an ideology that has influenced higher education generally and Ontario higher education in particular. It includes a discourse analysis of &quot;Strengthening Ontario's Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Knowledge&quot; (Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, 2012), a government discussion paper developed to focus roundtable conversations on the future of higher education in the province. The analysis reveals that, by framing higher education around such market values as competition, productivity, private interest, and profit, the discussion paper supports the government in its continuing efforts to construct, normalize, and advance a neoliberal vision of higher education.
Towards Customized Privatization in Public Education in British Columbia: The Provincial Education Plan and Personalized Learning
Author: Sen, Vicheth
Date: 2016-11-26
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Privatization,Public Education,Individualized Instruction,Educational Change,Educational Policy,Educational Planning,Neoliberalism,Economic Factors,Discourse Analysis,Commercialization,Politics of Education,School Business Relationship,Role of Education,Teacher Role,Educational Legislation,Network Analysis,Content Analysis

Corporate school reform is a global movement that is gaining a growing momentum. Central to this reform agenda is &quot;personalized learning,&quot; presented by its advocates as a better alternative to the traditional model of schooling. In spite of its appealing possibilities for education and society, scholars in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have criticized personalized learning for its reductive conceptualization of education. Focusing critically on the new Education Plan of British Columbia, which places personalized learning at its core, this paper examines the genealogy of the Education Plan and discusses its implications for public education in the province. Through construction of a network of actors and content analysis of key documents produced by the public and private sectors, the paper shows that the vision of the Education Plan is largely influenced by a broader neoliberalism-oriented social imagination reinforced by a network of political, social, and economic actors. The analysis shows that this vision for education promotes a perception of education primarily conceptualized in narrow economic terms. The discourse and practice employed to promote personalized learning contribute to turning education into a customizable consumer product, reduce the notion of &quot;learning&quot; to a list of skills and attributes, disregard the significant importance of socio-cultural contexts in teaching and learning, and minimize the crucial role of the teacher. The article concludes that the Education Plan has created a conducive environment for the emergence of &quot;customized privatization&quot; in public education in the province.
Fostering 21st-Century Evolutionary Reasoning: Teaching Tree Thinking to Introductory Biology Students
Author: Novick, Laura R.
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Scientific Literacy,College Science,Biology,Majors (Students),Undergraduate Students,Visual Aids,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Thinking Skills,Genetics,Teaching Methods,Plants (Botany),Classification,Pretests Posttests,Program Effectiveness

The ability to interpret and reason from Tree of Life (ToL) diagrams has become a vital component of science literacy in the 21st century. This article reports on the effectiveness of a research-based curriculum, including an instructional booklet, laboratory, and lectures, to teach the fundamentals of such tree thinking in an introductory biology class for science majors. We present the results of a study involving 117 undergraduates who received either our new research-based tree-thinking curriculum or business-as-usual instruction. We found greater gains in tree-thinking abilities for the experimental instruction group than for the business-as-usual group, as measured by performance on our novel assessment instrument. This was a medium size effect. These gains were observed on an unannounced test that was administered ~5-6 weeks after the primary instruction in tree thinking. The nature of students' postinstruction difficulties with tree thinking suggests that the critical underlying concept for acquiring expert-level competence in this area is understanding that any specific phylogenetic tree is a subset of the complete, unimaginably large ToL.
The Normalization of School Fundraising in Ontario: An Argumentative Discourse Analysis
Author: Winton, Sue
Date: 2016-11-26
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Fund Raising,Public Schools,Persuasive Discourse,Discourse Analysis,Adoption (Ideas),Educational Policy,Advocacy,Educational Change,Educational Practices

Fundraising is common in Canada's public schools despite objections from some parents, educators, and other citizens who argue that the practice perpetuates inequities between schools and communities. In this article I first situate school fundraising in North America within its broader socio-historical contexts. I then describe Hajer's (1997) argumentative discourse theory that grounds my investigation of the struggle over fundraising policy that has taken place in Ontario over the past 20 years. Drawing on findings from an argumentative discursive analysis of 159 texts produced since 1996, I present the arguments (i.e., the story lines) of two discourse coalitions that have engaged in the struggle over the meaning of school fundraising: the fund-the-basics coalition and the fundraising-is-necessary-and-desirable coalition. I demonstrate the dominance of the fundraising-is-necessary-and-desirable coalition's argument by showing diverse ways the practice has become institutionalized and highlight aspects of the policy context that have contributed to the normalization of school fundraising. Finally, I conclude with a discussion of the utility of Hajer's argumentative discourse theory and analysis in education policy research and highlight contributions of the current study to understanding of advocacy, media, and education policy change.
Becoming Close with Others Online: Distributed Community Building in Online PBL Courses
Author: vanOostveen, Roland
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Courses,Problem Based Learning,Teaching Methods,Case Studies,Higher Education,Sampling,Communities of Practice,Qualitative Research,Discourse Analysis,Foreign Countries,Program Descriptions,Cooperative Learning

Engaging in an online course has traditionally been perceived to be a lonely experience, with students busy viewing video lectures, working on problem sets and interacting intermittently with others using asynchronous technologies. More recently, over the past 6-7 years, online courses have become recognized as viable delivery vehicles for online courses in Higher Education because they have made traditional pedagogical strategies available to large audiences through a heavy reliance primarily on asynchronous technologies. In contrast to this direction this paper outlines an approach to a fully online program that attempts to build community using a broad sampling of both synchronous and asynchronous technologies. The case study reported here is derived from a series of qualitatively analyzed discussions conducted by various stakeholders in the program. The major findings point to a reconceptualization of the way social and cognitive presence can play out in online learning.
Resource Development in Ontario's Colleges--What's the Future?
Author: Gouveia, Cindy O. Y.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Resources,Educational History,Private Financial Support,Donors,Attribution Theory,Motivation,Outreach Programs,Fund Raising,Educational Finance,Finance Reform,Trend Analysis,Technology Education,Social Theories,Change Strategies,College Programs

This paper provides a brief historical account, and differences in philanthropy between Ontario's colleges and universities. Several theoretical concepts will be explored to explain donor motivation in Ontario's higher education sector. The final section of this paper explores non-traditional resource development strategies that Ontario colleges can consider to increase support.
Rationale for the Definition of the Particular Solution to an Initial Value Problem: A Unique Solution Is Guaranteed
Author: Perna, James
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Definitions,Calculus,Equations (Mathematics),College Mathematics,Word Problems (Mathematics),Mathematical Formulas,Mathematical Logic

The purpose of this article is to examine the reasoning behind the wording of the definition of the particular solution to an initial value problem. This article will be of practical importance for students taking a first year calculus course that includes the study of first order linear separable differential equations.
&quot;It's Going to Kill Us!&quot; and Other Myths about the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Author: Atkinson, Robert D.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence,Misconceptions,Innovation,Technological Advancement,Influence of Technology,Productivity,Decision Making Skills,Privacy,Policy,Information Security,Bias

Given the promise that artificial intelligence (AI) holds for economic growth and societal advancement, it is critical that policymakers not only avoid retarding the progress of AI innovation, but also actively support its further development and use. This report provides a primer on artificial intelligence and debunks five prevailing myths that, if left unchecked, could undermine its progress: (1) AI will destroy most jobs; (2) AI will make us stupid; (3) AI will destroy our privacy; (4) AI will enable bias and abuse; and (5) Smart machines will take over and potentially exterminate the human race. The author provides suggestions for how policymakers should embrace future possibilities of artificial intelligence. [This article is reprinted with permission from the author and appeared originally in the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) Update.]
AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program
Author: Sadler, Philip M.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Advanced Placement Programs,Transitional Programs,Gifted,Relevance (Education),Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation

The Advanced Placement (AP) program was created to enhance the experience of gifted students as they transition from high school to college. &quot;AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program,&quot; edited by Philip M. Sadler, Gerhard Sonnert, Robert Tai, and Kirstin Klopfenstein (2010, Harvard Education Press), questions the current ideals and claims of the AP program. The book begins by placing focus on the shift the AP Program has made from a nonprofit organization aimed towards gifted students to a high revenue corporation aimed towards all students.
The Case for Improving U.S. Computer Science Education
Author: Nager, Adams
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Science Education,Educational Improvement,Educational Change,Change Strategies,Educational Policy,School Statistics

Despite the growing use of computers and software in every facet of our economy, not until recently has computer science education begun to gain traction in American school systems. The current focus on improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the U.S. School system has disregarded differences within STEM fields. Indeed, the most important STEM field for a modern economy is not only one that is not represented by its own initial in &quot;STEM&quot; but also the field with the fewest number of high school students taking its classes. It is also by far the one that has the most room for improvement, and that is computer science. Among the key findings in this report: (1) Only a quarter of high schools offer computer science, and often these courses lack rigor or focus on computer use or just coding instead of delving into computer science principles; (2) Only 18 percent of schools accredited to offer advanced placement exams offer the computer science AP exam; (3) Access to computer science is concentrated in affluent schools; (4) Only 22 percent of students who take the AP exam in computer science are female, the largest gender disparity of any AP exam; (5) Less than 10 percent of students who take the AP computer science exam are Hispanic, and less than 4 percent are black; and (6) Access to computer science is also limited at universities. This report offers a series of policy recommendations to improve computer science education in the United States. They include: (1) Policymakers should reform curricula to focus on core concepts of computer science in primary and secondary schools and provide resources to train and recruit high-quality computer science teachers; (2) All states should allow computer science to count as either a math or science requirement, and more STEM-intensive public high schools that give students in-depth exposure to computer science should be established to allow students with the aptitude and interest in computer science to more deeply explore the subject; and (3) Universities should be incentivized to expand their offerings in computer science and prioritize retaining students interested in majoring, minoring, or taking courses in computer science. Not only is computer science a powerful educational tool for fostering critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity, computer skills and competencies are in high demand among employers in a wide range of industries, not just the tech industry.
A Walk across the Bridge: A Reflection on My Experience as an Aspiring Educator at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Author: Feigel, Kristen A.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Teachers,Teaching Experience,Learning Experience,Mathematics Teachers,Secondary School Teachers

Kristen Feigel is a sophomore at Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH, where she is preparing to teach secondary theater and English. When first asked if she wanted an opportunity to shadow a few teachers at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), she answered &quot;Yes, absolutely!&quot; Here she details experiences, surprises, skills, learning environments, and lessons as she interacted with a group of gifted students and their mentors. Looking back on the overall experience, Feigel writes in this article that she expanded her horizons as both student and future educator during this internship more than she had ever thought possible. She closes by noting that she can only wait in great anticipation for her next opportunity to learn in such a unique and encouraging environment.
Social and Academic Support and Adaptation to College: Exploring the Relationships between Indicators' College Students
Author: Turkpour, Azita
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Support Services,College Environment,College Students,Peer Relationship,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Correlation,Socialization,Student Adjustment,Social Adjustment,Regression (Statistics),Predictor Variables,Statistical Analysis

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relation between social and academic support on student ability to adapt to college. Results demonstrated a weak and reverse relation between expression of support and personal ability to adapt and total adaptation. A direct relation was determined between emotional support and social adaptation and dependence adaptation; a direct relation was determined between socializing and social adaptation and total adaptation; a direct relation was determined between practical support and social and dependence adaptation, among a various types of academic support, expression of support predicted student ability to adapt to university, as well as a variety of social support, socialization predicted student ability to adapt to university.
Responding to the Need for Re-Conceptualizing Second Language Teacher Education: The Potential of a Sociocultural Perspective
Author: Nguyen, Minh Hue
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Teacher Education,Constructivism (Learning),Epistemology,Teaching Models,English (Second Language),Sociocultural Patterns

This paper aims to engage with and respond to recent calls in the literature for a unifying theoretical framework to understand second language teacher education (SLTE). It critically reviews the major conceptualizations of SLTE in relation to the key conceptualizations of second language (L2) teaching. The review identifies shortcomings in traditional perspectives on L2 teaching and SLTE and the need to re-conceptualize SLTE as a field. A recent re-conceptualization of SLTE is seen through the shift towards a social constructivist perspective, a redefinition of the knowledge base, research that responds to the epistemological shift, and a sociocultural perspective on SLTE. The existing literature shows that although there is now a growing body of research that looks into the various dimensions of SLTE, few studies have gained a comprehensive and systematic view of the complexities of SLTE. The paper argues that a sociocultural perspective, especially a combination of Vygotsky's genetic method and Engeström's proposal of the third generation of activity theory, has become a powerful way of understanding L2 teacher learning, which corresponds to the need for a re-conceptualization of SLTE. This paper calls for more research using a sociocultural framework to enrich its knowledge base.
The Vietnamese Values System: A Blend of Oriental, Western and Socialist Values
Author: Nguyen, Quynh Thi Nhu
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Values,Asian Culture,Western Civilization,Vietnamese People,Human Resources,Values Education,Global Approach,Social Change,Developing Nations,Economic Change,Sustainable Development,Labor Market,Cultural Influences,History,Confucianism,Buddhism,Religion,Well Being,Social Systems,Foreign Countries

Values education has been discussed extensively in many parts of the world in the context of the dramatic changes associated with globalization which directly affects the set of human values. Vietnam is a developing country with an intermixture of cultural heritage and social-economic transformation. In order to achieve the goal of becoming a modernized and industrialized country, the Vietnamese government is setting the development of human resources as priority. In line with the enhancement of advanced industrial knowledge and skills, Vietnamese should be fulfilled with value codes to meet the requirements of the international labour market, to keep the specific &quot;Vietnamese&quot; characters and to develop sustainably. The content of values education should be addressed to be promoted in families, schools and society. It is thus the aim of this paper to explore the Vietnamese values system. The first section of this paper discusses the notions of values and values education. The following section presents a brief outline of the Vietnamese cultural and historical context. It suggests that irrespective of the changes of historical flows, Vietnamese values still retain traditional values. Holding the same cultural features with other Asian countries, the Vietnamese values system is impacted by the thoughts of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Additionally, Vietnamese adapt Western values from the French and American. Under the management of the Vietnamese government, socialist values are promoted as key rulers of social well-being and prosperousness.
Universal Beliefs and Specific Practices: Students' Math Self-Efficacy and Related Factors in the United States and China
Author: Wu, Yin
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Achievement,Self Efficacy,Mathematics Instruction,Socioeconomic Status,Hierarchical Linear Modeling,Achievement Tests,Foreign Countries,International Assessment,Secondary School Students,Cross Cultural Studies,North Americans,Asians,Mathematics Teachers,Teacher Student Relationship,Prediction,Correlation,Statistical Analysis

This study intends to compare and contrast student and school factors that are associated with students' mathematics self-efficacy in the United States and China. Using hierarchical linear regressions to analyze the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 data, this study compares math self-efficacy, achievement, and variables such as math teacher support and socioeconomic status (SES) between 15-year-old students in the U.S. and in Shanghai, China. The findings suggest that on average, students from Shanghai showed higher math self-efficacy and better achievement than those of American students. However, at the student level, similar positive relationships between math teacher support and math self-efficacy and between SES and math self-efficacy were found in both locations. That is, in the U.S. and Shanghai, an increase in math teacher support predicts an increase in math self-efficacy, also higher SES is significantly associated with higher math self-efficacy. In addition, at the school level, the smaller difference in American students' math self-efficacy between higher SES school and lower SES school indicates that the U.S. is more equitable between schools than Shanghai, China in terms of students' math self-efficacy. Implications from this study indicate that improving teacher support in math class and narrowing the gap in students' self-efficacy related to school-level SES is a significant issue for the U.S. and Shanghai, China respectively.