ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Do Years of Teaching Experience Make a Difference for Teachers Working in Abu Dhabi Government Schools?
Author: Dickson, Martina
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching Experience,Student Centered Learning,Experiential Learning,Inquiry,Hands on Science,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Teacher Attitudes,Beliefs,Language of Instruction,English,Elementary School Teachers

In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, subject teachers of English medium in government schools are recruited from overseas and have a wide range of years of teaching experience. Research is divided into whether or not years of experience necessarily translates into a positive correlation with student-centred classroom practice such as the use of hands-on learning and inquiry-based approaches to learning in science. Abu Dhabi is in the process of dramatically overturning its education system, resulting in at times challenging teaching environments. Teachers working here are in the unique situation of being part of a rapidly developing education system and face similar challenges regardless of their years of experiences. This study surveys 249 expatriate English medium teachers to explore how their number of years of experience varies with their classroom practice, teaching beliefs and confidence levels. Although teachers with more experience were far more likely to express confidence in their own abilities (self-efficacies), we found the classroom practices of those between five and ten years of experience aligned most closely with inquiry-based, student-centred learning approaches applied in Abu Dhabi classrooms.
Investigation of Student&apos;s Preferences for Off-Campus Informal Learning Spaces: The Case of Business School Students in Bangkok
Author: Vanichvatana, Sonthya
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Preferences,Business Schools,Space Utilization,Private Colleges,Foreign Countries,Physical Environment,Campuses,Undergraduate Students,Study Habits,Educational Facilities

The understanding of why students select off-campus informal learning spaces can reflect any absence and inadequacy of on-campus informal learning spaces. This research used students of a Bangkok private university as a case study by employed quantitative analysis and descriptive data analysis, where a questionnaire survey conducted during March 2018 was used. The results show that students with any levels of grade point averages have similar preferences for using off-campus informal learning spaces. The top reasons why students used off-campus spaces for informal learning were about the flexible schedule, accessibility to food, and capability for social interactions. The top reasons why students did not use off-campus spaces related to cost, location, improper environment/atmosphere and study resources. The preferences for off-campus informal learning spaces remarkably reflect the strengths and weaknesses of on-campus informal learning spaces. Universities should improve their management of facilities to support students' informal learning base on their preferences.
Exploring Pre-Service Teachers&apos; Beliefs about English Teaching Competence, Perceived Competence, and Actual Competence
Author: Kim, Hyun Jin
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Teacher Competencies,Elementary School Teachers,Student Attitudes,Beliefs,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Teacher Effectiveness,Foreign Countries

The present study explores what constitutes pre-service teachers' beliefs about English teaching competence, perceived English teaching competence, and actual English teaching competence, how these variables are related, and how beliefs function in self-evaluation. Eighty-eight pre-service elementary school teachers participated in the study. They were asked to perform the teaching task and respond to the surveys about beliefs and self-evaluation. The scores of beliefs, self-evaluation, and actual teaching ability were calculated and analyzed. The results are as follows: Pre-service teachers' three variables, beliefs about English teaching competence, perceived English teaching competence, and actual English teaching competence, are separate constructs consisting of different components; there are correlations between some of these components and actual English teaching competence. Also, this study revealed that one of the components--perceived competence about their skills of designing and teaching effective English lessons--best explains actual English teaching competence. Additionally, it was found that preservice teachers make some errors when they evaluate their English teaching competence, which causes tendencies such as overestimation or underestimation of their competence, and that their beliefs play a role in these self-evaluation tendencies.
Seeking to Relieve Demotivation for Korean College Students Learning English
Author: Kang, Sang-Gu
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Students,Student Motivation,English (Second Language),Reading Instruction,Teacher Competencies,Teaching Styles,Peer Influence,Course Content,Instructional Materials,Reading Tests,Scores,Low Achievement,Textbooks,Foreign Countries,Second Language Instruction

Demotivation is a relatively new and trending topic in the field of L2 learning. Previous studies have attempted to classify several factors related to demotivation and identify how those factors affect teachers and L2 learners. In the current study, a short questionnaire with items that can be classified into five demotivation factors based on findings from previous research ((a) Learning Contents &amp; Materials, (b) Teachers' Competence &amp; Teaching Styles, (c) Lack of Intrinsic Motivation, (d) Test Score, and (e) Peer Environment) was completed by 40 students at the end of a college English reading class. One of the goals is to probe how these demotivation factors affect students with different achievement levels. The results demonstrated that three of the factors (Teachers' Competence &amp; Teaching Styles, Lack of Intrinsic Motivation, and Peer Environment) did not function as high demotivation factors, while the other two (Learning Contents &amp; Materials and Test Score) were demotivating for low achievement level students. These results suggest that factors related to teachers, students, and fellow students were not demotivating while the textbook and scoring system were discouraging students in this course. Another important goal of this study is to propose how demotivation might be relieved in the classroom, especially related to test scores. After all, the ultimate goal of studying demotivation would be to eliminate it in order to maximize learning. With that in mind, it may be time to consider an alternative method of evaluating students in the classroom. Instead of maintaining the current practice of setting a fixed proportion of students who are allowed to receive good grades, an alternative could be introduced. For example, a credential-type acknowledgement based on the competency that the students achieve should be considered.
Positive Appraisals through English Intensifiers in Café Reviews: A Corpus-Based Study
Author: Techacharoenrungrueang, Suparak
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Dining Facilities,Computational Linguistics,Positive Attitudes,Computer Mediated Communication,Form Classes (Languages),Foreign Countries,Evaluation,Discourse Analysis,Syntax,Semantics,Pragmatics,Food,Costs,Figurative Language,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Styles,Teaching Methods,Writing (Composition),Web Sites

This study aims to analyze positive remarks linguistically manifested through English intensifiers, i.e. very and so, and their collocates in café reviews. The appraisal framework primarily focuses on the feelings or attitudes of speakers or writers. It plays a part in providing communicative resources whereby speech functions are performed subjectively, hence indicating involvement with entities that individuals experience. To understand intensifiers and positive remarks, the appraisal framework comes into play. Previous studies also suggest that intensifiers typically raise degrees of emotivity and evaluation. However, implementing a corpus method to this aspect, especially in such a popular genre as food reviews, should receive more attention. The online reviews of cafés in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from Tripadvisor.com were collected and then analyzed with the aid of a software program called AntConc 3.5.8.0 for Windows (64-bit). The results involve syntactic realizations as well as linguistic behaviors of very and so, along with semantico-pragmatic viewpoints of the English intensifiers in carrying positive attitudinal stances towards the cafés. The two intensifiers which are subsumed under the umbrella of GRADUATION are employed to intensify the review writers' feelings or emotions, together with the desirable qualities of owners or staff; food and drinks; prices of food, drinks, and services; and decoration and atmosphere. In this regard, it works with ATTITUDE including AFFECT, JUDGEMENT, and APPRECIATION to increase the volume of positive remarks. This pragmatically reflects a high degree of involvement. Additionally, there are some observations on the metaphorical nature of expressing positive remarks in the review language. The study also provides pedagogical implications on corpus methods in English Language Teaching, i.e. identifying common language patterns, encouraging language learners' exposure to real language data, providing valuable sources for language descriptions (e.g. nature of opinions), and using concordance as a crucial tool for text and genre analysis.
Awareness of Critical Thinking Attitudes and English Speaking Skills: The Effects of Questions Involving Higher-Order Thinking
Author: Akatsuka, Yuya
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Critical Thinking,Student Attitudes,Language Skills,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Honors Curriculum,High School Students,Speech Skills,Attitude Change,Language Proficiency,Questioning Techniques,Grade 12,Private Schools

This study examines Japanese students' awareness regarding critical thinking (CT) attitudes and their attention to building their speaking skills in an EFL context to determine effective CT approaches. The study began with a literature review of CiNii articles and studies from the Web of Science database regarding CT theories and educational approaches. It examined critical thinking approaches in EFL contexts as well as foreign-language approaches of International Baccalaureate® (IB) programmes. The review indicated that critical thinking can be fostered when students are asked questions that require higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in EFL courses. Then, EFL lessons were organised based on the theories and approaches examined in the review. Participants included 22 Japanese senior high school students. Various higher cognitive level questions were posed to the participants. Additionally, students were required to prepare and present academic presentations and answer discussion questions after the presentation. To ascertain students' awareness of attitudes toward CT, the Critical Thinking Attitudes Scale was used, and students' reflective essays were analysed using the co-occurrence network of words in the KH Coder. To measure students' speaking skills, their performance on speaking tasks was analysed by two International Baccalaureate's examiners. The results indicate that the improvement of CT attitudes and speaking skills is significant regardless of English proficiency level. These findings suggest that if EFL teachers ask HOTS questions, students would become aware of critical thinking attitudes and acquire English speaking skills by answering the questions in a Japanese EFL context.
The Effect of Online Vocabulary Learning on Passive and Active Vocabulary Use at a Range of Proficiency Levels
Author: Miyazaki, Kei
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocabulary Development,Language Proficiency,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Program Effectiveness,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,College Freshmen

Online vocabulary learning tools have been gaining popularity in EFL classrooms. Although a considerable number of research papers have showed its effectiveness, the amount of research on learner progress in terms of productive skills is scarce. Little is also known about what types of learners make progress after using these tools. This is largely due to a lack of consideration of learning strategies and proficiency levels. The present study investigates the effectiveness of an online vocabulary learning device in Japan on the gains in passive and active vocabulary use at a range of proficiency levels. A total of 58 Japanese university students took a pre-instruction test and two post-instruction tests including vocabulary, reading, and essay-writing, allowing the author to investigate the degree of learner progress in mastery of passive and active vocabulary use. Additionally, they completed pre- and post-instruction questionnaires to confirm the device's impact on their progress. The results emerging from cluster analysis and ANOVA verified the use of the device for short-term retention of passive vocabulary for intermediate and advanced learners, but there seemed to be little improvement in active vocabulary use among learners at all proficiency levels. The study highlights the need to include the tool's functions that enhance student levels of word production as well as long-term retention.
An Investigation of Chinese EFL Learners&apos; Perceived Comprehensibility of Nine English Accents
Author: Zhang, Yanyan
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Pronunciation,Dialects,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Majors (Students),Familiarity,Listening Comprehension,Receptive Language

With the emergence of different varieties of English in the world, the issue of intelligibility has attracted many researchers' attention. While a large number of studies have focused on the intelligibility of different English varieties for native speakers, few of them have involved Chinese learners of English as participants; yet, they constitute the largest group of non-native English speakers. The current study aims to investigate Chinese university students' perceived comprehensibility, i.e., intelligibility judgments, of nine English accents, including British, American, Australian, Indian, Philippine, Singaporean, French, Japanese, and South Korean English. Thirty-nine English major sophomores from a top university in China were invited to identify the speakers' nationalities and assign ratings for their perceived comprehensibility of the nine English accents. A follow-up semi-structured interview was also undertaken. It was found that all of the participants could identify American English and most of them could also recognize British, Australian and South Korean English. In contrast, they could hardly recognize the other five English accents. With regard to perceived comprehensibility, the Inner Circle English accents on the whole are significantly more comprehensible than the Outer Circle and Expanding Circle English accents. Chinese university students' perceived comprehensibility significantly correlates with properties of the speech. Moreover, it was observed that familiarity with English accents and speech properties may interplay and influence perceived comprehensibility. The study contributes to the ongoing literature on intelligibility and provides pedagogical implications for English education.
Social Self-Efficacy and Its Relationship to Loneliness and Internet Addiction among Hashemite University Students
Author: Gazo, Ahmad M.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Efficacy,Interpersonal Competence,Addictive Behavior,Correlation,Psychological Patterns,Undergraduate Students,Gender Differences,Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Internet,Affective Measures

The present study investigates the relationship between social self-efficacy, loneliness and internet addiction among Hashemite University students. It defines the level of social self-efficacy, and whether there are statistically significant differences by gender, academic specialization and academic level; and defines the levels of loneliness and internet addiction. The purposive sample consisted of (618) students at Hashemite University. The Social Self-efficacy, Loneliness and Internet Addiction Scales were used. The results show that the level of social self-efficacy was medium, with statistically significant differences in the level of social self-efficacy attributed to students by gender in favor of male students, and in the level of social self-efficacy by academic level in favor of second-year students. The level of loneliness was medium, as was the level of internet addiction. There was a negative correlation between social self-efficacy and loneliness and internet addiction, and a positive correlation between loneliness and internet addiction.
Modelling Approach of an Innovation Process in Engineering Education: The Case of Mechanical Engineering
Author: Zergout, Imane
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Engineering Education,Interdisciplinary Approach,Student Projects,Active Learning,Human Resources,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Learning Activities,Case Studies,Employee Attitudes,Corporations,Undergraduate Students,Innovation,Creativity,Industry,Financial Support,Teaching Methods,Feedback (Response)

Nowadays, the concept of innovation is omnipresent in most political discourses as well as in technological, socio-economic and scientific development plans. Innovation is essential for solving complex problems in new ways, which can lead countries to development and prosperity. The realisation of an innovation is not the result of a random act, but the product of a multidisciplinary process, rich in methods and scientific and technical tools, using materials and human resources. These human resources, in particular engineers, must possess both technical and soft skills that strengthen their capacity to innovate, and which have been in continual development since the initial training phase. Innovation is at the heart of engineer training concerns and requires management and structuring according to a well-defined process. The objective of this paper is to present the approach followed to define an innovation training process model for engineers through Project Based Learning (PBL). In this work, we have identified the main components of our process through a combination of data from the literature review and the results of an empirical study. Innovative projects in the field of mechanical engineering, carried out by future Moroccan engineers, were studied in depth. The results of the study enabled the identification of the different elements characterising the process of carrying out an innovative project such as the inputs, outputs, control milestones and resources required for the implementation of innovative educational projects in this field. These elements were supported by semi-directive interviews to form the basis of our systemic modelling.
Strikes in the Canadian Higher Education Sector: The Feasibility of Compulsory Binding Arbitration
Author: Karimi, Sirvan
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Strikes,Arbitration,Higher Education,Collective Bargaining,Reputation,College Faculty,College Students,College Role,Unions,Negotiation Agreements

The prevalence of labour disruptions in the Canadian education sector requires a comprehensive analysis of the adverse implications of strikes for stakeholders and Canadian society in general. Education is a kind of public good that generates positive externalities and strikes in Canadian universities and colleges engender negative externalities as manifested in the infliction of psychological and financial harms on students who become hostages to the hostility between unions and academic administrators. The overriding interests of students, families, faculty, educational institutions, and the broader community necessitate that impasses in collective bargaining negotiations be resolved without resorting to strike. Therefore, there are compelling, justifiable grounds to consider integrating compulsory binding arbitration in collective bargaining agreements as a mechanism to tackle and resolve impasses in collective bargaining negotiations in the higher education sector.
Anxiety and Stress in In-Service Chinese University Teachers of Arts
Author: Liu, Meihua
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Anxiety,College Faculty,Art Teachers,Stress Variables,Age Differences,Academic Rank (Professional),Tenure,Predictor Variables,Faculty Workload,Time Management,Collegiality,Professional Recognition,Self Efficacy,Classroom Techniques,Faculty Promotion

As revealed by literature, anxiety and stress are complicated yet serious issues among teachers at all educational levels. Though widely studied, research on them often focuses on pre-service or primary and middle school teachers, with little research on in-service university teachers. It is especially so in China. The present study thus examined anxiety, stress and their relations with demographic variables in in-service university teachers in China. 256 teachers from various universities in China answered the Demographic Questionnaire, the Teaching Anxiety Scale and the Teacher Stress Inventory. Analyses of the data revealed the following main findings: (1) the participants were under great stress, but they were generally not so anxious about teaching, (2) teaching anxiety was generally significantly negatively correlated with age, professional title and years of teaching, while teacher stress was significantly negatively related to professional title, and (3) overall teacher stress, professional title and age were powerful predictors for teaching anxiety, while years of teaching, overall teaching anxiety and its subscales were powerful predictors for teacher stress. Based on these findings, some implications are discussed.
Exploring the Perception of Students Using Student-Centered Learning Approach in a Malaysian Public University
Author: Benlahcene, Abderrahim
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Student Centered Learning,Public Colleges,Metacognition,Undergraduate Students,Learning Processes,Second Language Learning,Self Management,Educational Environment,Affective Behavior,Interaction,Teacher Role,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Japanese

This study investigated students' perception towards language courses using student-centered learning approach at University Utara Malaysia (UUM). Students' perception was measured through a model termed as environmental, cognitive, affective, and metacognitive mediation (ECAM) which is a common teaching and learning technique used in classroom activities. To assess the implementation of ECAM; qualitative analysis was conducted based on observations of students' activities in two language courses. The findings of the study indicated that the students employed the techniques of ECAM model. However, cognitive mediation learning technique was extensively used by the students. Moreover, audio-taped interviews were also conducted with four voluntary undergraduate students. The findings from the interviews' interpretation revealed that students also explicit positive viewpoints about student-centered learning approach.