ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Pre-Service Teachers' Views on Practical Work with Inquiry Orientation in Textbook-Oriented Science Classrooms
Author: Kim, Mijung
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Science,Methods Courses,Textbooks,Foreign Countries,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Science Education,Student Teacher Attitudes,Inquiry,Textbook Content,Resistance (Psychology)

Despite inquiry-based teaching was introduced and encouraged as significant tool to develop students' scientific knowledge and habits of mind, its implementation has not been well established in science classrooms in Korea. To understand the challenges and difficulties of the practice of inquiry practical work, this study particularly aims to understand how pre-service teachers' understandings of inquiry and practical work have been shaped in educational and social contexts in Korea and later how their views and willingness could be developed through redesigning and practicing textbook activities. 25 third-year students in an elementary science methods course in Korea participated in the study. Mixed methods including questionnaires and reflective discussion and writing were employed for data collection. The pre-service teachers expressed their ideas and difficulties of inquiry approach in their everyday classroom conditions and social situation and thus unwillingness to attempt its practice. Throughout the study, they gradually overcame their resistance and reluctance toward inquiry and practical work and develop willingness and motivation to practice in everyday science classrooms. This study further suggests need for thorough examination on teachers' situated contexts for developing ways of inquiry-based practical work. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
An Intensive ICT-Integrated Environmental Learning Strategy for Enhancing Student Performance
Author: Su, King-Dow
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Freshmen,Two Year Colleges,Environmental Education,Learning Strategies,Chemistry,Program Effectiveness,Statistical Analysis,Student Attitudes,Data Analysis,Information Technology,Comparative Analysis,Educational Research,Likert Scales,Teaching Methods

The purpose of this study is to design information communication technology (ICT) courses related to experimental chemistry for junior college freshmen (aged from 16 to 18), entitled "ICT-integrated environmental learning", and to assess the learning performance of these students after completing the courses. This study adopts a quasi-experimental approach to evaluate the learning of two groups of students after completing a nine-week semester syllabus. Aided by ANCOVA data, we probe the processes of the students' chemistry learning, its effectiveness and their attitudes. The result analyses verify that our ICT-integrated environmental learning has a more significant effect on the students' learning performance. Therefore, it is our goal to design an effective approach for upgrading students' cognizance and learning attitudes. The results obtained from our ICT-integrated environmental learning when compared with other chemical experimental results show the same positive and scientific perspective for academic research. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)
Sixth Graders' Understanding of Their Own Learning: A Case Study in Environmental Education Course
Author: Pihlainen-Bednarik, Kaisa
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Environmental Education,Learning Strategies,Metacognition,Learning Processes,Grade 6,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Knowledge Level,Online Courses

Knowing &quot;what do I know&quot; and thinking about &quot;how do I learn&quot;, that is metacognition, is an important element in learning. The Finnish curriculum points out metacognition in the choice of the studying methods. The methods should help the students to become aware of their own learning, to develop better learning strategies, and skills to apply the strategies in new situations. In this qualitative case study the metacognition of Finnish sixth graders (N = 19) was studied in a virtual learning environment, ENO--Environmental Online. Pupils' metacognitive knowledge and skills were studied in one ENO course. The aim was to describe what and how pupils monitor in their learning processes. It was found that 11-year-old sixth graders possessed declarative and procedural metacognition, and also some conditional metacognition. In this study, the social component of learning was especially emphasized. (Contains 4 tables.)
What Greek Secondary School Students Believe about Climate Change?
Author: Liarakou, Georgia
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Environmental Education,Program Effectiveness,Information Sources,Grade 8,Climate,Horticulture,Grade 11,Misconceptions,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Investigations,Student Attitudes,Science Education,Questionnaires,Science Instruction

The purpose of this study was to investigate what Greek secondary school students (grades 8 and 11) believe about the greenhouse effect and climate change. A total of 626 students completed a closed-form questionnaire consisting of statements regarding the causes, impacts and solutions for this global environmental issue. The possible influence of three factors--i.e. educational level, gender and previous participation in Environmental Education  extracurricular programs--on students' ideas was examined. The results suggest that eleventh graders were much better informed than eighth graders although some of the misconceptions reported in the literature (such as the cause-effect relationship between the greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion) persist, irrespective of educational level. Students have fairly clear ideas of impacts while they seem to be somewhat confused about solutions and especially causes. Among the possible explanations of these trends, the logical sequence of physical consequences and students' difficulty in recognizing causes that presume specific scientific knowledge are emphasized. In addition, the role of information sources, especially television which emerged as the dominant source, is discussed. Finally participation in Environmental Education programs appears to be a critical factor since it has clearly influenced students' ideas in a positive way. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)
Turkish Primary Students' Conceptions about the Particulate Nature of Matter
Author: Ozmen, Haluk
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scientific Concepts,Grade 6,Data Collection,Interviews,Grade 4,Grade 5,Questioning Techniques,Primary Education,Foreign Countries,Student Experience,Science Education

This study was conducted to determine 4th, 5th, and 6th grade primary students' conceptions about the particulate nature of matter in daily-life events. Five questions were asked of students and interviews were used to collect data. The interviews were conducted with 12 students, four students from each grade, after they finished the formal courses related to the particulate nature of matter. The results show that the understanding level of students in all grades about the microscopic properties of matter was quite low. They have little knowledge of or alternative conceptions about the microscopic properties of the particles such as the order of the particles, spaces between particles, the number of particles in different phases, the size of particles and the movement of the particles. And also, progression of students' conceptions on the particulate nature of matter is multifaceted. In addition, it was also determined that students have trouble connecting science knowledge to their daily-life experiences. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
From Tragedy to Comedy: Reframing Contemporary Discourses
Author: Broom, Catherine
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Environmental Education,Conservation (Environment),World Views,Tragedy,Comedy,Attitude Change,Models,Ecology,Literary Genres,English Literature

This paper argues that environmental destruction arises from a discourse rooted in Western Economic and Scientific Theory. This discourse artificially separates individuals from our natural world and argues that competition and utilitarian actions are beneficial to society. It is however, a discourse that is taking us to a Shakespearean tragic end: it is resulting in actions that actively harm our natural world, as all too familiar statistics of environmental damage make clear. It is a discourse that does not match our underlying physical reality, which is why calls for Environmental reform "within" this discourse will not be effective. Hearing about global warming, deaths caused by hunger every two seconds, and the extinction of plants and animals on a scale never seen before can be enough to envelop us in a sense of hopelessness: we are headed, it seems, for an inevitable tragic ending. However, Shakespeare makes clear that this is not necessary the case. We are not yet at our end; we are yet still storying ourselves. We can thus rewrite a better ending by shifting ourselves into a Shakespearean comedy. The potential lies in our discourse which is not truth, but a contingent creation. After describing these ideas in more detail, this paper goes on to present the parameters of a new Ecological discourse rooted, like Shakespeare's Comedy, in care and humanity that dovetails with our natural world and provides for hope through transformed consciousness. It concludes with recommendations on how this new discourse can be spread and taught in schools. (Contains 2 figures.)
Predictors of Teacher-Directed Student Use of Technology in Elementary Classrooms: A Multilevel SEM Approach Using Data from the USEIT Study
Author: Miranda, Helena
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Data Analysis,Technology Uses in Education,Performance Factors,Use Studies,Predictor Variables,Teaching Experience,Beliefs,Accountability,Standards,Administrator Role,Teacher Role,Classroom Environment,Elementary Education,State Surveys,Program Attitudes

This study is a secondary data analysis of the USEIT data to inform school administrators and policymakers about the factors affecting instructional technology use in elementary classrooms. Researchers developed a predictive multilevel SEM model for teacher-directed student use of technology (TDS). The model depicts relationships between factors across district, school, and classroom levels of analysis. The strongest predictors of TDS were (a) teachers' experience with technology, belief that technology is beneficial to meet instructional goals, and perceived pressure to use technology; (b) principals' use of technology; and (c) technology standards, teacher and student accountability to standards, and principals' technology discretion. (Contains 3 figures and 9 tables.)
The Use of Personal Digital Assistants as Tools for Work-Based Learning in Clinical Internships
Author: Akkerman, Sanne
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Medical Students,Work Experience Programs,Education Work Relationship,Workplace Learning,Electronic Learning,Handheld Devices,Program Descriptions,Health Education,Clinical Experience,Influence of Technology,Learning Activities,Graduate Medical Education,Internship Programs,Questionnaires,Technology Uses in Education,Use Studies

Though mobile technologies have been studied, their specific value in supporting work-based learning has not yet been investigated. This paper describes a small exploratory study in health care education in which medical students work in clinical practice. The study investigates both the perceived potential as well as the actual role of PDAs in supporting a range of work-based learning activities. Based on the results, the authors claim that PDAs can facilitate work-based learning only when they are deliberately used as a "boundary object" between college and working practices. (Contains 1 table.)
Understanding the Influence of Perceived Usability and Technology Self-Efficacy on Teachers' Technology Acceptance
Author: Holden, Heather
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rural Schools,Elementary Secondary Education,Self Efficacy,Educational Technology,Usability,Teacher Attitudes,Influences,Teacher Surveys,Models,Item Analysis,Replication (Evaluation),Predictor Variables,Hypothesis Testing,Use Studies

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) represents how users come to accept and use a given technology and can be applied to teachers' use of educational technologies. Here the model is extended to incorporate teachers' perceived usability and self-efficacy measures toward the technologies they are currently using. The authors administered a survey to K-12 teachers in two rural school districts in Virginia, and 99 teachers responded. We then analyzed the responses with both reliability statistics and general linear modeling techniques. The results indicated that the incorporation of perceived usability into the TAM explained more variance and was more influential to TAM elements than its absence, thereby supporting the importance, positive influence, and necessity of evaluating usability when investigating educational technology acceptance and usage behavior. Furthermore, the study found teachers' technology self-efficacy (TSE) was more beneficial to the TAM than their computer self-efficacy (CSE); however, this impact might vary for the evaluations of different populations and technologies. (Contains 5 figures and 9 tables.)
Still Learning about Leading: A Leadership Critical Friends Group
Author: Fahey, Kevin M.
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Instructional Leadership,Administrator Role,Principals,Professional Development,Cooperative Learning,Leadership Training,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Feedback (Response)

This case study examines how a group of early career school leaders used a particular model of professional learning, the Critical Friends Group (The School Reform Initiative, 2010), to continue to learn about leading. More specifically, this study offers an in-depth look at how the use of a structured conversation or protocol, designed to build collaborative professional communities in schools, supported the learning of these principals. The study describes the context in which the Critical Friends Group (CFG) occurred and then considers (a) how the group used a CFG protocol to collaboratively learn about an ongoing leadership dilemma and (b) how participation in this collaborative learning model informed the members' leadership practice. The intervention described in this paper was originally only intended as a short term support for aspiring leaders who were seeking their first administrative positions. It has grown into something more enduring. This case study offers a step in understanding a complicated, multi-year process of leadership development. (Contains 2 tables.)
Leadership Education from within a Feminist Ethos
Author: Dentith, Audrey M.
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Justice,Administrator Education,Feminism,Educational Administration,Leadership Training,Women Administrators,Womens Studies,Social Theories,Program Descriptions,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Curriculum Enrichment

This paper describes the ways that feminist theories, history and pedagogies can be infused into leadership preparation programs in educational administration. This work is situated with the larger movement of leadership for social justice. The authors describe the theoretical frame for this work and the organization of a feminist leadership course in a graduate program within a large Midwestern university program. Specific data from a planned study of one semester's class is described. Findings are analyzed and recommendations and conclusions are made. (Contains 1 table and 4 footnotes.)
&quot;It's Not Just Going to Collect Dust on a Shelf&quot;: Faculty Perceptions of the Applied Dissertation in the New California State University (CSU) Ed.D. Programs Leadership Education from within a Feminist Ethos
Author: Auerbach, Susan
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Doctoral Dissertations,Doctoral Degrees,Instructional Leadership,Role,Theory Practice Relationship,Case Studies,State Legislation,Qualitative Research,School Culture,Program Implementation,Program Development,Context Effect,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes

The launch of independent Ed.D. programs in 2007 at campuses of the California State University (CSU) is significant for its large program size and timing amidst national debate on Ed.D. programs. These applied programs for practitioners require a traditional dissertation based on rigorous research that address problems of practice. This qualitative case study explores how CSU doctoral faculty and program directors conceptualize the purpose and nature of the applied dissertation and the professional and institutional factors that shape their views. It is important to document program norms at this critical early stage to guide improvements at these and other new Ed.D. programs and to contribute to the ongoing debate. Interviews and document review revealed mixed evidence, with some programs stressing scholarly rigor similar to a Ph.D. and others advocating a more relevant, practitioner-oriented approach, such as esummaries of dissertations geared toward educators at the research site. Participants agreed, &quot;We are still feeling our way&quot; regarding dissertation expectations, and greater collegial deliberation is needed. State legislation, accreditation requirements, faculty's own doctoral experience, and other factors tend to reinforce the status quo and inhibit the development of applied approaches. Implications for practice include facilitation of faculty dialogue and consensus-building around visions of the applied dissertation within and across Ed.D. programs.
Conceptual Changes in Aspiring School Leaders: Lessons from a University Classroom
Author: Drago-Severson, Eleanor
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Instructional Leadership,Elementary Secondary Education,Graduate Students,Leadership Training,Transformative Learning,Adult Development,Pretests Posttests,Occupational Aspiration,Teacher Researchers,Theory Practice Relationship

Scholars and practitioners recognize the significance of improving leadership preparation programs. This longitudinal study (surveys and interviews) investigates how course structure and curricula supports graduate students' learning about content as well as how to attend and facilitate adult development. This paper describes: (a) changes in students' conceptions of how to support adult development, including their new understanding that adults need challenge and support to grow; (b) how course experiences helped them understand theory and practices for supporting adult growth, and (c) how they planned to use practices in their future leadership. This investigation offers insight into how course structure, content, and instruction can support educators' leadership development. (Contains 2 tables.)
Investigating Trigonometric Representations in the Transition to College Mathematics
Author: Byers, Patricia
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Mathematics,Transitional Programs,Textbooks,Foreign Countries,Trigonometry,Community Colleges,Higher Education,Secondary Schools,College Students,Secondary School Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Education,Technology Uses in Education,Academic Achievement,Two Year Colleges,Mathematics Achievement

This Ontario-based qualitative study examined secondary school and college textbooks' treatment of trigonometric representations in order to identify potential sources of student difficulties in the transition from secondary school to college mathematics. Analysis of networks, comprised of trigonometric representations, identified numerous issues around the treatment of trigonometry in selected secondary and college textbooks that may contribute to a lack of coherence for the learner. The results of this study have the potential to inform discussions around the teaching and learning of trigonometry at the secondary and college educational levels to ultimately provide a more seamless transition for students. (Contains 5 figures.)
Environmental Engagement and the Problem of NIMBYism (The "Not In My Backyard" Syndrome)
Author: Humber, William
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Land Use,Ethics,Environmental Influences,Neighborhoods,Urban Areas,Improvement,Urban Planning,Community Change,Neighborhood Improvement

NIMBYism, the popular and short form for "Not In My Back Yard", describes the resistance and outright opposition by residents, either within a distinct place such as a neighbourhood, or, more broadly, in a larger civic area right up to a town or city level, against some planned nearby facility, service, or changed land use. NIMBYism is also about people's more extensive relation to the world of change, and their understanding of the wider places in which they move. It is an existential issue touching on the ways people find meaning in the world. As such it is an ethical issue connected to choices which are often less about care for others then one's ability to consume. It is tied into the integrated nature of people's civic, economic and environmental obligations. In this article, the author talks about environmental engagement and the problem of the "Not In My Back Yard" syndrome. He first describes the historic roots of NIMBYism and the contemporary forces in continuing NIMBYism. He then offers solutions for overcoming NIMBYism.
Revisiting the AAUP Recommendation: Initial Validation of a University Faculty Model of Collegiality
Author: Johnston, Pattie C.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Universities,Academic Freedom,Collegiality,College Faculty,Higher Education,Tenure,Models,Faculty Evaluation,Altruism,Accountability,Social Behavior,Sample Size,Likert Scales

University faculty is typically evaluated on their teaching, service and scholarship. Recent literature, faculty comment and legal rulings have called for the inclusion of collegiality as a fourth evaluation category. Collegiality may be thought of as any extra-role behaviour that represents individuals' behaviour that is discretionary, not recognized by the formal reward system and that, in the aggregate, promotes the effective functioning of the educational organization. There is not professoriate agreement about the inclusion of collegiality in faculty evaluations. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recommended against including collegial behaviours in faculty evaluations stating that the inclusion could hinder academic freedom by not allowing for dissent. Other critics have stated that the construct of collegiality is amorphous which prevents the creation of an effective tool available to evaluate collegial behaviour. This paper suggests that both of these concerns could be reconciled by delineating and validating behavioural indicators of collegiality. The delineation would allow faculty to reject any behaviours that threaten academic freedoms and add behavioural precision to the construct. The indicators could provide a basis for an effective tool for use in job descriptions and faculty reviews. Indicators were derived from education evaluation and organizational literature and reviewed for validation by a national random sample of 740 Research University I and II professors. A list of 27 indicators of collegiality were subsumed under five organizational categories and compiled for use. (Contains 2 tables.)