ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Facilitating Multilingual Tutorials at the University of the Free State
Author: du Buisson, Theuns
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multilingual Materials,Multilingualism,Tutorial Programs,Undergraduate Study,English (Second Language),Language of Instruction,Code Switching (Language),Public Policy,Immersion Programs,Identification (Psychology),Cultural Awareness,Language Usage,Philosophy,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries

Conducting undergraduate studies in the English language, while only a small minority of students speak English at home, poses many problems to learning in the South African context. This article explores how restrictive language policies may influence proper learning and impact negatively on the self-understanding of students. It also explores how multilingualism could help to reduce the continued reliance on English, without doing away with English in its entirety. This is especially relevant in light of English and other colonial languages still being perceived as &quot;languages of power&quot; (Stroud &amp; Kerfoot, 2013, p. 403). Therefore, attention is given to the link between language and power, especially in light of languages often being used to implement, display and preserve power. Language use in the classroom, especially with regard to codeswitching (also called translanguaging), is discussed. Finally, it explores the success that was achieved during multilingual tutorial sessions. In the tutorials, students were encouraged to explore the course work in their native languages, thereby internalising it and getting a better understanding thereof.
Peer Evaluation of Team Member Effectiveness as a Formative Educational Intervention
Author: Mentzer, Nathan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peer Evaluation,Formative Evaluation,Intervention,Teamwork,Cooperative Learning,Student Projects,Student Centered Learning,Quasiexperimental Design,Feedback (Response),Behavior Change,Academic Achievement,Student Attitudes,Self Efficacy,Competence,Student Surveys,Educational Environment,Predictor Variables,College Students,Statistical Analysis

Peer evaluation of team member effectiveness is often used to complement cooperative learning in the classroom by holding students accountable for their team contributions. Drawing on the tenants of self-determination theory, this study investigated the impact of formative peer evaluation in university level team-based design projects. The hypothesis was that the introduction of formative peer evaluation cycles would result in a more student-centered learning climate, increased competence, reduced doubt, and improved student learning. Two semesters were compared in this quasi-experimental study in which results of peer evaluation became modifiers to students' grades in the final project. In the second semester, peer evaluation was also used multiple times formatively to provide students with feedback and encourage changes in behavior without impacting grades. When formative peer evaluation was implemented, students earned higher grades on the final project and in the course and perceived a more student-centered learning environment, more competence, and less doubt about the course.
Instructional Strategies to Promote Conceptual Change about Force and Motion: A Review of the Literature
Author: Tomaraa, Marina
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Science Instruction,Physics,Scientific Concepts,Science Education,Barriers,Mechanics (Physics),Concept Formation,Educational Environment,Animation,Logical Thinking,Task Analysis,Learning Activities,Literature Reviews

During the last four decades, the results of a great deal of research have indicated that, prior to any formal instruction in physics, students hold scientifically incorrect ideas about physics concepts in general, and about the force and motion concepts in particular, the latter being considered central in science teaching. To these days, students' conceptual difficulties in mechanics have been well documented and a considerable body of research literature in science education has been formed. In the present study we first review briefly most commonly encountered students' alternative conceptions and mental barriers in school mechanics. Subsequently, we present teaching approaches that attempt to confront the aforementioned difficulties in students' thinking. Ultimately, with respect to the studies presented, we attempt to highlight potentially effective characteristics of learning environments and strategies suitable for the promotion of conceptual change in school mechanics.
Paving the Road to Success: A Framework for Implementing the &quot;Success Tutoring&quot; Approach
Author: Spark, Linda
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Success,Teaching Methods,Curriculum Implementation,Tutoring,Higher Education,Academic Support Services,Peer Teaching,Student Recruitment,Training Methods,Data Analysis,Social Action,Interpersonal Relationship,Sense of Community,Goal Orientation,Student Educational Objectives,Foreign Countries,Student Diversity

The exponential growth of higher education enrolment in South Africa has resulted in increased diversity of the student body, leading to a proliferation of factors that affect student performance and success. Various initiatives have been adopted by tertiary institutions to mitigate the negative impact these factors may have on student success, and it is suggested that interventions that include aspects of social integration are the most successful. This paper outlines an approach called &quot;Success Tutoring&quot; (a non-academic tutorial approach used as part of a student success and support programme in the Faculty of Commerce, Law, and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand), which is underscored by empirical evidence drawn from evaluation data collected during &quot;Success Tutor&quot; symposia. The authors draw conclusions and make recommendations based on a thematic analysis of the dataset, and ultimately provide readers with a framework for implementing &quot;Success Tutoring&quot; at their tertiary institutions.
Important Engineering and Technology Concepts and Skills for All High School Students in the United States: Comparing Perceptions of Engineering Educators and High School Teachers
Author: Hacker, Michael
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High School Students,Comparative Analysis,Delphi Technique,Teacher Attitudes,Engineering Education,Secondary School Teachers,Technological Literacy,STEM Education,Technology Education,Student Surveys,Research Methodology,Feedback (Response),Curriculum Development,Science Education

Engineering and technology education (ETE) are receiving increased attention as components of STEM education. Curriculum development should be informed by perceptions of academic engineering educators (AEEs) and classroom technology teachers (CTTs) as both groups educate students to succeed in the technological world. The purpose of this study was to identify ETE concepts and skills needed by all high school students in the United States and to compare perceptions of AEEs and CTTs relative to their importance. This research was carried out using a modified Delphi research methodology involving three survey rounds interspersed with controlled opinion feedback. Consensus was found on 14 of 38 survey items within five ETE domains (design, modeling, systems, resources, and human values) that are repeatedly referenced in the literature. The most important competencies for high school students to learn were to: (1) identify and discuss environmental, health, and safety issues; (2) use representational modeling to convey the essence of a design; (3) use verbal or visual means to explain why an engineering design decision was made; and (4) show evidence of considering human factors when proposing design solutions. The study established a consensus between AEEs and CTTs that contributes to the body of knowledge about what high school students should learn in ETE. Study results can inform curriculum development and revision of the &quot;Standards for Technological Literacy&quot;.
Educational Complexity and Professional Development: Teachers&apos; Need for Metacognitive Awareness
Author: Hughes, Andrew J.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metacognition,Teaching Methods,Engineering Education,Faculty Development,Phenomenology,Semi Structured Interviews,Educational Change,Inquiry,Standards,Coding,Technology Education,Measures (Individuals),Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes

The study was designed to investigate technology and engineering teachers' metacognitive awareness during specific established teacher practices. The study had a sample size of 18. There were six participants in three groups. Group 1 consisted of teachers that actively participated in Transforming Teaching through Implementing Inquiry (T2I2) professional development program. Group 2 consisted of teachers that were selected for but did not actively participate in T2I2 professional development system. Group 3 consisted of teachers that completed the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards professional development program. To measure the metacognitive awareness of each group, a semi-structured open-ended interview was used. The interviews were analyzed by two independent coders using a coding rubric. The coded interviews established the phenomenological metacognitive awareness of each group.
Secondary Education Students&apos; Difficulties in Algorithmic Problems with Arrays: An Analysis Using the SOLO Taxonomy
Author: Vrachnos, Euripides
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Taxonomy,Secondary School Students,Mathematics Skills,Mathematics Achievement,Misconceptions,Mental Computation,Introductory Courses,Programming,Concept Mapping,Task Analysis,Student Surveys,Intervention,Educational Practices,Problem Solving,Foreign Countries

Developing students' algorithmic and computational thinking is currently a major objective for primary and secondary education in many countries around the globe. Literature suggests that students face at various difficulties in programming processes, because of their mental models about basic programming constructs. Arrays constitute the first data structure students have to cope with in introductory programming courses. This paper presents the results of an empirical study on secondary education students' misconceptions and mental representations of the array data structure. Students' responses to written tasks regarding short code segments were mapped to the different levels of the SOLO taxonomy, in order to identify how students use arrays to solve programming problems. The analysis of the results showed that the majority of the students tended to manifest responses assigned to the lower SOLO levels, i.e. prestructural, unistructural and multistructural. The findings indicate that many students in the sample had incomplete or faulty representations of the array concept, which seem to be connected to their misconceptions about the programming variable concept.
International Survey of Peer Leadership (ISPL): An Emerging Snapshot of the Status of Peer Leadership in South Africa
Author: Frade, Nelia
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Peer Groups,Student Leadership,Student Experience,Leadership Training,National Surveys,Online Surveys,Program Length,Training Methods,Skill Development,Employment Potential,Achievement Gains,College Students,Statistical Analysis

The power and importance of peer influence in educational settings has been well documented (Cuseo, 2010; Ender &amp; Kay, 2001; Keup, 2010). In South Africa, research supports international trends that student involvement in peer-led activities contributes to student success and ultimate throughput (Layton &amp; McKenna, 2015; Loots, 2009; Underhill &amp; McDonald, 2010). A plethora of research exists attesting to the benefits for students who are the recipients of peer-led activities. In South Africa, however, knowledge gaps exist pertaining to a national perspective on the experiences and, to some extent, on the benefits of peer leadership activities for peer leaders themselves. The purpose of this study is to provide an initial national snapshot of the development and experiences of peer leaders at six South African institutions of higher education, using the International Survey of Peer Leaders (ISPL). The research design adopted was a non-probability purposive sampling technique, with a sample size of N = 466. Data were analysed using descriptive analyses. Findings validate previous findings and provide a more comprehensive picture of the types of peer leadership positions held, the training and support peer leaders receive, levels of engagement, and the benefits of being involved in peer-led activities.
Python Source Code Plagiarism Attacks on Introductory Programming Course Assignments
Author: Karnalim, Oscar
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Plagiarism,Introductory Courses,Programming Languages,Taxonomy,Course Descriptions,Assignments,Undergraduate Students,Classification,Preferences,Student Attitudes,Computer Science Education

This paper empirically enlists Python plagiarism attacks that have been found on Introductory Programming course assignments for undergraduate students. According to our observation toward 400 plagiarism-suspected cases, there are 35 plagiarism attacks that have been conducted by students. It starts with comment &amp; whitespace modification as the most frequent attack and ends with replacing regular instruction with API-based instruction as the least frequent one. In addition to such primary finding, we have also found two additional findings. First, when classified based on Faidhi &amp; Robinson's taxonomy, the occurrence trend of such attacks is not proportional to increasing plagiarism level due to the nature of Python programming language, course syllabus, and student preferences. Second, incorporated plagiarism attacks are proportional to student experience, even though such relation is, sometimes, mitigated by student understanding and assignment restrictions.
The MESA Study
Author: Denson, Cameron D.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: STEM Education,Science Achievement,Mixed Methods Research,Self Efficacy,Student Interests,Focus Groups,Interviews,Student Surveys,Engineering Education,Mentors,Informal Education,Time Management,Need Gratification,Gender Differences,Ethnicity,Outcomes of Education,Correlation,Minority Group Students,High School Students,Science Course Improvement Projects,Grounded Theory

This article examines the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program and investigates its impact on underrepresented student populations. MESA was started in California during the 1970s to provide pathways to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers for underrepresented students and represents an exemplar model of informal learning environments. Using a mixed-method research design of investigation, this exploratory study looks at the relationship between MESA activities and underrepresented students' self-efficacy, interests, and perceptions related to engineering. Evidences for this study includes data from focus-group interviews conducted and results from quantitative data collected using the Engineering, Self-Efficacy, Interests, and Perceptions Survey (ESIPS) instrument. Results from this study suggest that participation in MESA's activities has a positive influence on underrepresented students' self-efficacy, interests, and perceptions related to engineering.
The Need, Development, and Validation of the Innovation Test Instrument
Author: Wheadon, Jacob
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Innovation,Program Validation,Evaluation Needs,Test Construction,Test Items,Pretesting,Creativity,Problem Solving,Experiential Learning,Hands on Science,Item Analysis,College Programs,Statistical Analysis

This study discusses the need, development, and validation of the Innovation Test Instrument (ITI). This article outlines how the researchers identified the content domain of the assessment and created test items. Then, it describes initial validation testing of the instrument. The findings suggest that the ITI is a good first step in creating an innovation assessment because it is more inclusive of both divergent and convergent thinking. In comparison, past innovation assessments have only assessed either divergence or convergence. The ITI still needs further validation and improvement to make strong claims about its ability to determine the effectiveness of an innovation course.
Every Equation Tells a Story: Using Equation Dictionaries in Introductory Geophysics
Author: Caplan-Auerbach, Jacqueline
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Geophysics,Introductory Courses,Problem Solving,Dictionaries,Equations (Mathematics),Mathematical Formulas,Teaching Methods,Student Developed Materials,Writing (Composition),Writing Assignments,Definitions,Science Process Skills,Science Tests,Misconceptions,Instructional Effectiveness,Outcomes of Education

Many students view equations as a series of variables and operators into which numbers should be plugged rather than as representative of a physical process. To solve a problem they may simply look for an equation with the correct variables and assume it meets their needs, rather than selecting an equation that represents the appropriate physical process. These issues can be addressed by encouraging students to think of equations as stories, and to describe them in prose. This is the goal of the Equation Dictionary project, used in Western Washington University's introductory geophysics course. Throughout the course, students create personal dictionaries consisting of (a) the equation itself, (b) a brief description of variables, (c) a prose description of the physical process described by the equation, and (d) additional notes that help them understand the equation. In writing these definitions students learn that equations are simplified descriptions of physical processes, and that understanding the process is more useful than memorizing a sequence of variables. Dictionaries also serve as formula sheets for exams, a task that encourages students to write meaningful, organized definitions. Furthermore, instructor review of the dictionaries is an excellent way to identify student misconceptions and learn how well they understand derivations and lectures.
Evaluating and Communicating Geologic Reasoning with Semiotics and Certainty Estimation
Author: Parcell, William C.
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semiotics,Data Interpretation,Computation,Science Instruction,Geology,Teaching Methods,Cognitive Processes,Hermeneutics

Cognitive and conceptual uncertainties are critical elements in geology from the earliest data collection stage to concluding interpretations. How a geologist conceptually weighs the importance of various data greatly influences final interpretations. In order for the process of data selection and interpretation to be transparent and repeatable, field methods and analyses should be able to communicate these cognitive processes, yet such uncertainty is difficult to characterize and estimate with standard statistical methods based on frequency probability. Semiotics and expert systems are used to frame discussion of the methods of stratigraphic reasoning and develop a field-based method to communicate cognitive and conceptual uncertainty from data collection to final interpretation. In semiotics, signs are the meanings an observer gives to an object to reach an interpretation. Uncertainty in knowledge is derived from problems in recognizing objects and judgment of inferred relevance to a larger interpretation. A final measure of geologic interpretation certainty (IC) can be derived from the product of the confidence factor (CF) of a measurement and the relevance factor (RF) of that object to an interpretation. Communicating levels of interpretation certainty, relevance, and significance allows geologic investigations to be more transparent to subsequent geoscientists, non-geologists, and even the original investigator.
Teaching Urban High School Students Global Climate Change Information and Graph Interpretation Skills Using Evidence from the Scientific Literature
Author: Rule, Audrey C.
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Urban Schools,Urban Youth,High School Students,Climate,Pretests Posttests,Student Motivation,Instructional Materials,African American Students,Teaching Methods,Science Instruction,Biology,Graphs,Data Interpretation,Hands on Science,Intervention,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Significance

Curriculum materials designed to provide students with practice interpreting plotted evidence of global climate change were developed using graphs from the scientific literature and tested with one hundred urban high school students from a high-poverty school in a major northern city in the US. The graph interpretation lessons followed a constructivist-teaching learning cycle format. Additional activities included watching videos related to climate change and completing a graphing exercise. Students displayed motivation during the lessons along with significant improvement from pretest to posttest in graph interpretation skills and content knowledge of organisms affected by climate change. Student motivation was revealed by task commitment during the exercises as well as requests for additional activities related to investigating environmental effects on organisms and stopping global climate change. The efficacy of the lessons is attributed to the concrete, manipulative nature of the graph interpretation sets, real-world connections of the topic, the focus on interesting organisms, the opportunity for students to express their views, and the use of multi-media.
Issues Regarding Student Interpretation of Color as a Third Dimension on Graphical Representations
Author: Cid, Ximena C.
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Physical Sciences,Undergraduate Students,Physics,College Science,Color,Visual Aids,Topography,Maps,Earth Science,Visual Perception,Student Surveys

In this study we report on issues related to the use of color as a third dimension on graphical representations provided to students. We find that a majority of the students sampled have a preconceived color map regarding temperature, with blue indicating low temperatures and red indicating high temperatures. Attempts to transfer this particular color map to representations of other quantities, however, may not be successful. In particular, when displaying a topographic map we found that students had a predilection to visualize a hill, regardless of the color map used. Moreover, many students ignored a systematic use of color in favor of seeing a hill in the representation. This suggests that a representation of a feature that seems obvious to an instructor may be interpreted to have a different meaning by a student. Hence, care should be taken to ensure that students interpret the use of color in figures the way the figures are intended.