ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Usability and Accessibility of OERs and MOOCs among Students with Special Needs in Open and Distance Learning
Author: Majeed, Zahid
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Open Educational Resources,Online Courses,Special Needs Students,Distance Education,Accessibility (for Disabled),Instructional Design,Hearing Impairments,Visual Impairments,Physical Disabilities,Assistive Technology,Usability,Foreign Countries

The purpose of the study was to explore the issues and barriers in usability and accessibility of Open Education Resources and MOOCs by the students with special needs in distance learning. The study also highlighted the problems and issues faced by the designers, developers, instructors and administrators while designing, developing, offering and conducting the MOOCs and developing OERs. The study was descriptive in nature and survey method was used to collect the data. It was limited to students with hearing impairment, visual impairment and physically handicapped enrolled in Open and Distance Learning system. The researcher found that large numbers of students with special needs were concerned with usability and accessibility because they were not familiar with the OERs, MOOCs and technologies associated. Special need students pointed out the problems/issues in using assistive technologies while navigating in the MOOC environment, in automated assessment and the process of engaging with fellow students through forum posts and collaborative group work. It is recommended by the researcher that these problems and issues may be considered while developing e-content, conducting online classes and assessment in MOOCs and OERs with maximum usability and accessibility issues.
Factors for Success and Course Completion in Massive Open Online Courses through the Lens of Participant Types
Author: Bingö, Isa
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Courses,Open Education,Student Participation,Distance Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Instructional Design,Educational Quality,Prior Learning,Usability,Success,Persistence,Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Student Characteristics

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the factors for success and course completion through the lens of participants in a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) system implemented in Turkey. Thirty-two participants were selected on the basis of purposive sampling among 5000 enrolled users from 10 MOOCs, who were then classified into 3 types --lurking, moderately active, memorably active-- based on their participation rate in the course activities. The data were collected via the use of two semi-structured interviews. According to the findings, the factors for success in MOOCs to the participants were divided into three categories: instructor effectiveness, course design, and personal factors. As to the factors for course completion, the categories identified were the instructor, course design, personal factors, technical issues, and affordability/clarity. The findings regarding success and course completion were discussed in detail and recommendations were provided to enhance participation in MOOCs.
Opening World Regional Geography: A Case Study
Author: Finlayson, Caitlin
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: World Geography,Open Educational Resources,Textbooks,Blended Learning,Reader Text Relationship,Positive Attitudes,Introductory Courses,Curriculum Development,Instructional Effectiveness,Electronic Publishing,Cost Effectiveness,Undergraduate Students

A growing body of research has demonstrated that open educational resources (OER) provide an opportunity for improvements in learning outcomes compared to traditional texts. This project builds on the Open Education Group's COUP framework to explore student and faculty use and perceptions of an open education World Regional Geography textbook. World Regional Geography is a lower-level course that is typically taught using traditional methods and with an emphasis on breadth over depth. As this case study explores, however, the creation and use of OER has provided an opportunity to completely reconfigure the course using a flipped classroom approach. Further, this study finds a statistically significant difference in student perception of OER before and after using the open course textbook, a significant difference in how often students read the book, and an overall positive response from students. Shifting to an open textbook has thus transformed and revitalized the class both from a student and an instructor perspective.
Relationship between Social Behaviour and Academic Performance of Students at Secondary Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Author: Said, Mir Alam
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Social Behavior,Academic Achievement,Correlation,Student Behavior,Grade 9,Performance,Secondary School Students

The study explored views of teachers about relationship between social behaviour and academic performance. The objectives of the study were to examine the effects of social behaviour on academic performance; compare academic results of students with social behaviour; investigate the importance of social behaviour on academic performance; and, suggest what necessary steps should be taken to improve the academic performance and social behaviour. The study was conducted in 15 schools which were randomly selected. In the study design, the students of 9th grade have been categorized as high achievers, average and below average from both streams i.e. science and arts. A questionnaire consisting of 25 items, was developed as research instrument of the study. The data were collected, tabulated, interpreted and statistically analyzed. Conclusions were drawn on the basis of data analysis. The study recommended that the social behaviour and academic performance were equally valued.
Advancing an (Im)Possible Alternative: Ethnic Studies in Neoliberal Times
Author: Armonda, Alex J.
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ethnic Studies,Neoliberalism,Critical Theory,Social Change,Educational Change,Ideology,Philosophy,Race,Cultural Pluralism,State Legislation,Educational Legislation

This conceptual paper examines the question of the political imaginary in the neoliberal moment, and the crucial role that Ethnic Studies can play in realizing critical pedagogy's promise of emancipatory social transformation. After Arizona House Bill 2281, educational scholarship has paid renewed attention to Ethnic Studies classrooms as key sites of politically transformative praxis. Attending to recent literature that contextualizes Ethnic Studies within broader contemporary struggles against neoliberal educational reform, this analysis traces the contentious relationship between Ethnic Studies and the advancements of neoliberal multicultural ideology. This essay extends these critical dialogues by arguing for a dialectical description of the Ethnic Studies, which emphasizes its ability to stage productive confrontations between traditions in Marxist philosophy, decolonial theory, and critical race theory. The epistemological and ontological tensions that arise here, I argue, are central to reframing our understanding of consciousness raising and the formation of radical subjectivities in the present.
An International Study of Programs That Prepare Teachers of Young Adolescents
Author: Ellerbrock, Cheryl R.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Teacher Education Programs,Comparative Education,Cross Cultural Studies,Educational Philosophy,Standards,Program Design,Outcomes of Education,Institutional Characteristics,Middle School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Educators

This article highlights an upcoming multi-phase, international comparative research study on higher education institution-based programs that prepare teachers of young adolescents. The purpose of this investigation is multifaceted. The investigators aim to (a) document the programmatic and pedagogical features of higher education institution-based programs that prepare teachers of young adolescents in diverse national, regional, cultural, and institutional contexts; (b) identify and describe relationships between higher education institution-based programs that prepare teachers of young adolescents and the socio-cultural, historical, and institutional contexts in which they are embedded; (c) identify and describe patterns of philosophy, programming, and practice evident across higher education institution-based programs that prepare teachers of young adolescents; (d) assess the extent to which higher education institution-based programs that prepare teachers of young adolescents operating in diverse contexts are aligned with the AMLE's Middle Level Teacher Preparation Standards; and (e) investigate relationships among higher education institution-based programs' design elements, contexts, implementation processes, and outcomes that prepare teachers of young adolescents.
Arming Teachers for School Safety: Providing Clarity for State Policies
Author: Isbell, Laura
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Weapons,School Safety,Educational Policy,State Policy,Educational Legislation,State Legislation,State Departments of Education,School Personnel,Teachers

While there is an increased national focus on student safety and gun violence in schools, the policies for arming teachers are often vague and unclear. Additionally, policies and laws enforcing safety protocol for students differ across states. Clarity in policies are important for stakeholders in school communities who can use such information to better understand the shifting landscape of policy about arming faculty and staff. In this paper, we explored the creation of specific policies designed to arm school personnel in Texas, including the Marshal Plan and the School Firearm and Safety Action Plan, known as the Guardian Plan. Findings may be applied to districts and governments in other states as they construct laws and policies related to school safety.
Development of Emotional Intelligence of University Students: An Investigation of the Effect of Curricular Activities
Author: Khurshid, M. Anwar
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Emotional Intelligence,Psychomotor Skills,College Students,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,Measurement Techniques,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Foreign Countries,Outcomes of Education

Emotional intelligence skills are the driving force for university graduates to be developed holistically. Usually the aspects of psychomotor and effective domain, especially emotional intelligence seems to be less focused on the curriculum at this stage. This study was conducted to explore the effect of prevailing curricular activities on the development of emotional intelligence among university students. The objectives of the study were: i) to measure the emotional intelligence of students at university level; and ii) to compare EI of students having different time of exposure (i.e. Entrance, mid, and final semesters) to existing curricular activities in the universities. A sample of 1775 university students was selected using multistage stratified random sampling technique from six universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (Pakistan). Self-Report Measure of Emotional Intelligence (SRMEI) based on Goleman's Mixed Model of EI was used as a data collection tool. The results revealed that the students at entrance level were significantly higher in EI than the students in the final stage. These findings lead to suggest corrective measures in curricular activities at the university level.
Using Literacy to Enact Critical Pedagogy and Scientific Inquiry: An Analytic Literature Review
Author: Daly-Lesch, Anne
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scientific Research,Critical Theory,Critical Literacy,Inquiry,Active Learning,Science Instruction,Integrated Activities,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Research,Student Interests,Knowledge Level,Expertise,Power Structure,Authentic Learning

Literacy is a powerful tool to engage students in learning about the social, cultural, political, and natural worlds around them. This is especially true within the discipline of science where students use reading and writing to engage in scientific inquiry. In the era of accountability reform, however, students spend more time acquiring reading and writing skills instead of using them to engage in content area learning. This is especially true for racially, linguistically, and economically diverse students who confront oppressive schooling conditions daily. In this analytic literature, I engage with recent scholarship to understand how literacy can be used as a tool to engage in both scientific inquiry and critical pedagogy. I argue that Paulo Freire's (1970) theory of critical literacy offers a way to reimagine inquiry as an instructional approach that can engage students in meaningful learning, confronting injustice, and taking action toward social change.
Antecedents of Student Loyalty in Open and Distance Learning Institutions: An Empirical Analysis
Author: Daud, Yon Rosli
Date: 2020-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Distance Education,Open Universities,Correlation,Educational Quality,Electronic Learning,Reputation,Foreign Countries,Student Satisfaction,Student School Relationship

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between factors leading to student loyalty in open and distance learning universities. Specifically, this research explores the relationship between perceived service quality, perceived e-service quality, and university image as mediators of student loyalty in Open University Malaysia (OUM). Data were collected from 16 OUM learning centres throughout Malaysia. A purposive stratified convenience sampling technique was applied and a sample size of 752 respondents was obtained. The data indicated that perceived service quality has a positive and significant relationship with both university image and student loyalty. Similarly, it was found that perceived e-service quality has a positive significant relationship with both university image and student loyalty. University image acted as a mediator both in the relationship between perceived service quality and student loyalty, and in the relationship between perceived e-service quality and student loyalty.
Effect of Synectics Model of Teaching in Enhancing Students&apos; Understanding of Abstract Concepts of Mathematics
Author: Khan, Aftab Ahmad
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Models,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematical Concepts,Secondary School Mathematics,High School Students,Grade 8,Foreign Countries,Instructional Effectiveness,Logical Thinking

Abstract concepts of mathematics are always difficult for the students to comprehend. These concepts are a continuous source of low achievement in mathematics. A study was conducted to explore the effect of Synectics Model of teaching in enhancing understanding of abstract concept of mathematics. It was a form of quasi-experimental study using nonequivalent Control group design. The sample was two intact groups of grade eight (Control, N=35) and (Experimental, N=33). Two schools were selected among high schools of district Haripur where the researcher could seek permission to conduct the study. The instrument was a self-developed achievement test from three units (Operations on Sets, Polynomials and Fundamentals of Geometry) of eighth class mathematics textbook. The results of the study revealed that when abstract concepts were taught using analogy, students were able to: (i) redefine the concept using their own words, (ii) relate concept to their daily life, (iii) apply the concept in daily life.
Changing Identities in Community of Practice: Expert Teachers to Novice Researchers
Author: Supramaniam, Kaarthiyainy
Date: 2020-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Concept,Professional Identity,Novices,Expertise,Communities of Practice,Experienced Teachers,College Faculty,Faculty Workload,Researchers,Career Change,Teaching (Occupation),Teacher Attitudes,Learning Experience

Teachers and researchers are said to belong to two distinct communities of education. At the university, academics are required to engage in research work which could be a relatively new experience for teachers who had solely focused on teaching after joining the universities. Hence the purpose of this qualitative research is to shed some light on the tensions that are created and experienced by novice researchers at the university whose previous careers were as teachers in schools. Two lecturers, Gina and René, were purposely selected to investigate the phenomenon of changing identities from expert teachers to novice researchers, and to observe how the experienced teachers became newcomers adapting to the new target practices of research as required by the university. Findings from interviews and observations revealed the tensions and negotiations that occurred as the teacher naivetes engaged in the target research practices from teacher trajectories, but prolonged engagement in the target practices revealed emergence of researcher identities. The findings of this study suggest that novices who are expected to adopt new practices need to be supported with instructions and learning opportunities for effective transitions.
Collaborating with the European League for Middle Level Education
Author: Ruppert, Nancy B.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cooperation,Foreign Countries,Middle Schools,Partnerships in Education,Global Approach,Leadership,Conferences (Gatherings),Publications

Collaborations between the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education (NAPOMLE) and European League for Middle Level Education (ELMLE) can be mutually beneficial. This article reflects on NAPOMLE's past experiences with our global affiliate ELMLE and promotes future partnerships expanding our commitment to supporting the development of middle schools and middle level leaders. We advocate a global approach to preparing and empowering the next generation of middle school leaders.
Middle Level Faculty and Change
Author: Dever, Robin
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Educators,Resistance to Change,Middle School Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Change Strategies,Curriculum Development,Barriers

There is no argument that the world of middle level education is constantly changing. Teacher education programs are always in flux adopting their programs to meet these needs. Faculty who teach within a middle level education teacher preparation program are at the front lines of preparing the next generation of middle school leaders. They are responsible for not only molding the next generation of middle level educators but also shaping the next generation of middle level education researchers and advocates. This requires constant changes to curriculum and organizational structures while finding new methods to meet state requirements. However, not all faculty members are open to change; some resist moving forward. Some are overburdened by this charge and often resist changes that are being implemented to best prepare this next generation. Exploring the root cause of faculty resistance can help programs work with all faculty. This article will begin a conversation on how to lead faculty members through these journeys and empower them to continue to advocate for the field.
An Analysis of Course Characteristics, Learner Characteristics, and Certification Rates in MITx MOOCs
Author: Cagiltay, Nergiz Ercil
Date: 2020-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Large Group Instruction,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Student Characteristics,Academic Persistence,Predictor Variables,Certification,Age Differences,College Students,Student Behavior,Course Selection (Students),Intellectual Disciplines,Course Content

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), capable of providing free (or low cost) courses for millions of learners anytime and anywhere, have gained the attention of researchers, educational institutions, and learners worldwide. Even though they provide several benefits, there are still some criticisms of MOOCs. For instance, MOOCs' high dropout rates or predominantly elite participation are considered to be important problems. In order to develop solutions for these problems, a deeper understanding of MOOCs is required. Today, despite the availability of several research studies about MOOCs, there is a shortage of in-depth research on course characteristics, learner characteristics, and predictors of certification rates. This study examined MOOC and learner characteristics in detail and explored the predictors of course certification rates based on data from 122 Massachusetts Institute of Technology MOOCs (MITx) on edX platform as well as data about the 2.8 million participants registered in these MOOCs. The results indicated that as the number of courses offered and the number of learners enrolled increased in years, there was a decrease in the certification rates among enrolled learners. According to our results, the number of average chapters completed, total forum messages, and mean age predicted course certification rates positively. On the other hand, the total number of chapters in a course predicted the course certification rates negatively. Based on these results, shorter and more interactive MOOCs are recommended by considering the needs of the learners, course content design, and strategies encouraging the enrolled students to enter the courses.
Applying the Rasch Model to Evaluate the Self-Directed Online Learning Scale (SDOLS) for Graduate Students
Author: Yang, Hongwei
Date: 2020-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Item Response Theory,Online Courses,Electronic Learning,Graduate Students,Independent Study,Student Attitudes,School Effectiveness,Psychometrics,Test Construction

With the rapid growth of online learning and the increased attention paid to student attrition in online programs, much research has been aimed at studying the effectiveness of online education to improve students' online learning experience and student retention. Utilizing the online learning literature as a multi-faceted theoretical framework, the study developed and employed a new survey instrument. The Self-Directed Online Learning Scale (SDOLS) was used to examine graduate student perceptions of effectiveness of online learning environments as demonstrated by their ability to take charge of their own learning, and to identify key factors in instructional design for effective improvements. The study applied the Rasch rating scale model to evaluate and validate SDOLS through a psychometric lens to establish the reliability and validity of SDOLS. Results from Rasch analysis addressed two research questions. First, evidence was found to generally support the new instrument as being psychometrically sound but three problematic items were also identified as grounds for future improvement of SDOLS. Second, the study assessed the importance of various factors as measured by the SDOLS items in contributing to students' ability to self-manage their own online learning. Finally, the new instrument is expected to contribute to the work of various stakeholders in online education and can serve to improve students' online learning experience and effectiveness, increase online retention rates, and reduce online dropouts.