ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Information Needs of Distance Learners: A Case of Winneba Study Center, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
Author: Larson, Agatha Gifty
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Surveys,Questionnaires,Distance Education,College Students,Access to Information,Student Attitudes,Educational Technology,Electronic Learning,Printed Materials,College Libraries,Technological Literacy,Library Skills

The study focuses on the information needs of distance learners of the Winneba Study Centre of the University of Education, Winneba. The main objective was to investigate the information needs of this group of students who live far away from their host institution and have minimal interaction with their tutors. The study was a survey and made use of a questionnaire as research instrument. The target population consisted of all distance learners of the Centre; this includes the Diploma and Post Diploma students numbering 1,029 as at 2014/2015 academic year. A sample size of 206 representing 20% of the population was selected through random sampling. The questionnaire was analyzed using frequency tables and percentages. Findings of the study were that distance learners depend solely on the course materials and lecture notes as the only source of information due to their tight schedule. They were also not using libraries to support their learning and other academic activities as they lacked searching and library use skills. Furthermore, it was found that the learners prefer print format to electronic format and lack of time and inability to search for information are some of the hindrances to their information utilization. Based on the findings, it was recommended among other things that, tutors should endeavor to give assignments that would require the use of libraries, efforts should also be made by library management in partnership with distance education administrators to run mobile library services, instruction on library use, negotiate for space in public and school libraries to keep library materials for use by the learners and also provide instruction on how to access and use both print and electronic resources in libraries.
Analyzing the Participatory Repertoire of a U.S. Educated EFL Teacher in Saudi Arabia
Author: Lee-Johnson, Yin Lam
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Discourse Analysis,Teacher Attitudes,Humor,Cultural Influences,Sex Stereotypes,Sex Role,Semi Structured Interviews,Females

The KSA has become a popular country for Americans to work as an EFL teacher in the recent years because of the payment and cultural experience (Hastings, 2012). Due to the wide social distance between the KSA and USA, the teachers had to adapt to the expectation and become legitimate participants (Lave and Wenger, 1991) in the local communities. This qualitative case study includes turn-by-turn discourse analysis of the interview data collected from a U.S.-educated MA TESOL graduate, Amy, (born and raised in the USA) through the lens of Bakhtin's carnivalesque (1984). The study also included the interview with Hidy, who was born and raised in the KSA, as a reference to compare and contrast the data collected from Amy. The findings reveal that the U.S.-educated teacher, Amy, used laughter as a rhetorical tool in the interview to contest the cultural expectation of her gender role in the KSA. The findings suggest that cultural rules and taboos are constructed in situ through individual experience. [The author has presented this article at the National Council of Teachers of English Assembly for Research Conference at Eastern Michigan University, USA, on February 7, 2016.]
E-Mentoring for Professional Development of Pre-Service Teachers: A Case Study
Author: Kahraman, Mehmet
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Preservice Teachers,Electronic Learning,Semi Structured Interviews,Focus Groups,Reflection,Case Studies,Diaries,Interaction,Program Effectiveness,Professional Development,Content Analysis,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries

This study focused on supporting the professional development of information technologies pre-service teachers with e-mentoring approach. The e-mentoring program was conducted in four basic phases; preparation, matching, interaction and finalizing. In the study, the data were collected via researcher journals, semi-structured interviews held with the participants, focus-group interviews and reflection reports written at the end of the program. The collected data were analyzed with the software of Nvivo 8 and divided into themes for presentation. The duration and frequency of interactions and the communication tools preferred differed from one matching to another. In addition, the interactions revealed gains professional development in terms of such areas as sharing knowledge and experience, guidance and goal setting, knowing more about the university and adaptation, easily access to counseling, developing self-confidence, developing communication skills, social and affective support, keeping one's knowledge updated and reinforcement. It was seen that the e-mentoring program had positive influence on their professional development besides the formal education given to the participants. The e-mentoring program helped students, academicians and graduates share their knowledge and experience with each other and develop their social networks. The participants had the opportunity to view their career as a whole and received guidance regarding the career processes.
Development of a Test to Evaluate Students' Analytical Thinking Based on Fact versus Opinion Differentiation
Author: Thaneerananon, Taveep
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Construction,Thinking Skills,Opinions,Cognitive Tests,Grade 6,Elementary School Students,Test Reliability,Content Validity,Test Validity,Foreign Countries

Nowadays, one of the biggest challenges of education in Thailand is the development and promotion of the students' thinking skills. The main purposes of this research were to develop an analytical thinking test for 6th grade students and evaluate the students' analytical thinking. The sample was composed of 3,567 6th grade students in 2014 academic year at schools in Samuthsakorn province, the largest sample size that has been reached so far for an analytical thinking test in Thailand. The instruments for collecting data were the analytical thinking skill test; Fact vs. Opinion test (F vs. O test) and Ordinary National Educational based test (O-NET based test). The collected data were analysed through TAP 6.65, SIA1.0.1 and SPSS 22 statistical programs. The results revealed statistic consistency between F vs. O test and O-NET based test. In addition, most 6th grade students were in &quot;Unsatisfactory&quot; level for analytical thinking skills. Though improvements are much needed, we believe that the developed Fact vs. Opinion test suits for the promotion and evaluation of the students' analytical thinking skills.
An Investigation of Graduate Students' Help-Seeking Experiences, Preferences and Attitudes in Online Learning
Author: Koc, Selma
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Help Seeking,Student Experience,Preferences,Student Attitudes,Online Courses,Learning Strategies,Goal Orientation,Student Characteristics,Mixed Methods Research,Asynchronous Communication

This study explored graduate students' help-seeking preferences, attitudes and experiences based on the online classes they took at a Midwestern higher education institution. The findings indicated that the majority of the students used self-regulatory strategies in their help-seeking process striving for independent mastery of learning. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data led to four themes with respect to the help-seeking experiences of online students: Asynchronous learning; help-seeking process and strategies; self-regulation and goal orientation; student characteristics and previous help-seeking experience. The researchers suggest that help-seeking mechanisms and tools need to be structured into online classes utilizing formative assessment, collaborative community of learners and technologies that will facilitate student help-seeking.
A Mixed Methods Analysis of the Effect of Google Docs Environment on EFL Learners' Writing Performance and Causal Attributions for Success and Failure
Author: Seyyedrezaie, Zari Sadat
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Writing Achievement,Attribution Theory,Computer Uses in Education,Mixed Methods Research,Student Attitudes,Success,Failure,Interviews,College Students,Language Tests,Semi Structured Interviews

This study investigated the effect of writing process in Google Docs environment on Iranian EFL learners' writing performance. It also examined students' perceptions towards the effects of Google Docs and their perceived causes of success or failure in writing performance. In this regard, 48 EFL students were chosen based on their IELTs writing test scores. During the treatment, the students were taught how to write a formal five-paragraph essay in the class, but they were supposed to practice writing process and give feedback to their peers' essays through Google Docs. At the end of the treatment phase, the participants received another sample of IELTs writing test (posttest). Moreover, 20 participants were interviewed for their perceptions regarding the causes for their success and failure and the influence of Google Docs on their writing performance. The analysis of a Paired-Sample t-test revealed that Google Docs played an effective role in improving students' writing performance. In addition, the analysis of interview revealed that the students perceived both internal and external causes for their success and failure; but in case of failure, internal factors were cited more often than external ones. Also, it was revealed that students generally showed positive attitude towards the implication of Google Docs as a factor leading to success in their writing performance.
Cyberbully, Cybervictim, and Forgiveness among Indonesian High School Students
Author: Safaria, Triantoro
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Bullying,Computer Mediated Communication,Victims,High School Students,Correlation,Questionnaires,Psychological Patterns,Regression (Statistics),Statistical Analysis

Cyberbullying has been commonplace practice among Indonesian teenagers engaging in on-line space. However, this phenomenon has not been extensively researched in the context of Indonesia. This present study aims to examine the extent to which level of forgiveness contribute to varying degrees of cyberbullying. It is a quantitative in which the data were drawn from 495 senior high school students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The research findings revealed that there was a significant correlation of ß= 0.255, p = 0.011 between level of forgiveness and patterns of response towards cyberbullying and also a correlation of (ß= 0.316, p = 0.001) between cybervictim and cyberbully. The study concluded with some recommendations with regard to the effect of cyberbullying.
The Effect of 3D Virtual Learning Environment on Secondary School Third Grade Students&apos; Attitudes toward Mathematics
Author: Simsek, Irfan
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Secondary School Students,Mathematics Instruction,Student Attitudes,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Simulated Environment,Mathematical Concepts,Educational Games,Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Comparative Analysis,Teaching Methods,Attitude Change

With this research, in Second Life environment which is a three dimensional online virtual world, it is aimed to reveal the effects of student attitudes toward mathematics courses and design activities which will enable the third grade students of secondary school (primary education seventh grade) to see the 3D objects in mathematics courses in a concrete way, access the information outside of the school and provide them with an education through games. In order to achieve this aim, this research was carried out with 28 secondary school third grade students having their education in Istanbul province, Uskudar district, in Fatih Secondary School in 2014-2015 academic year. Research data was collected by Mathematics Attitude Scale which is prepared by Ministry of Education. The data collected in the research, analyzed with nonparametric statistical methods as the group number is less than 30. In order to compare the pretest and posttest total scores of the experiment group, Wilcoxon signed rank test, which is considered appropriate to be used in relational measuring, was used and quantity analysis of the research was carried out by &quot;SPSS 21 for MacOS X&quot; package program. Wilcoxon signed rank test results related to whether the students' pre-experimental and post-experimental attitudes towards mathematics have a significant difference or not, is shown on the table. The analysis result has shown that there is a significant difference between the students' pre-experiment and post-experiment scores, taken from Mathematics Attitude Scale (z=2.95, p&lt;0.05). When the mean rank and rank sums of the difference scores are taken into account, this difference is in favor of positive rank,namely in favor of post-test score. According to these results, it can be stated that Mathematics robot developed in Second Life environment has an important effect on students' attitude towards mathematics.
Which Aspects of the English Language Do Distance Learners Find Difficult?
Author: Teoh, George Boon Sai
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Distance Education,College Students,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Second Language Instruction,Language Proficiency,Student Characteristics

This study reports the findings of a research carried out on distance learners at the School of Distance Education (SDE), University Sains Malaysia (USM). The study was explorative in nature with the purpose identifying the aspects of the English language which distance learners found difficult to learn. A quantitative survey questionnaire design was adopted. The sample consisted of 512 students out of 1028 students who enrolled in the JUE300 English II course responded. The data were analyzed using SPSS IBM version 19.0. The distance learners reported facing difficulties in the aspects of speaking, vocabulary, grammar, writing, spelling, pronunciation, reading and listening in descending order. In the case of the SDE distance learners, their level of proficiency prior to this course, their commitment and hours spent on studying the English language may have affected their perceptions and achievement in the course.
Fostering Self-Regulated Learning through Distance Education: A Case Study of M.Phil Secondary Teacher Education Program of Allama Iqbal Open University
Author: Ambreen, Munazza
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Independent Study,Distance Education,Case Studies,Graduate Students,Masters Programs,Preservice Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Learning Strategies,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Preferences,Focus Groups,Semi Structured Interviews,Data Analysis,Skill Development,Learning Activities,Assignments,Reflection,Transformative Learning,Qualitative Research

Self-regulated learning (SLR) has been recognized as a pivotal antecedent of students' effective learning and academic achievement. A self-regulated learner can independently and effectively plan for learning, choose and use appropriate learning strategies and reflect and monitor learning progress. Self-regulated learning, for learners in general and for distance learners in particular, is inevitable for effectual learning process. Present study was focused to explore up to what extent distance education system is successful in fostering self-regulated learning among learners at higher level. An attempt was made to highlight the strategies used to foster self-regulated learning and students perceptions about effectiveness of these strategies. Views of teachers of distance education system were also sought to disclose their level of sensitivity, awareness and preferences for endorsement of self-regulated learning among students. Students of MS/M.Phil Secondary Teacher Education enrolled in Spring 2011 were taken as sample for the study. Focus group discussion and interviews were used as the tool for data collection. Data analysis revealed that teachers were very concerned about development of the skills required to regulate one's own learning among students of MS/M.Phil program. Students considered the self-learning activities, assignments, presentations and reflection activities as very effective ones for transforming them into self-regulated learners. Moreover teachers were familiar with the potential factors that influence learners' ability to self-regulate their learning, in this context they suggested that more interactive course material and technology based assessment exercises can prove to be remarkable milestones on way to this destination.
An Exploration of Higher Education Teaching in Second Life in the Context of Blended Learning
Author: Ata, Ridvan
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching Experience,Web Based Instruction,Computer Simulation,Internet,Social Systems,Educational Practices,Teaching Methods,College Faculty,Blended Learning,Information Literacy,Undergraduate Students,Case Studies,Qualitative Research,Semi Structured Interviews,Participant Observation,Data Analysis,Virtual Classrooms,Creativity,Error Patterns,Ambiguity (Context),Experiential Learning,Affordances

This study explores teaching experiences of educators within the virtual world of Second Life (SL) and pedagogical practices adopted. A blended approach is applied by using physical classrooms, BlackboardTM, web-based resources, and the virtual world of SL in an Information Literacy (IL) class for 1st year undergraduate students at an institution in the UK. A Case study was employed as well as a parallel qualitative component, interviews, was added to the study that provided another source of insights to articulate perspectives of educators in teaching within VWs. In reflecting and evaluating the teaching experiences, evidence is drawn from observations, semi structured interviews, chat logs, snapshots, and field notes. A thematic approach is used to analyse the data. The findings from the data analysis are presented in terms of seven themes: cybergogy, creativity, trial and error, wow moment, uncertainty, experiential learning, and dynamic relationship.
Virtual Leadership at Distance Education Teams
Author: Kuscu, Meltem
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Distance Education,Leadership,Virtual Classrooms,Computer Mediated Communication,Educational Administration,Qualitative Research,Interviews,Paraprofessional Personnel,Teacher Attitudes,Teamwork,Leadership Role,Leadership Qualities,Leadership Styles,Motivation Techniques,Instructional Leadership,Foreign Countries

Globalization being one of the most popular terms of recent years is considered as a factor changing the operation styles of the companies. Companies and universities opened up to the world with the globalization and as a result of it, they had the opportunity of being a world brand. Now, some companies have affiliated companies in almost every country. Well, if we think about time and place difference how do these companies lead the affiliated companies in various locations of the world? This question resulted in the new leadership approach, virtual leadership. The process of distance learning beginning with newspaper advertisement appears as virtual learning now. A number of companies and universities provide distance learning classes and in-service training in virtual platform via Internet. These trainings provided independently from time and space are conducted in a country and worldwide sometimes. If we consider individuals in different time and environments as virtual teams, dealing with these virtual teams is the duty of virtual leader. The purpose of this study is to examine virtual leadership perception of distance learning teams. Three trivets are in question for distance learning teams. The first one is the academicians lecturing the second one is the students and the third one is coordinator and technical support team. Perceptions of virtual leader of the said three groups were examined individually in this study. The major findings are about who the virtual leader is and what properties virtual leader should bear. The virtual leader is, anyone inside the team for academicians, manager for technical support team and teacher for students. The most important ability for virtual leader is communication skills. In this study, there are different perspectives about virtual leader and leadership at distance education teams.
Design of a Problem-Based Online Learning Environment and Evaluation of Its Effectiveness
Author: Gündüz, Abdullah Yasin
Date: 2016-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Environment,Problem Based Learning,Online Courses,Computer System Design,Courseware,Constructivism (Learning),Program Effectiveness,Distance Education,Self Efficacy,Vocational Schools,Performance Based Assessment,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Academic Achievement,Instructional Development,Foreign Countries

Problem-based learning approach presents several advantages such as improving students' engagement in learning and fostering their higher-order thinking skills. Although there is a plethora of research regarding implementation of problem-based learning in classrooms, its design and application process for web-based environments need further investigation because of independent nature of online settings. This study developed a problem-based online learning environment based on constructivist learning design model proposed by Jonassen (1999) and evaluated its effectiveness. It was conducted in the spring 2014 semester with an intention to access to total population that is 1,417 students receiving distance education for Turkish II course at six university vocational schools. The online lesson was implemented in one week, and data were gathered through students' performance tasks and self-evaluation form. The research indicated that the problem-based online learning environment has a positive influence on learning. Moreover, it was revealed that dynamic nature of online environment affected learner's participation in the designed activities and collaboration among students could not be fostered. Several suggestions were proposed based on the results.