ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Investigating Teachers' Organizational Socialization Levels and Perceptions about Leadership Styles of Their Principals
Author: Kadi, Aysegül
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Socialization,Leadership Styles,Principals,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Surveys,Gender Differences,Age Differences,Academic Rank (Professional),Tenure,Teacher Characteristics,Correlation,Teacher Motivation,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Job Satisfaction

The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers' organizational socialization levels and perceptions about leadership styles of their principals. Research was conducted with 361 teachers. Research design is determined as survey and correlational. Multi-Factor Leadership Scale originally was developed by Bass (1999) and adapted to Turkish culture by Akdogan (2002) and Organizational Socialization Scale developed by Kartal (2003) were used to collect data. According to the findings: only teachers' perceptions about laissez-faire leadership differ according to gender. Teachers' perceptions about leadership styles and organizational socialization levels do not differ according to seniority, age and tenure in school. The causes of these findings can be investigated There is a significant negative relationship between teachers' motivation and their perceptions about laissez-faire leadership style and there is not any significant relationship between subscales of organizational socialization and leadership. These variables can be affected by other variables and they may be investigated.
Observation of Classroom Performance Using Therapy Balls as a Substitute for Chairs in Elementary School Children
Author: Burgoyne, Molly E.
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Classroom Environment,Human Factors Engineering,Elementary School Students,Observation,Student Behavior,Learning Activities,Time on Task,Student Participation,Student Attitudes,Interaction,Motion,Physiology,Human Body,Grade 2

Many classrooms are beginning to substitute standard chairs with therapy balls, which help to improve students' focus and classroom performance, according to teacher and student reports. Researchers conducted an observational study in a classroom at a local elementary school that implemented therapy balls. For each hour-long observation, three independent researchers marked seated behaviors of students (N = 19). The first observation was conducted when students were using standard chairs, and two more were conducted when students used therapy balls during classroom activities. Researchers observed the behaviors of students on the given seating device, including academic task (on/off task), effort level, attitude, interactions, seated behavior (bouncing/rocking/stationary/other), and intensity level of participation in classroom activities. Analysis of the collected data demonstrates that 50% of observations when students were seated on standard chairs indicated on task behavior, while 85% of observations when students were seated on therapy balls were recorded as on task behavior. In addition, movement while seated increased on the therapy balls (35% of observations indicated stationary seated behavior) compared to the standard chairs (47% observations indicated stationary seated behavior). The increased rocking and bouncing seated behavior on the therapy balls suggests that the seating device helps to engage the vestibular system. In addition, stationary behavior on therapy balls was often classified as proprioceptive. The results from the observational study will allow researchers to further investigate whether or not engaging the vestibular system can help to improve performance on functional school skills.
Lived Experiences of Parents of Children with Disabilities in Swaziland
Author: Thwala, S'lungile K.
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Disabilities,Parents,Child Rearing,Experience,Phenomenology,Rural Areas,Elementary School Students,Semi Structured Interviews,Thematic Approach,Barriers,Stress Variables,Coping,Money Management,Decision Making,Student Needs,Special Education,Inclusion,Qualitative Research,Social Isolation,Depression (Psychology),Grief,Parent Attitudes

Raising a child with disability is a challenge to most parents. The study explored the lived experiences of parents of children with disabilities in Swaziland. The specific objective was to determine the challenges which parents of children with disability encounter at home, school and community, which may hinder them to work collaboratively with educators for the betterment of the children. A phenomenological design was adopted. Participants were parents (female = 16; Males = 4) who were purposively sampled from a rural setting (Maphalaleni area) whose children attended in 20 primary schools in the same area. Data were collected using semi structured interview guides and were thematically analyzed. The findings revealed that the parents encounter challenges at work, at home, school and in the community such as emotional stress, failure to cope with the children's disability and financial challenges. The study also indicated that the parents were not sure of what was expected of them in making educational decisions on behalf of their children. It also reported that parents of children with disabilities were not trained on how to cope with their children's disability and how to work with educators. The findings suggest the need for the development of training programmes which will empower parents with knowledge to better partner with educators for the benefit of the child. To address these challenges, government will need to put in place policies which will look at the needs of parents of the children with disabilities.
Metaphorical Conceptualizations of Football Coach through Social Cognitive Theory
Author: Dervent, Fatih
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Figurative Language,Discourse Analysis,Athletic Coaches,Team Sports,Social Cognition,Content Analysis,Concept Formation,Athletes,Judges,Decision Making,Age Differences

The purpose of this study was to examine the metaphors which were used to describe the concept &quot;football coach&quot; by some stakeholders in football, such as players, club officials and referees. Each individual (N = 389) within the study group was asked to reveal the single metaphor s/he has in mind in respect of the concept of football coach. The responses were analyzed with the qualitative method of content analysis through the core principles of social cognitive theory. Thirty-three metaphors and 4 conceptual categories were identified. Results showed that players used metaphors related to protective figure while club officials and referees referred to decision-maker figure. There were differences in use of metaphors based on the age of participants.
The Impact of the Rate and Variety of Uses of Fixed and Mobile Broadband on the Progress of CPE: A Chartered Accountant's Perspective
Author: Rawashdeh, Awni
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Professional Continuing Education,Online Surveys,Accounting,Correlation,Internet,Telecommunications,Information Technology,Information Networks,Time,Computer Use,Influence of Technology,Statistical Analysis,Regression (Statistics)

To examine the impact of the usage of fixed and mobile broadband on the progress of continuing professional education (CPE) from the perspective of chartered accountants in Saudi Arabia, an e-mail survey was conducted. A random sampling of chartered accountants in Saudi Arabia was investigated. This research was aimed to identify any correlation between the time of the day (e.g. before work, in the morning, during work, mid-day, after work, late afternoon/evening, night, late night, intermittently throughout the day) and the rate and variety of use of fixed and mobile broadband services. This research also aimed to understand the rate and variety of use of broadband services and their impact on CPE progress from the chartered accountant's perspective.
The Influence of a &quot;Gap Year&quot; on Medical Students
Author: Paterson-Brown, Lucy
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Medical Students,Medical Education,Student Attitudes,Questionnaires,Maturity (Individuals),Friendship,Comparative Analysis,Enrollment,Stopouts,Foreign Countries

This study reports the views of second year medical students from 6 Universities on the value or not of deferring entry to medical school in order to take a &quot;Gap Year&quot; obtained from an anonymous questionnaire. Data were analysed using Fisher's exact test to produce a two tailed P value, with significance defined as p &lt;0.05. A total of 184 questionnaires returned, 79 from gap year students and 105 non gap year students. Nearly all who had taken a gap year (77/79) would advise current school leavers to take one, compared to only 48/105 who had not (p &lt;0.0001). A similar difference was observed between the two groups when asked if they thought a gap year helped students become more mature (78/79 v 46/105, p &lt;0.0001). Similarly, gap year students were significantly more likely to consider that a gap year made it easier for them to make friends (70/79 v 26/105, p &lt;0.0001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in finding it difficult to settle into work at University (31/79 v 36/105, p = 0.5373). This study shows overwhelming support for deferring entry to medical school and taking a gap year from those students who took one, and nearly half of those students who did not. Medical school entrance committees should re-consider their advice to students who wish to defer entry in order to take a &quot;gap year.&quot;
The Potential of General Classroom Observation: Turkish EFL Teachers' Perceptions, Sentiments, and Readiness for Action
Author: Merç, Ali
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Second Language Instruction,Questionnaires,Online Courses,Readiness,Emotional Response,Emotional Experience,Educational Practices,Teaching Experience,Preferences,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,College Faculty,Observation,Online Surveys

The purpose of this study was to determine Turkish EFL teachers' attitudes towards classroom observation. 204 teachers from different school settings responded to an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed according to three types of attitudes towards classroom observation: perceptions, sentiments, and readiness for action. The findings revealed that the majority of teachers were positive about classroom observation although they did not have much experience. Moreover, advantages of classroom observation were greater than disadvantages according to teachers. The outcomes call for well-organized and systematic classroom observation practices for Turkish EFL teachers to contribute to their professional development.
The Cultural Content in EFL Textbooks and What Teachers Need to Do about It (El contenido cultural en los textos de inglés y qué necesitan hacer los profesores al respecto)
Author: Gómez Rodríguez, Luis Fernando
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Textbooks,Textbook Content,Textbook Evaluation,Cultural Awareness,Second Language Instruction,Competence,Foreign Countries,Teacher Role,American Indians,Popular Culture,Folk Culture,History

This article analyzes the cultural content in three communicative English as a foreign language textbooks that are used as main instructional resources in the English classroom. The study examined whether the textbooks include elements of surface or deep culture, and the findings indicate that the textbooks contain only static and congratulatory topics of surface culture and omit complex and transformative forms of culture. Consequently, the second part of the article suggests how teachers can address deep-rooted aspects of culture that might help English as a foreign language learners build more substantive intercultural competence in the language classroom.
Improving Science Attitude and Creative Thinking through Science Education Project: A Design, Implementation and Assessment
Author: Sener, Nilay
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Science Education,Secondary School Science,Secondary School Students,Creative Thinking,Thinking Skills,Student Attitudes,Scientific Attitudes,Instructional Design,Program Implementation,Program Evaluation,Pretests Posttests,Interviews,Scores,Statistical Analysis,Student Interests,Educational Environment,Grade 7,Feedback (Response)

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a science education project implemented in different learning environments on secondary school students' creative thinking skills and their attitudes to science lesson. Within this scope, a total of 50 students who participated in the nature education project in Samsun City in 2014 make up the sample of the study. For this purpose, within the scope of a five-day long project, the students were presented with hands on activities, laboratory practices, outdoor practices, creative drama, planetarium and observatory activities to enable them to view science and nature from different views. The study was designed as one group, pre-test post-test experimental research. Attitudes scale towards Science lesson and Torrance Creative Thinking Test Verbal A-B forms were used as pre-test and post-test. In addition, open-ended interview form was used in order to find out the students' views on the project. For the analysis of quantitative data, non-parametric tests Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Mann Whitney-U test were used while a parametric test, t-test for dependent and independent samples was used for creative thinking test scores. For qualitative data analysis, content analysis method was used. The results of the study showed that the project was effective in increasing the students' attitudes towards the subject of science and their levels of creative thinking; at the same time it was found that using different learning environments attracted the students' interests on learning science and affected them positively towards science.
Targeting the Body and the Mind: Evaluation of a P.E. Curriculum Intervention for Adolescents
Author: Loukaitou-Sideris, Anastasia
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physical Education,Intervention,Curriculum,Urban Youth,Physical Activity Level,Program Effectiveness,Urban Schools,Interviews,Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Parent Attitudes,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Comparative Analysis,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Student Participation,Statistical Analysis,Self Esteem,Psychological Patterns,Knowledge Level,Physical Fitness,Competence,Student Motivation,Parent Influence,Peer Influence,Teacher Influence,Mentors,Questionnaires,Exercise

P.E. classes are often the only opportunity for inner-city youth to engage in physical activity, but budget cuts and pressure to perform well on standardized tests has made P.E. an afterthought for many school administrators. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a new P.E. curriculum in five Los Angeles inner-city schools. Interviews were conducted with eight teachers, and surveys were administered to students and parents before and after curriculum implementation. 640 pretest and 584 posttest student surveys, and 234 pretest and 176 posttest parent surveys were completed. FITNESSGRAM test scores for 389 matched pretest/posttest students were also analyzed, and a McNemar's test for significance was applied. The FITNESSGRAM scores were compared with control groups in the five schools and school district and state averages. Teachers found the curriculum &quot;highly effective&quot; and noted higher student participation than in previous curricula. Statistically significant differences were found in student confidence, P.E. enjoyment, knowledge about fitness, and performance at the FITNESSGRAM test. Significantly more students passed the test after the completion of the curriculum and with better scores, performing better than the control groups. The curriculum implementation showed promising results in boosting student confidence levels and performance in physical activity.
Motivation: The Road to Successful Learning (La motivación: el camino para un aprendizaje exitoso)
Author: Espinar Redondo, Rocío
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Motivation,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Secondary School Students,Questionnaires,Student Interests,Teacher Role,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Observation

This research has the aim of highlighting the importance of motivation in the process of learning English as a foreign language. For that purpose, some factors that affect motivation are described, using as a starting point the answers obtained from a questionnaire given to students in their fourth year of compulsory secondary education. The main conclusions of the research show the fundamental role of factors such as the teacher, the four skills, students' interests and daily habits, among others. Finally, some guidelines for a teaching methodology are proposed with the intention of future development.
EFL Teachers' Perceptions of Continuing Professional Development: A Case of Iranian High School Teachers (La percepción de docentes de inglés como lengua extranjera acerca del desarrollo profesional continuado: el caso de profesores iraníes de bachillerato)
Author: Alibakhshi, Goudarz
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,High Schools,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Professional Continuing Education,Case Studies,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,English Teachers,Learning Activities,Phenomenology,Skill Development,Qualitative Research,Familiarity,Knowledge Level,Teaching Methods,Material Development,Media Adaptation,Test Construction,Technological Literacy,Technology Uses in Education,Conference Papers,Conferences (Gatherings),Faculty Development,Semi Structured Interviews

English, particularly regarding a foreign language teachers' professional development, has been studied in depth. However, it is not known how Iranian English as a foreign language teachers perceive continuing professional development. This study explored the perceptions of Iranian English as a foreign language teachers of continuing professional development and identified their main professional development activities. For the study, a phenomenological research design was applied. Twenty English teachers were interviewed. The data were content analyzed in line with the Randor model. The results showed that the participants perceived continuing professional development to entail skills development, continuous learning, keeping up to date, learning for interest, and professional revitalization. Additionally, they developed professionally through work, formal education, and attending and presenting at continuing professional development events.
Development of a Tool to Assess Resident Physicians' Perceived Competence for Patient-Centered Obesity Counseling
Author: Burton, Amy M.
Date: 2015-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Construction,Graduate Students,Medical Students,Barriers,Physicians,Counseling,Obesity,Competence,Psychometrics,Factor Analysis,Correlation,Physician Patient Relationship,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Self Efficacy,Test Validity

Physicians report a number of barriers to obesity counseling, among them low perceived competence in the ability to counsel. While there is increasing recognition of the need for resident training on counseling, implementation requires residency programs to have the necessary curricula and tools to evaluate training effectiveness. This study's objective was to describe the development and psychometric testing of the Perceived Competence for Obesity Counseling (PCOC) scale. Items were generated based on constructs from the 5A's counseling framework, review of the obesity literature, and expert opinion. The 20-item scale was piloted among 74 resident physicians. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the number and nature of factors in the scale. Pearson's correlation was used to assess scale validity of the total scores and sub-scale scores association with residents' overall confidence in counseling and outcome expectancy for obesity counseling. Analyses suggested a 3-factor solution. After the removal of cross loading items, eighteen items were retained; eleven items loaded on the first factor, four items on the second factor, and three on the third factor. Cronbach's alpha for the 18-item PCOC scale was 0.95 indicating internal consistency. The PCOC scale was significantly correlated with resident's overall confidence in counseling (r = 0.60, p &lt; 0.01) and outcome expectancy for obesity counseling (r = 0.41, p &lt; 0.01). This pilot study suggests PCOC holds promise as a valid and reliable measure of resident's perceived competence for obesity counseling. Future studies are needed to assess the scale's association with counseling skills.
Teacher Activities and Adolescent Students' Participation in a Colombian EFL Classroom (Actividades de enseñanza y participación de estudiantes adolescentes en una clase de enseñanza de inglés como lengua extranjera en Colombia)
Author: Caicedo, Jefferson
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Participation,English (Second Language),Grade 9,Learning Activities,Teacher Developed Materials,Language of Instruction,Transcripts (Written Records),Diaries,Educational Practices,Teaching Methods,Class Activities,Language Usage,Classroom Environment,Qualitative Research,Ethnography,Language Skills,Student Reaction,Observation

The present study concerns the activities teachers develop and ninth-graders' participation in responses to those activities. The objectives of this study were to identify and describe the types of teaching activities developed and how students respond to them and to show how the target language is used in the classroom. The data collection was conducted through daily field notes and a diary. The findings show that in the classroom, the teacher develops twelve types of activities, and the percentage of use of the target language is low.
Classroom Management: A Persistent Challenge for Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers (Manejo del salón de clase: un reto persistente para docentes practicantes de lenguas extranjeras)
Author: Macías, Diego Fernando
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Classroom Techniques,Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Programs,Qualitative Research,Barriers,Classroom Environment,Skill Development,Teaching Skills,Student Behavior,Behavior Problems,Models,Practicums,Teaching Experience,Educational Practices,Cooperating Teachers,Supervisors,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Performance Factors,Change Strategies,Foreign Countries

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to ascertain the extent to which classroom management constituted a problem among pre-service foreign language teachers in a teacher education program at a public university in Colombia. The study also sought to identify classroom management challenges, the approaches to confronting them, and the alternatives for improving pre-service teachers' classroom management skills. The results revealed that classroom management is a serious problem with challenges ranging from inadequate classroom conditions to explicit acts of misbehavior. Establishing rules and reinforcing consequences for misbehavior were the main approaches to classroom management, although more contact with actual classrooms and learning from experienced others were alternatives for improving classroom management skills.