ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Fostering Research Identities in Two-Course Writing Sequences: A Curricular Perspective
Author: Sura, Thomas
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing (Composition),Universities,Writing Instruction,Sequential Approach,Sequential Learning,Program Descriptions,Undergraduate Study,Research Papers (Students),Expository Writing,Persuasive Discourse,Curriculum Design,Writing Evaluation

Two-course writing sequences are valuable because they extend the time that students spend focused on developing as writers and researchers, yet they cannot rely on a &quot;more is better&quot; argument to justify their ongoing implementation, especially when general education curricula are shrinking and one course often looks much the same as the other. This program profile describes how West Virginia University is adopting a proactive stance on preserving and advocating for two-course writing sequences by recasting its second, sophomore-level course as an essential building block in the formation of undergraduate research identities. By combining axiologies of research identities with those of genre, metagenre, and metadisciplines, the program at West Virginia University is reshaping and repositioning its writing curriculum to more adequately address the diverse needs of students on pathways to many different disciplines.
Assessment as Living Documents of Program Identity and Institutional Goals: A Profile of Missouri University of Science and Technology's Composition Program
Author: Reardon, Daniel
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing (Composition),Writing Across the Curriculum,Undergraduate Study,STEM Education,Writing Evaluation,Feedback (Response),Student Surveys,Writing Skills,Writing Instruction,Diagnostic Tests,Reading Diagnosis,Curriculum Design,Essays,Writing Assignments,Research Papers (Students)

In this profile we describe changes to the composition program at Missouri University of Science and Technology, prompted by the hiring of the university's first writing program administrator (WPA). We describe our efforts to implement evidence-based best practices in undergraduate writing courses in a context where very little program specific evidence was available. We also describe how challenges of effecting change at a university largely composed of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students has meant that many of the changes have been framed by the spirit of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) initiatives. Several new methods of assessment have been introduced to the program, including instructor feedback, student surveys, and skills tests. Allowing assessment to drive standardization has begun a process of measuring the transfer of student knowledge we believe other departments will find interesting. We close by outlining unresolved issues and ongoing challenges as the program moves forward.
Chicago Mothers on Finding and Using Child Care during Nonstandard Work Hours
Author: Stoll, Marcia
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Child Care,Scheduling,Mothers,Employed Parents,Urban Areas,Interviews,One Parent Family,Barriers,Child Care Centers,Friendship,Family (Sociological Unit),Parent Attitudes,Qualitative Research,Employment Level,Satisfaction,Costs,State Policy

Few issues confound child care policy more than the fact that very large numbers of mothers work evenings, overnight, or weekend hours when fewer child care programs operate. The authors interviewed 50 single Chicago mothers with nontraditional work hours about their experiences finding and using child care. Participants' responses addressed multiple reasons that many parents choose informal family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) child care even if they can afford licensed child care. FFN care was reported to be more personal or trustworthy and more flexible with respect to payments, schedule (particularly variable schedules), and caring for ill children. This perspective was noted even among parents who felt that FFN care did not meet their children's needs educationally or socially as well as a more formal setting would. The authors suggest directions in federal and state child care policies that could better support parents and children by including and improving FFN care.
Recommendations for Implementing the New Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards to Affect Classroom Practices for Social and Emotional Learning
Author: Zinsser, Katherine M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Development,Emotional Development,Academic Standards,State Standards,Elementary Secondary Education,Preschool Education,Early Childhood Education,Cultural Relevance,Language Usage,Educational Environment,Program Implementation,Curriculum,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Evaluation Methods,Faculty Development

The state of Illinois in the central United States has long been a trendsetter both in the development of learning standards and in addressing social and emotional learning in education settings. With a recent revision to the state's early learning standards, published in 2013, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) fully aligned its standards for children's social and emotional development and learning from preschool through high school. In this paper, the authors discuss the social and emotional development components of the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS) and make recommendations for ways to ensure that the new standards are fully implemented and have the greatest positive impact on young children's social and emotional learning and development.
The Impact of Animated Books on the Vocabulary and Language Development of Preschool-Aged Children in Two School Settings
Author: Broemmel, Amy D.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Animation,Books,Preschool Children,Vocabulary Development,Language Acquisition,Young Children,Electronic Publishing,Emergent Literacy,Early Childhood Education,Preschool Education,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Comparative Analysis,Comprehension,Language Usage,Teaching Methods,Focus Groups,Preschool Teachers

With the emergence of electronic media over the past two decades, young children have been found to have increased exposure to video games, computer-based activities, and electronic books (e-books). This study explores how exposure to animated ebooks impacts young children's literacy development. A stratified convenience sample (n = 24) was selected from four mixed-age classrooms at two sites: a Head Start center and a university learning center. Each site included one experimental classroom using both electronic books and traditional picture books and one control classroom using only traditional picture books. The authors noted children's increased use of new related vocabulary after multiple exposures to the books, whether participants were in the control or the experimental group. Children's comprehension scores also improved after multiple exposures to books in both groups. However, children's use of &quot;book language,&quot; (that is, retelling with language patterns that mirror those used in the book's text) showed variations based on school site rather than control or experimental group. Researchers noted that in some cases, the e-books themselves seemed to mediate the children's interactions with the text similarly to the way adults facilitate interactions with traditional picture books. Overall, results suggest that animated electronic books have the potential to positively affect the literacy development of young children.
Enhancing Child Care Quality by Director Training and Collegial Mentoring
Author: Doherty, Gillian
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Child Care,Mentors,Educational Quality,Collegiality,Administrator Education,Leadership Training,Skill Development,Inservice Education,Meetings,Communities of Practice,Facilitators (Individuals),Improvement Programs,Educational Practices,Social Networks,Training Methods,Models,Partnerships in Education,Standards,Child Care Centers,Matched Groups,Rating Scales,Observation,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Foreign Countries

Although considerable evidence confirms that a director with good leadership and administrative skills is vital for developing and sustaining a high quality child care program, many directors assume the role with little management experience or training. This paper reports on a training program in Canada that combined a formal curriculum to increase director administrative knowledge and skills with a mentoring component emphasizing peer support and collegial learning, delivered in a way that enabled participants to continue working full time. The participants in each of the 28 locations across the province formed study groups with facilitators and held monthly three hour meetings for a year. During the meetings the participants and their facilitators discussed specific aspects of center administration and their implications for practice. Between meetings participants engaged in self reflection, shared reflective journals, and worked as a group or in pairs on assignments such as doing a critical analysis of a case study. Graduates showed significant improvement in their administrative practice as measured by the PAS (t[57] = 4.31, p &lt; 0.001) and in the global classroom quality in their centers as measured by the ECERSR (t[57]= 3.32, p &lt; 0.01). Eighteen months after graduation, members of all study groups reported ongoing contact with each other (e.g., seeking and receiving assistance and working on joint projects). These reports confirm the program's success in developing local, ongoing director support networks.
Our Wheels Project: Finding the Extraordinary within the Ordinary
Author: Cowan, Jane
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Kindergarten,Early Childhood Education,Child Care Centers,Preschool Curriculum,Creativity,Play,Student Interests,Student Projects,Teaching Methods,Active Learning,Research

The Wheels Project took place from January to March, 2012 in a junior kindergarten/kindergarten classroom at the St. Nicholas location of Owl Child Care Services of Ontario in Waterloo. Owl Child Care Services, a nonprofit registered charity, operates seven centers in Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, Ontario. Owl is one of the largest center-based, licensed child care agencies in the Region of Waterloo, providing care for more than 800 children a day between the ages 3 months and 10 years old. Owl has served families in the region for more than 30 years. In 2010, following a staff-led review of different learning philosophies, the organization decided that a change was necessary to remain current with evidenced-based practice in the field of early childhood education and care. The shift was made from theme-based to play-based learning with a focus on emergent curriculum based on Ontario's framework for early childhood settings, Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT). This paper is a reflection on one classroom's part in the pilot project for the philosophy change. The children's interest in wheels, found in the classroom, provided the inspiration for research, investigation, creation, documentation, imagination, and discussion. The Wheels Project allowed the teachers to learn along with the children, and reminded the teachers to trust the children in their search for knowledge.
&quot;Trees and Things That Live in Trees&quot;: Three Children with Special Needs Experience the Project Approach
Author: Griebling, Susan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Projects,Preschool Children,Developmental Delays,Behavior Problems,Negative Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Student Participation,Learner Engagement,Social Development,Prosocial Behavior,Inquiry,Graphic Arts,Photography,Video Technology,Student Behavior,Natural Resources,Observation,Outdoor Education,Program Effectiveness

The authors report on research conducted during a project investigation undertaken with preschool children, ages 3-5. The report focuses on three children with special needs and the positive outcomes for each child as they engaged in the project Trees and Things That Live in Trees. Two of the children were diagnosed with developmental delays, and the third child expressed strong dislike of school and exhibited challenging behaviors. The authors document pivotal experiences for the children during their participation in the project and note transformations in four areas: initiated learning experiences, increased engagement, increased prosocial skills, and the use of graphic arts for inquiry and representation.
Examining Computational Skills in Prekindergarteners: The Effects of Traditional and Digital Manipulatives in a Prekindergarten Classroom
Author: Mattoon, Cassandra
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Kindergarten,Preschool Children,Preschool Evaluation,Computation,Conventional Instruction,Technology Uses in Education,Laboratory Schools,Small Group Instruction,Manipulative Materials,Intermode Differences,Mathematical Aptitude,Performance Based Assessment,Mathematical Concepts,Mathematics Skills,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Mathematics Tests,Mathematics Achievement,Pretests Posttests

The authors investigated benefits of digital technology compared with traditional manipulatives in relation to preschoolers' development and learning of computational skills. The sample consisted of twenty four 4-and 5-year old children who attended a half-day prekindergarten program five times a week in a university laboratory school in the Midwestern United States. Children participated in small group instruction targeting computational skills. In one class, the teacher provided traditional manipulatives. In the other class, the same teacher provided digital manipulatives in the form of touch tablets with software apps. Both groups of children demonstrated significant increases in correct responses to computation questions on the Test of Early Mathematics Ability-- Third Edition (TEMA3). This practitioner study contributes to current research by using performance based assessment to compare the impact of digital versus traditional manipulatives on young children's computational concepts and skills.
Building a Writing Community through Learning of French
Author: Bissoonauth-Bedford, Anu.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: French,Pilot Projects,Writing Improvement,Collaborative Writing,Learning Activities,Electronic Learning,Multimedia Instruction,Instructional Innovation,Integrated Activities,Blended Learning,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Writing Skills,Grammar,Second Language Learning,Qualitative Research,Student Evaluation,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Cooperative Learning,Constructivism (Learning),Undergraduate Students,Reflection,Computer Mediated Communication,Communities of Practice,Efficiency,Self Efficacy,Knowledge Management,Peer Teaching,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries

This paper reports on a pilot study designed to develop writing proficiency in French via collaborative writing activities at intermediate level at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Twenty four students in the final year of French studies program took part in this innovative approach which integrates multimodal functionality of the elearning platform combined with face to face interaction and discussions. Methodology draws on educational practice influenced by a socio-constructivist approach, and particularly on the importance of relevant meaningful tasks in the target language as well as &quot;constructively aligned&quot; (Biggs, 1999: 11) assessment in language learning. The results show that groups used the online functionality to scaffold their writing skills and that collaborative tasks were perceived as an effective way of consolidating grammar knowledge and enhancing individual literacy skills in the foreign language. Qualitative analysis of students' evaluation of their writing skills at the beginning and the end of the semester shows that group work acts as activator in the meta-learning that was occurring online as well as in the face-to-face discussions resulting in critical reflection in the independent learning process.
The Effect of Bilingualism on Self-Perceived Multicultural Counseling Competence
Author: Ivers, Nathaniel N.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Bilingualism,Counselor Training,Cross Cultural Training,Multicultural Education,Competence,Counseling Effectiveness,Cultural Awareness,Ethnicity,Graduate Students,Masters Programs,Surveys,Multivariate Analysis,Statistical Analysis

Ethnic and linguistic minorities continue to underutilize and prematurely terminate counseling services at higher rates than their ethnic majority counterparts. To improve the provision of counseling services to culturally diverse clients, new avenues supported by theory and research need to be uncovered. One factor that has received little empirical attention in the counseling and multicultural literature is bilingualism. This study examined the effect of bilingualism on counseling students' multicultural counseling competence, while controlling for ethnicity and multicultural training. Results supported the hypothesis that bilingual counseling students would self-rate their multicultural counseling competence higher than would their monolingual counterparts. Implications for counselor training, counseling practice and future research are discussed.
Taking Risks with Their Hearts: Risk and Emotion in Innovative Forms of Assessment
Author: Leiman, Tania
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Risk,Student Evaluation,Affective Behavior,Emotional Response,Risk Assessment,Health Sciences,College Freshmen,Assignments,Experiential Learning,Imagination,Educational Theories,Teaching Methods,Student Responsibility,Theory of Mind,Educational Practices,Focus Groups,Familiarity,Prediction,Misconceptions,Disclosure,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Foreign Countries

Research involving student and tutor responses to a &quot;pedagogy of the heart&quot; approach in a first year university health science topic revealed anxiety, insecurity and perceptions of unpredictability in relation to an innovative arts-based assignment designed to elicit and assess experiential or imaginal knowledge. Using the lens of contemporary theories of risk, and explicitly considering the role of emotion in assessment, this paper identifies both the effectiveness of and challenges encountered in this form of assessment. It also explores the relationships between risk and emotion, and between risk and assessment, particularly for young people in the higher education context. By comparing the risks involved with the benefits to be gained, the efficacy of adopting such a pedagogical approach is reviewed.
Bridging the Experiential Learning Gap: An Evaluation of the Impacts of Ulster University's Senior Student Tutoring Scheme on First Year Students
Author: Eaton, Martin D.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experiential Learning,College Freshmen,Environmental Education,College Seniors,Test Preparation,Workshops,Teaching Assistants,Tutors,Tutorial Programs,Action Research,Student Participation,Success,Achievement Gains,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Self Efficacy,Questionnaires,Comparative Testing,Performance Based Assessment,Phenomenology,Attendance,Individual Development,Learning Activities,Barriers,Transfer of Training,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

Since 2004-05 first year students at the School of Environmental Sciences, Ulster University have engaged with senior student tutors (SSTs) in workshop activities aimed at preparations for their written examinations. Using a pedagogical action research methodology we evaluated the role of SSTs in bridging the experiential learning gap between practitioners and recipients. Analysis suggested positive associations between workshop participation, examination success and improved module marks. Surveys showed that first year students gained confidence, were less intimidated and empowered with revision and examination techniques. The SSTs gained valuable insights, tutoring experience and an evidence base useful to their career paths. Discussion focused upon risk-averse first year students who grasped and then transformed the experiences of the SSTs into successful examination performance. It is argued that our SSTs have helped to bridge the experiential learning gap and made inter-collegiate connections that would have been less-likely in a formal, teaching staffled situation. Faculty suffering from examination related student progression problems could, therefore, benefit from adopting this locally controlled, low cost, small-scale, tailor-made, peer assisted tutoring scheme.
Promoting African Music and Enhancing Intercultural Understanding in Teacher Education
Author: Joseph, Dawn
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Music Education,Teacher Education,Music,Preservice Teachers,African Culture,Multicultural Education,Music Teachers,Workshops,Qualitative Research,Questionnaires,Observation,Reflection

Australia is a culturally diverse nation. The Arts provide a pathway that contributes to the rich tapestry of its people. Tertiary music educators have the responsibility to provide opportunities to effectively prepare and engage pre-service teachers in becoming culturally responsive. The authors discuss the importance and need to include guest music educators as culture bearers when preparing pre-service teachers to teach multicultural music. Drawing on data from student questionnaires, author participant observation and reflective practice in 2014, the findings highlight the experiences and practical engagement of an African music workshop in teacher education courses. Generalisations cannot be made, however, the findings revealed the need, importance and benefits of incorporating guest music educators as culture bearers who have the knowledge, skills and understandings to contribute to multicultural music education. This experience may be similar to other educational settings and it is hoped that the findings may provide a platform for further dialogue in other teaching and learning areas.
The Nebulous, Essential Dimensions in Effective University Teaching: The Ethic of Care and Relational Acumen
Author: Scott, Donald E.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Work Ethic,Beliefs,Instructional Design,Teacher Student Relationship,Teacher Effectiveness,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Interviews,Questionnaires,Mixed Methods Research,Journal Writing,Instructional Effectiveness,Classroom Environment,Classroom Techniques,Caring,Synchronous Communication,Electronic Learning,Business Administration Education,Learning Experience,Administrator Attitudes,Educational Practices,College Students,Foreign Countries

This paper examines the interrelationships between teaching beliefs and approaches, instructional design, relationships with students, and academics' and students' perceptions of effective teaching and learning. Mixed methodology was utilised and included interviews with academics and students, and questionnaires, inventories, and learning journals. As anticipated educationally optimal instructional design was appreciated by academics and students, however, it was not the most significant aspect in influencing students' perceptions of &quot;good&quot; or effective teaching. Differences were found between two teaching academics' beliefs about students and these translated into varied approaches to teaching, interactions with students, and different capacities to establish positive classroom environments and relationships. Academics' ethic of care and relational acumen were the pivotal components in students' criteria for effective teaching, which may present a quandary to academic developers. Findings indicate the importance of relational acumen and an ethic of care and may also have significance for university leaders in matching academic teaching activities to faculty strengths and potentially explaining negative student feedback in well-designed units.