ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Item Calibration in Incomplete Testing Designs
Author: Eggen, Theo J. H. M.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Testing,Item Response Theory,Computation,Maximum Likelihood Statistics,Probability,Equations (Mathematics)

This study discusses the justifiability of item parameter estimation in incomplete testing designs in item response theory. Marginal maximum likelihood (MML) as well as conditional maximum likelihood (CML) procedures are considered in three commonly used incomplete designs: random incomplete, multistage testing and targeted testing designs. Mislevy and Sheenan (1989) have shown that in incomplete designs the justifiability of MML can be deduced from Rubin's (1976) general theory on inference in the presence of missing data. Their results are recapitulated and extended for more situations. In this study it is shown that for CML estimation the justification must be established in an alternative way, by considering the neglected part of the complete likelihood. The problems with incomplete designs are not generally recognized in practical situations. This is due to the stochastic nature of the incomplete designs which is not taken into account in standard computer algorithms. For that reason, incorrect uses of standard MML- and CML-algorithms are discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 5 tables.)
Veterinary Science Students, Center Changing a Reservation
Author: Blackwater, Jasmine
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Animals,Science Programs,Navajo (Nation),Agricultural Education,Health Personnel,Veterinary Medicine,Vocational Education,Rural Areas,High School Students

Kayenta is a rural community located in northeastern Arizona on a Navajo reservation. On the reservation, many families rely on their livestock for income, and as a result, many reservation high school students show a great interest in agricultural education. Having livestock on the reservation is not just a source of income, but also part of a traditional Navajo way of life. This article discusses how the implementation of a veterinary science program and the building of a new career and technical education (CTE) center are changing the way animals are cared for in the community.
Teaching Internet Security, Safety in Our Classrooms
Author: DeFranco, Joanna F.
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Management Systems,Safety,Internet,Teachers,Computer Security,Crime,Privacy,Computers,Social Networks,Adolescents

Internet security is an important topic for educators due to curriculums now incorporating tools such as the Internet, Google docs, e-portfolios, and course management systems. Those tools require students to spend more time online, where they are susceptible to manipulation or intimidation if they do not stay on task. Kids of all ages lack emotional maturity. They also need attention and validation; combine that with their extreme lack of caution, and a broadband connection, and there is now a big problem. Society cannot wait for Internet safety to be a required part of the curriculum or depend solely on parents who may not have the knowledge to teach Internet safety. The technology that is available to students and educators can be a very effective way to enhance curriculum and instruction, however, this author contends that educators need to take a part in the responsibility of teaching students how to use the technology safely. Students are the next generation of the workforce, and these are additional life skills that need to be taught. Internet safety should be taught as proactively as wood and metal shop teachers taught students safety in junior high before they used the circular and table saws; the predators and cyber criminals are just as dangerous.
BICS-CALP: An Introduction for Some, a Review for Others
Author: Roessingh, Hetty
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Discourse,Interpersonal Communication,Audience Response,Figurative Language,Audiences,Communication Skills,English (Second Language),Language Proficiency,Second Language Learning,Academic Achievement,Visual Aids,Guidelines

Over the past few years, the author has often been invited to speak to various audiences on topics related to the development of English-language proficiency. The audience response and the kinds of questions asked led her to share the framework that she has adopted, some visual representations that illustrate the key concepts embedded in the framework, and some research that supports the use of this framework as helpful in explaining the development of English-language proficiency. This article is a brief introduction for some and a review for others. The author has adopted Cummins' (1982) metaphor of an iceberg to illustrate the Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills-Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (BICS-CALP) continuum, and she has adapted Cummins' original framework to fit better with the iceberg metaphor and the available research. (Contains 3 figures.)
Teachers as Learners in the ESL Classroom: It's Old News, but It's News to Me
Author: Light, Justine
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Policy,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Power Structure,Classroom Environment,Community Programs,Teacher Role,Models,Foreign Countries,Literacy Education

In this article, an ESL instructor reflects on her preconceptions of power and control in the classroom. In the community-based program described, learners determined not only when and where classes would take place, but also the aims, curriculum, and content of the program. The challenges of this setting required the instructor to redefine her role in the classroom. After pursuing a more thorough review of the literature, the author began to realize that she had come upon a model that is not new and is part of a well-established tradition of participatory learning.
Diary of an Edu-Tourist in Costa Rica: An Autoethnographical Account of Learning Spanish
Author: Lotherington, Heather
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Immersion Programs,Tourism,Multilingualism,Foreign Countries,Spanish,College Faculty,Second Language Learning,Learning Experience,Internet,Marketing,Teaching Methods,Comparative Analysis,Institutes (Training Programs),Language Teachers,Pragmatics,Learning Processes,Global Approach,Cultural Awareness

This article presents an autoethnographical account of my foray into Spanish immersion education in Costa Rica as a professor of multilingual education at a university in Canada. This language-learning journey was inspired by curiosity about the growing trend for Internet marketing of second-language learning as a form of tourism, which I label edu-tourism. I map the course of my edu-tourism experience, contemplating second-language learning in a local context, describing professionalism in private language teaching institutes, comparing pedagogical practice across various Spanish-as-a-second-language teachers, and documenting my experiential sociopragmatic acquisition of textbook Spanish. (Contains 1 figure.)
Health and Physical Education: A New Global Statement of Consensus (from a Polish Perspective)
Author: Edginton, Christopher R.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physical Education,Health Education,Social Values,Physical Education Teachers,Critical Thinking,Problem Solving,Physical Activities,Accountability,Teacher Education

Physical education has found itself in a difficult position; increasingly more voices are questioning its legitimisation on school curricula. There is an obvious need for performance standards and ways to measure the impact of physical education. Linking the benefits and outcomes of physical education to 21st Century core learning areas such as critical thinking, problem solving, the ability to operate with agility and adaptability, the ability to analyse information, communicate effectively and the ability to act innovatively, will be essential. One of the ways of enhancing its social value (and recognition) might be including and relaying more on health education. This paper draws some lines of direction for the pedagogy of these both subjects in the 21st Century referring to the Global Forum on Physical Education Pedagogy 2010 (GoFPEP 2010) and presenting its "Statement of Consensus."
Transferring Evidence into Practice: What Evidence Summaries of Library and Information Studies Research Tell Practitioners
Author: Kloda, Lorie A.
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Science,Library Research,Evidence,Content Analysis,Criticism,Theory Practice Relationship,Meta Analysis,Library Science,Electronic Publishing

Introduction: Critical appraisal is a crucial aspect of evidence-based practice. In order to determine whether research is valid, reliable and applicable, the evidence-based practice process advocates that published research be critically appraised. Between 2006 and 2008, the journal Evidence Based Library and Information Practice published 101 evidence summaries, critically appraising research in library and information studies. These evidence summaries can be examined in order to determine common strengths and weaknesses of research relevant to library and information studies and identify commonalities in existing evidence summary commentaries. Method: We undertook a directed qualitative content analysis of the commentary portion of all 101 evidence summaries published in the journal, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice from 2006-2008. Findings: Evidence summaries reveal more weaknesses than strengths in the library and information studies research. In general, evidence summary writers tend to remark on weaknesses relating to validity and reliability, yet paradoxically point out strengths with respect to research's applicability to practice. Conclusions: Further research is required to understand why evidence summary writers note more weaknesses than strengths in library and information studies research and whether this reflects the actual quality of the research in general. (Contains 2 tables.)
Implementing Science-Technology-Society Approaches in Middle School Science Teaching
Author: Akcay, Hakan
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scientific Principles,Science and Society,Scientific Concepts,Scientific Literacy,Secondary School Science,Middle Schools,Science Instruction,Faculty Development,Science Teachers,Teacher Competencies,Instructional Effectiveness

The National Science Education Standards emphasize a goal that students should achieve scientific literacy, which is defined as the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts needed in daily living. Scientific literacy enables people to not only use scientific principles and processes in making personal decisions but also to participate in discussions of scientific issues that affect society. Understanding scientific knowledge and processes contributes in an essential way to these skills. The economic productivity of society is related to the scientific and technological skills of the people. The results of this study indicate that students in the student-centered STS sections achieved significantly better than students in the teacher-directed STS sections in terms of understanding and use of process skills, use of creativity skills, development of more positive attitudes; and the ability to apply science concepts in new contexts.
Simple Demonstration of the Seebeck Effect
Author: Molki, Arman
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Experiments,Science Instruction,Science Laboratories,Laboratory Equipment,Thermodynamics,Scientific Principles

In this article we propose a simple and low-cost experimental set-up through which science educators can demonstrate the Seebeck effect using a thermocouple and an instrumentation amplifier. The experiment can be set up and conducted during a 1-hour laboratory session. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)
Pedagogical Lessons from Students&apos; Participation in Web 2.0
Author: Dang, Tan Tin
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Undergraduate Students,Online Courses,Technology Integration,Personal Autonomy,Learning Processes,Educational Technology,Computer Software,Foreign Countries,Majors (Students),English (Second Language),Student Attitudes,Interviews,Teaching Methods,Student Needs,Second Language Learning

Responses of Vietnamese undergraduate students majoring in English to the integration of a Moodle site during an upper intermediate macro-skill course highlight differences in learner autonomy and expectations. Students' general attitudes towards and participation in this online Web 2.0 environment provide the basis for the research reported in this paper. Qualitative data from individual interviews ranged from neutral to very positive. The data also identified three patterns of online participation: task-oriented, content-oriented, and community-oriented. These patterns reflect a transition in the local students' learning expectations and behaviors towards controlling their learning processes and socialising activities in their formal learning. The paper concludes with a number of pedagogical suggestions for the process of technology integration in education in the local context. These are aimed at better engagement of students in the process of personalising online learning environments to suit their needs.
To Jointly Negotiate a Personal Decision: A Qualitative Study on Information Literacy Practices in Midwifery Counselling about Contraceptives at Youth Centres in Southern Sweden
Author: Eckerdal, Johanna Rivano
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Young Adults,Females,Sexuality,Information Literacy,Obstetrics,Counseling Services,Information Sources,Decision Making,Contraception,Interviews,Interpersonal Communication,Transcripts (Written Records),Coding

Introduction: The study is part of a project in which young women's evaluation of information sources before choosing a contraceptive is studied. It focuses on young women meeting midwives for counselling about contraceptives. Conversations are information literacy practices with both parties negotiating about needed and appropriate information on which they will base decisions. Method: Ten conversations between midwives and young women (18 to 22 years old) were recorded. Afterwards, both parties were individually interviewed (19 interviews).The transcriptions from both conversations and interviews formed the material for analysis. Analysis: Transcripts were thematically analysed based on the empirical content with use of ATLAS.ti software. Positioning theory was then applied. Results: The conversations had a specific storyline, important for the positioning taking place. Midwives strive for positioning young women as making the choices. Choices are jointly made but expressed as personal. Thus a neoliberal discourse promoting personal and well-informed choices is present in the conversations. Conclusion: When using positioning theory for understanding information literacy practices in health care settings, both the positions and the understanding of the storyline in use should be included in the analysis. The choice is constructed in a tension between an understanding of the individual's self-expression and the opportunities offered by plastic sexuality and social expectations about individuals as responsible and well-informed citizens. Information literacy practice is understood as a contingent collaborative achievement and information literacy as ambiguous.
Weblog Publishing Behaviour of Librarianship and Information Science Students: A Case Study
Author: Tramullas, Jesus
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Web Sites,Electronic Publishing,Student Attitudes,Social Networks,Teaching Methods,Case Studies,Questionnaires,Motivation,Technology Uses in Education,Information Science Education,Network Analysis,Instructional Effectiveness,Use Studies,Content Analysis,Student Behavior

Introduction: The "blogosphere" is a space with digital information in which social networks form that offer countless application possibilities. In this technology-mediated context, it is feasible to study the performance and approaches of production, diffusion, relationship and use of information from different perspectives. Method: Quantitative data were obtained through the regular examination of the blogs maintained by students and qualitative data were obtained from reports by the students and self-assessment questionnaires. Analysis: Simple counts of quantitative data were obtained, without further statistical analysis. The qualitative data were reviewed for insights into the motivations of students. Results: Given a free choice, most students adopted the Blogger platform for their blogs. Most blogs consisted of content reported from elsewhere and were not continued by the students following the end of the exercise. Conclusions: Students adopted an instrumental approach to the exercise, doing enough to complete the course requirements but not being sufficiently engaged to continue their blogs. Preliminary work based on basic competences is necessary in both collaboration processes and Web 2.0 technology to obtain satisfactory results in the use of Weblogs as teaching and learning tools. (Contains 5 tables.)
Gaining More than Language: Reciprocal Learning through a Peer Mentoring Scheme
Author: Dunworth, Katie
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Peer Teaching,Foreign Countries,Intercultural Communication,Program Evaluation,Cultural Awareness,Second Language Instruction,Tutors

This paper describes the introduction and evaluation of a six-month peer mentoring scheme at one Australian university. The scheme was initiated with the primary aim of promoting the English language development of staff who have English as an additional language (EAL), a cohort which includes postgraduate students working as tutors. It was anticipated that the main outcome would be a perceived improvement in mentees' English language capabilities; but it was also envisaged that all participants would benefit from the intercultural experience inherent to the scheme. Program evaluations indicated that mentees were satisfied that they had benefited linguistically and that mentors believed that they developed a greater level of intercultural sensitivity and a more emphatic understanding of the issues faced by EAL students and staff. The paper concludes by arguing that the approach adopted for the program may be applied in a range of TESOL contexts; not only for language development purposes but also to contribute to the building of intercultural awareness in a non-didactic and experiential way.
iTESOL: Analogous Practices in the SLA Classroom
Author: McDonald, Lisa
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Socialization,Computer Uses in Education,Shared Resources and Services,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Classroom Communication,Creativity,Learning Processes,Teaching Methods

Recent studies of emerging technologies have shown that mobile phone production now exceeds one billion devices globally per year (Johnson, Levine &amp; Smith, 2008). With a level of production that signifies a shift in the ownership of &quot;networked machines&quot; from institutions to individuals, the broad appeal of portable technologies now offers individuals access and control over a growing range of electronic resources. This paper explores resource sharing and collaborative communications practices in the spaces of the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) classroom. From informal conversations with students and the writer's observations, the paper discusses the processes of language acquisition that can emerge through portable technologies such as handheld translators, smart phones, portable computer, and so on. It considers how these kinds of technologies orchestrate and influence student classroom interactions and experiences. In particular, the writing examines social learning in the SLA classroom, and how what is often subtle dialogue between digital/electronic technologies and classroom learners, can provide enduring creative frameworks for language acquisition in the contemporary world.
The Costs and Potential Benefits of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models
Author: Houghton, John W.
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Publishing,Models,Information Systems,Costs,Scholastic Journalism,School Publications,Layout (Publications),Cost Effectiveness,Meta Analysis,Communication Strategies,Foreign Countries,Access to Information

Introduction: This paper reports on a study undertaken for the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), which explored the economic implications of alternative scholarly publishing models. Rather than simply summarising the study's findings, this paper focuses on the approach and presents a step-by-step account of the research process, highlighting the combination of process mapping, activity costing and macro modelling. Method: The analysis relies primarily on existing sources, collating activity cost information from the wide-ranging literature on scholarly communication. Where necessary, these sources were supplemented by targeted informal consultation with experts. Analysis: We examine the costs and potential benefits of the major alternative models for scholarly publishing, including subscription publishing, open access publishing and self-archiving. Adopting a formal approach to modelling the scholarly communication process and identifying activity costs, this paper presents activity and system-wide costs for each of the alternative publishing models. It then explores the potential impacts of enhanced access on returns to R&amp;D. Results: We find that different scholarly publishing models could make a material difference to the costs faced by various parties and to the returns on investment in R&amp;D that might be realised. Conclusion: It seems likely that more open access could have substantial benefits in the longer term. While the benefits may be lower during a transitional period they would be likely to be positive for both open access publishing and self-archiving alternatives. (Contains 1 note, 1 table, and 6 figures.)
"I Asked My Mum, but" and Other Cases of Unsuccessful Information Seeking by Asking
Author: Huvila, Isto
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: User Needs (Information),Information Seeking,Content Analysis,Family Relationship,Group Membership,Information Sources,Criteria,Selection,Barriers,Social Environment,Access to Information,Communication (Thought Transfer),Information Needs

Introduction. Failure to find information is common. An exploratory analysis of cases when family members or friends were asked for information can provide better understanding of when, how and why interpersonal information seeking within a close network of individuals fails. Method. A sample of utterances (in form of "I asked my mum, but") was harvested from the Web using LexiURL Searcher software. Analysis. The material (327 utterances) was analysed with content analysis and categorised using the constant comparative method. Results. People utter on the Web different types of, mostly fact-related, questions they have asked earlier of their family members and friends. Multiple factors were found to affect interpersonal information seeking including a major barrier, bashfulness, which has not been discussed earlier in the literature. Conclusions. Success in asking questions of family and friends is a broad issue of mastering information content, social environment and other contexts of information seeking rather than a technical ability. (Contains 3 tables.)