ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Higher Order Thinking Skills among Secondary School Students in Science Learning
Author: Saido, Gulistan Mohammed
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Thinking Skills,Secondary School Students,Science Education,Grade 7,Skill Analysis,Multiple Choice Tests,Gender Differences,Knowledge Level,Cognitive Ability,Cognitive Tests,Foreign Countries

A central goal of science education is to help students to develop their higher order thinking skills to enable them to face the challenges of daily life. Enhancing students' higher order thinking skills is the main goal of the Kurdish Science Curriculum in the Iraqi-Kurdistan region. This study aimed at assessing 7th grade students' higher order thinking skills level. The higher order thinking level test (HOTLT) was developed based on the Bloom Taxonomy of cognitive domain and consisted of 20 multiple-choice questions. The test was distributed to a randomly chosen sample comprising 418 7th grade students in the Iraqi-Kurdistan region. The overall findings revealed that the majority of the 7th grade students were at lower level of thinking skills (LOTL) n = 278 (79.7%). More male students were at lower level than female students. However, there was no significant difference between students' level of higher order thinking skills and their gender (p &gt; 0.05). Based on the results of students' level of higher order thinking skills, the study provided evidence that almost all students needs to improve their higher order thinking skills especially the synthesis and evaluation skills required for improving students' creativity in science.
The Knowledge of Teaching--Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)
Author: Shing, Chien Lee
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Definitions,Instruction,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Concept Formation,Teaching Models,Best Practices,Professional Identity,Teacher Competencies

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) was first introduced by Shulman in the 80s. It is defined as the integration or amalgamation of pedagogy and content which basically covers the &quot;what&quot; and &quot;how&quot; of teaching. PCK was considered as the missing paradigm in the study of teaching. This integration of knowledge was long searched by the scholars in the United States in their effort to elevate teaching to the professional status similar to that of doctor, lawyer and engineer. As PCK is the knowledge of teaching, this concept paper presents an overview on definitions of teaching, indicators and knowledge bases required in good teaching. This paper also presents the conceptions and models of PCK, the processes (PRA Model) involved in the growth and development of PCK of teachers and the importance of PCK.
Accountability: A Watchword for University Administration in Nigeria
Author: Sofoluwe, Abayomi Olumade
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Accountability,College Administration,Educational Development,Educational Trends,College Admission,College Applicants,Quality Assurance,Classification,Audits (Verification),Educational Practices

The term accountability means different things to different people in different organizations. In the educational setting, the term is seen as liability to one's accomplishment in the educational system. The ever increasing needs of the universities and the dwindling resources available to them have forced university management and other stakeholders seek innovative ways of ensuring survival of their universities. This can be achieved through proper accountability of the education goals, programs and productivity measurement. This article begins with a brief overview of the state of Nigerian university education, university management, concept of accountability and processes of accountability. The issues raised include those on goals, accountability and parameters for academic excellence in the system. The article concludes with some suggestions for improving accountability in Nigerian universities.
Measuring Explicit and Implicit Knowledge: A Psychometric Study in SLA
Author: Ebadi, Mandana Rohollahzadeh
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Knowledge Level,Psychometrics,Second Language Learning,Outcome Measures,Program Validation,Language Tests,Factor Analysis,Questionnaires,Content Validity,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Correlation,Graduate Students,Evaluation Criteria,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries

Lack of valid means of measuring explicit and implicit knowledge in acquisition of second language is a concern issue in investigations of explicit and implicit learning. This paper endeavors to validate the use of four tests (i.e., Untimed Judgment Grammatical Test, UJGT; Test of Metalinguistic Knowledge, TMK; Elicited Oral Imitation Test, EOIT; and Time pressured Judgment Grammatical Test, TJGT) from a set of instruments introduced by Ellis (2005) to measure explicit and implicit knowledge of ESL learners. The result of Principal Component Analysis shows the UJGT and TMK loaded on the first factor (i.e., explicit knowledge) and the EOIT and TJGT loaded on the second factor (i.e., implicit knowledge) when a two factor solution was imposed. The study also shows that second language students respond in a different way to ungrammatical and grammatical sentences in the UJGT. Hence, Pearson Product Moment Coefficient tests have been conducted amid the ungrammatical and grammatical sentences in the UJGT and other instruments. The outcome suggests that in the case of UJGT ungrammatical sentences would provide a superior measurement of explicit knowledge.
A Novice Teacher's Experience of Practicing Eclecticism in a Foreign Adult Classroom
Author: Paramboor, Jafar
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Beginning Teachers,Adult Education,Creativity,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research,Adult Students,Self Disclosure (Individuals),Teacher Behavior,Translation,Interpersonal Communication,Observation

This article intends to highlight some of the experiences that an International novice English teacher had in the classroom of some pre-degree students of Malaysia, who were in their twenties. As a student of education, the author has some theoretical background in the field of teaching, with which he realized that an eclectic teacher is the one whom a classroom always needs; not a lesson plan-bounded teacher especially for adults, provided that he or she has an active and creative mind, not only inside, but also outside the four walls. The paper introduces some new approaches that the author practiced for a two-month Intensive English course for Malay students, whose local language is unfamiliar to the former. Among these approaches were some new dimensions of self-disclosing approach, free talking approach, labeling approach, behavior diversion approach, translation approach, and teacher-student conversion approach. Being cognizant of both positive and negative consequences of eclecticism, this study would analyze some of the pros and cons, underpinned by an experience-based understanding. The research design used in this paper is basically observational method after which a narrative analysis method is exercised. The article concludes with some of the implications for the pre-degree students as well as early University students arguing that eclecticism should be valued not only for schools but also for post-school periods.
Trained in Science-Base Field: Change of Specialization among Educated Women in Malaysia
Author: Amin, Suhaida Mohd
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Specialization,Women Faculty,Womens Studies,Graduate Surveys,Science Education,Teacher Persistence,Career Change,College Graduates,Likert Scales,Science Interests,Womens Education

The theoretical model for economic development states that development in science and technology is the key to increased productivity. Upon realizing this, the Malaysian government has targeted 60 to 40 per cent of students for Science to Arts field at the tertiary level of education. However the rate of participation in science-based programs hardly achieved 60 percent even after more than four decades of efforts taken and incentives given by the government. Despite the policy's under-achievement, this article aimed at examining another dimension of the issue. It sets to explore to what extent would Science based graduates remained working in the same field after their graduation. Given that female has been dominating the enrolment in tertiary education while low rate of female participation in the labor market is recorded, this study focuses on women who have completed their tertiary education. Based on data collected through survey on educated women, this study found 36.9% of women who have graduated with science-based degree opted to non-science type of job. The study also found that those who opted out experienced difficulty in finding a job and earned less than those who remained in the same field. Unsurprisingly, these respondents found that knowledge acquired from their tertiary education is less helpful in their career advancement. The findings highlighted the under-achievement of the policy implemented by the government.
Investigating Foreign Language Learning Anxiety among Students Learning English in a Public Sector University, Pakistan
Author: Gopang, Illahi Bux
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Attitudes,Anxiety,College Students,Public Sector,Universities,Statistical Analysis,Majors (Students),Nonmajors,Gender Differences,Correlation,Statistical Significance,Difficulty Level,Questionnaires,Fear,Test Anxiety

The present study investigated foreign language anxiety among students of Lasbela University, Baluchistan, Pakistan. The study adopted the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz et al., 1986). The respondents were (N = 240) including 26 female and 214 male. The data was run through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to present descriptive statistics of the respondents. Furthermore, ANOVA test indicated that there was no significant difference in majoring and non-majoring students' level of anxiety, significantly, (F = value is equal to 3.348 and (P = value is equal to 0.011). Besides; no significant difference was also found in language anxiety between male and female respondents. Moreover, Pearson product-moment correlation showed a significant correlation among variables (CA=TA=FNE). The findings suggested that students of Lasbela University have fairly high anxiety in learning English.
Effectiveness of PowerPoint Presentation on Students' Cognitive Achievement in Technical Drawing
Author: Gambari, Amosa Isiaka
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Instructional Effectiveness,Computer Software,Teaching Methods,Visual Aids,Academic Achievement,Drafting,Technology Education,Secondary School Students,Pretests Posttests,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Comparative Analysis,Achievement Tests,Multiple Choice Tests,Reliability,Statistical Analysis,Gender Differences,Quasiexperimental Design,Measures (Individuals)

This paper discusses importance of technology education and evidence of declining performance of junior secondary school students in basic technology subject. Benefits of PowerPoint presentation in classroom instruction as a means to improve classroom teaching in the developing countries are also discussed. The effectiveness of PowerPoint Presentation (PPT) for teaching Technical Drawing concepts in Basic Technology was determined using a pretest-posttest, non-equivalent, non-randomized experimental group design. A 2x2x3 factorial design was employed. One hundred JSS 1 students (53 male and 47 female) categorized into 29 high, 54 medium and 17 low achievers from two secondary schools in Abuja Metropolis formed the sample. The schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught some selected concepts from Technical Drawing using PowerPoint Presentation (PPT) while Chalkboard method (CB) was used for the control group. A validated Technical Drawing Achievement Test (TDAT) comprising a 25-item multiple-choice test was employed for data collection. The reliability coefficient of TDAT was 0.88 using Kuder-Richardson (KR-20). The hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA and Sidak post-hoc analysis. Results revealed that the students taught with PPT performed better than their counterparts taught with CB. Also, high achievers performed better than medium and low achievers respectfully. The PPT was found also to be gender friendly. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the use of PPT should be encouraged in Nigerian schools.
Using Portfolio to Assess Rural Young Learners' Writing Skills in English Language Classroom
Author: Aziz, Muhammad Noor Abdul
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Skills,Portfolio Assessment,Outcome Measures,Performance Based Assessment,Elementary School Students,Interviews,English (Second Language),Writing Achievement,Evaluation Methods,Rural Youth,Foreign Countries,Observation

This study aimed at discussing the benefits of portfolio assessment in assessing students' writing skills. The study explores the use of authentic assessment in the classroom. Eleven primary school children from Year 4 in a rural school in Sabah participated in this study. Data were collected by observing them during the English Language lessons and at the end of the series of observations, an interview session was conducted with each of them for triangulation. Through the observation, the children can be categorized into 4 groups of improvement, which are &quot;emerging&quot;, &quot;beginning&quot;, &quot;developing&quot; and &quot;expanding&quot; using the coding from British Columbia (1999). The results of this study revealed that using portfolio to assess young learners' writing skills is beneficial and effective in helping them to write in the English language classroom. The value of this study is to suggest the use of a more authentic classroom assessment, particularly in English language teaching and learning.
Effects of Computer-Assisted STAD, LTM and ICI Cooperative Learning Strategies on Nigerian Secondary School Students' Achievement, Gender and Motivation in Physics
Author: Gambari, Amosa Isiaka
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Computer Assisted Instruction,Cooperative Learning,Secondary School Students,Student Motivation,Science Achievement,Physics,Scientific Concepts,Pretests Posttests,Randomized Controlled Trials,Gender Differences,Science Instruction,Foreign Countries,Educational Technology,Questionnaires,Achievement Tests,Science Tests,Hypothesis Testing,Statistical Analysis

This study examined the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction on Student Team Achievement Division (STAD) and Learning Together (LT) cooperative learning strategies on Nigerian secondary students' achievement and motivation in physics. The effectiveness of computer assisted instructional package (CAI) for teaching physics concepts in cooperative settings was determined using Pretest-Posttest Experimental group design. The reliability coefficient of the research instruments were 0.71 and 0.82 using Kuder-Richardson KR-20 and 21 respectively. Some 90 (45 male and 45 female) students from three secondary schools in Minna, Nigeria made-up the sample. The schools were randomly assigned to experimental group I (STAD), experimental group II (LTM) and control group (Individualized Computer Instruction, ICI). Results revealed that the students taught with STAD and LTM performed significantly better than their counterparts taught using individualized computer instruction (ICI). The cooperative learning strategies were found to be gender friendly. Based on the findings, physics teachers should be encouraged to use computer-assisted STAD cooperative teaching strategy to enhance students' academic achievement, retention and motivation in physics.
Smartphones Promote Autonomous Learning in ESL Classrooms
Author: Ramamuruthy, Viji
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Classroom Environment,Handheld Devices,Independent Study,English (Second Language),Learning Processes,Questionnaires,College Students,Communication Skills,Electronic Learning,Interpersonal Competence,Creative Activities,Creative Thinking,Critical Thinking,Technology Uses in Education,Participant Satisfaction,Foreign Countries

The rapid development of high-technology has caused new inventions of gadgets for all walks of life regardless age. In this rapidly advancing technology era many individuals possess hi-tech gadgets such as laptops, tablets, iPad, android phones and smart phones. Adult learners in higher learning institution especially are fond of using smart phones. Students become passive in the classrooms as they are glued to their smart phones. This situation triggers the question of whether learning really takes place while the students are too engaged with their smart phones in the ESL classroom. In this context, the following questions are framed to investigate this issue: What type of learning skills are gained by using smartphones in ESL classrooms? Does smartphone use promote the autonomous learning process? To what extent do learners rely on the lecturers in addition to the usage of smartphones? What are the learning satisfactions gained by ESL learners using smartphones? A total of 70 smartphone users in the age range 18 to 26 years participated in this quantitative study. Questionnaires eliciting demographic details of the respondents, learning skills, learning satisfaction, students' perception on teacher's role in the ESL classroom and autonomous learning were distributed to all the randomly chosen samples. The data were then analyzed by using SPSS version 16. The findings revealed that smartphone use boosted learners' critical thinking, creative thinking, communication and collaboration skills. In fact, learners gain great satisfaction in the learning process through smartphones. Although learners have moved toward autonomous learning, they are still reliant on the teachers to achieve their learning goals.
The Ecosystem Factor in Supporting Wiki Initiative for Knowledge Sharing in Malaysian Public Organisation
Author: Khuzaimah, Khairil Hizar Md
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Knowledge Management,Web 2.0 Technologies,Organizational Communication,Organizational Culture,Organizational Climate,Mass Media Use,Case Studies,Performance Factors,Program Implementation,Organizational Change,Web Sites

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the significance of considering the organizational ecosystem in implementing wikis for knowledge sharing.The findings suggest that a prerequisite of an effective wiki is the appreciation of the factors that make up the organizational ecosystem; technical and organizational factors are variable elements of the ecosystem that can significantly impact the wiki; and the task of re-aligning an existing wiki taking into consideration these factors can be complex.The case study was based on knowledge sharing in a public project management organization, thereby limiting the generalizability to other organizations. Organizations which are keen to adopt wiki as part of their knowledge management initiative need to contextualize their wiki initiative within the organizational context.This research contributes to extending the knowledge-base of the factors that impact the effectiveness of wikis for knowledge sharing by linking the wiki to the broader organizational factors.
Instructional Media Production for Early Childhood Education: A. B. C. Jig-Saw Puzzle, a Model
Author: Yusuf, Mudashiru Olalere
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Instructional Materials,Material Development,Puzzles,Educational Technology,Instructional Material Evaluation,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Educational Media,Program Descriptions

In this paper, a. b. c. jig-saw puzzle was produced for early childhood education using local materials. This study was a production based type of research, to serve as a supplemental or total learning resource. Its production followed four phases of development referred to as information, design, production and evaluation. The storyboard cards, lesson activities plan as well as drafts of the phases were reviewed and re-reviewed by experts and adjustments were made based on the suggestions offered by them. These documents were woven to bring about a blue print which was translated and produced to become an instructional resource. The product (a. b. c. jig-saw puzzle) was evaluated by twenty (20) Educational Technology experts. The means as well as percentages of experts' assessment were used to determine appropriateness of the product. The results showed that the package was purposeful, appropriate, suitable, standardized and with high quality overall. The product was tested on five different children of early childhood age and found to have the capabilities of motivating them, creating interactions in an open relationship, building and sustaining attention and bringing about self-discovery and self-actualization in a gaming pattern. It is recommended that more concepts should be coded and produced for the early childhood stage, in order to cater for their needs. They might fully participate in learning experiences for them, since they are put together in an interesting pattern fashioned in game manner. That the instructional resource be replicated and used with the children of the early childhood produced for. Also, seminars and workshops should be organized for teachers at this level of education constantly, so that they would be able to possess competence required to manipulate instructional resources and teach adequately at this crucial stage of education.
Effect of Field Trip on Students' Academic Performance in Basic Technology in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria
Author: Amosa, Abdul Ganiyu Alasela
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Field Trips,Academic Achievement,Technology Education,Fundamental Concepts,Pretests Posttests,Control Groups,Quasiexperimental Design,Experimental Groups,Gender Differences,Teaching Methods,Intermode Differences,Achievement Gains,Foreign Countries

The use of field trip in teaching and learning helps to bring about effective and efficient learning in Basic Technology. Field trip is a group excursion away from the normal education environment for firsthand experience of an historic site or place of special interest. This study therefore was geared towards finding out the effect of field trip on students' academic performance in learning practical skills in Basic Technology in Ilorin, Nigeria. A pre-test, post-test and control group quasi-experimental design was adopted for this study. Two sampled upper basic Schools were selected from Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State using purposive sampling technique. The two sampled upper basic Schools comprised 50 students who were randomly assigned to treatment (25 students) and control (25 students) groups. Analysis of Co-variance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that at significant level, the value produced F (2, 22) = 3.44 &gt; 0.109 Therefore, hypothesis one was rejected. Also, at 0.05 significant level, the value produced F (2, 9) = 4.26 &gt; 0.433. Therefore, hypothesis two was rejected. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that; teachers should take students on field trip so as to promote and encourage active engagement in learning, self-motivation, discovery learning and learning by experience.