ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the Impact of Aesthetic Visual Design on Usability of E-Learning: An Emerging Economy Perspective
Author: Ghai, Akanksha
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Aesthetics,Usability,Electronic Learning,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Computer Graphics,Computer System Design,College Students,Student Attitudes,Educational Technology

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to examine various dimensions of aesthetic visual design and their role in predicting usability in e-learning in higher education institutions of northern India. Using quantitative means of data collection, this research identified, ways and means to make learning content effectively usable, that is, attractive, interesting, motivating, and engaging for the learners. Method: A survey questionnaire was developed through focused group discussions with field experts. Data were collected through online as well as offline modes. A Google form was created and its weblink was shared with the students pursuing degree courses in various state universities in northern India. Several visits and revisits were also undertaken to various universities to approach the respondents. Results: Results confirmed consistency, typography, graphics, grid, and layout as factors responsible for predicting usability of e-learning. Surprisingly, color and compositional guidelines emerged insignificant. Implications: The study has implications for teaching and learning activities that promote effective learning. The findings are beneficial for course-design faculty who develop modules by considering visual design elements that can facilitate interaction with and understanding of content by students learning in an online modality.
A WINning Approach: Teaching Science Communication Skills through Small-Group Workshops
Author: Gumusoglu, Serena B.
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Students,Cooperative Learning,Peer Evaluation,Neurosciences,Communication Skills,Writing Skills,Grants,Publications,Science Careers,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Workshops,Student Satisfaction

Objectives: Research almost always culminates in the communication of findings. Despite the necessity of grant and manuscript writing throughout academic careers, scientific trainees often receive little guided practice in written communication. To fill this gap, we designed, implemented, and evaluated a voluntary writing initiative for biomedical students at a research-intensive (R1) university in the midwestern United States called Writing Initiative in Neuroscience (WIN). Method: WIN consisted of didactic and workshop components. The didactic component included discussions with topic-specific experts on writing grants and manuscripts for the public and for non-academic scientific careers. The workshop component consisted of small group-based peer review of participant writing samples. Student self-enrollment consistently filled all available seats over three separate cohorts, including those formed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Student self-assessments were implemented to determine improvements quantitatively and qualitatively in writing and peer-review across 3 years of WIN programming. Results: Student self-assessment of writing skills before and after programming revealed improved scientific writing competency with medium or large effect sizes. Qualitative self-assessments indicated perceived improvements in writing competency and confidence. Collectively, students who participated in WIN improved their writing and communication skills and gained experience in providing and receiving feedback. Conclusions: Ultimately, peer-led writing initiatives, such as WIN, may enhance scholarly training and lay a foundation for future trainee writing success across scientific disciplines. Implications for Theory or Practice: These results support the utility of a student-centered writing workshop for biomedical students. Our study combined aspects of multiple existing resources, including peer feedback, interdisciplinary student backgrounds, and professional editing guidance. Together, these features formed a flexible and practical writing workshop, which can be used as a template for biomedical training programs.
COVID-19 and the Transition to Online Learning in the Basic Course: Examining Effects on Student Learning
Author: Kuznekoff, Jeffrey H.
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: COVID-19,Pandemics,Electronic Learning,Teaching Methods,Public Speaking,Academic Achievement,In Person Learning,College Students,Scores

Objectives: This study examines how the transition to remote delivery during the spring of 2020 affected student learning in the basic communication course. Methods: Participants in three different course delivery modes (face-to-face, online, and live interactive) were enrolled in a public speaking course with standardized adaptive reading quizzes, exams, and speech assignments. Participants completed several measures over the course of the semester and had their responses paired up with their end-of-semester grade book data. Results: Results of this study indicate that students who were enrolled in a face-to-face course and transitioned online during the COVID-19 pandemic were outperformed by online and learning interactive students in several of the standardized assignments in the course. Conclusions: Overall, face-to-face (FtF) students performed four percentage points lower in the course than the learning interactive and online groups while also demonstrating more emotional interest in the course than the other two groups. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: In future transitions to remote learning, FtF students may experience greater disruption than existing online students. Instructors should be mindful of this finding in transitioning to remote learning during the semester.
The Relationship between Middle School Students&apos; Levels of 21st Century Learning Skills and Their Interest in STEM Career
Author: Ok, Gökçe
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Middle School Students,21st Century Skills,Student Interests,Vocational Interests,STEM Education,Gender Differences,Instructional Program Divisions,Correlation

This study aims to examine the relationship between 21st century learning skills of middle school students' and their interest in career in STEM fields. In the study, single survey, causal-comparative and correlational survey research models are used. The study group of the research consists of 228 students studying at the sixth, seventh and eighth grade in a public middle school. In this research, 21st Century Learning Skills Inventory and STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS) are used as data collection tools. In the analysis of quantitative data, descriptive statistical techniques, independent samples t-test, one-way variance (ANOVA) analysis, and Pearson moments multiplication correlation coefficient are used. Discoveries of this study point out that 21st century learning skills of middle school students and levels of interest towards career in STEM fields of these students are above the average. According to the gender variable, while there was no significant difference among 21st century learning skills, there was a significant difference in terms of technology among interest in the career in STEM fields. In terms of class level, the significant difference regarding active learning, learning to learn, and problem solving is between sixth and eighth grade students, and it is in favor of the sixth grade students. Among the interest in career in STEM fields, the significant difference regarding science, mathematics, and technology is between sixth and eighth grade students, and it is in favor of the sixth grade students. On the other hand, middle and low-level positive and meaningful relations have been found between the 21st century learning skills of middle school students and their interest in career in STEM fields. Consequently, some suggestions were made in the light of the findings.
Feeding Problems: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Author: Riccio, Shannon
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism Spectrum Disorders,Eating Disorders,Intervention,Behavior Modification,Child Health,Food,Nutrition,Symptoms (Individual Disorders),Interpersonal Relationship,Anxiety

It is common for children with autism spectrum disorder to experience feeding problems that develop at an early age and include picky eating, food refusal, and rapid eating. This can lead to medical complications such as gastrointestinal issues or nutritional deficiencies. Feeding problems in children with autism can result in social-emotional implications. Children with autism may also experience oral sensitivities linked to feeding problems. Parents, doctors, and educators can use early interventions and behaviour therapy to support each child and improve feeding behaviour. More research in this area is required to support future learning in autism feeding problems.
The Teaching of Initial Multiplication Concepts and Skills in Croatian Textbooks
Author: Trupcevic, Goran
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multiplication,Mathematical Concepts,Foreign Countries,Textbooks,Mathematics Education,Comparative Education

The goal of this paper is to describe the teaching of initial multiplication concepts and skills, up to the multiplication table, in the Croatian educational system. As Stiegler and Hiebert (1999) concluded, teaching is a complex system rooted in a cultural script of a given society. To describe it without ignoring certain features of it that appear to be self-evident to an insider, it is necessary to step out of this cultural frame. For that reason, we study the teaching of initial multiplication in Croatia by comparing Croatian mathematical textbooks with textbooks from Singapore, Japan, and England. For the textbook analysis, we adapt the framework of Charalambous, Delaney, Hsu, and Mesa that examines a textbook as an environment for the construction of knowledge of a single mathematical concept. The analysis provides evidence that practice and automation are at the centre of the initial learning of multiplication in Croatia. The meaning of multiplication usually is not clear, and pupils are not provided additional tools for developing understanding, nor they are encouraged to use different calculation strategies in a flexible manner. The study also indicates that Croatian textbooks present mathematics as a practice that is closed and pre-given, restricted to the one and the only right way through it.
Nature of Science in Greek Secondary School Biology Textbooks
Author: Kapsala, Nausica
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scientific Principles,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Biology,Textbooks,Educational Resources,Content Analysis,Scientific Literacy,Instructional Materials,History,Vignettes,Laboratory Experiments,Inquiry,Active Learning,Teacher Responsibility,Instructional Design,Science Teachers

The nature of science describes what science is, how it works, and its interactions with society under the perspectives of philosophy, history, sociology, and psychology of science. Understanding it is an essential aspect of scientific literacy. Given the critical role that school textbooks hold, considering what is taught and how it is taught in schools, we find the presence of the nature of science in school science textbooks to be significant. In this research paper, all Greek biology textbooks of lower secondary education are analysed to evaluate whether principal elements of the nature of science can be found in them. The whole array of educational resources available (textbooks, workbooks, lab guides, teachers' books) was analysed as well as the corresponding official biology curricula. Content analysis was the method of choice, and the 'meaning unit' was the unit of analysis. We found that most of the nature of science references in the material that students were taught in 2021/22 was implicit and not especially designed by the curriculum. Some nature of science aspects were more commonly found (e.g., evidence is vital in science) than others (e.g., science has limits). The most opportunities for the nature of science to be introduced were found in history of science vignettes, laboratory activities, and some optional inquiry activities. However, without a structured design from the curriculum, it is the teachers' responsibility to design and facilitate nature of science instruction (or not). We conclude that lacking explicit references, the nature of science falls into the hidden curriculum and becomes falsely depicted, enforcing a positivist image of science.
Creating and Developing a Collaborative and Learning-Centred School Culture: Views of Estonian School Leaders
Author: Poom-Valickis, Katrin
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Culture,Foreign Countries,Principals,Cooperation,Leadership,Leadership Role,Goal Orientation,Educational Quality,Interpersonal Relationship,Elementary Secondary Education,Administrator Attitudes

The present study aims to analyse how school leaders perceive their activities in creating and developing a collaborative school culture that promotes the school learning process. The data were collected in semi-structured interviews with nine school leaders and analysed using thematic content analysis. The results revealed that only three of the school leaders focused on the shared values and shared leadership necessary for creating a systematic and analytic approach to organisational and teacher development. The school leaders understood the importance of leading the development of the learning process, but this did not take place as expected in practice. Organisational and teacher development seemed to be unsystematic or not based on the continuous monitoring of processes. The findings of our study indicate that development programmes for school leaders should concentrate more on shaping the views, knowledge and skills needed to develop a collaborative and learning-centred school culture.
Differences in the Requirements of Digital and Printed Mathematics Textbooks: Focus on Geometry Chapters
Author: Gracin, Dubravka Glasnovic
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Design Requirements,Electronic Publishing,Layout (Publications),Mathematics Education,Textbooks,Geometry,Elementary School Mathematics,Foreign Countries

Textbooks have always played an important role in mathematics education. Textbook tasks are widely used by students, so it is important to examine their requirements in order to identify the opportunities students have to learn mathematics. Publishers now produce both printed and digital versions of textbooks. While the requirements of the tasks in printed textbooks have been well examined all over the world, the tasks in digital textbooks are yet to be analysed and systematically developed. The research presented in this paper encompasses the analysis and comparison of the tasks in the printed and digital versions of the same mathematics textbook set. The examined set covers Grades 1 to 4 of primary education in Croatia. The aim was to find what task requirements are predominant in the printed and the digital textbooks, and to determine whether these textbook versions provide a wide variety of task features. In addition, the features and capacities typical of digital tasks, such as interactivity and dynamics, are examined. These task features are particularly important in geometry education for comprehending visual and dynamic geometrical objects and relations. The results show that both the printed and the digital textbook tasks have traditional requirements, with an emphasis on closed answer forms. Moreover, the new opportunities afforded by digital tasks are not realised. These findings reveal the potential of digital tasks as a new area to be explored and developed.
Interdisciplinary Interaction between Music Education and History: Shaping the Musical Preferences in Classical Music of the 20th Century
Author: Žnidaršic, Jerneja
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interdisciplinary Approach,Comparative Analysis,Teaching Methods,Music Education,Student Interests,History Instruction,Classical Music,Music Teachers,Elementary School Students,Elementary School Teachers,Musicians,Musical Composition,Outcomes of Education,Foreign Countries

The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether an experimental programme, based on interdisciplinary interactions between music education and history and the implementation of arts and cultural education objectives, could influence pupils' interest in Western classical music of the 20th century. The programme was designed on the basis of collaborating with music education and history teachers at two Slovenian primary schools and a Slovenian composer. Classes of pupils, aged fourteen and fifteen, were divided into an experimental and a control group. According to the outcome, the pupils in the experimental group showed a higher level of interest in contemporary classical music after the experiment than their peers in the control group. Furthermore, the pupils in the experimental group reported having listened on their initiative, to more classical compositions after the experiment than the pupils in the control group had.
Integrating Assessment for Learning into the Teaching and Learning of Secondary School Biology in Tanzania
Author: Tarmo, Albert
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Comparative Analysis,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,Biology,Science Instruction,Science Achievement,Secondary School Students,National Competency Tests,Academic Standards

The paper is about a study that investigated how the integration of assessment for learning enhances learning achievement among secondary school biology students in Tanzania. A quasi-experimental design involving pre-test and post-test of non-equivalent control and experimental groups was used to ascertain how the integration of assessment for learning into teaching and learning processes enhances students' learning achievement. Two boarding secondary schools located in the suburbs of Dar Es Salaam were selected. Students in the two schools had maintained equivalent performances in national examinations in previous years. The results showed that the students taught using teaching and learning processes integrating assessment for learning outperformed those taught using conventional approaches. The integration of assessment for learning is likely to have contributed to the higher learning achievement in the experimental group. The study contributes to our understanding of how teachers in resource-constrained classrooms can integrate assessment for learning techniques into their day-to-day lessons, thereby harnessing the power of assessment to enhance learning and raise standards.
Mind the Gap: Age-Related Differences in Students&apos; Perceptions of English Foreign Language Teacher and Motivation
Author: Drakulic, Morana
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Age Differences,Elementary School Students,Language Teachers,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Motivation,Student Attitudes,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Individual Characteristics,Teacher Competencies,Foreign Countries

The present paper addresses the age issue in the context of learning English as a foreign language in instructional settings. Our attention has been directed towards the examination of potential differences in students' perceptions of their foreign language teacher and motivation in relation to age. A total of 592 participants attending higher grades of elementary school participated in the research. The results have shown that students' perception of English language teacher characteristics and competences varies in relation to age. Although elementary school students perceive their language teacher to be the most competent in the area of instructional competences, younger students seem to put more emphasis on teacher's personal characteristics over professional competences. The study also indicates differences in motivation, with an accentuated decline in relation to students' age. The study offers a valuable information for teachers and policy makers and emphasizes the need for further adjustment of teaching methodology to various age groups.
Textbooks and Teaching Materials in Rural Schools: A Systematic Review
Author: Carrete-Marín, Núria
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Textbooks,Instructional Materials,Rural Schools,Literature Reviews,Multigraded Classes

This paper presents the results of a research project whose main purpose is to analyse the concept of multigrade teaching resources and the teaching materials used by teachers in rural schools, in particular the role of textbooks. The use and dimensions of teaching materials are studied in order to promote inclusion and learning in multigrade classrooms with children of different ages mixed together. The present systematic review aims to identify and analyse all of the research papers published internationally on teaching resources in rural schools for the Web of Science and Scopus databases (from 1992 to 2021) and Google Scholar (between 2010 and February 2021). Due to the dearth of publications focused on the topic of study, the reviewed articles have broad inclusion and exclusion criteria. This gives relevance and an innovative character to the research, allowing us to objectify the state of the question on multigrade didactic materials and their relation to teaching-learning processes. From a total of 332 research papers in the field of rural multigrade teaching identified for further analysis, only papers that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and passed all phases of the PRISMA flow diagram were used (N = 33). Some research publications contributed to identifying opportunities and needs, and to suggesting criteria to be taken into account for the selection and creation of materials to promote inclusion and active learning methodologies. The first results show the need to create one's own materials that analyse the reality of these schools, as well as the need to personalise and adapt printed or digital textbooks and other teaching materials in order to involve the students actively in the learning process and to respond to the needs of rural students in multigrade classrooms.