ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Action Research for Improving At-Risk Students&apos; Literacy Skills: The Professional Development of Three Florida Teachers through Their Journeys Integrating Technology, Poetry and Multiculturalism for Literacy Intervention
Author: Bersh, Luz Carime
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,At Risk Students,Literacy,Faculty Development,Poetry,Cultural Pluralism,Intervention,Research Projects,Case Studies,Achievement Tests,Standardized Tests,State Standards,School Districts,Secondary School Teachers,Whites,African American Teachers,Hispanic Americans,Reading Improvement,Epistemology,Technology Integration,Teaching Methods,Technology Uses in Education,Academic Achievement

This study focuses on three case studies of three Florida teachers' action research projects focusing on improving at-risk students' literacy skills through innovative instructional technology, culturally-relevant poetry and bilingual teaching. The teachers, White, African American and Latina, describe their research journeys, the literacy teaching strategies they used and the outcomes on their students' achievement. The case studies are then analyzed focusing on the effects the action research projects had on the participating teachers. The analysis explores transformative processes in the teachers' epistemological shifts, acquisition of skills, attitudes and dispositions, as well as professional development and personal transformation. The findings indicate that action research is an important tool leading to improved classroom practice, leadership agency and a stronger commitment toward emancipatory educational action.
Adaptation of the PERMA Well-Being Scale into Turkish: Validity and Reliability Studies
Author: Ayse, Eliüsük Bülbül
Date: 2018-02-23
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Rating Scales,Well Being,Psychological Patterns,Test Validity,Test Reliability,College Students,Factor Analysis,Correlation,Pretests Posttests

Seligman's &quot;well-being scale&quot; PERMA evaluates people's level of well-being in five dimensions: P: Positive and Negative emotions, E: Engagement, R: Relationships, M: Meaning, A: Accomplishment, N: Negative Emotion and H: Health. This scale measures a person's level of well being using five components. The measurement scale developed consists of 23 items with a scoring interval from 0 to 10. The internal consistency coefficient of the scale is 0.82. The adaptation study of the PERMA wellbeing scale was applied on a group of university students. For language validity, some translation texts (from English to Turkish/from Turkish to English) were given to the students in the department of ELT and positive significant correlations where obtained from the English and Turkish forms (r = 0.95, p&lt;0.01; r = 0.95, p&lt;0.01). The measurement tool with 23 articles and 8 dimensions tested by confirmatory factor analysis was seen to have enough goodness of fit index (2/sd = 100.96/41, p = 0.00, RMSEA = 0.076, CFI = 0.96, GFI = 0.93, NNFI = 0.94). As a result of the correlation analyses made for the criterion validity of PERMA well-being scale; a significant positive relation was found with subjective well-being scale and psychological well-being scale. The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was a = 0.82 and test retest correlation was found at 0.81. As a result, the 23-item and eight-dimensional measuring tool became ready for use by the researchers.
Humility and Forgiveness as Predictors of Teacher Self-Efficacy
Author: Sezgin, Ferudun
Date: 2018-02-23
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Efficacy,Predictor Variables,Elementary Secondary Education,Correlation,Teacher Surveys,Self Concept Measures,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Behavior,Psychological Characteristics,Teacher Characteristics,Foreign Countries,Factor Analysis,Statistical Analysis

This study explores the predictive influence of teachers' humility and forgiveness on their self-efficacy perceptions. The population of this research consists of teachers who work at public primary and secondary schools located in the central districts of Ankara, Turkey. The sample of the study is composed of 303 primary and secondary school teachers working in central districts of Ankara, Turkey. The research design is a correlational study identifying the direct predictive powers of humility and forgiveness on teacher self-efficacy. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient identifies the inter-variable exploratory correlations, while path analysis examines the direct predictive powers of these factors on teacher self-efficacy. The analyses show positive and significant relationships among teacher self-efficacy, humility and forgiveness. Humility and forgiveness are found to positively predict teacher self-efficacy. The findings are discussed in the context of teacher self-efficacy and positive psychological state improvement and teacher training.
Mainstreaming, the Regular Education Initiative, and Inclusion as Lived Experience, 1974-2004: A Practitioner&apos;s View
Author: Harkin, Seth B.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mainstreaming,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Inclusion,Educational History,Educational Trends,Autobiographies,Ethnography,Disabilities,Educational Practices,Teacher Education,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Equal Education,Educational Quality,Politics of Education

This article is an auto-ethnography detailing the lived experience of the mainstreaming, Regular Education Initiative, and inclusion movements from the teacher and administrator perspectives. The article illustrates the challenges of integrating students with disabilities in general education and the sociopolitical contexts within which this occurred. A number of factors are necessary to successfully facilitate inclusion and inclusive schooling. These include an understanding of schools as social systems, institutional and administrative authorization and leadership, collaboration and partnerships, and professional development. The implications of institutional and administrative authorization and inclusive practices have significant implications for teacher education and inclusive schooling.
Academic Integrity: Preventing Cheating with the Implementation of an Honor Code
Author: Jowanna, Camille Burgess
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Integrity,Cheating,Ethics,High School Students,Catholic Schools,Student Surveys,Program Implementation,Discipline,Incidence,Prevention,Referral,Teacher Surveys,Data Analysis,Action Research,Statistical Analysis

The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing an honor code would diminish academic dishonesty at Tampa Catholic High School. Quantitative survey instruments were administered twice, in August 2009 and in January 2010, to measure the reaction of student and faculty participants to the introduction of an honor code. Survey responses indicated that there was a shift in behaviors towards increased academic honesty. Comparison of the first semester data over the last two years showed a 38% decrease in the number of students disciplined for academic dishonesty. Future directions to advance the school's culture of academic integrity include the organization of an Honor Council, student participation in the establishment of academic integrity policies, and faculty professional development.
&quot;I Don&apos;t See Myself as a Medical Assistant Anymore&quot;: Learning to Become a Health Coach, in Our Own Voices
Author: Willard-Grace, Rachel
Date: 2013-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Coaching (Performance),Allied Health Personnel,Allied Health Occupations Education,Focus Groups,Transformative Learning,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Participatory Research,Role,Patients,Interpersonal Relationship,Educational Experience,Reflection,Emotional Experience,Individual Development,Career Development

Health coaching may improve the health of patients with chronic conditions, and the model is growing in popularity. However, little is known about the experience of becoming a Health Coach. We explored our experiences as medical assistants moving into new roles as health coaches, a trainer of health coaches, and their supporting team. A focus group was conducted in November 2012 with three health coaches and one health coach trainer. Using participatory methods, our whole team, including the health coaches, took part in data analysis. We found that learning to become a Health Coach required embracing a radically new role and &quot;unlearning&quot; old ways of thinking, which is transformative but also at times uncomfortable. In our new role as health coaches, in contrast to our work as medical assistants, we work to meet patients &quot;where they are at,&quot; and we are more focused on the needs of the patient, rather than the needs of the clinician. Health coaching is emotionally intensive; as health coaches we need robust emotional and instrumental support in our new role. Organizations training Health Coaches should be aware of the dramatic shift in perspective that this new role requires and the support that is needed to help medical assistants as they move into this new role.
Full-Inclusion as a Lived Experience: The School Career of Martin Schaeffer
Author: Harkins, Seth B.
Date: 2013-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Severe Disabilities,Multiple Disabilities,Inclusion,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,Ideology,Educational Practices,Trust (Psychology),Advocacy,Leadership,Cooperative Planning,Parent Role,Parent School Relationship,Student Attitudes,Self Determination,Disabilities,Educational Legislation,Equal Education,Federal Legislation

This inquiry examines the school career of a student with severe and multiple disabilities, who was fully included with chronological peers in general education classes from first through twelve grades. The student is now a successful student at a university. This study occurs within the historical context of federal, state, and local school district policy in an affluent suburban community in the United States. The study therefore examines macro level policy (the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act), inclusion ideology, and the micro level politics of trust building, advocacy, leadership, and collaboration. The data indicate that full inclusion was successful because parents were completely committed to their child's full integration into family and community life, parents and school personnel formed a solid working alliance, the student exhibited a strong work ethic and determination, advocacy and collaboration occurred on multiple levels, and continuous learning was embraced across time and contexts.
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning within Action Research: Promise and Possibilities
Author: Ryan, Thomas G.
Date: 2013-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scholarship,Instruction,Learning,Action Research,Educational Research,Educational Improvement,Praxis,Reflection

Herein the idea that Action Research (A.R.) and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) are very much related is explored. For instance, educational action research demands a series of commitments; it is a journey of self, through reflective inquiry, that is social. We do it to improve our teaching and self. We desire to improve praxes (practices) and understanding within the contexts in which these understandings are implemented. The action can be described as a quest to improve just as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) can be viewed as a systematic, even recursive effort to illuminate, improve and grow through dialogue, reflection and often strategic self-study which eventually is made public and shared.
Promoting Interface and Knowledge Sharing: A Joint Project between General and Special Education Preservice Teachers
Author: Wu, Xiuwen
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Teacher Collaboration,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Special Education Teachers,Affordances,Access to Education,Mathematics Instruction,Technology Uses in Education,Visual Aids,Individualized Instruction,Educational Planning,Individualized Education Programs,Lesson Plans,Qualitative Research

This article reports the findings of a joint unit plan critique project between two preservice teacher cohorts seeking teacher certification in general education and special education respectively. The paper addressed three questions: 1) What common affordances does this joint project have for the general and special education preservice teachers? 2) What unique affordances does it have for each of the groups? 3) What do the preservice teachers learn about the use of visuals, technology, and UDL principles to create accessible math lessons for all students? The results showed that the project impacted positively on the preservice teachers by allowing them to gain deeper understanding of professional collaboration and use of technology and visual resources to differentiate instruction for all students.
An Inquiry into Action Research: Teaching and Doing Action Research for the First-Time
Author: Palak, Deniz
Date: 2013-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Educational Benefits,Evidence Based Practice,Graduate Study,Research Methodology,Reflection,Validity,Reliability,Teacher Researchers

I undertook this inquiry into action research while teaching research methods within a graduate degree teacher education program. This inquiry represents my initial encounter with action research and describes the tools, challenges, and uncertainties that I encountered while teaching and doing action research for the first-time. The main purpose of this inquiry was to make research-based decisions about the value of action research: whether it was worthy to employ within a graduate degree program. Thus, I conducted the current inquiry to be able to make claims about (1) the rigor of the action research in relation to the traditional approaches to research and (2) meaningfulness of action research in terms of producing both action and research outcomes for teacher practitioners. I learned that action has yet to gain respect and recognition for improving the professional lives of teachers in the field of education. Action research has a unique place in the family of research methods, for it produces both research and action-oriented outcomes at the same time. In brief, I argue that action research is as rigorous and meaningful as the improvements teachers make in their practices within their contexts.
Paradigm Shift in Education: Weaving Social-Emotional Learning into Language and Literacy Instruction
Author: Dresser, Rocio
Date: 2013-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Development,Emotional Development,English,Language Arts,Literacy Education,Preservice Teachers,Metacognition,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,Teacher Education,Reading Comprehension,Student Teaching,Elementary School Teachers,Decision Making,Interpersonal Relationship,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Qualitative Research

This paper first outlines some of the challenges students and teachers are facing in schools around the country. These challenges include social issues such as violence, drugs and bulling. This coupled with the fact that many instructional programs follow the cognitive-only model and the current push for standardized testing has had a negative impact on students and teachers. Students who do not feel excited about school and learning in general tend to do poorly academically. Teachers who are unhappy because of the many state and district requirements imposed on them tend to leave the profession. Thus, the goal of this study was to imbed social-emotional leaning (SEL) into a language course. The intent was to investigate how teacher candidates' understanding of their own emotions impacted how they taught language and literacy to their students. Overall, the findings of this study yielded positive results in that all of the teacher candidates were successful in integrating SEL into the language arts curriculum. They also felt good about themselves and the relationships they built with others. The limitations of this study were due to time constrains and course requirements.
Practitioner Inquiry: Exploring Quality in Beginning Teacher Researchers&apos; Work
Author: DiLucchio, Connie
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Beginning Teachers,Teacher Researchers,Inquiry,Educational Quality,Semi Structured Interviews,Reflection,Questionnaires,Research Projects,Observation,Data Collection,Literature Reviews,Institutional Characteristics,Feedback (Response),Transformative Learning,Teacher Educator Education,Preservice Teacher Education

Faculty researchers and instructors of the M.Ed. course, &quot;Teachers as Classroom Researchers,&quot; share their inquiry into the question, &quot;In what ways can we, as teacher educators, influence and enhance the quality of teacher inquiry while preserving the individual teacher's voice and role as new researcher?&quot; Data, including semi-structured reflections, exit questionnaires, completed research projects, and observational records were collected from twenty-two teacher researchers during spring 2011. Analysis revealed that beginning teacher researchers: (1) have concerns about quality of their research in data collection and literature reviews; (2) acknowledge that classroom and university course constraints influence the quality of their research; and (3) engage in critical reflection on the quality of their research as a result of instructor and peer feedback. The authors discuss these themes, and draw conclusions and implications for their practice and for the field of teacher research.
The Effect of the Usage of Computer-Based Assistive Devices on the Functioning and Quality of Life of Individuals Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision
Author: Rosner, Yotam
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Quality of Life,Blindness,Visual Impairments,Partial Vision,Questionnaires,Leisure Time,Computer Uses in Education,Disabilities,Assistive Technology,Observation

Introduction: The Israel Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services subsidizes computer-based assistive devices for individuals with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) to assist these individuals in their interactions with computers and thus to enhance their independence and quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of computer usage on the quality of life of computer-based assistive device users, and to evaluate their capacity to carry out computer-based tasks. Methods: The study was conducted between the years 2013 and 2015. Questionnaires were provided to 96 randomly sampled individuals with visual impairments. These questionnaires were designed to collect information about the quality of life, types and frequency of computer use, satisfaction with the assistive devices, and the effects of computerbased assistive device usage on the participants' lives. In addition, the study evaluated participants' performance in tasks such as e-mail use, Internet surfing, and the use of Microsoft Word; participants performed these tasks on their personal computers. The research sample accounts for about 10% of visually impaired persons in Israel. Results: Findings suggest that participants use computer-based assistive devices frequently (four hours a day on average), primarily for leisure (three hours on average). Participants also report high satisfaction with their devices (mean of 3.98 out of the maximum score of 5.00) and indicate that the devices have improved their quality of life (mean 3.67 out of 5.00) and leisure activities (mean 3.68 out of 5.00). Participants display high levels of task performance, especially in the use of Microsoft Word software (mean of 3.47 out of 5.00), and e-mail usage (mean of 3.81 out of 5.00). Discussion: The findings suggest that most participants use computer-based assistive devices daily and report a positive influence from them on their quality of life and activity. Implications for practitioners: The study suggests that welfare services and assistance organizations would benefit from subsidizing computer assistive devices for individuals with visual impairments.
A Secondary Intervention in Reading: Word Skills for Junior High
Author: Klich, Sheila M.
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Private Schools,Junior High School Students,Reading Skills,Decoding (Reading),Word Recognition,Low Achievement,Reading Achievement,Intervention,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Pretests Posttests,Reading Fluency,Reading Comprehension,Statistical Analysis,Scores,Reading Tests,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Curriculum Based Assessment,Response to Intervention

The school involved in the study is a diverse, faith-based, private school located in a large Midwestern city. Within the school, reading skills vary considerably. Typically, decoding and word skills are not widely taught after the third grade. Sixteen Junior High students who underachieve in reading were given additional instruction using the &quot;Words Their Way&quot; series four days per week over the course of four months to improve reading skills. Students were pre and post-tested using fluency and comprehension portions of &quot;AIMSweb&quot; and the &quot;Qualitative Reading Inventory 5.&quot; Results indicated a statistically significant improvement in fluency, and gains in comprehension scores for some students. The study helped reveal issues related to methods of instruction, assessment, scheduling, and selection of materials.
VoIP Accessibility: A Usability Study of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Systems and A Survey of VoIP Users with Vision Loss
Author: Packer, Jaclyn
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Internet,Assistive Technology,Usability,Online Surveys,Evaluation,Testing,Visual Impairments,Blindness,Partial Vision,Computer Software,Computers,Disabilities

Introduction: Accessibility of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems was tested with a hands-on usability study and an online survey of VoIP users who are visually impaired. The survey examined the importance of common VoIP features, and both methods assessed difficulty in using those features. Methods: The usability test included four paid participants who are blind and four who have low vision. Four different tasks using four different VoIP systems (two Windows-based, two iOS-based) were presented in random order. The online survey included participants with prior VoIP experience: 50 individuals who were blind and 22 who have low vision. Results: Usability test participants found that receiving an incoming call was the easiest task and transferring a call was the most difficult. Those with previous iOS experience had a large advantage with the two iOS systems over those with little experience. For the online survey, most respondents (81%) had used VoIP at home for personal use and 49% had used it in their workplace. The caller ID feature was most important to participants, yet only slightly more than half found the feature easy to use; this feature was the most discrepant between importance and ease of use (p &lt; 0.01). Call management was the most difficult feature for respondents. Generally, those with low vision found features to be more accessible than did those who are blind. Discussion: Almost all usability study participants reported that they could use all four systems in a real-world setting. Although some of the features were readily usable, many of the VoIP features that respondents to the online survey considered to be important were difficult for them to use. This finding indicates a serious gap between what is presently offered and what is needed for true accessibility by those with vision loss, indicating the necessity of adding accessible features to all VoIP systems. Implications for practitioners: Rehabilitation staff members and teachers of young adults with vision loss should become familiar with current VoIP systems and introduce them to their clients and students in order to increase their future prospects for employment.