ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Understanding of Reading among Teachers and Learners: A Descriptive Study of Pre-University English Language Teaching/Learning in Saudi Arabia
Author: Alenizi, Mogbel Aid K.
Date: 2019-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Reading Comprehension,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Barriers,Holistic Approach,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Reading Skills,Teacher Competencies,Learning Problems,Cultural Influences,Context Effect,Knowledge Level,Language Skills,Psychological Patterns,Gender Differences,Teaching Experience

This study assesses pre-university teachers' perception about reading comprehension in English as a foreign language (EFL) in Saudi context. It also identifies the difficulties faced by the students in their reading comprehension classes to have a holistic view of learning process. The main aim of the study is to explore the issues related to teaching reading, both from teachers as well as learners' perspectives, so that the best teaching strategies can be adopted to achieve the desired outcomes. It assesses the ongoing prevalent scenario of learning to read in English as foreign language and observes that the learners' difficulties are not addressed properly because the teachers/instructors are not trained well or pay less attention to reading skill. A descriptive approach has been used on a sample of instructors from various non-native English-speaking nationalities (n=60) and Saudi learners (n=146). Responses revealed that teachers' poor awareness of teaching strategies cause poor learning outcomes. Their responses also reveals that their strategies do not take into account learners' difficulties which somewhere cause learners' helplessness in getting desired outcome. The results of the study elaborate how the culture and contextual knowledge play significant roles. These are the bases of teaching reading skills along with learners' needs so that more robust teaching strategies can be followed to truly meet the desired learning outcomes. This will definitely help the teacher-educators as well as the instructors in improvising their teaching practices that suit their classrooms well.
Disability-Related Competencies for Student Affairs Generalists: A Delphi Study
Author: Lalor, Adam R.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Students with Disabilities,Student Personnel Services,Student Personnel Workers,Competence,Professional Development,Delphi Technique,Access to Education,Inclusion,Emergency Programs,Knowledge Level

Lack of disability-related competence by college administrators is recognized as a barrier to equal access and success of students with disabilities. Currently, no listing of disability-related competencies exists for student affairs practitioners beyond disability services. This study examines the perceptions of 20 experts in student affairs and disability regarding disability-related competencies value to student affairs work. Results of the Delphi study provide a set of disability-related competencies that can be used to guide professional learning.
Integrating Literature Circles to Facilitate Reading Comprehension on Facebook Groups: Questioning and Learning Perceptions
Author: Chen, I-Chun Julie
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Media,Teaching Methods,Reading Comprehension,Student Attitudes,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Time Management,Accountability,Cognitive Processes,Thinking Skills,Literature Appreciation,Group Discussion,Group Dynamics,Computer Mediated Communication,College Freshmen,Online Courses,Foreign Countries,Instructional Design

Literature circles [LC] are student-centered discussion groups that use various roles to make reading meaningful, comprehensible and enjoyable. The current research investigated the questioning effects and students' perceptions of integrating EFL [English-as-a-foreign-language] literature circles through student-led Facebook Groups. Findings indicated that although low cognitive level thinking questions were raised more often than higher-order thinking questions, the chi-square test indicated changes in questioning types. In other words, changes in student-generated higher-order thinking questions were observed. The qualitative data indicated that students benefited from the guided structure of LC, positive group dynamics, and increased reading engagement. Nevertheless, accountability, formalistic interaction and time allocation for reading tasks should also be taken into consideration in the designing of online literature circles.
The Effects of Communication Strategies on Intermediate EFL Low- and Mid- Willing Learners&apos; Willingness to Communicate: Personality Types and Learners&apos; Choice
Author: Vafadar, Hosein
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communication Strategies,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Student Attitudes,Personality,Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests,Personality Measures,Communicative Competence (Languages)

This study investigated the effects of communication strategies (CSs) on Intermediate Iranian EFL Low- and Mid-Willing Learners' Willingness to Communicate (LWTC and MWTC). Sixty-five intermediate EFL learners were placed in LWTC (n = 32) and MWTC (n = 33) group. All learners attended two discussion sessions as the pretest and two discussion sessions as the posttest. All sessions were audio/video recorded and observed. The learners received a direct instruction of CSs for five sessions. The results revealed that the LWTC learners' WTC significantly increased as a result of CSs use compared to that of the MWTC learners. The indirect types of CSs were identified as the most frequent strategies applied by all learners. The personality type was not identified as a contributing factor to the learners' CSs choice. A set of interrelated factors enhancing or reducing learners' WTC including contextual, individual, and communicative competence factors were identified through stimulated-recall interviews.
Case Study: Career Pathways in Rural Kansas Redesign Schools
Author: Herbst, Audrey
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Competition,Social Mobility,Rural Schools,Secondary School Students,Skill Development,21st Century Skills,Labor Force Development,Barriers,Vocational Education,Postsecondary Education,School Restructuring,State Aid,Principals,Assistant Principals,Superintendents,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Career Exploration,Institutional Characteristics

A country's productivity and economic competitiveness rely upon education, specifically postsecondary training which is fundamental to students' upward mobility in a thriving and progressive economic culture (Haunshek &amp; Woessmann, 2012; Bailey et al., 2015). In order to maintain the economic stability of the United States for future generations to come, job qualifications will require that at least 71% of careers in the 21st century be accompanied by a vocational certificate or licensure, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree by the year 2020 (Lindsay et al., 2016). Despite several years of state and national efforts, the United States is not producing enough adults with the prescribed postsecondary credentials to meet the national workforce requirements (Bidwell, 2015). The purpose of this study was to provide purposeful insight into what approaches rural secondary schools in Kansas utilize to prepare their students for postsecondary programs aimed at skill development for a 21st century workforce. This study found there are challenges associated with attributes of a rural community that are still to be overcome. However, there are still things that can be impacted, and one of them is increasing postsecondary credential attainment rates with innovative school redesign practices. Career and Technical Education (CTE) must become a national priority in secondary and postsecondary education to ensure the United States will continue to compete on a global scale in the 21st century and beyond.
Individual Personalized Learning
Author: Hughey, Judy
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Individualized Instruction,Student Interests,Learner Engagement,Student Motivation,Goal Orientation,Participative Decision Making,Learning Activities,Elementary Secondary Education,Preschool Education,Professional Development,Faculty Development,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Higher Education,Information Storage

Personalized learning is designed to address the disengagement of today's students and to be proactive in closing the growing achievement gaps occurring in far too many schools. The goal of personalized learning is to engage students in the process, building on their interests, aptitudes, and strengths, thus creating intrinsic motivation for achievement and success. Students feel empowered when involved in goal-setting and decision-making processes. One primary key to effective individualized personalized learning is sparking the innate curiosity of students through active engagement with their environment. Micro-credentials are bite-size learning activities or professional development experiences that can often be stacked to create a tower of knowledge or expertise. Whether the learner be the teacher or student, the micro-credential provides an opportunity for personalized learning on a topic of interest and meaning to the learner, thus increasing internal motivation and agency. The creation of an individual personalized learning environment, including micro-credentials, could occur with P-12 student in a traditional or alternative educational setting or in professional development for educators or other professionals. Personalized learning initiatives can be formed to fit the needs of the participants and aligning with the systems and structures to pursue the personalization and credential that best fits the need.
School and Community Relations in the Kansans Can School Redesign Project
Author: Mitchell, Tamra
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Change,Stakeholders,Family Role,School Role,Community Role,Change Strategies,Design,Individualized Instruction,Relevance (Education),Success,Skill Development,School Community Relationship,School Business Relationship,Family School Relationship,Participative Decision Making,Educational Improvement,Educational Environment,Information Dissemination,Interpersonal Relationship,Elementary Secondary Education

Since July of 2017, approximately 72 Kansas school districts and approximately 183 schools have volunteered to redesign their schools around four redesign principles as part of the Kansans Can School Redesign Project. The earliest cohort of volunteer schools were led by the two redesign specialists through a planning process that included engaging community stakeholders in developing a shared vision for their redesigned and innovative school. Many of the earliest launch schools proved to be very successful in engaging stakeholders to collect authentic feedback early in the process. However, some school districts were surprised by pushback from stakeholders early in the implementation phase of the Redesign. This paper will review pertinent literature regarding best practices for family, school, and community engagement when initiating major change initiatives, describe scenarios from several redesign districts, and reflect on lessons learned that may help to inform future schools attempting a large-scale innovation.
Benefits and Challenges: Implementing E-Portfolios in a Graduate Student Affairs Preparation Program
Author: Jaekel, Katy S.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Portfolios (Background Materials),Graduate Students,Student Personnel Services,Student Personnel Workers,Professional Education,Program Implementation,Capstone Experiences,Student Attitudes,Theory Practice Relationship,Student Experience

While e-portfolios are increasingly used in higher education graduate professional programs (Underwood &amp; Austin, 2016), few studies provide an overview of e-portfolios, particularly in the helping fields (Wakimoto &amp; Lewis, 2014). The following article provides an overview of how a student affairs graduate preparation program implemented the use of e-portfolios to assess graduating Masters students and how students perceived the process of creating their e-portfolio. Details about the implementation process and recommendations are provided to assist other programs that wish to integrate e-portfolios.
Redesign: A Case Study of Change in a Kansas School District
Author: Van Ranken, Fred
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Districts,Educational Facilities Design,Educational Facilities Improvement,Educational Change,Case Studies,Educational Strategies,Rural Schools,Educational Planning,Program Implementation,Student Needs

USD 240 Twin Valley School District, consisting of Bennington Grade School and Bennington Junior High/High School in Bennington and Tescott Grade School and Tescott Junior High/High School, was one of seven districts initially selected in August 2017 as part of the first cohort of Kansas State Department of Education's Kansas Can School Redesign Project. This article shares the journey, told by the superintendent and a researcher, of USD 240 as part of the ongoing program which now involves multiple cohorts of districts developing their own pathways toward improvement.
An Activity-Based Practice for Improving Mathematical Literacy and Awareness of Elementary School Teacher Candidates = Sinif ögretmeni adaylarinin matematik okuryazarligi ve farkindaliklarinin gelistirilmesine yönelik etkinlik temelli bir uygulama
Author: Canbazoglu, H. Beyza
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Activities,Mathematics Skills,Preservice Teachers,Elementary School Mathematics,Instructional Effectiveness,Student Attitudes,Cooperative Learning,Problem Solving,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Knowledge Level,Public Colleges,Foreign Countries,Instructional Design

The aim of the study was to plan and implement teaching activities for the development of mathematical literacy and evaluate the reflective interviews of pre-service elementary school teachers on developing a mathematics activity for mathematical literacy. Accordingly, the study was conducted in embedded design, one of the mixed method research designs. The study group consisted of pre-service elementary school teachers. In the study, &quot;mathematical literacy achievement test&quot;, &quot;mathematical literacy awareness test&quot;, &quot;reflective interview determination form&quot;, &quot;planned teaching activities for developing mathematical literacy&quot; were used as data collection tools. Based on study findings, it was concluded that the teaching activities designed for the development of mathematical literacy improved the mathematical literacy levels and awareness of the pre-service elementary school teachers. Cooperative learning, which is the basis of the teaching activity designed, was found to positively affect mathematical literacy related problem solving of pre-service elementary school teachers, their ability to create activities for mathematical literacy, their mathematical literacy achievement and awareness.
Academic Librarians Examination of University Students&apos; and Faculty&apos;s Perceptions of Open Educational Resources
Author: Fischer, Lane
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Libraries,Librarians,College Students,Student Attitudes,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Open Educational Resources,Textbooks,Student Costs,Academic Achievement,Two Year Colleges,Universities

A survey of 2,574 students and 1,157 faculty members across ten institutions of postsecondary education in the state of Utah was conducted by the &quot;Utah Academic Libraries Consortium.&quot; Survey items were created to understand the influence of textbook costs on student academic behavior and the viability of faculty adopting open educational resources (OER) as a solution to the cost of textbooks and the possible need for librarian support of OER. Two-year and four-year institutions were compared to identify differences that might exist between them. Most students felt that their academic success was negatively impacted by textbook cost, particularly at two-year institutions where students registered for fewer courses because of associated textbook costs. Faculty survey findings showed that adjunct professors were more likely to require a traditionally copyright-restricted textbook. Approximately 90% of participants indicated they would be willing to use suitable OER for their course, and almost half of survey participants expressed a desire for help finding these resources.
A Meta-Synthesis Study of Research on Mathematics Textbooks = Matematik ders kitaplarina yönelik yapilan arastirmalar üzerine bir meta sentez çalismasi
Author: Gökçek, Tuba
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Materials,Textbooks,Textbook Content,Textbook Evaluation,Evaluation Criteria,Research Methodology,Teacher Surveys,Educational Research,Textbook Publication,Elementary School Mathematics,Middle School Mathematics,Secondary School Mathematics,Foreign Countries

This research aimed to investigate studies examining mathematics textbooks in depth. To this end, specific keywords and criteria were entered into Google's advanced search engine and the Council of Higher Education national thesis center to obtain articles and theses related to mathematics textbooks. The research investigated a total of 114 studies on mathematics textbooks published between 2005 and 2019. The data obtained were firstly subject to a descriptive analysis. A meta-synthesis method was then used to evaluate the studies included in this research. To analyze the objectives of the studies included in this research, we used the theoretical framework developed by Fan, Zhu and Miao (2013) to create an original classification. Results showed that studies examining opinions on mathematics textbooks (41.00%) were less than studies analyzing mathematics textbook (59.00%). Moreover, surveys were found to be the most frequently used data collection tool in studies collecting opinions on mathematics textbooks, with teachers being the most commonly used participants subject to this data collection method. Additionally, the meta-synthesis analysis indicated that studies analyzing mathematics textbooks generally focused on topics specific to mathematics and on a specific section of a textbook (e.g. activities, problems) whereas those investigating opinions on mathematics textbooks concentrated on studies emphasizing the features of mathematical textbooks and the role of textbooks in learning-teaching.
The Poverty Simulation: Increasing Teacher Sensitivity for Students Living in Poverty
Author: Rice, Aviva Goelman
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Poverty,Simulation,Professional Development,Sensitivity Training,Consciousness Raising,Empathy,Teacher Student Relationship,At Risk Students,Low Income Students,Family Income,Public Schools,Urban Areas,Disadvantaged Youth,Cognitive Development,Social Development,Emotional Development,Program Effectiveness

Studies of children growing up in poverty describe increasingly devastating effects on many areas of development (e.g., cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional, affective, psychomotor). Teachers need to be aware of these findings; they also need to develop empathy for their students living in poverty. One way to do this is to experience a poverty simulation wherein participants (i.e., teachers) learn what it is like to &quot;walk in their students' shoes.&quot; This report describes the history of a poverty simulation in southeast Georgia. Analysis of quantitative data, collected via surveys administered before and after recent poverty simulations, revealed the following findings: increased teacher understanding of poverty, increased teacher recognition of their own biases toward their students and their families who live in poverty, and increased teacher empathy toward their students and their families who live in poverty. Findings also showed that teachers plan to apply their new understandings regarding poverty in their classrooms. Implications for practice, especially for teachers working in urban settings with poor children, are offered.
Forty Years of Distance Education: Challenges and Implications at the Open University of Sri Lanka
Author: Jayatilleke, Buddhini Gayathri
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Open Universities,Distance Education,Educational History,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Development,Technological Advancement,Electronic Learning,Models,Blended Learning

Commencing its activities in 1980, the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) has expanded over the years embracing emerging technologies periodically, undergoing a series of technological adoptions gradually through Generations of Distance Education (GDE). The aim of this study is to assess the current status of OUSL, based on Taylor's conceptual framework of GDE, identify the challenges faced during these technological transformations, and how those challenges were mitigated during its forty years of existence as a single-mode national open and distance learning university in Sri Lanka. This study employs a qualitative research design based on reflective practices of the researchers, narrative accounts of past decision makers, reflections of academics and administrators, and cross-referenced with documentary evidences. The findings show how the OUSL has advanced towards the fifth GDE, amidst challenges and finally propose mitigation strategies that would be useful for future technological interventions.
Quality Levels of Result-Comment Move Sequences in the Discussion Sections in Taiwanese MA Applied Linguistics Theses
Author: Hsiao, Cheng-Hua
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Masters Theses,Writing (Composition),Discussion,Applied Linguistics,Mastery Learning,Text Structure,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Writing Evaluation,Evaluators,English (Second Language),Academic Language

MA students often find writing the discussion section of a thesis (hereafter discussion writing) a difficult task (Bitchener &amp; Basturkmen, 2006). Thesis advisors, research writing instructors, and graduate students are able to recognize the strength and weakness of discussion writing through established levels of quality. Therefore, grading discussion writing has the potential to contribute to instructional quality and learning enhancement. This study distinguished the qualities of discussion writing and identified the factor(s) that affect differences in such quality. To achieve this, 30 discussions in applied linguistics MA theses were classified into four quality levels based on raters' judgments. The discussion writings were then coded using the move structure of discussion sections (Basktukmen, 2009). In these sections, it was found that move 3 [reporting a result] and move 4 [commenting on results] were obligatory across only three groups (marginally adequate, competent and mastery groups) and a move cycle was identified as the sequence from move 3 [reporting a result] to move 4 [commenting on results]. The combinations of move 3 and move 4 were found to be a possible factor in determining the quality of discussion writing for competent and mastery levels works. It was also found that the move combinations were single move, two-move combination, three-move combination, and multiple move combinations. The more complex the structure of move 3 and move 4, the more sophisticated and critical the discussion writing. The pedagogical implications of this study are considered and suggestions for future research presented.