ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Employability of International Students: Strategies to Enhance Their Experience on Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Programs
Author: Pham, Thanh
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Foreign Students,Higher Education,College Students,Experiential Learning,Employment Qualifications,Job Skills,Barriers,English (Second Language),Language Skills,Work Environment,Socialization,Cultural Awareness,21st Century Skills,Written Language,Vocabulary

This paper presents a systematic qualitative review of relevant literature, documents and reports, and critically discusses issues facing international students undertaking work-integrated learning (WIL) activities as part of their higher education in Australia. Initiatives utilised to better support international students on these WIL placements are described. Based on an evaluation of the data reviewed, the discussion highlights two main challenges to international students' employment experiences: a limited competence in English communication, and a limited understanding of the local working context. In seeking explanations for the above, the authors identified factors such as inadequate student-entry procedures, limited opportunities for socialisation, limited input in cultural protocols, and the lack of soft-skills training. The recommended solutions include more uniformity between government and employer sectors, increased acceptance and support for multicultural diversity, an openness towards diverse ways of thinking, and an enhancement of training in diverse communication styles.
Students Perceive Team-Based Learning Facilitates Development of Graduate Learning Outcomes and Professional Skills
Author: Currey, Judy
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Teamwork,Cooperative Learning,Active Learning,Graduate Students,Nursing Students,Skill Development,Outcomes of Education,Critical Thinking,Problem Solving,Self Management,Job Skills,Learner Engagement,Foreign Countries,Communication Skills,Computer Literacy

In tertiary education, generic professional skills should be developed along with discipline-specific knowledge and skills. Team-Based Learning (TBL), an active learning strategy, creates deep learning and enhanced student engagement; however, its effects on the development of generic learning outcomes are unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate postgraduate specialty nursing students' perspectives of how TBL impacts the acquisition of skills defined by the university's eight Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs). A descriptive exploratory design was used in this study. Postgraduate nursing students in 2016-2017 at one university were invited to participate. Data were collected via demographic survey, a ranking tool, and written reflections. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The response rate was 97.2 per cent (172/177). Participants were mostly females (n=152, 88.4%) aged 25-34 years (n=115, 66.9%). Student (n=156) rankings showed TBL contributed to the acquisition of critical thinking (n=90, 57.7%) and problem solving skills (n=56, 35.9%) the most. Students (n=144) made 2719 comments regarding how TBL led to the acquisition of GLOs in written reflections. Almost 98 per cent (n=2657) of all reflective comments were positive. All students mentioned at least one GLO positively due to TBL. Most positive reflections related to self-management (n=520, 19.6%) and communication (n=434, 16.3%). Postgraduate specialty nursing students perceived TBL classes contributed to the acquisition of their university's GLOs, particularly critical thinking, problem solving, and self-management skills. The active learning strategy of TBL facilitates learning and engagement, and the attainment of essential professional attributes which are highly valued by employers.
Culture as an Antecedent to Organizational Performance: A Case of Private Universities in Kenya
Author: Jonyo, Bonn Odera
Date: 2019-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Private Colleges,Correlation,Learning Processes,Cultural Influences,Sustainable Development,Equal Education,Educational Quality,Lifelong Learning,Organizational Effectiveness,Educational Philosophy,Administrator Attitudes,Department Heads,Deans,Advisory Committees,Business Schools,Organizational Culture

With the recent declaration of Sustainable Development Goals to 2030 at the United Nations, all nations are focused on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all. In this respect, a well-structured and holistic curriculum is an important first entry point in guiding learning processes embedded in a strong culture. The purpose of the study was to examine how sustaining culture ?ff?ct organizational performance in private universities in Kenya. This was a correlational study which adopted a positivist philosophy. The study population comprised of all the 17 private universities in Kenya accredited by Commission of University Education. Th? unit of analysis w?s the board of directors, vice chancellors, heads of departments (finance, sports, hum?n resource, research, quality assurance) and ?c?d?mic deans (business school) which w?s 136. ? census technique w?s us?d in the study with frequency distributions, percentages and means for descriptive statistical analysis while correlations and regression analyses w?r? us?d for inferential statistics. Th? study found that, organizational culture explained ? significant proportion of variance in organizational performance, R[superscript 2] = 0.461. Organizational culture significantly pr?dict?d organizational performance, [beta] = 0.679, t(120) = 10.090, p = 0.000. This finding implied rejection of the null hypothesis since the p value w?s less than &lt;0.05 s?t by the study.
Project Management in Education: A Case Study for Student Learning Pathway Evaluation in a Lifelong Learning Program Using Fuzzy CPM and Fuzzy PERT
Author: Iatrellis, Omiros
Date: 2019-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Program Administration,Higher Education,Lifelong Learning,Time to Degree,Critical Path Method,Program Evaluation

Time to degree and graduation are paramount concerns in higher education today and have caught the attention of educators, policy makers, and researchers in recent years. Delays in student flow through learning pathways may result in undesired consequences and this fact has made educators and the public start to regard timely degree completion as a critical measure of accountability for colleges and universities. Project management is defined as application of techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. It has techniques that can help Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) standardize education and quality, reduce costs, improve effectiveness and decrease prolonged education periods. The current study is carried out in a University's Division of Lifelong Learning to understand the student flow of the offered program with respect to the Fuzzy Critical Path Method (FCPM) and Fuzzy Program Evaluation Review Technique (FPERT). The reason for incorporating fuzzy sets is stemmed from that fuzzy numbers are more effective for high uncertainty processes as in learning environments. Activities affecting student flow through the learning pathways are identified and project network is drawn. 72 student' data about the times of each activities are obtained from the observed university. Findings through application of FCPM and FPERT, the expected time for completion of the project, slack times and the critical path are determined.
Exploring Instructor Perceptions of and Practices for Public Discourse in First-Year Writing Courses
Author: Parrott, Jill
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Instruction,Freshman Composition,Writing Skills,College Faculty,Teaching Methods,Writing Assignments,Communication Skills,Public Speaking,Skill Development,Information Literacy,Teaching Styles,Teacher Attitudes

A central objective of many writing courses is to prepare students to effectively communicate in their personal, professional, and public lives, but writing instruction can seem disconnected from contemporary societal practices that constitute civil public discourse. This project aims to explore the connections between instructors' perceptions and understanding of public discourse in relationship to the first-year writing classroom and the manners in which those views manifest (or do not) in course materials. To collect and chronicle the theories of civil public discourse and its role in the composition classroom, the first-year writing instructors at a regional mid-sized, liberal arts public university were presented an opportunity to participate in part or all of a three-phased research process, which included responding to a survey, engaging in an interview, and submitting course materials for review. The research team hypothesized that instructors would self-report a belief in public discourse as an important goal of first-year writing but that the explicit teaching of public discourse would not be evidenced in course materials such as policies, syllabi, assignments, and teaching philosophies. A qualitative review of the data confirms the research team's hypothesis: while the instructors they spoke with strongly agreed that public discourse should be--and is--an important part of first-year writing courses, the pedagogical materials they reviewed reflected very little practical application of that goal.
English Language Teachers&apos; View on Assessment and Their Reflection on Teaching Practices: A Mongolian Case Study
Author: Ragchaa, Jargaltuya
Date: 2019-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Teacher Attitudes,Measurement,Language Tests,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Lesson Plans,Standards,Correlation,Course Content,Test Content,Test Items,Test Preparation,Accountability,Foreign Countries

In Mongolia, teachers' attitudes towards large-scale assessments have been a largely uncovered area. Therefore, this paper focuses on examining the general overview of English language teachers' belief about state-level assessments, and their reflection on teaching practices. Participants of this study were 307 teachers of primary and secondary school teachers, and 36 of them were English language teachers of Dornod province in Mongolia. Independent sample t-test was used to explore how English teachers change their instructions in teaching English compared to other subjects teachers. Result showed that they usually search for more effective teaching methods, take less liberty on how they design their lessons, reduce instructional content, and focus more on Educational standards. As a result of a correlation analysis, English language teachers' assessment view is significantly related to the content of the assessment that is designed by teachers in a class. Based on the results, it can be concluded that teachers focus more on the assessment content that they design for progress and final exams. They prefer to prepare students for this assessment by making them practice the test items that are similar to the school achievement test items during classes. Understanding the reasons for ineffective instructions can help policy makers and teachers to change the assessment content and its accountability, and would also help to improve their classroom instructions to have better learning outcome.
Motivation in Learning English Language: A Case Study at Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Author: Nguyen, Huy Cuong
Date: 2019-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Motivation,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Student Attitudes,Engineering Education,Technology Education,Gender Differences,Parent Child Relationship,Language Skills,Correlation,Learning Problems

In recent times, English has become the global language and plays an important role in order for people to communicate and fit into the real world. Learning and using English has become a necessary need of many people, particularly the young generation. Motivation is considered as one of the fundamental factors in successfully learning a language. This paper focuses on investigating the type and level of motivation in English language learning. The instrument of the study was adopted from Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). The participants in this study includes 371 first and second-year students of Vietnam National University, Hanoi -- University of Engineering and Technology (VNU-UET). The collected data were summarized and analyzed by using SPSS software. The findings show that the students that participated in the study were highly motivated in English learning, and more instrumentally motivated. The study also examined some factors that influence motivation such as students' gender, the school year, the time students have spent in learning English, and parental ability in speaking English. The study shows that the school year and parental English ability had a significant influence on students' motivation in English language learning. The problems that the students face during the learning process was also discussed. Some recommendations were given to improve the students' motivation in English learning.
Examining Gender Differences in Students&apos; Entrance into and Persistence in STEM Programs in Swedish Higher Education
Author: Rundgren, Shu-Nu Chang
Date: 2019-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Informal Education,Self Efficacy,Ethnic Groups,Disproportionate Representation,Foreign Countries,Social Cognition,STEM Education,Females,Minority Groups,Learning Experience,Higher Education,Academic Persistence,Context Effect,Social Influences,Student Attitudes,Parent Influence,College Faculty,Teacher Student Relationship,Majors (Students),Decision Making

Encouraging students to enter and persist in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs in higher education has been the focus of STEM education worldwide. To promote social equality particular attention has been given to including student groups such as women, ethnic minorities, and students with low economic status that have long been underrepresented in STEM education. The aim of this research was to examine gender differences in students' entrance into and persistence in STEM programs in Swedish higher education through the lens of social cognitive career theory (SCCT). Through a quantitative secondary analysis of Interest and Recruitment in Science (IRIS) project data collected in Sweden, a total of 2372 responses were validated and analyzed, including 1530 males (65%) and 842 females (35%). The main findings showed that female students valued previous learning experiences in formal education contexts and social influences more than males, with a significant difference of (p&lt;0.05). Male students valued informal learning experiences more and presented self-efficacy and choice goals to a higher degree, with a significant difference of (p&lt;0.05). No significant gender differences were found with regard to appreciation of current study life. The discussions and implications of the findings and previous research are presented.
Melodic Expressions: Empowering First-Year Writers through Songwriting
Author: Hrebik, John Ryan
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Singing,Musical Composition,Writing Instruction,Introductory Courses,Student Attitudes,Academic Language,Assignments,Class Activities,English Instruction,Course Descriptions,Undergraduate Students,Music

In this article, the author discusses composition studies by examining how incorporating &quot;songwriting&quot; into a first-year writing course enables students to begin expressing their own ideas/perspectives, while also developing the ability to create the concise, detailed texts associated with academic writing. The discussion offers a detailed account of some of the individual assignments and in class activities that the author implemented over the course of a semester. Although the discussion is situated within the context of the first-year writing course, it can easily be modified to fulfill the objectives of the primary or secondary English classroom.
Appropriate Processing Time: Valuing Process over Product
Author: Garcia, Beth
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Questioning Techniques,Children,Reggio Emilia Approach,Montessori Method,Public Schools,Comparative Education,Cognitive Processes,Cooperative Learning,Locus of Control,Competition,Prompting,Time on Task,School Culture,Preservice Teachers,Special Education Teachers,Parents,English Language Learners,Early Childhood Education

This article views appropriate processing time through various lenses considering diverse needs of students/children. After noting significant differences between school cultures of Italian (Reggio Emilia and Montessori) and U.S. schools, the researchers conducted a qualitative case study where they collected data from a heterogenous group of participants. The participants logged &quot;hurry up&quot; commands given to students/children over the course of two weeks. While the number of &quot;hurry up&quot; commands dramatically decreased from week one to week two, and the participants realized that using imperatives to hurry students/children along were ineffective, merely illustrating these points to the participants was not enough to create lasting change. The researchers propose for U.S. classrooms to truly increase depth of learning and collaboration, the competitive nature found in these classrooms must be eliminated, and students/children must have increased processing time to consider learning from a meaningful and relevant stance.
Horse Talk: Equine Based Learning Programs and Their Engagement with Individuals
Author: Townsend, Rob
Date: 2019-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Animals,Therapy,Behavior Change,Experiential Learning,Child Abuse,Family Violence,Social Isolation,Anxiety Disorders,Stress Variables,Case Studies,Mental Disorders,Metacognition,Adults,Adolescents,Lifelong Learning,Foreign Countries,Well Being,Parent Attitudes,Caseworkers,Counselor Attitudes,Program Descriptions

Studies about equine therapies or equine experiential learning recommend that significantly more research, specifically longitudinal research, across age groups, genders, contexts and client cohorts needs to occur in diverse contexts. There exists diverse equine-related programs which engage with a range of cohorts, specifically; young children who have experienced abuse; adolescents who have experienced abuse and family violence and adults who have experienced family violence, psychiatric disorders, social anxiety and social isolation. The most common outcomes from the equine learning program studied for this article, from the case-studies and the thematic analysis includes; behavioural changes, stress relief, mind and body awareness and control, forming a relationship with an intuitive practitioner, guided meditations as a means of creating independent meditation techniques and re-engagement with education, work, friendships and family relationships. The mind-body awareness that is gained by participants of the program provides skills and techniques for individuals (and families) to utilise in every-day, with lifelong learning a crucial aspect of the program.
Five Chess Positions to Learn Law and Legal Argumentation
Author: Peran, Salvador
Date: 2019-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Games,Legal Education (Professions),Law Students,Teaching Methods,Persuasive Discourse,Figurative Language,Learning Activities

Law students should be able to fathom the application of legal rules to specific cases and develop a consistent argumentation to support this interpretation by using logic. Different skills and competencies are required for each of these processes. Therefore, effective learning of Law must complement the necessary knowledge of Positive Law with a set of teaching activities aimed at developing a well-structured legal discourse. Can chess be useful when deducing the general features of legal argumentation? Can we use certain positions or chess moves as a basis for the elaboration of didactic metaphors capable of creating dynamic learning environments? We shall present five chess positions in this paper, which we shall use as a teaching resource to extract ideas regarding how legal discourse is structured.
Developing Student Growth through Effective Inclusion Skill Sets in the Rural Black Belt Region of Alabama and Mississippi
Author: Griffith, Kimberly Grantham
Date: 2019-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rural Areas,Skill Development,Inclusion,Students with Disabilities,Teaching Skills,Teacher Competencies,Special Education Teachers,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Faculty Development,Teacher Collaboration,Cooperative Planning,Scheduling,Barriers,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Responsibility,Personality Traits,Training,Leadership Training,Teacher Education Programs,Socioeconomic Influences

Skill sets have been identified as the abilities needed by an individual to perform a job or task. In this mixed methods study, an online survey was developed to collect data identifying those skill sets and the barriers to effective inclusion in rural schools in the Black Belt region of Alabama and Mississippi. For rural administrators, this becomes a challenging task to provide the supports needed for students with disabilities to be successful and prepared to be college and/or career ready when they graduate. Rural school principals must be cognizant of teacher skill sets needed for both general and special education teachers to be competent team members in the inclusion classroom. Although 242 randomly selected rural school administrators employed in the Black Belt Region of the twin states area were sent an email requesting participation, there was only a 16% response rate for the survey. Results of the study indicated that principals felt supports that were needed for successful inclusion were related to professional development, common scheduling and planning, and collaboration. Barriers to inclusion were territorial and shared responsibilities, personality conflicts, and insufficient number of staff and co-teaching training. One of the conclusions of this study indicated the need of administrators to be aware of the use of a variety of inclusion strategies that support more than just one inclusion model. The second conclusion indicated a need for the College of Education to revise and include additional training in effective inclusion skill sets both within their educator and instructional leadership preparation programs.