ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 Pandemic and Higher Education: Leveraging on Digital Technologies and Mobile Applications for Online Learning in Ghana
Author: Demuyakor, John
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Online Courses,COVID-19,Pandemics,School Closing,Distance Education,Higher Education,College Students,Student Attitudes,Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Computer Oriented Programs,Barriers,Access to Computers,Internet,Rural Areas,Costs,Value Judgment

Since mid-March 2020, educational systems worldwide and particularly Ghana were under increasing pressure to use the new Digital Technologies (DTs) and mobile applications (apps) to assist teachers in guiding students to continue with online learning activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is aimed at assessing the utilization of DTs and apps tools by students during the COVID-19 pandemic and how those technologies have affected online learning in institutions of higher education in Ghana. The researcher adopted an online survey and exploratory-based design that utilized quantitative and qualitative approaches to purposively collect data from N=784 students from three major public universities in Ghana. Also, the study applied Uses and Gratification as the theoretical basis in understanding the utilization of DTs and their possible limitations for remote learning during the peak of COVID-19 in Ghana. This study reported that the specific DMTs and mobile apps used by students in higher education for online learning are smarts phones and apps such as Class In, Zoom, Skype, and Instagram live stream. This study also revealed that Personal Learning Network (PLN) such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter were also actively used by students for remote online learning. Again, the study shows that 77.1% of students in the sampled three universities were fully aware of the DTs and apps utilized for online learning during COVID-19. Also, the findings from this study report that students in higher institutions identified unstable electricity for continuous online learning, especially for those students in rural areas, unreliable internet service, poor WiFi connections, expensive smartphones /laptops, and high cost of inter bundle as key challenges of using DMTs and mobile apps for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, on the perceived usefulness of DTs and mobile apps among students for online learning in higher educational institutions, the findings from this study suggest that DMT's and apps were of great benefit to students for remote online learning.
Metaphoric Perceptions of Teachers and Administrators towards Uplifting Leadership
Author: Özçeti?n, Serdar
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Figurative Language,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Principals,Assistant Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Leadership Effectiveness,Administrator Role,Transformational Leadership,Performance Factors,Organizational Effectiveness,Foreign Countries

This study aimed to determine the perceptions of teachers and administrators about the concept of uplifting leadership in depth through metaphors. In this study, phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The study group of the research consists of 30 people, 15 administrators and 15 teachers who work in primary, secondary and high schools affiliated to Antalya Directorate of National Education and selected through snowball sampling, which is purposeful sampling methods. A structured questionary form was used as a data collection tool. Metaphors were used as a data collection method and the participants were asked to explain what they think uplifting leadership resembled with reasons. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data. The responses of the participants were classified and analyzed; the analysis was supported by direct quotations from the participants. NVivo package program was used to encode and classify the data. As a result of the study, it has been found that the metaphors produced by the participants contain features of the uplifting leadership by the changing management perception, such as being contemporary, constantly improving itself by following the innovations, trying to save organizations from the static structure, exciting employees for their improvement or institutional improvement, teaching them to dream, supporting different ideas, working in cooperation.
L2 Demotivation in Online Classes during COVID-19: From an Activity Theory Perspective
Author: Elmas, Eda
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Motivation,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),COVID-19,Pandemics,School Closing,Second Language Learning,College Students,Barriers,Online Courses,Electronic Learning

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate an L2 learner's motivation during his involvement in language learning. Specifically, it was sought to conceptualize the (de)motives that might have an impact on the participant's language learning process and to reconceptualize, in this sense, the process above referring to the Activity Theory (AT). To this end, this study attempted to examine whether there were any changes in his motivation within the framework of AT. The scrutiny of data revealed that the changes stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative influence on Ahmet's language learning process. Although he was relatively motivated as he started as a language learner, the new changes he had to adapt to amidst the outbreak externally affected his learning experiences, leading to demotivation. The present paper argues how this change can be captured by referring to Engeström's (1999, 2009) triangle model. Further discussions and implications are provided in the study.
An Analysis of Factors Influencing Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students: A Case Study of Rabindra University, Bangladesh (RUB)
Author: Islam, Ariful
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Academic Achievement,Undergraduate Students,Attendance,Study Habits,Self Esteem,Family Influence,Influences,Barriers,Student Interests,College Environment,Student Characteristics,Parent Background,Educational Attainment,Social Status,Language of Instruction,Educational Resources,Teacher Student Ratio,Teacher Student Relationship,Extracurricular Activities,Teacher Competencies,Educational Finance

A proverb goes that education is the backbone of a nation. No nation can step up without educating the nation. Quality education is achieved by the better academic performance of the students. Indeed, the university is the tertiary education where the undergraduate students are enrolled to appropriate academic excellence that can be transformed to better the nation. There are a variety of positive and negative factors that affect the academic performance of undergraduate students. Here, this study endeavors to identify the success and failure factors influencing the academic performance of Rabindra University, Bangladesh. In doing so, this study is conducted based on primary data. Convenient and cluster random sampling method has been used. Two different questionnaires and opinionnaire are developed for both students and faculties as the instruments of data collection and the 4-point Likert scale of measurement is used to analyze the responses. The findings show that regular attendance, regular study, hard work, dedication &amp; self-Confidence and Support by family members and others have a high impact on the academic performance of undergraduate students. On the other hand, insufficient effort in studying, lack of interest in the subject, the noisy and unfriendly environment in the institution influence inversely. This result will surely help the students, faculties and administration to design policies convenient for the education system of the university and the nation as a whole.
Analysis of the Web Application on Bayes&apos; Theorem Considering Data Science and Technological Acceptance Model
Author: Salas-Rueda, Ricardo-Adan
Date: 2021-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Bayesian Statistics,Probability,College Students,Business Administration Education,Statistics Education,Foreign Countries,Information Technology,Learning Analytics,Technology Uses in Education

This mixed research aims to design and implement the Web Application on Bayes' Theorem (WABT) in the Statistical Instrumentation for Business subject. WABT presents the procedure to calculate the probability of Bayes' Theorem through the simulation of data about the supply of products. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), machine learning and data science are used to analyze the impact of WABT on the educational process. The results of machine learning (60%, 70% and 80% of training) indicate that WABT positively influences the Motivation, Autonomy, Personalized learning and Active role. Data science identifies predictive models of the impact of WABT on the teaching and learning process through the decision tree technique. In addition, WABT is a pleasant, simple, useful and innovative web tool for the educational field. Finally, teachers can use TAM model, data science and machine learning in order to identify the impact of digital tools on the educational process.
Development of Medical School Students&apos; Attitudes towards Online Learning Scale and Its Relationship with E-Learning Styles
Author: Yurdal, Mustafa Onur
Date: 2021-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Medical Students,Student Attitudes,Distance Education,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Electronic Learning,Cognitive Style,Predictor Variables,Learning Modalities,COVID-19,Pandemics,School Closing

This study aims at determining students' attitudes towards distance education/online learning through a scale developed by the authors and determine the relationship between these attitudes and e-learning styles. The study carried out on students of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Medicine using the online system of the university, the sample group consists 815 students from different classes, the participation rate was 89.46%. Following the explanatory factor and confirmatory factor analysis resulting structure of the scale was confirmed. Construct validity, criterion validity and internal consistency of the scale were high. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to assess the predictive strength of the students' learning styles which were determined using the e-Learning Styles Scale for Electronic Environments for the attitudes towards online learning. Presented Medical School Students' Attitudes Towards Online Learning Scale was valid and reliable instrument to measure medical school students' attitudes towards distance/online learning. Although students' attitudes toward online/distant education were divided, it was negative on the average. The regression modeling showed that the learning styles are significant predictors for attitudes towards online education and the audio-visual learning style was determined as has the highest predictive strength for attitudes towards online education. The developed tool can be used to monitor medical school students' attitudes towards distance/online learning and will contribute to preparing medical education for a change towards distance learning.
Interactive Feedback for Learning Mathematics in a Digital Learning Environment
Author: Barana, Alice
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interaction,Feedback (Response),Mathematics Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Formative Evaluation,Electronic Learning,COVID-19,Pandemics,Grade 8,Secondary School Students,Low Income Students,Socioeconomic Background,Achievement Gap,Learner Engagement,Computer Assisted Testing,Foreign Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has evidenced a need for tools and methodologies to support students' autonomous learning and the formative assessment practices in distance education contexts, especially for students from challenging backgrounds. This paper proposes a conceptualization of Interactive Feedback (IF) for Mathematics, which is a step-by-step interactive process that guides the learner in the resolution of a task after one or more autonomous tentative. This conceptualization is grounded on theories and models of automatic assessment, formative assessment, and feedback. We discuss the effectiveness of the IF for engaging students from low socio-economic contexts in closing the gap between current and reference performance through a didactic experimentation involving 299 Italian students in grade 8. Using quantitative analyses on data from the automatic assessment, we compared the results of the first and last attempts in activities with and without IF, based on algorithmic parameters so that the task changes at every attempt. We found that IF was more effective than other kinds of activities to engage learners in actions aimed at improving their results, and the effects are stronger in low socio-economic contexts.
Child-Centred Teaching: Helping Each Child to Reach Their Full Potential
Author: Nicholas, Maria
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Centered Learning,Teaching Methods,Literacy Education,Reading Skills,Foreign Countries,Early Childhood Education,Early Childhood Teachers,Standardized Tests,Evaluation Methods,Student Evaluation,Academic Standards,Student Needs,Parent Participation

Research has shown that schoolteachers often prepare children for success in standardized reading assessments by 'teaching to the test.' Concurrently, research exploring children's emergent literacies and 'school readiness' has shown that early childhood teachers often feel pressured to 'prepare' children for school and may do so by focusing on print-related literacies, to the detriment of earlier stages of the oral-to-print continuum. This raises the concern that teaching children as a group, preparing them for the next 'stage of education,' will disadvantage children who are working below or above expected levels of development. Our study explores the teaching approaches used with a group of foundation-year children who achieved more advanced reading outcomes than children from four adjacent classrooms in their first year of schooling. We collected the reading and letter-identification outcomes of 16 children in the teacher's foundation-year class and interviewed her about her practices. Findings showed that the teacher used her knowledge of what the children should achieve in standardized assessments as a minimum expectation and moved beyond the content of such assessments when warranted, as determined by informal assessments. As a result, every child in the class met, and many exceeded, minimum reading standards by year's end. We conclude that using an individualized, child-centred pedagogy, informed by a combination of standardized and informal assessments, allowed the teacher to support her students to develop a range of reading abilities and to reach their full potential.
Lessons from the Past and Challenges for the Future: Inclusive Education for Students with Unique Needs
Author: Evans, William
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Special Needs Students,Inclusion,English Language Learners,Student Needs,Behavior Problems,Cultural Differences,Student Diversity,Barriers,Program Effectiveness,Contingency Management,Teaching Methods,Peer Teaching,Intervention,At Risk Students

The school-age population of students is becoming increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse. There is mounting recognition that English Learners (EL) represent a unique group of students who have special educational and linguistic needs. This article considered the needs of learners with diverse special needs such as (a) learning and behavior challenges and (b) English Learners identified as students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). We highlighted some potential lessons to be learned from past-to-present efforts to serve students with behavior problems. Selected evidence-based practices were featured that are applicable to learners with special needs, thereby supporting the development of effective inclusive education, especially for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Relationship between Students&apos; Math Engagement and Math Teachers&apos; Motivational Support
Author: Özkal, Nese
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Correlation,Middle School Students,Learner Engagement,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Teachers,Student Motivation,Teacher Influence,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Student Attitudes,Student Behavior,Personal Autonomy

This study intended to explore the relationship between middle school students' engagement in mathematics classes and mathematics teachers' motivational support. Explanatory correlational research design was used for this purpose. Participants were composed of 612 students attending 6th, 7th and 8th grades in Alanya district of Antalya Province. Effective Participation Scale and Teachers' Motivational Support Scale were used in data collection. The relationship between the datasets of middle school students' engagement in mathematics classes and their perceptions regarding mathematics teachers' motivational support was investigated via canonical correlation analysis. Findings obtained showed that mathematics teachers' autonomy support provided to middle school 6th,7th, 8th grade students positively affected their behavioral engagement and emotional engagement. It was also identified that mathematics teachers' autonomy and relatedness support provided to middle school 6th, 7th, 8th grade students negatively affected their emotional disaffection towards mathematics classes.
A Comparison of Mathematics Questions in Turkish and Canadian School Textbooks in Terms of Synthesized Taxonomy
Author: Kul, Ümit
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Principals,Administrator Attitudes,International Assessment,Foreign Countries,Comparative Education,Textbook Evaluation,Cross Cultural Studies,Cognitive Processes,Thinking Skills,Taxonomy,Mathematics Instruction,Middle School Students,Achievement Tests,Elementary Secondary Education,Mathematics Tests

The present study offers a comparative analysis of mathematics questions placed in Turkish and Canadian school textbooks in terms of cognitive process and knowledge dimension as well as the question types. In order to get the required data, eight textbooks were analyzed respectively. Document analysis was conducted to collect the data from these textbooks. In order to compare the differences and similarities between the questions found in these textbooks as well as their levels of cognitive learning, these questions were analyzed and classified according to the types of cognitive processes and knowledge dimensions they address. Mathematics questions existing in Turkish and Canadian textbooks showed a similar tendency in terms of cognitive learning domain. However, compared to the Turkish textbooks, it was found that the questions provided in the Canadian textbooks contained more constructed response questions that required higher-order cognitive abilities. It is recommended that the number of higher order thinking questions should be increased in accordance with international examinations.
Toward an Innovative Educational Method to Train Students to Agile Approaches in Higher Education: The A.L.P.E.S.
Author: Laval, Jannik
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Program Administration,Teaching Methods,College Instruction,Curriculum Development,Active Learning,Student Projects,Foreign Countries,College Students

Introduced in 2013, the A.L.P.E.S. approach (AgiLe aPproaches in higher Education Studies) aims to apply agile practices to teaching. Agile approaches are project management practices for IT development. More pragmatic than traditional methods, they allow to be closer to the applicant and to involve him/her as much as possible. They offer a great reactivity and a good adaptation to best meet the needs. They are used today in a large part of IT companies. Largely inspired by agile approaches, the A.L.P.E.S. approach allows the teaching of project management in a transverse way to a main course. It makes teaching more flexible and more adapted to the students. In this article, we describe the approach. We describe the tools, the process of creating a course, and the process of running a course.
Let Students Talk about Emergency Remote Teaching Experience: Secondary Students&apos; Perceptions on Their Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author: Sofianidis, Angelos
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Distance Education,COVID-19,Pandemics,Student Experience,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Electronic Learning,Asynchronous Communication,Synchronous Communication,Access to Computers,Socialization

This research aimed to comprehend the impact of the first school closure on secondary education in Cyprus from students' perspectives. Through the administration of an online survey with both closed and open questions, the study investigated the main issues and challenges that students experienced during their abrupt transition from face-to-face to emergency remote education and their main worries and concerns during this period, as well as their perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process followed during the distance education period. The study also elicited students' suggestions, based on their experiences from the lockdown period, on improving instruction in case of further lockdown(s) and in the post-COVID-19 era. Three hundred twenty-two (322) students of both upper and lower secondary education participated in the study. The data from closed questions were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and for the data from the open questions, a qualitative thematic analysis approach was followed. The valuable insights gained from this study illustrate how important it is for educators and educational policymakers to give voice to students, closely listen to what learners felt worked and what did not during the period of remote learning, and develop plans and policies that incorporate their feedback.
Organizational Change Management in Higher Education through the Lens of Executive Coaches
Author: Vlachopoulos, Dimitrios
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Organizational Change,Change Strategies,Higher Education,Coaching (Performance),Leadership Training,Foreign Countries,Strategic Planning,Decision Making,Skill Development,Soft Skills,Instructional Leadership

This study investigated perceptions of organizational change management among executive coaches working with British higher-education leaders and factors that make leaders effective when managing change. This basic qualitative research used semi-structured interviews with eight executive coaches selected through purposeful sampling. As main challenges to efficient, inclusive change management, participants mentioned leaders' lack of a strategic vision or plan, lack of leadership and future leader development programs, and lack of clarity in decision-making. They recognized that leaders' academic and professional profiles are positively viewed and said that, with coaching and support in leadership and strategic planning, these people can inspire the academic community and promote positive change. Additional emphasis was given to the role of coaching in the development of key soft skills (honesty, responsibility, resiliency, creativity, proactivity, and empathy, among others), which are necessary for effective change management and leadership in higher education. The paper's implications have two aspects. First, the lessons of the actual explicit content of the coaches' observations (challenges to efficient change management and views of leaders); second, the implications of these observations (how coaching can help and what leaders need).