ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Measuring the Level of Complexity of Scientific Inquiries: The LCSI Index
Author: Eilam, Efrat
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Difficulty Level,Inquiry,Scientific Research,Measures (Individuals),High School Students,Computer Mediated Communication,Science Education,Protocol Analysis,Foreign Countries,Interviews

The study developed and applied an index for measuring the level of complexity of full authentic scientific inquiry. Complexity is a fundamental attribute of real life scientific research. The level of complexity is an overall reflection of complex cognitive and metacognitive processes which are required for navigating the authentic inquiry through high levels of uncertainty, from the unknown to the known. To develop the index, an educational framework was set up, in which five teams of high school students were conducting a full authentic scientific inquiry, using online facilitation. Protocols obtained from the teams' on-line communications were used for developing the Level of Complexity of Scientific Inquiry (LCSI) index. The index measures complexity by measuring the number of deviations from a linear straightforward inquiry process and the magnitude of these deviations. In structured teacher guided inquiries, the index measurement would be zero. The more students activate self-regulatory processes and grapple with the unknown, the higher is the obtained measurement.
Current Kindergarten Parents' Attitudes toward and Beliefs about Children's Art Education in Majority Cities and Counties of Taiwan
Author: Hsiao, Ching-Yuan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Kindergarten,Young Children,Parent Attitudes,Beliefs,Art Education,Municipalities,Counties,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Parent Surveys

Current kindergarten parents' attitudes toward and beliefs about children's art education in majority cities and counties of Taiwan were investigated. A review of the literature was conducted to identify several possible influences on parents' interpretation/ assessment of children's art education. Then, the researcher developed and distributed a questionnaire for parents; 1,010 copies were distributed and 800 copies returned-of these, 758 were valid. Findings were as follows: (1) Parents' occupations, educational backgrounds, genders, ages, classes attended by children, and children's genders had significant effects on the interpretation of children's art education. (2) More than 66% of Taiwanese kindergarten teachers used the theme-based teaching approach. (3) Over 72% of parents believed that kindergarten art educators should have basic drawing skills and familiarity with art supplies and craft equipment. (4) Majority parents believed children could attend art classes by 3 years of age, and also informed that their children had attended art classes at that age.
Alternative Framework in &quot;Body Coordination&quot; Topic: A Progress Report for Interior of Malaysia
Author: Seligin, Davy
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Interviews,Misconceptions,Secondary School Students,Grade 10,Validity,Reliability,Phenomenology,Psychomotor Skills,Human Body,Test Items

This preliminary study was conducted in interior of Malaysia. The study employed the Body Coordination Two Tier Concept Test to assess students' understandings of body coordination topic. The test consisted of 14 questions as two tier question style. The students needed to select the answer and write down the justifications of each answer. Interview was conducted with six students to get in-depth opinion about Body Coordination.
Integrating Sustainable Consumption into Environmental Education: A Case Study on Environmental Representations, Decision Making and Intention to Act
Author: Hadjichambis, Andreas Ch.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Environmental Education,Sustainability,Case Studies,Decision Making,Intention,Program Effectiveness,Children,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries

During the last decades, current consumption patterns have been recurrently blamed for rendering both the environment and our lifestyles unsustainable. Young children are considered a critical group in the effort to make a shift towards sustainable consumption (environmentally friendly consumption). However, young people should be able to consider sustainable consumption as a potential venue, among their options. The present study investigates the effectiveness of an environmental education program aiming to familiarize children aged 8-12 with the notion of sustainable consumption by focusing on children's environmental representations and their intentions to act (decision-making). Findings revealed that the program employed influenced children's environmental representations into becoming more sustainable ones. In addition, the environmental program provided children with more environmental criteria, allowing children to report their intentions to act as sustainable consumers. Relating children's environmental representations to their decision-making criteria, findings indicated an emerging relationship between children's environmental representations, and their intentions to act, as reflected through the decision-making process.
Managing Online Presence in the E-Learning Environment: Technological Support for Academic Staff
Author: Islam, Nurul
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,College Faculty,Faculty Workload,Teacher Role,Work Environment,Foreign Countries,Semi Structured Interviews

Over the last two decades the use of E-learning technology increased to such an extent that the role of the traditional academic has been forced to change. Focusing on academics' views, this study examines their interactions in the E-learning environment and whether online learning applications have increased academic workload (Eynon, 2005; Olaniran, 2006). This study also identifies how their role has changed and the underlying factors which may cause negativity in their working environment. Based on a literature review and twelve interviews with academics the work suggests that online learning applications have increased workload. For some academics the use of E-learning technology in UK higher education can be a full time occupation. It is evident from the data that the drawbacks to current E-learning technology outweigh the number of benefits. A key concern is the high number of working hours spent on E-learning systems by academics. This research states unequivocally that the level of complexity for some academics is daunting as well as frustrating. A key finding from this research is a wish list made by academics that can help in their role as teachers in utilising E-learning technology. Managing expectations of academics is vital to the success of E-learning technology in higher education institutions.
Students' Reasons for Preferences of Contexts in Learning Mathematics
Author: Kazima, Mercy
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preferences,Student Surveys,Secondary School Students,Mathematics Education,Relevance (Education),Questionnaires,Qualitative Research

This paper reports on findings from a study that investigated reasons Malawian students have for preferring particular contexts in mathematics. The study explored students' preferences of contexts using a survey questionnaire that contained 27 contexts and asked students to indicate their level of interest for each context on a 4-point scale and to write down reasons for their most preferred contexts. There were 393 students of 14-20 years old. Findings include that most preferred contexts were of future career prospects, modern technology, health and community issues. Students' reasons for these preferences were in four categories of career prospects, curiosity, community well-being and personal well-being. Furthermore, future career prospects was the most common reason for the preferred contexts.
The Effectiveness of Teaching Aids for Elementary Students' Renewable Energy Learning and an Analysis of Their Energy Attitude Formation
Author: Chou, Ying-Chyi
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Energy Conservation,Student Attitudes,Knowledge Level,Conservation (Environment),Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Comparative Analysis,Student Behavior,Attitude Change,Behavior Change,Positive Attitudes,Experiential Learning,Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,Grade 4,Demonstrations (Educational),Science Activities,Likert Scales,Questionnaires,Scientific Concepts,Concept Formation

As an examination of the influences of a renewable energy teaching activity employing teaching aids on elementary students' knowledge of, attitude toward, and behavior of energy saving and carbon reduction, this study designed a teaching experiment in which experimental group was subjected to the teaching with four teaching aids for students to practice whereas the control group was not. Results revealed that the teaching activity significantly improved the attitude and increased some knowledge items but did not affect the behavior. The behavior was more connected to attitude and knowledge for experimental group than for control group. The formation of the positive attitude could be related to the sensory stimulation generated by the teaching aids and associated affective responses when it was analyzed from a product-trial perspective. The analysis should inspire the understanding of the possible mechanisms of how learning experiences affect attitude.
Connection of Environmental Education with Application of Experiential Teaching Methods: A Case Study from Greece
Author: Koutsoukos, Marios
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Environmental Education,Experiential Learning,Holistic Approach,Relevance (Education),Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Interviews,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Teacher Characteristics

The main objective of this case study is to examine secondary education teachers' opinions concerning the connection of environmental education with the use of experiential teaching methods. Exploring whether the application of experiential methods can upgrade the learning procedure, leading to a more holistic approach, the research focuses on certain aspects of today's educational reality in the field of secondary environmental education. Studying a sample of secondary education teachers in Northern Greece, among the research's main findings is teachers' belief that environmental education can play an important role in today's educational reality, as respondents acknowledge that environmental education in secondary schools can serve as a useful tool for integrating environmental values into students' everyday life.
Effect of Scientific Argumentation on the Development of Scientific Process Skills in the Context of Teaching Chemistry
Author: Gultepe, Nejla
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Persuasive Discourse,Science Process Skills,Skill Development,Chemistry,Science Instruction,Grade 11,High School Students,Secondary School Science,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Foreign Countries,Multivariate Analysis

This study was conducted in order to determine the differences in integrated scientific process skills (designing experiments, forming data tables, drawing graphs, graph interpretation, determining the variables and hypothesizing, changing and controlling variables) of students (n = 17) who were taught with an approach based on scientific argumentation and of students (n = 17) who were taught with a traditional teaching approach in Grade 11 chemistry. The study was conducted at a high school in Çankiri, Turkey. A multiformat Scientific Process Skills Scale was administered to both groups as a pre- and posttest; it contained 29 items in 5 modules and consisted of limited and unlimited open-ended, multiple-choice, and paper-pencil performance assessment questions. Repeated t-test and analysis of variance (MANCOVA) were applied to analyze the data. It was found that the integrated scientific process skills of students in both groups improved significantly except skills of &quot;forming a data table&quot; and &quot;graphic interpretation skills&quot; for group. MANCOVA results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups on the combination of 5 dependent variables. The teaching approach had a significant effect on integrated scientific process skills except for the designing experiments skills. In sum, the scientific argumentation-based teaching approach was more effective in acquiring science process skills than the traditional teaching approach.
Articulating Teachers' Expectations afore: Impact of Rubrics on Chinese EFL Learners' Self-Assessment and Speaking Ability
Author: Huang, Yu
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Asians,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Scoring Rubrics,Questionnaires,Task Analysis,Control Groups,Oral Language,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Feedback (Response),Evaluation Criteria,Language Tests,Accuracy,College Freshmen,Pretests Posttests,Foreign Countries,Experimental Groups

Under the constraint of classroom time, English as foreign language (EFL) learners usually do not have adequate opportunity to practice oral English in class nor receive individualized feedback from the instructor. After-class practice constitutes an essential component of foreign language learning. This study investigated the effect of utilizing rubrics on EFL learners' oral English using a 16-week experiment and a questionnaire. A total of 61 college students participated in the study, 41 in the rubric-mediated group and 20 in the control group. They were required to complete six tasks of three types: conversation, description, and discussion. Participants in the rubric-mediated group were provided with three rubrics describing respective task assessment criteria. They were also required to record their speaking, self-assess their performance with reference to the rubrics, revise their speaking if they noticed they did not meet the criteria, and finally complete a questionnaire. Students in the control group were assigned the same tasks but were not given the rubrics. Two oral tests were delivered at the initial and final stages of the study to measure the change in their speaking ability. Results revealed that rubrics had positive effects on discourse length, discourse organization, and linguistic flexibility but little impact on linguistic accuracy. Responses to the questionnaire indicated that students perceive rubrics as a facilitative tool of practice and self-assessment.
Perceptions of Higher Education Faculty Members on Bilingual Education in Turkey
Author: Ilhan, Dilek
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Faculty,Bilingual Education,Teacher Attitudes,Bilingual Students,Statistical Analysis,Attitude Measures,Student Rights,Language of Instruction,Likert Scales,Surveys,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Ethnic Groups,Teaching Experience,Teacher Characteristics,Minority Group Students

In recent years, bilingual education has been a crucial phenomenon in the educational community in Turkey. This study aims to investigate whether academics have positive perceptions towards bilingual education or not. Regarding this issue, it is important to get the opinions of academics that are responsible for training future teachers. An online scale was emailed to the academics in 74 universities in Turkey. The study utilized quantitative research methods. A total of 208 academics completed the Bilingual Education Perception Scale. Their responses were graded and these grades were used in generating various analyses. Cronbach Alpha reliability analysis was implemented and the reliability coefficient of the scale was determined to be 0.96. The mean of academics' scores indicates that they have shown highly positive perceptions about bilingual education. Moreover, demographic data was used as independent variable and regression analysis was performed. The findings of this study showed that academics have shown higher positive perception towards bilingual education.
Bilingual (German-English) Molecular Biology Courses in an Out-of-School Lab on a University Campus: Cognitive and Affective Evaluation
Author: Rodenhauser, Annika
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Molecular Biology,Bilingual Education,German,English,Secondary School Science,Secondary School Students,Quasiexperimental Design,Science Instruction,Science Achievement,Self Concept,Pretests Posttests

Taking into account (German) students' deficiencies in scientific literacy as well as reading competence and the &quot;mother tongue + 2&quot; objective of the European commission, a bilingual course on molecular biology was developed. It combines CLIL fundamentals and practical experimentation in an out-of-school lab. Cognitive and affective evaluation of 490 students from upper secondary schools followed a quasi-experimental design, including two experimental (bilingual course and monolingual course) and one control group that did not take part in any of the courses. Cognitive achievement concerning molecular biology and self-concept were measured in a pre, post, follow-up test design. The study has shown that cognitive achievement concerning biological content knowledge of students having participated in a bilingual course (English and German) does not differ significantly from cognitive achievement of those that have participated in a monolingual course (German). Regarding biological self-concept, no significant differences between students having assessed themselves as being rather interested and talented in foreign languages and students having assessed themselves as being rather interested and talented in science could be observed. This indicates that bilingual courses in an out-of-school lab are equally beneficial for both of these groups.
Student Engagement in Social Justice at the &quot;Universidad Centroamericana&quot;
Author: Maita, Gianna
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Foreign Countries,Disadvantaged,Citizen Participation,Violence,Social Change,Poverty,Political Influences,Interviews,Service Learning,Social Justice,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,College Faculty,Social Responsibility,Universities,Catholics,Migrants,Social Services,College Students

Civic engagement of young people has evolved in Nicaragua as its political environment has changed. There is a marked difference between youth involvement in Nicaragua during the Sandinista Revolution from 1979 through the early 1980s, when it was a cultural norm for young people to serve in solidarity with the poor, and today, when universities must push students to connect and learn with disadvantaged communities. Interviews about service learning, community-based research and other programs in marginalized, local communities and the broader Nicaraguan society were conducted at the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) with students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore what this evolving dynamic of social justice engagement looks like at a Jesuit University. On the campus of the UCA, the change in youth interest in civic involvement is clear, though the possible reasons for this change vary.
Leading Remotely: Exploring the Experiences of Principals in Rural and Remote School Communities in Jamaica
Author: Miller, Paul
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Principals,Rural Schools,Leadership Qualities,Grounded Theory,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Small Schools,Elementary Schools,Administrator Attitudes,Job Satisfaction,Professional Isolation,Socioeconomic Influences,Educational Environment,Educational Policy,Educational Change

School leadership is an exciting although challenging job. Principals of schools located in rural and remote communities, particular small schools, experience and encounter many challenges that their counterparts in suburban and urban areas do not experience. Concerns over staffing, the quality and availability of materials, facilities, infrastructure and physical access to the school plant are but few of the more readily known challenges. But there are other challenges too such as lack of electricity, workload, feelings of professional isolation, all of which can have an impact of how principals see themselves. This qualitative case study uses a form of grounded theory research to make meaning of the experiences of four small school primary principals in rural Jamaica. The main conclusions are that: principals feel staff and students in their schools are resilient; they enjoy their jobs but feel a sense of professional isolation; and the changing socio-economic policy contexts has led to work intensification.
Human Rights Education and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Author: Froman, Nica
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Civil Rights,Teaching Methods,Advocacy,Advanced Placement Programs,Instructional Effectiveness,Intercultural Communication,Dialogs (Language),History,Philosophy,Current Events,High School Students,Curriculum,Social Change

In 2003, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)--a program implemented in thousands of schools globally--introduced a human rights course (Makivirta, 2003). This curriculum is the first of its kind to hold potential widespread influence on human rights education in the formal education sector. In this study, I analyze the curriculum's efficacy in achieving the goals of human rights education. I examine the IBDP's human rights revised syllabus (2008) for the three components of Article 2.2 of the United Nation's Universal Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training (United Nations General Assembly, 2011): &quot;Education About Human Rights,&quot; &quot;Education Through Human Rights,&quot; and &quot;Education For Human Rights.&quot; I hypothesize that the course sufficiently covers human rights content but lacks pedagogical practices grounded in human rights principles and does not orient students towards advocacy. The results of the curricular analysis confirm my hypothesis, indicating that the IBDP's course falls short in promoting Education Through and For Human Rights.