ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Greater Equality: The Hidden Key to Better Health and Higher Scores
Author: Wilkinson, Richard
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Problems,Quality of Life,Child Health,Infant Mortality,Social Indicators,Well Being,Comparative Analysis,Literacy,Health Services,Statistical Analysis,Data,Scores

There are now many studies of income inequality and health that compare countries, American states, or other large regions, and the majority of these studies show that more egalitarian societies tend to be healthier. Inequality is associated with lower life expectancy, higher rates of infant mortality, shorter height, poor self-reported health, low birth weight, AIDS, and depression. Knowing this, the authors wondered what else inequality might affect. The authors collected internationally comparable data from dozens of rich countries on health and social problems. Their research shows that reducing inequality would increase the well-being and quality of life for everyone. Far from being inevitable and unstoppable, the deterioration in social well-being and the quality of social relations in society is reversible. Modern societies will depend increasingly on being creative, adaptable, inventive, well-informed, and flexible, able to respond generously to each other and to needs wherever they arise. Those are characteristics not of societies in hock to the rich, in which people are driven by status insecurities, but of populations used to working together and respecting each other as equals. (Contains 3 figures, 1 footnote and 7 endnotes.)
A Content Analysis of the TEFL M.A. Entrance Examinations (Case Study: Majors Courses)
Author: Razmjoo, Seyyed Ayatollah
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Testing,Language Tests,Validity,Foreign Countries,Content Analysis,Test Construction,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Check Lists,Reliability,Coding,Case Studies,College Entrance Examinations

The MA Entrance Examinations (MAEE) held in Iran since 1990 are frequently criticized as being invalid, unstandardized exams with lots of problem in terms of principles of testing in general and test construction in particular (for instance, Jafarpur, 1996). To make sound judgments about such objections, the present study dealt with a content analysis of the TEFL MAEE held in 2007. Actually, the purpose of this study was two-fold. First, it aimed at analyzing the content of the MAEE's in order to see if any pattern be at work in the process of devising such exams. Naturally, through such an analysis, some problems of these exams were also determined. Thus, the second  aim of the present study was to pinpoint and describe the problems with these exams as well as to offer some suggestions to remedy the problems. In so doing, a coding system encompassing a checklist of the possible content categories was developed by the researchers themselves and its validity and reliability were established as well. The finding of such an analysis, especially the unequal distribution of the content categories, supported the idea that the validity of the exam is not strongly established due to the exclusion of or de-emphasis over the content categories given significant credit in the B.A. Program. The problems found during the analysis showed that the exam is not a standard one; still some of the basic principles of language testing are not observed in the process of constructing the exam. (Contains 3 figures and 9 tables.)
Being Poor, Black, and American: The Impact of Political, Economic, and Cultural Forces
Author: Wilson, William Julius
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Neighborhoods,Poverty,Economically Disadvantaged,Ghettos,Achievement Gap,African Americans,Urban Areas,Race,Racial Discrimination,Racial Segregation,Urban Population,Racial Factors,Racial Attitudes

Through the second half of the 1990s and into the early years of the 21st century, public attention to the plight of poor black Americans seemed to wane. There was scant media attention to the problem of concentrated urban poverty (neighborhoods in which a high percentage of the residents fall beneath the federally designated poverty line), little or no discussion of inner-city challenges by mainstream political leaders, and even an apparent quiescence on the part of ghetto residents themselves. This was dramatically different from the 1960s, when the transition from legal segregation to a more racially open society was punctuated by social unrest that sometimes expressed itself in violent terms, as seen in the riots that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But in 2005, Hurricane Katrina exposed concentrated poverty in New Orleans. Through Katrina, the nation's attention became riveted on these poor urban neighborhoods. In this article, the author provides a political, economic, and cultural framework for understanding the emergence and persistence of concentrated urban poverty. He pays particular attention to poor inner-city black neighborhoods, which have the highest levels of concentrated poverty. He concludes this article by suggesting a new agenda for America's ghetto poor. (Contains 2 footnotes and 50 endnotes.)
Examination of Rater Training Effect and Rater Eligibility in L2 Performance Assessment
Author: Kondo, Yusuke
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Video Technology,Eligibility,Performance Based Assessment,Performance Tests,Language Teachers,Second Language Instruction,Evaluation Methods,Native Speakers,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Evaluators,Generalization,Training,Language Tests

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of rater training in an L2 performance assessment and to examine the eligibility of L2 users of English as raters in L2 performance assessment. Rater training was conducted in order for raters to clearly understand the criteria, the evaluation items, and the evaluation procedure. In this evaluation, the rater training was conducted based on Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). In the training, the raters watched the videos (North and Hughes, 2003), and discussed the learners' characteristics at each level. The analyses of the evaluations were done before and after the rater training based on Generalizability (G-Theory) and Multifaceted Rasch Analysis (MFRA). In the analyses based on G-Theory, the variance related to the items was reduced to about one sixth after the training, though no difference was found in the rater characteristics before and after the training in the analysis based on MFRA. Comparing the results of Kim (2009) with those of the present study, the raters are equally self-consistent with the raters of native speakers of English in Kim (ibid). Furthermore, it is legitimate to adopt L2 users as the raters, because, in countries where English is a foreign or second language, the non-native users teach and learn English. In this situation, teachers of L2 users are the most appropriate in L2 performance assessment if they are self-consistent in their ratings. (Contains 3 figures, 7 tables, and 2 footnotes.)
A Study of Co-Relation between the Length of English Low Vowels and Diphthongs by Korean Exchange Students
Author: Park, Heesuk
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Instruction,Vowels,Statistical Analysis,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Korean,Native Speakers,Pronunciation,Exchange Programs,College Students

This paper aims at comparing the five English diphthongs, /ei/, /ou/, /au/, /ai/, /[inverted c]i/, in the aspect of length, to find out a common feature in /au/, ai/, /[inverted c]i/ and /ei/, and /ou/ and to see if there is any evidence between English low vowels and diphthongs. This study is a following research of Park (2009), and I analyzed each diphthong statistically to find out the co-relation between English low vowels and English diphthongs, /au/, /ai/, /inverted c]i/, beginning with English low vowels. To make this research, four Korean college students and five Americans participated in the experiment as subjects. All the subjects are female, and their age ranges from 21 to 39. Through statistical analysis of experimental data, I couldn't find out anything in common between the length of the two English diphthongs /ei/ and /ou/. From this I could see that there isn't any common feature between the two diphthong groups, which begin with front mid and back mid position, respectively. However, in the English diphthongs /ai/, /au/, and /[inverted c]i/, there is a common feature among them; the average length of the Korean subjects' pronunciation is less than that of the native subjects' pronunciation, regardless of its sentence positions. Because English diphthongs, /ai/, /au/, and /[inverted c]i/, have a common feature in that they begin with English low vowels, /a/ and /[inverted c]/, I could get a hint that Koreans' difficulty of pronunciation of these English diphthongs may come from the difficulty of English low vowels, and we could use the results in the classroom in teaching English vowels effectively. (Contains 45 tables.)
Turning the Page on the Equity Debate in Education: How to Give All Children a Real Opportunity
Author: Riley, Richard W.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Change,Accountability,Equal Education,Academic Achievement,Postsecondary Education,Outcomes of Education

People have entered an era of education reform with an extensive focus on how well students are being prepared to succeed in postsecondary education and careers in a rapidly changing global economy, as well as to become thriving, contributing members in the democracy. Although these aims have recast national conversation in some important ways, they have not altered fundamentally two of education's timeless questions: (1) What should our education policymakers do to ensure that students of all backgrounds have the same opportunity to succeed?; and (2) What can we do to ensure that our commitment to "education equity" is more than rhetorical flourish? In this article, the authors address these issues with a specific focus on K-12 education, particularly by examining the question of resources--always central to discussions of equity. They do so, however, by urging that the "equity agenda" be understood in light of its potential alignment with the emerging education reform agenda, which is grounded in important principles of shared accountability. They argue that there is a need to move from abstract notions of equity devoid of practical application to a world where high expectations and accountability are clear and resource obligations are being met in light of those goals, particularly for students who are currently underserved by public schools. To achieve those ends, the authors believe that states and districts must marry the attention and transparency on student learning outcomes that have characterized much of the national conversation with corresponding attention and transparency on education investments. (Contains 1 footnote and 3 endnotes.)
The Economics of Inequality: The Value of Early Childhood Education
Author: Heckman, James J.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Evidence,Social Justice,Human Capital,Equal Education,Early Childhood Education,Disadvantaged Youth,Children,Productivity,Efficiency,Economics,Economic Factors,Achievement Gap,Family Structure,Child Rearing,Family Characteristics,Educational Opportunities,Academic Achievement,Early Intervention

Educational equity is often discussed as a moral issue. Another way to think about equity is as a way to promote productivity and economic efficiency. Traditionally, equity and efficiency are viewed as competing goals. One can be fair in devising a policy, but it often happens that what is fair is not economically efficient. Conversely, what is efficient may not be fair. What is remarkable is that there are some policies that both are fair--i.e., promote equity--and promote economic efficiency. Investing in the early years of disadvantaged children's lives is one such policy. A large body of data from economics, biology, and psychology shows that educational equity is more than a social justice imperative; it is an economic imperative that has far-reaching implications for the nation. Taking a hard look at the economic value of efforts to create human capital helps people see where best to invest their resources in education to achieve its ideal--equalizing opportunity to build greater and enduring value for all. The evidence is quite clear that inequality in the development of human capabilities produces negative social and economic outcomes that can and should be prevented with investments in early childhood education, particularly targeted toward disadvantaged children and their families. (Contains 2 footnotes and 11 endnotes.)
Anxiety and Academic Reading Performance among Malay ESL Learners
Author: Mohd. Zin, Zuhana
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Research,Reading Achievement,Reading Ability,Anxiety,Cognitive Ability,Indonesian,Native Speakers,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,College Students,Academic Achievement,Reading Comprehension,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries

Research into the factors that contribute to reading performance decrement in L2 reading among ESL university students is still being extensively researched in the context of ELT. This is because successful academic performance is highly dependent on good reading ability. While it is widely accepted that poor reading performance is due to lack of linguistics knowledge, ESL students' reading performance is sometimes said to be influenced by anxiety. L2 reading research has indicated that anxiety is among one of the important factors in explaining individual differences in reading. Studies have shown that anxiety can hinder comprehension by interfering with the readers' cognitive systems which are responsible for processing the information in the reading texts. It appears that anxious readers are most likely to experience interference with their cognitive ability resulting in deficits in their comprehension performance. Hence, anxiety is seen to play a role in influencing comprehension performance among the ESL learners. This paper presents findings based on a study which investigated the relationship between reading anxiety and comprehension performance of academic texts among ESL Malay students. The findings show that the anxiety influenced the subjects' reading performance significantly. (Contains 5 tables.)
Organizing for Equity: Most Policymakers Have Done Little for Our Poorest Schools--Can Parents Fill the Void?
Author: Fabricant, Michael B.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Achievement Gap,Democracy,Economically Disadvantaged,Community Involvement,Academic Achievement,Parents,Equal Education,Public Education,Educational Change,Teachers

This author states that, since the civil rights movement, Americans have documented and decried--but done little to decrease--the achievement gap. This gulf, one of many that divide people by race and class, has festered in part because the larger question of inequitable investment in poor communities of color has long been neglected. Demonstration projects of various kinds have been tested in selected communities--but little has been made of the successes. He contends that demonstration projects, if they work, are meant to be scaled up; however, a more ambitious, transformative investment in a cross-section of poor communities across the nation has never been attempted. It is essential to excavate the deep experience of education organizing if people are to build on and share the lessons of specific campaigns. People know that for a campaign to influence academic outcomes, it must effectively promote strategic investments in the poorest schools, increase parents' power, and create new relationships between parents, teachers, and students that can transform learning culture. Clearly, promoting equitable investments is paramount. Presently, the education organizing literature etches broad contours of a number of campaigns but reveals little about what was most salient to building parent power, producing alliances, influencing issue selection, sustaining community involvement, or structuring campaign strategy. Community organizing as a principal strategy for correcting inequitable investment in public schooling and increasing academic achievement is not without its profound dilemmas. There are no airtight strategies to assure a substantial redistribution of public dollars to the poorest school systems. This much is clear, however: the present policymaking establishment will not advance a redistributive agenda in the absence of significant grassroots pressure. The long history of inequitable investments has stunted the academic achievement and life chances of the poorest students in America. Parents whose children are damaged every day by these inequitable policies are ready to fight. They need to be joined by parents in other communities, teachers who are also outraged by underfunded schools, politicians prepared to call for transformative investments, and the cross section of citizens who understand the fragile but essential relationship between strong schools and a robust democracy. (Contains 1 footnote and 20 endnotes.)
The Representation of Multiple Intelligences Types in the Top-Notch Series: A Textbook Evaluation
Author: Razmjoo, Seyyed Ayatollah
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multiple Intelligences,Textbook Evaluation,Content Analysis,Check Lists,Teaching Methods,Verbal Ability,Comparative Analysis,Learning Activities,Statistical Analysis

This study aims at evaluating Top-Notch series through a checklist devised by the researchers based on the elements of the Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory proposed by Gardner (1998). With the shift from teacher-centered classrooms to learner-centered one, more and more research is needed to be done in the realm of students' need analysis. One of the undeniable needs of the students to be fulfilled is for them to learn through the intelligence they are most capable at while the educational system mainly addresses students' verbal intelligence. This study has evaluated Top Notch series in terms of taking the nine intelligences into consideration through answering these two questions: 1. To what extent does Top-Notch series represent the MI features? 2. How frequently each of the eight intelligences is used in each book of the series? The results confirm that Top Notch is rich in addressing verbal intelligence followed by the visual, logical, musical, interpersonal, bodily, and intrapersonal one while to some extent poor in representing natural and existential intelligences. It also shows that there exists a pattern of some of the intelligences-addressing through different levels, for example unlike visual intelligence, verbal-intelligence-addressing enhances as the books grow in level. The comparison of the results with that of Interchange series evaluation illustrated that Top Notch is more representative of the intelligences and that it is a suitable alternative to the Interchange in terms of addressing the elements of MI principles or as Lezear (1991) puts it "Ways of Knowing". (Contains 20 tables.)
Self-Introduction in Spoken Form: What Makes KSE and ANSE Different?
Author: No, Keum Sook
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mutual Intelligibility,Interpersonal Relationship,Native Speakers,English (Second Language),North American English,Traditional Grammar,Korean,Pragmatics,Interpersonal Communication,Contrastive Linguistics,Second Language Learning

The purpose of this paper is to investigate what characteristics make American Native Speakers of English (ANSE) different from Korean Speakers of English (KSE) when they are asked to introduce themselves in English. In particular, components and topics of self-introduction, the use of word number and class, and the use of discourse markers (DM) are discussed. The most salient features of ANSE and KSE are also discussed on the basis of an oral interview of 14 respondents. DM in this study are defined as word(s) or phrases to create and maintain the atmosphere of more smooth, lively and personal relationship between the speaker and the hearer. Therefore, what have been treated as "fillers" in traditional grammar are included in DM in this study. For example, "haha,"  "and ah)," "yah," "uhm (ahm, uh)" and the like are treated as DM because they are used to make the conversation flow more smooth and personal. Both particles and connectives can also be included in the category of DM. Interview results show that there are, indeed, different characteristics between ANSE and KSE in their use of components and topics of self-introduction, and of DM. However, these different characteristics do not lead to reduce mutual intelligibility or comprehensibility. No significant differences can be found from their use of word number and class in both groups. Due to the small number of respondents and the structure of the study, it is hard to generalize the results of this study. It is suggested that further studies are needed.  Since both ANSE and KSE can understand each other, these different characteristics do neither cause any intelligibility problems nor comprehensibility problems. Therefore, these characteristics should be valued and respected since both ANSE and KSE are indeed speakers of English living in this global world where both diversity and uniformity coexist and valued. (Contains 9 tables and 3 footnotes.)
A Call for Common Content: Core Curriculum Must Build a Bridge from Standards to Achievement--Sign On to Show Your Support
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Expertise,Core Curriculum,Equal Education,Instructional Materials,Governance,Academic Achievement,Standards,Curriculum Guides,Academic Education

In the last issue of &quot;American Educator,&quot; several scholars argued in favor of a common core curriculum. By common core, they meant that the curriculum should be broadly adopted (enabling improvements in instructional materials, student tests, and teacher training), but also limited (preserving instructional time for districts, schools, and teachers to address local priorities). Among the many benefits they discussed, the most compelling was the potential for a common core curriculum to increase educational equity. Inequity comes in many forms, but one of the most basic is an unequal opportunity to learn important content, concepts, and skills. Recognizing that a common core curriculum is an essential means of increasing equity--and excellence--in America's schools, the Albert Shanker Institute has developed the statement presented in this article calling for educators, curriculum specialists, cognitive scientists, content experts, and others to create such a curriculum. (Contains 2 footnotes and 6 endnotes.)