ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Call for Change in the Public Education System in Nova Scotia
Author: Hamilton-Hinch, Barbara-Ann
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Equal Education,Public Education,Blacks,Academic Achievement,Public Schools,Parent Attitudes,Racial Bias,Social Justice,Academic Persistence,Success,Student School Relationship,Parent Teacher Cooperation

The United Nation's International Decade for People of African Descent and Nova Scotia's Ministry of African Nova Scotian Affairs recognize that students of African descent continue to experience inequities. As previous studies indicate, parents of Black learners identified that many educators lack knowledge and experience in understanding students of African descent. This study explored student achievement from the perspective of parents of children of African descent attending public schools in Nova Scotia. Participants included individual interviews and focus groups with parents from rural and urban areas. Based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory framework, a thematic analysis of the data was conducted, a dominant storyline related to the families' experiences in school and subsequent themes emerged: we are treated differently; we don't feel connected; we know there are challenges: the resistance of parents; and we deal with injustices but persevere. These findings provide recommendations to improve the educational success for Black learners.
Examination of Iraqi EFL Teachers&apos; Attitudes, Intentions, and Practices Regarding Formative Assessment
Author: Jawad, Ali Hazim
Date: 2020-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Teacher Behavior,Positive Attitudes,Intention,Value Judgment,Formative Evaluation,Predictor Variables,Gender Differences,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,Foreign Countries

This study aims to explore the attitudes and practices of Iraqi EFL teachers regarding formative assessment (FA). A total of 102 teachers from primary school to university filled in the Arabic version of Teachers' Conceptions and Practices of Formative Assessment Questionnaire. The questionnaire was translated from English into Arabic first and was validated using confirmatory factor analysis (Hazim Jawad, 2020). Findings showed that a 7-factor model had acceptable fit indices (GFI=0.90, CFI=0.91, RMSEA=0.05). Descriptive statistics were used to explain Iraqi EFL teachers' attitudes and intentions regarding FA. Findings showed that the majority of Iraqi teachers believe that formative assessment is a useful procedure for measuring students' learning and is helpful in their education. They also indicated that they have a positive attitude towards FA and are willing to use it. Correlational analysis showed that Affective Attitude, Instrumental Attitude, Subjective Norm, Controllability, and Self-Efficacy were strong predictors of intentions to use formative assessment. However, only Instrumental Attitude had a small significant correlation with the Behavior Scale. In other words, those teachers who believe that FA is useful in improving students learning tend to actually employ FA in their teaching. Findings also showed that female teachers have more positive attitudes towards FA and tend to use it more in their teaching. Implications of the findings for improving English language teaching are discussed.
Factors That Influence Canadian Generalist and Physical Education Specialist Elementary School Teachers&apos; Practices in Physical Education: A Qualitative Study
Author: Truelove, Stephanie
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Physical Education,General Education,Physical Education Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Barriers,Self Efficacy,Time,Educational Facilities,Equipment,Knowledge Level,Teacher Education,Specialists,Faculty Development,Technology Uses in Education,Beliefs

Interviews were conducted with 16 elementary school teachers across Canada (eight generalists and eight physical education [PE] specialists) to explore their experiences when instructing PE. Questions were phrased to encourage exploration of the perspectives of generalists and specialists, with a particular focus on teaching philosophy, barriers faced while instructing PE, facilitators and resources that enhance PE instruction, and the teachers' self-efficacy when teaching PE. Generalists noted perceived lack of time, inadequate facilities and equipment, insufficient training, lack of knowledge, and low self-efficacy as barriers. Conversely, specialists noted that their advanced training, professional development opportunities, high self-efficacy, and technology use positively supported their teaching practices.
Assessment Alternatives in Developing L2 Listening Ability: Assessment FOR, OF, AS Learning or Integration? Assessment [x-bar] Approach
Author: Ghorbanpour, Elham
Date: 2021-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Alternative Assessment,Second Language Learning,Listening,Formative Evaluation,Summative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests,Language Tests,Females,Second Language Instruction

Uni-furcation of assessment and instruction has recently been realized in the form of purposeful assessment scenarios; Assessment [x-bar] Scenarios (analogous to Noam Chomsky's [x-bar] Theory!). [x-bar] here refers to any of the triple assessment scenarios including Assessment for Learning (AFL), Assessment as Learning (AAL), and Assessment of Learning (AOL), plus pairing each with another or integrating all three (i.e., Integrated Assessment Scenario). Comparative investigation of the effect of each scenario as to developing language skills particularly listening skill seems to be an intact area. In a bid to fill this gap, 100 conveniently sampled Iranian female EFL learners of 13-19 years old were randomly divided into three experimental and one control group. Prior to the treatment, their listening ability was measured through a pre-test. Then, each experimental group; AFL, AAL, and Integrated assessment, experienced the listening instruction based on the principles of each specific scenario, while the control group was treated based on AOL principles. Their listening ability was then measured in the light of an identical listening post-test to the pre-test. ANOVA, used to check the comparative performances of all groups, showed that AFL and AAL groups significantly outperformed over the AOL group, but the integrated assessment group significantly outperformed the other experimental groups. While the findings yield support to the bifurcation approach, they generate more prospective areas for further research.
Assessment Perceptions and Practices in Academic Domain: The Design and Validation of an Assessment Identity Questionnaire (TAIQ) for EFL Teachers
Author: Estaji, Masoomeh
Date: 2021-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Questionnaires,Test Construction,Test Validity,Likert Scales,Professional Identity,Foreign Countries,Evaluation,Assessment Literacy

The present research aimed to conceptualize the construct of Teacher Assessment Identity (TAI) by designing and validating a questionnaire in the Iranian EFL context. In so doing, a tentative scale with 96 items was piloted on 340 novice and experienced Iranian EFL teachers using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA, CFA). The results of the analyses led to the removal of 33 items, leaving the questionnaire with 61 items on a five-point Likert scale. Moreover, the results revealed that the construct of TAI has 12 factors including assessment &quot;knowledge&quot;, &quot;beliefs&quot;, &quot;attitudes&quot;, &quot;skills and confidence&quot;, &quot;practices&quot;, &quot;use assurance&quot;, &quot;feedback&quot;, &quot;rubric/criteria&quot;, &quot;consistency and consequence&quot;, &quot;grading/scoring&quot;, &quot;question-types&quot;, and &quot;roles&quot;. Likewise, the convergent validity and reliability of the instrument to measure the construct of concern was statistically confirmed (p&gt;0.05). The findings have various implications for EFL teachers, teacher trainers, course designers, and language researchers by raising their awareness of assessment identity and its underlying components.
The Teachers&apos; Knowledge of the Spirit of Nationality and Its Implementation Strategy: A Study to Improve the Spirit of Nationality
Author: Sukowati
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Characteristics,Elementary School Teachers,Foreign Countries,Nationalism,Educational Strategies,Barriers,Values Education

The spirit of nationality is one of the characters of students that must be developed through teaching and learning activities. The teachers' knowledge of the spirit of nationality and the implementation strategy is one of the keys to success in education. The objective of this study is to describe the extent of teachers' knowledge about the spirit of nationality. This study is a type of qualitative research with a phenomenological approach. The participants in this study included 25 public and private elementary school teachers from 8 provinces in Indonesia. The data was collected through focus group discussions (FGD) and interviews. The data analysis was carried out using Bogdan &amp; Biklen's model. The FGD and interview analysis was intended to obtain information on 6 sub-themes; the teachers' knowledge about the character of the spirit of nationality, strategies to improve the character of the spirit of nationality, obstacles in applying the character of the spirit of nationality, the urgency of the character of the spirit of nationality compared to other characters, measurements and assessments used to evaluate the character of the spirit of nationality of students. The results of this study show that the teachers' knowledge of the spirit of nationality, strategies to improve the character of the spirit of nationality of students, and strategies to enhance the character of the spirit of nationality of students are still low. On the other hand, there is the fact that the teachers already understand the importance of the character of the spirit of nationality and its relation to learning by using various innovative models. In addition, the teachers can identify obstacles in improving and enhancing the character of the spirit of nationality of students. That way, the teacher will know what to do. So that learning will be innovative.
Contrasting Groups Analysis of &quot;TOEFL® iBT&quot; Test Cut Scores and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Proficiency Levels: Kernel Density Estimation of an English Learners&apos; Corpus
Author: Kim, Peter
Date: 2021-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cutting Scores,Guidelines,Computational Linguistics,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Tests,Native Speakers,Student Placement,Language Proficiency,Standard Setting,Scores,Correlation,Second Language Instruction,Asians,Foreign Countries,Rating Scales,Communicative Competence (Languages)

Placing non-native speakers of English into appropriate classes involves mapping placement test scores onto proficiency levels based on predetermined cut scores. However, studies on how to set boundaries for different levels of proficiency have been lacking in the language testing literature. A top-down approach to standard setting in which a panel of experts set cut scores has dominated the typical standard setting procedure. A less utilized approach is to proceed bottom-up by clustering learners based on test scores. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by examining Education Testing Services (ETS)'s mapping of &quot;TOEFL® iBT&quot; Test scores to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels. The study examined &quot;TOEFL® iBT&quot; score data from ICNALE (International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English) and conducted optimal Kernel Density Estimation to find peaks in the distribution of test scores. In addition to the number of peaks, the local minima of the resulting distribution were chosen as boundaries of cut scores for delineating different ability groups. This method of separating scores, also known as contrasting groups, finds clusters of test takers based on maximum differences in scores. The results showed that ETS' guide for cut scores linking to CEFR levels was comparable to Kernel Density Estimation with some exceptions, namely two out of three cut scores were found to be similar. Implications are discussed in terms of test-centered versus examinee-centered method of standard setting and the need to consider the demographics of the examinee population in determining cut scores.
Use of Formative Feedback to Enhance Summative Performance
Author: Cobbold, Christian
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Formative Evaluation,Summative Evaluation,Feedback (Response),Student Evaluation,Medical Students,Biomedicine,Assignments,Outcomes of Education,Undergraduate Students,Grades (Scholastic)

There is increasing literary evidence for the design of robust formative feedback in higher education. Translation of theoretical models into practice is still evolving and much of the available evidence is based on participant perceptions rather than quantitative changes in learning outcome. Students are often dissatisfied with standard modes of feedback and their perceptions often do not align with that of teachers who feel that students may undervalue the feedback. Standard feedback tends to give limited information that focuses on the assessment product and does not engage students in learning processes. Formative feedback that has been purposefully designed to scaffold student learning is theoretically more effective, especially with closure of the learning loop. This study quantitatively evaluated the effectiveness of well-designed, fit for purpose formative feedback provided to biomedical science students on their draft assignments before summative submission. Student outcome data from feedback and non-feedback groups for the performance during an assignment, a module and the year of study were analysed using a paired t-test. Students submitting a formative draft and receiving formative feedback for their assignment achieved significantly better summative outcomes for both the assignment and module than students who did not. Educational theory of effective feedback design was put into practice and shown to positively affect educational outcome for students in this module.
U.S. Professional Development Experiences with Faculty and Undergraduate Students in Kosovo
Author: Beisser, Sally R.
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Faculty Development,College Faculty,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Teacher Attitudes,International Cooperation,Program Effectiveness

In this qualitative case study, professional development of pedagogical strategies was In this qualitative case study, professional development of pedagogical strategies was presented to 44 university professors and 33 undergraduate students representing two Eastern European universities. This study was part of an international partnership between one U.S. Midwest private university and two partnership universities in Kosovo. Researchers conducted a two-day pedagogical workshop in each university setting. Participants in one university represented the Faculty of Medicine, Education, and Language professors. The other university group included English Language and Literature undergraduate majors. Using survey research methods of questionnaires and interviews, data were collected using a pre-workshop questionnaire to inform the workshop content, post-workshop survey, and participation discussion, follow up interviews, and researcher reflections. Researchers presented a series of workshops on best practices in student engagement, questioning strategies, formative reflective assessment, and representing to learn in each university setting. Results revealed participants from both universities were a) positive about learning new pedagogical strategies and b) implementing new teaching practices as a result of the workshop interventions. These findings suggest building positive professional partnerships for professional development results in valuable changes to professional practice. Future research should focus on long-term benefits of such partnerships, specifically on how workshops may continue to inform professional practice.
Suspendable and Expendable, Kicking out and Throwing Away Black Girls: An Analysis of a School District&apos;s Policies and Practices
Author: Caldera, Altheria
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: African American Students,Females,Suspension,Discipline Policy,Disproportionate Representation,Board of Education Policy,Racial Discrimination,Gender Discrimination,Dress Codes,School Districts,Urban Schools

In United States school districts, Black girls experience exclusionary punishments at disproportionate rates, mainly because of discriminatory school policies enacted by educators who hold implicit bias. Although in recent years there has been a proliferation of scholarship investigating Black girls' schooling experiences, there is a dearth of literature directly analyzing district policies and practices that contribute to the over-suspension of Black girls. This manuscript examines ways Black girls are impacted by discriminatory policies and practices of a school district in Texas. Specifically, I conducted document analyses of Fort Worth Independent School District's Racial and Ethnic Equity Policy, Student Code of Conduct, and Standards of Dress to reveal their impact on Black girls. Then, I reviewed district practices aimed to reduce suspensions to determine their potential for improving academic outcomes for Black girls. The manuscript contains a list of seven recommendations derived from my analyses and a list of eight important reports from scholars who center Black girls' lived experiences, both of which could greatly impact the way school districts address the unique needs of Black girls.
Toward a System of Evidence for All: Current Practices and Future Opportunities in 37 Randomized Trials
Author: Tipton, Elizabeth
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Randomized Controlled Trials,Educational Research,Institutional Characteristics,Participant Characteristics,Recruitment,Research Problems,Public Schools,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,High Schools,Disadvantaged Schools,School District Size,Sampling

As a result of the evidence-based decision-making movement, the number of randomized trials evaluating educational programs and curricula has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. Policy makers and practitioners are encouraged to use the results of these trials to inform their decision making in schools and school districts. At the same time, however, little is known about the schools taking part in these randomized trials, both regarding how and why they were recruited and how they compare to populations in need of research. In this article, we report on a study of 37 cluster randomized trials funded by the Institute of Education Sciences between 2011 and 2015. Principal investigators of these grants were interviewed regarding the recruitment process and practices. Additionally, data on the schools included in 34 of these studies were analyzed to determine the general demographics of schools included in funded research, as well as how these samples compare to important policy relevant populations. We show that the types of schools included in research differ in a variety of ways from these populations. Large schools from large school districts in urban areas were overrepresented, whereas schools from small school districts in rural areas and towns are underrepresented. The article concludes with a discussion of how recruitment practices might be improved in order to meet the goals of the evidence-based decision-making movement.
When Logics Collide: Implementing Technology-Enabled Personalization in the Age of Accountability
Author: Daruwala, Iris
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Accountability,Individualized Instruction,Technology Uses in Education,Blended Learning,Conflict,Program Implementation,Mathematics Education,Middle School Mathematics,Middle School Teachers,Principals,Educational Policy

In this article, we situate the relatively new wave of technology-enabled personalized learning platforms within the broader policy context of institutional accountability. Although many education technology innovations were developed in response to heightened accountability pressures, technology-enabled personalization introduces new institutional rules, cultures, and norms that may be at odds with the goals of accountability. Using the adoption of a personalized, blended learning mathematics program at five U.S. schools as a case study, we describe how teachers, school leaders, and program staff navigated institutional pressures to improve state grade-level standardized test scores while implementing tasks and technologies designed to personalize student learning.
A Fish out of Water: Developing Intercultural Understanding of Students in Higher Education
Author: Leggett, Nicole
Date: 2020-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cultural Awareness,College Students,Study Abroad,Experiential Learning,Foreign Countries,Preservice Teachers,Reggio Emilia Approach,Student Attitudes

Experiential learning is a critical, dynamic and powerful element of learning in Higher Education. Often named international and domestic study trips or study tours, this educational strategy has the potential to transform the lives of students through engagement with another community or culture. This qualitative study explored the effects of experiential learning during a two-week study tour to Italy, involving two groups of students from an Australian University during 2017 and 2018. Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood/Primary) degree, who were in their third year of studies, could enrol in the elective course entitled 'Intercultural Understandings' which offered four international destinations. The aim of this study tour was to immerse students in the social-cultural facets of life in Italy as well as gain first-hand experience from educators in early childhood centres in Reggio Emilia. Dewey's (1938) philosophy of education that enabled the learner to not only learn from teachers and texts, but to learn through experience, underpins this study. In addition, a conceptual framework offered by Kolb (2014) provides a tool for analysing and demonstrating the potential of incorporating experiential learning through higher education. Findings from this study, revealing both intentional and incidental learning, support the philosophy that education is to not only educate the mind, but to develop more complex types of intellectual development necessary for effective citizenship.