ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Teachers' Perceptions of School Nutrition Education's Influence on Eating Behaviours of Learners in the Bronkhorstspruit District
Author: Kupolati, Mojisola D.
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Nutrition Instruction,Foreign Countries,Eating Habits,Elementary School Teachers,Focus Groups,Health Behavior,Health Promotion,Peer Influence,Food,Vendors,Modeling (Psychology),Teacher Role,Elementary School Students,Behavior Change,Gardening,Phenomenology,Qualitative Research,Interviews

Qualitative investigation can provide invaluable information towards understanding the influence of school nutrition education (NE). The study explored teachers' perceptions of the immediate impact of NE on learners' eating behaviours. Twenty-four primary school teachers in the Bronkhorstspruit district, Gauteng, South Africa, who taught nutrition topics to grades four to seven learners, participated in three focus group discussions. Transcript data obtained was analysed using the thematic approach of the framework method. Findings indicated that school support for NE was limited, which undermined the capacity of school NE to influence healthy eating behaviours of learners. The need to strengthen teachers' capacity to model positive eating behaviours was identified. Learners were perceived as being not completely ignorant of healthy eating, with limited capacity to effect changes within the resource-constrained environment. Negative influences like unhealthy choices of food from food vendors and peer influences were identified as needing to be discouraged. Positive influences like the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and the school vegetable garden were to be encouraged. Understanding the prevailing school situation and environment and teachers' perceptions and roles in school NE is important in addressing issues that weaken the influence of NE on learners' eating behaviours.
What Do Parents Really Want? Parents' Perceptions of Their Children's Schooling
Author: Meier, Corinne
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parent Attitudes,Parent Participation,Family School Relationship,Educational Quality,Questionnaires,Elementary School Students,Classroom Techniques,Well Being,Foreign Countries,Academic Achievement,Enrichment Activities,Parent Surveys,Case Studies,School Culture,Statistical Analysis

International evidence confirms that parental involvement has substantial benefits for families and schools, as well as long-term economic benefits for developed and developing countries. To implement sound parental involvement two-way communication between home and school is essential. Schools worldwide tend to focus on communication from the school to the home, and afford parents fewer opportunities to express their perceptions of the quality of schooling. However, researcher-based, national and international surveys of parent opinion indicate that school endeavours to improve learner outcomes depend to a large extent on the data provided by parents. This article examines parents' perceptions of their child's schooling, gathered by means of an annual questionnaire administered in a public primary school in Gauteng, South Africa. A researcher-designed questionnaire administered annually over two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) was used to gauge parents' opinions of school culture, home-school communication, classroom instruction and classroom organisation. The results indicate that parents were generally satisfied with all four areas. However, parents indicated concerns about reporting on an individual learner's progress, academic achievement, and social and emotional well-being, as well as academic enrichment opportunities, and ways for parents to assist learning at home. In terms of classroom instruction and organisation, variations in parent responses emerged according to grade levels, and over the two-year reporting period. Recommendations were made, which could benefit other schools wishing to improve two-way communication with families through parent questionnaires.
The Nature of Workplace Bullying Experienced by Teachers and the Biopsychosocial Health Effects
Author: De Vos, J.
Date: 2015-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Work Environment,Bullying,Health,Victims,Teacher Attitudes,Life Style,Periodicals,Semi Structured Interviews,Phenomenology,Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,Principals,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Mental Disorders,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,Foreign Countries,Organizational Culture,Depression (Psychology),Qualitative Research

This article reports on the nature of workplace bullying experienced by teachers in South African schools and the biopsychosocial health effects that may arise from such victimisation. Voluntary victimised teachers who wanted to share their experiences were sampled using a lifestyle magazine and online articles. Twenty-seven teachers participated in the study. Data was collected through telephonic semi-structured phenomenological interviews and personal documents. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was further used to analyse and interpret qualitative data. Findings indicated that bullying is mostly perpetrated by principals, who often use colleagues as accomplices, and that the bullying mostly tends to be psychological in nature. Participants reported experiencing various physical, psychological and social health problems after being victimised. It was further recognised that health problems do not occur in isolation, but if contextualised, may form part of a list of psychiatric conditions, such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and in isolated cases, panic attacks. Victimised teachers' health may have a significant impact on the teaching-learning process, acting as a barrier to learning, which may consequently have a negative impact on the organisational culture and the South African emerging economy.
Critical Consciousness and Schooling: The Impact of the Community as a Classroom Program on Academic Indicators
Author: Luter, D. Gavin
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Critical Thinking,Achievement Gains,Low Achievement,Middle School Students,Academic Support Services,Neighborhoods,African American Students,Poverty,Urban Areas,Social Change,Program Effectiveness,Consciousness Raising,Community Schools,Relevance (Education),Attendance Patterns,Grades (Scholastic),Standardized Tests,Scores,Discipline,Statistical Analysis,Regression (Statistics)

The present study investigates the extent to which a program guided by the principles of critical pedagogy, which seeks to develop &quot;critical consciousness,&quot; is associated with the improved academic performance of students attending a low-performance middle-school in Buffalo, New York. The students were enrolled in an in-school academic support program called the &quot;Community as Classroom&quot;, which used critical project-based learning to show students how to improve neighborhood conditions. The study found that the Community as Classroom program bolstered student engagement as reflected in improved attendance, on-time-arrival at school, and reduced suspensions. Although class grades did not improve, standardized scores, particularly in Math and Science, dramatically improved for these students from the lowest scoring categories. We suspect that given increased student engagement and dramatically improved standardized test scores, teacher bias might be the cause of no improvements in class grades. We conclude that critical pedagogy, which leads to increased critical consciousness, is a tool that can lead to improved academic performance of students. Such a pedagogy, we argue, should be more widely used in public schools, with a particular emphasis on their deployment in Community Schools.
&quot;Sàng Khôn&quot; as a Theorizing Tool in Mobility Education
Author: Doan, Ngoc Ba
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Language of Instruction,English,Foreign Countries,Bilingual Education,Foreign Students,Mobility,Global Approach,English (Second Language),Asian Culture,Folk Culture,Multilingualism,Interviews,College Students,Code Switching (Language),Translation,Essays,Language Usage

The current virtual and physical mobility of humans, ideas, knowledge and epistemologies has major implications for education, especially in settings where English is seen as the default medium of instruction. While diversity is inherent in mobility, English-only pedagogy is a denial of the richness and potential of diverse resources learners bring with them through their mobility. This paper reports a philosophical stance and pedagogical practices employed by a lecturer in English language education at an Australian university. It argues that students' full linguistic resources and epistemologies, known as &quot;sàng khôn&quot;, contribute to their agency and can be used as tools to theorise new knowledge in the context of their mobility education.
Learning Economics and Attitudes to Market Solutions to Environmental Problems
Author: Harring, Niklas
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Climate,Government Role,Free Enterprise System,Taxes,Grants,Student Attitudes,Knowledge Level,Longitudinal Studies,Student Surveys,Economics Education,Public Policy,Conservation (Environment),Undergraduate Students,Attitude Change,Microeconomics,Comparative Analysis,Least Squares Statistics,Foreign Countries

Climate change challenges governments to reduce emissions, and to gain support for such actions from their citizens. This can be in the form of taxation or legislation, or other forms of government interventions. In previous research, several instruments have been developed to capture attitudes towards the roles of markets and governments in the economy. Some of these instruments have assumed that respondents will have the same attitude towards the role of markets and governments, regardless of the context (e.g., welfare, environment, health) or the form of government intervention (law, taxation, subsidy, spending etc.). However, these studies have not examined attitudes towards, or belief in, the efficacy of government intervention in markets, through microeconomic policies on taxation (e.g., duties levied on particular products) or subsidies. This paper reports on the results of taking such a specific focus, that is, investigating economics students' knowledge of, and attitudes towards, government interventions in markets, specifically addressing the problem of climate change. We make use of unique, two-wave longitudinal data from Swedish university students. The data were collected during their initial semester at the university. The first data collection was performed at the beginning of the semester, August/September 2014, and the second wave of data collection was performed in December/January 2014/2015, at the end of the semester. We were able to match 414 students between the first and second survey. The results show that students of economics change their policy attitudes and become more knowledgeable in economics. After one semester, they are more likely to think of economic instruments/incentives (taxes and subsidies) as good and efficient policy instruments, and less likely to think that other instruments (regulation and information) are good and efficient policy instruments. However, further analyses show that knowledgeable students do not have different attitudes toward environmental policy instruments, compared to students who do not answer the questions correctly. Hence, there seems to be some other factor affecting students in economics during their first semester, that changes their attitudes towards environmental policy instruments.
Perceptions of Digital Competency among Student Teachers: Contributing to the Development of Student Teachers' Instructional Self-Efficacy in Technology-Rich Classrooms
Author: Elstad, Eyvind
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Teachers,Self Efficacy,Computer Literacy,Secondary Education,Computer Uses in Education,Discipline,Student Surveys,Structural Equation Models,Classroom Techniques,Factor Analysis

Adequate self-efficacy is useful for motivating individuals to engage in continued improvement. This study explores the potential antecedents of instructional self-efficacy beliefs among Norwegian student teachers attending a programme for secondary school teachers. The most important finding was the strong association between the student teachers' perceptions of digital competency to resolve challenges relating to information and communication technology (ICT) in schools and their instructional self-efficacy, which was explored via two dimensions: (1) self-efficacy for maintaining discipline and (2) self-efficacy for influencing students' use of ICT in the service of learning. Implications for practice are discussed. We argue that digital competency among student teachers is important for sustaining instructional self-efficacy in technology-rich classrooms.
A Review of Research Evidence on the Antecedents of Transformational Leadership
Author: Sun, Jingping
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Transformational Leadership,Instructional Leadership,Cultural Context,Outcomes of Education,Academic Achievement,Cross Cultural Studies,Self Efficacy,Values,Personality Traits,Emotional Intelligence,Ethics,Leadership Training,Leadership Qualities,Foreign Countries,Educational Research,Comparative Analysis

As the most-studied form of leadership across disciplines in both Western and Chinese contexts, transformational school leadership has the potential to suit diverse national and cultural contexts. Given the growing evidence showing the positive effects of transformational leadership on various school outcomes as it relates to school environment, teacher and student achievement, we wanted to explore the factors that gave rise to transformational leadership. The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the antecedents fostering transformational leadership in the contexts of both the United States and China. This paper reviews and discusses the empirical studies of the last two decades, concentrating on the variables that are antecedent to transformational leadership mainly in the educational context, but also in public management, business and psychology. Results show that transformational leadership is related to three sets of antecedents, which include: (1) the leader's qualities (e.g., self-efficacy, values, traits, emotional intelligence); (2) organizational features (e.g., organization fairness); and (3) the leader's colleagues' characteristics (e.g., follower's initial developmental level). Some antecedents were common to both contexts, while other antecedents appeared to be national context specific. The implications of the findings for future research and leader preparation in different national contexts are discussed.
Getting to the Bottom of L2 Listening Instruction: Making a Case for Bottom-Up Activities
Author: Siegel, Joseph
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Listening Comprehension,Language Proficiency,Language Tests,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Language Processing,Quasiexperimental Design,Statistical Analysis,Action Research,Verbal Communication,Audio Equipment,Textbooks,Questionnaires,College Students,Foreign Countries

This paper argues for the incorporation of bottom-up activities for English as a foreign language (EFL) listening. It discusses theoretical concepts and pedagogic options for addressing bottom-up aural processing in the EFL classroom as well as how and why teachers may wish to include such activities in lessons. This discussion is augmented by a small-scale classroom-based research project that investigated six activities targeting learners' bottom-up listening abilities. Learners studying at the lower-intermediate level of a compulsory EFL university course were divided into a treatment group (n = 21) and a contrast group (n = 32). Each group listened to the same audio material and completed listening activities from an assigned textbook. The treatment group also engaged in a set of six bottom-up listening activities using the same material. This quasi-experimental study used dictation and listening proficiency tests before and after the course. Between-group comparisons of t-test results of dictation and listening proficiency tests indicated that improvements for the treatment group were probably due to the BU intervention. In addition, results from a posttreatment survey suggested that learners value explicit bottom-up listening instruction.
The Impact of Gender on Attainment in Learning English as a Foreign Language
Author: Glówka, Danuta
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Secondary School Students,Vocational Schools,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Educational Policy,Language Teachers,Foreign Countries,Sociolinguistics,Interlanguage,Role,Likert Scales,Statistical Analysis,Student Characteristics,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Grounded Theory

This study examined the impact of gender on students' achievement in learning English as a foreign language in secondary and higher vocational schools in Poland, as well as teachers' and students' opinions concerning the importance of this influence. The collected data provided ample evidence that girls achieved significantly better results than boys. Such results support the socio-linguistic finding that female students outperform males as they are more open to new linguistic forms in the target language and eradicate interlanguage forms that deviate from target language norms more readily than their male counterparts (Ellis, 2012). However, these findings were not reflected in the opinions of the student and teacher participants. Both parties held a strong conviction that gender played no major role in learning English. The article concludes by outlining some implications for educational policy makers and foreign language teachers.
The Use of Pragmatic Markers across Proficiency Levels in Second Language Speech
Author: Neary-Sundquist, Colleen
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pragmatics,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Language Proficiency,Oral Language,Language Tests,Comparative Analysis,Test Results,Native Speakers,Chinese,Korean,Native Language,Language Usage,Learning Processes,Graduate Students,Statistical Analysis,Computer Assisted Testing

This study investigates the use of pragmatic markers (PMs) by learners of English at varying proficiency levels. The study analyzes data from a university-level oral proficiency exam that categorized Chinese and Korean English-as-a-second-language (ESL) speakers into four proficiency levels and compares data with those of native speakers taking the same test. Findings indicate that PM use generally rises with proficiency level. The rates of PM use showed a dramatic increase between the highest and second-highest proficiency group. The highest proficiency ESL group used PMs at the same rate as native speakers. The study also found that the variety of different PMs used goes up steadily with proficiency level. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding how second language learners' use of PMs develops.
Technology and Science Education: New Challenges
Author: García, Beatriz Amante
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Education,Technology Uses in Education,Technology Education,Influence of Technology,Journal Articles,Bibliometrics,Periodicals

The first editorial of the new year usually presents an analysis of the journal evolution. This article provides a reflection on the changes the journal has undergone over the years, and the challenges it will face in 2017. The journal expresses pride in advocating for international scholars, allowing authors to speak with their own voices, and making the journal's contribution as innovative as the articles they publish. For 2017 the journal staff are forseeing new challenges such as the increase in the number of submitted articles as well as making an extra effort to maintain viewer fidelity. With all of this in mind, the Journal of Technology and Science Education (JOSTE) presents the new volume which includes articles closely related with Education Technology.
Assessing Instructional Effects of Proficiency-Level EFL Pronunciation Teaching under a Connected Speech-Based Approach
Author: Euler, Sasha S.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Proficiency,Advanced Students,Second Language Instruction,Pronunciation,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Connected Discourse,Intonation,Suprasegmentals,Foreign Countries,Pronunciation Instruction,Speech Communication,Validity,Mixed Methods Research,Undergraduate Students,North American English,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research

This article discusses the assessment of pronunciation instruction under a new approach to pronunciation teaching centered on the role of connected speech in the prosodic system of English. It also offers a detailed discussion of various empirical problems in teaching-oriented L2 pronunciation research and suggests ways of addressing them in intervention studies. A new explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was developed for this study, which was used to assess 10 advanced EFL learners in Germany before and after 13 weeks of instruction. The results revealed co-occurring developments in learners' use of prosody and connected speech in line with the rationale of the approach. The findings lead to various implications for language teaching and assessment. For future research, ways are suggested to increase the validity and predictiveness of L2 pronunciation research from both empirical and pedagogical perspectives.
A Comparative Analysis of South African Life Sciences and Biology Textbooks for Inclusion of the Nature of Science
Author: Ramnarain, Umesh
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,Science Instruction,Biology,Textbooks,Content Analysis,Educational Change,National Curriculum,Foreign Countries,Inquiry,Course Content,Statistical Analysis,Grade 10,Secondary School Students

This study reports on the analysis of South African Life Sciences and Biology textbooks for the inclusion of the nature of science using a conceptual framework developed by Chiappetta, Fillman and Sethna (1991). In particular, we investigated the differences between the representation of the nature of science in Biology textbooks that were written for a previous curriculum and the new Life Sciences textbooks that are in accord with the National Curriculum Statement. The analysis reflects that both Life Sciences and Biology textbooks still overwhelmingly represent the theme &quot;Science as a body of knowledge&quot; according to this framework. Despite significant curriculum reform that underlines a more balanced perspective of science encompassing the acquisition of knowledge through inquiry, the limited coverage given to the themes &quot;The investigative nature of science,&quot; &quot;Science as a way of thinking&quot; and &quot;The interaction of science, technology and society&quot; does not reflect this reform.