ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Study on the Reasons for the Inefficiency of College English Teaching and Some Tentative Countermeasures
Author: Wang, Zhaogang
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Efficiency,Teaching Methods,Higher Education,Communicative Competence (Languages),Surveys,Textbooks,Instructional Materials,Student Centered Curriculum,Educational Change,Intercultural Communication,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Educational Improvement,Foreign Countries

On the basis of a survey, the reasons for the inefficiency of current College English teaching are examined. First, the traditional learning methodology is entrenched and the concepts and ideology of language teaching are outdated. Second, the social and learning environment resulted in the conflicts between the purpose of English teaching and the nature of language as a tool of communication. Third, textbooks and teaching materials cannot meet the requirements of social development and practical purposes. Four, the pedagogy of College English teaching is old-fashioned, and unable to create an appropriate environment for English learning. Five, students' learning methods are passive and mechanistic. As a result of the analysis, some tentative countermeasures are proposed to improve the efficiency of College English teaching. First, the ideology of English teaching should be shifted from being linguistic-knowledge-oriented to communication-oriented. Second, teaching materials should be changed from literary texts to more practical material. Third, the methods of College English teaching should be shifted from being teacher-centered to being student-centered. Four, more multimedia materials should be used in College English teaching. Five, the focus of College English teaching should be shifted from the practice of language skills to cross-cultural communications.
Investigating the Effect of Reduced Forms Instruction on EFL Learners' Listening and Speaking Abilities
Author: Khaghaninezhad, Mohammad Saber
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Listening Comprehension,Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Teaching Methods,Speech,Institutes (Training Programs),Listening Comprehension Tests,Instructional Effectiveness

Listening comprehension is usually considered as one of the most difficult language skills to EFL learners due to the unavoidable presence of &quot;reduced forms&quot; in authentic speech. This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of explicit &quot;reduced forms&quot; instruction on Iranian EFL learners' overall listening comprehension and their ability to recognize and produce them in their daily conversations. The participants of this study were 50 intermediate English learners who were randomly assigned as the experimental and the control groups of the study. Three pre-tests were administered at the commencement of the study to see if the participants of both groups were at the same level of listening comprehension and &quot;reduced forms&quot; awareness. After the pre-tests, the participants in the experimental group received instruction on &quot;reduced forms&quot; while the control participants continued their regular classes. At the end of the 10-week instruction, the participants were given three post-tests to see if they have improved their listening comprehension ability and their ability to recognize and produce the &quot;reduced forms&quot; recurrently in their daily speech. Although the control participants have significantly improved their listening comprehension, the fact that the experimental participants had outperformed implied the efficacy of &quot;reduced forms&quot; training on the overall listening comprehension's betterment. The results also revealed that the experimental participants significantly improved their &quot;reduced forms&quot; awareness as well as their ability to produce &quot;reduced forms&quot; at the end of training course while the control participants didn't.
An Analysis of Current Graduation Thesis Writing by English Majors in Independent Institute
Author: Han, Ying
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Theses,Foreign Countries,English,English (Second Language),College Second Language Programs,Majors (Students),Writing Processes,Writing Strategies,Student Reaction,Research Papers (Students),Concept Formation,Research Proposals,Library Services,Research Utilization,Writing Ability,Writing Improvement

The paper takes 414 graduates from ZJU in 2011 and 2012, NIT as a case, analyzing the status of their writing of graduation thesis. It is found that a considerable number of students have problems in selection and report of topics, writing of each part and debating in the whole process of graduation thesis. In view of the situation, based on the effective measures and some practical experience by English majors in NIT, ZJU, it is suggested we should raise both teachers' and students' awareness and consciousness in the importance in thesis writing, establish quality management and monitoring system, strictly check selection and report of topics, give play to the library, have topic verification and application guide, being familiar with the writing requirements of the abstract, optimize English curriculum and make professional management features outstanding and enhance the students' and teachers' ability, thereby improving the writing of the graduation thesis and reflecting subject construction in English major.
The Profound of Students' Supervision Practice in Higher Education to Enhance Student Development
Author: Ismail, Affero
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,College Students,Supervision,Student Development,Models,Mentors,Critical Thinking,Experiential Learning,Learning Processes,Documentation

Supervision has become a highlight in higher education in recent years. While striving for the quality of education, the stress in research supervision has become dominant. Excellent research can contribute to the prominent of institutions' image. This paper accumulates the models from expert scholars in students' development regarding supervision issue. The models have their own functions and strengths. This can be proved by revising at the thorough implementation. Most supervision approaches and models have mutual aptitude: (1) The relationship establishment that was built on good communication, expectation and confidentiality; (2)The formulation of student-based, agreed upon aims and outputs; and (3)A systematic training and learning process in relation to the goals. This paper will discuss appropriate models that can be studied in student development.
On the Impact of School Teacher Fellows in Chemistry Departments within UK Higher Education Institutes, from 2005-2013
Author: Shallcross, Dudley E.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Recruitment,College Science,Chemistry,Science Instruction,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Placement,Undergraduate Study,Fellowships

Two UK programmes to place school teachers in a university setting are compared; the Excellence Fellowship Awards Pilot Scheme and the School Teacher Fellows Scheme. In this paper we compare the School Teacher Fellow Scheme supported by Bristol ChemLabS (Shallcross et al., 2013a, 2013b) and subsequently by the Royal Society of Chemistry with the Excellence Fellowship, focussing on the recruitment and support of fellows and their impact on transition from secondary to tertiary education, secondary school chemistry teaching, tertiary teaching of chemistry in general, and then more specific impacts on their own teaching and career. Examples of the work undertaken by the School Teacher Fellows are noted.
University Exceptional Admission during the Republic of China
Author: Tao, Li
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Asian History,Educational History,College Admission,Selective Admission,Student Characteristics,College Entrance Examinations,Scores,Admission Criteria

The stories of many universities' exceptive admission during the republic period of China were widely circulated. The typical example of these universities' exceptional admission was the very product of special historical condition, which had its own characteristics, but also conforms to the general rule, so it can be cited. To select special talents that adapted to contemporary era, right of enrollment should be returned to university, living space be given to traditional education and standardized tests be reformed.
The Development of Approaches to Learning and Perceptions of the Teaching-Learning Environment during Bachelor Level Studies and Their Relation to Study Success
Author: Asikainen, Henna
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Undergraduate Study,Longitudinal Studies,Learning Processes,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Factor Analysis,Educational Environment,Regression (Statistics),Structural Equation Models,Student Attitudes,Environmental Education,Biology,Academic Achievement,Correlation,Peer Teaching,Relevance (Education),Alignment (Education),Comprehension,Study Habits,Transformative Learning

The aim of the present study is to explore changes both in approaches to learning as well as in students' experiences of the teaching-learning environment and how these changes are related to each other during their Bachelor studies by using a longitudinal data set. The aim is further to explore how students' approaches to learning and their perceptions of the teaching-learning environment relate to study success. Participants comprised of 103 students at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences who participated in the present study from the first to third year of their Bachelor degree studies. We used a modified version of the ETLQ questionnaire and conducted Confirmatory factor analyses on scales representing approaches to learning and the teaching-learning environment at both measurements. We investigated changes at the group level using a paired sample t-test and conducted the final analysis with regression analyses. We then used Structural Equation Modelling to analyse the relationship between approaches to learning, perceptions of the teaching-learning environment, and study success. The results showed an increase in the deep approach to learning and a decrease in students' perceptions of teaching for understanding. Organised studying and interest in studies were related to study success. The results reveal the existence of complex relations between changes in approaches to learning and perceptions of the teaching-learning environment.
On the Quality of Higher Education in Jordan: Empirical Evidence from Princess Sumaya University for Technology
Author: Shahateet, Mohammed Issa
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Scores,Statistical Analysis,Models,Correlation,Grade Point Average,Elementary Secondary Education,Undergraduate Study,Causal Models,Gender Differences,Specialization,Time,Secondary Education,Elementary Education,College Admission,Educational Quality,Graduates,Majors (Students),Higher Education,Educational Attainment,Regression (Statistics)

This paper investigates the main indicators of scores of K-12 leavers who were admitted at Princess Sumaya University for Technology, PSUT, in Jordan and their graduation scores. It uses time series data covering the period 1993-2012, including all 3,229 Bachelor graduates in all specialisations. The paper applies several statistical techniques to describe and test the relationships among educational variables. After that, the paper specifies an Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model that determines the relationship between K-12 leavers' grade-point average (GPA) and Bachelor graduates' GPA. It uses Granger causality to test the existence of causality. We also test score differences for gender, specialisation and time variations. Empirical results of these tests provide strong evidence that secondary GPA has no significant effect on graduation GPA. Moreover, the two GPAs had very small correlations and secondary GPA does not cause university GPA. The implication being that variations in university GPA are not caused by variations in secondary GPA. Therefore, admission policy, which is based on secondary GPA, should include other factors of admission criteria.
Deep Reflection on My Pedagogical Transformations
Author: Suzawa, Gilbert S.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Educational Change,Economics Education,Introductory Courses,Epistemology,Instructional Design,Ambiguity (Semantics),Metacognition,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Creative Thinking,Educational Philosophy,Higher Education

This retrospective essay contains my reflection on the deep concept of ambiguity (uncertainty) and a concomitant epistemological theory that all of our human knowledge is ultimately self-referential in nature. This new epistemological perspective is subsequently utilized as a platform for gaining insights into my experiences in conjunction with the design and teaching practices manifested in an introductory economics course that I taught for more than thirty-five years at an American university. This exposition is in the first person because I believe that is the primary way that we gain a meaningful grasp of the educational (transactional) enterprise that many of us participate in.
Towards Developing a Common Conception of Research-Based Teaching and Learning in an Academic Community
Author: Blomster, Jaanika
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Biological Sciences,Science Teachers,Research Universities,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Research,Teaching Methods,Questionnaires,Content Analysis,Qualitative Research,Classification,Student Research,Correlation,Student Participation,Foreign Countries,Theory Practice Relationship,Teacher Researchers,Regression (Statistics),Statistical Analysis

This study aims to determine whether bioscience teachers and researchers in a research-intensive university have consistent views on research-based teaching, and to evaluate whether teachers' conceptions and views on practical teaching methods are aligned. Fifty-eight teachers completed a questionnaire concerning conceptions and practices of teaching. By using qualitative content analysis, we distinguished three categories of conceptions: teacher-centred, student-centred and a view whereby pedagogical research was valued. Views on teaching practices were divided into five categories, according to how the teachers viewed students' involvement in research. A highly significant correlation indicated that teachers with more student-centred conceptions were likely to implement practices involving students in research and the academic community. Our study shows a plethora of conceptions of research-based teaching in an academic community and suggests that to enhance teaching quality in higher education, cooperation on the development of common conceptions is necessary; they will not evolve by themselves amongst academics.
The Nature of Stakeholder Satisfaction with Marketing Education
Author: Taylor, Steven A.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Marketing,Teaching Methods,Quality of Life,Stakeholders,Consumer Science,Higher Education,Well Being,Psychological Patterns,Employment Potential,Goal Orientation,Student Attitudes,Educational Attitudes,Philosophy

The current article represents a cautionary tale in continuing emerging marketization practices as the dominant form of marketing with higher education. Specifically, a review of three important emerging literature streams (i.e., quality-of-life, service-dominant logic, and stakeholder orientation) all appear to support calls for moving beyond typical (short-term, hedonistic) measures of consumer satisfaction associated with the delivery of higher education toward satisfaction judgments based on higher-order forms of happiness (i.e., prudential and perfectionist forms of happiness such as eudaimonia). This conclusion suggests that the nature of long-term value co-creation associated with higher education should focus on quality of life and well-being. Critical to the success of moving marketing strategy of institutions of higher education in the direction asserted herein will be embracing a primary strategic marketing objective of convincing stakeholders to value long-term, eudaimonic forms of happiness and satisfaction over the current psychological, short-term, hedonistic satisfaction forms assessing today's marketization practices. A series of propositions are offered to help guide marketers in embracing this perspective.
Developing a Framework for Classroom Lesson Delivery to Improve English Teachers' Performance in the Foundation Year Programme at a Saudi University
Author: Aburizaizah, Saeed J.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Foreign Countries,Language Proficiency,Teaching Methods,Observation,Teaching Skills,Peer Influence,Teacher Education,Likert Scales,Teaching Styles,Feedback (Response)

The current English programme provided to foundation year students at King Abdulaziz University is failing to equip learners with the desired level of English language. This paper assesses the teaching materials and proposes a teaching framework to improve teachers' lesson delivery. The framework was designed to overcome some of the shortfalls in the mandatory course book series (&quot;Headway Plus&quot;). The framework adopted Kumaravadivelu's (2010) principles for lesson delivery: &quot;diagnosis,&quot; &quot;treatment&quot; and &quot;assessment,&quot; and advocates the development of cognitive ability, encourages collaborative learning, problem solving, emphasizes process rather than product, communication skills, and self-inquiry. Fifteen English teachers participated in a pilot study by implementing the new lesson delivery framework over a 14-week course. A peer observation strategy was used to help the teachers reflect on their teaching methods and improve the quality of their teaching. Also, during the last two weeks of the course the head of the English unit and an external observer conducted observations to monitor and assess teachers' development. The findings of the study revealed the new framework helped teachers improve their lesson delivery and encouraged them to use new teaching techniques such as problem solving and a student-centred approach. However, the results also indicated there was a need for teacher training courses to help teachers understand the principles behind the different teaching methodology. In addition, a cultural factor was found to be influential, as some teachers were reserved about criticizing other teachers' performance.
Change of Iranian EFL Teachers' Traditional Pedagogical Methods through Using &quot;Pronunciation Power&quot; Software in the Instruction of English Pronunciation
Author: Gilakjani, Abbas Pourhosein
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Pronunciation,Computer Software,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research,Semi Structured Interviews,College Faculty,Instructional Effectiveness

The use of computer technology in learning and teaching has been studied by many studies but less research has been conducted for understanding users' feeling toward it and how this technology helps teachers develop their teaching methods. One of the computer technologies for the instruction of English pronunciation is &quot;Pronunciation Power&quot; software. This study examined the change of Iranian EFL teachers' traditional pedagogical methods in the use of &quot;Pronunciation Power&quot; software in teaching pronunciation. Qualitative method was used by the researchers. It involved semi-structured interview questions with a volunteer sample of four teachers from an open university in Iran. The researchers answered the research question related to the change of Iranian EFL teachers' traditional pedagogical methods toward using this software in teaching pronunciation. According to the findings obtained from the study, use of &quot;Pronunciation Power&quot; software by Iranian EFL teachers changed their traditional pedagogical methods. This change of teaching methods gave them more opportunities in the instruction of pronunciation.
ESL Elementary Teachers' Use of Children's Picture Books to Initiate Explicit Instruction of Reading Comprehension Strategies
Author: Al Khaiyali, Al Tiyb S.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Reading Strategies,Picture Books,Childrens Literature,Elementary School Teachers,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Observation,Foreign Countries,Arabs,Bilingual Education,Grade 5,Instructional Effectiveness,Coding,Teacher Attitudes,Faculty Development,Qualitative Research

Reading comprehension instruction has been recognized as a key factor in developing any reading and literacy program. Therefore, many attempts were devoted to improve explicit comprehension strategy instruction at different school levels and fields including EFL and ESL. Despite these efforts, explicit comprehension instruction is still drought and far from satisfactory. Additionally, a great deal of teachers and educators are still struggling to find the appropriate ways to explicitly and effectively teach comprehension strategies. Consequently, the purpose of the present study was to explore the general perceptions and experiences of elementary English language teachers in using children's picture books to initiate explicit comprehension strategy instruction. In order to obtain naturalistic and in-depth understanding of participating teachers' perceptions, structured classroom observations were carried out for four weeks. Findings indicated that in about 718 minutes of instruction of both classrooms, 603 minutes were allotted for explicit comprehension strategy instruction. Despite some flaws in time management, the use of only one resource to collect data, and the focus on only comprehension strategy instruction, this study could contribute to the body of research of comprehension strategy instruction in language learning classrooms.