ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Modeling Math Growth Trajectory--An Application of Conventional Growth Curve Model and Growth Mixture Model to ECLS K-5 Data
Author: Lu, Yi
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Growth Models,Mathematics Achievement,Achievement Gains,Longitudinal Studies,Surveys,Elementary School Students,Kindergarten,Gender Differences,Item Response Theory,Scores,Socioeconomic Status,Mathematics Tests,Maximum Likelihood Statistics

To model students' math growth trajectory, three conventional growth curve models and three growth mixture models are applied to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten-Fifth grade (ECLS K-5) dataset in this study. The results of conventional growth curve model show gender differences on math IRT scores. When holding socio-economic status (SES) constant, gender differences reduced on the mean start IRT scores, growth rate, and acceleration rate. Growth mixture modeling applied to ECLS K-5 children reliably identified three classes of children based on their math growth trajectories. Growth mixture modeling results indicate that gender differences are different depending on different math development classes. After controlling for SES, growth mixture modeling results show that gender differences on the mean start IRT scores, linear growth rate, and quadratic growth rate reduced in all subpopulations. Growth mixture modeling result also show that after controlling for gender, the effects of SES on math development are different in different subpopulations.
Leadership Styles of College and University Athletic Directors and the Presence of NCAA Transgender Policy
Author: Bowden, Randall
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Athletics,Athletes,College Students,Sexual Identity,Administrator Role,Administrator Attitudes,School Policy,Public Colleges,Private Colleges,Institutional Characteristics,Leadership Styles,Human Resources,Questionnaires,Correlation,Statistical Analysis

In September 2011, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced the &quot;Policy on Transgender Inclusion.&quot; It provides guidelines for transgender student athletes to participate in sex-separated athletic teams according to their gender identity. The &quot;2012 LGBTQ National College Athlete Report,&quot; the first of its kind, provided information to help serve gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) students. Although the &quot;Policy on Transgender Inclusion&quot; has been around since 2011 and the &quot;2012 Report&quot; provided insights, the extent by which best practices have been implemented has not been adequately explored. This study examined the relationship of athletic directors' leadership frames to transgender inclusion policies at institutions with NCAA athletics. Athletic directors from active member NCAA schools were contacted: 340 in Division I; 290 in Division II; and 436 in Division III. Leadership was examined according to the Multi-frame Model for Organizations in addition to Intersectionality Theory. The human resource frame was the most common and the political frame was the least. There were no statistically significant differences among NCAA Divisions or between private and public institutions. Although athletic directors acknowledged transgender policies and were aware of the legal parameters, lack of policy presence was prevalent on campuses.
Holland's SDS Applied to Chinese College Students: A Revisit to Cross-Culture Adaptation
Author: Kong, Jin
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Cultural Relevance,Factor Analysis,Test Construction,Interest Inventories,Vocational Interests,Occupational Aspiration,Statistical Analysis,Translation

In this study, data collected from 875 college freshman and sophomore students enrolled in a 4-year university in central China are used to examine the applicability and validity of a Chinese version of Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) that was adapted in the 1990s. The total sample was randomly divided into two groups. Data from the first half of the sample (n[subscript 1] = 438) were used to analyze the reliability and validity of the adapted SDS, and 52 items were identified for removal due to lack of cross-cultural fit, lack of validity to measure the intended construct, and/or being obsolete due to progress in societal and occupational trends. The SDS before and after item removal were further compared using confirmatory factor analysis with the second half of the sample (n[subscript 2] = 437). Practical implications of this empirical modification approach are discussed. This study contributes to the literature by extending the current discussion about cross-cultural adaptation of Holland's inventories and by suggesting a methodological approach to improve the reliability and validity of adapted assessment tools.
From Environmental Awareness to Environmental Responsibility: Towards a Stewardship Curriculum
Author: Omoogun, Ajayi C.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Conservation (Environment),Environmental Education,Ecology,Natural Resources,Attitude Change,Public Opinion,Consciousness Raising,Curriculum,Teaching Methods,Sustainability,Ethics,Social Responsibility,Social Values

The period of environmentalism heightened environmental concern and subsequently the emergence of Environmental Education (EE) that is anchored on awareness. It is thought that an increase in environmental awareness will reverse the misuse of the environment and its resources. Four decades after the international call for Environmental Education, Earth's degradation is far from abating as its pristinity is consistently and irreversibly being eroded by no less than from anthropocentric activities. Humans have seen themselves as the dominant species that is apart and not part of the organisms that constitute the environment. The philosophical value-free nature concepts and the theological assumption that humans are the ultimate species together with the rise of capitalism and its surrogates consumerism together conspire to diminuate environmental health. To protect the environment therefore, we must refocus EE to change human's view of the environment and attitude towards the utilization of its resources. Environmental education can become more effective in creating respect for the environment. This paper examined the failure of efforts at addressing environmental issues via environmental education. The paper posits that environmental problems are on the increase due to lack of deliberate responsibility and stewardship, lack of a unique EE curricula and ineffective pedagogy. We suggest therefore that EE can target human perception and attitude and direct then towards biocentric stewardship for the environment. This can be achieved through a deliberate pedagogy of environmental values that promotes sustainable attitude and respect for the environment. Humans must bear the burden of responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of the environment. We must replace the philosophical value free nature concepts that nature is a common commodity and the theological assumption that humans are the ultimate species. We must also rethink our consumerism nature and the endless faith in the efficacy of technology to solve the reoccurrence of human-induced ecological problems. These issues must be embedded in the school curriculum. Pedagogical approach to EE should essentially be the experiential model. The school curriculum must be the carrier and doer of these values that are crucial to the sustainability of the environment. Environmental ethics, environmental code of conduct, environmental nationalism, nature as manifestation of God, ascetic consumerism are recommended as key component of environmental curricula and pedagogy.
The Relationship between Economic Growth and School Enrollment Rates: Time Series Evidence from Turkey
Author: Gumus, Sedat
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Economic Development,Education,Foreign Countries,Enrollment Trends,Elementary Secondary Education,Postsecondary Education,Higher Education,Trend Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Economic Factors,Social Indicators

It has long been argued that there is a close relationship between education and economic development at both individual and societal levels. Economists have found that the level of educational infrastructure is an important indicator of economic development. Similarly, economic variables have been found to be strongly related to school enrollment in many studies. Hence, we investigate the relationship between (gross domestic product) GDP per capita and school enrollment rates at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels during the period 1980-2008 in Turkey. To this end, we employed Toda-Yamamoto's (1995) causality test. Findings of our analyses suggest that there is a statistically significant relationship between GDP per capita and the school enrollment rate at the primary level bi-directionally. A significant relationship between these two variables at the secondary level was also indicated in the study, but this relationship was only significant in one direction: from the GDP per capita to the secondary school enrollment rate. For the tertiary level, no casual relationship was found between changes in GDP per capita and the school enrollment rate.
The Effect of Focus on Form and Task Complexity on L2 Learners' Oral Task Performance
Author: Salimi, Asghar
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Task Analysis,Difficulty Level,Form Classes (Languages),Oral English,English (Second Language),Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Performance Based Assessment,Linguistic Performance,Accuracy,Language Proficiency,Language Acquisition,Foreign Countries

Second Language learners' oral task performance has been one of interesting and research generating areas of investigations in the field of second language acquisition specially, task-based language teaching and learning. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of focus on form and task complexity on L2 learners' oral task accuracy. To this end, sixty intermediate learners of English as a foreign language attending an English institute were chosen as the participant of the study and were divided into three groups control and two experimental groups with and without focus on form strategy. ANOVA and Independent Sample T-test were employed as the statistical means of analysis. The results a of analysis revealed significant differences among the performance of the groups. The study carries significant implications for syllabus and task designers, curriculum developers and language teachers.
Aristeia Leadership: A Catalyst for the i[superscript 2]Flex Methodology
Author: Gialamas, Stefanos
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Change,Educational Philosophy,Educational Experience,Thinking Skills,Skill Development,Instructional Design,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Blended Learning,Independent Study,Leadership,Instructional Leadership,Community Schools,Individual Characteristics,Educational Technology,Partnerships in Education

In response to the global educational reform we have developed a new education paradigm, the Global Morfosis paradigm which has been implemented at the American Community Schools of Athens (ACS Athens) Greece for the past decade. This dynamic paradigm consists of three inseparable, interconnected, and interrelated components: the Educational Philosophy of Morfosis (???f?s?), the i[superscript 2] Flex Delivery Methodology, and the Aristeia (???ste?a) Leadership Approach. Morfosis is defined within the 21st century framework, as a holistic, meaningful, and harmonious educational experience, guided by ethos (Gialamas, 2014). The vehicle to implement Morfosis, is the i[superscript 2] Flex (isquareFlex), a non-traditional learning methodology that draws on the fundamentals of blended learning, and integrates face-to-face and technology-supported instruction with faculty-guided and independent student learning, aiming at developing higher order cognitive skills within a flexible and inspiring learning design (Avgerinou, 2104). The Aristeia Leadership approach is defined by its two essential components (a) the establishment of an &quot;Authentic Leadership Identity&quot; (ALI), and (b) the creation of a Collective &quot;Leadership-Partnership Approach&quot; (CPA) (Gialamas, Pelonis, &amp; Medeiros, 2014).
Similar Demands, Different Responses: Teacher Evaluation in the United Kingdom and Singapore
Author: Weinstein, Tracey L.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Policy,Foreign Countries,Cross Cultural Studies,Social Influences,Global Approach,Citizenship Education,Evaluation Methods,Cultural Differences,Knowledge Economy,Competition,Teacher Competencies,Demography,Politics of Education,Governance,Administrative Organization

Using a conceptual framework grounded in globalization and the knowledge economy, this paper addresses teacher evaluation policy reform in the United Kingdom*** and Singapore. Specifically, the authors discuss similar demands faced by both countries: maintaining economic competitiveness in a globalized society, preparing citizens to participate in the knowledge economy, and improving teacher quality to facilitate enhanced student learning. Both the UK and Singapore respond to these demands by developing teacher evaluation policies. However, due to the mediating factors of student demographics, educational priorities, and the structure of education systems in each context, the UK and Singapore have created different teacher evaluation systems. It is argued that despite these varying responses, several essential areas underlie all successful teacher evaluation systems. Considering these foundational elements, implications for teacher evaluation policy reform in the United States are discussed.
Relationship between Gender and Vocabulary Teaching Methodology among Iranian EFL Children: A Comparison of TPR and Direct Method
Author: Naeini, Nazgol Nekoui
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Vocabulary Development,Elementary School Students,Pretests Posttests,Teaching Methods,Direct Instruction,Statistical Analysis,Gender Differences,Instructional Effectiveness,Pictorial Stimuli,Singing,Sensory Experience,Quasiexperimental Design,Hypothesis Testing

The present study intended to examine the impact of methodology on EFL vocabulary learning of elementary school boys and girls. To achieve this end, 40 elementary female and male students aged 9-10 were selected from among 60 students studying at a language institute in Isfahan, Iran. The students were selected based on the results of an overall language proficiency test as a placement test that had been prepared by the institute that identified students' level of proficiency. They were further divided into two experimental groups. Next, a pretest was used to identify the number of words students knew before treatment. The experimental group A learned vocabulary through Direct Method and in the experimental group B students learned vocabulary through Total Physical Response. After 12 weeks of instruction a post-test was administrated to measure and compare the results of vocabulary learning of two groups after treatment. The data collected were put to statistical analysis using SPSS. The results of t-test showed the positive effect of TPR on learners' L2 vocabulary knowledge. With regard to the impact of gender on learners' L2 vocabulary knowledge, findings revealed that there were not any statistically significant differences between the male and female learners' vocabulary score.
Through the Lens of Good Language Learners: What Are Their Strategies?
Author: Nazri, Nurhuda Mohamad
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Learning Strategies,Metacognition,Statistical Analysis,Measures (Individuals),Learning Processes,Private Colleges,College Students,Foreign Countries,Memory,Affective Behavior,Teaching Methods,Scores,Student Attitudes,Second Language Instruction

Often times, many English as Second Language (ESL) facilitators speculate why some learners learn faster than other learners. Provided the students were exposed with the same amount of years in the formal education system in Malaysia, the language instructors curious about the variety of performance in the English language among the learners. This study revealed the language learning strategies used by ten successful ESL learners of a private university in Kajang, Selangor, using Oxford's (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). The findings indicated that successful language learners are high frequency users of language learning strategies. The total mean of each category showed that metacognitive strategies (Mean = 3.964) are among the most frequently used strategies, followed respectively by compensatory (Mean = 3.814), cognitive (Mean = 3.812), social (Mean = 3.700), memory (Mean = 3.100) and affective strategies (Mean = 2.890) found as the least used strategies among successful language learners. Interestingly, the study also identified that successful language learners used more direct strategies compared to indirect strategies. The findings have significant implications for research on language learning strategies for successful language learners and teacher planning in order to promote and boost the use of strategies among the poor language learners.
Comparison and Contrast between First and Second Language Learning
Author: Akhter, Javed
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Native Language,Second Language Learning,Language Acquisition,Age Differences,Classroom Environment,Language Aptitude,Student Motivation,Teacher Motivation,Anxiety,Self Concept,Teaching Methods

This research paper tends to focus on comparison and contrast between first and second language learning. It investigates the different factors that have inhibiting influences on the language learning process of the learners in the two different environments. There are many factors involved in this respect. The age factor is one of the vital factors that influence the progress of learners in the language learning process. The other factor between first and second language learning, which mostly influences the performance of second language learners, is language input in terms of the quantity and quality in both cases of the limitations of the second language learning in classroom. This research study also studies the language input in both cases and limitations of second language learning in classroom. The present research also investigates the individual differences between first and second language learning, covering aptitude of the language learner, motivation of teacher and classmates, language anxiety and language ego. This research paper suggests that motivation of the teacher and other class fellows, aptitude of learner and teacher's instructions and teaching methodology as well as classroom setting may help the second language learners to overcome their language anxiety and language ego in the classroom.
Complexity Level in the Use of Tense and Aspect as Perceived and Experienced by Arab EFL Learners
Author: Al-Quyadi, Ahmed Mohammed
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Difficulty Level,Morphemes,Arabs,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Learning Experience,College Students,Engineering Education,Language Tests,Questionnaires,Language Usage,Grammar,Verbs

It has been well learnt that a large number of Arab EFL learners encounter a considerable degree of complexity in the use of tense and aspect as fundamental components of the English language. Such a degree of difficulty is perceived and experienced by those learners at their different levels of learning English starting at the primary level up to the university level. This is what has led the researcher to carry out this research with the major aim of looking into the reasons behind the failure of such learners to handle the use of tense and aspect of English in a proper manner. The sample of this research comprised a group of students studying English as an ESP course, who were on the verge of graduation in the College of Engineering, Jazan University. The research tools used were both a test and a questionnaire. The findings of the research show that those learners encounter a great deal of complexity in the use of tense and aspect. This is clarified by means of their inability to use tense and aspect in English as correct as they should. This complexity is greater in the case of the use of the aspect. The research concludes with forwarding a number of conclusions resulting from the discussion of the results; and these conclusions are followed by a number of recommendations that can be useful for teachers, curricula designers and decision makers.
The Effects of Using Microsoft Power Point on EFL Learners' Attitude and Anxiety: Case Study of Two Master Students of Didactics of English as a Foreign Language, Djillali Liabes University, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria
Author: Benghalem, Boualem
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Computer Software,Student Attitudes,Anxiety,Graduate Students,Questionnaires,Interviews

This study aims to investigate the effects of using ICT tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint on EFL students' attitude and anxiety. The participants in this study were 40 Master 2 students of Didactics of English as a Foreign Language, Djillali Liabes University, Sidi Bel Abbes Algeria. In order to find out the effects of Microsoft PowerPoint on EFL students' attitude and anxiety, two main research tools were employed in this study: a questionnaire that was addressed to 40 Master 2 students of Didactics of English as a Foreign Language and an interview for 10 participants, randomly selected from the forty participants who answered the questionnaire. After the data had been analysed, the results revealed a positive attitude and low anxiety among students towards Microsoft PowerPoint. These concluding results promote the use of ICT and encourage EFL teachers to use these tools in the most beneficial way to improve students' level of English and motivate them.
The Situation of Colonial &quot;Other&quot; in V. S. Naipaul's &quot;A House for Mr. Biswas&quot;
Author: Siamardi, Tahereh
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Concept,Foreign Policy,Novels,Sociocultural Patterns,Homeless People,Security (Psychology),Housing,Immigrants,Alienation,Culture Conflict,Cultural Differences,Indians,Foreign Countries

The focus of the present study is to demonstrate traces of Homi k. Bhabha's notion of identity in V. S. Naipaul's &quot;A House for Mr. Biswas&quot; (1961). As a prominent postcolonial figure, Bhabha has contemplated over the formation of identity in the colonizing circumstances. He discusses on what happens to the colonizer and the colonized while interacting each other, arguing that both the colonizer and the colonized influence one another during which their identity is formed, fragmented and alienated. In considering Naipaul's &quot;A House for Mr. Biswas&quot; as postcolonial text, by the help of postcolonial theories of Homi Bhabha, it is argued that, mentioned novel sums up Naipaul's approach to how individuals relate to places. This novel shows that individuals' quest for home and a place of belonging is complicated first, by the reality of homelessness, and second, by the socio-cultural complexities peculiar to every place. In other words, the reality of homelessness makes the desire for home, elusive. &quot;A House for Mr. Biswas&quot; describes the story of homeless and rootless immigrants who lack identity and security in the colonial world. In this novel Naipaul deals with shifting identities, roots, homes and changing realities of migrants.