ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
An Investigation into the Association between Intended Purpose versus Students&apos; Perception of Assessments on an Extended Degree Academic Writing Course
Author: Lowe, Harriet
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,College Students,Evaluation,Scores,Course Objectives,Portfolio Assessment,Essay Tests

The educational value of portfolios as assessments has been widely acknowledged across the higher education sector and literature as providing a platform to promote student-centred and reflective learning (Brown, 1997; Snadden &amp; Thomas, 1998; Karlowicz, 2000). While there is plentiful research investigating the benefits of providing portfolios at undergraduate level, little has focused on the role of assessment from a students' perspective. This study sought to examine how students from an Academic English course at a UK university perceive assessments in comparison to the intention of the assessment, as designed for the course. A correlation can be seen between the questionnaire results measuring students' perceptions and scores on the assessments. Students who, as intended by the course creator, &quot;related the portfolio tasks to the essay&quot; and &quot;consciously thought about the link between the two assessments&quot; received a higher grade in both assessments; whereas, those who disagreed with these statements, unaligned to the course aims, generally received lower grades in both their portfolio and essay. These results suggest that the intentions of an assessment should be made explicitly clear to the cohort, developing their understanding and thus potentially the importance they assign to the task and the benefits and skills they gain.
Enhancing Student Social Work Practice Skills and Critical Thinking through Podcast Production
Author: Nicola, Widian
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Caseworkers,Social Work,Critical Thinking,Job Skills,Audio Equipment,Information Dissemination,Technology Uses in Education,Student Attitudes,Educational Technology,Program Effectiveness,Graduate Students

There is increased demand for social work educators to utilize diverse pedagogical strategies to meet the needs of students of varying learning preferences and ensure student mastery of social work competencies. While many social work educators have found traditional instruction to be effective, I have found that using innovative, nuanced approaches and tools to be equally, if not more effective in bridging theory to practice and enhancing practice skills among students. Podcasting is one such tool. Moving away from the traditional paper-based assignments to a broad and deep multimedium, I outline in this article the use of podcast technology in a redesigned social work course assignment. By having students produce podcasts to integrate and convey the life experiences of &quot;clients&quot;, as opposed to the traditional model of case summary/psycho-social reporting, the results of a nonexperimental survey completed at the end of a 15-week course revealed enhanced listening and social work interview skills, critical and connective thinking, and a richer understanding of conceptual frameworks and theoretical models presented in the course through the use of podcast production. Feedback obtained from a survey from 19 students enrolled in the course revealed positive outcomes of the use of this new technology in the classroom.
The Use of Blogs on EFL Students&apos; Writing and Engagement in a Saudi Private School
Author: Alied, Norah A.
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Electronic Publishing,Web Sites,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Writing (Composition),Student Attitudes,Females,High School Students,Program Effectiveness,Writing Skills,Learner Engagement,Grade 11

The blog is one of the recent technologies in use for teaching, learning, and practicing writing (Aljumah, 2012). Blogs are an educational tool for continuous learning outside classrooms (Vurdien, 2013). The current study aims to add to the research on blogs in EFL writing by observing the writing development of EFL learners in a Saudi context. The study also investigates learners' perceptions of utilizing blogs as tools to increase classroom engagement. The data are collected from 36 female high school students by analysing the students' writing samples before and after the intervention, conducting a questionnaire at the end of the intervention, and interviewing select participants. Although the findings did not show any significant differences between the two writing samples, the responses from the surveys indicated positive perceptions of blogs in writing and of blogs as a tool for increasing engagement. The active interaction in peer feedback and class discussion revealed that the blog is a useful tool for learning writing.
Confronting COVID-19 Whilst Elementary School Students Resume In-Person Learning
Author: Ahwireng, Doreen
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,COVID-19,Pandemics,School Safety,In Person Learning,Hygiene,Disease Control,Health Behavior,Child Health,Social Distance,Compliance (Psychology),Pollution

Resuming in-person teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic implies that schools must deploy strategies to enforce adherence to the safety protocols to help contain and reduce the spread of the corona virus disease among school children. Thus, the current qualitative study adopted a case study design to explore strategies that were deployed to enforce adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols among elementary school students. A semi-structured interview guide was used to gather data from 30 teachers enrolled in a one-year master's degree in Educational Leadership and Management program at a public university in Ghana. The study showed that strict and compulsory handwashing before entering the school was deployed to ensure adherence to handwashing safety protocol, provision of veronica buckets contributed to adherence to handwashing. Also, interventions that were deployed to enforce social distancing were spacing of desk, having mealtime in class, eating meals in turns, suspension of assembly and other social gatherings, split class for shift system. Additionally, schools ensured students wore nose masks by providing nose masks to students who could not afford.
Engagement and Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect on Self-Concept in Science: Findings from TIMSS 2011
Author: Kahraman, Nurcan
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,Foreign Countries,Achievement Tests,International Assessment,Science Tests,Science Achievement,Self Concept,Gender Differences,Socioeconomic Status,Learner Engagement,Grade 8,Secondary School Students,Student Attitudes

Big-Fish-Little-Pond-Effect (BFLPE) suggests that students form their own self-concept by comparing their abilities to those of their peers. This study aims to examine how students' gender, socioeconomic status, science achievement, and engagement dimensions (motivational and behavioral engagement) predict students' self-concept in science by considering BFLPE. This study used TIMSS 2011 data set including 6928 eighth grade Turkish students from 239 schools. Since the data were in a nested structure (students nested in classrooms) HLM analysis was preferred to minimize the dependences of the data. HLM analyses showed that about 10% of the variance in students' self-concept in science learning was between classes while the rest of the variance was within classes. Findings suggest that students' motivational and behavioral engagements are important indicators of students' self-concept as well as science achievement. Additionally, at the class level, aggregated science achievement was found to be significant and a negative predictor of self-concept, which supported BFLPE.
Motivational Correlates of Language-Specific Grit and Achievement in EFL: A CHAID Analysis
Author: Mutlu, Gülçin
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Personality Traits,Academic Achievement,Academic Persistence,Self Efficacy,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,College Preparation,Language of Instruction,Test Anxiety,Foreign Countries,Student Motivation,Student Characteristics,Learning Strategies,Questionnaires,Classification

The first purpose of this study was to examine the associations between students' motivational characteristics and their language-specific grit for learning English. Second, this study aimed to investigate how students' language-specific grit and motivational characteristics related to their achievement in English. While examining the presence of associations sought through both of the research questions, a particular overall purpose was to identify what specific variables included in the analyses had the strongest impact on group differentiation concerning the dependent variables of grit and achievement. The participants included 182 students enrolled in a tertiary English preparatory program in Turkey. Chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) algorithm as a data mining method was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that task value, self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation had significant impacts on differentiating the students with different levels of grit. Moreover, language-specific grit, test anxiety, self-efficacy and control beliefs significantly related to students' achievement.
The Assessment of Preservice Teachers&apos; Dispositions
Author: Griffin, David K.
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Evaluation,Teacher Characteristics,Measures (Individuals),Personality Traits,Teacher Attitudes,Student Diversity,Student Teacher Attitudes

This paper reviews some of the approaches to defining and assessing dispositions in preservice teachers. A review of the literature is presented, followed by a discussion of issues relating to defining dispositions, and the importance of assessing dispositions in teacher candidates. Finally, the results of a study that included a sample of 15 preservice teachers who were assessed on the Educator Disposition Assessment by two independent reviewers are presented. Study limitations and possible future research methodologies are also discussed.
5th Grade English Language Teaching Curricula in Turkey: Expectations vs. Realities
Author: Dündar, Esin
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Grade 5,Foreign Countries,Curriculum Evaluation,Elementary School Curriculum,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Outcomes of Education,Instructional Materials,Student Evaluation,Language Skills

This study aims to reveal the opinions of English teachers, advisors and a member of Curriculum Development Committee of Ministry of National Education about 5th grade English Language Curricula in Turkey. To this end, 100 English teachers were given Curriculum Opinion Scales. Fifteen English teachers, three advisors, and a member of Curriculum Development Committee were also interviewed through semi-structured interviews in order to add to the quantitative findings. The curricula were evaluated in terms of learning objectives and content, assessment and evaluation, coursebook as an instructional material, language skills, principle of appropriateness, and continuum of learning. Furthermore, participants shared their opinions on curriculum literacy, class hours, methodological perspectives, and examination system. The findings are discussed in comparison with the related literature.
Moderating Role of Attention Control in the Relationship between Academic Distraction and Performance
Author: Deepa, V.
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Media,Attention,Attention Control,Academic Achievement,College Students,Foreign Countries,Prediction,Handheld Devices,Student Behavior,Internet

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of social media engagement, which includes frequency of using social media platforms (FSMP) and social media involvement, on the academic distraction and academic performance of the student. The study further tests the moderating role of attention control on the relationship between academic distraction and academic performance. Method: Data were collected from 272 students studying in universities in India. Students answered questions on the frequency of visiting social media platforms and social media involvement, components of academic distraction, and attention control. AMOS software was used to test the structural model. Results: FSMP does not contribute to academic distraction; however, consistent social media involvement does predict academic distraction. Unlike previous studies, academic distraction does not influence the academic performance of students born in the digital era, who have accessed social media throughout their childhood. Attention control moderates the relationship between academic distraction and academic performance. Conclusions: The study challenges past research that claims social media engagement has a negative effect on student academic performance. Social media involvement, such as texting, commenting, and sharing updates, causes academic distraction but may not affect student academic performance. A novel finding is that the strength and direction of the relationship between academic distraction on academic performance vary with attention control. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: The study can be useful for educators and policy makers to build strategies for developing digital citizenship behaviours among students and thereby leverage social media for improved academic achievements of students. In particular, the potential moderating role of attention control in the interaction between academic distraction and academic performance has implications for educators and researchers.
Perceptions of Employability Skills of Undergraduate Business Students in a Developing Country: An Exploratory Study
Author: Mainga, Wise
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Business Administration Education,Employment Qualifications,Job Skills,College Graduates,Industry,Business,Interpersonal Communication,Teamwork,Interpersonal Competence,Employer Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Persistence,Risk,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Foreign Countries

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of different employability skills for business graduates seeking initial employment. Method: Semi-structured survey questionnaires were administered to human resources representatives from industry, business lecturers, and graduating business students to determine gaps in perceptions between the three stakeholder groups. Results: There was some alignment and moderate discrepancies in perceptions of the relative importance of different employability skills between the three stakeholder groups. There were statistically significant differences in perceived importance of communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills between graduating students and employers. There is evidence that employers were satisfied with the level of academic skills possessed by business students at the time of graduation. However, there was significant difference in perception between employers and graduating students on the extent to which perseverance and initiative and risk-taking were fully developed among business graduates. Conclusions: By increasing their self-awareness and critical reflection on their learning experiences, graduating students can take proactive steps to enhance their positional advantage in the labour market. The various stakeholders, including academics, can lead a social dialogue towards a deliberate approach to developing graduate employability. Implications: Acquiring in-demand soft skills is one side of the employability coin; the other is developing dynamic psychological-social capital, such as self-awareness, self-directness, proactivity, adaptability, and resilience, that is underpinned by lifelong learning. Both are needed to navigate multiple job transitions and career challenges throughout one's career span.
Quality Assurance, Meet Quality Appreciation: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Define Faculty Quality Standards
Author: Morgan, Ann M.
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Virtual Universities,College Faculty,Faculty Evaluation,Standards,Educational Quality,Inquiry,Quality Assurance,Evaluation Methods,Leadership Styles

Objectives: This study outlines the journey of an online university to evaluate faculty performance standards, key performance indicators, and systems for quality assurance using an appreciative inquiry summit model. The study reveals the power of &quot;quality appreciation&quot; as an approach that elicits a shared vision for quality definitions and standards and serves as a historical marker in the higher education shift from data-driven faculty performance approaches to strengths-based, inclusive methods. Method: The retrospective business case outlines one university's 2018 Appreciative Inquiry Summit, 5D (define, discover, dream, design, destiny/deliver) approach, resulting deliverables, lessons learned, and conclusions. Results: The summit and subsequent quality appreciation processes laid a foundation for inclusive leadership and inclusive teaching and learning. Quality appreciation was observed to be a third component to quality enhancement that had heretofore included quality control and quality assurance mechanisms. Quality appreciation, based on appreciative inquiry (AI) approaches, is a method for uncovering the positive core of an organization that results in ideal quality standards, definitions, and desires for ongoing quality creation. Conclusions: This case provides a view of one university's building upon data-driven methods for faculty performance evaluation. The use of appreciative inquiry to advance a quality appreciation agenda and human-centered approaches served as a stepping-stone toward a vision for inclusive, strengths-based quality enhancement. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: Quality control mechanisms and systems for quality assurance are supported by quality appreciation. In this case, faculty quality appreciation is the integration of AI practices with ongoing evaluation and identification of faculty and classroom quality standards. Quality Appreciation leads to strengthened definitions of quality that are values-driven and founded in the heart and soul of the university's teaching and learning.
An Exploration of Literary Genres through the Eyes of Pre-Service English Teachers
Author: Erdem Cosgun, Gamze
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literary Genres,Preservice Teachers,Language Teachers,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Preferences,English Literature,Foreign Countries

Background/purpose: As teachers of the future, pre-service English teachers' perceptions towards literary genres were crucial as their thoughts and experiences during their teacher training program would be decisive on their use of literature in their future teaching professions. Therefore, the objective of this qualitative explanatory case study is to explore how pre-service English teachers feel about studying various genres of literature in their English literature courses and the challenges they face, and to present suggestions for using literary extracts more efficiently in ELT classrooms. Materials/methods: Twenty-nine pre-service English language teachers participated to the study via answering open-ended questions and participating follow up semi-structured interviews. Results: Results illuminated that pre-service English teachers had certain preferences regarding the specific genres of literature that they read in their literature classes. Moreover, participants also mentioned certain challenges that they faced while reading literature in English. The most pronounced ones were unknown and Old English vocabulary, complex sentences, long texts, historical and cultural elements, and figurative and literary language. Conclusion: It is concluded that literature courses for ELT students need to be tailored for the future needs of English teachers.
Apps to Promote Computational Thinking and Coding Skills to Young Age Children: A Pedagogical Challenge for the 21st Century Learners
Author: Papadakis, Stamatios
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computation,Thinking Skills,Coding,Programming,Preschool Education,Preschool Children,Skill Development,Computer Oriented Programs,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Handheld Devices,Telecommunications,21st Century Skills

Background/purpose: At the beginning of the 21st century, Computational Thinking (CT) and coding were typically considered part of secondary education programs, focusing on programming and algorithm development. The early childhood classroom was not expected to find students who developed coding skills. Nevertheless, as has been the case lately, CT and coding have been characterized as fundamental skills of the 21st century, not only for computer scientists but all for citizens. However, through developmentally appropriate technologies, the development of coding skills is increasingly possible, and the result may be the advancement of CT fluency or at least familiarity in young age children. Given the enormous success of smart mobile devices and accompanying mobile apps, the question is whether apps provide the children of preschool and pre-primary school age with opportunities to cultivate their basic coding and CT skills. This study is a review article that presents a brief literature review on the apps that promote themselves that can cultivate CT and coding skills of young students. Materials/methods: This paper presents a literature review of empirical studies on apps that promote themselves to support young children's learning of CT and coding skills. Results: Despite the abundance of 'self-proclaimed educational' apps for children, there is a need for developmentally appropriate apps, specifically designed for young people to promote the development of CT concepts and coding skills in young children's life. Conclusion: This study contributes to a small but growing body of literature investigating how children process and learn fundamental coding skills from touchscreen devices. The findings of this study provide evidence that young age children can facilitate early STEM learning and foundational coding skills from developmentally appropriate playful learning experiences on smart mobile devices.