ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Mindful Awareness in Early Childhood Education
Author: Nieminen, Suvi H.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literature Reviews,Metacognition,Attention,Self Control,Peer Relationship,Interpersonal Competence,Children,Preschool Education,Early Childhood Education,Elementary Education,Training,Elementary School Students,Preschool Children,Intervention

This study is a literature review, drawing mainly on the nine significant and good quality studies (i.e. published in peer-reviewed journals) that make up the evidence base for mindful awareness practices in early childhood. Mindful awareness practices in this context means an individual's awareness of her own body and her inner emotions or tensions. Increased awareness can decrease if individuals tend to impulsiveness or excessive stress. Self-regulation and mindful awareness skills are associated not only with stress regulation but also peer relationships and social skills. This systematic review attempts to look at the research of mindful awareness activities, programmes or interventions used as routine everyday activities. The second aim of this review is to examine the research design that has been used. The third aim of this study is to analyse the main themes and methods of these pieces of research.
Open Educational Resources and ESL Education: Insights from US Educators
Author: Thoms, Joshua J.
Date: 2018-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Educational Resources,Shared Resources and Services,Language Teachers,Teaching Experience,Teacher Attitudes,Technology Uses in Education,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,College Faculty,Teaching Methods,Instructional Materials

The open education movement has resulted in the proliferation of content that is freely produced, shared, remixed, and reused by instructors in various disciplines throughout the world. However, little is known about whether or not English as a second language (ESL) instructors in the United States (US) are taking part. This study reports on the survey responses of 310 ESL instructors working in various US educational contexts. Results indicate that 59% of respondents were either aware or very aware of open educational resources (OER). Instructors with less teaching experience were two times as likely of being aware of OER than more experienced instructors. Instructors working in K-12 settings were more likely to use OER than those teaching in community colleges and universities. Respondents' main reasons for using OER include the ease of adapting/incorporating OER in their courses and that OER address aspects of their course not found elsewhere. Primary reasons for not using OER include difficulty in locating OER and the quality of the materials. Respondents indicated that OER have made their teaching more interesting/dynamic, provided for the inclusion of more authentic materials, and helped to better address the needs of their students and the goals of their ESL program.
A Teaching Practicum Course and Its Effects on International Teaching Assistants&apos; Discourse Intonation
Author: Gorsuch, Greta
Date: 2018-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Foreign Students,Teaching Assistants,Practicums,Intonation,Pronunciation,English for Special Purposes,Oral Language,Communication Skills,Student Improvement,Instructional Materials,Reading Aloud to Others,Reading Fluency,Oral Reading

This report [1] focuses on four upper-intermediate and advanced English language learners being supported as international teaching assistants (ITAs) at a research university in the U.S. [1] Learners had little experience using English in extended speech, and little grasp of Discourse Intonation (DI), which is how a speaker uses the pausing and prosodic system of English to communicate. In order to increase the learners' experience using extended speech to teach in authentic settings, and to improve their ability to use DI, the author arranged a teaching practicum course in collaboration with the departments of math, mechanical engineering, and physics. The four learners engaged in once-a-week explicit instruction on DI, twice-a-week DI focus-on-form listening tasks, four teaching simulation tasks, and once-a-week guest teaching sessions in their departments for fourteen weeks. The combination of instruction, tasks, and teaching practicum experiences were intended to help learners develop explicit DI knowledge, and to provide opportunities to proceduralize DI knowledge, in other words, the ability to use DI in teaching. Data suggest that all learners developed explicit DI knowledge, but only two of them developed some degree of proceduralized DI knowledge. The report ends with the suggestion that explicit and procedural DI knowledge likely have layers of development within them. Suggestions for discipline-specific tasks to develop learners' explicit and proceduralized DI knowledge are given.
Problematising Child-Headed Households: The Need for Children&apos;s Participation in Early Childhood Interventions
Author: Pillay, Jace
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Children,Heads of Households,Barriers,Language Usage,Social Problems,At Risk Persons,Intervention,Child Welfare

There is insufficient literature and research that has problematised the use of the phenomenon of child-headed households (CHHs), that is, to find out if it is an acceptable term to use, if it is really a problem, and whether it needs solutions. Hence, the purpose of this study was to problematise the use of the term CHH, taking the theories of Freire and Foucault into consideration. This generic qualitative study consisted of a sample of 16 experts who worked with children from CHH. Data were collected through a questionnaire and individual telephonic interviews with the experts identified. The findings indicate that, for several reasons, the current use of the term CHH is acceptable and is a problem that has to be taken seriously by the relevant stakeholders. In light of the findings, the author emphasises the importance of recognising the capacity of children from CHH to actively participate in early childhood interventions geared to improve their social environments.
Preserving Cultural Heritage by Teaching Idioms to Young Learners as Part of Imaginative Language in Setswana
Author: Ramagosh, Refilwe
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: African Languages,Figurative Language,Grade 3,Elementary School Students,Role,Intervention,Teaching Methods,Imagination,Native Language Instruction,Elementary School Teachers,Constructivism (Learning),Language Proficiency,Writing (Composition),Cultural Maintenance,Illustrations,Foreign Countries

Teachers need creative strategies and techniques when teaching idioms in Setswana. However, they do not know what idioms are nor are they aware that through idioms cultural heritage can be preserved and that idioms can be taught as part of imaginative language, especially in Grade 3. As a result, teachers and learners in Grade 3 Setswana classes lack the understanding of the role of idioms and language proficiency in using and writing idioms. The aim of this paper was to show how intervention could help teachers with new strategies for teaching idioms. Constructivism and the five subtheories of decoding idioms were used (Liu 2008). The project consisted of two research-based phases and the findings showed that teachers can now use their own initiative and creativity in language teaching and the learners learned and retained the idioms they have learnt.
Exploring the SSCI Phenomenon within the Publish or Perish Principle for Non-Native English-Speaking ELT Professionals
Author: Kung, Fan-Wei
Date: 2018-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Publish or Perish Issue,Faculty Publishing,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Benchmarking,Citation Indexes,Phenomenology,College Faculty,Asians,Foreign Countries,Faculty Promotion,Tenure

With the dissemination of knowledge in higher education, the publish or perish principle has become the norm for academics around the world to remain competitive. The Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) phenomenon has thus emerged in academia and been utilized as a benchmark for research excellence and tenure considerations. While research has revealed that the publish or perish principle could have a multitude of issues in higher education, little attempts have been made to explore academics' outlook on the SSCI phenomenon in a broader geographical area, particularly in the field of English language teaching (ELT). To bridge this gap, twelve ELT academics were recruited from China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan with an aim to explore their perceptions, attitudes, and their perceived pros and cons of the SSCI phenomenon in their own institutions. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed through an interview protocol based on a matrix analysis via phenomenology. The findings demonstrate four conceptualizations that are formed and predicated on the SSCI phenomenon. Data also evince that although these academics were recruited from different countries, the SSCI phenomenon seems to be identical with regard to how academics are evaluated for promotion and tenure at the expense of several salient practices in ELT.
Teachers&apos; Perceptions of the Quality of the New Expressive Arts Textbooks for Malawi Primary Schools
Author: Chirwa, Grames W.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary Education,Textbooks,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Textbook Content,Integrated Curriculum,Holistic Approach,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,National Curriculum,Educational Resources,Language Usage,Special Needs Students

The national government in Malawi implemented an outcomes-based curriculum reform in 2007. To facilitate implementation, new textbooks were developed for the primary school curriculum. This study intended to explore teachers' use and perception of the new Expressive Arts textbooks. The participants consisted of 192 Expressive Arts teachers, grades 5-8, selected by purposeful sampling. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. It was found that teachers believed that the textbooks were poorly designed, contained factual inaccuracies, did not support higher-level thinking of the learners, did not represent the lived experiences of the children using them and reinforced gender stereotyping. The study therefore suggests that there is need for review of the textbooks and that it is necessary to provide textbooks timely and in adequate quantities according to the needs of each school to ensure an effective implementation of a new curriculum.
Searching for Research Results to Inform the Design of an Initial Professional Teacher Education Programme for the Foundation Phase: A Systematic Review
Author: du Plooy, Lucinda
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Program Development,Teacher Education Programs,Educational Research,Preservice Teacher Education,Foreign Countries,Literature Reviews,Program Effectiveness,Educational Quality,Elementary Education,Early Childhood Education

This article reports on a systematic review conducted to inform the development of a professional teacher education programme for the foundation phase of schooling. The research question was: What do quality research studies identify as the components and/or characteristics of quality teacher education for the foundation phase programmes that allow new teachers to begin to teach for epistemological access. A search for systematic reviews on educational programmes related to foundation phase for initial teacher education was conducted for the period between 1980 and 2011. The researchers added Stage 0 as a fifth step to the traditional four-step systematic review process. Stage 0 or quasi-tertiary review allowed us to present substantive findings of the identified systematic reviews and to explore their methodological quality. From the initial 2876 hits (mostly health and medical studies), only 19 studies were related to the educational field. Only three of the 19 studies were finally accepted as eligible at Stage 0. None of the reviews directly addressed programme design but contained elements that were considered as useful when designing programmes. The present study makes it clear that there is a dearth of research on entire programmes related to initial teacher education for foundation phase teachers.
Rethinking and Researching Transformation in Higher Education: A Meta-Study of South African Trends
Author: du Preez, Petro
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Change,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Educational Policy,Meta Analysis,Periodicals,Trend Analysis,Journal Articles,International Education,Access to Education,Equal Education,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes

Transformation is often loosely defined. We argue that the reason for this is its inherent complexity. Paradoxically, its lack of definition is an asset, which provides an opportunity to rethink and research transformation in higher education, rather than an urgent problem to be solved. In this article, the possibilities for researching and rethinking transformation are based on an exploration of transformation in higher education and the policy directives that influenced its development in South Africa. A meta-study was used to determine the national publishing trends in the &quot;South African Journal of Higher Education&quot; and the way transformation in higher education is situated in some of the articles in this journal. The population of the study comprised 1050 articles published between 2005 and 2015 in the &quot;South African Journal of Higher Education.&quot; These were analysed to determine the broad national publishing trends. Thereafter, an in-depth analysis was conducted on 30 of these articles to determine the approach to transformation in higher education and the context in which it was discussed. Based on the findings of the analysis, we recommend future directions for rethinking and researching transformation in higher education.
Relations- and Task-Oriented Behaviour of School Leaders: Cases from Primary Schools in Finland
Author: Rajbhandari, Mani Man Singh
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership Styles,Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Special Education Teachers,School Districts,Administrator Behavior,Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Assistant Principals

This research explores and compares two leadership behavioural styles -- relations- and behavioural styles -- of school leaders in Finland. This study aimed to explore and understand the behavioural style of school leaders, specifically related to relations-oriented and task-oriented behaviour. Three schools in Finland were selected. In-depth interviews were conducted with school principals, as school leaders, and other school actors, such as vice principals, teachers, special-education teachers, and administrative staff members. The results suggest that leadership behavioural styles in terms of relations-oriented and task-oriented behaviour are equally important for accommodating changes and development in schools. The results suggest that relations-oriented behaviour was preferred by those who had been in the organisation for a longer time. The task-oriented behavioural style was found to be adopted when changes were required by the municipality (school district), which needed to be urgently addressed to meet the current requirements for school infrastructural development and changes in the educational system. In addition, the school leaders with task-oriented behaviour were more effective, while leaders with relations-oriented behaviour were efficient and generated social harmony. These findings suggest that contextual variations enabled flexibility in leadership behavioural style.
Decolonisation of Higher Education: Dismantling Epistemic Violence and Eurocentrism in South Africa
Author: Heleta, Savo
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Universities,Foreign Countries,Racial Bias,Racial Segregation,Social Change,Power Structure,Foreign Policy,World Views,Educational Change,Higher Education

Since the end of the oppressive and racist apartheid system in 1994, epistemologies and knowledge systems at most South African universities have not considerably changed; they remain rooted in colonial, apartheid and Western worldviews and epistemological traditions. The curriculum remains largely Eurocentric and continues to reinforce white and Western dominance and privilege. This article traces the roots of Eurocentrism and epistemic violence at universities. The author argues that South Africa must tackle and dismantle the epistemic violence and hegemony of Eurocentrism, completely rethink, reframe and reconstruct the curriculum and place South Africa, Southern Africa and Africa at the centre of teaching, learning and research. However, this will not be easy as opposition to change is entrenched in the university structures. The movement to radically transform and decolonise higher education must find ways to hold institutions accountable and maintain the non-violent and intellectual struggle until epistemic violence and Eurocentrism are dismantled.
A Comparison of the Effects of Text-Based Instruction versus Standards-Based Instruction in the Early Years
Author: Grossen, Bonnie
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Kindergarten,Grade 1,Elementary School Students,English (Second Language),Language Skills,Language Proficiency,Program Effectiveness,Reading Skills,Second Language Learning,Oral Language,Reading Programs,Academic Standards,Comparative Analysis

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a text-based (TB) English structured language development programme and a teacher-designed standards-based (SB) English instructional model. The sample of this study comprised of 500 Samoan children, in Kindergarten (K) and Grade 1 (G1), on the island of American Samoa attending eight different schools. All the children enter school with no English competence. Six schools implemented the TB Language for Learning scripted programme and the Read Well. Two schools implemented the SB instructional model for English language development (SB), and only one of these schools implemented the SB instruction in reading. The results of this study support the efficacy of TB structured language programme as compared to the teacher-designed SB instructional model in all language and reading skills assessed.
Transformation as an Act of Denudation: A Response to Petro Du Preez, Shan Simmonds and Anné Verhoef
Author: Waghid, Yusef
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Higher Education,Educational Change,Democratic Values,Social Justice,Altruism,Change Strategies

Higher education transformation in South Africa, as correctly argued by Petro du Preez,Shan Simmonds and Anné Verhoef, should become more 'fluid [&quot;and&quot;] open-ended'. However, even more fluidity and open-endedness might not necessarily be sufficient in enacting transformation in the higher education realm. Consequently, in this article I argue in defence of a form of denudification of higher education that would impact transformation with an unrestrained openness and concealment whereby the unexpected will remain in potentiality. It is hoped that higher education transformation in South Africa would become more open and credible as has been achieved hitherto. [This article is a response to &quot;Rethinking and Researching Transformation in Higher Education: A Meta-Study of South African Trends&quot; (EJ1187107).]
Becoming a (Male) Foundation Phase Teacher: A Need in South African Schools?
Author: Mashiya, Nontokozo
Date: 2014-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Males,Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Gender Differences,Focus Groups,Student Attitudes,Educational Environment,Sex Stereotypes,Early Childhood Education,Elementary Education,Preschool Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Self Esteem,Teacher Role,Young Children

This paper reports on a case study of male foundation phase pre-service students who were among the first cohort to specialise in the foundation phase since the inception of the programme at one South African university. The students reported on their experiences of teaching in a female-dominated field and their views about their preparedness to teach in the field. This qualitative study is interpretive in nature. Using purposive sampling, eighteen students were sampled from a population of twenty. Data was generated through focus group interviews and then analysed and categorised. The patterns across categories showed that the pre-service teachers had faced an unwelcoming environment in the schools at the outset, but that this changed over time. Some parents were negative about male teachers in the foundation phase. However, the pre-service teachers were able to work hard and show that they can work with foundation phase learners. The study concluded that male students who enter foundation phase teacher education programmes need a lot of encouragement to boost their self-confidence and to realise the important role they can play in working with young children in a country where many young learners grow up in fatherless homes.
Beyond Counting the Numbers: Shifting Higher Education Transformation into Curriculum Spaces
Author: Ramrathan, Labby
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Higher Education,Educational Change,Curriculum Development,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Access to Education,Educational Policy,Educational Development

Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, the path of higher education transformation has been guided by the 'White Paper 3: A Programme for Higher Education Transformation'. This path has largely been conceptualised within a framework of equity through redress and social justice that sought to change the face of higher education through demographic changes. Hence higher education transformation largely took on a number-counting process. The curriculum changes that have taken place thus far have largely been of an instrumental and responsive modality. In this paper I argue that deep curriculum transformation in higher education will be possible if we shift our gaze from predominantly a number-counting exercise to curriculum intellectualism. The next wave of higher education curriculum transformation would be a fundamental rethink based on emerging curriculum theories.
Theology and the (Post-)Apartheid University: Mapping Discourses, Interrogating Transformation
Author: Venter, Rian
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Organizational Change,Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Theological Education,State Universities,Social Change,Racial Segregation,Political Influences,Religious Education,Epistemology,Universities

This article examines the specific position of Theology at South African universities, following the recent developments on campuses that catapulted the urgency for greater commitment to radical transformation in higher education to public attention. A large corpus of material is generated on theological education as such, but the major question is rarely thematised as the transformation of Theology at public universities in (post-)apartheid South Africa. This article addresses the nature of the challenge by following a distinct approach. Ten major discourses in the wider reflection on theological education are identified and interpreted as avenues to achieve three aims: to convey the unique challenge for Theology, to give historical texture to issues conventionally addressed a-politically in Theology and to forward an interpretation of 'transformation' for Theology that emphasises its multi-layered nature.