ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Teaching Performance of English Courses by Applying Data Envelopment Analysis and Two-Phase Segmentation
Author: Montoneri, Bernard
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,College Freshmen,English Teachers,College Faculty,Evaluation Methods,Teacher Effectiveness,English (Second Language),Correlation,Input Output Analysis

Effective teaching performance is a crucial factor contributing to students' learning improvement. Students' ratings of teachers at the end of each semester can indirectly provide valuable information about teachers' performance. This paper selects classes of freshmen students taking a course of English in a university of Taiwan from the academic year 2004 to 2006 as the research object. We adopt the data envelopment analysis, a reliable and robust evaluation method, to identify the relative efficiencies of each class. The calculation is performed in two phases. In phase 1, all the classes are in the same pool. The results of numerical analysis in phase 1 are used to clarify whether the existing teaching methods can achieve the desired results and what are the improved methods. Based on the calculation of phase 1, we segment all the classes into 2 groups according to their contribution of output indicators in calculating efficiency values. The empirical results are expected to identify more objective classes and to reveal that the evaluated classes refer to different efficient classes in different phases and their ranking order changes accordingly. This method can help to provide some concrete and practical teaching strategies for the inefficient classes.
Online Learning for Students from Diverse Backgrounds: Learning Disability Students, Excellent Students and Average Students
Author: Shonfeld, Miri
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Diversity,Learning Disabilities,High Achievement,Online Courses,Preservice Teachers,Questionnaires,Interviews,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research,Preservice Teacher Education,Primary Education,Science Education,Independent Study,Student Participation,Student Satisfaction,Student Attitudes,Interaction,Affordances,Academic Achievement

The perceived contribution of science education online course to pre-service students (N=121) from diverse backgrounds--students with learning disabilities (25 LD students), 28 excellent students and 68 average students is presented in this five-years research. During the online course students were asked to choose a scientific subject; to map it and to plan teaching activities; to carry out the proposed activities with students in a classroom experience; and to reflect the process. The assumption was that adapting the online course by using information and communication technology following formative assessment will improve students' self-learning ability as well as broaden their science knowledge, their lab performance and teaching skills. Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative tools including: pre and post questionnaires, and nine (three students from each group) depth interviews upon completion of the course. Findings, based on students' perceived evaluation, pinpointed on the advantages of the online course for students of the three groups. LD students' achievements were not inferior to those of their peers, excellent students, and average students. Yet, it carefully reports on a slight but explicitly marginal perceived evaluation of the LD students in comparison to excellent students and average students regarding: forum participation, authentic task, and water lab performance. The article discusses the affordance of the online course via additional features that can be grouped into two categories: knowledge construction and flexibility in time, interaction, and knowledge. Further research is suggested to extend the current study by examining the effect of other courses and different contents, and by considering various evaluation methods of online courses, such as: observation, the think aloud, text and tasks analysis, and reflection.
Understanding Student Attitudes about Distance Education: The Importance of Excitement and Fear
Author: Smidt, Esther
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Distance Education,Educational Attitudes,Fear,Psychological Patterns,College Students,State Universities,Statistical Analysis,Electronic Learning,Student Surveys,Online Surveys,Student Experience,Online Courses,Correlation

This quantitative study investigated student attitudes toward distance education at a midsized, mid-Atlantic state university in the United States. The research question was: Do feelings of excitement and fear moderate and/or mediate the relationship between online learning experiences and student opinions about the current state of online education, namely that institutions were pushing too much instruction online? Data was collected from students via an online survey. Findings suggested: (a) students with online experience who were fearful of this learning mode were the most likely to report that their institutions were pushing too much online learning, (b) regardless of online learning experience, students who were excited about this learning mode were less likely to think that their institutions were pushing too much online learning.
Attitudes and Behavior of Ajman University of Science and Technology Students towards the Environment
Author: Raman, Rasha Abdel
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Student Behavior,Environment,Gender Differences,Undergraduate Students,Attitude Measures,Questionnaires,Environmental Education,Majors (Students),Course Evaluation,Statistical Analysis

This study examined the attitudes and behavior of Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST) students towards the environment according to their gender and college. The research was based on a descriptive approach. The sample consisted of (375) students (230 males and 145 females) from different colleges (Law, Information Technology, Mass Communication and Humanities, Engineering, Dentistry and Pharmacy). The Attitudes and Behavior Scale Towards the Environment (ABSTE) was used to investigate students' attitudes and behavior towards the environment, and a questionnaire was used to evaluate the environmental sciences course. Results revealed wide differences in the environmental attitudes and behaviors between the undergraduate students enrolled in environmental sciences course and others who did not study the course yet. Findings also showed that females have higher positive environmental attitudes and behaviors than males. Students of Dentistry and Pharmacy colleges have higher positive environmental attitudes and behaviors than students of Law and Information Technology or Mass Communication and Humanities colleges. Engineering students have the least positive environmental attitudes and behaviors. The results generally assert the importance of environmental education in university.
Multivariate Gradient Analysis for Evaluating and Visualizing a Learning System Platform for Computer Programming
Author: Mather, Richard
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multivariate Analysis,Program Evaluation,Visualization,Programming,Computer Science Education,Animation,Computer Simulation,Learning Activities,Learning Processes,Learning Motivation,Correlation,Coding,Instructional Design,Learning Modules,Educational Technology,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Educational Environment,Simulated Environment,Independent Study,Cooperative Learning,Attendance

This paper explores the application of canonical gradient analysis to evaluate and visualize student performance and acceptance of a learning system platform. The subject of evaluation is a first year BSc module for computer programming. This uses &quot;Ceebot,&quot; an animated and immersive game-like development environment. Multivariate ordination approaches are widely used in ecology to explore species distribution along environmental gradients. Environmental factors are represented here by three &quot;assessment&quot; gradients; one for the overall module mark and two independent tests of programming knowledge and skill. Response data included Likert expressions for behavioral, acceptance and opinion traits. Behavioral characteristics (such as attendance, collaboration and independent study) were regarded to be indicative of learning activity. Acceptance and opinion factors (such as perceived enjoyment and effectiveness of Ceebot) were treated as expressions of motivation to engage with the learning environment. Ordination diagrams and summary statistics for canonical analyses suggested that logbook grades (the basis for module assessment) and code understanding were weakly correlated. Thus strong module performance was not a reliable predictor of programming ability. The three assessment indices were correlated with behaviors of independent study and peer collaboration, but were only weakly associated with attendance. Results were useful for informing teaching practice and suggested: (1) realigning assessments to more fully capture code-level skills (important in the workplace); (2) re-evaluating attendance-based elements of module design; and (3) the overall merit of multivariate canonical gradient approaches for evaluating and visualizing the effectiveness of a learning system platform.
Healthy Children, Healthy Minds: Creating a Brighter Future
Author: Lebrun, Marcel
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Child Health,Futures (of Society),Metacognition,Exercise,Health Behavior,Health Promotion,Sleep,Attention,Educational Strategies

Children struggle with life today. Being children in the 21st century is both taxing and exciting, and yet trying to cope with all of the technology and media that surrounds them. How do we as adults provide good models? Mindfulness, exercise, focus and attention, and healthy living strategies need to play a role in shaping healthy children. Educators need to become well versed in strategies that both teach short and long term behaviors that will sustain healthy living and healthy minds. Children are the future, and what kind of adult do we want running our countries and the world? The article provides many strategies for educators and parents to guide children in making choices that are both empowering and allow them the flexibility to be children.
Students-Enthusiasts in Online Classes: Their Contribution to the Educational Process
Author: Toom, Anna
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Courses,Student Interests,Graduate Students,Individual Characteristics,Interpersonal Communication,Group Discussion,Statistical Analysis,Psychology,Student Characteristics

In this work, the phenomenon of student enthusiasm was explored in a population of 47 students of Touro Graduate School of Education who took the author's online psychology course. The purpose of the study was to find how students-enthusiasts differ from classmates in their communication style(s) reflected in group discussions on the Discussion Board (DB). The research methodology included graphical and statistical analysis of students' discussions. It was found that, although the enthusiasts constituted a small part (6%) of the investigated population, their contribution to the virtual learning environment was the greatest--they were catalyzers of the educational process. Students-enthusiasts a) consolidated their group, transforming it from a disorganized mass without common interests to a team capable of collaboration; b) stimulated discussions by helping their classmates to develop &quot;a sense of community&quot;; c) unlike others, also competent as learners and computer users, the enthusiasts shared information with their less knowledgeable classmates concerning various aspects of the online study. Students-enthusiasts served as a model and support for their fellow learners and the instructor. The author concludes that such a contribution must be appreciated and maximally used in the virtual classroom (VC) with its specifics and communicational limitations.
Analysis of Compositions Written by a Chinese Child in Japan
Author: Spence, Lucy
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Discourse Analysis,Writing (Composition),Chinese,Japanese,Multilingualism,Observation,Interviews,Elementary School Students,Elementary School Teachers,Mothers,Individual Power,Bilingualism

This discourse analysis focuses on the Chinese and Japanese writing of a young student living in Japan who is ethnically Chinese and multilingual. A method for analyzing linguistically diverse student writing was used to explore the literary elements and heteroglossic voices in this student's writing. Such analysis has been shown to be beneficial to teachers for understanding linguistically diverse student writers. The findings were triangulated with observational data from the student's home and school, an interview with the student's teacher and interviews with the mother, who is the co-author of this study. The analysis revealed evidence of writing strengths in two languages, including flexible bilingualism and agency. Implications for school curriculum that develops student languages as a resource for learning are explored.
Control Grouped Pedagogical Experiment to Test the Performance of Second-Generation Web Maps and the Traditional Maps at the University of Debrecen
Author: Balla, Dániel
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Maps,Electronic Learning,Geography Instruction,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Study,Topography,Graduate Students,Instructional Effectiveness,College Instruction

Almost every component of the information society is influenced by elements built on communication technology. Learning also tends to be related to the dynamic usage of computers. Nowadays, a number of applications (online or offline) are also available that engage large groups of potential users and simultaneously provide a virtual environment to facilitate learning. This study introduces the self-developed interactive blind map teaching-examining e-learning system of the University of Debrecen. Results of testing the system with a control group are also presented. Both experimental and control groups of students were required to sita test of topographic knowledge following a semester of study. The pass mark for the test was 80%. The experimental group used the new digital environment to study, while the control group prepared for their exam using paper maps in the traditional way. The key research questions addressed by the study were to determine whether exam results obtained by the group using the &quot;digital&quot; method better than those of the control's; and if there were a difference between the exam performances of the two groups, was this statistically significant and, therefore, likely to occur in other similar scenarios?
Impact of Students' Participation to a Facebook Group on Their Motivation and Scores and on Teacher's Evaluation
Author: Montoneri, Bernard
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Social Media,Teaching Methods,Technology Uses in Education,Student Motivation,College Students,Conventional Instruction,Comparative Analysis,Content Analysis,Telecommunications,Language Usage,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Student Evaluation,Scores,Questionnaires,Second Language Instruction,Literature,Computer Mediated Communication

The development of Information and communications technology (ICT) has brought rapid and profound changes in the field of Education. Nowadays, teachers and students alike are engaging on social networks such as Facebook. This study discusses the benefits of using social network in the classroom. It aims at assessing the impact of Facebook on students' motivation and scores in a course of European Literature in a university of central Taiwan. A class of students was taught during the first semester of academic year 2013-2014 (September-January) using a traditional way of teaching. During the second semester (February-June 2014), the teacher used multimedia and Facebook to teach to the same students. They joined a &quot;secret group,&quot; that is a group in which only students from the class can join, post, view posts, like, and comment. This research compares various data from the first and second semester to measure students' improvement in motivation, their participation to the group and their scores. The data collected from the Facebook group during the whole second semester and students' evaluation of the educator at the end of each semester. Students are expected to make some progress and teacher's evaluation should improve. Even though Taiwanese students generally read and write in Chinese on Facebook, it is expected that they exclusively use English to read, share, and comment texts and information concerning the books studied during the second semester, thus increasing their chances to improve their reading and writing skills.
The Effect of Math Modeling on Student's Emerging Understanding
Author: Sokolowski, Andrzej
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematical Models,High School Students,Calculus,Algebra,Mathematics Skills,Problem Solving,Measurement,Data Collection,Mathematics Activities,Hypothesis Testing,Learning Laboratories,Graphs,Quasiexperimental Design,Content Analysis,Mathematical Concepts,Mathematics Education,Secondary School Mathematics,Suburban Schools

This study investigated the effects of applying mathematical modeling on revising students' preconception of the process of optimizing area enclosed by a string of a fixed length. A group of 28 high school pre-calculus students were immersed in modeling activity that included direct measurements, data collecting, and formulating algebraic representation for the data. The lab conduct was enriched by scientific inquiry elements such as hypothesis stating and its verification. While 86% of the students (N=24) falsely hypothesized that the rectangular areas enclosed by a string of a fixed length will remain constant before engaging in the lab, the subsequent tasks of the modeling activity prompted the students to correct their ways of thinking. The study showed that the modeling processes provide ample means of revising students' perception to establish firm conceptual background for inducing a more rigorous algebraic approach to solving problems in math classes. Suggestions for further studies follow.
Online Independent Vocabulary Learning Experience of Hong Kong University Students
Author: Tang, Eunice
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Electronic Learning,Independent Study,Vocabulary,Learning Experience,Undergraduate Students,Vocabulary Development,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning

In response to the limited vocabulary size of its undergraduates, an independent vocabulary learning platform, VLearn was designed and launched in a university in Hong Kong. As an e-learning environment that supports self-directed vocabulary learning of Chinese learners, the primary aim of VLearn is to equip users with appropriate knowledge and skills for vocabulary expansion. This paper introduces the contents of VLearn, and the theoretical underpinnings of its design. It also reports on the vocabulary learning experience of its users during an eight week evaluation study. Suggestions are made on how independent vocabulary building at higher education, as well as comprehensive vocabulary instruction at early years could be supported by means of technology.
Exemplary Chinese University Professors: Qualities and Impact on Students
Author: Kim, Eugene P.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Faculty,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Effectiveness,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Teacher Student Relationship,Teacher Influence,Student Motivation,Undergraduate Students,Student Surveys,Feedback (Response),Assignments,Regression (Statistics),Expertise,Likert Scales

This study focuses on the qualities of Chinese university professors as perceived by their students and the effects of those qualities on student learning and motivation. Specifically, what qualities and personal characteristics do Chinese university students attribute to their favorite and least favorite professors, and how do those qualities and characteristics affect Chinese university students? Out of 280 students surveyed from three different universities, 226 surveys were completed, returned and included in the final analysis (response rate of 80.7%). The research found that Chinese students favored professors who are entertaining, who help them learn more and who provide them with helpful feedback on their assignments. Students disfavor professors who are boring, arrogant and do not provide helpful feedback or help them learn more. Linear regressions revealed a connection between high quality professors and student learning and motivation. Along with other studies, this research provides evidence that effective university professors are those who not only possess expertise in their fields, but in addition are engaging, student-focused and able to build rapport with their students.
Online Comic in Mandarin Chinese's Vocabulary Learning: A Case Study of Budi Utama Multilingual School in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Author: Wilujeng, Nuning Catur Sri
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Cartoons,Mandarin Chinese,Electronic Learning,Vocabulary,Elementary School Students,FLES,Second Language Learning,Skill Development,Student Attitudes,Cooperative Learning,Quasiexperimental Design,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Interviews,Pretests Posttests,Instructional Effectiveness,Second Language Instruction

This study was aimed to investigate (1) the improvement of CFL elementary-school students' skill in learning Mandarin Chinese (hereafter referred to as Mandarin) vocabulary through creating comic without online resources, creating online comics individually and collaboratively; (2) the CFL elementary-school students' attitude towards the application of comics in learning Mandarin vocabulary; and (3) the CFL elementary-school students' attitude towards the application of collaborative activities in learning Mandarin vocabulary. The research design was based on a quasi-experiment using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Three classes participated in this study: one class was the control group using text-based instruction without online resources; the other two classes were the experimental groups 1 and 2. In the experimental group 1, students worked individually on online comic whereas in the experimental group 2, students worked collaboratively on online comic. All participants were Grade 5 students of Budi Utama Multilingual School in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The collected and analyzed data included performances on Mandarin vocabulary, in-class observation, questionnaires, and interview. In Mandarin vocabulary performances, the experimental group 2 outperformed the other two groups and the experimental group 1 performed better than the control group. In the students' attitude, the experimental group 2 behaved more positively than the two other groups, and the control group behaved more positively than the experimental group 1.