ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Validation Study of the What's My School Mindset? Survey
Author: Hanson, Janet
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Surveys,School Effectiveness,School Culture,Teacher Attitudes,Test Validity,Public Schools,Administrators,Administrator Surveys,Attitude Measures,Factor Analysis,Factor Structure,Administrator Effectiveness,Elementary Secondary Education,Likert Scales,Statistical Analysis

The What's My School Mindset? (WMSM) survey is purported to operationalize teachers' beliefs of their school's ability to help all children learn and grow. In today's data driven educational climate it is important to select a reliable instrument for collecting teacher perceptions about their school culture. Accurate data is necessary to support development of realistic continuous improvement goals and to measure progress toward those goals. This study collected teacher and administrator responses (n = 348) from a stratified random sample of 31 PK-12 public schools in a large northwestern state. A split-half exploratory factor analysis (n = 178) was used to identify a proposed factor structure model. The proposed model was tested using the second half confirmatory factor analysis sample (n = 174) and confirmed the model revealing school mindset is a second order, unidimensional factor with three subfactors. The results of this study are useful for school leaders and researchers who seek to use the What's My School Mindset? scale to measure growth mindset within a school's culture. Accurately interpreting the measurement of one's school culture can increase administrator effectiveness and provide a foundation for opening realistic dialogues with teachers about their self-reported beliefs. A useful discussion of the background of school growth mindset, development of the What's My School Mindset? instrument, and theoretical framework of learning organization theory is provided.
The Missing Link: The Use of Link Words and Phrases as a Link to Manuscript Quality
Author: Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Classification,Data Analysis,Computational Linguistics,Content Analysis,Computer Software,Periodicals,Prediction,Word Frequency,Phrase Structure,Editing,Multiple Regression Analysis,Discourse Analysis,Evaluation Criteria,Journal Articles,Statistical Analysis

In this article, I provide a typology of transition words/phrases. This typology comprises 12 dimensions of link words/phrases that capture 277 link words/phrases. Using QDA Miner, WordStat, and SPSS--a computer-assisted mixed methods data analysis software, content analysis software, and statistical software, respectively--I analyzed 74 manuscripts that were submitted to the journal &quot;Research in the Schools&quot; over a 2-year period (i.e., 2014-2015). Among other results, these analyses revealed the most common link words/phrases and the most common dimensions of link words/phrases, as well as the dimensions that best predicted whether or not a manuscript was rejected by the editor.
Craving for Quality Education in Tanzania: Dispelling the Myths
Author: Kalolo, John Fungulupembe
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Misconceptions,Educational Quality,Educational Practices,Interviews,Parent Surveys,Teacher Surveys,Student Surveys,Evidence,Educational Finance,Teaching (Occupation),Leadership,Testing,English (Second Language),Language Fluency,Relevance (Education),Access to Education,Educational Facilities,Secondary Education

There has been widespread concern about the provision of quality education (QE) for all learners in all contexts, but research evidence to inform this debate is quite divergent and in most of cases the question about achieving this desire seems to be full of myths. This paper examines a selection of embedded myths about QE in Tanzanian education sector. The paper specifically aims at identifying the myths, their effects in education practice, and the appropriate ways to address them. The researcher's own experiences and voices from secondary school teachers, parents, and students were merged to inform the study. Merging of these voices helped this paper to have a major contribution towards a better understanding of myths and their adverse influence in education practice, and spotting some alternative modes of practice towards addressing them.
Utilizing Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Schools
Author: Ankrum, Raymond J.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Leadership,Educational Change,Leadership Styles,Communities of Practice,Teacher Collaboration,Administrator Surveys,Principals,Superintendents,Likert Scales,Educational Environment,Faculty Development,Teacher Role,Instructional Improvement

School leaders are constantly trying to find alternative ways to leverage and explore teacher leadership potential in their school building(s). Teachers leaders that are willing to go above and beyond their general duties. Teacher leaders are the type of educators that fall under the motif of potentially taking on additive responsibilities that will help to improve the school community. This paper looks at ways to leverage relationships between teacher leaders and school leaders in order to get maximum output from school staff. By infusing shared leadership in the school community, responsibility and accountability becomes a shared belief, that can be utilized as a catalyst for change in the school community.
The Death of the Public Community College
Author: Piland, William E.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Community Colleges,Public Colleges,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Accountability,Politics of Education,Performance Factors,Educational Change

Community colleges have been in existence for over 100 years in the United States. They began by offering the first two years of undergraduate education for students in local communities. Over the decades they evolved into comprehensive institutions of higher education with a multi-faceted mission. Today, in an era of accountability and mistrust of governmental institutions, they are under siege. There are external and internal forces that are causing their troubles. Perhaps, the unthinkable could happen and they might cease to exist if bold steps aren't taken to save them. There appears to be little time to waste.
African Identity, Self and Other, in Obama's &quot;Dreams from My Father&quot;
Author: Heikal, Azza Ahmed
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Concept,African Americans,Presidents,Postmodernism,Discourse Analysis,Foreign Policy,Cultural Background,Racial Discrimination,Guidelines,Racial Differences,Intergroup Relations,Autobiographies,Personal Narratives,Blacks,Foreign Countries,Social Change,Multiracial Persons,Parent Child Relationship,Fathers

This paper is a close examination of postcolonial and postmodern 20th century discourse with reference to Obama's &quot;Dreams from My Father&quot; (1995). Barack Hussein Obama (1961-present) has a colonial experience and double cultural background which formulate his views of racial discrimination, make him accept racial differences and dream of uniting the divided colors one day. The study focuses on his autobiographical narrative within the framework of post-colonialism and postmodernism.
Getting More out of Your Interview Data: Toward a Framework for Debriefing the Transcriber of Interviews
Author: Weinbaum, Rebecca K.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Data Collection,Data Analysis,Qualitative Research,Transcripts (Written Records),Research Methodology,Credibility,Reliability,Research Problems,Ethics,Heuristics,Researchers,Interviews

In most qualitative research studies involving the creation of interview transcriptions, researchers seldom demonstrate much reflexivity about the transcription process, rarely making mention of transcription processes as part of their reporting of data collection and analysis procedures beyond a simple statement that audio- or videotaped data were transcribed. Disturbingly, although transcription is a part of the qualitative analysis process, transcription as a research method has received scant attention in the qualitative research literature. Thus, the purpose of this article was to provide a framework for debriefing the transcriber. As part of this framework, we have designed questions for the researcher to ask the transcriber to address representation and legitimation and also to facilitate movement into a deeper investigation. Finally, we present three examples of works from the extant literature wherein the transcriber was debriefed.
Language, Teaching and Attrition: A Study on Selected Teachers Who Left the Profession
Author: Wushishi, Aminu Aliyu
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching Conditions,Labor Turnover,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Persistence,Language of Instruction,English (Second Language),Language Skills,Language Proficiency,Afro Asiatic Languages,Student Characteristics,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Interviews,Writing Skills

Nigeria is a country with over 520 different languages, the multitude nature of languages is making instructions so difficult in Schools, particularly in North-Central Nigeria where they have students with different language background attending the same school. The difficulty of smooth teaching in this kind of situation is leading to attrition among teachers. This study examines the situation of selected teachers in Niger State, Nigeria, who left the teaching profession as a result of difficulty in teaching their students, whom they said cannot efficiently understand the official language of instruction (English). The teachers highlighted their main reason of leaving the profession which is mainly associated with language problem among students, they added that, the massive failure of students in the final examination has a link with the student's inability to understand what the teachers are teaching because of their poor background in English language. The paper recommends the use of one major local language (Hausa) in teaching the students, this will make learning easy and students will efficiently comprehend instructions from their teachers, which may go a long way in reducing attrition.
The Effects of Demographic, Internal and External University Environment Factors on Faculty Job Satisfaction in Vietnam
Author: Duong, Minh-Quang
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Environment,College Faculty,Job Satisfaction,Age Differences,Intellectual Disciplines,Questionnaires,Factor Analysis,Multiple Regression Analysis,Statistical Analysis

University faculty members with higher job satisfaction are more productive, creative and positive attitude towards their job. Even less is known about university faculty job satisfaction in developing countries like Vietnam. This study examines the effects of demographic, internal and external university environment factors on faculty job satisfaction in Vietnamese higher education. The study investigated 200 faculty members working in the five member colleges of Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City. The results showed that most respondents were satisfied with their jobs, and that faculty job satisfaction varied with age and discipline. The present study also found that job satisfaction was significantly influenced by demographic and internal and external university environment factors. The study's implications for university management are also discussed.
The Impacts of Presenting New Words in Semantically-Related Sets on Vocabulary Learning
Author: Wang, Xingrong
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semantics,Vocabulary Development,Second Language Learning,Language Research,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,High School Students,Translation,Language Tests,Test Items,Control Groups,Statistical Analysis,Experimental Groups,Pretests Posttests,Foreign Countries,Interference (Language),Comparative Analysis,English (Second Language)

This paper mainly explores the impacts of presenting new words in semantically-related (SR) sets on vocabulary learning. 38 students from two classes of Grade 2 in Taiyuan Foreign Language School (Senior High School Section) participate in the whole process. The same vocabulary items unknown to all students are taught to them in 4 lessons. The difference between the experimental group and control group is that words are taught in SR sets in the former and in the latter words belonging to the same SR sets are taught in different lessons. Independent Samples T-test is employed to see if there would be a significant difference between the two groups' performance in the English-Chinese translation tests of those words. The result shows that there doesn't exist a significant difference between the two groups in SHT test, but in the LT test two weeks later, SU group performs significantly better than SR group. The research findings may provide some enlightenment for foreign language researchers.
DIF Analysis with Multilevel Data: A Simulation Study Using the Latent Variable Approach
Author: Jin, Ying
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Bias,Simulation,Hierarchical Linear Modeling,Comparative Analysis,Regression (Statistics),Test Reliability,Monte Carlo Methods,Statistical Analysis,Maximum Likelihood Statistics

The effects of mean ability difference (MAD) and short tests on the performance of various DIF methods have been studied extensively in previous simulation studies. Their effects, however, have not been studied under multilevel data structure. MAD was frequently observed in large-scale cross-country comparison studies where the primary sampling units were more likely to be clusters (e.g., schools). With short tests, regular DIF methods under MAD-present conditions might suffer from inflated type I error rate due to low reliability of test scores, which would adversely impact the matching ability of the covariate (i.e., the total score) in DIF analysis. The current study compared the performance of three DIF methods: logistic regression (LR), hierarchical logistic regression (HLR) taking multilevel structure into account, and hierarchical logistic regression with latent covariate (HLR-LC) taking multilevel structure into account as well as accounting for low reliability and MAD. The results indicated that HLR-LC outperformed both LR and HLR under most simulated conditions, especially under the MAD-present conditions when tests were short. Practical implications of the implementation of HLR-LC were also discussed.
From Entrepreneurship to Entrepreneurial Education in Lower Secondary School: Pedagogising by Means of the Pedagogic Device
Author: Diehl, Monika
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Entrepreneurship,Secondary School Students,Teaching Methods,School Culture,Teacher Collaboration,Student Characteristics,Teacher Student Relationship,Collegiality,Educational Improvement,Foreign Countries,Seminars,Secondary School Teachers,Semi Structured Interviews,Participant Observation

This study is part of a school improvement programme on entrepreneurial education and investigates teachers' understanding and transmission of entrepreneurial education in two Swedish lower secondary schools, through interviews and observations. Entrepreneurship is a well-established concept within capitalist society, but the interest here is to investigate the transmission of it into pedagogic discourse and communication. Bernstein's concept of the pedagogic device is used to reason on the process of what happens, and why, when the concept of entrepreneurship is transformed into entrepreneurial education. The results indicate different understandings and connotations on a deeper level, and also show that transmission to colleagues and pupils faces a series of challenges. In practise, the findings show different approaches to entrepreneurial education among individual teachers, but also between schools. This can be explained by gaps in the transmitting process, but also by different school cultures and diverse forms of collegial collaboration, which may affect transmission among colleagues and thus the transmission to pupils. Pupils' backgrounds may also have an impact on the differences.
Explicit-Implicit Distinction: A Review of Related Literature
Author: Jarrah, Marwan A.
Date: 2016-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literature Reviews,Pragmatics,Semantics,Distinctive Features (Language),Educational Theories,Educational Practices,Performance Factors

This paper sketches out the main views of the major pragmatic approaches (i.e., Grice's theory of conversation, Relevance Theory, and Neo-Gricean pragmatic theory) on explicit-implicit distinction. It makes clear how this distinction has been differently drawn for utterance interpretation. Additionally, it highlights several corresponding problems that have arisen within such approaches. It demonstrates ultimately that no consensus has been reached on the dividing lines of the dichotomy of this distinction.
Students' Stereotypes of Autism
Author: Wood, Chantelle
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Student Attitudes,Attitudes toward Disabilities,Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Stereotypes,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Statistical Analysis

This research aimed to ascertain the contents (Study 1) and valence (Study 2) of the stereotype associated with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) in university students. Study 1 used a free-response methodology where participants listed the characteristics that they thought society associates with individuals with ASC. This study revealed that the stereotypic traits most frequently reported by students without personal experience of ASC were poor social skills, being introverted and withdrawn, poor communication and difficult personality or behaviour. Study 2 had participants rate the valence of the 10 most frequently mentioned stereotypic traits identified in Study 1, along with additional traits frequently used to describe disabled and non-disabled people. This study found that eight of the ten most frequently listed stereotypic traits from Study 1 were seen as negative, and were rated significantly more negatively than traits used to describe non-disabled people. The knowledge of the contents and valence of the stereotype of ASC gained from this research can be used to tackle negative aspects of this stereotype.
Development and Validity Testing of a Chinese-Language Version of FourSight
Author: Tsai, Kuan Chen
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Creativity Tests,Test Construction,Test Validity,Chinese,High School Students,Preferences,Test Reliability,Factor Analysis,Factor Structure,Foreign Countries

The purpose of the current study was twofold: its first objective was to evaluate 151 Taiwanese high school students' creative process preferences using FourSight and its second, to assess the reliability and validity of FourSight's Chinese-language version. The results show that the highest proportion of our participants were high-Clarifiers (51%) and the lowest proportion, high-Ideators (28%), with high-Developers (32%) and high-Implementers (40%) occupying middle positions relative to the other two types. Our respondents may be influenced by the country's standardized-test-based educational system. Based on a series of factor analysis, our final 18-item Chinese-language version of FourSight with a five-factor construct was a reliable and valid measure, against the original 36-item English version with a four-factor construct. This discrepancy may have resulted from translation issues or cultural ones, or both. It is possible that the idea of CPS was itself quite new for our Taiwanese respondents.
Informing Instruction of Students with Autism in Public School Settings
Author: Kuo, Nai-Cheng
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Teaching Methods,Public Schools,Mastery Learning,Standardized Tests,Behavioral Science Research,Skill Development,Individualized Education Programs,Scores,Reading Tests,Mathematics Tests,Emergent Literacy,Reading Fluency,Kindergarten,Cognitive Development,Social Development,Psychomotor Skills,Child Development,Measures (Individuals)

The number of applied behavior analysis (ABA) classrooms for students with autism is increasing in K-12 public schools. To inform instruction of students with autism in public school settings, this study examined the relation between performance on mastery learning assessments and standardized achievement tests for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in an applied behavior analysis (ABA) classroom. The measures included ABLLS-R, DIBELS-R, and DIBELS-M. Results of the study indicate that all students acquired new skills across domains and met their IEP goals measured by the mastery learning assessment, but they scored low on reading and math for their grade level according to standardized achievement tests. Suggestions for prompting good autism practice in public school settings are discussed.
The Effect of Iranian Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs on Their Teaching Practice
Author: Yousefzadeh, Malahat
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Epistemology,Beliefs,Instructional Effectiveness,Educational Practices,Questionnaires,Secondary School Teachers,Teaching Experience,Correlation

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that investigates what knowledge is and how people know whether they know something (BonJour, 2002). It addresses questions such as: What is knowledge? How do people know if they really have knowledge? What gives a reason for any knowledge that they have? This study aimed at investigating the relationships between high school teachers' epistemological beliefs and their teaching practices. The subjects of the study were 60 teachers at Ardabil high schools. They responded to two questionnaires: an Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire and a Teaching Practices Questionnaire. In this study, the independent variables are measures of teacher epistemology and their teaching practices as the dependent variables. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between scores on the Teaching practice scale and those on the Epistemological Beliefs scale. Findings of the study showed that teachers with inexperienced epistemological beliefs tend to traditional teacher-centered practices and experienced belief holders were more tend to constructive learner-centered practices.
On the Possibility of Mandarin Chinese as a &quot;Lingua Franca&quot;
Author: Plumb, Christopher
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mandarin Chinese,Official Languages,Language Role,Global Approach,Stakeholders,Second Language Learning,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Language Usage

Recently there has been an increase in the number of students learning Mandarin Chinese (in mainland China and internationally). This increase has led to speculation that Mandarin Chinese is becoming a mainstream global language to the point of becoming a &quot;lingua franca.&quot; This paper utilizes research findings from different regions and focal points and argues that Mandarin Chinese could be accepted as a &quot;lingua franca&quot; within some contexts, but is unlikely to do so in others. It argues that Mandarin Chinese is generally accepted as the &quot;lingua franca&quot; of China and a possible &quot;lingua franca&quot; within the East Asian region, while unlikely to become a &quot;lingua franca&quot; globally. The paper compares a number of different reasons for studying Mandarin Chinese by different stakeholders (i.e. governments, school boards, individual students) as well as comparative numbers of language learners. This paper also examines if Mandarin is the dominant and undisputed form of global Chinese. It concludes by demonstrating that there is a greater need for further research into Mandarin Chinese as a &quot;lingua franca.&quot;