ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Lexical Range and Communicative Competence of Learners in Bilingual Schools in Lower Austria
Author: Mewald, Claudia
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Bilingual Education,Grammar,Vocabulary Development,Psycholinguistics,Communicative Competence (Languages),Priming,Foreign Countries,German,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Fluency,Secondary School Students,Language Research,Teaching Methods,Metacognition,Native Language,Course Content,Linguistic Theory

This article discusses the impact of lexical range on the learners' ability to communicate in English when taught as a foreign language in bilingual schools, and emphasizes the importance of explicit vocabulary instruction. It draws on data from classroom observation, lexis-retrieval tasks, written and spoken performance in bilingual (German-English) and regular school classes at grades 5-8 in Austrian secondary schools. Results suggest that a wider lexical range results in better communicative competence and fluency and that breakdown of communication in spoken or written performance is more frequently caused by insufficient vocabulary rather than by lack of control or grammatical problems. Consequently, insights from cognitive linguistics, the Lexical Approach, and Lexical Priming are discussed to justify the concept of vocabulary instruction in contextualized units. Taking the scarceness of theoretical and practical concepts into consideration, the need for research on the explicit instruction of vocabulary and metacognitive strategies is fleshed out.
The Role of the Family and Family-Centered Programs and Policies
Author: Berger, Lawrence M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Family Role,Family Programs,Disadvantaged,Child Health,Taxes,Birth,Body Weight,Parent Child Relationship,Family Financial Resources,Cognitive Development,Parenting Skills,Child Neglect,Child Abuse,Child Development,Child Welfare,Welfare Services,Home Visits,Prevention,Community Programs,Genetics,Mental Health,Physical Health

Families influence their children's health in two ways that are amenable to public policy- through their financial and other investments in children, and through the quality of care that they provide. In general, children who receive more resources or better parenting are healthier than those who don't. Public policies, therefore, might improve children's health either by giving families more resources or by helping parents provide better care. When it comes to financial resources, write Lawrence Berger and Sarah Font, the research is straight forward-programs that add to disadvantaged families' incomes, whether in cash or in kind, can indeed improve their children's health. The Earned Income Tax Credit, for example, has been linked to higher birth weights and greater cognitive achievement. When it comes to programs that target quality of care, however, the picture is more complex. At the low end of the spectrum, poor parenting shades into neglect or abuse, which can seriously harm children's health and development. Thus we might expect that the child protective services system, which has the power to intervene and protect children in such cases, could also improve children's health in the long run. Berger and Font find that the system's ability to affect children's health is limited, largely because it becomes involved in children's lives only after damage has already occurred. Other programs, however, have the potential to improve parenting, reduce maltreatment, and thus enhance children's health and development. Home visiting programs show particular promise, as do large-scale, community-level primary prevention programs.
Preventing and Treating Child Mental Health Problems
Author: Cuellar, Alison
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Child Health,Mental Disorders,Mental Health,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Prevention,Early Intervention,Behavior Problems,Emotional Problems,Depression (Psychology),Alcohol Abuse,Smoking,Drug Abuse,Special Education,Family Income,Academic Achievement,Educational Attainment

Children's mental health covers a wide range of disorders. Some, such as ADHD and autism, tend to manifest themselves when children are young, while others, such as depression and addiction, are more likely to appear during the teenage years. Some respond readily to treatment or tend to improve as children grow older, while others, such as autism, are much more intractable. Moreover, children's mental and behavioral disorders may be detected and treated in any number of settings, from a pediatrician's or psychologist's office to schools to the juvenile justice system. This heterogeneity points to one of the problems Alison Cuellar finds with the United States' approach to children's mental health. Policies and programs to help children with mental disorders are fragmented and lack coordination, funding follows idiosyncratic rules, and all of this makes prevention programs hard to deliver. Another problem, Cuellar writes, is that treatment often focuses on controlling symptoms in the present rather than on long-term life chances. Treatments and programs that reduce children's symptoms don't necessarily lead to long-term gains in areas like education and employment; that is, even children whose treatment is deemed successful may fare more poorly in life than children without mental disorders. Thus Cuellar recommends that we evaluate whether treatment for at least some disorders should focus less on relieving symptoms and more on educational achievement and overall functioning. Another question for which policy makers in particular need the answer is whether our resources are best spent on programs that focus on detecting and treating individual children with mental health problems or on programs that focus more broadly on preventing mental health problems among populations of children who are likely to have high rates of mental disorders-for example, minority children who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Teaching English as an Additional Language in the Global Classroom: A Transnational Study in the United States and United Kingdom
Author: McEachron, Gail
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Immigrants,Minority Groups,Foreign Countries,Race,Gender Differences,Academic Achievement,Second Languages,Ethnic Groups,Disadvantaged,Graduation Rate,Databases,Elementary Secondary Education,College Students,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Language Minorities,Comparative Education,Teacher Attitudes,Interviews,Focus Groups,Observation,Mixed Methods Research,Religious Education,Patriotism,Course Content,Native Language,Language Usage,Educational Policy,Mainstreaming,Achievement Tests,Cultural Pluralism

Global research has shown the persistence of inequality with regard to accessing curriculum with a view to obtaining suitable work and making useful contributions to society. The intersection of race, gender, language and low socio-economic levels creates situations which often marginalize ethnic minorities in school settings (Freire, 1968; Nieto &amp; Turner, 2012). The graduation rates in the United States for Native American, African American and Hispanic students are lower than the graduation rates of Whites and Asian Americans. In addition, Bangladeshis and African Caribbeans currently living in the UK are under-represented in higher education, particularly young men in those communities. The research questions that guide this inquiry are: (1) According to databases, how does the academic performance of language minority groups compare to the academic performance of non-linguistic minority groups at the elementary and secondary levels of education? (2) According to language support teachers and university students, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the instructional practices for language minorities who are learning English in the United Kingdom (UK) (Bristol) and the United States (US) (Henrico)? Participants were: five UK teachers, four UK university students, five US teachers, four US university students. Data collection supervised by lead researchers included interviews, focus groups, classroom observation, and performance documents. Data analysis utilized a mixed-methods approach. Overall, linguistic minority groups performed lower than their English proficient peers. Culturally, UK teachers provided a greater emphasis on religious instruction, whereas US teachers addressed patriotic topics more frequently. Teachers in the United States and the United Kingdom were culturally supportive with slight variation in the encouraged use of the students' heritage languages. [This article was written with student researchers: Alexandra Hartley, Aaron Nawrot, Rachel Heideman, Ashley Jones, Amy Lamborn, Ben Crushcov, Lydia Maley, and Lauren Hogg.]
The Construction of Biliterate Narratives and Identities between Parents and Children
Author: Kabuto, Bobbie
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interviews,Observation,Literacy,Bilingualism,Oral Reading,Spanish,Greek,Reading Ability,Comparative Analysis,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Self Concept,Ethnography,Personal Narratives,Parent Attitudes,Parent Child Relationship,Discourse Analysis,English,Family Characteristics,Miscue Analysis,Childrens Literature,Reading Skills,Student Evaluation,Longitudinal Studies,Measures (Individuals)

This article highlights two bilingual families who participated in a larger study titled &quot;Revaluing Readers and Families.&quot; Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives to highlight the experiences of a Greek and English speaking family and a Spanish and English speaking family, this article explores how these two bilingual families created narratives and identities about biliteracy based on their perceptions of their children's bilingual reading abilities. Through a comparative analysis of multiple data sources that includes ethnographic observations, interview data, and miscue analysis data, this article investigates how the families co-constructed their children's biliterate identities by acting and reacting to their children's oral reading abilities in two languages. Instead of viewing biliteracy as an all-or-nothing enactment, the findings suggest that families generate narratives of biliteracy that allow them to define and defend their children's biliterate identities and abilities. The implications of this research for educational settings are also discussed.
Assessing the Attitudes and Beliefs of Preservice Middle School Science Teachers toward Biologically Diverse Animals
Author: Wagler, Ron
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Student Teacher Attitudes,Animals,Teacher Characteristics,Science Education,Science Instruction,Biological Sciences,Physical Sciences,Preferences,Biodiversity,Gender Differences,Age Differences,Science Teachers,Probability

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between United States (US) preservice middle school science teacher characteristics, their attitude toward a specific animal and their belief concerning the likelihood of incorporating information about that specific animal into their future science classroom. The study participants consisted of 204 US preservice middle school science teachers. The participants self-reported their gender, age, number of college biological science courses taken and their preference to teach biological science or physical science when they were an inservice middle school teacher. The participants were then shown thirty pictures of biodiverse animals. For each picture the participants rated their attitude toward the animal shown. The participants then rated the likelihood, based on their attitude, of incorporating information about the animal shown into their future science classroom. The preservice middle school science teacher characteristics that positively increased the preservice middle school science teacher's attitude or the likelihood of incorporating information about biodiverse groups of animals into their future classroom were being a male, having taken one additional college biological science course or being older than 26 years of age. Implications are discussed that are applicable to teacher education programs and science educators.
Consecutive Course Modules Developed with Simple Materials to Facilitate the Learning of Basic Concepts in Astronomy
Author: Okulu, Hasan Zuhtu
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Scientific Concepts,Astronomy,Observation,Concept Formation,Learning Modules,Course Content,Program Effectiveness,Preservice Teachers,Science Teachers,Elementary School Science,Laboratory Equipment,Teacher Competencies,Foreign Countries

From the perspective of teaching, the huge natural laboratory that astronomy provides constitutes the most prominent connection between astronomy and other branches of science. The purpose of this research was to provide educators with activities of observation using simple materials that were developed to facilitate the teaching of basic concepts of astronomy, presenting these in the form of course modules that they could use in the classroom. Six modules were developed for teaching basic astronomy. The modules &quot;What is Astronomy?&quot;, &quot;The Solar System and Observing the Sun&quot;, &quot;Astronomy Topics in the Elementary School Curriculum and Experimental Activities&quot; and &quot;Space Research and Life in Outer Space&quot; were implemented in the day classes while the modules &quot;The History of Astronomy and Sky Observation&quot; and &quot;Sky Observation with a Telescope&quot; were implemented during evening classes. The modules developed are unique in that their content treats the basic concepts of astronomy with an integrated and consecutive approach to make the activities easier for teachers to implement in the classroom. The effectiveness of the activities that were designed was investigated by testing the modules on Pre-service Science Teachers (N=88), after which observation notes were recorded.
Public Understanding of Sustainable Development: Some Implications for Education
Author: Scott, William
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Environmental Education,Energy Conservation,Public Policy,Sustainable Development,Public Opinion,Recycling,Surveys,Social Change,Social Action,Community Programs,Program Effectiveness,Educational Research,Researchers,Climate,Biodiversity,Knowledge Level,Foreign Countries

A number of recent surveys of public opinion claim that there is now widespread acceptance of the need for sustainable development, and that the general public, through its social and consumer activity is already successfully engaged. However, in all this, the focus has primarily been on individual and family behaviours such as recycling and reducing energy use. Such surveys do not focus on the increasingly common community-based and social movements which operate in more complex, intractable, and inevitably political, arenas where shifts in government policy and funding, and business values and practice, are the goal. It is not just consumer surveys that have these blind spots; much education practice exhibits it too. Formal and informal education have followed a similar pattern by focusing on individual actions rather than more strategic, and overtly political, developing a coherent social movement around sustainability. Pressure groups campaign for changes in the curriculum, but what is missing is a systematic engagement in the community by formal education, and by researchers. As society gradually &quot;learns its way forward&quot;, shifting its values, norms, beliefs, and strategies towards a more sustainable model of development, it offers an array of opportunities for learners of all ages to witness, critique, be inspired by and become a part of the changes taking place around them. If we are fully to understand the effectiveness of such community-based programmes and initiatives, and help these grow and develop, then educators and educational researchers need to be much more intimately involved than they currently are.
Assessing Multidimensional Energy Literacy of Secondary Students Using Contextualized Assessment
Author: Chen, Kuan-Li
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Secondary School Students,Computer Assisted Testing,Video Technology,Multimedia Materials,Educational Technology,Student Surveys,Energy,Knowledge Level,Scores,Multiple Choice Tests,Student Attitudes,Age Differences,Geographic Location,Foreign Countries,Energy Conservation,Student Behavior,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis

Energy literacy is multidimensional, comprising broad content knowledge as well as affect and behavior. Our previous study has defined four core dimensions for the assessment framework, including energy concepts, reasoning on energy issues, low-carbon lifestyle, and civic responsibility for a sustainable society. The present study compiled a series of contextualized question items into a computer-based test (CBT) platform to examine students' energy literacy. Each test unit included a scenario, presented via multimedia materials (e.g., text, image, short video, and animation), that pertained to real-life situations. Various types of questions were employed (e.g., multiple true-false, multiple choice, and short-answer) that required students to construct responses and make judgments. A total of 1,711 secondary school students participated in this survey. The results indicate that the energy literacy level of Taiwanese secondary students is discouragingly low and inter-correlations between the dimensions of energy literacy reveal that energy knowledge and behavior are more closely correlated than affect and behavior. In addition, the scores on the attitudinal items were slightly higher for junior than senior students and the students in the southern region scored higher on energy literacy than those in other regions. These findings provide evidence for the future development of energy-related educational curricula and materials that can improve students' energy literacy and engagement in energy-related decisions.
Development and Validation of the Physics Anxiety Rating Scale
Author: Sahin, Mehmet
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physics,Anxiety,Rating Scales,Reliability,Measures (Individuals),Science Instruction,Factor Analysis,Construct Validity,Test Anxiety,Content Validity,Undergraduate Students,Pretests Posttests,Foreign Countries,Introductory Courses,Validity,Statistical Analysis

This study reports the development and validation process for an instrument to measure university students' anxiety in physics courses. The development of the Physics Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) included the following steps: Generation of scale items, content validation, construct validation, and reliability calculation. The results of construct validity analysis with 495 university education students showed that the scale consisted of four components: Physics course/test anxiety, anxiety about lack of physics knowledge, mathematics anxiety, and physics laboratory anxiety. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was found as 0.95 for the whole scale and for the components it ranged from 0.83 to 0.92. Confirmatory factor analysis, using another sample of 864 university education students with similar characteristics as the previous sample suggested that the four factor model for the PARS is valid. Hence, each component displayed satisfactory internal consistency reliability. According to findings, the PARS may be a useful tool in identifying the anxiety of undergraduate students taking physics courses. It can be used to determine students' physics anxiety in a particular course for instructional purposes or it can be used as a pre-and post-test to determine the change in students' physics anxiety.
A Study on the Link between Moral Judgment Competences and Critical Thinking Skills
Author: Samanci, Nilay Keskin
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Thinking Skills,Critical Thinking,Decision Making,Moral Values,Correlation,Biology,Preservice Teachers,Elementary Education,Gender Differences,Academic Achievement,Comparative Analysis,Science Instruction,Statistical Significance,Grade Point Average,Measures (Individuals),Intellectual Disciplines,Statistical Analysis

Although many studies have established a direct link between moral judgment competences and critical thinking skills, none has been found to reveal the nature of the link between these two skills in the national and international literature. The present study looked at biology and primary education teacher candidates' moral judgment and critical thinking skill levels and the link between these skills. It further investigated the impact of the department, gender, and academic performance scores (GPA) on biology and primary education teacher candidates' moral judgment and critical thinking skills. In the study, the correlational and comparative survey model was used. The Moral Judgment Test (MJT) was administered to determine the teacher candidates' moral judgment competences and the Cornell Critical Thinking Tests (Level Z) were used to develop a picture of their critical thinking abilities. A total of 76 final-year teacher candidates at the departments of biology and primary education took part in the study. The results indicated a positive and statistically significant relationship between the moral judgment competences and critical thinking abilities of pre-service primary and biology teachers (r = 0.227 p &lt; 0.05). The participating pre-service teachers' average scores of moral judgment competences and critical thinking abilities were 16.56 and 22.74, respectively. The study also investigated the impact of the department and gender of the pre-service biology and primary teachers on their moral judgment and critical thinking skills, and the data indicated no such impact on the teacher candidates' critical thinking and moral judgment competences. Furthermore, the research findings suggest no statistically significant link between the moral judgment scores and the GPA's. However, a statistically significant, mid-level positive relationship does exist between the critical thinking test scores and the GPA's.
Recruitment of Early STEM Majors into Possible Secondary Science Teaching Careers: The Role of Science Education Summer Internships
Author: Borgerding, Lisa A.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Teachers,Science Teachers,STEM Education,Public Schools,Teacher Recruitment,Majors (Students),Career Choice,Secondary School Teachers,Qualitative Research,Interviews,Case Studies,Comparative Analysis,Internship Programs,Occupational Aspiration,Student Interests,Teaching (Occupation),Summer Programs,Undergraduate Students,Student Recruitment,Science Education,Reflection,Program Effectiveness,Student Attitudes

A shortage of highly qualified math and science teachers pervades the U.S. public school system. Clearly, recruitment of talented STEM educators is critical. Previous literature offers many suggestions for how STEM teacher recruitment programs and participant selection should occur. This study investigates how early STEM majors who are not already considering teaching careers experienced a summer teaching recruitment internship and how it influenced their ideas about teaching and learning and interest in teaching high school as a possible future career. Using multiple qualitative data sources including interviews and daily internship reflections, a multi-case comparative case study was developed. The findings support that some interns substantially increased their interest in teaching careers, while other interns' interest did not change or decreased. The impact of the recruitment internship was related to extent to which interns (1) found teaching rewarding, (2) focused on student learning rather than behavior, and (3) developed close connections with students and appreciated their individuality. Implications for future recruitment efforts and research on teacher recruitment are provided.