ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Coping with Resource Management Challenges in Mumias Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya
Author: Anyango, Onginjo Rose
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Public Schools,Secondary Schools,Educational Resources,School Administration,Coping,Principals,Secondary School Teachers,Administrators,Surveys,Interviews,Questionnaires,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Educational Facilities,Human Resources

The gist of the study was to examine the main coping strategies used to manage resources in public secondary schools in Mumias Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya. The study was premised on Hunts (2007) theory on project management. A descriptive survey design was adopted. A combination of purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to draw 25 head teachers, 200 teachers and 25 chairpersons of Parents Teachers Association (PTAs), yielding a total sample of 250 respondents. Interview schedules and questionnaires were used to collect data from chairpersons and head teachers/teachers, respectively. The study established that the various resource management challenges were: inadequate funding by the Government through the Ministry of Education, overstretched physical facilities as well as inefficient utilization of the available physical and human resources in schools. In addition, most schools had devised coping strategies to manage the constraints. It was recommended that school managers should involve teachers and learners in decision making process regarding effective management strategies that enhance school quality outcomes in Mumias Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya.
Development of Education in Kenya: Influence of the Political Factor beyond 2015 Mdgs
Author: Mackatiani, Caleb
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Development,Politics of Education,Educational Policy,Educational History,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education

This paper provides a critical appraisal of development of education system in Kenya. Education of any country is an important tool for the developmental process of that particular nation. There are various factors that influence national systems of education. They range from social, economical, technological to political influences. In this article, a critical examination of these factors that have influenced Kenya's education system in both colonial and post-colonial period will be made. The paper however, specifically examined political influence of Kenyan education system and its implications for national development. Kenya, like any other country of the world is controlled by politics. Kenya's education system is mostly influenced by the political factor. The political factor dictates the type of an education system a particular country can have. It is important in determining administration of education. Subsequently the influence of political factor is critical for educational policy formulation, adoption and implementation. The paper further analyses education commissions constituted politically to influence the education system. Their influence on educational policies was assessed. The study adopted historical design in reviewing educational development in Kenya and the subsequent influence of political factor on education. This paper is significant to the field of comparative and International education, since it provides data on what the Kenyan government is doing in promoting the development of education. The policy planners would understand and appreciate education policies within which they are supposed to operate in providing effective leadership and management practices in the development of education. In order for education to foster development, this article recommends the need to separate educational policies from national politics, clear stipulation of educational policies and their role in national development and a sound implementation of educational reforms.
The Impact of Utilizing Skype as a Social Tool Network Community on Developing English Major Students' Discourse Competence in the English Language Syllables
Author: Hussein, Nadhim Obaid
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Media,Majors (Students),English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Language Proficiency,Syllables,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Foreign Countries,Computer Mediated Communication,College Students

The importance of this study comes from the fact that foreign language learners suffer from traditional ways and methods of teaching and learning. They are looking for new ways of teaching and learning specially methods which integrated with technology. What makes this study important is that using one of the most familiar software for learners that is Skype. The researchers intentionally chosen this software to bring motivation into classrooms and to bring easiness for learners to use this integration of technology with to teach and learn English language. The aim behind investigating this study was to explore the effect of using Skype as a Social Tool Network Community and see its effect on Developing English Major Students' Discourse Competence in the English Language syllables. The study adopted an experimental approach to investigate the impact of utilizing Skype as a social tool network community on developing English major students' discourse competence. Skype is an umbrella term which refers to human communication via computer networking. The sample of the study consisted of 70 males and females freshman at Yarmouk University in Jordan, during the second semester of the academic year 2015/2015. It can be implemented in two groups. These two groups were assigned as experimental group (40 students) and control group (30 students).. The experimental group was taught how to write effectively by using the modern technological tools mainly Skype whereas the control group was taught traditionally. The study utilized Skype as a research tool. A pre-writing test was applied for the purpose of examining the students' levels of both groups. The researchers busily engaged the students of the experimental group in different writing tasks focused on teaching the main features of writing which are mechanics, usage and sentence formation. At the end, pre-writing test was also applied for both groups to check enhancing. The Data collection was done through an exam. The participants' exchanges in the Skype group and their replies to the examinees were analyzed. The results showed that Skype chat had a positive impact on the English major learners' discourse competence. Learners who studied Skype chat performed better on the discourse aspects of English post-test than those who did not. Additionally, the finding of study revealed that students acquired writing and speaking skills in Skype chat more efficiently and effectively than in the traditional method.
Integration of ICTs into the Curriculum of Cameroon Primary and Secondary Schools: A Review of Current Status, Barriers and Proposed Strategies for Effective Integration
Author: Ngajie, Berty Nsolly
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Technology,Technology Integration,Technology Uses in Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Barriers,Educational Administration,Educational History,Teacher Qualifications,Administrator Qualifications,Knowledge Level,Change Strategies,Professional Development

Many sub-Saharan African countries are progressively integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs) into their education systems especially in primary and secondary schools. These efforts that are seen in both private and public schools to bring technologies into the classroom are just starting but are encountering a lot of difficulties. Cameroon, a Sub-Saharan African country, is not an exception to the situation in this group of countries. ICTs were officially introduced in schools in Cameroon since 2001 and since then many initiatives have been carried out but the difficulties supersede the progress. Based on available research, this study focuses on the current status of ICTs in Cameroon primary and secondary schools. It gives a brief description of the country's education system, and reviews major initiatives that have been carried out so far in the integration of ICTs in primary and secondary schools. It further identifies and analyzes some barriers that cause ICT integration into curriculum ineffective. Lastly, it recommends some strategies to overcome the barriers, and guidelines for a contextualized and effective ICT integration.
Academic Achievements and Study Habits of College Students of District Pulwama
Author: Bhat, Younis Illahi
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Study Habits,College Students,Foreign Countries,Rural Urban Differences,Grades (Scholastic),Student Records,Gender Differences,Statistical Analysis

This study was undertaken to study the academic achievement and study habits of male and female college students of district Pulwama (J and k). The sample for the study was 410 including 193 male and 217 female college students .which was further divided into different groups of rural-urban dichotomy. For this purpose descriptive survey method was used. The college students were in the age group of 19-21 years. The sample has been selected on the basis of random sampling technique. Palsane and Sharma Study Habits Inventory (PSSHI) and Aggregate marks percentage obtained by the sample subjects in their first and second year examinations were collected from the official records of the colleges. The average of these percentages for each sample subject was used as measure of the academic achievement.were administered for the collection of data. The result of the study highlights that the female college students have high academic achievement as compared to male college students. On the other hand It has been found that study habits of college female students are slightly higher than the male. The two groups under study do not show any significant difference in their study habits.
Classroom ICT Integration in Tanzania: Opportunities and Challenges from the Perspectives of TPACK and SAMR Models
Author: Kihoza, Patrick
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Technological Literacy,Preservice Teachers,Teacher Education,Correlation,Barriers,Models,Technology Integration,Teaching Methods,Educational Change,Case Studies,Questionnaires,Observation,Interviews,Likert Scales

With the education systems demand of contemporary technologies, teacher trainees should be imparted with competencies and skills to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into their future teaching and learning practices. This study assessed classroom ICTs integration opportunities and the challenges in relation to Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) and SAMR (Substitute, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) models. The case study involved tutors and teacher trainees (N = 206) from teacher training colleges. Results indicated that, majority of respondents have low pedagogical ICT competencies. However, tutors exhibited good knowledge level in all TPACK and SAMR constructs that we assessed, teacher trainees' revealed poor skills and inefficient support on the use of basic ICTs (hardware, software, and associated peripherals). The impacts of TPACK and SAMR models characteristics related to the technology use planning and redesign of learning tasks was evident. Most of the challenges identified were associated to the lack of infrastructures, readiness to change and lack of competencies on pedagogical ICTs applications. Among others, we recommend the government to work on a harmonized ICT in education integration framework; that consider the existing opportunities and challenges facing Tanzania teacher training systems. Further work should focus on carrying out an experimental research design to unlock the existing ICT use realities.
Developing Technology Needs Assessments for Educational Programs: An Analysis of Eight Key Indicators
Author: O'Reilly, Erin N.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Technology Uses in Education,Technology Integration,Needs Assessment,Educational Indicators,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Skills,Teacher Attitudes,Beliefs,Barriers,Access to Computers,Professional Development,Leadership,Demography,Program Administration,Information Technology,Surveys,Knowledge Level

As access to information and communication technology grows, educators have increasing opportunities to experiment with and to adapt both hardware and software to their current practice. Technology's integration, however, can vary widely between teachers within the same program for numerous reasons. Understanding the challenges practitioners face with technology integration is a critical first step to successful adoption and sustained use. This paper looked at eight indicators commonly found in technology needs assessment survey tools. Indicators included: self-assessed skill level, technology use and integration, teacher beliefs, barriers to access, professional development resources, leadership, needs and wants, and demographics. These core indicators were used to create a technology needs assessment survey for pre- and in-service language teachers within a US higher education setting, but the indicators are both relevant and applicable to a wide range of educational programs and teacher backgrounds. Recommendations are made for adapting the indicators and the specific survey items depending on context.
Assessment of Training Programs for Elementary Mathematics Teachers on Developed Curricula and Attitudes towards Teaching in Najran-Saudi Arabia
Author: Aly, Hassan Shawky
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Educational Attitudes,Elementary School Mathematics,Foreign Countries,Mathematics Teachers,Educational Administration,Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Curriculum,Positive Attitudes,Likert Scales,Questionnaires,Elementary School Teachers,Gender Differences,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Significance

This study aimed at assessing the training programs for Mathematics teachers at elementary stage on developed Curricula and attitudes toward teaching at Najran educational administration in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this objective, two instruments were developed, one of them measures the opinions of Mathematics teachers about the training programs and the other one measures their attitudes toward teaching the developed Curricula, which were distributed to (72) male and female Mathematics teachers at elementary stage. The results showed that training programs for Mathematics teachers are highly efficient in covering the theoretical background of the project of Mathematics development, content, methods of teaching, activities and educational aids, evaluation, and quality of training. The results also showed Math teachers have positive attitudes towards teaching the developed Curricula, and further concluded that there are no statistically significant differences due to teacher's experience, while there are statistically significant differences attributed to gender in favor of female teachers.
Perception of Entrepreneurial Training beyond the Domain of Undergraduate Programme in Estate Management and Valuation
Author: Bioku, Joseph Olufemi
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Student Attitudes,Entrepreneurship,Required Courses,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Job Skills,Vocational Education,Real Estate,Case Studies

Undergraduates at the Federal Polytechnic Idah in Nigeria are trained in vocations outside their domain programmes in connection with the entrepreneurship development course as pre-requisite for their graduation. This study assessed students' perception of entrepreneurship training in vocations beyond those taught within the core estate management and valuation curriculum. Unit of analysis was the 2014/2015 HND II estate management and valuation class. Questionnaires were administered to a stratified random sample of 40 students drawn from a sample frame of 70 students. Data harnessed from administered questionnaire were analyzed using percentiles, mean score of ordinal responses, one-way ANOVA and the chi-square test of goodness of fit. A consensus among the students towards combining a vocational trade with a career in estate management and valuation was affirmed from the chi-square test of hypothesis. Contrary to generic skills like product/services marketing, self-confidence, and motivation, the study found that vocational skills tutors place little emphasis on the teaching of problem solving, and teamwork and collaboration. These vocational skills tutors were urged to accord more importance to the teaching of these generic skills in order to provide emerging entrepreneurs with value-added transferrable skills.
Pragmatic Variations in Giving Advice in L2 by Malaysian Postgraduate Students: The Situational Effects
Author: Farashaiyan, Atieh
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Graduate Students,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Pragmatics,Semantics,Public Colleges,Higher Education,Females,Surveys,Sample Size,Semi Structured Interviews,Mixed Methods Research,Discourse Analysis,Written Language,Questionnaires,Comparative Analysis

The present study attempted to describe the giving advice strategies utilized by Malaysian postgraduate students in confronting different situations. In addition, it examined the effects of the situational factors of social distance, power, and imposition on the students' choice of giving advice strategies. Another objective was to categorize the challenges students face in the production of giving advice in English. One hundred and ten Malaysian postgraduate students majoring in different fields voluntarily participated in this study. A Written Discourse Completion Task Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were utilized for data collection procedure. The results of the questionnaire illustrated that the respondents tended to use more direct strategies to give advice. The first most frequently strategy used by the respondents was obligation strategy, 53.38%, mood derivable strategy with 30.08% as the second most frequently used strategy and performative as the third one, while no respondent used the hedged performative and want statement strategies in any of the situations. The respondents also opted out the same strategies almost with similar frequency in most of the situations. It means that the choice of strategies was not different in terms of the three situational variables of power, distance and imposition. In addition, the results of interviews showed that the challenges they face in the production of advice giving include expression, structure, culture, social values, first language, gender, age and educational background of the interlocutors. This study has some implications for second language acquisition research and intercultural communication.
Situational Leadership Theory as a Foundation for a Blended Learning Framework
Author: Meier, David
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership,Theories,Blended Learning,Interdisciplinary Approach,Instruction,Adult Education,Behaviorism,Constructivism (Learning),Models

Ultimately with the raise of computer technology, blended learning has found its way into teaching. The technology continues to evolve, challenging teachers and lecturers alike. Most studies on blended learning focus on the practical or applied side and use essentially pedagogical concepts. This study demonstrates that the leadership sciences can enrich pedagogy in building a framework for teaching in a blended learning setting. At the core, the study transforms situational leadership theory (Hersey, Blanchard and Johnson, 2008) into a framework for blended learning. The model presented helps in organizing a situationally correct employment of blended learning and crystallizes appropriate teaching methods for specific learning goals.
Student Perception on a Student Response System Formed by Combining Mobile Phone and a Polling Website
Author: Wong, Adam
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Audience Response Systems,Telecommunications,Web Sites,Handheld Devices,Technology Uses in Education,Student Surveys,Foreign Countries,Integrated Learning Systems,College Students,Postsecondary Education

Every teacher understands the importance of getting timely student feedback for effective and efficient teaching and learning. However, students are not always keen to answer questions in the classroom in front of their peers. There is a need for an efficient method to engage all the students in a classroom and quickly evaluate the progress of their learning. Student response systems (SRS) are effective increasing student engagement, even in a large lecture hall. In a traditional SRS, the students use a small portal device, called a clicker, to choose their answers. Then proprietary hardware and software will collect and display the results to the class. With the widespread use of mobile phones, it is possible to replace the clickers with mobile phones, and the proprietary software with commercially available polling website. This study used a polling website and combined it with the mobile phones of students to form an SRS. The SRS was for 6 weeks and 1,155 answers were received. A survey afterwards showed that the students had very positive attitude towards the SRS. The majority of the students indicated that SRS made the lessons more interesting and helped them to maintain their attention. They also indicate that they were willing to use SRS in future.
The Impact of Listening Strategy Training on the Meta-Cognitive Listening Strategies Awareness of Different Learner Types
Author: Zarrabi, Fatemeh
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Statistical Analysis,Listening,Listening Comprehension,Listening Skills,Metacognition,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Pretests Posttests,Perception,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Language Proficiency

The present study investigated the effectiveness of listening strategy instruction on the metacognitive listening strategies awareness of different EFL learner types (LTs). To achieve this goal, 150 EFL students took part in the study and were taught based on a guided lesson plan regarding listening strategies and a pre-test/post-test design was applied. The degree of change occurring as a result of intervention was measured through one way ANOVA test. The results indicated that there was a significant improvement after the onset of the instruction, and that the intervention was effective. Although there were some differences between the four learner types (visual learners, auditory learners, kinaesthetic learners, and tactile learners) on the post test, the auditory learner type had the most significant improvement in metacognitive awareness of listening strategies (MALS). The finding of this quantitative research study led us to conclude that learners make noticeable progress in MALS via listening strategy instruction and that the level of improvement varies across the LTs with the auditory group improving most significantly.