ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Epistemological Belief and Learning Approaches of Students in Higher Institutions of Learning in Malaysia
Author: Ismail, Habsah
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Measures (Individuals),Foreign Countries,Epistemology,Learning Strategies,Beliefs,Investigations,Questionnaires,Ethnic Diversity,Gender Differences,Specialization,Cognitive Style,Institutional Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Correlation,Performance Factors,Student Attitudes

This is an investigation of the students' beliefs about the nature of knowledge or epistemological beliefs, and the relation of these beliefs on their learning approaches. Students chosen as samples of the study were from both public and private higher institutions of learning in Malaysia. The instrument used in the study consists of  49 items measuring  students' epistemological beliefs and 20 items on their learning approaches. Items on epistemological belief were adapted and modified  from Schommer's Epistemological  Questionnaire (1990) and Schraw, Bendixen and Dunkle (2000) Epistemic Beliefs Inventory that assesses students' beliefs about simple knowledge, certain knowledge, quick learning, and fixed ability to learn. Items on learning approaches were adapted from Bigg's forty-two-item Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ), designed for tertiary-level students. The instrument was administered to 1405 students of higher institutions of learning both public and private. Differences in epistemological beliefs among students of these higher institutions, ethnic and between genders were examined. (Contains 5 tables.)
Inclusive Education Reform in Bangladesh: Pre-Service Teachers' Responses to Include Students with Special Educational Needs in Regular Classrooms
Author: Malak, Md. Saiful
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Disabilities,Inclusion,Preservice Teacher Education,Teacher Education Programs,Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Class Size,Change Strategies,Academic Accommodations (Disabilities),Special Needs Students,Interviews,Student Teacher Attitudes,Attitudes toward Disabilities,Educational Practices,Teaching Conditions,Teaching Load,Peer Acceptance,Professional Development,Self Efficacy,Teacher Collaboration,Barriers,Performance Factors,Qualitative Research

Inclusive education (IE) has been recognized as a key strategy to ensure education for all in the developing world for the last two decades. As a developing country, Bangladesh is striving to address IE by undergoing various initiatives such as policy reform, awareness creation and teacher development. This paper based on a qualitative approach attempts to explore pre-service teachers' responses to include students with special educational needs (SEN) in regular classrooms in primary schools. A one-on-one interview was conducted with 20 pre-service teachers who were enrolled in a teacher education program of one public university in Bangladesh. The findings revealed from the study indicate that majority of the pre-service teachers have unfavourable attitudes to include students with SEN in regular classrooms. Misconception and lack of knowledge about disabilities are revealed from most of the pre-service teachers' responses. Further large class size, high workloads, inflexible curriculum policy of primary education and inadequate experiential learning facilities of teacher education program are identified as barriers to IE reform. Several issues are discussed as implications in order to promote better inclusive practices in regular primary education.
Teachers' and School Administrators' Perceptions and Expectations on Teacher Leadership
Author: Kiranh, Semra
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Questionnaires,Principals,Municipalities,Teacher Leadership,Elementary School Teachers,Elementary Schools,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Expectation,Demography,Teacher Characteristics,Likert Scales,Teacher Collaboration,Faculty Development,Institutional Advancement,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries

In this study it is aimed to find out primary school teachers' and principals' expectations and perceptions related to teachers' leadership. The population of this survey consists of primary school teachers and principals in Odunpazari, one of the two central municipalities in Eskisehir, in 2011-2012 educational year. Teachers and principals of eight primary schools were taken as a sample among low, middle, high socio-economic level primary schools in Odunpazari. 195 teachers and principals participated in this study. In this study a data device which consisted of two sections was used to accomplish the purpose of the study. A personal information form to define teachers' and principals' demographical features made the first section, whereas &quot;The Questionnaire of Expectations and perceptions of Teacher Leadership Roles&quot; developed by Beycioglu (2009) and consisting of 25 items made the second section. Each item in the questionnaire has a five scale Lykert type evaluation and belongs to one of the three dimensions of both perception and expectation. These dimensions are institutional development, professional development and collaboration with colleagues. (Contains 8 tables.)
Effect of Teaching of Algebra through Social Constructivist Approach on 7th Graders' Learning Outcomes in Sindh (Pakistan)
Author: Ilyas, Bhutto Muhammad
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Algebra,Public Schools,Foreign Countries,Control Groups,Constructivism (Learning),Grade 7,Outcomes of Education,Instructional Effectiveness,Mathematical Concepts,Quasiexperimental Design,Experimental Groups,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Significance,Comparative Analysis,Comparative Testing,Achievement Gains,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Cohort Analysis,Test Theory,Intermode Differences

It is a bitter reality that the curricula and traditional pedagogy prevailing in public schools of Pakistan in general and Sindh in particular do not incorporate the algebraic concepts properly. Both the content and the presentation therein cannot be considered up to the mark, thereby making &quot;Algebra&quot; a tough and dry subject. This quasi-experimental study focused to find out the effect of teaching algebra through social constructivism on the students learning outcomes of 7th graders in public schools of District Jamshoro Sindh. For this purpose two existing in-tact sections of grade 7 (7th A, and 7th B) of a government high school of district Jamshoro were selected as quasi control and treatment groups. The pre and posttest analyses were carried out. The first pattern t-test analysis revealed that both groups were parallel, however, the latter posttest analysis revealed that treatment group that was taught through social constructivist approach excelled in achieving statistically significant learning outcomes than that of control group that was taught through traditional one-way teaching. (Contains 5 tables.)
Exploring the Relationship between Teaching Staff Age and Their Attitude towards Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
Author: Elsaadani, Mohamed Abdelaziz
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Communications,Computer Mediated Communication,Information Technology,Higher Education,Technology Uses in Education,Questionnaires,Influence of Technology,Educational Change,College Faculty,Teacher Student Relationship,Age Differences,Computer Attitudes,Context Effect,Sampling,Factor Analysis

Current research seeks to understand the relationship between teaching staff' age and their attitude toward ICT. Survey methodology is facilitated through the use of the questionnaires. The survey domain is a random sampling of teaching staff in Egyptian HEI. The population for this study was 500 full-time Faculty staff, and only 412 returned and completed questionnaires are considered as the study sample. The results showed that there is a moderate and positive relationship between the age of participants and their attitude towards ICT; thus, when considering attitude towards ICT by teaching staff members in Egyptians HEI, age is a significant factor. The result of this research has significant implications to HEI when they plan, develop, and adopt ICT. HEI has to consider that teaching staff' attitude towards ICT is related to their age. (Contains 5 tables.)
A Study of Learners' Reflection on Andragogical Skills of Distance Education Tutors
Author: Hussain, Irshad
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Tutoring,Open Universities,Preservice Teacher Education,Distance Education,Tutors,Research Tools,Andragogy,Reflection,Skill Analysis,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Teaching Skills,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Student Attitudes,Questionnaires,Student Teacher Attitudes,Likert Scales,Interviews,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Participant Satisfaction,Teacher Effectiveness,Online Courses,Foreign Countries,Adult Education,Adult Students

The researcher conducted present study with the objectives to a). evaluate attitude of learners towards academic and tutoring skills of distance education tutors, b). assess the opinion of distance learners about assessment and evaluation skills of their tutors and c). examine reflection of learners on scaffolding skills of distance education tutors. The population of the study consisted of learners of pre-service teacher education (B.Ed semester spring 2010) programme of Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad. The sample of the study was taken through the convenient sampling technique from three regions of Allama Iqbal Open University situated in the Punjab Province. A questionnaire was designed using a five-point (rating/Likert) scale to elicit the reflection of (600) learners. However, the response rate was 78% (468) of the total sample. Interview schedule was also used as a research tool for collecting qualitative data from (50) respondents in five groups. The researcher analysed data quantitatively and qualitatively. The study concluded that the overall reflection of distance learners on andragogical skills of their tutors was positive. Apparently they were satisfied with andragogical skills of their tutors. They asserted that their tutors had academic and tutoring skills (consisting of encouraging, guiding &amp;amp; facilitating--emboldening and enabling skills), assessment &amp; evaluation skills, and technical and social skills. However, tutors needed training to use social websites, Skype and mobile phone conferences and online discussion. Keeping in view the conclusion of the study, the researcher recommended short and long term training of tutors to use information and communication technologies appropriately. (Contains 7 tables.)
The Effectiveness of Teaching Number Relationships in Preschool
Author: Jung, Myoungwhon
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Education,Number Concepts,Preschool Curriculum,Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Intervention,Control Groups,Preschool Children,Measures (Individuals),Pretests Posttests,Sample Size,Age

Number relationships, which go far beyond counting skills, refer to the ability to represent a quantity in multiple, flexible ways. It is arguably among the most important mathematics concepts in number and quantity. The current study examined the effectiveness of number relationships instruction in preschool classrooms. Participants included 73 children and 4 teachers from a half-day preschool program in a local school district. For the intervention group, two teachers provided number relationships instruction to 37 of the children in their classrooms (four sections total). No treatment occurred for the control group consisting of the remaining 36 children taught by two teachers. Before and after the 12-week treatment period, the TEMA-3 (Test of Early Mathematics Ability-3rd Edition) was administered both as a pretest and a posttest to assess children's understanding of number and quantity. Results indicated that children in the intervention group who received mathematics instruction with the emphasis on teaching number relationships scored significantly higher on the posttest than their counterparts in the control group. However, results of the current study did not reveal any advantages by age group for number relationships instruction. Small sample size may have limited this analysis. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)
Acceleration through a Holistic Support Model: An Implementation and Outcomes Analysis of FastStart@CCD
Author: Edgecombe, Nikki
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Planning,College Credits,Developmental Studies Programs,Career Exploration,Community Colleges,Two Year College Students,Remedial Instruction,Mathematics Instruction,College Mathematics,Enrollment Rate,Academic Persistence,Academic Achievement,Outcomes of Education,Observation,Semi Structured Interviews,Holistic Approach,Program Evaluation

Originally designed for students who test into at least two levels of developmental education in a particular subject area, FastStart is a compressed course program model launched in 2005 at the Community College of Denver (CCD). The program combines multiple semester-length courses into a single intensive semester, while providing case management, career exploration, and educational planning services. This report discusses the development of FastStart, its program features, and student perspectives, and it presents findings from a quantitative analysis of the FastStart math program. The authors find that participation is associated with higher rates of enrolling in and passing college-level math courses but not with increased persistence or with increased accumulation of college-level credits. The analysis suggests that FastStart makes it possible for students to complete the developmental math sequence and required gatekeeper math course more quickly than would otherwise be possible, without harming other long-term academic outcomes. The report also analyzes pedagogical features of FastStart drawn from classroom observations and interviews. (Contains 11 figures, 5 tables, and 18 footnotes.)
Adaptability to Online Learning: Differences across Types of Students and Academic Subject Areas. CCRC Working Paper No. 54
Author: Xu, Di
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Grade Point Average,Social Sciences,Electronic Learning,Technical Institutes,Online Courses,Peer Influence,African American Students,Two Year College Students,Community Colleges,Academic Persistence,Males,Enrollment,Age Differences,Comparative Analysis,Intellectual Disciplines

Using a dataset containing nearly 500,000 courses taken by over 40,000 community and technical college students in Washington State, this study examines how well students adapt to the online environment in terms of their ability to persist and earn strong grades in online courses relative to their ability to do so in face-to-face courses. While all types of students in the study suffered decrements in performance in online courses, some struggled more than others to adapt: males, younger students, Black students, and students with lower grade point averages. In particular, students struggled in subject areas such as English and social science, which was due in part to negative peer effects in these online courses. (Contains 5 tables and 13 footnotes.)
Designing Meaningful Developmental Reform. Research Overview
Author: Jaggars, Shanna Smith
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Community Colleges,Educational Change,Administrators,College Administration,Case Studies,Institutional Autonomy,Student Evaluation,Student Placement,English Curriculum,Mathematics Curriculum,Grade Point Average,Writing Tests,Academic Standards,Prediction

This practitioner packet is designed to help community college administrators implement reforms to developmental education at their colleges. It reviews common impediments to developmental reform and presents data that supports directions colleges can take to create a system of developmental education that might serve students more effectively. Included in the packet is a Research Overview that synthesizes data from CCRC studies of developmental education and describes three case studies; FAQs About CCRC's Assessment Validity Studies, which addresses effective placement practices; and a PowerPoint presentation of key data points that can help guide discussions with stakeholders. (Contains 12 sources and 23 endnotes.)
Characteristics of Early Community College Dropouts. CCRC Analytics
Author: Crosta, Peter M.
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Credentials,Dropouts,Developmental Studies Programs,Community Colleges,Dropout Prevention,School Holding Power,Student Characteristics,Age Differences,Academic Persistence,College Preparation,College Readiness,Part Time Students,Student Financial Aid

For colleges to develop effective dropout prevention strategies, it is necessary to have a clear picture of who these early dropouts are. This report identifies distinguishing characteristics of this group by analyzing six years of transcript data on 14,429 first-time college students who in 2005 and 2006 enrolled at one of five community colleges in a single state. Of these students, 28 percent never returned to the same college after their first semester, and the majority of these students never attended any college again. Early dropouts were, on average, older than early persisters. While early dropouts did not differ appreciably from early persisters in terms of secondary credentials, their developmental placement rates suggest that they were somewhat less academically prepared than early persisters. Early dropouts performed very poorly in their college coursework, particularly in their developmental courses. With failure and withdrawal rates in some courses exceeding 60 percent, it is clear that the first-term experience for early dropouts was not a positive one.
NAEP Background Questions: An Underused National Resource. A Report to the National Assessment Governing Board by the Expert Panel on Strengthening the NAEP Background Questions
Author: National Assessment Governing Board
Date: 2012-02-22
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Data Collection,Information Needs,Needs Assessment,Research Problems,Research Design,Access to Information,Questionnaires,Revision (Written Composition),Governing Boards,Educational Assessment,Teacher Background,Student Characteristics,Background,National Programs,Data Analysis,Context Effect

For more than four decades the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has tracked the achievement of U.S. students in major academic subjects. This national resource is the only assessment that states and now many urban districts can look to as an objective yardstick of their performance over time, relative to national benchmarks, and compared with other jurisdictions. Less known, but complementing the NAEP assessments, is a rich collection of student, teacher and school responses to background questions that can help in understanding the context for NAEP achievement results and give insights into how to improve them. Currently, the NAEP background questions are a potentially important but largely underused national resource. The background questionnaires have been cut back over the past decade. They now cover only a small fraction of important student, teacher, and school issues and have been little used in recent NAEP reports, in contrast to the first state-level NAEP Report Cards in the early 1990s. The panel proposes building a strategy to make the NAEP background questions an important national resource for educators, policymakers, and the public. The panel sees the need to expand the scope and quality of the existing questions, move into important new areas directed by research and policy, make better use of the questions though regular publications, and improve the capacity for analysis by users around the world. Recommendations are offered in four areas: (1) Ask Important Questions; (2) Improve the Accuracy of Measures; (3) Strengthen Sampling Efficiency; and (4) Reinstitute Meaningful Analysis and Reporting. (Contains 12 exhibits and 7 footnotes.)
Ad Hoc Committee on NAEP Parent Engagement: Reaching Parents with NAEP Resources
Author: National Assessment Governing Board
Date: 2012-03-02
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: National Competency Tests,Governing Boards,Academic Achievement,Information Dissemination,Access to Information,Web Sites,Grade 12,Audience Awareness,Parent Participation,Parent Student Relationship,Comparative Education,Politics of Education

The National Assessment Governing Board, recognizing that National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report releases were not conveying a sense of urgency, began an initiative in May 2010 to see what the Board could do to &quot;make a difference&quot; in fostering concern and action about the need to improve achievement and reduce achievement gaps, using NAEP data and resources. Toward this goal, the Governing Board established the Ad Hoc Committee on NAEP Parent Engagement. The Committee's task was to develop recommendations on ways to reach parents with NAEP information. This report documents the work of the Ad Hoc Committee and presents its recommendations. (Contains 6 footnotes.)
Who Attends Charter Schools and How Are Those Students Doing? Exploratory Analysis of NAEP Data
Author: Chudowsky, Naomi
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Enrollment,Charter Schools,Program Effectiveness,National Competency Tests,African American Students,Urban Areas,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students,Scores,Academic Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Class Size,Time Factors (Learning),Time on Task,Data,Hispanic American Students

This report examines what the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) can tell us about charter school enrollment and student performance compared to that of regular public schools. The study uses NAEP reading and mathematics data from 2011 and the earlier years when charter school data first became available (2003 for grade 4; 2005 for grade 8). The study finds that while charter schools still account for a relatively small percentage of overall public school enrollment (about 3%), this percentage is growing rapidly, particularly in large cities. A sizable jump was found in charter school enrollment for the black student subgroup. In terms of achievement, there is a consistent pattern of higher average NAEP scores for regular public schools than for charters when we look at the nation as a whole. However, the closer we focus in on large cities, where most charter schools are located, the more the picture changes in favor of charter schools. In all large cities combined, student achievement is roughly even overall, but the black and Hispanic subgroups show higher scores in charter schools. When we examined four urban areas specifically (DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Milwaukee), students in charter schools significantly outperformed their peers in regular public schools in many of the subjects/grades analyzed. Charter school class sizes are smaller, and there is some evidence that charter school students receive more instructional time in some subjects. The report recommends making some changes to the NAEP Data Explorer interface and including data for research purposes in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) database that is representative of all charter schools located within each participating urban district. (Contains 15 tables and 2 footnotes.)