ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Entry Characteristics and Participation in a Peer Learning Program as Predictors of First-Year Students&apos; Achievement, Retention, and Degree Completion
Author: van der Meer, Jacques
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Participation,Peer Teaching,College Freshmen,Academic Achievement,Predictor Variables,Graduation,School Holding Power,Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Supplementary Education,Correlation

Success in the first year of higher education is important for students' retention beyond their first year and for completion of their undergraduate degree. Institutions therefore typically front-load resources and interventions in the first year. One such intervention is the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program. This program is known in the United States as Supplemental Instruction. It provides first-year students with an opportunity to learn study skills in the context of a particular unit of study (course/module). In this article, we consider the relationship between students' prior academic achievement and participation in the PASS program, as well as the impact of participation on first-year students' first-year grade point average, retention, and degree completion. The findings suggest that PASS does not just attract academically high-achieving students and that participation in it contributes to students' academic achievement in their first year, retention beyond the first year, and completion of an undergraduate degree.
If Mobilizing Educational Research Is the Answer, Who Can Afford to Ask the Question? An Analysis of Faculty Perspectives on Knowledge Mobilization for Scholarship in Education
Author: Fischman, Gustavo E.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Research,Teacher Attitudes,Scholarship,Schools of Education,Knowledge Management,College Faculty,Tenure,Administrators,Administrator Attitudes,Foreign Countries

This article explores faculty perspectives at three colleges of education regarding strategies of knowledge mobilization for scholarship in education (KMSE), with consideration for the opportunities and challenges that accompany individual and organizational capacities for change. Faculty surveys (n = 66) and follow-up interviews (n = 22) suggest two important trends: First, KMSE presents both a complementary agenda and a competing demand; second, barriers and uncertainties characterize the relevance of knowledge mobilization for faculty careers in colleges of education. This study empirically illuminates the persistence of long-standing challenges regarding the relevance, accessibility, and usability of research in colleges of education housed in research-intensive universities. While KMSE holds promise for expanding the reach and impact of educational research, scholarly tensions underlying these trends suggest that individual and organizational efforts will suffice only with modifications to university procedures for identifying what counts as recognizable, assessable, and rewardable scholarly products and activities for faculty careers.
Are Parents&apos; Ratings and Satisfaction with Preschools Related to Program Features?
Author: Bassok, Daphna
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parent Attitudes,Satisfaction,Early Childhood Education,Teacher Student Relationship,Interaction,Teacher Education,Class Size,Costs,School Schedules,Achievement Gains,Low Income Groups,Correlation,Family Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Educational Quality

This study examines whether parents' overall satisfaction with their child's early childhood education (ECE) program is correlated with a broad set of program characteristics, including (a) observational assessments of teacher-child interactions; (b) structural features of the program, such as teacher education and class size; (c) practical and convenience factors (e.g., hours, cost); and (d) a measure of average classroom learning gains. It then describes associations between parents' evaluation of specific program characteristics and externally collected measures of those features. Leveraging rich data from a sample of low-income parents whose 4-year-olds attend publicly funded ECE programs, we find little correspondence between parents' evaluations of program characteristics and any external measures of those same characteristics. We discuss policy implications, especially in light of recent federal and state informational initiatives, which aim to help families make informed ECE choices.
The Flipped Classroom in a Terminal College Mathematics Course for Liberal Arts Students
Author: Carter, Christina L.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Homework,Video Technology,Mathematics Instruction,College Mathematics,College Students,Program Effectiveness,Racial Differences,Mathematics Achievement,Ethnicity,Gender Differences,Student Financial Aid

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of flipping the classroom on final exam scores in a terminal general education college mathematics course for a diverse student population. We employed a quasiexperimental design. Seven instructors collectively taught 13 sections of each pedagogy (flipped/traditional). Six hundred thirty-two students participated. Common final exams were graded concurrently. Mixed-model analyses were performed. Students in flipped sections scored 5.1 percentage points higher on average than those in traditional sections (p = 0.02) when controlling for math SAT and financial aid status, an improvement of 7.8 points among Black students (p &lt; 0.01) and 1.0 points among Whites (p = 0.67). The estimated average difference between White and Black students, conditional on covariates, was 5.2 percentage points in traditional sections (p &lt; 0.01) and -1.6 in flipped sections (p = 0.39). The 6.8-point difference in achievement gap between pedagogies was statistically significant (p &lt; 0.01). Flipping the classroom was associated with improved student performance, particularly among Black students.
Estimating the Consequences of Norway&apos;s National Scale-Up of Early Childhood Education and Care (Beginning in Infancy) for Early Language Skills
Author: Dearing, Eric
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Infants,Early Childhood Education,Educational Quality,At Risk Students,Disadvantaged Youth,Toddlers,Access to Education,Language Skills,Language Acquisition,Low Income Students,Preschool Education,Program Effectiveness,Educational Policy,Child Language,Child Care,Family Income

While most early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs taken to scale in the United States have served socially disadvantaged 3- to 5-years-olds, Norway scaled up universal ECEC from age 1. We investigated the consequences of Norway's universal ECEC scale-up for children's early language skills, exploiting variation in ECEC coverage across birth cohorts and municipalities in a population-based sample (n = 63,350). Estimates from two-stage least squares (i.e., instrumental variable) regression and generalized difference-in-differences models indicated the scale-up of universal ECEC led to improved language outcomes, particularly for low-income children. As preschool programs at scale become increasingly common in the United States, our results from Norway help inform debate about the merits of universal versus targeted policies and should provoke discussion about the benefits of beginning ECEC programs as early as infancy.
New Findings on Impact Variation from the Head Start Impact Study: Informing the Scale-Up of Early Childhood Programs
Author: Morris, Pamela A.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rating Scales,Early Childhood Education,Educational Quality,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Low Income Groups,Preschool Children,Federal Programs,School Readiness,Enrollment,Instructional Effectiveness

This article synthesizes findings from a reanalysis of data from the Head Start Impact Study with a focus on impact variation. This study addressed whether the size of Head Start's impacts on children's access to center-based and high-quality care and their school readiness skills varied by child characteristics, geographic location, and the experiences of children in the control group. Across multiple sets of analyses based on new, innovative statistical methods, findings suggest that the topline Head Start Impact Study results of Head Start's average impacts mask substantial variation in its effectiveness and that one key source of that variation was in the counterfactual experiences and the context of Head Start sites (as well as the more typically examined child characteristics; e.g., children's dual language learner status). Implications are discussed for the future of Head Start and further research, as well as the scale-up of other early childhood programs, policies, and practices.
Valid Competency Assessment in Higher Education: Framework, Results, and Further Perspectives of the German Research Program KoKoHs
Author: Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, Olga
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Outcomes Assessment,Educational Research,Competence,Higher Education,Research Projects,Validity,Teacher Education,Social Sciences,Economics,Medical Education

The aim of the 15 collaborative projects conducted during the new funding phase of the German research program Modeling and Measuring Competencies in Higher Education--Validation and Methodological Innovations (KoKoHs) is to make a significant contribution to advancing the field of modeling and valid measurement of competencies acquired in higher education. The KoKoHs research teams assess generic competencies and domain-specific competencies in teacher education, social and economic sciences, and medicine based on findings from and using competency models and assessment instruments developed during the first KoKoHs funding phase. Further, they enhance, validate, and test measurement approaches for use in higher education in Germany. Results and findings are transferred at various levels to national and international research, higher education practice, and education policy.
The Assessment of Learning Outcomes in Australia: Finding the Holy Grail
Author: Martin, Linley
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Student Evaluation,Outcomes of Education,Educational Assessment,Educational Quality,Outcome Measures,Universities,Alignment (Education),Educational Objectives

Since 2009 there has been increased interest in Australian universities' ability to demonstrate that their students have acquired knowledge and skills as specified by them in the form of graduate attributes or institutional learning outcomes. This paper describes research undertaken in Australia to identify a comprehensive set of generalized learning outcomes for undergraduate study and a set of criterion-based standards to assist in grading of achievement of those outcomes. It was discovered that although Australian universities document institutional- and course-based learning outcomes for their programs, they generally do not assess students at this level. Instead, the majority of assessment of learning outcomes is at the subject level, and frequently these outcomes do not align well with the course- or institutional-based outcomes that have also been specified. In spite of this, it appears possible to identify generalized assessment tasks for subjects and use constructive alignment between subjects, course curriculum, and chosen course-based learning outcomes, which could be used to reliably measure course outcomes and compare results between universities. These developments are framed in terms of the assessment transparency framework, which provides insight into the current &quot;as-is&quot; situation as well as an indication of what is needed to move learning outcomes assessment toward a fully implemented &quot;ideal&quot; across the higher education sector.
How Disciplinary Differences Shape Student Learning Outcome Assessment: A Case Study
Author: Swarat, Su
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Outcomes Assessment,Intellectual Disciplines,Differences,College Faculty,Teacher Participation,Physics,History,Civil Engineering,Child Development,Adolescent Development,Undergraduate Study

Assessment of student learning outcomes (SLOs) has become increasingly important in higher education. Meaningful assessment (i.e., assessment that leads to the improvement of student learning) is impossible without faculty engagement. We argue that one way to elicit genuine faculty engagement is to embrace the disciplinary differences when implementing a universitywide SLO assessment process so that the process reflects discipline-specific cultures and practices. Framed with Biglan's discipline classification framework, we adopt a case-study approach to examine the SLO assessment practices in four undergraduate academic programs: physics, history, civil engineering, and child and adolescent studies. We demonstrate that one key factor for these programs' success in developing and implementing SLO assessment under a uniform framework of university assessment is their adaptation of the university process to embrace the unique disciplinary differences.
Mathematics Curriculum Effects on Student Achievement in California
Author: Koedel, Cory
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Curriculum,Mathematics Achievement,Elementary School Mathematics,Textbooks,Textbook Evaluation,Achievement Gains,Elementary School Students,Kindergarten,Grade 1,Grade 2,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Language Arts,Academic Achievement

We estimate relative achievement effects of the four most commonly adopted elementary mathematics textbooks in the fall of 2008 and fall of 2009 in California. Our findings indicate that one book, Houghton Mifflin's &quot;California Math,&quot; is more effective than the other three, raising student achievement by 0.05 to 0.08 student-level standard deviations of the Grade 3 state standardized math test. We also estimate positive effects of &quot;California Math&quot; relative to the other textbooks in higher elementary grades. The differential effect of &quot;California Math&quot; is educationally meaningful, particularly given that it is a schoolwide effect and can be had at what is effectively zero marginal cost.
Learning Race and Racism While Learning: Experiences of International Students Pursuing Higher Education in the Midwestern United States
Author: Mitchell, Donald, Jr.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Students,Race,Racial Discrimination,Student Experience,College Students,Learning,Mass Media,Definitions,Ideology,Interpersonal Relationship

Researchers have documented how race and racism influence the college experiences of U.S. citizens. However, research on the ways that race and racism affect international students warrants similar attention. This qualitative study explored how international students learned about U.S. concepts of race and racism and how such concepts shaped their college experiences. The participating international college students learned about U.S. concepts of race and racism through media, relationships, formal education, and lived experiences. They defined these concepts in varying ways and had varying racial ideologies.
The Structure of Student Engagement in Community College Student Success Programs: A Quantitative Activity Systems Analysis
Author: Hatch, Deryl K.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Community Colleges,Two Year College Students,Learner Engagement,College Programs,College Curriculum,Program Design,Curriculum Design,Success

Community colleges increasingly implement various student success programs, including 1st-year seminars, college skills courses, learning communities, and orientation, in an effort to boost degree completion. However, it is unclear how success programs' curricular designs may contribute to these and associated student outcomes. Such inquiry is limited, in part, by the lack of methodological frameworks for program impact heterogeneity research. This study proposes a new conceptualization of nominally different student success programs as instances of a broader activity, which also provides a way to operationalize their curricular structures in comparable ways. Second, to briefly illustrate this approach, the study leverages matched program and student data to investigate how variations in student engagement--an emergent intermediate outcome for fostering successful college going--are related to variation in program design. Findings reveal that structural and underutilized curricular elements may be more impactful than skills-based curricula that are typically the organizing focus of these programs.
Patterns of Gendered Performance Differences in Large Introductory Courses at Five Research Universities
Author: Matz, Rebecca L.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Introductory Courses,Research Universities,Academic Achievement,Undergraduate Students,STEM Education,Social Sciences

Significant gendered performance differences are signals of systemic inequity in higher education. Understanding of these inequities has been hampered by the local nature of prior studies; consistent measures of performance disparity across many disciplines and institutions have not been available. Here, we report the first wide-ranging, multi-institution measures of gendered performance difference, examining more than a million student enrollments in hundreds of courses at five universities. After controlling for factors that relate to academic performance using optimal matching, we identify patterns of gendered performance difference that are consistent across these universities. Biology, chemistry, physics, accounting, and economics lecture courses regularly exhibit gendered performance differences that are statistically and materially significant, whereas lab courses in the same subjects do not. These results reinforce the importance of broad investigation of performance disparities across higher education. They also help focus equity research on the structure and evaluative schemes of these lecture courses.
The Relationship between Collective Efficacy and Teachers&apos; Social Networks in Urban Middle Schools
Author: Berebitsky, Dan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Urban Schools,Middle School Teachers,Teacher Effectiveness,Social Networks,Mathematics Teachers,School Districts,Teacher Attitudes

Collective efficacy, a group's belief in its capabilities to reach a goal, is an important organizational property repeatedly linked with student achievement. However, little scholarship specifies the antecedents of collective efficacy. To fill this gap, this study examines a potential predictor of collective efficacy: teachers' social networks. The authors employ social network and regression analysis to explore the relationship between network density, network centralization, and collective efficacy in 20 middle school mathematics departments in two large, urban districts across 3 years. Collective efficacy had a significant relationship with density, but not centralization, when controlling for school demographics. The findings underscore the importance of network density to school improvement reforms. Policymakers need to consider policies that support the building of a dense network, which could increase collective efficacy and, ultimately, student achievement.
Computer versus Computer and Human Support in an Argumentation-Based Science Learning Environment
Author: Akpinar, Yavuz
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Web Based Instruction,Persuasive Discourse,Video Technology,Computer Simulation,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Group Discussion,Computer Mediated Communication,Skill Development,Knowledge Level,Program Effectiveness,Elementary School Science,Elementary School Students

Technological advancements have made it possible to design learning environments which support multiple representations, discussions and experimentations. This study designed and developed a web based argumentation environment, Argümantaryum. It provides virtual experimentation with, visually rich multi-representations of contents, video, and simulations upon which students may base their arguments and learn some elementary level science units related to matter. It has also a built-in discussion forum and an instant messaging component both of which contain argumentation sentence-openers. Following the implementation, the system was tested in real classroom settings under different study schemes for different learning units. Results revealed that when students used the system collaboratively under a teacher's guidance, students made progress in terms of both scientific discussion skills and knowledge of the learning units accommodated in the platform. Similar results were also obtained when the same usage scheme was followed for another learning unit. Finally, the report compared performance of the system to a human support only learning environment, and provided a discussion and a set of recommendations on how to further evaluate the platform.
Inquiring into Presence as Support for Student Learning in a Blended Learning Classroom
Author: Stevens, Mark
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Blended Learning,Online Courses,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Interpersonal Relationship,Middle School Students,Middle School Teachers,Interaction,Student Behavior,Elementary Secondary Education,Teacher Student Relationship,Grade 7,History Instruction,Cooperation

In blended learning models, students do part of their coursework online and part in small groups with teachers in classrooms. The presence (teaching, cognitive, social) that teachers need to assert in blended environments has been the subject of much scholarly interest. The purpose of this paper is to share findings from a narrative inquiry that explored various aspects of presence in a middle level classroom. Findings are reported using a series of narrative episodes that have undergone narrative inquiry processes of burrowing, broadening, and retelling. What is described is a process wherein diligent dialogue and social presence were used collaboratively between participants in an effort to cross the boundaries between virtual and actual worlds so that problems could be solved, and off-task behavior could be redirected. These findings have implications for the preparation and support of blended teachers and for the evolving theorization of presence in K-12 blended settings.