ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Critical Success Factors for Public-Private Partnership in Universal Secondary Education: Perspectives and Policy Lessons from Uganda
Author: Twinomuhwezi, Ivan Kiiza
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Partnerships in Education,Stakeholders,Program Implementation,Success,Secondary Education,Public Sector,Private Sector,Educational Policy,School Personnel,Public Officials,Local Government,Access to Education,Educational Demand,Budgeting,Foreign Countries,Developing Nations

There is a dearth of phenomenological interpretive studies in public-private partnership (PPP) policy in education service delivery. The limited extant literature on PPPs in education hardly explores insights into how stakeholders understand them, and what they perceive as critical success factors (CSFs) for their implementation in the context of developing countries. The overarching purpose of this study is to explore the stakeholders' perceptions of PPP policy in universal secondary education (USE) and its CSFs in Uganda. It employed the interpretive paradigm and the participants were purposively selected from government bodies, partnership private schools and local communities. Document review and interviews were used as the data collection methods while the resultant data were analyzed using content and thematic techniques. The findings reveal that most stakeholders' understandings of the PPP in USE were diverse and context-specific; and that most school-based stakeholders implemented this policy without clearly understanding its origin, goals and guidelines. While most government-based stakeholders perceived the policy as successful, the majority of school-based stakeholders deemed it unsuccessful. The majority of stakeholders perceived regular policy reviews, commitment to partnership roles, sufficient funding, the selection of partners with adequate capacity, effective policy communication, regular policy monitoring and strong enforcement mechanisms as its CSFs. In view of the findings, it can be inferred that unless appropriate policy reforms and best practices informed by these findings are undertaken, the success and sustainability of PPP policy in USE would remain uncertain.
Is the Linguists&apos; View of Prescriptive Grammar Reductionist? (A Re-Examination of the Accusations Made against the Prescriptive Tradition)
Author: Al-Rushaidi, Sultan Mohammed Saaiyed
Date: 2020-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grammar,Teaching Methods,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Standard Spoken Usage,Linguistics,Critical Thinking,Language Variation,Diachronic Linguistics,Linguistic Theory,English

This paper seeks to intellectually stimulate researchers who are interested in the history of grammar and the long-standing debate about prescriptivism. Contrary to popular belief, there are scholars who still put forward arguments about the significant role played by prescriptive grammar in the development of Modern Standard English. Such counter-arguments are usually absent in many introductory textbooks to linguistics, which portray prescriptive grammar in a negative light. Nonetheless, only by listening to both sides of the debate, researchers can make a more objective judgment, avoid reductionist views, and encourage students of linguistics to engage in critical thinking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to re-examine the accusations made against prescriptive grammar by investigating various sources that give a different perspective on the origins and significance of the prescriptive tradition. The study has found that there is a strong connection between the prescriptive school of grammar and the development and preservation of Modern Standard English. Instead of being an impediment, the prescriptive approach that began in the 18th Century was a historical necessity at a time when linguistic variations were out of proportion and accepted standards were absent. The founders of this school did a great service to the English-speaking world by their contributions to the creation of a standard variety that has facilitated communication between speakers of diverse dialects of English. Unfortunately, the merits of this school have been buried by blanket accusations that lack careful analysis of what the works of prescriptive grammarians contained. The study has also shown how the dismissal of the prescriptive grammar can have negative outcomes and why it is important to re-examine the allegations made against it by modern linguists.
Moodle or Social Networks: What Alternative Refuge Is Appropriate to Algerian EFL Students to Learn during COVID-19 Pandemic
Author: Ghounane, Nadia
Date: 2020-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Management Information Systems,Social Media,Computer Software,COVID-19,Pandemics,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Social Networks,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,English Literature,Universities,Virtual Classrooms,Learning Processes,Student Motivation,Student Attitudes,Electronic Learning,Videoconferencing,Graduate Students,Masters Programs,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Comparative Analysis,Preferences,Classroom Communication

Social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, YouTube, and Instagram have become the refuge of teachers and students during the last years. However, there are many educational platforms set by the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education like Moodle and which bring the same services to the learners but in an academic setting. These platforms, mainly Facebook, has gained celebrity in the last years and are still achieving the same position during the COVID-19 pandemic even though many applications come to life, and virtual learning has become the only choice. The current research work under scrutiny aims to provide an in-depth look at the situation of EFL teaching and learning in the Algerian context during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking the department of English Language and Literature at Saida University as a case in point. It also endeavors to shed light on the learning process and which tools educators have used to promote virtual learning. As such, the main questions that set the study are how do Algerian universities face COVID-19 pandemic? Are Algerian EFL students motivated towards academic platforms like Moodle? Do EFL learners benefit from the new applications like Google Classroom and Zoom in promoting E-learning? Where about social networks like Facebook? Are these social platforms still gaining fame in the learning process during the pandemic? To answer these problematic questions, the researcher conducted a study with EFL first-year Master students and eight teachers of the English language at Saida University, Algeria. The researcher collected data through a questionnaire and an interview. The findings revealed that the most used tool for educational purposes was Facebook due to the students' motivation. The second tool was the Moodle platform. The analysis also demonstrated that students prefer face-to-face interaction in the classroom and handouts more than virtual learning. The results also showed that students are motivated to employ both SNSs like Facebook and YouTube and educational platforms as Moodle as complementary teaching materials.
Ladder of Citizen Participation: Insights into Female Student Representatives on Public University Councils in Uganda
Author: Mayanja, Christopher Samuel
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Participation,Citizen Participation,Females,College Students,Public Colleges,Governance,Universities,Student Leadership,Barriers,Sex Stereotypes,Tokenism,Capacity Building,Resource Allocation,Student Experience,Foreign Countries,College Governing Councils

Globally, there has been a campaign to promote participation of females in the entire development agenda in general, but specifically in the higher education sector. Public universities in Uganda have attempted to ensure that female stakeholders are given a platform to participate in leadership and governance of their respective universities, though still seemingly scanty. The study therefore explored perceptions of female student representative participation in leadership on public university councils in Uganda. The Ladder of Citizen Participation was utilised to get meanings and understandings from the perceptions regarding levels of participation. The study deployed a phenomenological research design with unstructured interview, transect walks and letter writing methods and a two-level narrative analysis technique used to capture plots and themes from the narratives. Findings reveal that female students do not have sufficient ground to effectively participate in leadership and governance due to several constraints. The revealed constraints include lack of sufficient leadership capacity, insufficient resources and gender stereotypes. It is therefore concluded that participation of female student representatives on public university councils in Uganda was mere tokenism! It is therefore recommended that the higher education sector should deliberately support female students towards effective participation in leadership. This can be done through building their capacity in leadership and governance and providing sufficient resources to enable them easily pursue their leadership and governance mandate, among others.
The Impact of Cultural Background on Listening Comprehension of Saudi EFL Students
Author: Al-khresheh, Mohammad Hamad
Date: 2020-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cultural Background,Cultural Influences,Islamic Culture,Listening Comprehension,Listening Skills,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Processing,Difficulty Level,Language Proficiency,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Sociolinguistics,Undergraduate Students,Young Adults,Foreign Countries

One of the most critical areas where considerable attention is required in teaching a foreign language involves listening skills. Listening plays an essential role in both communication and learning, and it is one of the most crucial necessary language skills in the field of language learning. Recent studies in foreign language listening have extensively focused on the prevailing difficulties of listening. There has been little research on the cultural-background as a sociolinguistic dimension of listening. Therefore, this study set out to determine whether Saudi EFL students face particular difficulty in their listening comprehension, to identify possible reasons for the problems, and to find out whether the cultural-background affects the listening process. To achieve these objectives, a triangulation method was followed. A diagnostic test and a questionnaire were used on a group of 31 Saudi students of English and a reflective essay was carried out on eight EFL teachers. The findings suggest, first, that listening is the most challenging language skill and, second, that Saudi EFL students encounter substantial difficulty in the perception, parsing, and utilization phases of their listening comprehension for many reasons. The findings also suggest that the cultural background has a significant effect on their listening process. This study is expected to contribute markedly towards increasing the understanding of listening difficulties in language learning, and improving the teaching-learning process, by recommending effective remedies for addressing such challenges.
A 50-Year Overview of Instrumental Music Programs in Victorian Government Secondary Schools: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
Author: Lierse, Sharon
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Music Education,Musical Instruments,Secondary Schools,Educational Change,Educational History,Educational Policy,Educational Trends,Curriculum Development

The paper investigates the history of instrumental music programs in Victorian Government secondary schools over a 50-year period. These programs were researched using archival materials, State government documents and curriculum changes. Factors which impacted the transformation were government policy, societal trends, developments in the curriculum and policy reform. The study found that there was a demand for these programs despite the issues of costs, access and quality. It wasn't until the government review into the status of music in Australian schools in 2005 that music programs could be discussed more holistically at a national level. This prompted a review into music education at the State level after the subsequent formation of the School Music Action Group. From this, there has been more awareness of the issues and the need for more support for instrumental music programs.
Returning to Graduation Project: Attitudes and Perceived Challenges of Students and Staff at a Libyan EFL Department
Author: Elmabruk, Reda
Date: 2020-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),College Second Language Programs,Graduation Requirements,Student Projects,Student Attitudes,College Faculty,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Student Research,College Seniors

In 1997, the Department of English (Faculty of Languages, University of Tripoli) canceled Graduation Project (GP) as a graduation requirement primarily due to growing student plagiarism. Two decades on, the Department decided it is time for Returning to Graduation Project (RGP). In preparation for this, a Research Methods (RM) module was delivered to students, and an intense 'research design and methodology' course was taken by the staff. In this exploratory mixed-methods case-study research, the main question focuses on attitudes and perceived challenges facing students and staff concerning RGP. The aim is to tackle negative attitudes and perceived obstacles in anticipation of a successful RGP, which spells out the significance of the research. Data were collected through a questionnaire (n=52) and a focus group discussion with seventh-semester students (10); semi-structured interviews with staff (13). A small majority of students (54%) supported RGP; the remaining 46% raised two kinds of concerns: realistic challenges of lacking resources, inadequate RM skills, and supervisor issues; unrealistic challenges involved time constraints, fear of presenting, and problems of determining research topics. Staff members were receptive to RGP but raised numerous concerns. Whereas experienced members expressed cynicism due to low students competencies and lacking resources, others saw RGP as an opportunity for students to gain practical research experience ahead of postgraduate study. Several challenges were perceived, chief among them are students lack of research skills, inexperienced supervisors, inadequate resources, and an ever-lasting concern with plagiarism. New staff reported the need for tuition in 'data analysis and interpretation', and 'supervision practice'. Peculiarities characteristic of the case milieu emerged.
Structural Modification Challenges Facing the Implementation of Inclusive Education Policy in Public Secondary Schools in Tharaka-Nithi County
Author: Ireri, Bibiana Ruguru
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Inclusion,Educational Policy,Program Implementation,Public Schools,Secondary Schools,Students with Disabilities,Physical Disabilities,Structural Elements (Construction),Accessibility (for Disabled),Physical Mobility,Barriers,Negative Attitudes,Poverty,Teacher Competencies,Special Education,Foreign Countries

Educational policy guidelines mandate that all learning institutions, adopt, design and embrace programs that are conducive to learners with disabilities. In spite of inclusive education policy guidelines, disability remains a major course of discrimination in Kenyan schools. This study therefore, examined the structural modification challenges on the implementation of inclusive education policy in schools. The study adopted mixed-method research approach, which uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. The target population comprised all the principals, teachers and students in Tharaka-Nithi County. The study employed purposive sampling to select 16 extra-county and county secondary schools. The sample size constituted 161 respondents. The data were collected using questionnaires for 100 class teachers, teaching learners with disabilities, an interview guide for 11 learners with physical disabilities to discuss their personal experiences on structural modification challenges and focus groups discussions for 50 non-disabled students learning in the same classrooms with learners with disabilities. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The research findings established lack of modified physical resources, poor attitude towards inclusive education policy, poverty among parents of children with disabilities, and lack of teachers' skills on Special Needs Education (SNE) were major challenges facing the implementation of inclusive education in public secondary schools. There are other structural modification challenges not in the scope of this study that could be affecting implementation of inclusive education policy and can be tackled at school level. The study established a clear link between structural modification challenges and weak policy guidelines. Therefore, the study concluded that weak inclusive education policy guidelines on structural modification in schools led to lack of modified physical resources, poor attitudes of key stakeholders, poverty and lack of teachers' skills on SNE, which contributed to poor implementation of inclusive education. Thus, a clear inclusive education policy guideline on structural modification is necessary to enable schools provide a learner-friendly environment, that nurtures learner diversity.
Social Media&apos;s Integration into Communication Centers: A UNC-Greensboro Case Study
Author: Harrison, Abigail
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Media,Communication (Thought Transfer),Information Dissemination,Marketing,Computer Mediated Communication,Academic Support Services,College Students

The UNC-Greensboro Speaking Center (SC) acknowledges the growing impact of social media as a means of sharing information, connecting with stakeholders, and fostering a community of practice. In this study, we review the history of social media integration into our center. After securing a presence primarily on multiple platforms, we shifted our focus away from using social media solely for information dissemination to promote social connections and relationships. In our latest digital project during the summer of 2019, we launched a new social media campaign with the goal of promoting our center to incoming freshmen. Through acknowledging our progress, our center plans to continue increasing our social media presence as we believe these platforms remain prospective interpersonal resources.
Social Media Ethos: Raising Awareness about Communication Center Programs and Outreach through the Use of Twitter
Author: Bryant, Adrian
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Media,Information Centers,Information Dissemination,Best Practices,Hypermedia,Indexing,Design

Communication centers often develop a social media presence to engage with audiences about services, programs, and strategies. Twitter, as a popular social media platform, has been adopted by many communication centers. In this article, researchers from the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Noel Studio for Academic Creativity share strategies, best practices, and analysis for using Twitter tags, hashtags, and geotags to engage with different publics.
Centering Students in the Community: Building Capacity for School Improvement Efforts through Community Connections
Author: Henry, Wesley
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Capacity Building,Educational Improvement,School Community Relationship,Rural Schools,Student Role,Principals,Superintendents,Citizenship Education,Educational Opportunities,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,High Schools

This paper explores the efforts of rural administrators to link students with the local community. Previous research on the visibility of rural administrators and rural school-community connections are discussed. Findings indicate that bolstering the prominent role of students within the local community supports rural administrators' learning improvement agendas by building capacity and buy-in for their improvement efforts, linking students with opportunities that the school alone cannot provide, and securing additional resources.
Simulation as a Classroom Teaching Method
Author: Jones, Jerry Dale
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Simulation,Teaching Methods,Experiential Learning,Constructivism (Learning),Social Development,Physical Environment

Simulation is an experiential instructional method that teachers create to imitate or replicate actual events, problems, procedures, or skills to achieve the desired instructional results. Students experience the situation and apply learned skills and knowledge, think critically, and gather meaning from the practice. Simulation as a teaching strategy aligns well with the principles of constructivist teaching and learning theory and can be designed for social and physical learning experiences to fit the needs of all learners. This paper supports and explores simulation through the cognitivist's belief that people learn in whole conditions, not by isolated incidences, and considers the human factor that may influence a given situation.
Stories We Don&apos;t Tell: Research&apos;s Limited Accounting of Rural Schools
Author: Thier, Michael
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Capacity Building,Rural Schools,Educational Research,Geographic Location,Rural Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Periodicals,School Location

To help build capacity among PK-12 school leaders and policymakers whose decisions can impact rural settings, often without full understanding of the nuances most salient to rural places, this study asked (1) To what extent do education researchers account for geographic locale in their reporting? (2) Do highly ranked journals account for geographic locale in their reporting more readily than education research in general? Hybridizing three systematic approaches to literature review--rapid, mapping, and scoping--the study examined a population-level dataset of nearly 109,000 school-focused, peer-reviewed articles in ERIC during a 10-year period and dove deeper into 4,001 articles from highly ranked journals. Overall, we found that more than 85% of the literature base ignores geographic locale entirely. Next, we revealed stunning overrepresentation of city/urban schools, proportionality in towns, and underrepresentation for suburbs, but especially clear neglect for rurality and remoteness. Furthermore, more than 90% of the few studies that invoked &quot;rural&quot; never defined the term. Ultimately, our findings support recommendations for school leaders and policymakers to only employ research that clarifies the 'who' and 'where' of studies, aiding their determinations of whether research can be adapted for--or should be entirely discounted from--local use. We also advocate that researchers embrace geographic locale as an essential, measurable school characteristic; standardize use of National Center for Education Statistics' Urban-Centric codes as a definitional framework; and avoid imaginary urban-rural dichotomies.