ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Guidelines for Leveraging University Didactics Centers to Support OER Uptake in German-Speaking Europe
Author: Ebner, M.
Date: 2016-03-28
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Open Education,Educational Resources,Higher Education,German,Guidelines,Instructional Materials,Electronic Learning,College Faculty,Educational Development,Role,Distance Education,Educational Technology,Foreign Countries

Although less well established than in other parts of the world, higher education institutions in German-speaking countries have seen a marked increase in the number of open educational resource (OER) initiatives and in government-supported OER funding in recent years. OER implementation, however, brings with it a unique set of challenges in German-speaking higher education contexts, stemming in part from copyright laws and use permissions that have made sharing and reuse of educational materials less prevalent. The article discusses how instructional development centers, including university didactics centers (&quot;hochschuldidaktische Zentren&quot;) and e-learning centers, can play a key role in faculty uptake and adoption of OER, and concludes by proposing a set of OER implementation guidelines that leverage the expertise and interfacing role of these centers in German-speaking countries.
Inclusive Education's Promises and Trajectories: Critical Notes about Future Research on a Venerable Idea
Author: Artiles, Alfredo J.
Date: 2016-04-04
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Inclusion,Educational Research,Educational Change,Equal Education,Literature Reviews,Outcomes of Education,Disabilities,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,General Education,Mainstreaming,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Partnerships in Education,Discourse Analysis,Educational Policy,Justice

The purpose of this article is to offer critical notes on inclusive education research in the U.S. We discuss issues germane to conceptual clarity and the ways in which inclusive education interacts with reforms that share equity goals, noting disruptions and unintended consequences that arise at the nexus of these reforms. In addition, we identify enduring challenges and paradoxes in this research literature. These include sampling issues, an emphasis on where students are placed as a proxy for inclusive education vis-à-vis inclusive education as the transformation of educational systems, the ways in which outcome measures have been examined in this research, and the need for and challenges of building strategic alliances that could advance an inclusive education agenda. We conclude with reflections and suggestions for a future research program that include sharpening inclusion's identity, attending to the fluid nature of ability differences and students' multiple identities, broadening the unit of analysis to systems of activities, and documenting processes and outcomes.
No Child Left Behind: A Postmortem for Illinois
Author: Harman, Wm. Gregory
Date: 2016-04-18
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Program Evaluation,Outcomes of Education,High Schools,Academic Standards,Test Results,Educational Policy,Public Policy,Achievement Gap,High School Graduates,Educational Assessment,Standardized Tests,Testing,Common Core State Standards,Compliance (Legal),Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Graduation Rate,Achievement Tests,Statistical Analysis,Achievement Gains

In this study, the outcomes of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as implemented in Illinois, are evaluated in terms of high school standards testing results between 2003-2013. NCLB was a policy dedicated to closing the gap in schooling outcomes nationally in the space of a decade. There have been few systematic examinations of its macro-level results for those exiting high school, especially considering the attention, time, effort, and money dedicated to its implementation. It has been subsumed into newer reform policies that move forward from the same assumptions and structures without a look back. This is a macro study of the outcomes in one state, Illinois, using its assessment system. Data include Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) results in reading and math as well as graduation rates from high schools. The data is evaluated across the state as a whole and within categories of urban, suburban, town, and rural. Outcomes in reading, math, and graduation rates remain unchanged across the decade at the state and all community-type categories. Potential problems with implementation and design of NCLB are proposed with the intention of informing current and future policy, especially in regard to continuing a standards/accountability regime under the Common Core.
The Tidewater Z-Degree and the INTRO Model for Sustaining OER Adoption
Author: Wiley, David
Date: 2016-03-28
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Benefits,Open Education,Costs,College Faculty,Teaching Methods,Associate Degrees,Business Administration Education,Tuition,Models,Sustainability,Instructional Materials,Educational Innovation,Educational Policy,Role,Enrollment,Withdrawal (Education),Educational Finance,Community Colleges

A growing body of research confirms the financial and academic benefits that accrue to students whose faculty adopt open educational resources, or OER. While there are no content licensing costs associated with using OER, there are several real costs that must be incurred by an institution that chooses to support its faculty in adopting OER. The Z-Degree initiative at Tidewater Community College utilizes only OER for the 21 courses, providing a pathway for students to earn an associate of science degree in business administration without ever buying a textbook. The authors introduce and illustrate the INTRO (INcreased Tuition Revenue through OER) model for sustaining the provision of OER adoption services. The adoption of OER as part of the Z-Degree decreases drop rates among Tidewater students, allowing the institution to retain tuition revenue it would otherwise have refunded. This retained revenue provides a renewable source of funds to sustainably support the adoption of OER.
Opting Out: Parents Creating Contested Spaces to Challenge Standardized Tests
Author: Mitra, Dana
Date: 2016-03-07
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Standardized Tests,Parents,Resistance (Psychology),Educational Policy,Ambiguity (Context),State Policy,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Policy Analysis,Interviews

We explore how the opt-out movement has responded to the combination of a stringent federal policy with weak and often variable implementation among the states. Gaps between federal expectations and states' understandings of just how to make NCLB's demands a reality have created policy ambiguity. Parents who oppose standardized testing have recognized the resulting tensions and oversights in state education systems as a policy vacuum rife with opportunities for resistance. We examine how parents have exploited policy ambiguity through creating contested spaces--places of agency in stringent policy environments in which grassroots can question policy authority and take action. We conclude by considering whether these contested spaces are sustainable and whether the policy outcomes generated in contested spaces are reasonably equitable.
Exploring Quality Programs for English Language Learners in Charter Schools: A Framework to Guide Future Research
Author: Garcia, Peggie
Date: 2016-05-09
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Quality,English Language Learners,Charter Schools,Educational Policy,Guidelines,Educational Research,Educational Practices,Educational Improvement,Access to Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Institutional Characteristics,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Capacity Building

Although there has been a great deal of debate about the effectiveness of charter schools in the research literature, there has been surprisingly little attention paid to English language learners (ELLs) in charter schools. Moreover, the charter school research has predominantly focused on whether or not charter schools are effective rather than &quot;how&quot; or &quot;why&quot; high-performing charter schools work, particularly for ELLs. We contend that researchers must expand their focus beyond access and achievement and begin to grapple with questions related to the quality of programs for ELLs in charter schools. To meet an emerging need in the field, we synthesize several strands of existing research--related to charter schools, school improvement, and ELLs in traditional public schools--to propose a five-component framework that describes essential elements of quality programs for ELLs in charter schools. We conclude with a discussion of implications of our framework for research, policy, and practice.
Measuring, Rating, Supporting, and Strengthening Open Access Scholarly Publishing in Brazil
Author: Neto, Silvio Carvalho
Date: 2016-05-19
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Access to Information,Scholarship,Periodicals,Reputation,Foreign Countries,Intellectual Disciplines,Journal Articles,Biological Sciences,Open Source Technology,Databases

This study assesses the extent and nature of open access scholarly publishing in Brazil, one of the world's leaders in providing universal access to its research and scholarship. It utilizes Brazil's Qualis journal evaluation system, along with other relevant data bases to address the association between scholarly quality and open access in the Brazilian context. Through cross tabulation among these various data sets, it is possible to arrive at a reasonably accurate picture of journals, systems, ratings, and disciplines. The study establishes reliable measures and counts of Brazilian scholarly publications, the proportion and types of open access, and journals ratings and by disciplinary field. It finds that the better the Brazilian journal, the more likely it is to be open access. It also finds that Qualis ranks Brazilian journals lower overall than the international journals in which Brazilian authors publish, most notably in the field of the biological sciences. The study concludes with a consideration of the policy implications for building on the country's global leadership in open access to strengthen the quality of its global contribution to knowledge.
State School Finance Inequities and the Limits of Pursuing Teacher Equity through Departmental Regulation
Author: Baker, Bruce D.
Date: 2016-04-18
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Equity (Finance),Federal Regulation,School Districts,Expenditures,Equal Education,Teacher Qualifications,Educational Finance,Salary Wage Differentials,Competition,Teacher Salaries,Teacher Student Ratio,Correlation,Poverty,Intervention,State Legislation,School District Spending

New federal regulations (State Plans to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators)1 place increased pressure on states and local public school districts to improve their measurement and reporting of gaps in teacher qualifications across schools and the children they serve. Yet a sole focus on resource disparities between schools within a state ignores an important driver of those disparities: district-level spending variations, particularly when accounting for differences in student populations. The analyses herein evaluate connections between district and school level spending measures and teacher equity measures (such as salary competitiveness and staff: student ratios), and specifically whether inequality in &quot;access to excellent educators&quot; at the school level is greater in states where funding inequalities between school districts are greater. We find that district spending variation explains an important, policy relevant share of school staffing expenditures in 13 states. In many states, including Illinois and New York, a nearly 1:1 relationship exists between district spending variation and school site spending variation. In California, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, district spending is positively associated with competitive salary differentials, average teacher salaries, and numbers of certificated staff per 100 pupils. In each of these states, district poverty rates are negatively associated with competitive salary differentials, average teacher salaries and numbers of certified staff per 100 pupils. As such, regulatory intervention without more substantive changes to state school finance systems, addressing district-level inequities, will likely achieve little. Current federal policy pressures state education agencies to report and attempt to regulate inequities that arise because of school finance systems over which those agencies have no direct influence. Our analysis suggests that the administration would be more likely to meet its goals if it attempted to more directly address state school finance system disparities, placing pressure on state legislatures to equitably and adequately fund schools, and following through with the requirement that state-to-district equity provisions translate into district-to-school equity.
Assessing the Potential for Openness: A Framework for Examining Course-Level OER Implementation in Higher Education
Author: Judith, Kate
Date: 2016-03-28
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Open Education,Guidelines,Freedom,Educational Resources,Courseware,Case Studies,College Faculty,Creativity,Instructional Materials,Intellectual Property,Self Efficacy,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Teaching Methods,Networks,Barriers,Meta Analysis

The implementation of open educational resources (OER) at the course level in higher education poses numerous challenges to education practitioners--ranging from discoverability challenges to the lack of knowledge on how to best localize and utilize OER as courseware. Drawing on case studies of OER initiatives globally, the article discusses field-tested solutions to addressing those challenges at the faculty level, the programmatic level, and institutional level. The article concludes with an ontological framework that highlights the importance of weighing the efficiencies afforded by a higher level of institutional control in OER implementation efforts, with the need for individual freedom on behalf of faculty to creatively use and adapt OER.
Impact on Student Learning: National Board Certified Teachers' Perceptions
Author: Petty, Teresa M.
Date: 2016-04-25
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: National Standards,Alternative Teacher Certification,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Attitudes,Public Schools,Questionnaires,Teacher Surveys,Likert Scales,Academic Achievement,Teacher Effectiveness,Evaluation Methods,Coding,Teacher Competencies,Qualitative Research

The purpose of this study is to report National Board Certified Teachers' (NBCTs) perceived impact on student learning. The guiding research question for this study, &quot;How do teachers perceive the influence of the National Board Certification process on student learning in their own classrooms?&quot; was explored. A total of 496 NBCTs currently teaching in North Carolina public schools completed the survey questionnaire in which they responded to demographic questions, Likert item questions, and open-ended questions. More than 80% of the study's participants reported the certification process had positively influenced student learning in their classrooms. Thematic analysis revealed several reoccurring themes that NBCTs reported having impact on student learning in their classrooms. These included impact on academic achievement, improved teaching, and/or an increase of effective evaluation and assessment strategies.
The Effectiveness of a Guided Inquiry-Based, Teachers' Professional Development Programme on Saudi Students' Understanding of Density
Author: Almuntasheri, S.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Faculty Development,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Inquiry,Units of Study,Science Instruction,Science Curriculum,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Comparative Analysis,Intervention,Scientific Concepts,Concept Formation,Workshops,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Grade 6,Program Effectiveness,Elementary School Teachers,Foreign Countries,Multivariate Analysis

Despite a general consensus on the educational effectiveness of inquiry-based instruction, the enacted type of inquiry in science classrooms remains debatable in many countries including Saudi Arabia. This study compared guided-inquiry based teachers' professional development to teacher-directed approach in supporting Saudi students to understand the topic of density. One hundred and seven, sixth-grade, Saudi students in six classes were randomly assigned, by school, to one of two conditions (guided or teacher-directed condition) while they studied the same unit on density in their science curriculum. The three teachers in the guided condition attended an intervention on using guided-inquiry activities to teaching a unit on density. The three teachers in the teacher-directed condition used their regular approach to teaching the same unit. Pre- and post-tests of the students' understanding and explanation of density was adopted for the study. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and repeated analyses were performed to assess the students' understanding and explanation of density. In comparison to the teacher-directed condition, the students in the guided-inquiry condition demonstrated significant improvements in both conceptual understanding and their levels of explaining the concept of density.
Patterns of Reasoning about Ecological Systemic Reasoning for Early Elementary Students
Author: Hokayem, H.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Science Instruction,Abstract Reasoning,Ecology,Science Curriculum,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research,Prior Learning,Correlation,Statistical Analysis

Systems and system models are recognized as a crosscutting concept in the newly released framework for K-12 science education (NRC [National Research Council], 2012). In previous work, I developed a learning progression for systemic reasoning in ecology at the elementary level. The learning progression captured five levels of students' reasoning patterns across four progress variables--dimensions of ecological systemic reasoning. In this study, I used the rank correlation and qualitative examples to investigate the extent to which students used the same level of reasoning across the various progress variables. The results showed a wide range of students' reasoning patterns, some of which used the same level consistently across the four progress variables, while others did not. The results have practical implications for curriculum and instruction. I recommend using specific strategies to teach each progress variable, and providing students with opportunities to reason within and across the progress variables.
The Relationship between Chinese High School Students' Implicit Theories of Ability in Sports and Perceived Enjoyment in Physical Education
Author: Zhao, Qi
Date: 2016-05-01
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,High School Students,Theories,Ability,Athletics,Student Attitudes,Psychological Patterns,Self Concept,Physical Education,Student Surveys,Grade 12,Factor Analysis,Correlation,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Gender Differences,Hypothesis Testing,Multivariate Analysis

According to theory, students' implicit theories of ability can affect their motivation and engagement in physical education (PE). Limited research has been conducted to examine the relationships between implicit theories of ability and motivation and engagement among K-12 students in PE. Our study examined the relationship between implicit theories of ability and perceived enjoyment in PE, and explored whether there were any gender differences in implicit theories of ability and perceived enjoyment in PE. A package of surveys was administered to 252 Chinese 12th graders. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, correlations, and MANOVA. Chinese 12th grade participants endorsing higher incremental views in ability were likely to enjoy PE more. Male participants showed stronger beliefs in incremental views and enjoyed PE more than females. It was suggested that PE teachers may be able to enhance students' enjoyment by focusing on incremental views. This is, ability in sports can be increased dramatically by effort and hardworking.
A Case for Competencies: Assessing the Value of Trait-Based Performance Appraisal for Non-Faculty University Employees
Author: Messa, Emily A.
Date: 2016-05-11
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Universities,Employees,Case Studies,Competence,Performance Based Assessment,Personality Assessment,Supervisors,Best Practices,Measurement,Classification,Personnel Evaluation,Statistical Analysis,Evaluation Criteria,Neoliberalism,Educational Practices

A case study analyzed how supervisors at one university selected competencies, or trait-based skills, for non-faculty employees. This case study provides a valuable contribution by focusing on employees at one institution type--a large, public research university. While it has been documented that non-faculty employees provide important contributions to higher education, there is more to be discovered about this population of university employee, noted as more than 2 million U.S. employees in 2011. The research question guiding this study was: Within a university setting, how are employee competencies valued by job title within colleges and divisions? Multiple correspondence analysis evaluated supervisor competency selection for 1,836 non-supervisory and 565 supervisory employees using data from this university's 2012 performance appraisal. For non-supervisory employees, the first dimension accounted for 65.11% of adjusted inertia, or explained variance. The second dimension accounted for 23.89% of adjusted inertia. For supervisory employees, the first dimension accounted for 86.57% of adjusted inertia. The second dimension accounted for 8.26% of adjusted inertia. The key study finding was that, despite the availability of other higher-education specific competency alternatives and best practices for competency use in the appraisal, this institution's implementation of competencies was found to be mechanical. This study proposed best practices for this and similarly situated institutions as to how competencies can be used to develop employees and improve their performance.
OER &quot;Produsage&quot; as a Model to Support Language Teaching and Learning
Author: MacKinnon, Teresa
Date: 2016-03-28
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Open Education,Educational Resources,Video Technology,Instructional Materials,Educational Technology,Educational Benefits,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Intellectual Property,Intercultural Communication,Language Usage,Barriers,Teaching Methods

Language education faculty face myriad challenges in finding teaching resources that are suitable, of high quality, and allow for the modifications needed to meet the requirements of their course contexts and their learners. The article elaborates the grassroots model of &quot;produsage&quot; (a portmanteau of &quot;production&quot; and &quot;usage&quot;) as a way of imagining a movement toward the use and creation of open educational resources (OER) for language learning. Through a set of examples of video resources that fill a need for authentically compelling language learning materials, the authors demonstrate the potential of produsage to engage teachers and learners around digital resources, to the benefit of language teaching and learning. In support of this grassroots model, the authors propose practices and policies to address challenges involved in engaging teachers and learners around OER in higher education.