ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Planning and Evaluating Educational Work in Slovene Preschools
Author: Batistic Zorec, Marcela
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preschool Education,Educational Planning,Educational Change,Preschool Curriculum,Evaluation,Educational History,National Curriculum,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Aides,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis

The present article examines the changes in Slovene preschools subsequent to Slovenia's independence in 1991. In the socialist period, the national education programme for preschools was highly structured, goal and content-oriented and subject to schoolization. The Curriculum for Preschools (1999) brought conceptual changes towards education &quot;based on the child&quot; and the process approach, as well as giving more autonomy to preschool teachers and their assistants. In the empirical study, we examine changes in planning and evaluating educational work compared to the past. The results show that the majority of professional workers have reduced the high level of structure and rigidity in planning, and that there is better cooperation between preschool teachers and teachers' assistants. Unlike in the past, most professional workers regularly evaluate their educational work. As the data was gathered in two phases, before and after the training of professional workers in the Reggio Emilia concept, we also search for the (probably indirect) influences of this training. We conclude that after the training the participation of children in planning and evaluating educational work is higher.
TPACK in Elementary and High School Teachers' Self-Reported Classroom Practices with the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)
Author: Lefebvre, Sonia
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Technological Literacy,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,High Schools,Educational Technology,Interactive Video,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Practices,Discussion Groups,Gender Differences,Teaching Experience,Teacher Characteristics,Foreign Countries

The interactive whiteboard (IWB) is increasingly used for teaching and learning in the classroom. Nevertheless, the ways that teachers incorporate this tool within their teaching practices remain poorly understood. This paper examines elementary and high school teachers' self-reported practices with the IWB. The conceptual framework centers on teachers' self-reported practices as well as the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, a framework for successful integration of technology into teaching. Data were collected from discussion groups with 30 teachers. Overall, the results show a predominance of technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) and technological knowledge (TK) regardless of grade level, gender, or years of teaching experience.
A Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry into Future Teachers' Use of Information and Communications Technology to Develop Students' Information Literacy Skills
Author: Simard, Stéphanie
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Literacy,Information Technology,Barriers,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Course Content,Time Management,Educational Policy,Information Needs,Foreign Countries,French Canadians,Mixed Methods Research

This study aims to understand how preservice programs prepare future teachers to use ICT to develop students' information literacy skills. A survey was conducted from January 2014 through May 2014 with 413 future teachers in four French Canadian universities. In the spring of 2015, qualitative data were also collected from 48 students in their final year of an initial teacher training program. Our findings suggest that although future teachers receive formal ICT training as part of their program, information literacy is not formally addressed. Nevertheless, information literacy is perceived to be an important skill. In addition to a lack of formal training, future teachers perceive that barriers such as time constraints and lack of access to necessary technologies in the classroom will prevent them from helping students develop information literacy skills. Based on these results, we propose some practical implications and recommendations for preservice programs and education policy makers.
A Connected Generation? Digital Inequalities in Elementary and High School Students According to Age and Socioeconomic Level
Author: Collin, Simon
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Access to Computers,Disadvantaged,Elementary School Students,High School Students,Age Differences,Socioeconomic Status,Statistical Analysis,Correlation,Regression (Statistics),Computer Use,Student Surveys,Foreign Countries

The objective of this article was to better understand the relationship between students' age and socioeconomic level, and its influence on students' digital uses. We conducted a quantitative study of 401 elementary and high school students in Quebec. Four independent variables were initially selected: two related to age (actual age and education level) and two others related to the socioeconomic environment (school poverty index and parents' employment status). The dependent variable that represented students' digital uses was the number of different technologies they used weekly. We conducted correlation tests followed by a linear regression analysis. Socioeconomic level appears to have a stronger influence on students' digital uses compared to age, and explanations for this are proposed.
The Interactive Whiteboard: Uses, Benefits, and Challenges. A Survey of 11,683 Students and 1,131 Teachers
Author: Karsenti, Thierry
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Interactive Video,Bulletin Boards,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Teaching Methods,Questionnaires,Student Surveys,Teacher Surveys,Elementary Secondary Education,Interviews,Technology Integration,Program Effectiveness,Likert Scales,Mixed Methods Research

Over the past five years, the interactive whiteboard (IWB) has been massively introduced into schools across the province of Quebec, Canada. This study explores how the IWB is being used, and the associated benefits and challenges. Data on 11,683 students (from 4th year elementary to grade 12) and 1,131 teachers were collected with five instruments: 1) a survey questionnaire for all students, 2) a survey questionnaire for all teachers, 3) individual interviews with teachers, 4) group interviews with teachers, and 5) group interviews with students. Far from calling into question the need to integrate technology into education, the results reveal that certain tools, such as the IWB, may be more complicated and time-consuming to integrate than others. However, despite teachers' reports of technical problems, the IWB appears to have real educational potential.
Reconstructing Parents' Meetings in Primary Schools: The Teacher as Expert, the Parent as Advocate and the Pupil as Self-Advocate
Author: Inglis, Gillian
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary Schools,Parent Teacher Conferences,Elementary School Teachers,Parents,Elementary School Students,Teacher Role,Parent Role,Student Role,Expertise,Advocacy,Self Advocacy,Grounded Theory,Interviews,Questionnaires

The efficacy of parents' meetings in primary schools in the UK is an area in need of research. This article uses an approach informed by grounded theory to explore the experiences and satisfaction of parents, teachers and pupils regarding bi-annual meetings to discuss pupil progress. A two-phase approach was utilised, with diary-interviews with parents and teachers and group pupil interviews in Phase 1, followed by a parents' questionnaire in Phase 2 derived from Phase 1 data. The findings from a doctoral study provide an overall more positive depiction of these meetings compared to existing research in the secondary sector. A model of the teacher as the expert and information-giver persists, but a consumerist ideology appears evident as parents seek to participate and advocate on behalf of their child. As parents become more proactive and teachers act to retain their professional authority, the interaction of the professional and advocate has excluded the perspective of the child. This leaves pupils in search of self-advocacy at meetings in which they are the object of discussion, but cannot be present. While pupils generally favour involvement, adults express a protectionist perspective on pupil exclusion with exceptional factors indicated as being the age of the child and the content of the meeting.
Teachers&apos; Grade-Level Reassignments: Evidence From Michigan
Author: Brummet, Quentin
Date: 2017-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Longitudinal Studies,State Surveys,National Surveys,Data Analysis,Teacher Transfer,Faculty Mobility,Teacher Placement,Incidence,Statistical Distributions,Teacher Characteristics,Academic Achievement,Predictor Variables,Elementary Secondary Education

Teacher churning likely harms student achievement. However, the phenomenon of within-school grade-level teacher reassignments is understudied. The current study provides descriptive evidence on the frequency and predictors of within-school teacher grade switching using both longitudinal administrative data from Michigan and nationally representative survey data. About 7% of self-contained classroom teachers change grades following any given school year. Inexperienced teachers are relatively more likely to switch grades, and grade-level reassignments are inequitably distributed across both schools and students. For example, urban schools experience significantly higher rates of grade switching. Charter schools experience significantly less grade switching than traditional public schools.
The Family-School Relationships in Europe: A Research Review
Author: Dusi, Paola
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Family School Relationship,Foreign Countries,Parent Teacher Cooperation,Educational Research,Neoliberalism,Parent Participation,Teacher Attitudes,Literature Reviews

The literature on research carried out in the field and parents' and teachers' declarations all point in the same direction: good collaboration between home and school is useful to the child-student for his education and learning. Despite this, parent-teacher relationships in Europe (and elsewhere), from Spain to Sweden, from Ireland to Greece, and from Italy to the Czech Republic, represent an unresolved issue. This is a complex relationship that calls into play various social spheres: macro (social), intermediary (institutional) and micro (relational); in fact, there are as many diverse realities as there are schools. In Europe, the relationship between individual behaviours (parents vs. teachers), social orientations (neoliberalism) and institutional frameworks (school markets) appears significant: scarce parental participation, lack of adequate forms of home-school communications, and the need to make investments in parent and teacher training. Nevertheless, family and school are called on to create a dialogue in order to contribute to the processes of training new generations. They both need each other in order to carry out that task in the best way. This paper presents and discusses the results of a theoretical analysis conducted on the basis of the international literature concerning research on the school-family relationship, with particular attention on the situation of different European countries, and concludes with suggestions for some practical improvements.
Closing the Research to Practice Gap in Therapeutic Residential Care: Service Provider-University Partnerships Focused on Evidence-Based Practice
Author: Thompson, Ronald W.
Date: 2017-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Residential Care,Therapy,Evidence Based Practice,Research,Cooperation,Universities,Program Implementation,Fidelity,Drug Therapy

Residential care has been criticized for its high cost and limited research evidence. While recent studies and reviews of the literature suggest that a number of evidence-based practices are being implemented in residential care settings, more research is needed to develop and test empirically based practices that can be successfully implemented in residential care. In this article, we offer a promising strategy to address this issue: a long-term research partnership between a large service provider agency and a university-based research center to conduct a program of research which has resulted in translation of evidence-supported practices into service provider programs, contributions to the science of residential care, and training opportunities for young applied scientists to specialize in this important work. This evolving program of research includes four core applied research topic areas in which this collaboration has had some ongoing success: program and practice implementation fidelity, therapeutic process factors, aftercare, and psychotropic medication use. We suggest that this type of long-term collaborative research partnership is an approach for others to consider for conducting research that informs effective residential care practices.
The Management of Parental Involvement in Multicultural Schools in South Africa: A Case Study
Author: Michael, Sathiapama
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Parent Participation,Qualitative Research,Focus Groups,Parent School Relationship,Multicultural Education,School Administration,Secondary Schools,Principals,Secondary School Teachers,Parents,Parent Role,School Policy,Decision Making,Volunteers,Cultural Differences,Barriers

The aim of this study was to investigate the management of parental involvement in three multicultural schools in the Umlazi District in Durban, South Africa. A literature survey resulting in a theoretical framework on parental involvement in schools, multicultural schools, and the managing of parental involvement in schools has been done. The contextual background of schools in contemporary South Africa is depicted. A qualitative research design has been used. Focus group discussions have been conducted, with a total of thirty-three principals, teachers and parents. It has found that there is a low level of meaningful contact between school and parents. Apathy exists on the side of parents, low expectations on the side of principals and teachers, and an organisational structure facilitating parent-school interaction is lacking. In managing parental involvement in multicultural schools, school managers display a lack of intercultural sensitivity.
Approaches to Building Teacher-Parent Cooperation
Author: Cankar, Franc
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Parent Teacher Cooperation,Expectation,Elementary School Teachers,Parents,Parent Influence,Parent Participation,Organizational Communication,Parent School Relationship,Teacher Attitudes,Parent Background,Educational Attainment,Rural Urban Differences,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Surveys,Parent Surveys,Secondary School Teachers,Statistical Analysis,Maximum Likelihood Statistics,Factor Analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore the areas of cooperation in which parent and teacher expectations were the same and where they differed. Data were obtained from a sample of 55 randomly selected primary schools. We analyzed school-to home communications, parental influence on school decisions, and parent involvement in different school activities. At the same time, we also explored building cooperation among the teachers, students, and their parents, within the framework of the program 'Reading and Conversation'. The findings indicated that the third- and ninth- grade lead teachers were mostly in agreement about the importance of parent involvement and as such represented a fairly homogenous group. The third-grade lead teachers were more open about actual involvement of parents in instruction than their ninth-grade colleagues, who were more cautious and restrained. In contrast to the lead teachers who represented a relatively narrow professional group, parents' views were much more diverse. Parental education was the best predictor of their readiness to become involved in the life and work of their children's school. Whether the area in which the families lived was urban or suburban did not make any difference. The evaluation of the one-year 'Reading and Conversation' programme revealed increases in parents'motivation to collaborate with the school as a consequence of the program's approach to work, as well as improvement in mutual relationships and dialogue.
Cooperation between Migrant Parents and Teachers in School: A Resource?
Author: Lea, Martha
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parent Teacher Cooperation,Migrants,Educational Policy,Parent School Relationship,Parents,Equal Education,Inclusion,Teaching Experience,Cultural Awareness,Second Language Learning,Educational Legislation,Foreign Countries

Even smaller Western countries receive immigrants from remote areas with poorer living conditions. As stated in the U.N. Child Convention, immigrant children should be given equal opportunities in education. Parents are always interested in their children's future, and education may gain from stronger cooperation between school and parents. Some research shows that even illiterate parents may support their children's training in a second language (Cummins, 1986/2001, p. 665). Dialogues between teachers and parents promote mutual understanding and increase parents' knowledge of school and society. This might make the parents trust society more, enhance their acculturation and reduce future intergenerational conflicts (Portes &amp; Rumbaut, 2001). A professional teacher needs cultural knowledge and understanding in order to give her/his students an education adapted to their needs. Migrant students especially should feel that there is coherence in their education, because cultural conflicts sap their energy and may also cause identity problems and lead to lack of motivation. For teachers it is important that education policy provides for equal opportunities. Norway has an inclusive policy concerning immigrant children. The students have language support to a certain degree both in their mother tongue and in Norwegian when needed. Parents and schools are obliged to cooperate in education, and some support is therefore given to translation. Cooperation is required by conferences and meetings. There are gains for all parties in cooperation between school and migrant parents, but it is difficult to develop mutual cultural understanding for all students and equal opportunities for migrant students. This requires a clear school policy, the means to implement it, and teacher competence. It takes a process to learn how to cooperate and give adequate support. The Norwegian policy shows a will to cooperation, but the implementation of the policy can still be improved.
The Role and Potential Dangers of Visualisation When Learning about Sub-Microscopic Explanations in Chemistry Education
Author: Eilks, Ingo
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Chemistry,Science Education,Secondary School Science,Visual Aids,Textbooks

The core of theory-driven chemistry education consists of the constant shift between the different representational domains of chemical thinking: the macroscopic, the sub-microscopic, and the symbolic domains. Because the sub-microscopic domain can neither be seen nor directly visualised, it requires specific forms of visualisation, i.e. pictures and animations illustrating the model-based level of discrete particles, atoms, or molecular structures. This paper considers the central role visualisations play when learning about the model-based, sub-microscopic level, but it also reflects the dangers inherent in employing insufficiently examined, poorly considered, or even misleading visualisations. This is outlined using different examples taken from both textbooks for lower secondary chemistry education (for students aged 10 to 15) and from the internet. Implications for structuring and using sub-micro visualisations in chemistry education are also given.
A Validation Study of the National Assessment Instruments for Young English Language Learners in Norway and Slovenia
Author: Pižorn, Karmen
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Guidelines,Test Construction,Language Tests,National Competency Tests,Foreign Countries,Test Validity,Language Proficiency,Elementary School Students,Grading,Test Items,Feedback (Response),Quality Control,Statistical Analysis

This article is a validation study of two national large-scale tests that measure the language proficiency of 11/12 year-old English learners in Norway and Slovenia. Following the example of Alderson and Banerjee (2008), the authors of the article have employed the EALTA guidelines for good practice to validate the tests, and to formulate major recommendations for improvement of both assessment instruments, where feasible (Alderson &amp; Banerjee, 2008). The results of the validation study show that both national tests in English seem to fulfil most of the EALTA guidelines for good practice, although a few issues related to the test construct and test design procedures need to be re-assessed, and some changes may be required.
Mediated-Efficacy: Hope for &quot;Helpless&quot; Writers
Author: Camfield, Eileen Kogl
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Skills,Self Efficacy,Student Attitudes,College Freshmen,Developmental Studies Programs,Remedial Instruction,Writing Instruction,Grounded Theory,Helplessness,Barriers,Surveys,Coping,Resilience (Psychology)

Building on previous studies of college students' writing self-efficacy beliefs, this article presents the empirical foundation for a reconceptualized understanding of this identity process. The study assessed 131 college freshmen enrolled in a developmental writing course who were evaluated holistically using grounded theory methodology. The study identified (a) major theoretical categories revealing the nature of students' initial pessimism about themselves as writers and sense of learned helplessness and (b) a subsequent shift toward optimism and self-efficacy triggered by a particular learning relationship formed with their instructors, the core of the posited mediated-efficacy theory. Implications for college-level developmental writing pedagogy are explored.
Attitudes and Motivation in Early Foreign Language Learning
Author: Djigunovic, Jelena Mihaljevic
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning,Language Attitudes,Learning Motivation,Data Collection,Research Methodology,Case Studies,Longitudinal Studies,Student Characteristics,Literature Reviews,Elementary School Students,Student Attitudes

This paper focuses on young foreign language learners' attitudes and motivations. An overview is given of the main issues in this research area, based on key European studies. Approaches to studying these affective learner characteristics are described. Some attention is devoted to data elicitation techniques and the importance of triangulation. Research findings are presented through overviews of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies carried out in different European settings. The latter are presented in more detail, because their findings seem to be more revealing of the early foreign language learning process. The overall conclusion of this review paper is that young foreign language learners' attitudes and motivations are not stable learner characteristics but change over time, creating layers of complexity that warrant further research. Suggestions about possible future directions in researching young foreign language learner attitudes and motivations, and the application of its findings are also made.