ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
What Is an Ideal Critical Thinker Expected to Conclude about Anthropogenic Global Warming?
Author: Guzzo, Guilherme Brambatti
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Critical Thinking,Climate,Change,Thinking Skills,Educational Philosophy,Evidence,Information Sources,Environmental Influences

Critical thinking involves the ability to properly assess statements and actions, and it also requires a permanent disposition to appropriately use cognitive skills in the evaluation of any claim. In the present paper, we discuss the characteristics of an ideal critical thinker, and apply them to a contemporary problem, namely anthropogenic global warming (AGW, a hypothesis that accounts for the increase of the average temperature of Earth as a consequence of human activities), in order to discuss what an ideal critical thinker is expected to conclude about the occurrence of this phenomenon. We assume that an ideal critical thinker is able to find out where the most reliable information regarding a certain issue is, is competent to reasonably evaluate it, and has an inclination to calibrate her beliefs according to the results of the inquiry. We thus conclude that an ideal critical thinker is expected to accept the current scientific consensus that AGW is occurring, albeit considering this issue, as well as virtually any other idea, open to revision. The fact that in many occasions people are selective in using critical thinking skills, such as when they reject the massive evidence of AGW, should be a cause of concern for educators, who should motivate their students to think critically about any problem and question they encounter; this, in turn, could help the students to develop a better understanding of the world, take more reasonable courses of action, and be protected against misinformation.
An Analysis of Educational Policies for School-Aged Syrian Refugees in Turkey
Author: Alpaydin, Yusuf
Date: 2017-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Refugees,Educational Policy,Access to Education,Educational Quality,Educational Legislation,Educational Facilities,Educational Finance,Educational Resources,Teacher Shortage,Curriculum Development,Student Adjustment,Student Needs,Student Personnel Services,Observation,Surveys,Elementary Secondary Education,Barriers

The purpose of this study is to analyse the educational policies for Syrian school-aged refugees in Turkey. In this study, we identified the policy priorities for refugees by first examining the theoretical approaches to refugee education and the common problems observed for refugee education in different countries. Using this framework, we assessed refugee students' access to education and the studies on providing quality education to school-aged refugees through an examination of the relevant legislation and research reports. This study draws attention to both the progress in this area (the development of school facilities, financial support for teachers and the provision of school supplies) and its deficiencies (the exclusion of students from outside the camps from education, staff shortages, problems preparing appropriate curricula along with special trainings and events to promote students' socio-cultural adaptation and the shortage of psycho-social support services for traumatized students).
Using Concrete Manipulatives in Mathematical Instruction
Author: Jones, Julie P.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematical Concepts,Manipulative Materials,Mathematics Activities,Elementary School Mathematics,Elementary School Students

Concrete, Representational, Abstract (CRA) instruction is a process for teaching and learning mathematical concepts. Starting with manipulation of concrete materials (counters, beans, Unifix cubes), the process moves students to the representational level (tallies, dots, stamps), and peaks at the abstract level, at which numbers and symbols are used to demonstrate understandings (Witzel, 2005). With the purpose of giving students a thorough understanding of math concepts, CRA instruction allows students to make associations from one stage of the process to the next. While CRA instruction can seem like an arduous task, teachers and parents, as primary instructors, do not need to purchase expensive, commercially produced manipulatives in order to impart quality CRA instruction. Rather, everyday objects found around an average classroom or household can be used as convenient and effective mathematical manipulatives. CRA instruction has been shown to benefit students in an inclusive setting, regardless of the individual ability, and it is probable that students with various levels of arithmetic understanding will increase their knowledge of mathematical concepts by way of CRA instruction.
Comparative Analysis of Participation of Teachers of STEM and Non-STEM Subjects in Professional Development
Author: Chiyaka, Edward T.
Date: 2017-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,STEM Education,Faculty Development,Inservice Teacher Education,Teacher Participation,Case Studies,Middle School Teachers,Principals,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Education,Administrator Surveys,Teacher Surveys,Statistical Analysis

School administrators continuously consider teacher professional development (PD) as one of the key strategies to improving teachers' pedagogical skills. Modern proposals for advancing education by improving student learning outcomes are centered on high quality professional development for teachers. However, teachers face a number of barriers when it comes to participation in PD. Also, students in K-12 levels taking Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM subjects often report different learning experiences, most of which influence their decisions to enroll in STEM or non-STEM career-related programs in higher education. Understanding factors that influence the differential in teacher participation in PD is a critical step towards addressing student interest in STEM careers. Using the cross-sectional survey data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey of 2013, this study compared the participation of middle school STEM and non-STEM teachers in PD activities in the US. A bivariate analysis was used to compare STEM subject teachers versus non-STEM subject teachers' participation in PD activities, its impact, and challenges. The findings showed that PD participation was higher among teachers of STEM subjects, but not significantly different from those for non-STEM subjects. Out-field teaching (no formal training of subject taught) accounted for 10.3% of the survey participants. Further, conflict with one's work schedule was one of the major barriers to PD participation for teachers.
Connecting Kids and Nature: Lessons to Ignite Learning and Appreciation of the World around Us
Author: Campbell, Ashley
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Natural Resources,Reading Instruction,Science Activities,Intervention,Elementary School Students,Periodicals,Learning Activities,Wildlife,Student Surveys,Leisure Time,Student Journals

This article describes a semester-long project developed by the authors to create a positive connection between children and nature. The project integrated reading instruction with science activities to emphasize the natural world in the lives of children. This intervention involved the authors visiting an elementary classroom five times over the course of a semester to teach nature and reading activities. Each lesson consisted of a literary component wherein students read and discussed a single issue of &quot;Keeping Texas Wild,&quot; a Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine for children. The purpose of these lessons was to emphasize activities that would necessitate student observation of animals indigenous to the area where the students currently reside. Focusing on such animals increased the probability that students might encounter the wildlife during random outdoor experiences, thus increasing their interest in nature.
Learning Styles Terminology--What Is the Researcher Talking About?
Author: Lake, Warren W.
Date: 2017-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cognitive Style,Researchers,College Students,Learning Strategies,Questionnaires,Models,Vocabulary,Scholarship,Learning,Instruction

When a researcher encounters the term &quot;learning styles,&quot; its meaning, rather than being explicitly obvious, is dependent on the tradition and therefore the context from which the term has originated. For a new researcher, in particular, it can be a confusing and potentially time consuming process to correctly identify the differences in the terminology. Importantly, it has been recognized that different researchers may use the same term, yet may not be referring to the same concept, as is particularly the case with the term &quot;learning style.&quot; The confusion generated by the use of similar yet unrelated terminologies from different research traditions poses an ongoing important question: should the term &quot;learning style&quot; be considered as the overall generic term that researchers use to define student learning dimensions? Therefore, the review of terminology in learning style/s related fields could benefit from the acceptance of an overarching terminology, whether it be &quot;learning styles,&quot; &quot;learning patterns,&quot; or &quot;learning dimensions.&quot; Furthermore, and far more importantly, research related to this terminology could benefit from an extended explanation of the links to other research, making clear, the basis of current and future research to other researchers.
Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs about Inquiry-Based Learning after a Professional Development Course--An International Study
Author: Maass, Katja
Date: 2017-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Beliefs,Inquiry,Faculty Development,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Cross Cultural Studies,Cultural Differences,Problem Solving,Questioning Techniques,Cooperative Learning,Prior Learning,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Peer Evaluation,Case Studies,Adolescents,Interviews,Coding

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a more student-centered approach to mathematics teaching that is recommended by many policy and curriculum documents across Europe. However, it is not easy for teachers to change from a more teacher-centered way of teaching to inquiry-based teaching as this involves a change of their role in class. Professional development courses are one way to help teachers with this endeavor. Within the discussion of effective professional development, beliefs are often named as an important influencing factor. In this respect, much research has been carried out on how beliefs on mathematics teaching impact the outcomes of the course. However, there has been much less research on what beliefs mathematics teachers develop on inquiry-based learning and how this might impact their (perceived) classroom teaching. Therefore, this paper presents an international research study carried out within the European Project Primas, in which professional development courses on inquiry-based learning were conducted in 12 countries. Using the case-study approach, this paper aims at answering the following questions: 1. What kind of beliefs about IBL do mathematics teachers across Europe develop? 2. How do these beliefs relate to teachers' perceived enactments of IBL?
Examining the Factors of Self-Compassion Scale with Canonical Commonality Analysis: Syrian Sample
Author: Ozdemir, Burhanettin
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Psychological Patterns,Correlation,Psychology,Self Concept,Metacognition,Student Surveys,Value Judgment,Predictor Variables,Student Characteristics,Psychological Testing,Scores,Withdrawal (Psychology),Statistical Analysis

Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to examine the psychological structure of self-compassion and to determine the relationship between the sub-dimensions (or factors) of the self-compassion-scale and the contribution of each factor to the construct. Although the self-compassion scale has been commonly used in the area of psychology, the number of the studies that examine the relationship between the factors (or sub-dimensions) of self-compassion is limited. The contribution of this study is assumed to be substantial since it examines the relationship between the several factors of self-compassion and determines the unique and common contribution of each factor to the self-compassion construct. Method: This study employed a relational survey method. A purposive sampling technique was used in order to determine the study group which consisted of 593 university students from Damascus University, Syria. Findings and Results: According to canonical correlation analysis &quot;mindfulness&quot; was the most important among the positive factors set, while &quot;over-identified&quot; was the most important among the negative factors set. On the other hand, common variance of &quot;common-humanity&quot; and &quot;self-kindness&quot; was quite large, indicating multicollinearity between these two factors. Additionally, the contribution of &quot;common humanity&quot; was negligibly small; therefore, it can be excluded from the model with a small sacrifice in explained variance. Conclusions and Recommendations: Although the results of this study suggest the exclusion the &quot;common-humanity&quot; factor from the self-compassion structure, more research should be conducted to support this finding both theoretically and empirically. Also, additional statistical methods should be used to explore the complex relationship between factors of self-compassion within different samples.
The Relationship between the Pre-Service Classroom Teachers' Techno Pedagogical Instructional Competencies and Epistemological Beliefs
Author: Yorulmaz, Alper
Date: 2017-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Epistemology,Teacher Competencies,Foreign Countries,Beliefs,Statistical Analysis,Technological Literacy,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Gender Differences,Grade Point Average,Correlation,Teacher Surveys

The purpose of the current study is to determine the relationship between the pre-service classroom teachers' epistemological beliefs and techno pedagogical subject-area competencies. While the universe of the study is comprised of a total of 187 senior pre-service teachers attending the Department of Classroom Teacher Education in Mugla Sitki Kocman University in 2014-2015 academic year, the sampling consists of 141 pre-service teachers selected through the random sampling method from among the universe. The reason for selecting the senior students for the universe of the study was that they had already taken the subject-area, pedagogical and general culture courses. In the collection of the research data, The Techno Pedagogical Competency Scale and Epistemological Belief Scale and a personal information form were used. The data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS 21.0 program package. During the analysis process, first it was tested whether the data display a normal distribution and after it was determined that the data show a normal distribution, from among the descriptive statistics, t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to reveal the differences and Pearson-product Moment Correlation Coefficient analysis was used to elicit the correlations. The analyses revealed that the pre-service classroom teachers' level of techno pedagogical competencies is high and their level of epistemological beliefs is medium. Gender and academic grade point average were found to be not leading to significant differences in their techno pedagogical subject-area competencies. Moreover, a negative and significant correlation was found between the pre-service classroom teachers' techno pedagogical subject-area competencies and epistemological beliefs.
Technical Drafting and Mental Visualization in Interior Architecture Education
Author: Arslan, Ali Riza
Date: 2017-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Architectural Education,Visualization,Spatial Ability,Drafting,Undergraduate Students,Interviews,Foreign Countries,Skill Development,Observation,Models,Cognitive Structures,Qualitative Research

We explored how beginning-level interior architecture students develop skills to create mental visualizations of three-dimensional objects and environments, how they develop their technical drawing skills, and whether or not physical and computer generated models aid this design process. We used interviews and observations to collect data. The findings provide an insight on what kind of difficulties students experience during their learning process and how they overcome those difficulties. The results of the study indicate that the students' lack of skills in technical drawing and in creating 2D and 3D mental visualizations negatively influenced their design process. Using the existing body of literature, we discussed the findings and suggested teaching strategies to improve the learning process for the beginning-level interior architecture students. The findings of this study allowed us to have a better understanding of the student design and learning process.
Problematic Internet Usage: Personality Traits, Gender, Age and Effect of Dispositional Hope Level
Author: Cetin Gudunz, Hicran
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Personality Traits,Gender Differences,Age Differences,Psychological Patterns,Internet,College Students,Correlation,Student Characteristics,Foreign Countries,Personality Measures,Tests,Student Surveys,Student Behavior,Behavior Problems,Statistical Analysis

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of personality traits, gender, age and effects of dispositional hope level in problematic internet usage of university students. Research Methods: This paper is an example of a descriptive study, which presents the relationship between problematic internet usage of university students considering personality traits, gender, age and dispositional hope level. The study group consists of 376 students from different universities. Research data was collected by using the Problematic Internet Usage Scale, The Big Five Inventory, and the Dispositional Hope Scale. In the analysis of data, parametric tests were used. Findings: It has been observed that as neuroticism increases, excessive usage also increases; as conscientiousness increases, excessive usage of the internet decreases. As openness, extraversion and neuroticism increase, the effects of negative results of internet usage increase; as conscientiousness increases, the effects of negative results of internet usage decrease. At the same time, it can be said that as hope levels increase, the negative effects of internet usage decrease. All of these results can be interpreted as variables, except being an extravert does not have a practical value. Implications for Research and Practice: Based on the results, it was suggested that evaluation of results related to the studies made with high school students and adults will contribute to the field. In future studies, relationships between different usage fields of internet and problematic internet usage can be examined. The results would be helpful for prevention and intervention programs.
An Observation of Classroom Assessment Practices among Lecturers in Selected Malaysian Higher Learning Institutions
Author: Singh, Charanjit Kaur Swaran
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Outcomes of Education,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,College Faculty,Classroom Observation Techniques,Check Lists

Purpose: The study was aimed at exploring and analysing the current assessment practices of lecturers in selected Malaysian higher learning institution classrooms. The focus was the different modes of assessment used in the classroom and to make recommendations on using a variety of assessment modes that would be well-aligned with the intended learning outcomes. Methodology: A qualitative approach using a descriptive case study design was employed in developing the study. Subjects of the study were selected based on a voluntary basis and 15 lecturers teaching in eight programmes from two higher learning institutions participated in the study. Classroom observation was the main method of data collection, while data analysis employed thematic analysis. Each lecturer was observed twice. Three instruments were used in data collection, namely: pre-observation form, observation form and video recordings. The data was analysed through the open-coding process. The notes in the observation forms were compiled and reviewed to identify themes. Findings: The findings revealed that the current assessment practices of the lecturers included several modes of assessment, with oral questioning and peer assessment modes being used more frequently than others. The feedback modes employed were also varied with giving comments and correcting student answers or errors as the most common modes. The results provided evidence that besides teacher assessment, peer assessment was found to be another form of assessment favoured by the lecturers during the teaching and learning process. It was used to assess student presentations, to correct peer errors, and to give feedback. Significance: The findings were used to guide decisions on the need for assessment training for lecturers, educators and curriculum developers regarding the types of assessment modes for incorporation in teaching and learning, and also the need for assessment training that would provide lecturers with the knowledge and confidence to use a variety of assessment modes.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Mediating the Relationship between Emerging Adulthood and Academic Achievement
Author: Noor, Farukh
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Emotional Intelligence,Young Adults,Late Adolescents,Academic Achievement,Correlation,College Students,Foreign Countries,Student Surveys,Grade Point Average,Intelligence Tests,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Individual Characteristics,Structural Equation Models,Least Squares Statistics

Purpose: Academic achievement of students can be fostered and improved if they learn to apply emotional intelligence in their emerging adulthood. The core objective of this research is to test the relationship between emerging adulthood and academic achievement by taking emotional intelligence as a mediator. Methodology: The sample comprises 90 students from Islamia University Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan between the ages 18-25 years. Emerging adulthood characteristics are measured by using the Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA), emotional intelligence is measured by using Bar-On EQ-i and academic achievement is measured by Grade Point Average (GPA). Partial least square based structural equational modeling technique (PLS-SEM) is applied to analyze the data. Findings: The findings show a significant relationship among all the variables in the study and emotional intelligence fully mediates the relationship between emerging adulthood and academic achievement to show that academic achievement of students can be enhanced if they can apply emotional intelligence skills and abilities in their emerging adulthood. Significance: The study would be valuable for academic institutions to capitalize on emotional intelligence to reduce emotional issues among students and attain higher academic achievement and performance.