ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
iPads Enhance Social Interaction Skills among Hearing-Impaired Children of Low Income Families in Saudi Arabia
Author: Bahatheg, Raja Omar
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Handheld Devices,Educational Technology,Hearing Impairments,Foreign Countries,Interaction,Comparative Analysis,Measures (Individuals),Educational Games,Access to Computers,Quasiexperimental Design,Low Income,Children,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis

This research tries to investigate the technical contribution on improving the social interaction of hearing-impaired children from low income families in Saudi Arabia. It compares the social interaction skills of hearing-impaired children who do and do not have access to iPads. To achieve the goals of the study; seventeen children aged five years old were given access for the first time to iPads to enhance their social skills. The researcher downloaded 10 educational games on to the iPads and gave each family one iPad whom their child was required to play with the iPad for three hours daily. The researcher used the Child's Social Interaction Scale CSIS as a pre- or post-application measurement to assess the hearing-impaired children's social interaction skills. Results of the study showed that hearing-impaired children can make all behaviours that are essential to successful social interaction. Also, these children become more sociable, saying thank you, apologising to others, following rules and waiting for a turn. In light of the results, the researcher recommended commercial companies who create games for children to pay attention to hearing-impaired children and develop techniques to help them play with these games in order to develop their interaction social skills alongside normally hearing children.
Before the School Bell Rings: How a Before-School Physical Activity Program Improves Executive Functions
Author: Hall, Georgia
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: After School Programs,Physical Activities,Executive Function,Pilot Projects,Elementary Schools,Elementary School Students,Public Schools,Child Development,Short Term Memory,Early Childhood Education,Surveys,Behavior Rating Scales,Interpersonal Competence,Regression (Statistics),Attention Control,Educational Benefits,Exercise,Pretests Posttests

Across the country, school administrators and educators struggle to find time for children to engage in physical activity while still giving them enough time in academic instruction. The steep rise in childhood obesity in the U.S. (National Center for Health Statistics, 2011; Ogden, Carroll, Kit, &amp; Flegal, 2014) suggests that the concern is urgent. However, the need to meet accountability standards puts pressure in the direction of more &quot;seat time&quot; rather than physical activity time. Research suggests that the tension between physical activity and academic achievement rests on a false dichotomy. Physical activity can and does support children's learning: Providing children with opportunities for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can help them improve their academic performance. In keeping with this research, this article describes a before-school physical activity program called BOKS (Build Our Kids' Success) launched during the 2009-2010 school year with a pilot program at one elementary school in the Natick Public School district in Natick, Massachusetts. The authors then describe a three year investigation of how a before-school physical activity program like BOKS can support the positive development of young children and support school learning. In particular they examined whether program participation was associated with &quot;executive functions&quot; such as working memory and the ability to shift between tasks.
The Relationship between WTC and Oral Proficiency Measurements in the Study Abroad Context
Author: Robson, Graham G.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Study Abroad,Second Language Learning,Linguistic Theory,Foreign Countries,Language Proficiency,Accuracy,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Asians,English (Second Language),Language Fluency,Communication (Thought Transfer),Oral Language,Second Language Instruction,Scores,College Preparation,Foreign Students,Language Tests

Theories of second language acquisition such as the Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1996) and Pushed Output Hypothesis (Swain, 1995) emphasize that learners must actually communicate in order to bring about the conditions for language acquisition. Learners who are more willing to communicate may create more opportunities for interaction, and thereby possibly improve their spoken proficiency. In L2 research fluency, accuracy and complexity have been used to extensively measure spoken output. This study uses qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate a largely under-researched area: whether there is a relation between fluency, accuracy and complexity, task engagement, and measures of willingness to communicate and actual learner communication and how these change for a group of 23 high-proficiency mainly Asian L2 English learners on a nine-week academic preparation course at a university in England.
Conceptualizing Mathematics as Discourse in Different Educational Settings
Author: Güçler, Beste
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Education,Thinking Skills,Educational Research,Classroom Communication,Language Usage,Teaching Methods,Educational Environment,Video Technology,Observation,Foreign Countries,Interviews

In this work, we focus on a relatively new theory in mathematics education research, which views thinking as communication and characterizes mathematics as a form of discourse. We discuss how this framework can be utilized in different educational settings by giving examples from our own research to highlight the insights it provides in the context of mathematics education. We conclude with the affordances and constraints of the theory for mathematics education research and practice.
The Association between Attitude towards the Implementation of Staff Development Training and the Practice of Knowledge Sharing among Lecturers
Author: Kassim, Abd. Latif
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Faculty Development,Demography,Gender Differences,Teaching Experience,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Knowledge Management,Sharing Behavior,Computer Software,Correlation,Teacher Motivation,Theories

This study was aimed to identify the association of teachers' attitude towards the implementation of Staff Development Training with Knowledge Sharing Practices among the lecturers of the Teacher Training Institution (TTI). In addition, this study was also to examine the differences in attitudes towards the implementation of Staff Development Training and differences of knowledge sharing practices of lecturers based on demographic factors (gender, teaching experience, and academic qualifications). This is a quantitative approach in cross-sectional survey to collect data on the attitude towards staff development training and knowledge sharing practices among lecturers. The population of this study involved 748 lecturers from TTI in Perlis, Kedah, and Pulau Pinang. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 336 samples from the population. The instruments used in this research were Attitude of Staff Development Training (Siti-Zanariah, 2010) and Knowledge Sharing (Siti-Zanariah, 2010). Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 19.0 was used for analysis of data. The descriptive data analysis involved the description of the respondents such as frequency and percentage, while the second part of inferential analysis was to test the hypotheses, using Pearson correlation, t-test, and ANOVA. This study had found that there was a significant and positive association between attitude towards SDT with knowledge sharing practices, a significant difference and positive attitude towards SDT based on gender and teaching experience and a significant and positive difference in terms of knowledge sharing practices based on gender, teaching experience, and academic qualifications. However, the results revealed that there were no significant differences in the attitudes of SDT based on academic qualifications. This research also discussed about the findings, implications, and contributions to the body of knowledge and the country, as well as the direction of future research.
Request Strategies in Professional E-Mail Correspondence: Insights from the United States Workplace
Author: Leopold, Lisa
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Mail,Computer Mediated Communication,Pragmatics,Speech Acts,English,Native Speakers,Business Communication,Syntax,Gender Differences,Social Status,Computational Linguistics,Work Environment,Teaching Methods,Writing (Composition),North Americans,Discourse Analysis,Online Surveys,Statistical Analysis

Despite growing interest in the rhetorical features of e-mail correspondence, this is the first study to examine the request strategies in e-mails written by native English-speaking professionals from a variety of industries in the United States. This study uses Blum-Kulka, House, and Kasper's (1989) speech act framework to analyze the request strategies from 450 request head acts. Though often mitigated with lexico-syntactic devices, direct requests occurred at about two and one half times the rate of indirect requests, and there was some variation in request strategy according to request category, gender, status, and social distance. Although the imperative was used most frequently across all gender, status, and social distance groups, senders did not choose it--the most direct strategy--as often with recipients to whom they wrote direct requests most frequently. This shows that senders may prefer particular direct or indirect strategies over others with certain recipients. Moreover, senders often used more mitigators with recipients to whom they more frequently wrote direct requests, thus suggesting that the politeness of a request cannot be judged solely by the request strategy chosen. As the first corpus-based study that examines authentic request e-mails in the North American workplace, this study offers important pedagogical implications for professional e-mail composition.
The Effect of Writing Task and Task Conditions on Colombian EFL Learners' Language Use
Author: McDonough, Kim
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Writing Instruction,Language Usage,Writing (Composition),Foreign Countries,Problem Solving,Grammar,Accuracy,Language Skills,Undergraduate Students,Coding,Essays,Paragraph Composition

This classroom study examines whether English L2 writers' language use differs depending on the writing task (operationalized as paragraph type), and task conditions (operationalized as individual or collaborative writing). The texts written by English L2 university students in Colombia (N = 26) in response to problem/solution and cause/effect writing tasks were compared in terms of analytic ratings, use of target grammatical clauses, and accuracy. Approximately half of the students wrote individually while the other half collaborated in pairs. Results indicated that the writing task was a significant factor, with cause/effect paragraphs rated higher and having more target clauses than the problem/solution paragraphs. Task condition was also a significant factor, with collaborative texts more accurate than individual texts. Implications for L2 writing pedagogy are highlighted.
Comparing the Lexical Features of EAP Students' Essays by Prompt and Rating
Author: Lavallée, Maxime
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Word Frequency,English for Academic Purposes,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Familiarity,Cues,Essays,Writing Evaluation,Comparative Analysis,Notetaking,Holistic Approach,Scoring Rubrics,Writing Tests,Foreign Countries,College Students,Correlation,Vocabulary

Previous research has shown that high frequency lexical items, such as AWL words and formulaic expressions, may differentiate between texts written by expert and novice writers (Chen &amp; Baker, 2010; Hancioglu, 2009), and that lexical features related to breadth, depth, and accessibility differentiate among texts from L2 writers of different proficiency levels (Crossley &amp; McNamara, 2009, 2012; Crossley, Weston, McLain Sullivan, &amp; McNamara, 2011). The current study compared the essays written by EAP students in response to either a cause or an effect writing prompt. As part of their EAP writing class, the students (N = 94) had two weeks to read six source texts and take notes to prepare for an integrative-writing exam. Students' essays were assessed by three raters using a holistic rubric, and five lexical features of their essays were analyzed: percentage of AWL word use, content word frequency, word familiarity, imagability, and lexical diversity. The results indicated that responses to the effect prompt were rated significantly lower than cause essays, contained more frequent and familiar words, and had a lower percentage of AWL words. However, there was no significant correlation between essay ratings and lexical features. Potential explanations for the findings and pedagogical implications are discussed.
Teachers' Entrepreneurial Profile: Case Study
Author: Stettiner, Caio Flavio
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Business Administration,Business Administration Education,Questionnaires,Teacher Surveys,Entrepreneurship,Teacher Education,Individual Characteristics,Likert Scales

This article was prepared in order to investigate whether the teachers working in a Business Administration BA degree have an entrepreneurial profile, with the aim of finding whether such teachers are able to support the Pedagogical Proposal of the Institution to which they belong to in what concerns the requirement of the course and also the Pedagogical Proposal of the course itself. The methodological procedure adopted was the Documentary Analysis, i.e., a study that is based on documents such as books, statistic maps, journal articles and the procedure of a Case Study. The data collection technique adopted was also the Documentary Analysis plus a Survey-type questionnaire. As a result, the Research has shown that the teachers of said course do have an entrepreneurial profile that range from medium to medium-high, plus a good knowledge of Entrepreneurship Education, which can truly guarantee the Course Pedagogical Proposal.
An Investigation of Teachers' Perceptions of the Effects of Class Size on Teaching
Author: Almulla, Mohammed Abdullatif
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Class Size,Private Schools,Large Group Instruction,Teaching Methods,Barriers,Classroom Techniques,Student Behavior,Academic Achievement,Foreign Countries,Teacher Effectiveness,Instructional Effectiveness,Semi Structured Interviews,Questionnaires

This study investigates the perceptions of Saudi Arabian primary school teachers in Years 4, 5 and 6 and discusses the effects of class size on teaching. The data comes from 30 teachers who teach small classes in two private schools, and 37 who teach large classes in two state schools in Alhafouf, Saudi Arabia. The study discusses whether different numbers of students in class could have an impact on teachers' perceptions and teaching practices. The data show that teachers in both small and large classes believe that class size has some impact on their teaching. Teachers in large classes report that they usually use a limited range of teaching methods, which tend to be more teacher-centred. The data show that all teachers in both small and large classes believe that class size has some impact on their teaching. In addition, the majority of participants say that they prefer to teach a class which contains 15 to 20 students. It has been highlighted in this study that there are many barriers and difficulties, especially with regard to lesson time, which most teachers in large classes could face regarding the management of students' behaviour and the assessment of students' performance. Empirical evidence suggests that class size is still the major aspect affecting teaching.
Applying Semiotic Theories to Graphic Design Education: An Empirical Study on Poster Design Teaching
Author: Yang, Chao-Ming
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Semiotics,Design,Graphic Arts,Art Education,Visual Aids,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Comparative Analysis,Experiments,Curriculum,Statistical Analysis,Pretests Posttests

The rationales behind design are dissimilar to those behind art. Establishing an adequate theoretical foundation for conducting design education can facilitate scientising design methods. Thus, from the perspectives of the semiotic theories proposed by Saussure and Peirce, we investigated graphic design curricula by performing teaching experiments, verifying the adequacy of applying these theories to poster design. During the teaching experiment, a matched groups design method was used for assigning 30 students to either an experimental group or a control group. The results of the experiment revealed that compared with the control group students, the experimental group students, who applied the semiotic theories to their poster designs, performed more favourably in image creativity, picture aesthetic, typography, and total poster design score. The posters created by the students were submitted to International Triennial of Ecological Posters &quot;the 4th Block&quot;, and a total of 4 creations from the experimental group were accepted. The results of the teaching experiment verify that applying semiotic theories to graphic design curricula facilitates improving student ability to observe objects and cultivating their capability to design posters and reinforce the visual tension in the posters
Market-Based Approaches to Quality Assessment and Management of Higher Education in the Republic of Kazakhstan
Author: Valikhanova, Zarina
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Quality,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Quality Control,Educational Policy,Evaluation Criteria,Human Resources,Universities,Tuition,Costs,Institutional Evaluation,Total Quality Management,Educational Administration

This article considers the problems of the definition of quality in the educational sphere. Alternative approaches to the concept of quality of education and its evaluation are determined given the different approaches of scientists and experts. The most important criteria in assessing the quality is distinguished and formed in the matrix for quality control and to further enhance the higher education institutions. For the formation of the quality policy as it is conventionally defined in the market environment, interested parties are considered in the quality of education. The article shows an example of quality environment, you can analyze and generate a correct policy of higher education institution, taking into account the market environment and the matrix quality can complement each other in the process of quality management education. The article also discusses the current situation in the market of educational services of the Republic of Kazakhstan, based on the data that are not presented in the article. It is invited to consider the quality index which is formed on the basis of analysis of the &quot;price-quality&quot;.
Self-Directed Learning and Skills of Problem-Based Learning: A Case of Nigerian Secondary Schools Chemistry Students
Author: Abubakar, Abbas Babayi
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Chemistry,Secondary School Science,Problem Based Learning,Scientific Concepts,Teacher Role,Student Role,Skill Development,Student Centered Learning,Conventional Instruction,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research,Intervention,Focus Groups,Content Analysis,Program Effectiveness,Coding,Learning Strategies

The role of chemistry in the development of any society cannot be overemphasized. Chemistry students are therefore expected to acquire flexible knowledge and problem solving skills to facilitate the expected development of our modern society. The purpose of this article is to investigate the roles of teachers and student in the development of self-directed learning and skills in Nigerian Secondary Schools. PBL is a student-centered pedagogy which helps students develop problem solving skills and improved knowledge through self-directed learning under teacher's supervision. It is supported by Cognitive and Constructive psychologists. The learning process in Nigeria schools does not produce students with the required skills and knowledge, because of traditional instructions by teachers, poor learning environment and inadequate learning facilities. This gives a reason for the research. The study used a qualitative approach with explanatory design. Fifteen (15) chemistry students (16 years) and a teacher were purposefully selected in one Senior Secondary School as participants. The participants received 6 weeks of PBL lessons using a topic purification of water. The researchers collected data through observations field notes during the intervention process and also interview a focus group of 5 students after the PBL lessons. The data were transcribed, triangulated and analyzed using content analysis. The results showed students have improved learning and acquisition of problem solving skills including life-long learning and information management due effective self-directed learning activities among them. The researchers therefore recommend the introduction of self-directed learning approach in Nigerian Secondary Schools and other higher educational institutions.
Transforming Teacher Education Thinking: Complexity and Relational Ways of Knowing
Author: Sanford, Katherine Jane
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Education,Teacher Education Programs,Case Studies,Educational Change,Transformative Learning,Criticism,Epistemology,World Views,Educational Theories,Learning Theories,Difficulty Level,Interdisciplinary Approach,Indigenous Knowledge,Observational Learning,Classroom Observation Techniques,Practicums,Teacher Role,Immersion Programs,Cooperation,Teaching Experience

In order for teacher education programs to act as significant scaffolds in supporting new teachers to become informed, creative and innovative members of a highly complex and valuable profession, we need to re-imagine ways in which teacher education programs operate. We need to re-imagine how courses are conceptualized and connected, how learning is shared and how knowledge, not just &quot;professional&quot;, but embedded knowledge in authentic contexts of teaching and learning is understood, shaped and re-applied. Drawing on our collective case study of instructors' lived experience of a locally developed program in secondary teacher education called Transformative University of Victoria (TRUVIC), we offer a relational approach to knowing as an alternative to more mechanistic explanations that limit teacher growth and development. To ground our interpretation, we draw on complexity as a theory of change and emergence that supports learning as distributed, relational, adaptive and emerging.