ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Financing Canadian Universities: Major Changes since 1802
Author: Nentwich, Franz W.
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Finance,Universities,Educational Change,Expenditures,Federal Aid,State Aid,Income,Educational Development,Educational History,Educational Practices,Politics of Education,Economic Factors,Educational Research,Operations Research,Funding Formulas,Financial Policy

Universities began operating in the present borders of Canada in 1802. As annual enrolments grew to 1,147,233 in 2012, so too did university expenditures. Government contributions to university revenues fluctuated from 62% in 1920 to 46% in 1935, reaching a high of 81% in the mid- to late 1970s, then falling to 48% in 2014. Annual university revenues increased about 275 times between 1920 and 2014 (in constant 2014 dollars), from $129.3 million to $35.5 billion. In the two centuries between 1813 and 2013, undergraduate fees (in constant 2013 dollars) increased by a factor of 24, from $236 to $5,720.
Computer-Adaptive Testing for Students with Disabilities: A Review of the Literature. Research Report. ETS RR-11-32
Author: Stone, Elizabeth
Date: 2011-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Assisted Testing,Adaptive Testing,Disabilities,Special Education,Literature Reviews,Elementary Secondary Education,Barriers,Accountability,Evaluation Methods

There has been an increased interest in developing computer-adaptive testing (CAT) and multistage assessments for K-12 accountability assessments. The move to adaptive testing has been met with some resistance by those in the field of special education who express concern about routing of students with divergent profiles (e.g., some students with math-based learning disabilities may have difficulty with basic computation but not high level problem solving) and poor performance on early test questions. This paper consists of a literature review focusing on adaptive testing issues for students with disabilities in the K-12 sector. While it is clear that there are issues that will present obstacles to administering accountability tests adaptively to students with disabilities, this synthesis of research and policy developments with respect to this topic will be useful both for development of research agendas and to inform states that are currently using or are considering moving to CAT.
The Impact of Changes in the TOEFL® Exam on Teaching in a Sample of Countries in Europe: Phase 3, The Role of the Coursebook; Phase 4, Describing Change. TOEFL iBT® Research Report. TOEFL iBT-17. ETS Research Report. RR-11-41
Author: Wall, Dianne
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Language Tests,Second Language Learning,Longitudinal Studies,Second Language Instruction,Computer Assisted Testing,Test Preparation,Content Analysis,Oral Language,Grammar,Language Skills,Language Teachers,Interviews,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Vocabulary Development,Teacher Education,Educational Change,Instructional Materials,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Listening Skills

The aim of this report is to present the findings of the 3rd and 4th phases of a longitudinal study into the impact of changes in the TOEFL® exam on teaching in test preparation classrooms. Phase 1 (2003-2004) described the type of teaching taking place in 12 TOEFL preparation classrooms before the introduction of the new TOEFL. Phase 2 (2004-2006) followed 6 of the Phase 1 teachers as they became aware of the requirements of the new test and faced the challenges of designing new courses to help students to prepare for it effectively. The objectives of the Phase 3 study (2006-2007) were to analyze the coursebooks that 4 of these teachers were using as they continued to prepare students for the TOEFL computer-based test (CBT) and began to plan courses for the TOEFL iBT®, and to find out how the teachers were using the coursebooks as they developed their courses and planned individual classroom sessions. The coursebook analysis revealed that the TOEFL iBT coursebooks differed considerably from the TOEFL CBT coursebooks in terms of content, with the inclusion of integrated writing tasks and independent and integrated speaking tasks and the absence of attention to grammatical form on its own. They did not differ greatly in terms of their general methodological approach, however. Information about how the teachers used their coursebooks was gathered via tracking questions and tasks eliciting self-report data. The coursebooks seemed to be playing an important role in shaping the teachers' understanding of the requirements of the new TOEFL, and the teachers depended on them heavily as they developed their courses and planned their lessons. The objectives of Phase 4 (2007-2008) were to interview and observe 3 of the same teachers, to find out what their preparation classes looked like 1 year after the introduction of the TOEFL iBT in their countries. While some aspects of teaching seemed not to have changed greatly, considerable changes occurred in the amount of attention the teachers paid to the development of speaking and to the integration of different skills. The teachers differed from each other in how much they had changed their methods to develop their students' language skills. The report concludes with a discussion of the role the new test, new coursebooks, and other factors in the educational context played in shaping current practices in these TOEFL preparation classrooms.
Improving Test Score Reporting: Perspectives from the ETS Score Reporting Conference. Research Report. ETS RR-11-45
Author: Zapata-Rivera, Diego, Ed.
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Conference Papers,Graphs,Data Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Knowledge Level,Difficulty Level,Cognitive Processes,Technology Uses in Education,Scores,Student Evaluation,Information Dissemination,Reports,Faculty Development,Audiences

This volume includes 3 papers based on presentations at a workshop on communicating assessment information to particular audiences, held at Educational Testing Service (ETS) on November 4th, 2010, to explore some issues that influence score reports and new advances that contribute to the effectiveness of these reports. Jessica Hullman, Rebecca Rhodes, Fernando Rodriguez, and Priti Shah present the results of recent research on graph comprehension and data interpretation, especially the role of presentation format, the impact of prior quantitative literacy and domain knowledge, the trade-off between reducing cognitive load and increasing active processing of data, and the affective influence of graphical displays. Rebecca Zwick and Jeffrey Sklar present the results of the Instructional Tools in Educational Measurement and Statistics for School Personnel (ITEMS) project, funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted at the University of California, Santa Barbara to develop and evaluate 3 web-based instructional modules intended to help educators interpret test scores. Zwick and Sklar discuss the modules and the procedures used to evaluate their effectiveness. Diego Zapata-Rivera presents a new framework for designing and evaluating score reports, based on work on designing and evaluating score reports for particular audiences in the context of the CBAL (Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning) project (Bennett &amp; Gitomer, 2009), which has been applied in the development and evaluation of reports for various audiences including teachers, administrators and students.
Multiple Linking in Equating and Random Scale Drift. Research Report. ETS RR-11-46
Author: Guo, Hongwen
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Equated Scores,College Entrance Examinations,Reliability,Testing Programs,Test Items,Statistical Analysis

Maintaining score stability is crucial for an ongoing testing program that administers several tests per year over many years. One way to stall the drift of the score scale is to use an equating design with multiple links. In this study, we use the operational and experimental SAT® data collected from 44 administrations to investigate the effect of accumulated equating error in equating conversions and the effect of the use of multiple links in equating. No equating error is directly observed or calculated in the study. Instead, we focus on the behavior of the equating conversions after a series of equatings under the nonequivalent groups with anchor test design and analyze the effect of equating error on conversions. It is observed that the single-link equating conversions drift further away from the operational ones as more equatings are carried out. Analysis of variance is used to decompose the scale score means and the conversion into two major factors: administration month and year for both single- and multiple-link equating results. Seasonality is seen in the data. In addition, the single-link conversions exhibit a certain instability that is not obvious for the operational data. A statistical random walk model is offered to explain the mechanism of scale drift in equating caused by random equating error.
Perceptions of the Impact of Online Learning as a Distance-Based Learning Model on the Professional Practices of Working Nurses in Northern Ontario
Author: Carter, Lorraine
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Nurses,Nursing Education,Electronic Learning,Distance Education,Online Courses,College Students,Reentry Students,Semi Structured Interviews,Student Attitudes,Student Experience,Professional Development,Educational Quality,Education Work Relationship,Access to Education,Educational Attitudes,Technology Uses in Education,Instructional Design

Nurses in Canada face diverse challenges to their ongoing educational pursuits. As a result, they have been early adopters of courses and programs based on distance education principles and, in particular, online learning models. In the study described in this paper, nurses studying at two northern universities, in programs involving online learning, were interviewed about their learning experiences and the impact of these experiences on their practice. The study led to insights into the factors affecting teaching and learning in distance settings; the complex work-life-study roles experienced by some nurses; life and work realities in northern settings; and the sustained importance of access enabled by online learning approaches.
Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Data in Mixed Methods Research--Challenges and Benefits
Author: Almalki, Sami
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mixed Methods Research,Educational Research,Research Methodology,Research Design,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research

This paper is concerned with investigating the integration of quantitative and qualitative data in mixed methods research and whether, in spite of its challenges, it can be of positive benefit to many investigative studies. The paper introduces the topic, defines the terms with which this subject deals and undertakes a literature review to outline the challenges and benefits of employing this approach to research. The specific terms research, educational research, research methodologies and methods, research design, quantitative approaches, qualitative approaches and mixed methods approaches are all defined. Mixed methods approaches are outlined in terms of their challenges and benefits, with the researcher offering a personal opinion in conclusion to the paper. The conclusion that was drawn was that provided that mixed methods research was a suitable approach to any given project, its use would yield positive benefits, in that the use of differing approaches has the potential to provide a greater depth and breadth of information which is not possible utilising singular approaches in isolation. In spite of its time-consuming nature, and the suspicion with which some quarters of academia still regard mixed methods research, it does afford opportunities for researchers to have an informed conversation or debate involving information that is generated by both quantitative and qualitative collection methods. Furthermore, evidence would suggest that, rather than restricting the opportunities for research by only utilising either qualitative or quantitative methods, a mixed methods approach provides researchers with a greater scope to investigate educational issues using both words and numbers, to the benefit of educational establishments and society as a whole.
Project Based Learning in Literature: The Teacher's New Role and the Development of Student's Social Skills in Upper Secondary Education
Author: Styla, Despoina
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Projects,Teaching Methods,Literature,High School Students,Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Interviews,Student Attitudes,Teacher Role,Instructional Effectiveness,Teacher Attitudes,Secondary School Teachers,Interpersonal Competence,Lesson Plans,Social Cognition,Reliability,Self Control,Empathy,Cooperation,Statistical Analysis,Likert Scales,Factor Analysis,Qualitative Research

The present research examines the project method, as it is met at the new curriculum of literature in the first Grade of Greek high schools and the effectiveness of it and of the teacher's role at the development of social skills, of students with low level. At first it is made an effort to measure that level at the beginning of the literature lessons, by giving to 381 students a questionnaire to answer about themselves and to their 13 teachers a questionnaire to answer about their student's social skills. The investigation was made with methodological triangulation. We observed at the beginning and at the end of the semester the 42 students who were found to have low level of social skills. Also we interviewed their 13 teachers about the way they organized their lessons. Moreover we interviewed the 42 students about the role of their teachers and if the teachers helped them to increase their social skills. At the end of the semester we gave the same questionnaire both to the 42 students and their teachers (post-tests). The comparison of the pre and post tests and the data processing of the observations and the interviews, show an increase of student's social skills. Those results are important because of the following reasons: first of all the majority of the investigations examine the results of project method at the &quot;territory&quot; of cognition and not at the &quot;territory&quot; of social skills and secondly the majority of the investigations focus on the social skills of disabled children.
&quot;Teacher&quot; from the Children's Perspective: A Study by Metaphors
Author: Cansever, Belgin Arslan
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Figurative Language,Elementary School Students,Teacher Student Relationship,Student Attitudes,Qualitative Research,Phenomenology,Teacher Characteristics,Classification,Elementary School Teachers,Gender Differences,Attachment Behavior,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Socialization

The purpose of this study is to determine the perception of teachers by 10 year-old primary school childrens by the metaphors they developed. The sample covers totally 441 children [224 females (50.8%) and 217 males (49.2%)] living in Izmir, Turkey. Participants were asked to complete the prompt &quot;Teacher is like..., because...''. In identifying their perceptions, the qualitative research model (Holloway &amp; Wheeler, 2002) was utilized, which contributes to the investigation of the individual's perceptions, feelings, and experiences within the framework of Phenomenological design. At the end of the research female students produced 52 metaphors, and males did 44 for teacher images. However, 7 metaphors were commonly created by both genders. They were categorized in 8 conceptual themes. The children's perceptions of &quot;teacher&quot; were clustered especially in the conceptual theme of Family Member (25%) and Warm-hearted Person (8%), with emotional and relational feelings which can be explained by the children's attachment relations (Sabol &amp; Pianta, 2012), that are similar for their families and their teachers. Gender was found to be significantly related with the images of teachers.
A Decade of Embedding: Where Are We Now?
Author: Maldoni, Anna M.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Reading Programs,Educational Change,Team Teaching,English,Integrated Curriculum,Literacy,Academic Achievement,Grades (Scholastic),Student Participation,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Longitudinal Studies,Intellectual Disciplines,Socialization,Models,Case Studies,Interdisciplinary Approach,Program Evaluation,College Students,Foreign Countries,Semi Structured Interviews,Focus Groups

Over the last 10 years the higher education sector has undergone a myriad of changes both in student demographics and the influx of international students. With these changes, concerns about the ability of students to meet the English language and academic demands of tertiary study have come to the forefront. This paper reports on a project of embedding academic literacy into nine units across four disciplines, which spanned the duration of a decade. The paper documents the process by which the Unit Support Program (USP) evolved from a discipline-based reading program in a university preparation context to an embedded, integrated and team-taught approach in the university mainstream. It sought to determine whether the introduction of the program improved student learning in the discipline, specifically in English language and academic literacy development. Using data drawn from over 2500 students relating to progression rates, final grades, participation levels, and qualitative data relating to student and staff perceptions, this longitudinal study demonstrated a positive relationship between embedding academic literacy in the disciplines and student learning. The added benefit of academic socialisation for staff is also a reported result of this study. Although significant ongoing institutional support is needed, this paper advocates that an embedded, integrated and team-taught model should be incorporated into the first year of study. Using a case study approach, this paper firstly explains the rationale to embed language and academic literacy development within disciplinary contexts; the framework from which the Unit Specific Model emanated; and the team teaching approach used in the delivery of the Unit Support Program (USP) across a variety of disciplines. It considers the comparative results for both participating and non-participating groups, and the impact of collaboration across the faculty on the success of USP. Finally the paper recommends strategies for the long term sustainability of these programs.
Academic Literacies as Cornerstones in Course Design: A Partnership to Develop Programming for Faculty and Teaching Assistants
Author: Bury, Sophie
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Discourse,Partnerships in Education,Teaching Assistants,Literacy Education,Educational Development,Study Skills,Extracurricular Activities,Program Design,Workshops,Program Descriptions,Assignments,Feedback (Response),Role,Teaching Methods,Library Research,Information Literacy,Faculty Development,Instructional Design,College Faculty,Foreign Countries

We discuss an educational development approach to embedding academic literacies instruction within disciplinary curricula. This developmental, embedded approach contrasts with the generic, extra-curricular, study-skills approach adopted in many universities. Learning Commons partners at York University, including librarians, writing instructors, and learning skills counsellors, collaborated with educational developers in the York Teaching Commons to design a program for course instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) who seek to improve their students' academic literacies. This program includes interactive workshops focusing on strategies to facilitate the redesign of courses and assignments so as to give explicit attention to process-related practices and abilities involved in library research and writing. The academic theory underpinning this program is outlined along with its key content elements. We also describe how the program draws on SPARK (Student Papers and Academic Research Kit), an online resource, created by the York Learning Commons under a Creative Commons license with the goal of helping students succeed with written academic assignments. Feedback from instructors and TAs support that the program has played an important role in helping them to question their assumptions and redesign their teaching practice.
Reading the Map: Locating and Navigating the Academic Skills Development of Pre-Service Teachers
Author: Moles, Janet
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Skill Development,Action Research,Research Projects,Early Childhood Education,Teacher Education,Teacher Education Programs,Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Study,Undergraduate Students,Vocational Education,Adult Education,Case Studies,Participatory Research,Academic Discourse,Transitional Programs,Program Implementation,Bachelors Degrees,Student Surveys

This article reports on an action research project that was implemented to strengthen preservice teachers' academic skills and competencies in a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education course. Strategies identified as effective included mapping assessment tasks to State and National Early Childhood Education Curriculum and Standards Frameworks and Graduate Teacher Standards and against the skills needed to complete assessment tasks. Tools and resources were developed by lecturers to identify students' existing skill levels and then scaffold the required competencies into course teaching. The critical reflections of lecturers on their professional learning through this process were found to be integral to successful outcomes for students.
The Impact of Blended Learning and Team Teaching in Tertiary Pre-Service Music Education Classes
Author: Jenkins, Louise E.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Music Education,Music Teachers,Teaching Methods,Blended Learning,Team Teaching,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Action Research,Foreign Countries,Surveys,Attitude Measures,Journal Writing,Secondary School Teachers,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Learner Engagement

The nature of tertiary teaching is metamorphosing at a pace consistent with the expectations and requirements of an innovative society. This is due to more accessible advanced technology, the targeted use of online learning, student expectations for a flexible learning environment and the pressures of faculty budgets. As a result, more innovative approaches to teaching and learning are required. In response, a project is investigating the implementation of a Blended Learning process within tertiary pre-service music education classes, underpinned by Team Teaching strategies. This paper will report on some of the findings of the project's first two years of research.