ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Utilization of ICT Resources in Teaching among Tertiary Institution Business Educators in South Nigeria
Author: Okolocha, Chimezie Comfort
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,College Faculty,Business Administration Education,Teacher Surveys,Questionnaires,Hypothesis Testing,Statistical Inference,Statistical Analysis,Technology Integration,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Barriers,Gender Differences,Teacher Attitudes,Access to Computers

This study assessed the utilization of ICT resources in teaching among business educators in tertiary institutions in south Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population and sample for the study comprised all 240 business educators in colleges of education and universities in south Nigeria. A 28-item structured questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Copies of the instrument were administered on 240 business educators and 213 were returned representing 88.75 percent. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions. The null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using inferential statistics of t-test. The findings revealed that the few available ICT resources are rarely utilized in the teaching of business education, ICT resources utilization has high influence on teaching and that business educators encounter several problems such as irregular power supply in the utilization of ICT resources. It was recommended among other things, that government and stakeholders in education should make adequate budgetary allocation for the provision of ICT resources and the identified barriers that stand against effective utilization of ICT should be tackled and removed to better equip products of tertiary institutions to fit into various workplaces.
Teacher Education Reform in Urban Educator Preparation Programs
Author: Banks, Tachelle
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education Programs,Educational Change,Urban Education,Urban Teaching,Field Instruction,Field Experience Programs,National Surveys,Elementary Secondary Education,Teaching Experience

The majority of teachers in the United States are of a different race, ethnicity, class, gender, and linguistic dominance from that of their students. Teachers are specifically challenged by a variety of racial and ethnic issues as they enter their classrooms. This paper discusses the importance of educator preparation programs devoting attention to reforming preparation programs to include high-need clinical experiences for practicing teacher candidates. To better meet the needs of the nation's future students, especially those in high-need schools, public policymakers and the education community must take collective ownership for recruiting, preparing, and supporting a critical mass of new professional practitioners.
College-School Dialogue and Mentoring in Teacher Training Programmes in Zimbabwe
Author: Maunganidze, Omega
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education,Interviews,Questionnaires,Mentors,Focus Groups,College School Cooperation,Faculty Development,Communication Strategies,Barriers,Learning Experience,Elementary School Teachers,Teaching Methods,Skill Development,Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Role

Globally, mentoring has been recognized as one of the effective approaches in professional training and development of teachers. Most importantly, in Zimbabwe, mentoring has been largely adopted as one of the Teaching Practice strategies by teacher training colleges and schools. Good quality mentoring in schools makes an important contribution to developing professional skills especially to the student teachers (mentees) as this will ultimately ensure good quality learning experiences of learners. The purpose of this study was to establish the extent to which effective dialogue between colleges and primary schools can enhance effectiveness of the mentoring strategies in training teachers on teaching practice. Interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions were adopted in this study to establish the importance of dialogue between colleges and schools in strengthening the effectiveness of mentoring as a training strategy. The study concluded that lack of mutual sharing of ideas, skills, knowledge and information on mentoring between training colleges and schools have a negative impact on the quality of graduate teacher. The study recommends the development of communication strategies that break the barriers between colleges and schools so as to enhance the effectiveness of the mentoring approach.
Discovering &quot;Space&quot; in the Elementary Classroom
Author: Weckbacher, Lisa Marie
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Education,Classroom Environment,Classroom Techniques,STEM Education,Spatial Ability,Elementary School Teachers,Inservice Teacher Education,Teacher Workshops,Problem Solving,Learning Activities,Program Implementation,Instructional Effectiveness,Science Process Skills,Skill Development,Feedback (Response),Teaching Methods

Recent studies have shown that strengths in spatial skills are a key to success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers. However, these skills are undervalued in our educational system and thus seldom incorporated in classroom teaching. As a first step towards changing the current practices, we worked with a group of elementary school teachers who participated in an in-service workshop on spatial thinking and problem solving. The workshop emphasized the meaning, importance, and malleable nature of spatial skills and introduced a simple spatial activity, QuickDraw, that could be implemented during group instruction time. Those teachers who implemented this activity over the course of the school year reported various benefits of practicing spatial skills. Implications for preparing students for STEM careers are discussed
Using Readers Theater as a Facilitator in Elementary School English Training
Author: Lin, Ya-Fen
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Theater Arts,Elementary School Students,Instructional Effectiveness,Reading Comprehension,Cooperative Learning,Grade 6,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Training,English (Second Language),Language Tests,Language Proficiency,Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Scripts,Directed Reading Activity,Second Language Instruction,Student Interests

The purpose of the study aimed to investigate the effect of the Readers Theater (RT) training on elementary school students. In particular, changes in the students' English reading comprehension before and after the RT show, comparison of the students' responses to English learning, especially English reading, the students' opinions on the RT activities, and the students' responses to English books were examined and analyzed. Additionally, the students' cooperative learning during the RT training was explored. The subjects of the study were 32 students in the sixth grade of a Taichung elementary school. Thirty-two students participated in RT training for almost forty-four days in order to perform in an RT show. Before the RT training, the subjects were requested to take the standardized English proficiency pretest and pre-study questionnaire. While participating in the RT training, the subjects needed to finish reading the selected English scripts. In the process of reading English scripts, the subjects were engaged in the reader's theater activities, including reading English scripts aloud, performing on the stage, and group work. After the RT training, the subjects were asked to take the standardized English proficiency posttests and post-study questionnaires. Considering the study findings, it was suggested that the teachers were able to utilize the RT activities in instructing students' English reading. With the stimulation of the RT activities, students could be motivated to be engaged in appreciating English books and obtained meaningful experiences from the characters in the plot. In addition, the teachers could foster students' cooperative learning through group work and enhanced the students' interest in learning English.
Intercultural Competence in the Education Process
Author: Elosúa, Maria Rosa
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cultural Awareness,Cultural Context,Interdisciplinary Approach,Self Concept,Psychology,College Students,Foreign Students,Student Adjustment,Acculturation,Models,Intercultural Communication

This paper offers a synthesis about the wide range of psychological variables which influence how a person adapts when they are in a new or unfamiliar cultural context. This study takes as its starting points the educational value of the intercultural experience and the need to study this experience from interdisciplinary and plural focuses that enrich the light shed by different sciences and knowledge in their comprehension, description and explanation. The objectives of this study are as follows: 1) to describe and explain some of the important psychological variables which are influential in the exposure to new or unfamiliar cultural contexts from the perspective of current transcultural psychology; 2) to focus on intercultural competence as a current relevant dimension in the educational process of each person, and specifically in how international university students who are temporary residents of another country manage cultural transition; and 3) to situate intercultural competence in the process of the construction of cultural identities, promoting relationships with higher levels of equality and solidarity between different actors, peoples and cultures. The study of intercultural competence will be applied to the educational process which affects 10% of international university students, with contributions from transcultural psychology. Transcultural psychology offers today psychological tools and a perspective that are indispensable to understand, describe and explain better intercultural competence in the 21st century.
Connections between Modes of Thinking and Learning Approaches: Implications for Education and Research
Author: Önen, Emine
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,High School Students,Questionnaires,Path Analysis,Cognitive Style,Learning Strategies,Holistic Approach,Models,Learning Processes,College Students,Grade 9,Grade 11,Grade 10,Measures (Individuals),Reliability,Psychometrics

This study aimed to examine connections between modes of thinking and approaches to learning. Participants were 1490 students attending to 9 high schools located in Ankara. The Style of Learning and Thinking-Youth Form and Revised Version of Learning Process Questionnaire were administered to these students. The connections between modes of thinking and approaches to learning were examined by path analysis. Results of the path analysis revealed that holistic and integrative thinking modes positively contributed to the deep strategy while the integrative thinking mode positively contributed to the deep motive and the surface strategy. These findings are consistent with the theoretical model. However, inconsistent with the theoretical model, the analytic thinking mode negatively contributed to the surface approach and the holistic thinking mode negatively contributed to the deep approach to learning. How educators could benefit from these findings to enhance the quality of learning outcomes is discussed.
Conceptualizing Learning and Employability &quot;Learning and Employability Framework&quot;
Author: Sumanasiri, Erabaddage Gishan Tharanga
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Employment Potential,College Graduates,Models,Universities,Reputation,Outcomes of Education,Education Work Relationship,Job Skills,Curriculum Design,Emotional Intelligence,Career Development,Work Experience,Transfer of Training,Skill Development

Extensive studies have been done on employability and the factors that lead to employability. Previous studies have focused on career development programs, internships, work experience programs, soft-skill development programs, and even university admission criteria which can be considered external factors to university student learning experience. Focus on these external factors and their influence on employability appears to have taken attention away from the core function of university education, &quot;learning&quot;. Learning done in universities has been the focus of many studies but it's difficult to find consensus due to different learning models and approaches considered. Learning and employability are clearly supportive constructs but this relationship appears to be under represented and lacks clarity. Present study overcomes this issue by introducing a framework that clearly represents learning and employability in a manner that is both easy to understand while providing necessary theoretical support. The &quot;Learning and employability framework&quot; is at attempt to overcome the limitations of popular employability models which either lacks operational clarity or simplicity. The model has identified new dimensions of employability which were not considered in previous studies and links learning process, learning environment and learning outcomes to employability. Extensive review of literature on employability and learning revealed two new factors, namely; university reputation and learning outcomes and their influence on graduate employability. While learning outcomes appear to mediate the relationship between lower-tier employability skills and employability, university reputation appear to moderate learning outcome and employability. The &quot;learning and employability framework&quot; can be considered as a timely and relevant study since its simple enough to be understood by students, parents, employers and faculty while providing the required operational clarity and theoretical support for research community. The framework provides direction to those looking to design curricula and pedagogic approach to maximize employability.
Reflections on the Implementation of Competence Based Curriculum in Tanzanian Secondary Schools
Author: Komba, Sotco Claudius
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Reflection,Competency Based Education,Curriculum Implementation,Investigations,Secondary School Teachers,Educational Objectives,Lesson Plans,Teaching Skills,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Class Activities,Student Participation,Formative Evaluation,Interviews,Classroom Observation Techniques,Content Analysis,Thematic Approach,Knowledge Level,Familiarity,Educational Quality,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Attitudes

This study investigated issues surrounding the implementation of competence based curriculum in Tanzanian secondary schools. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the teachers' understanding of the objectives of competence based curriculum; to investigate the teachers' abilities in preparing competence based lesson plans; to examine whether or not teachers involved students in classroom activities; and to find out whether or not teachers practiced formative students' assessments as per the requirements of competence based curriculum. The respondents included 186 teachers who were randomly selected from 13 secondary schools found in Mbeya region of Tanzania. The data were collected through interview schedules, observation schedules, and review of documents. The collected data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings indicated that the majority (86%) of the interviewed teachers did not have the proper understanding of the objectives of competence based curriculum. In addition, the majority (78%) of the reviewed lesson plans did not reflect the qualities of a competence based lesson plan. Moreover, the involvement of students in classroom activities by the teachers who were observed was, in overall, very low. Lastly, teachers practiced formative students' assessments in less than 50% of the observed classroom sessions. In view of these findings, it seemed that the implementation of competence based curriculum in the selected schools was ineffective. In view of these findings, it is recommended that regular training for in-service teachers should be conducted in order to enable them acquire up-to-date teaching skills as required by the changes introduced in the school curricula.
Towards Quality Technical Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Programmes in Nigeria: Challenges and Improvement Strategies
Author: Ayonmike, Chinyere Shirley
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocational Education,Educational Quality,Educational Improvement,Educational Change,Postsecondary Education,Barriers,Hypothesis Testing,Professional Associations,Employees,Group Membership,Questionnaires,Quality Assurance,Student Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics,Government Role,Change Strategies,Educational Practices

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is widely recognized as a vital driving force for the socio-economic growth and technological development of nations. In achieving the goals and objectives of TVET in Nigeria, the quality of the programme needs to be improved and sustained. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the challenges and improvement strategies of attaining quality TVET programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Four research questions were raised to guide the study and four null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using z-test statistics. The survey research design was used and a total 160 registered Nigerian Vocational Association (NVA) members participated in the study. The instrument of data collection was a questionnaire (CSQTVETQ) and data were collected by the researchers. The study revealed the following factors as challenges of attaining quality TVET programmes in Nigeria tertiary institutions: lack of required TVET facilities, poor funding of TVET programmes; poor teaching methods employed by teachers; and poor assessment of TVET students' competency. Also, the study showed that adequate funding; training and retraining of TVET teachers; provision of required TVET facilities; adequate internal and external supervision; and public private partnership are improvement strategies for quality TVET programmes in Nigeria. Thus, it was recommended that the government, stakeholders, policy makers and TVET providers in Nigeria should focus on TVET quality assurance best practices that have worked in countries around the world.
A Survey on College English Writing in China: A Cultural Perspective
Author: Ren, Junhong
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Surveys,English (Second Language),College Students,Questionnaires,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Writing (Composition),Knowledge Level,Language Proficiency,Language Usage,Grammar,Essays,Second Language Instruction,Cognitive Processes,Asian Culture,Cultural Influences,Language Patterns

This survey investigates to what degree the Chinese learners know about the discrepancies between Chinese and English thought patterns and their possible effects on English writing. Eighty-one students from North China Electric Power University participate in the survey. Qualitative and quantities approaches, involving the adoption of both questionnaire and data analysis, underpin the survey. A questionnaire is used to examine five constructs, namely, students' writing condition, students' knowledge about discrepancies of the Chinese and English thought patterns and their effect on Chinese learners' English writing in terms of wording, sentence structure and discourse organization. Data collected from the questionnaires are then analyzed. Findings from the study reveal that a vast majority of Chinese students are surprisingly not fully aware of the important influence thought patterns exert on languages and how discrepancies in thought patterns are associated with differences in languages. As a consequence of this, their English essays preserve some features of Chinese despite years of English learning. The results of the study contribute to a good understanding of the Chinese learners' current writing condition in EFL teaching. Suggestions to alter this undesirable situation are put forward.
Applying Agar's Concept of &quot;Languaculture&quot; to Explain Asian Students' Experiences in the Australian Tertiary Context
Author: Norris, Lindy
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Asians,College Students,Student Experience,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Second Language Learning,Learning Strategies,Cultural Context,Socialization,Semi Structured Interviews

This paper reports part of a broader qualitative case study of Asian students &quot;translation&quot; (Agar, 2006) to study in an Australian university. The paper is concerned with the experiences of eight participants and their involvement in a training programme in the use of language learning strategies (LLS) to support their engagement with second language (L2) academic and social discourses. Agar's (1994) concept of languaculture is used to frame the study. The participants' ability to translate between languaculture 1 (LC1--their home linguistic and cultural context) and languaculture 2 (LC2--the linguistic and cultural context of Australia) is investigated. The findings indicate that LLS can be assistive in this process but that there are contextual and linguistic factors that mediate success. These findings, and the data from the study, have enabled a refinement of Agar's (1994; 2006) languaculture model to better accommodate how training in the use of LLS can support translation from LC1 to LC2.
Using Calculator-Assisted Instruction to Enhance Low-Achievers in Learning Number Sense: A Case Study of Two Fifth Graders in Taiwan
Author: Yang, Der-Ching
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Mathematics,Elementary School Students,Grade 5,Mathematics Achievement,Low Achievement,Calculators,Number Concepts,Achievement Gains,Pretests Posttests,Interviews,Mathematics Skills,Benchmarking,Computation,Instructional Effectiveness,Case Studies

The purpose of this study was to use calculator-assisted instruction to help two fifth-grade low-achievers learn number sense. The research process includes three stages: (1) pre-test interview to detect what kinds of number sense the students did not have; (2) calculator-assisted instruction to help them develop number sense; and (3) post-test interview to examine if their number sense had improved. The results showed that students successfully developed two kinds of number sense abilities they did not have in the pre-test interview. However, they failed to develop the number sense ability of using a benchmark number to make an estimation. Generally, this study illustrated that these two low-achievers could learn number sense from calculator-assisted instruction.