Month: August 2015
Teaching and Assessing Online Discussions: A Case Study
Asynchronous multi-threaded discussions have become increasingly widespread. This paper deals with some aspects of challenges faced by educators in teaching and assessing such interactions. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the use of Conversational Floors approach for assessing student interactions as well as for providing guidance and feedback to students. A small-scale …
Minimalist Program and Ease of Language Acquisition: Investigating Chomsky’s Uniformity, Simplicity, Economy
The minimalist program is in part a reaction to some problems that have afflicted GB theory. A theory of grammar introduced by Chomsky in 1995 as an advance on government/binding theory while remaining within the general paradigm of the principle and parameters model of universal grammar. The cornerstone of the theory is that grammars should …
Teaching Skills and Work Behavior of Clinical Instructors of Nursing Schools in Northern Samar
This study intended to determine the instructional and preceptorship skills and work behavior in the classroom and clinical settings of the clinical instructors from three nursing school in Northern Samar, as well as their profile in terms of the number of years in clinical practice, length of service in teaching, highest educational attainment, academic honors …
The Importance of Organizational Learning for Change in Higher Education Institutions
Many works have been written about different forms of organizational learning (OL), mostly in business environments. However, currently, academic environments are tapping into the same concepts in order to enhance performance that is driven by competition from other institutions that may have better strategies for student enrollment and retention, high caliber of faculty, more prominence …
The C.L.E.A.R. Framework for Successfully Educating and Empowering Diverse Student Populations
Breaking the visible and invisible barriers that impede the success of school-age children of racially and linguistically diverse communities requires that we have a clear framework that allows for their academic and holistic success. The C.L.E.A.R. approach is a culturally responsive framework designed by this author, based upon a yearlong qualitative research study of urban …
Education in Africa for the Twenty First Century: Perspectives for Change
Education in its widest sense is at cross roads of societal development and change. The key to understanding the situation of education is to recognize that it is neither an isolated phenomenon nor a dependent one; it receives and contributes, it creates and created. It is at its creative best when it is interwoven with …
Bridging the Talent Gap of the Petroleum Industry: Developing Transnational Competency-Based Education
Petroleum workforce is facing a serious challenge despite high international migration flows. Many countries are becoming more restrictive towards inward migration in order to protect their existing workforces against unemployment. However, two primary issues are impacting the oil and gas industry: deficient supply of people with necessary skills and the aging demographics with the high …
From Conceptualization to Reflection: A Transnational Model for Preparing and Ensuring Robust Clinical Experiences in Teacher Preparation Programs
A major challenge for teacher candidates is meeting the demands of the clinical practice experience which assesses how they make connections between their theoretical knowledge base and the real classroom experience. The critical integration of knowledge and pedagogy in academic subjects, the use of research-based, scientifically proven strategies and assessment practices, and the understanding of …
A Study of Interactive Influence of Brain-Based Learning and Hemisphericity of Students of Standard VIII on their Academic Achievement in Biology, Study Habits and Stress
Brain-based learning is an interdisciplinary answer to the question of, “what is the most effective way of the brain’s learning mechanism?”( Jensen 1998). Objectives of the Study: • To develop an instructional package based on brain–based learning • To analyze the hemispheric preferences of students of experimental and control groups. • To compare experimental and …
Students-Enthusiasts in a Virtual Classroom: Their Contribution to the Educational Process
In this work, the phenomenon of students’ enthusiasm was explored. 47 graduate students, which took the author’s online psychology courses, participated in the study. The tasks included quantification of the students’ learning motivation based on the analysis of their online coursework, comparing it with their academic achievement, and the analysis of the developmental tendencies of …
Students’ Experiences with Blended Learning Using a Flipped Classroom Approach
Flipped classrooms have recently emerged as a result of technological, instructional and pedagogical developments. They reflect a specific approach to blended learning in which direct instruction is shifted outside the classroom (in an online learning environment) through the use of digital technologiesGiven the dearth of research on the use and effectiveness of this new blended …
A Smartphone-Assisted English Reading Instructional Model for English Major Students in the Northeast of Thailand
Title A Smartphone-assisted English Reading Instructional Model for English Major Students in the Northeast of Thailand Abstract Reading is considered as the most important skill for English learners (Komiyama, 2009) because it is one of the imperative skills which play an important role for educational and professional achievement. However, it is demonstrated that the proficiency …
Internationalization of Global Women in Higher Education: Shifting to a “Two-Way” Approach of Engagement
Higher education is globalized and internationalized; and the number of international students, particularly women studying in U.S. institutions of higher education is at a record high. However, as education continues to be a pathway to success and leadership positions, the representation and progress of women into leadership positions remains a debated issue. Although in the …
The Status Quo and Future of the Off-Campus Internship Programs for Students in the Departments of Electronic Engineering and Information
Off campus internship has been regarded as an important facet of the industry-university collaboration for the education of the students. Its major purpose is to promote students’ competitiveness and know-how in the future job market. Currently, among all the colleges and universities, the highest number of professional talents is trained in the department of electronic …
Questions and Mutual Understanding in the L2 Classroom
An integration of questions in the teaching of L2 is strongly supported in educational arguments. However, the nature of the constructs that underlie these questions in order to ensure mutual understanding is not defined. Many assessments of learners have shown that learners provide answers which are considered correct but not the appropriate one to the …
Social Media as the New Transnational Educational Space
There has been a growing realization that the youth is increasingly disengaged from the traditional political process and the polity. There have been concerns about the declining public sphere and the weakening of the spirit and sense of citizenship. These concerns have resulted in calls for a renewed effort to revive citizenship education in order …
Mathematical Modeling – A Synthesis of Qualitative Research: A Proposal for an Integrated Mathematics and Science Modeling Cycle
The purpose of this study was to synthesize qualitative research findings about mathematical modeling at the high school and college levels focusing on the inquiry processes applied during modeling. A total of 19 primary studies published in peer-reviewed journals between January 1, 2000, and February 28, 2013, with a total of 1,290 subjects met the …
Building Academic Staff Portfolio to Increase Employee Retention: A Case Study of a Thai University
The competition to retain the best employees, specifically learned and research-active faculty members, is now a challenge for universities in Thailand. Retaining these kind of employees is crucial in the growth of universities and in maintaining its QA rating. The Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) requires all universities, both public and private, to …
Essays and Related Writing Tasks for Language Testing
For many reasons writing is one of the foundational skills of educated persons. Tests of writing skills are therefore needed. The intent of this paper is to discuss and explore traditional essay techniques and suggests both objective and subjective scoring methods. It is recognized that the problem of quantifying essay tasks is a crucial difficulty …
Initial Teachers’ Education and Training: An Amazing Challenge
The article is focused on initial teacher training and illustrates the historical features and the institutional and political background that should be considered in order to understand how initial teacher education and training has developed. To design policies which allow to educate and train teachers is an incredible challenge. In today‘s context, with the undergoing …
Instructional Learning Versus Action Learning: A Grounded Theory Study of Vietnamese Students’ Perspective in an International Educational Program
The theoretical stand about learning has evolved greatly over the last century from the belief that the learner is passive and only motivated to learn by rewards and punishments to the belief that the learner is a processor of information and thus the goal of education becomes to increase the amount of learner’s knowledge. Later, …
Color-Coded Marking: Using Vibrant Feedback to Enhance ELL Engagement
Social science research suggests that using a red pen for essay marking evokes a negative student response. Beyond the choice of marking color, ELL students are often overwhelmed by the assorted scribbles, circles and slashes that teachers apply to the written essay in an effort to illuminate and correct syntactic and semantic errors. The use …
Healthy Children Healthy Minds: Helping Children Succeed Now for a Brighter Future
This workshop will be divided into 3 parts: 1. Keeping the Brain and Mind Healthy which will explore exercise, nutrition, arts stimulation and Language development 2. Challenges to Brain and Mind Health: Attention, Focus, Brain injuries, alcohol and drugs, physical and mental illness, violence and abuse 3. Strategies for building Healthy Brain and Mind: Mindfulness, …
Exploring the Impact of iPads in Teaching Introductory Physics Courses at UAEU
This study investigates the impact of iPad usage in teaching introductory physics courses at United Arab Emirates University. Four first year physics sections were selected to apply this study. Two have used iPads to view their lecture notes, taking online quizzes, online homework, accessing few interactive apps. The other two sections have used the traditional …
Teaching English in a Multiligual and Multicultural Context: The Nigeria Experience
Nigeria is a country with about 400 Languages. A teacher therefore, always finds herself teaching a classroom consisting of students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This means that English will be the only common language to communicate with each other and with the teachers. This paper intends to discuss the downside to having so …
Kazi Nazrul Islam (1899-1976) as a Muslim Poet-Writer: An Apology
Abstract After a conscientious perusal of Kazi Nazrul’s writings, most of the readers come to the point that Kazi Nazrul Islam, even belonging to a Muslim family, treated the people of all religions equally. But it is a matter of great regret that some critics including William Radice have pointed out that Kazi Nazrul was …
The Effectiveness of a Suggested Program Based on English Songs on Developing Primary School Pupils’ Vocabulary, Grammar and Their English Language Learning Interest
This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using a suggested program based on English songs on developing sith year, primary school pupils’ vocabulary, grammar and their English language learning interest. Sixty pupils were chosen from a large population enrolled in Raniah primary school, KSA. The study had a pre-post control group design. Sixty male …
Teaching beyond the Borders: Using the ELT Classroom to Raise Students’ Social Awareness
In our time where war prevails and women and children suffer different faces of abuse and when the environmental conservation needs the awareness of citizens, the need is urgent to modernize our approaches while teaching to solve these dilemmas. The English language teachers are in a unique position to promote the idea of global citizenship …
Speech Acts in Political Speeches
The study investigates the role of language in the communication and interpretation of intentions by examining selected political speeches of John Kerry in Presidential Campaign in 2004 and George Bush- Inaugural address in 2001 since they have the same purposes as pieces of discourse with specific goals. Hence, the study focused on the pragmatic functions …
Motivating Students and Improving Language and Interpersonal Skills through Forensics
The aim of this paper is to propose a highly motivational framework of integrating Forensics into the State School Systems based on the Greek Anavryta Experimental High School Club’s experience. In many countries, where English is taught as Foreign Language, State School teachers struggle with a plethora of constraints. For instance, overcrowded classes in tandem …
Difficulties of Building English Sentences in Writing
This study aims at investigating the problems of writing correct English sentences as for the Sudanese students of secondary schools. The study applied the descriptive and the analytical methods beside the statistical tools so as to achieve the desired goals. Therefore, the researcher used both questionnaire for teachers (31teachers) and test for students (25 students). …
The Importance of Phonological Studies to Nigerian Learners of Arabic
Abstract The Importance of Arabic Phonological Studies to Nigerian Learners of Arabic Foreign language learning has become in recent time a very important academic and professional pursuit. This is in recognition of the position and rule of language in the globalized world. Of all levels of language, the phonological level seems to be most important …
Grammarly Grammatical Grammar: An Investigation into Writing Issues
The paper used an electronic writing enhancement platform to identify writing issues in two essays of Level 4 Foundation students. In six broad categories – Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Enhancement Suggestion, Sentence Structure and Style – the upper group had 3,551 issues clustered into 28 sub-categories while the lower group recorded 3,974 issues bundled into 27 …
Igbo Dialect Constraints in Indigenous Language Education in Nigeria: A Case Study of Public Secondary Schools in Imo State, Nigeria
This paper examined the impediments confronting the development of Igbo as language of Education at public secondary school level in Imo State, Nigeria.Data was extracted from a sample of 100 subjects in 10 secondary schools in Imo State. Questionnaire and Interview techniques were utilised in this research. Information gathered were analysed using a 4-scale likert …
Barriers to E-Learning in Higher Education Systems in Iran
Introduction: In recent years, use of technology in learning environments has become a serious necessity so that most universities in Iran are now somehow enjoying the benefits of e-learning systems. Sometimes, however, there are limitations that reduce the effectiveness of such systems. Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive survey (field) study include all postgraduate …
Moulding for Excellence at Federal College of Education(FCE), Abeokuta, Nigeria
Moulding for excellence as the motto of the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Nigeria is a reflection of the College emphasis on academics with character education. As the college has zero tolerance for undesirable behaviour, however, the society continues to raise doubt on the quality of its teachers as a result of a big gap …
Quality and Equity in Nigerian Education System: A Panacea for Economic Empowerment, Development Strategy and Social Justice
This paper relates to Education: Social Justice and Social Change. It examines the issues of quality and equity in Nigerian educational system and how it enhances national economic empowerment and development strategy that brings about social justice. The study identifies the general problems and needs facing the country in the field of education which are …
Achieving Transnational Spaces through Collective Will Power
It�s a matter of �wills�: cultural will, social will, organizational will, and political will. Dr. Ron Edmonds said, �We can, whenever and wherever we choose, teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than is necessary to do that. Whether or not we do it must finally depend on …
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Integration and Education in the Age of Globalization: A Holistic Framework
The constant evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) integration in k-12 settings has been accompanied by research into the relative effectiveness and efficiency of technology to enhance learning and achievement. Based on the literature surrounding the integration of ICTs in pedagogical contexts, this paper provides a constructive reading of the current state of educational …
Studying the Importance of Curriculum Planning Components in Virtual and Conventional Training of Nursing
Due to the advancement and development of information technology and the use of telecommunications in the society, tools and methods of training have also been improved and expanded. Variation of the tools and methods are such that people can start learning by using their own facilities regardless of the pre-specified time and place for training …
Factors Affecting the Achievement Level of Biological Science Students at the University of Eastern Philippines
This study employed the descriptive method of research to describe the achievement level in Biological Science in the areas of cells, tissues and organs among the college students of the University of Eastern Philippines. Using a researcher-made questionnaire, data were collected from students of the College of Science and College of Arts and Communication. Data …
The Impact of Group Work in Improving EFL Medical Students’ Academic Performance
Group Work is modern instructional approach in which students learn best when they are actively involved in the process of learning. Researchers report that, regardless of the subject matter, students who work in small groups usually like to learn more of what is taught and keep it longer than when the same content is presented …
How to Make Differences a Value and not a Barrier in International Business/Management and Education: The Case of the Global Village Program
A major challenge of both International Business/Management and Education is the current increase in environmental, organizational and group spaces and diversity. Potential benefits as well as criticalities emerge when people are engaged in differentiated global contexts with regards to age, background, experiences, race, nationality, social status, and cultural aspects. Furthermore individuals are increasingly investing in …
Developing a Model for Academic Deans’ Leadership Styles in the UAE
Leadership in higher education has been the focus of increasing debate and concern for nearly two decades. Although academic deans play a critical role to the success of higher education institutions and study a great extent of subjects, they have not been widely studied themselves, particularly research addressing their leadership styles. The purpose of this …
An Evaluation of Science Lecturers’ Testing Skills in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria: A Case Study of Kogi State University, Anyigba
The purpose of this study is to evaluate how science lecturers in tertiary institutions apply testing skills in their testing and examinations. The study was an ex-post factor research design. The identified testing skills used in this study are; test planning, preparation, administration, item analysis, scoring and interpretation of test result. A sample of 80 …
There is No Box: The International Interdisciplinary Nature of Higher Education
“We think by feeling. What is there to know?” Roethke, “The Waking” Just as the concept of traditional disciplines needs to be questioned, traditional attitudes towards learning would benefit from a more inclusive look at how our ideas and values are formed and change over time. In this discussion we have as much to learn …