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Peer review is generally regarded as a useful learning tool for students, providing them with opportunities to interact with their peers when engaging in the process of critical reading and critical thinking, thus possibly raising students' motivation to learn. For peer review to be a manageable task for students, appropriate scaffolding is believed to be pivotal. The present study mainly aims to investigate: 1) how students at two levels of English proficiency will perceive the usefulness of the peer review exercise completed; and 2) whether the scaffolding provided to them is viewed as useful and the reasons behind. The participants involved 76 university students taking two academic writing courses at a university in Hong Kong. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed collectively for the responses to an online anonymous questionnaire. Both groups showed favourable responses to the peer review exercise, including the preference for the retention of the peer review exercise. Several findings, however, differentiated the two groups, e.g., significantly a greater number of higher-ability participants than did the lower-ability students agreed to the benefit of peer review with respect to: a) writing a thesis statement; b) using hedges; c) using in-text citation; and d) building friendship. [This paper was published in "English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies" v5 n4 p180-205 2023. The paper was presented at The 11th European Conference on Arts & Humanities (ECAH2023), Iafor (17 July 2023), University of London, London. Hybrid mode.]

The primary objective of this research was to investigate the effects of model-based science instruction on the conceptual development of 7th grade students in the topic of electricity. This qualitative research was conducted during the 2022-2023 academic year, using purposive sampling method. The study comprised 33 7th grade students (18 boys and 15 girls) from a secondary school located in the city center of the Aegean Region. Students' conceptions were introduced as a conceptual framework representing individuals' mental models. In the study, a conceptual understanding test consisting of five open-ended questions was developed as a data collection tool within the framework of the related literature and science curriculum. In order to evaluate the effects of the designed learning environment, this achievement test was administered to students before and after the instruction. Rubric was used in the analysis of the obtained data. Analyzes were carried out by one researcher and their accuracy was checked by another researcher. The effectiveness of the learning environment is based on the comparison of the pre- and post-test findings. The implementation process lasted 12 lesson hours. The data were analyzed descriptively and classified according to their conceptual knowledge levels. Conclusively, the study demonstrated that the implementation of model-based lessons within the 'Electric Circuits' unit had positive impact on the conceptual development of 7th grade students. In addition, model-based learning sequence reduced misconceptions of students about the topic of electric. Based on these results, model-based teaching was recommended to teachers in the instruction processes and researchers were recommended to investigate features of models and the nature of modeling, the relation between students' knowledge about modeling and the quality of the models they create. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 520-537.]

This research aimed to develop a valid and reliable test to be used to detect sixth grade students' misconceptions and errors regarding the subject of fractions. A misconception diagnostic test has been developed that includes the concept of fractions, different representations of fractions, ordering and comparing fractions, equivalence of fractions, representation of fractions on the number line, and addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions. Studies in the literature on misconceptions in fractions were examined and 22 misconceptions were listed. An open-ended test consisting of 23 questions was created in which students justified their answers to the questions. The developed test was applied to 215 sixth grade students studying in a public secondary school in Istanbul. The average item difficulty index of the test was calculated as 0.37. The test was found to be of average difficulty. The average discrimination index of the test was measured as 0.69. This value shows that the test items are quite successful in distinguishing between students who know and those who do not. In addition, when the discrimination values of the test items were taken into consideration separately, there was no need for item removal or item change since there were no items below 0.30. The KR-20 reliability coefficient was calculated for the first stage of the test and was calculated as 0.93. A graded classification system was used for the first part and second part of the test. To determine that the two stages work in harmony, the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was calculated and found to be 0.95. These results prove that the developed test is highly valid and reliable. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 255-272.]

The paper reports the first results of an experience of university teaching innovation in progress. It is based on multiple means of "Engagement", "Representation", and "Action & Expression" in the framework of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. The action repeats, with some improvements, a previous university experience of Flipped Classroom in distance learning, and it has been proposed in dual mode to second year students enrolled in a course on "Teaching and Learning" of the bachelor's degree program in Education of the University of Bergamo, in Italy. The paper investigates the students' perception about: 1) the attractiveness of the proposal compared to more traditional approaches; 2) their own learning paths; 3) their motivation. A quantitative and qualitative survey detected the students' perception of the teaching methods for this course, with main focus on the use of active teaching aimed at breaking down learning barriers, in the UDL perspective. [This paper was published in: "Transforming our World through Universal Design for Human Development: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Universal Design (UD2022). Studies in Health Technology and Informatics," edited by Ilaria Garofolo et al., IOS Press, 2022, pp. 541-48.]

This research attempts to add to the existing literature of language learning strategy uses by advancing our understanding of what language learning strategies (LLS) are preferred by learners who were given a one-year English education at two state universities and to find out whether strategy uses were directly related to being successful in language learning. A total of 286 students filled out a questionnaire called Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), participated in the study. For deeper information 6 students from each university were asked to answer interview questions. It also aimed at discovering what strategies the students mostly preferred and whether there were any changes in strategy choices at the end of the learning program. The results of the study showed that there is a significant relationship between students' language learning strategy use and language learning levels. In addition, in the pre-test post-test comparison applied to see the possible effect of the preparatory education, it was observed that there was a positive increase in the use of language learning strategies by the students at the end of the preparatory education. Based on the results, the study is expected to contribute to the theory behind language teaching and learning in Turkey. Keywords: Language proficiency, Learning strategies, Preparatory education, University students, Turkish learners. [This paper was published in: "EJERCongress 2022 Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2022, pp. 89-102.]

Pandemic-related policies are typically developed by districts and translated to all schools for implementation. Understanding the degree to which the pandemic impacted school-level performance would provide additional perspective for researchers looking to help district and school officials move forward. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the pandemic impact at the school level using three different regression approaches. Large scale assessment datasets in ELA and Mathematics grades 5-8 were used in this study. The reference group data included test-takers from the Spring 2017 and 2019 administrations, which were not impacted by the pandemic. The study group data was test-takers from the Spring 2019 and 2021 administrations. Residual values were estimated by subtracting predicted 2021 scores with the regression coefficients of 2017 to 2019 from observed 2021 scale scores, with the residuals being considered as the pandemic impact. A school residual was calculated by averaging the residuals of the students in the schools. There were three study questions. The first question was about the stability of school effects on students' performances across 2019 and 2021. For both 2019 and 2021, there were some school effects on students' performance. For ELA, ICC values for spring 2021 were lower than those for spring 2019. The second question was regarding which regression method produced the best-fit model. As expected, the regression model with the nested school design produced the best fit. The third question was how to flag schools impacted by the pandemic. In this study, the two flagging criteria utilized were the SD and effect size flags. Because the SD flag compares school residuals to state residuals, it can be considered a relative criterion. These effect size flags compared expected performance under a normal environment and the 2021 observed performance of a school and thus can be regarded as an absolute criterion.

This study investigated the impact of a computer-adaptive reading program, Waterford Early Learning (WEL), in an elementary school in Indiana. The study investigated how educational technology, specifically computer-assisted instruction (CAI), would impact the literacy scores of kindergarten students when paired with traditional instruction: Students with active special education status and no special education status used the program during an educational year when they acquired vital literacy skills. Experimental students across demographics, including lunch status and special education status, outperformed their control counterparts on all strands. From these findings, researchers can tentatively conclude that students with active special education status can potentially greatly benefit from CAI in the classroom, especially during a year when so many critical literacy skills are practiced and mastered. Furthermore, students who used WEL with fidelity significantly outperformed their control counterparts across all reading strands. Findings indicate that CAI technology can positively impact students' scores in a single school year.

The aim of this paper is to provide an objective overview of the impact of teacher salaries on the educational achievements of students. It is often debated about teacher salaries and improvement or jeopardizing their standard, but educational consequences that may ensue as a result of these intentions are rarely addressed. Teacher's role in student's achievement outcomes is unquestionable. There are many factors that have an impact on student achievement, but this paper will analyze only the impact of teacher's income on student's achievement. A hypothesis for further study has been set by collecting and analyzing pedagogical documentation on teacher salaries and student's educational achievements. Qualitative approach to statistical results of PISA study published in 2013 analyzes following categories: reading, mathematics and science, student's sense of belonging to school and student's personal opinion on does school prepare them for adult life. The study of these elements in selected countries gives us a concrete insight into their interrelationship. The comparative analysis compared the educational achievements of students with the level of teacher's salaries in the following countries: Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland. The results of the research show that the level of teacher's income has an impact on student's achievements. The paper confirms the facts that the teaching profession is more popular as incomes increase and therefore attracts more motivated and skilled individuals. [This paper was published in the SGEM2014 Proceedings, ISBN-978-619-7105-24-7 / ISSN 2367-5659, September 1-9, 2014, Vol. 3, pp. 383-390.]

The aim of this study was to establish whether there are differences between the computer self-efficacy of pupils and teachers (N = 507) in the context of the classroom, as a developing workplace of the teacher in elementary education. The survey covered 184 teachers and 323 pupils in elementary school. The results show that there is no statistically significant difference in the Basic Computer Skills dimension. In other words, both pupils and teachers assess their own self-efficacy in Basic Computer Skills equally. Further, the results show a statistically significant difference of the medium effect size in Media-Related Skills. In other words, pupils assess their self-efficacy in this dimension higher than the teachers. The results also reveal a statistically significant difference in the medium effect size concerning the self-efficacy dimension of Web-Based Skills, i.e. the pupils' assessment of self-efficacy in the skill of internet use is higher than the teachers' assessment of self-efficacy in the same area. The results also show that pupils generally assess their computer self-efficacy more highly than the teachers do, which may be explained by the fact that these pupils are digital natives, belonging to what is known as the Net Generation, while their teachers are known as digital immigrants. This paper explains the implications of these results for modern multimedia student-centred classes, and the role of the pupil and teacher in such classes. [This paper was published in: "E-Learning at Work and the Workplace: From Education to Employment and Meaningful Work with ICTs." Proceedings of the European Distance and E-Learning Network 2014 Annual Conference (Zagreb, Croatia, June 10-13, 2014). p517-526. ISBN 978-963-89559-7-5.]

Considering the contradictory research on explicit teaching of suprasegmentals, the present study aims to investigate the effects of explicit instruction of L2 English learners' perception of prosodically ambiguous intonation patterns, as well as the possible effects of reported musical familiarity on intonation acquisition. A control group and a treatment group of low-intermediate international English students were asked to judge the meaning of three types of sentence-final intonation patterns: declarative sentences, tag questions, and wh- questions. Overall, the group that received explicit instruction during the four-week treatment phase scored higher on the perception post-test than those who received no treatment, although the improvement was not found to be statistically significant. A small number of learners with self-reported musical familiarity in the experimental group did not significantly improve in their perception of intonation patterns compared to their peers. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Acquisition of Second Language Speech. Concordia Working Papers in Applied Linguistics. Volume 5" (pp. 353-372). COPAL, 2014.]

This study analyzed the Science teachers (ST) and non-science teachers' (NST) perceptions of supervisory practices in an autonomous national high school in the Division of Zambales during the School Year 2016-2017 in relations to curriculum and instruction, communication, staff development, evaluation, leadership; and classroom visits. It utilized descriptive cross-sectional design of research with the standardized instrument to measure the perceptions of the two groups of respondents on the supervisory practices within the specified time frame. The perceived supervisory practices in relations to the identified areas were analyzed per group of teacher using Weighted Mean and the comparative analysis on the level of agreement regarding the perceptions of the two groups of teachers, independent t-Test was used. Both the group of teachers registered the same level of agreement on the various aspects of supervisory practices. There was no significant difference between the perceptions of ST and NST on the supervisory practices in an autonomous national high school.

New technologies have had a large and transformative impact on education. This study explored the benefits of a comprehensive, computer-adaptive reading program for the literacy skills of young learners. Second grade students enrolled in a public school district used a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program and were evaluated at the beginning and end of the school year on a standardized literacy assessment. Analysis indicated that end of year literacy scores made by students who used the CAI program were higher than those made by students who did not use the CAI program. Similarly, students who used the CAI program had higher end of year scores while controlling for beginning of year scores than students who did not use the CAI program. This study supports the use of CAI, when used with fidelity, in early literacy instruction.

In India, the concept of inclusive education schools is gaining importance to provide equal opportunities for education for all. Aims of schools in India has is to include students with special needs in the regular classrooms. However, biggest challenge they face is lack of awareness among teachers about inclusive education. Educationists across India have felt the need to make teachers aware about inclusive education. This research paper discusses about the effect of inclusive education awareness programme, developed to create awareness among preservice teachers. Methodology used was quasi-experimental design-pretest and posttest non-equivalent group along with factorial design to study the interactive effect of moderator variables on treatment. Questionnaire on awareness about inclusive education was prepared, it comprises of 48 items, and its reliability index is 0.85 by Split-Half method and 0.88 by Cronbach's Alpha. Purposive sampling technique was used and sample consisted of 77 preservice teachers in the experimental group and 53 in the control group from two colleges offering D.T.Ed (Diploma in Teacher Education) Course. Treatment, inclusive education awareness programme was implemented using different interactive teaching methods for 52 hours across five weeks. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics t-test, ANOVA (Two-way), Wolf's test. Findings revealed that preservice teachers from experimental group have gained awareness about inclusive education to a moderate extent. No significant interactive effect of gender, socio-economic status, social intelligence, emotional intelligence and treatment was found. This confirms that treatment given to experimental group was effective.

Sixteen scholarly papers and twenty abstracts comprise the content of the eighteenth annual Brick & Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the conference, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship. The 2018 paper and abstract titles include: (1) Committee on Diversity & Inclusion: Cultivating an Inclusive Library Environment (Orolando Duffus, Andrea Malone, Margaret Dunn, Lisa Cruces, Matthew Moore, Annie Wu, and Frederick Young); (2) Checking Out the LGBT+ (Kayla Reed); (3) Tailoring Library Instruction to Adult Students: Applying the Science and Methods of Andragogy for Modern Instructional and Reference Services (Eric Deatherage and Jason Smith); (4) Library-Faculty Collaboration for OER Promotion and Implementation (Paula Martin); (5) The Facts of Fiction: Research for Creative Writers (Addison Lucchi); (6) Location and the Collection Connection (Kayla Reed and Amber Carr); (7) Gay for No Pay: How to Maintain an LGBTQ+ Collection with No Budget (Rachel Wexelbaum); (8) A Step Up: Piloting Integrated Information Literacy Instruction Throughout a Discipline (Nathan Elwood and Robyn Hartman); (9) Not Just a Collection: The Emergence and Evolution of Our Contemporary Collection (Hong Li and Kayla Reed); (10) Flipster: How One Community College Library Supports Faculty and Student Academic Needs with Flipster Digital Magazines (Stephen Ambra); (11) Three Ring Circus: A Model for Understanding and Teaching Students about Bias (Virginia Cairns); (12) Demystifying DH: How to Get Started with Digital Humanities (Sherri Brown and Forstot Burke); (13) Academic Libraries Embracing Technology with a Purpose (Lavoris Martin); (14) (A)ffective Management: A People First Management Approach (Ryan Weir); (15) Plugged & Unplugged Active Learning Strategies for One Shots (Judy Bastin, Justina Mollach, Leslie Pierson, Ruth Harries, and Teresa Mayginnes); (16) Giving a Booster Shot to Your One Shot: Incorporating Engaging Activities into Library Instruction (Kelly Leahy, Gwen Wilson, and Angela Beatie); (17) Adventures with Omeka.net: Metadata, Workflows, and Exhibit-based Storytelling at UNO Libraries (Yumi Ohira, Angela Kroeger, and Lori Schwartz); (18) Online Badge Classes for High School Students (Angela Paul); (19) Fake News: The Fun, the Fear, and the Future of Resource Evaluation (Lindsay Brownfield); (20) Making Outreach the Library's Mission (April K. Miller); (21) Active Learning for Metaliteracies: Digital Modules from the New Literacies Alliance (Rachel R. Vukas, Prasanna Vaduvathiriyan, and Brenda Linares); (22) Calculating Return on Investment in Libraries (Nicholas Wyant); (23) Crossing Borders: Expanding Digitization Efforts Across Library Departments (Jay Trask, Jane Monson, and Jessica Hayden); (24) From Silos to Collaboration (Joyce Meldrem); (25) Key Performance Indicator Tracking Using Google Forms (Joshua Lambert); (26) Bridging the Gap: Providing Equal Access of Library Resources and Services to Distance Learners (Nancy Crabtree, Xiaocan (Lucy) Wang, Bob Black); (27) Coming to the Plains: Latino/a Stories in Nebraska (Laurinda Weisse, Michelle Warren, and Jacob Rosdail); (28) Five Keys to #SocialMediaSuccess in Academic Libraries (Hannah E. Christian and Alison Hanner); (29) Easy Information Literacy Assessments for Small Academic Libraries (Julie Pinnell); (30) Traversing the Path: A Library Director's Guide to the Higher Learning Commission's Open Pathway for Accreditation (Sandy Moore); (31) Drawing Magic: Visualizing the Internet to Introduce Information Literacy (Kelly Leahy); (32) Chatspeak for Librarians: Best Practices for Chat Reference (Tanner D. Lewey); (33) The Creative Learning Spiral: A Python Learner in the Library (Greta Valentine); (34) The Poet's Papers: Literary Research in the Small College Archives (Martha A. Tanner); (35) Giving Students an Edge: Enhancing Resumes with a Digital Information Research Certificate (Rachel R. Vukas); and (36) Where Did You Get That eBook? Comparison of Student/Faculty Use of eBooks, Library Space, and Citation Management Programs (Alice B. Ruleman). (Individual papers contain references.) [For the 2017 proceedings, see ED578189.]

This study examines undergraduate students' college readiness and educational engagement gaps in a U.S. public research university. The study reveals the heterogeneity of domestic (American) and international student groups. While typical international students may have disadvantages in college readiness and engagement, English speakers and American high schoolers among international students perform even better than domestic peers. In contrast, English learners and foreign high schoolers among domestic students, such as recent immigrants face the same challenges as typical international peers lacking adequate language and cultural preparation for college success. The study re-envisions educational diversity and equity for global campus where an integrated system of academic and sociocultural support enables transnational students to succeed.

One of the largest challenges in educator preparation in higher education is the effective use of data for actionable and meaningful decision making about programs for current and future educators, administrators, and educational leaders. Within programs there are many types of students. These may include elementary, secondary, special education, foreign language, social studies, science, literacy, health, school level administrators, district administrators, curriculum leaders, and many others based on school and program. However, in all instances the program (i.e. college, university, school, etc.) is charged with using data in a meaningful manner to guide program decisions, make revisions to curriculum and clinical experiences, and determine the overall quality of the program. Visual Scaling provides an effective solution, and is a process whereby goals and expectations are clearly articulated, and baseline and performance assessments are compared against the expected level of performance. A bibliography is included.

This paper describes a secondary analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scores by gender. Data were national public 4th- and 8th-grade reading scores from composite and subscales for 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013. Twelfth-grade scores for composite and literary experience from 2005, 2009, and 2013 and gain information from 2005 were included. Differences (p.<0.001; Cohen's "d" effect size) in reading average scale scores by gender were consistent across grade level and years with females scoring higher than males. Results are congruent with a previous study of NAEP reading by gender across fourth-, eighth, and twelfth-grade-levels for 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003 (Klecker, 2006). Discussion includes comparisons with cross-cultural international assessments and possible explanations for the widely-observed gender difference in large-scale standardized reading assessments.

Students are accessing graduate study online in ever-increasing numbers with interactive experiences differing from those who traditionally enroll in corresponding face-to-face (F2F) classes. Soft skills such as collaboration/teamwork, communication and presentation are important to learning but difficult to practice outside the F2F environment. Robotic telepresence units (robots) might benefit distance learners by enriching their online experience, making it more similar to corresponding F2F classes. This study examines students' sense of social presence in courses that are accessed fully online, attended via robots or face-to-face. These experiences are compared through the lens of Social Presence Theory (Garrison, Anderson and Archer, 2000). Of the 227 enrollments in 30 educational leadership courses offered during the summer and fall semesters of 2016, a sample consisting of 66 students was selected to measure graduate students' perceptions of social presence. A one-way ANOVA yielded no significant differences between groups with regard to overall social presence and when social presence's effect was subsequently compared using eta-squared, only a small effect was found. When asked specifically, however, students using robots report an increased sense of class membership; a heightened appreciation for peers' humor, and a greater ability to form distinct impressions of fellow classmates. These preliminary results give reason to continue pursuit of this line of inquiry as subsequent findings could yield important implications for distance education programs. The Perceptions of Social Presence Survey is appended.

What are the challenges faced by a mid-south liberal arts college teacher education program, in its attempt to successfully meet the new Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accreditation requirements? The Investigator studied the Educator Program Provider (EPP) during academic year 2015-2016. The challenges faced by the EPP are chronicled in case study form. The program is one of the first in the United States preparing for the new national teacher education accreditation, as well as being one of the first of two in its state to experience the new accreditation process and requirements. The Investigator shares discussions and analyses, describing the challenges of assessment validity and reliability, reconfiguring program assessments, data collection and analysis, electronic portfolios, clinical experiences, P-12 school partnerships, college wide recruiting efforts, state partnerships, and quality assurance system revisions. The five new CAEP Standards, and their components, are compared and contrasted across, and within, topics. Discussion follows regarding new regulations regarding state rankings of teacher education programs, and entrepreneurial academies being readied to take the place of programs that close or fail. The case study can be useful for other teacher education programs, in their contemplations about how best to prepare for the challenges of CAEP accreditation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of integrating theatre-arts strategies and traditional strategies in high school English classrooms. The sample consisted of one eleventh grade English class of twenty-one students. Data were collected from students' cumulative grades. The study was conducted throughout an eighteen-week term, divided into two nine-week semesters. Theatre-arts strategies were implemented for four weeks of the first nine-week semester. Traditional teaching methods were employed for four weeks of the second nine-week semester. The data from the study were analyzed using a dependent T-test to compare the scores of students when taught using theatre-arts strategies and traditional teaching methods. Although each student's score increased 3.05 points when taught using theatre-arts strategies, the results indicated no significant difference found between the scores (t (20) = 1.86, p> 0.05). An independent T-test was conducted to determine whether there was a difference in academic achievement between genders when taught using theatre-arts integrated strategies. A significant result was found between the mean scores of males and females (t (19) = -2.93, p< 0.05). Another independent T-test was also conducted to determine whether there was a difference in academic achievement between genders when taught using traditional methods. A significant result was found between the mean scores of males and females (t (19) = -2.46, p< 0.05). These findings suggest that theatre integrated strategies are beneficial to both males and females, although females tend to excel in theatre integrated classes.

The 5th International Conference on Language, Literature and Culture has been hosted by Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (Burdur, Turkey), in cooperation with Çankaya University (Ankara, Turkey) and Süleyman Demirel University (Isparta, Turkey). Our main aim has been to provide a forum for discussion, to facilitate integration in these fields, and to bring together researchers, scholars, and students from all areas of language, literature, and culture from all around the word. The conference was held over three days, from 12 to 14 May (Thursday-Saturday) 2016 in Burdur, Turkey. The conference included more than 20 concurrent sessions in which there were invaluable presentations by both national and international presenters. This volume contains abstracts from speeches that were delivered at the conference. They are as follows: (1) Culture-sensitive language teaching in the era of multilingualism--Escaping the linguistic hegemony in multi-ethnic classrooms (Jaroslaw Krajka); (2) Harold Bloom's concern and "the touch" that always does wonders (Beture Memmedova); (3) "Coquetry is the salt and pepper of love:" A study of metaphor in American, Turkish and Mexican pop songs (Maria Cupery); (4) "Teaching Turkish to Foreigners" as a language policy (Recep Gülmez,Bilge Gülmez); (5) "The Patience Stone": An Afghan woman daring to disturb the universe built upon hegemonic masculinity ( Sema Zafer Sümer); (6) A critical examination of the EPOSTL: Focus on its probable use in Turkey (Arda Arikan); (7) A study of suffering and martyrdom in Islamic Ta'ziya and Christian passion plays (Ammar al-khafaji); (8) A stylistic approach to Brendan Behan's "The Hostage" (Yasemin Sanal); (9) An investigation of ELT student teachers' dictionary ownership and preferences (Mustafa Sevik); (10) Analysing the themes of "belongingness" and "homing desire" in the novel of "Fruit of the Lemon" by Andrea Levy (Canan Kuzgun, Sule Okuroglu Özün); (11) B1 level undergraduate EFL students' acceptance of Moodle technology (Ridvan Türkmen); (12) Black is Beautiful: Beauty as a Contextual Concept in "Blonde Roots" (Seda Bahar Yavçan); (13) Caryl Churchill and politics (Aydin Görmez); (14) Caught between Cultures: "Anita and Me" (Sule Okuroglu Özün); (15) Comparative study of persuasive strategies in selected American presidential speeches (Ahmad Zirak Ghazani); (16) Cultural nationalism as a solution for ethnolinguistic demands (Recep Gülmez); (17) Deep history and narrative: From "Gilgames" to science fiction (Adelheid Eubanks); (18) Derek Mahon: Emancipation from the darkness of history (Mümin Hakkioglu); (19) Developing individual language competences via task-based learning and content and language integrated learning (CLIL) (Astrid Ebenberger); (20) Development of time in children (Mehmet Özcan); (21) Dialogism as an aspect of language (Hind Ismail); (22) Drowning in amniotic fluid: Esther Greenwood and the postwar culture of womanhood in The Bell Jar (Özlem Asker); (23) Ecocriticism and creating environmental awareness in contemporary Turkish literature (Onur Kaya); (24) EFL students' feedback preferences in writing classes (Hasan Saglamel, Mustafa Naci Kayaoglu); (25) Exploring classroom assessment practices of English language instructors (Meryem Özdemir Yilmazer, Yonca Özkan); (26) Generation 1.5 ELL students and preparatory English classes: A comparison in writing strategies (Sarah Hubbard); (27) Giving feedback on written works through casting (Ramazan Özbay); (28) Gregor Samsa and the Forsterian model of characterisation (Baris Mete); (29) Hypocrite nationalistic discourse in James Joyce's "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" (Mehmet Akif Balkaya); (30) Is Eva younger sister of Anastasia? Comparative study of "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Bared to You"(Hasan Serkan Kirca); (31) Justice or injustice in Shakespearean plays: Merchant of Venice and Measure for Measure (Fatma Yalvaç, Sule Okuroglu Özün); (32) Making more of multimedia based teaching materials by means of subtitling (Mustafa Sevik); (33) Metadiscourse markers in Nigerian newspapers editorials: A bond between Text-producers and reading community (Ahmed Mohammed Bedu); (34) Muriel Spark's Employment of Burlesque: Parody of detective fiction in "Not to Disturb" (Serkan Ertin); (35) Prospective teachers' views on using CALL in the EFL classroom: A case-study (Sedat Akayoglu); Anil Rakicioglu Söylemez; (36) Representation of gender in EFL textbooks for high schools: A linguistic analysis ( Özlem Kurtoglu Zorlu); (37) Representations of pain and old age in literature, art, and autobiography (Fatma Kalpakli); (38) Saying "no" in a thousand ways! Speech act realization of refusals (Çagla Bastürk, Helin Basak); (39) Social class in Elizabeth Gaskell's "Mary Barton" (Gizem Kaptan); (40) Sylvia Plath's "Journals"s correlation with the film "Sylvia" (Nevin Faden Gürbüz); (41) The predictive validity of foreign language examination for the academic performance of ELT students in Turkey (Ferit Kiliçkaya); (42) Task-based teaching and learning exemplified through project work: A case of the "Agent" project (Marek Krawiec); (43) Teaching survival English to young learners in a multilingual British classroom (Vildan Inci Kavak); (44) The empowerment of working-class femininity in Elizabeth Gaskell's "Industrial Novel North and South" (Enes Kavak); (45) The Hyperreal world of Coetzee's Foe (Mustafa Kirca); (46) The implipect of crystallization of the tongue in mastering of reciting the Holy Qur'an (Harun Al Rasyid); (47) Providing oral and visual feedback on learners' writing through screen casting software and learners' motivation: A case study (Ferit Kiliçkaya); (48) The magic toyshop as nucleus of desire: A Lacanian analysis (Serkan Ertin, Özlem Türe Abaci); (49) The Nomadic nationalist: An autobiographical reading of James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" (Alireza Hadi); (50) The pain of unbelonging in "Admiring Silence" (Abdulkadir ÜNAL); (51) The place of culture in ELT: Turkish EFL teachers' perceptions (Faruk Türker); (52) The place of mother tongue in the teaching of content courses through English-medium instruction (Ali Karakas); (53) The use of images instead of translation in foreign language teaching (Filiz Tokalak Baltaci); (54) Thought representation and misperceptions in Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" (Mustafa Zeki Çirakli); (55) Three generations three stories (Mehmet Özcan); (56) Two prophets of Idea: Bernard Shaw and Necip Fazil (Önder Çakirtas); (57) Undergraduate Jordanians improve their English speaking fluency through video chatting with undergraduate Americans (Basma Alsaleem); (58) Unfulfilled dreams in Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" (Zeki Edis); and (59) Wedding invitation genre: Communicating sociocultural identities of Iraqi society (Nassier Al-Zubaidi).

This is a report of a professional development project. The purpose of the project was to provide professional development to teachers in vocabulary instructional strategies and to examine vocabulary acquisition of English language learners. The participants were 8 second grade ELL students and 6 second grade teachers. The eight second grade students were given a pretest on their vocabulary knowledge. The vocabulary strategy of read alouds with direct vocabulary instruction was then administered to them. At the end of seven months, the students were given a post test on their vocabulary knowledge. Results from the pre/posttest comparison indicate that students' scores did improve under direct vocabulary instruction. The teachers were also given a pre and post questionnaire on their knowledge and confidence of teaching ELL students. Results from the questionnaires indicated that teachers gained both knowledge of and confidence in direct vocabulary instruction. Due to the importance of vocabulary acquisition for ELL students, educators need more formal training on effective instructional strategies to use in their classroom.

This study examines the pattern and extent of actual vs. perceived math achievement gaps (test scores vs. self-ratings) among Koreans, Korean-American immigrants and Korean-American natives. The study links TIMSS 2007 8th grade math data and ECLS-K 2007 8th grade math data together for matched sample (Korean ethnicity) comparisons. In terms of actual achievement as measured by test scores, Korean students perform significantly better than Korean-American students who in turn perform better than other American students. In contrast, in terms of perceived achievement as measured by self-ratings, Korean students have significantly lower self-concept than both Korean-American and other American students. The findings imply that Korean students are akin to "a small frog in a big pond", whereas Korean-American students are more like "a big frog in a small pond." This study gives new insights into multi-faceted, transnational achievement gaps between student groups with common ethnic background but different frames of reference and academic standards.

Questioning and discussion techniques are effective instructional methods that develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. There is often inconsistent implementation of these techniques, which can result in a negative effect on student achievement. This case study explored elementary, middle, and high school teachers and evaluators' perceptions of teaching practices regarding exemplary questioning and discussion techniques. Data included semi-structured interviews of teachers and evaluators, evaluation summaries, and lesson plans. Analysis was inductive using constant comparison to identify themes. Findings indicated teachers who earned exemplary marks on evaluations for questioning and discussion techniques created environments of respect and cultures for learning.

This research study examined two intervention programs, Read Naturally (computer-assisted) and The Six-Minute Solution (teacher-guided), for the purpose of finding their effects on reading fluency with 3rd grade students at an elementary school. The participants were from two separate third grade classrooms, randomly assigned to one of the two intervention programs. There were five participants in the Read Naturally program and four participants in The Six-Minute Solution program. Fluency, the word correct per minute (WCPM), was based on assessments through AIMSweb R-CBM fluency probes. The data was analyzed to determine which program has a greater effect on fluency. Results from posttest scores indicated that after four weeks of intervention, there was an increase in fluency in both programs. However, the Read Naturally program showed a significantly higher rate of WCPM (words correct per minute). Results show that repeated reading programs help increase reading fluency. Educators need to see the significance in repeated reading programs and the positive effect it can have on increasing reading fluency. A sample lesson plan is appended.

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference between students' scores in comprehension (English Language Arts) tests when they are led in Brain Gym® activities before class instruction and when they are taught using traditional teaching strategies. The sample for this study consisted of 11 males and 9 females. Data were collected by using Pearson Reading Comprehension tests. The students were tested after five days of receiving traditional teaching strategies and again after five days of participating in Brain Gym® activities before class instruction began. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test. The results indicated a significant difference in students' comprehension test scores when taught using Brain Gym® activities over the students' comprehension test scores who were taught using only traditional teaching strategies t(19)= -5.461, P=0.001. However, there was no significant difference between genders on performance. The results suggest that implementing Brain Gym® activities before instruction significantly influences comprehension scores; therefore, teachers are encouraged to use Brain Gym® activities to help improve their students' comprehension scores.

Although there has been much published research on the benefits of distributed practice (Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, & Rohrer, 2006) and the testing effect (Eisenkraemer, Jaeger, & Stein, 2013), very few studies are available regarding cumulative testing in college courses. Those available show a benefit to cumulative testing (Lawrence, 2014; Rohm, Sparzo, & Bennett, 1986; Szpunar, McDermott, & Roediger, 2007). As baseline information for a future study of cumulative testing, the current study investigated how well 150 college students recalled previous material when given unannounced cumulative items on a final exam. (Cumulative items were not counted toward students' grades.) Four sections of an undergraduate human development class formed the sample. Two professors taught two sections each and administered separately-developed exams throughout the semester. For the final exam, each professor chose ten multiple-choice items from each of the first and second tests of the semester to include on the final exam. The number of students missing the items on the final was compared to the number missing the same items earlier in the semester. A paired t-test showed a statistically significant increase in the overall number of students missing the items on the final exam. The size of the difference did not depend on whether the items were from Test 1 or Test 2, although it did differ by professor, with an effect size of 0.38 for Professor A and 1.15 for Professor B. A Pearson's correlation between the overall number of students missing each item before and on the final was 0.51, indicating that items previously missed by larger numbers of students were not necessarily the ones missed by the most students on the final exam. This correlation differed by professor, as well (0.65 for Professor A; 0.45 for Professor B).

Reading comprehension was investigated between undergraduates at a university in Louisiana, United States (n = 17) and an English-based university in Saudi Arabia (n = 41) for the purpose of comparing variance and proficiency. Comprehension was measured with an 8th grade curriculum-based measure administered in English. The research hypothesis of a larger proportion proficient (60% or higher) from the university within the United States (99%) than the proportion proficient from an English-based university in Saudi Arabia (49%) was revealed in data (?[superscript 2] = 10.49, p = 0.0012). Greater variance in reading comprehension was expected at the English-based university in the non-English speaking country because of non-standardization of English instruction in k-12 programming. Analysis of sample variance in student data from Prince Mohammad bin fahd University (s[superscript 2] = 11.575) and Northwestern State University (s[superscript 2] = 4.639) confirmed this expectation.

Ogbu and Simon's (1998) and Ogbu's (2003) cultural-ecological theoretical framework postulates that voluntary immigrants, those who chose to migrate to a new land, would perform well academically because of their perceived beliefs that they could get a good education and could succeed more in their "new" land of opportunity than in their "native" country. However, does the aforementioned notion hold true for both African and Afro-Caribbean immigrants to North America (USA & Canada) and Europe (U.K.)? The present study addresses a gap identified by Pinder (2010); in which, she called for more studies to explore and document differences in African heritage students' performances in North America and Europe. Thus, this study examines and compares the academic performance of African and Afro-Caribbean immigrant students in STEM in North America and Europe. Findings do suggest that African students consistently do well academically in North American countries and in the U.K. (Europe), and these findings align with Ogbu's cultural-ecological assumptions about voluntary immigrants' performance in a "new" land of opportunity. On the other hand, although data findings suggest Afro-Caribbean students are performing well academically in North American countries, data findings also suggest that they are underperforming in comparison to their peers in the U.K., this finding conflicts with Ogbu and Simon's cultural-ecological assumption.

This study presents Arizona's innovations in academic accountability policy and academic accountability frameworks for alternative schools. A timeline of statutes and regulations including the State Board of Education approved alternative school definition provides Arizona's context for alternative school accountability policy and frameworks. Arizona is relatively unique with its development of two state-level accountability frameworks for alternative schools. In addition to presentation of the Arizona Department of Education's (ADE) Alternative A-F model and the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) Academic Framework for Alternative Schools, this study offers a comparison of the two systems. Bar graphs present two years, fiscal years 2012 and 2013, of accountability results. Correlation coefficients for both years show a strong correlation between ADE's Alternative A-F and ASBCS' Academic Framework. This analysis provides empirical findings that will help further discussion of these innovations in policies and frameworks leading to more appropriate accountability for alternative education campuses. (Contains 4 tables and 14 figures .)

Two groups of college students majoring in translation participated in the study. They were enrolled in an English reading course. The control group received face-to-face in-class reading practice; whereas the experimental group received synchronous online practice using Eluminate Live, a web-conferencing software associated with Blackboard LMS. Elluminate has virtual rooms or vSpaces where virtual classes and meetings can be held. Elluminate Live communication tools include integrated Voice over IP and teleconferencing, public and private chat, quizzing and polling, emoticons, a webcam tool, a whiteboard for uploading presentations for viewing by class, a recording feature, a graphing tool, breakout rooms for group work, and a timer. In the present study, Elluminate was used as supplement in in-class instruction to provide students with extra reading practice from home. The present study aims to describe the following: (i) steps followed in preparing for and conducting synchronous reading web-conferences between EFL students and instructors using Elluminate Live; (ii) technical requirements of synchronous reading web-conferences using Elluminate; (iii) technical difficulties of synchronous web-conferences using Elluminate; (iv) the effects of using Elluminate live reading practice sessions on students' achievement; (v) participants' views of the benefits and shortcomings of synchronous reading web-conferences using Elluminate; (v) recommendations for conducting effective synchronous reading web-conferences using Elluminate. Results of the posttest showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in reading skill development, in favor of the Eluminate reading practice sessions. Students who participated in those reading practice sessions developed positive attitudes towards web-conferencing and reading practice as well.

Teaching English Language Learners (ELL) academics while they are acquiring English language skills is a challenge for teachers. This action research examines the use of Response To Intervention (RTI) in teaching ELLs mathematical language and its effect on students' math achievement in primary grades. It shows that when mathematical language is explicitly taught, ELLs improve mathematical understanding significantly.

In view of the perceived difficulty of organic chemistry unit for high schools students, this study examined the usefulness of concept mapping as a testing device to assess students' difficulty in the select areas. Since many tests used for identifying students misconceptions and difficulties in school subjects are observed to favour one or the other gender, this study examined efficacy of concept mapping as a gender fair test to appraise student difficulty in organic chemistry unit for high schools. Concept mapping is plotted against multiple-choice-item test, which is the commonly used objective test item format, and the true-false item test, which is advocated as efficient in finding out students misconceptions, to compare the usefulness of the first against the second and third in assessing student difficulties within organic chemistry in gender fair manner. The sample consisted of 117 tenth standard students from a rural government school in Kozhikode, Kerala. The test administration employed a counter-balanced design. This ensured that while all the students in the sample responded to all the three tests, one third of the study sample each answered the three tests first, second and third respectively. The first and second tests were considered pilot testing, such that the variation in score from the third test indicated the misconceptions than mere memory or guessing. The student performance, by gender, on the three test forms were compared using two-way ANOVA. The result indicated that concept mapping is at par with the true-false item format, in assessing student difficulties in organic chemistry in a gender fair manner, while the multiple choice item test scores favour girls, as is the customary case with the achievement scores in schools in Kerala. The findings highlight the need for developing improved formative test formats that could be used in accordance with fairer and inclusive schooling practices. (Contains 5 Tables and 1 Figure.)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of whole language instruction versus phonics instruction for improving reading fluency and spelling accuracy. The participants were the first grade students in the researcher's general education classroom of a non-Title I school. Stratified sampling was used to randomly divide twenty-two participants into two instructional groups. One group was instructed using whole language principles, where the children only read words in the context of a story, without any phonics instruction. The other group was instructed using explicit phonics instruction, without a story or any contextual influence. After four weeks of treatment, results indicate that there were no statistical differences between the two literacy approaches in the effect on students' reading fluency or spelling accuracy; however, there were notable changes in the post test results that are worth further investigation. In reading fluency, both groups improved, but the phonics group made greater gains. In spelling accuracy, the phonics group showed slight growth, while the whole language scores decreased. Overall, the phonics group demonstrated greater growth in both reading fluency and spelling accuracy. It is recommended that a literacy approach should combine phonics and whole language into one curriculum, but place greater emphasis on phonics development. The following are appended: (1) Sequence of Phonics Skills and Whole Language Stories; (2) Sample Lesson Plan for Phonics Instruction; and (3) Sample Lesson Plan for Whole Language Instruction.

The present case study examines classroom interaction in an English as a second language (ESL) class in an urban high school. The study intends to explore the in-depth nature of teacher's effective teaching practices during the instructional time with focus on their influence on linguistically and culturally diverse English language learners' language and identity development. Data from multiple sources of class observations, interviews with the teacher and students, and documents were constantly compared and progressively analyzed. The developmental qualitative analyses found that Transformative Mini Conferencing (TMC), in its multiple realizations in mini writing-in-progress conferences, mini lessons, and mini filming-in-progress conferences, has a significant impact on the development of adolescent learners' powerful literacies. Implications toward Transformative New Pedagogy in the new times of diversity and technology are also discussed.

It has been reported (Lei, Barlett, Gorney, & Herschbach, 2010; Sikorski et al., 2002) that only a minority of college students actually read the course textbook or other assigned readings in preparation for examinations. Suggested strategies to remedy this situation include quizzes (Ruscio, 2001; Ryan, 2006), study worksheets (Aagaard & Skidmore, 2009; Ryan, 2006), shorter reading assignments and use of the textbook during class time (Aagaard & Skidmore, 2009). A convenient cluster sample of 105 undergraduate students at a regional university in the midsouth completed a survey regarding their use of college textbooks, what strategies might increase the likelihood of their reading textbook assignments, and their preference for how class time was used. Participants were 60% female and fairly evenly distributed across the four years of college experience. Chi-square was run on 25 selected comparisons, with a Bonferroni correction of the resulting alphas. A majority of students (52%) reported that they do read the assigned textbook readings. Freshmen were significantly more likely to report that outside reading should not be required, and less likely to report having used or known about e-textbooks. Strategies reported to most likely prompt reading the textbook included in-class quizzes over text material (73% overall, but females were significantly more likely to read because of quizzes), assigning graded study-guides to complete while reading (77%); testing over material found in the textbook but not covered in class (81%); and assigning shorter reading assignments (77%). Sixty-four percent of respondents overall preferred group presentations, but sophomores and seniors opted for individual work, while juniors preferred groups. Additionally, students reported preferring the use of PowerPoint lectures to notes on the chalkboard, and generally preferred the use of group discussion and application of material to real-life rather than just lecture over textbook content. Textbook and Use of Class Time Survey results are appended.

The NEAIR 2009 Conference Proceedings is a compilation of papers presented at the Baltimore, Maryland conference. Papers in this document include: (1) A Principle Components Analysis of The Determinants of Student Satisfaction at a Historically Black Institution (Tao Gong and Jacqueline V. Parham); (2) Assessing and Enhancing Graduates' Employability with a Recruiter Survey (Anne Marie Delaney); (3) Do Count Your Chicken: Forecasting Instructional Costs Based on Your Curriculum (Jennifer A. Lee); (4) Every Dollar Matters: Examining Young Alumni Giving Behavior (Meredith S. Billings); (5) Holding on to Students--A Search for Freshmen Attrition Risk Factors in a Metropolitan Private University (Elisabeth Lackner); (6) Students' Perceptions Matter: Early Signs of Undergraduate Student Retention/Attrition (Corbin M. Campbell and Jessica Mislevy); and (7) The Kobayashi Maru of IR: Gender Equity Research in Faculty Salaries, Career Development and Academic Services (Yong-Lyun Kim and Mitchell S. Nesler). {Individual papers contain references.]

The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast the elementary education programs at University of Macau and Indiana University Southeast. A comparison of the program structures looked at the program standards, credit hours, degree offered, completion requirements, and academic departments offering the courses. A comparison of the program curricula looked at general education courses, methods courses, professional education courses, elective courses and practicum. After identifying the strengths and weaknesses of both programs, recommendations for future development were made.

I created a newsgroup with Yahoo Groups and invited all male and female colleagues at the College of Languages and Translation to register. The aims of the newsgroup were to share college news, discuss academic issues and student and faculty problems, learn about each other's publications and academic activities. Although messages were sent to the college's 160 faculty members, only 28 (17.5%) registered. They posted a total of 73 messages, with 50% posted by the dean and 34% posted by the author. Messages posted were mainly about conference calls and university memos. 71% of the members did not participate at all. By contrast, I am a member of a Korean Teachers' Education and Development Newsgroup. The Korean Newsgroup has 133 members. They posted a total of 685 messages. They discuss all kinds of academic issues related to the teaching and learning of English in Korea such as: Students' response on projects, a list of MATESL-like programs, creating collaborative teacher communities, action research to collate and write a class activities book, writing for TEC, advice for teaching freshmen English classes, putting faces to names and names to faces, good teacher characteristics, expressing feelings, mandatory English, ESL/EFL teacher standards, professional development summer options, call for National Executive Council candidates, in addition to conference and course announcements, job vacancies, surveys, digests and others. The study reports the causes of inadequate participation among the Saudi Newsgroup members based on findings of a survey.