Adolescent English Learners’ Use of Digital Technology in the Classroom

This study looked at how five adolescent English Learners (ELs) in an English as a second language class use the available digital technology. Data collected consisted of classroom observations, student and classroom documents, and focus student interviews. Data collection and analysis were simultaneous processes. Findings suggest adolescent ELs use their personal smartphones and school-provided laptops on a regular basis for entertainment and scaffolding purposes.     

Fostering Learner Autonomy by Developing Learners’Strategies in The Classroom

This paper intends to discuss how to develop the learners’autonomous English learning abilities through strategy teaching.The problems of learning strategies were analyzed.Developing learners’strategies through classroom teaching is an efficient way to foster learner autonomy.The results prove that using the content of regular classroom teaching,which is a meaning ful context for the development of responsibility,can not only enhance the learning effect,but also save time for strategy training.The teacher’s guiding role in autonomous learning should never be ignored.Developing autonomous English learning in voca tional colleges in China is a long-term pedagogical goal.     

Cultivating Learners’ thinking Abilities in Foreign Language Teaching with Respect to Approaches of Reform in Basic Education

Thinking ability of a man, which is the core of wisdom, participates in and dominates all the intellectual activities. This study, pursued on the ontological and practical level, is aimed at cultivating learners ’ thinking abilities in foreign language teaching(FLT)in basic education of China. Regarding English teaching reform in basic education of China as the background, this thesis probes to bring it to the forefront and put forward approaches and strategies of incorporating the cultivation of learners’ thinking abilities into every aspect of the teaching procedures.     

Cultivating Learners’thinking Abilities in Foreign Language Teaching with Respect to Approaches of Reform in Basic Education

Thinking ability of a man, which is the core of wisdom, participates in and dominates all the intellectual activities. This study, pursued on the ontological and practical level, is aimed at cultivatin...     

Adult–Child Relationship Processes and Early Schooling

This paper highlights the importance of social processes in early school outcomes. Child-adult relationships are a social context with particular salience for the development of a number of social and academic outcomes in early childhood. Research on both child–parent and child–teacher relationships is reviewed. Measurement technologies are described and conceptual perspectives based on dyadic systems models are advanced as heuristics for future research. Practice implications are drawn with respect to assessment of relationships and implications for conceptualization of early childhood outcomes.     

The Relationship Between Students’ Casual Interest in Science and Their Perceptions of the Undergraduate Laboratory Environment

Research in Science Education - Science instructors assume that they have created their laboratory curriculum in such a way as to reflect an ideal science instructional laboratory, but students may...     

Examining the Role of Self-Regulated Learning Microanalysis in the Assessment of Learners’ Regulation

We examined the degree of convergence among self-regulated learning microanalysis, measures of metacognitive monitoring, and a self-regulated learning questionnaire during reading. Participants' reported strategy use during reading, as measured by self-regulated learning microanalysis, was significantly related to scores on a self-regulated learning questionnaire. Self-monitoring on the microanalytic protocol was significantly related to a measure of metacognitive monitoring as well as to participants' item-level confidence judgments. Participants who made strategy attributions for performance tended to have higher scores on the measure of reading comprehension. Strategic planning and strategy use during reading of the text also predicted comprehension. Implications and future directions for the study of self-regulated learning microanalysis are discussed.     

The Unexpected for the Expecting Parent: Effects of Disruptive Early Interactions on Mother–Infant Relationship

SYNOPSIS

High-quality parental caregiving promotes children’s development from their day of birth or even earlier. Whether there are ways to predict, and ultimately enhance, parental caregiving quality during the prenatal stages of development has been less well understood. This circumstance is even truer when things do not go according “to plan.” In this commentary, we explore two possible scenarios, perhaps unexpected for expectant parents, that can affect children’s development: (1) postpartum parental displays of atypical behaviors and parental caregiving strategies (i.e., maternal/paternal depression) and (2) postpartum child displays of atypical behaviors (i.e., autism spectrum disorder).     

The Relationship Between Preservice Early Childhood Teachers’ Cultural Values and their Perceptions of Scientists’ Cultural Values

This paper describes research that compares preservice early childhood teachers’ cultural values and the values they believe are held by scientists. Using the Schwartz Values Inventory (SVI) (Schwartz (1992) Adv Exp Soc Psychol 25:331–351) preservice early childhood teachers cultural values were assessed, followed by an assessment of the values they believed were held by scientists. Schwartz postulated that cultural values could be aggregated into 11 domains (universalism, benevolence, tradition, self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, power, conformity, spirituality, and security). Paired T-tests indicated significant differences between preservice early childhood teachers’ cultural values from those they believed scientists held on the domains of power, achievement, stimulation, benevolence, conformity, and security. The discussion explores the meaning of these results and provides implications for early childhood science teacher education.     

“We’re Not Just Interested in the Work”: Social and Emotional Aspects of Early Educator Mentoring Relationships

The purpose of this study was to explore how often 159 practicing teachers enrolled in a university Master's degree principal preparation program observed their mentor principals model the four mandated Texas standards‐based instructional leadership competencies for the principalship. The competencies focus on leadership through curriculum and planning, nurturing and sustaining the instructional program, implementing a staff evaluation plan and applying decision‐making skills. Findings on the four competencies ranged from a high of 59.1% to a low of only 44.7% of the participants who indicated that they observed their mentor principals modeling these four competencies at least ‘usually.’     

Subgroups of Assessor and Assessee: the Relationship Between Students’ Peer Assessment Roles and Perceptions of MSCL in Science Education

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Recent research in collaborative learning has indicated that peer assessment has a positive influence on students’ learning performance and...     

Teachers’ professional development in Nanoscience and nanotechnology in the context of a Community of Learners

ABSTRACT

This case study focuses on teachers’ professional development in NanoScience and nanoTechnology (NST). In the context of a Community of Learners (CoL), in-service teachers in collaboration with science education researchers, nanoscience researchers and experts from science museums, developed a teaching module. This module integrates NST topics along with aspects of science communication, i.e. development of science exhibits and socio-scientific issues, e.g. ethics regarding the research in this field. The data were gathered over 1-year period by using video recordings and interviews. The Interconnected Model of Professional Growth was used to study the processes that support teachers’ professional change in this context, as they are elicited from their interactions in the CoL. Our findings indicate that the dynamic of teachers’ interactions with colleagues and the mediating processes that impact on their professional learning, are crafted on the basis of the emerged challenges in each phase of module’s design and development. These findings give an insight on teachers’ professional learning as they transfer their professional knowledge regarding scientific topics which are innovative to them, i.e. NST, into their teaching practice. In this respect, this study contributes to research literature relevant to teachers’ professionalisation in order to implement innovations in the classroom.     

Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions of Their Emotional State,Relationships with Parents,Challenges, and Opportunities During the Early Stage of the Pandemic

Early Childhood Education Journal - This article presents a study about the impact of COVID-19 on childcare center educators in Quebec (Canada). Regulated childcare services were closed...     

The Construction of General Principles about the Exemplification in the Electronic Learner’s Dictionary

Dictionary has many functions, in which the function of definition is of very importance because the main purpose of dictionary is providing the entry’s meaning information for the readers so that the readers can understand and use the entry-word and the realization of the purpose completely depends on lexicographical definition. However, the function of definition is limited, which need the exemplification to assist it. Therefore, the exemplification becomes very important, too. Good exemplification can assist definition, provide grammatical information, and supplement the information usage and so on. Many researches studied the exemplification of dictionary, its principles and so on. Dictionary changed much with the development of technology and many kinds of electronic dictionaries appeared. Few studies are involved with the new-type dictionary. Based on the general principles of the exemplification in a learner’s printed dictionary, it is necessary to construct the general principles about the exemplification in the electronic learner’s dictionary.     

Analysis and Evaluation of the Learners’ESL in Terms of Developmental Acquisition Stage

This essay aims at utilizing the acquisition criterion developed by researchers to analyze the data collected from the two learners of English in Australia. Drawn from the Processability theory and the theory of Second Language Acquisition, the findings in both quantitative and qualitative forms will be presented to draw a conclusion that the two students have reached at which developmental stage their L2 learning is.     

Early Practicum Experiences: Preservice Early Childhood Students’ Perceptions and Sense of Efficacy

The current study explored early practicum experiences (those occurring before student teaching) in an early childhood birth to kindergarten teacher education program. Undergraduates enrolled in practicum courses completed questionnaires about their overall practicum experience including: socio-emotional components (their perceived fit with their cooperating teacher and intrapersonal feelings while in the classroom), overall practicum satisfaction, and their sense of teacher efficacy. Results revealed that practicum students generally reported feelings of being energized and relaxed, though some practicum students reported feelings of frustration in their practicum classrooms. Feeling energized and relaxed and students’ perception of fit with their cooperating teacher were positively associated with practicum satisfaction and practicum students’ teacher efficacy. Feelings of frustration were negatively associated with students’ fit with their cooperating teacher, practicum satisfaction, and students’ teacher efficacy. Higher levels of practicum satisfaction predicted higher practicum students’ teacher efficacy. Findings highlight the importance of understanding early practicum experiences and what factors of the practicum experience contribute teacher efficacy. Implications for future research and practice for early childhood teacher preparation programs are discussed.     

The Validity of Narratives for Understanding Children’s Perceptions of the Teacher–Child Relationship for Preschoolers Who Display Elevated Disruptive Behaviors

The links between a positive teacher-child relationship and young children’s academic and social-emotional development have been well established, particularly for children with disruptive behaviors. However, less is known about children’s views of the teacher-child relationship and how these representations relate to other established measures. Using a sample of 157 preschoolers with elevated disruptive behaviors, the current study assessed preschoolers’ representations of the teacher-child relationship by adapting a narrative procedure and a coding scheme from the parent-child attachment literature. Children’s representations as assessed through their narratives were internally consistent and were modestly associated with established measures of the teacher-child relationship. Offering additional support of validity, children’s representations had implications for their engagement in tasks, such that children with more negative and less emotionally positive representations were more dependent on positive interactions with their teachers to remain oriented to tasks. Results add support to the importance of positive teacher-child interactions for children with behavioral difficulties and highlight the benefit of using representational measures to understand children’s views of the teacher-child relationship.     

Accelerating the College and Career Readiness of Diverse K–5 Literacy Learners

Given the increasing demand for a well-educated American workforce, college and career readiness has become a significant educational priority. New educational initiatives, including the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, are being developed and implemented to prepare students for success in postsecondary education and the workplace. In this article, we discuss how college and career readiness standards have transformed expectations for literacy instruction in K–5 classrooms, especially for students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Given that students of color have been historically underserved in schools, we contend that these children need more equitable and enriched opportunities to learn academic literacies, content knowledge, and communication skills to achieve their future college aspirations and career goals. To that end, we offer key principles (i.e., community-oriented classrooms, close reading of complex texts, content-rich inquiry, and cultural connectedness) that elementary educators can use to design engaging learning environments and robust literacy lessons that advance the college and career readiness of all students.