Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

Teachers And Research Practices: Perspectives From English Language Educators In A Philippine University, Veronico N. Tarrayo, Philippe Jose S. Hernandez, Judith Ma. Angelica S. Claustro

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Given the paucity of studies regarding research practices of teachers, particularly English language teaching (ELT) practitioners in the ASEAN region and in the Philippines, this study explores the research practices of English language teachers in the Philippines. Using purposive-convenience sampling, a total of 49 teachers of English from a Philippine university were asked to answer a survey. To validate the data, pertinent public university documents were examined, and interviews with the university research heads were conducted. Findings suggest that the teachers were cognizant of the link between teaching and their own and their schools’ research practices. This research also reports …

Supporting Undergraduate University Students Through Instrumental Mentoring, Cindy A. Smith, Susan Beltman, Judith Dinham, Toni J. Dobinson, Jenny Jay

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Student engagement and retention is a noted concern for universities and may be impacted by many different student factors such as difficulty transitioning to a university setting, inadequate skills or a sense of isolation. This study evaluated an instrumental mentoring program conducted at an Australian University in a program for pre service teachers. Twenty four undergraduate students were engaged as volunteer research assistants and worked with seven academic staff in meaningful writing and research tasks. Qualitative data was collected through focus groups, student journals, and follow up interviews. The data was analysed thematically. Results indicated that through their participation, students …

Examination Of Text And Video-Formatted Learning Diaries In The Teacher Education, Murat Debbag, Mustafa Fidan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aims to comparatively examine the text and video formatted learning diaries created within the scope of a school experience course which is a part of teacher education programs for prospective science teachers (PSTs). The case study design was used in this study. The participants created their learning diaries both in text and video formats for the school experience. Results showed that both text formatted diaries and video formatted diaries not only made it possible for the PSTs to see, review, and correct their deficiencies with respect to the profession of teaching, but also made contributions to the development …

The Impact Of A Research Methods Course On Teacher Candidates’ Epistemological Beliefs, Menşure Alkiş Küçükaydin, Yasin Gökbulut

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The epistemological beliefs of teachers impact both their in-class practices and the perceptions and beliefs of the students whose learning is the responsibility of teachers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate and discuss the impact of a course entitled “research methods” which is taught in education faculties in Turkey, on the epistemological beliefs of teacher candidates. The study adopted the mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Forty-three teacher candidates participated in the study. The data for the study were collected through the “Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Scale (SEBs)”, a semi-structured interview form, and another form that included the written opinions of teacher candidates. …

Learning To Become An English Language Teacher: Navigating The Self Through Peer Practicum, Irem Comoglu, Kenan Dikilitas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Pre-service English language teachers' school practicum is key to their learning to become a teacher. However, a number of challenges are observed in its implementation. This paper addresses this issue by investigating how engaging in practicum as peers can function as mentoring support and how this process can influence their selves. A cohort of 16 senior pre-service English teachers was invited to participate in the study from a state university in the west of Turkey. We collected qualitative data through dialogic verbal records and post-practicum interviews. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The results show that pre-service teachers provided …

The “Other” Teacher: Understanding The Experience Of Graduate Teaching Assistants In Neoliberal Teacher Education Settings, Jing Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, I critically examine how graduate teaching assistants’ (GTAs’) experiences are discursively shaped by the exercise of power in neoliberal higher education contexts and hence, to reveal the hidden aspects of educational institutions, which are central to our understandings about the meaning of truth, fairness, and equity embedded in neoliberal academic settings. To understand the experiences of graduate teaching assistants in this neoliberal teacher education setting, the major research questions of this study explore how the different identities that GTAs possess influence their interactions with the neoliberal higher education context and how they navigate as well as resist …

Bridging The Gap: Effects Of Dual Credit College Algebra On Postsecondary Education Outcomes, Karen S. Heavin

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The contraction of the blue-collar economy is slowly rendering the high school diploma obsolete as an entry-level requirement for middle class employability. Over the last 40 years, jobs requiring some sort of postsecondary education or post-high school credential increased from 28% to 62%, while lower-skilled jobs, traditionally filled by high school graduates or those without a high school diploma, decreased from 72% to 38%. As automation slowly replaces the blue-collar workforce, it is critical that our educational system provides all students the necessary tools to successfully complete a postsecondary degree or credential.

This study examined two groups of graduating high …

College And Career Preparation Activities And Their Influence On Post-High School Education And Work Attainment, Xue Xing, Margarita Huerta, Tiberio Garza

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

This study examined students’ participation in college and career preparation activities in high school, and the relationship between participation in these activities and students’ education and work attainment within one year of high school graduation. This study used the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:2009) dataset and participants included 12,217 public school students with 6,046 (49.49%) boys and 6,171 (50.51%) girls. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. Results indicate that socioeconomic status was the only significant predictor across all post-high school education and work outcomes. Significant predictors of post-high school education/work attainment were found but differed …

How Students Learn And Instructors Can, Too: Effective College Teaching According To Eyler (2018), Karin Dejonge-Kannan

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Book Review

Eyler, J. R. (2018). How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching. West Virginia University Press.

• 293 pages
• Available in hardback, paperback, and digital format
• Price $85 (hc), $22 (pb), $17 (ebook)
• Keywords: learning, teaching, college students, classroom practice

Reviewer:

Karin deJonge-Kannan, Principal Lecturer

Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies

Utah State University

[email protected]

Reflective Practice: The Impact Of Self-Identified Learning Gaps On Professional Development, Joanna C. Weaver, Matthew Ryan Lavery, Sarah Heineken

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The ebb and flow of education creates unique challenges within educational programming. Universities are charged with the directive to offer more diverse field experiences within their course requirements. As a result of the directive, not every topic nor instructional scenario can be addressed in the program coursework, challenging the programs to bridge the pedagogical learning gaps of their candidates. The purpose of the professional development (PD) being studied was to connect pedagogical methods to candidates’ own learning by providing self-selected PD with instructional tools that candidates could directly put into practice. The self-selected PD based on self-reflection of knowledge had …

Assessing Community-Engaged Learning Impacts Using Ripple Effects Mapping, Benjamin J. Muhlestein, Roslynn Mccann

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Communicating Sustainability, an upper level undergraduate service-learning live broadcast course was created at Utah State University to help students gain critical skills in communicating and participating in local sustainability efforts. Community-Engaged Learning was a key component applied in gaining and using these skills. This study sought to capture the impacts of this course on both its students and the community partners who worked with those students using Ripple Effects Mapping. Key findings include: powerful impacts on student learning, growth and ability to engage in local movements; as well as clearly defined benefits for community partners. Included in this study …

“Does Increased Online Interaction Between Instructors And Students Positively Affect A Student’S Perception Of Quality For An Online Course?”, Jennifer Hunter Dr, Brayden Ross

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Online education is increasing as a solution to manage increasing enrollment numbers at higher education institutions. Intentionally and thoughtfully constructed courses allow students to improve performance through practice and self-assessment and instructors benefit from improving consistency in providing content and assessing process, performance, and progress.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of student to instructor interaction on the student’s perception of quality for an online course. “Does increased online interaction between instructors and students positively affect a student’s perception of quality for an online course?”

The study included over 1200 courses over a three year time …

Enhanced Teaching Requirements: A Case Study Of Instructional Growth On Student Academic Performance And Satisfaction In An Online Classroom, Mingzhen Bao, Adam L. Selhorst, Teresa Taylor Moore, Andrea Dilworth

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Online and brick-and-mortar universities are continually looking for a model that maximizes the student experience with the goal of enhancing retention and graduation rates among all student populations. Online education with its asynchronous nature and adult student populations need to hold faculty accountable for student performance in the classroom. This case study examined the effect of enhanced faculty requirements developed for online teaching on student academic performance and satisfaction. The enhanced requirements focused on increased faculty communication, subject-matter expertise, discipline mentoring, immediate assistance, and relationship building. Researchers compared student performance and satisfaction in courses taught under regular requirements with those …

About This Issue

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The Fall 2019 issue of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence presents studies that identify specific factors impacting the quality of the learning experience. Areas of study include the impact of enhanced teaching requirements on student performance in online classes, the effect of increased student-to-teacher interaction on students' perception of online course quality, assessment of community-engaged learning impacts, and the impact of self-identified learning gaps on professional development. The journal concludes with a book review of Josh Eyler's book, "How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching."

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 3, Issue 2

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full Spring 2019 issue (Volume 3, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence.

Informal Learning About Teaching Among Novice University Professors, Laia Encinar-Prat, Joaquín Gairín Sallán

The Qualitative Report

In this article, we present results of a study on informal learning about teaching among novice university professors at one university in Spain. The study identified teaching competencies developed through informal learning, strategies of informal learning used, and organizational factors that might foster or hinder the acquisition of teaching competencies. We gathered data through 18 individual interviews with novice university faculty, two focus groups with university professors, a document analysis and a focus group of experts. We conducted content analysis of the transcripts of the interviews and focus groups, as well as the documents obtained. The results showed that the …

Welcoming Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing English Language Learners: A Guidebook For English Educators, Sarah Chang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Research in the Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) English Language (EL) Education has shown that there is a significant lack of published research and resources within the past ten years.

The purpose of this project is to fill the gap between what is available and what is needed to give EL educators in public universities in the United States a resource and a guide to help them when working with DHH English Language Learners (ELL). Useful information, suggestions, and practices are provided within this guidebook and separated into three different chapters. The goal is to help DHH ELLs feel …

Distributed Leadership: Theorizing A Mindful Engagement Component, Arij Rached, Simone Elias

Journal of Research Initiatives

The distributive leader cannot influence organizational performance without taking into consideration the capabilities of team members to achieve a common goal (McIntyre, 2003; Harris, 2003). To leverage the capabilities of teams, distributive leaders need to be mindfully attentive in establishing a collective interpretation of the current organizational situation. However, establishing a collective interpretation may not be effective if distributive leaders do not initially consider the importance of creating group learning environments to engage diverse group members (Ashford & DeRue, 2012). The purpose of this integrative literature review is to explore theoretical and empirical research examining the potential of mindful engagement …

“Where Are You From?”: Using Critical Race Theory To Analyze Graphic Novel Counter-Stories Of The Racial Microaggressions Experienced By Two Angry Asian Girls, Talitha Angelica Acaylar Trazo, Woohee Kim

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

This article uses critical race theory (CRT) to analyze two stories about racial microaggressions from Where Are You From?: Short stories about being Asian in America, the graphic novel written and illustrated by Talitha Angelica Acaylar Trazo in fulfillment of her undergraduate honors thesis. Where Are You From? visually historicizes the counter-stories of 48 Asian and Asian American students at a predominantly-white undergraduate institution. In this article, we examine these microaggressions in relation to institutional and structural racism and the intersections of race, gender, and power dynamics between white faculty and Asian female students. Furthermore, we propose …

Sjsu Erfa Board Minutes, December 2, 2019, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

SJSU ERFA Minutes

SJSU ERFA Executive Board Minutes

December 2, 2019