EFL STUDENTS’ABILITY IN PERFORMING AUTONOMOUS LEARNING AND THEIR WRITING PROFICIENCY ACROSS COGNITIVE STYLES

This study is intended do investigate the relationship between students’ autonomy and their writing proficiency across cognitive styles. Correlational research design was fit to understand the relationship between two continuous variables. To obtain the required data, Writing Autonomy Questionnaire, and writing test was administered to 155 students of sixth semester from two private colleges at Malang. The result presented that there is significant and positive correlation between those variables (r = .437). Meanwhile variables pressented gave contribution to the other variable due to its correlationship. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan antara autonomy mahasiswa dan kemampuan menulis mereka berdasarkan gaya berpikir. Metode penelitian yang sesuai adalah korelasi untiuk memahami hubungan dua variabel. Writing Autonomy Questionnaire, dan tes menulis disebarkan kepada 155 siswa semester 6 untuk memperoleh data yang diperlukan. Hasil peneliatian ini menunjukkan bahwa ada hubungan positif dan signifikan antara kedua variabel tersebut (r = .437). Sementara itu variabel yang teridentifikasi tersebut saling berkontribusi dikarenakan hasil analisa yang menunjukkan hubungan positif dan signifikan

Xavier University Newswire

https://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/student_newspaper/3606/thumbnail.jp

A grounded theory analysis of novice and veteran principals through the Dreyfus and Greenfield models

The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop categories of work meaningful to elementary school principals that are significant at the beginning of one\u27s career and after ten or more years on the job. A total of 15 public elementary school principals were interviewed. Using grounded theory, the interview data were analyzed and coded for topics that represented work concerns in beginning and later career. The results were interpreted within the Dreyfus model of learning to identify the principals\u27 levels of performance and through the Greenfield model to identify the areas of principal work that presented continuing challenges for both novice and veteran principals. The analysis of the data revealed that principals confronted by time management issues such as the pace and multiplicity of demands in the first year of work have difficulty gaining control over their jobs, primarily in the Managerial and Social Interpersonal Dimensions. Veterans continue to incorporate changes in the Instructional Dimension that is the focus of educational reform initiatives. Data also suggested that the performance and behaviors of principals in their first two years indicated that they are functioning as learners at the Novice and Advanced Beginner levels of the Dreyfus model. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that the work of principals is learned primarily through job experience, with little or no formal help. Feedback in the form of clear expectations and guidelines for calendaring and district procedures will enhance principal learning and make them more efficient managers of their time; opportunities for guided reflection will provide ongoing support for continuous learning on the job

Bulletin of the University of San Diego School of Law 1972-1973

34 pages : illustrations, photographs ; 23 cmhttps://digital.sandiego.edu/coursecatalogs-law/1018/thumbnail.jp

Perspectives on collaborative learning: a case study of teachers and students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) within an Algerian higher education institution

This interpretivist case study examines the perceptions of teachers and students towards collaborative learning for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in higher education in Algeria. Learning English in higher education in Algeria is frequently carried out through individualistic and competitive or collaborative ways. Although EFL students workcollaboratively on some tasks, there is evidence that there may be some lack of clarity regarding the characteristics and use of some elements of collaborative learning in relation to EFL teaching, learning and assessment. This study focuses on collaborative learning for EFL students in English language classrooms in higher education. It was found that collaborative learning can be effective in achieving the development of language skills for students, however; it was also found that collaborative learning can mean the developmentof the social network, communication and critical thinking skills. This contested and unclear meaning of collaborative learning in English language education leads to question whether collaborative learning means a process (where the interaction of students is important) or a product (where the language should be learned). This study endeavours to explore (1) the meaning of collaborative learning for EFL higher education teachers and students; (2) the evaluation and assessment system for such collaborative learning; and (3) the contextual factors that affect collaborative learning for EFL students. Therefore, the originality of this study lies in exploring and seeking to understand the aim of collaborative learning in EFL teaching and its interaction with assessment processes used. The qualitative interpretive methodology was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of how teachers and students experienced and perceived collaborative learning. The perceptions of three categories of people (teachers, head of the department and students) were investigated through semi-structured interviews, therefore; nine Algerian EFL teachers and eight EFL undergraduate students were selected. Five participant teachers from the above sample also agreed to be observed in the classroom. Moreover, two official Algerian ministry documents were consulted for documentary evidence in addition to the written field notes. The findings reveal the complexity of the use of collaborative learning as a pedagogical approach. In particular, the participants seemed to focus more on the product, that is; on language related-outcomes because the students are assessed on their individual learning of the language though they work in groups. This major finding contradicts the interaction patterns of social interdependence theory: individual accountability, positive interdependence and promotive interaction (skills). These interaction patterns indicate that collaborative learning is about the process where the interaction skills are vital. The findingsalso indicate that collaborative learning is affected by the teacher’s pedagogy and the policy of higher education. The implications of this study can be thought provoking to higher education EFL teachers through raising an awareness of their actual thinking and practices regarding collaborative learning. The focus on the interaction of collaborative learning and assessment practices raises questions about the equal importance of both the process and the product of collaborative learning in EFL and the systematic assessment of collaborative learning practices. It could also provide information for Algerian policy makers in any future reinterpretation or redesign of assessment practices. All in all, this study can be used as a reference to enrich the knowledge and practices concerning students’ collaborative learning specifically and to contribute to the development of pedagogy in higher education in general

Race and Ability Talk in Early Childhood: Critical Inquiry into Shared Book Reading Practices with Pre-Service Teachers

In early childhood contexts, reading literature to engage children in critical discussions about ability and race – and how it impacts their daily lives – is a promising practice. Indeed, critical literacy scholars see the use of language, text, and discourse structures as powerful ways to address inequity in educational settings (Gainer, 2013; Luke, 2012; Rodriguez & Cho, 2011). However, research investigating the ways in which teachers and young children participate in dialogue about ability and race through shared-book reading is sparse. Further, research on ways pre-service teachers’ identities and experiences mediate these classroom interactions is limited (Aboud et al., 2012; Yu, Ostrosky, & Fowler, 2012). This study investigated how four pre-service teachers constructed identities and transformed their practice as they facilitated dialogue about ability and race with young children during shared-book reading in preschool fieldwork placements. Grounded in a humanizing stance (Paris, 2011) and conceptually framed through sociocultural theory (de Valenzuela, 2013; Rogoff, 2003; Vygotsky, 1978), discourse theory (Alim, 2005; Gee, 2014; Fairclough & Wodak, 1997; Rogers, 2011), and Disability Critical Race Theory (Annamma et al., 2013), this qualitative multiple-case study aimed to inform future early childhood educators in facilitating critical conversations about ability and race with young learners. Data collection sources included: interviews with pre-service teachers, mentor teachers, and children; shared-book reading video data; and pre-service teachers’ Critical Conversation Journey Maps (adapted from Annamma, 2017). Results from Critical Discourse Analysis and across-case thematic analysis demonstrated that pre-service teacher participants controlled the amount of child talk and ways children could contribute to talk during shared book reading. When topics of ability and race were discussed, pre-service teachers constructed themselves as experts, focused on naming physical differences, and emphasized universal sameness. In doing so, pre-service teachers conveyed the notion that individual differences of ability and race are neutral and did not engage in conversations about the consequences of ability and race in children’s lives. Given what they gleaned from their early educational experiences, experiences in university coursework, and fieldwork, pre-service teachers had few means by which to enter critical conversations about ability and race with young children during shared book reading. Co-analyses of discursive interactions led pre-service teachers to consider young children’s conceptualizations of ability and race, and pre-service teachers recognized the need to talk about ability and race with young children. Even as pre-service teachers felt challenged by the conversations they had with children throughout the study, reflecting on ability and race talk allowed them to see new possibilities for their future practice. Implications for teacher education and future research are discussed. By examining the multifaceted nature of pre-service teachers’ social, professional, and discursive identities in practice, this study contributes to understanding how to support pre-service teachers with engaging young children in critical dialogue about ability and race in early childhood classrooms