1,720,996 research outputs found
Case study two: Heterogeneity
No full textIntroduction: Learners in ESOL classes, particularly community-based classes, have heterogeneous past educational experiences, needs, (language) skills, and perspectives on learning. Heterogeneity is commonly viewed as something “brought along” to the ESOL classroom by learners (e.g. DfEE, 2000, 26) and appropriate classroom responses to this diversity are described in general terms (e.g. DfEE, 2001, 5). In this case study we will focus on how heterogeneity is produced within classroom practices by learners and teachers. We will look in detail at particular features of interaction and pedagogic practices, asking two main questions:
�How does heterogeneity show itself within classroom interaction?
How do teachers and learners manage classroom interaction so that learning can take place
which is useful for all participants?
This is a case study of two London community-based classes: Green Dale (not its real name), located in a London Primary School, and TRAG, which takes place in a Tamil support centre
Exploring the impact of technology enhanced learning on EAL learning in mathematics, English and modern foreign languages within a secondary education state school
Full text linkThe increasing number of English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners in schools has highlighted the need to explore and develop support provision that enhances educational achievement and attainment. One of the approaches that may contribute to supporting EAL learners involves the use of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) in the classroom. The effects of TEL have been disputed among researchers, as some indicate its positive impact, while others offer strict words of caution. This research study explores the potential beneficial impact of TEL on EAL learners’ attainment in three subject areas: mathematics, English and modern foreign languages within a comprehensive single-sex state secondary school located in the London Borough of Islington. Through a mixed-methods approach using questionnaires, focus group discussion, classroom observations, and evaluative testing. This research identifies and examines the TEL strategies that teachers use in the classroom and the perceived benefits of EAL learners using TEL. The pragmatic paradigm informs the ontology, epistemology and the methodology of the study as the study aims to explore the hypothesis that there may be potential benefits in using TEL with EAL learners. Analysis of findings draws demonstrates the positive impact on EAL learners engagement and attainment of learning. It: 1) examines the impact of TEL on teaching/learning in the three mentioned subject areas and; 2) explores how TEL may be used to engage EAL learners effectively. The research revealed that TEL teaching/learning strategies for having a beneficial impact on EAL learners varied across the three subject areas. Nevertheless, in all three subject areas teachers suggested that their selected approach appealed for a variety of reasons. Findings also indicate positive responses from learners. While these findings reinforce a positive association between TEL and EAL teaching and learning practice, within the secondary school classroom, more research with a larger sample size may further contribute to this area of study
Defining a formal model of edutainment that enhances the learning of cyber security subjects by higher education students
Full text linkThis thesis was about construction of a model of edutainment (education + entertainment) concerning teaching of cybersecurity in higher education. Cybersecurity has become an important issue for most nations, requiring a search for new methods of teaching. Although many see the way forward as the application of technology to the teaching process, a so-called technology-fix, since learning is essentially a human experience, with teaching a predominantly human to human experience, it is argued that a psychology-of-learning-fix of some kind might be more useful. The resultant model of edutainment created herein was derived from a literature review and analysis of six existing models of edutainment good practice and the resultant model was trialled in two ways:
Firstly, it was used by the researcher in teaching a student cohort and six types of feedback (formal student surveys, informal student surveys, informal student interviews, formal student performance statistics, formal student attendance statistics, lecturer’s personal reflections) were collected and used to further improve the model.
Secondly, parts of the model were trialled by fellow lecturers in their own teaching scenarios (taster sessions, new courses) and also presented in three conference presentations (cybersecurity, forensics, STEM). In all cases feedback was obtained on acceptability or otherwise of the model.
Findings in all categories were positive that the model was a contribution to knowledge. Pedagogically speaking, the model demonstrates a synergistic blend of education with fun and play that may enhance students’ learning experiences overall. The notion of promoting ‘deeper learning’, as opposed to shallow learning, has been used to underpin the research reported herein. Overall, the research found that by combining entertainment purposefully with education using psychological principles that are common to both, student outcomes for the higher education taught curriculum in cybersecurity courses were improved
Ghanaian diasporic migrant students: challenges, culture and capitals
Full text linkWhile adult migration has been well documented and researched in various disciplines, issues related to child migration are often neglected or subsumed under discussions regarding adult migration. This study shows children as agents whose experiences form distinctive migration and acculturation narratives.
Utilising Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of practice and Berry’s (2005) theory of acculturation, this study investigates the lived experiences of nine Ghanaian, diasporic, migrant children in Key Stages 3-5 in a London secondary academy. These children migrated from Ghana and from within the European Union to the UK. The focus is on the extent to which the learning of these children is affected by their transition, issues of educational provision and the extent to which it accommodates their needs as migrant young people. Perspectives from parents, teachers and Ghanaian community leaders are also sought to explore the subject further.
The study uses a narrative inquiry through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews with the children, parents, teachers, Ghanaian church community leaders and an assessment of students' attainment data. The themes which emerged are the complexities of migration; the impact of challenging behaviour, peer pressure, language, peer and teacher relationships on learning; perceived lack of challenge within the English curriculum, and placement of migrant children in lower set classes on arrival; the capitals that the children possess that enable them to navigate their learning and acculturation, as well as familial and community capitals. The data also raises issues of institutional racism and how this is experienced and managed by the children.
The findings illustrate the complexities, issues, and backgrounds that the children have brought with them on their migration into Britain. The findings also indicate how the actions/choices of some of the children are affected by peer pressure and the desire to belong. Parental, teacher, peer and Ghanaian (church) community support have aided their transition and adaptation into British education and culture. Thus, the capitals of their internationalism, resilience, intrinsic desire to succeed and social/community capitals have served as advantages in their general acculturation. To the extent that ‘acculturation’ appears to be a one-way process, this could be legitimately construed as institutional racism
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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