American Journal of Educational Research

Rare diseases (RDs) are considered all diseases affecting to less than or equal to 5 in 10.000 citizens, criteria followed by most European Countries. Since most RDs incur disabling conditions, a few patients seldom reach adult life or attend class regularly. However, there are some less serious conditions which are compatible with a better quality of life during childhood and youth and which allow students attend classes in a more regular way. During this period and in these cases, we suggest the possibility of using the software Cmap Tools in order to create knowledge models, so that RD affected students who may miss classes due to their health status, can reach their fellows and follow their teachers’ explanations without any particular curriculum adaptation. In the context of a natural science class addressing health and illnesses, we suggest the possibility of using concept maps and V diagrams as tools for getting meaningful and long life learning. Once they learn the basis for creating basic concept maps, RD affected students and their mates may learn some of the symptoms, difficulties of diagnostic, treatment possibilities, foundations and research groups of the most common RDs held in Navarra (Spain), through concept maps. We show an educative intervention in a primary school in Navarra in which one of the students is affected by Treacher Collins and through the presentation of her disease, the rest of the students will get to know the characteristics of this particular disease and will make them be more empathic with her and her immediate reality, making RDs sound less rare. In the other side, by means of this teaching-learning process, RD affected students feel the main characters and also more valuable for society, which increases their self-esteem. By promoting this type of activities, teachers will manage a creative tool which help them in both emotional and professional aspects, since they do not have to adapt the curriculum to a particular student because Knowledge models allow the continuation of the learning process. Finally, the use of Cmap Tools provides items to measure what students knew previously about a particular topic and also helps them appreciate how their cognitive structure has changed and developed regarding their previous knowledge, stimulating a meaningful and long life learning and avoiding conceptual misconceptions.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 100-108. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-17
Pub. Date: February 03, 2015

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Structural Relationships among the Factors Affecting Adolescents’ Happiness in OECD countries: Application of QCA method

by Young-Chool Choi and Ji-Hyun Jang

Original Research

This study aims to investigate the causal relationships among the key factors related to education that affect the happiness of adolescents, to find combinations of conditions explaining adolescents’ happiness in OECD countries, and to put forward policy implications whereby OECD countries may raise their levels of adolescent happiness. The HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) score of adolescents of OECD countries was selected as an indicator for happiness, and some independent variables such as per capita GDP, per capita educational expenditure amount were included in the subject of analysis. QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis) method was employed for the analysis. Research results show that there are six configurations and three selected prime implicants explaining the high happiness score of adolescents in OECD countries. Three prime implicants are TEPC*GDP*PUPTEA, tee*GDP*PRIVATEXP, and tee*tepc*gdp*privatexp. In other words, while there are a number of further steps required to obtain a more parsimonious expression, in this research the suggestions posed by the solution are six configurations and three prime implicants explaining adolescents’ happiness in OECD countries. The first prime implicant is a combination of TEPC(high total per capita expenditure on education)*GDP(high per capita gdp)*PUPTEA(high ratio of students to teaching staff). The second implicant is a combination of tee(low total expenditure on education)*GDP(high per capita gdp)*PRIVATEXP(high ratio of private source expenditure on education to gdp). Finally, the third implicant is a combination of tee(low total expenditure on education)*tepc(low total per capita expenditure on education)*gdp(low per capita gdp)*privatexp(low ratio of private source expenditure on education to gdp). It is important to note that the results presented in this paper are illustrative only and need to be investigated in a more comprehensive perspective. Rather than being a limitation of QCA, consideration of alternative causal configurations are appropriate for the complexity of adolescents’ happiness.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 93-99. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-16
Pub. Date: February 03, 2015

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English for University Students in Ethiopia: Implications of the Needs Analysis at Haramaya University, Ethiopia

by Biniam Teka Gelan, Adinew Tadesse Degago and Deepika Nelson

Original Research

The purpose of the study was to assess the English language needs of university students in a context, where English is used as the medium of instruction and general English courses are taught across all disciplines. To achieve this purpose, based on Hutchinson & Water’s target needs analysis approach, a 5-Point Likert Scale needs analysis questionnaires were designed and distributed to 152 medical science students at Haramaya university to determine the students’ frequency of English language use, their perceived importance of English for academic studies, their English language lacks, and areas of English they want training in. In addition, the general course materials taught to the students were evaluated to determine their suitability to the English need of the students. Descriptive statistics were employed in analyzing the quantitative data while content analysis was applied in analyzing the qualitative data. The results indicated the perceived importance of English for the students’ academic studies, their English language lacks and area in which they want training in. In addition, the study identified the inadequacy of the general English courses to meet the students’ English language needs. The study suggests that there is a need for English courses with an ESP orientation to meet the specific needs of students in their academic studies.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 86-92. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-15
Pub. Date: January 29, 2015

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Does Team Autonomy Increase or Decrease Team Implementation? The Role of Team Learning

by Sarit Rashkovits

Original Research

As the necessity for teams to implement different innovations is prominent, the study addresses the question of the effect of team autonomy on teams' innovation implementation. Team autonomy is usually considered as a beneficial job characteristic but it is still unclear whether it aligns with the necessity to make teams implement new technologies, work methods or other innovations. We argue for a positive effect of team autonomy on teams' innovation implementation through the process of team learning. The results from a sample of 61 work teams (414 employees- 61 team leaders and 353 team members) from different organizations support our hypotheses. The results indicate that team autonomy facilitates team learning, that team learning facilitates team implementation, and that team autonomy positively affects team innovation via team learning.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 80-85. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-14
Pub. Date: January 29, 2015

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The Influence of Emotional Intelligence, Creativity, Work Ethic, to Service Quality of High School Library in the Minahasa Regency

by Sylvana M.D. Maukar

Original Research

The research objective was to prove the influence of emotional intelligence, creativity, work ethic to service quality of the high school library in the Minahasa Regency. This Research using quantitative approach with a survey method and the test hypothesis using Path Analysis. The population in this research are all of the librarians in the high school library of Minahasa regency. The samples in this research were the librarians with the amount of 70 respondents, that were taken technically simple random sampling. The result of the research and the test of hypothesis show that: (1) There is direct positive influence of the emotional intelligence toward the service quality of high school library in the Minahasa Regency. (2) There is direct positive influence of the creativity toward the service quality of high school libraries in the Minahasa Regency. (3) There is direct positive influence of the work ethic toward the service quality of the high school l ibraries in the Minahasa Regency. (4) There is direct positive influence of emotional intelligence toward the work ethic of high school libraries in the Minahasa Regency. (5) There is direct positive influence of the creativity toward the work ethic of high school libraries in the Minahasa Regency.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 67-79. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-13
Pub. Date: January 27, 2015

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Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet): Model for Addressing Skills Shortage in Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry

by AYONMIKE. CHINYERE SHIRLEY

Original Research

The purpose of the study is to ascertain the role of TVET stakeholders and the oil and gas industry in addressing skills shortage in the Nigerian oil and gas industries. Survey research design was used in this study and 300 respondents were drawn from TVET departments in tertiary institutions and technical colleges in Delta State, Nigeria. Two research questions were asked and two Null hypotheses were stated. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by three lecturers. Using test-retest method, Cronbach reliability co-efficient of 0.81 was obtained. Data were analysed using mean for research questions and ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance for testing hypotheses. The study revealed amongst others that TVET stakeholders should identify the area of skills needs of oil and gas industry, review TVET curriculum content by integrating oil and gas courses into TVET programmes and the introduction of intensive oil and gas practical and training for TVET teachers and students through an effective partnership between TVET institutions and oil and gas industries in Nigeria. Hence it was recommended that there should be collaboration between TVET institutions and oil and gas industries.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 62-66. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-12
Pub. Date: January 27, 2015

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The Dual Consequence of Discursive Practices on both the Learning and the Education in University’s Evaluation Practices

by Michel DISPAGNE

Original Research

This article is about the observation of a French institute of high education, the one of University of the French West Indies and Guiana. This institute is based in the American-Caribbean area and composed of three universities, based on three different French territories: Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique. The reflection concerns a discourses’ corpus within training in Master’s degree (MA, MS/MSc), that is also specific to the European higher education system. The discursive exploitation refers to the analysis of both the results of assessments that students obtained during the period 2009-2013 and the discourses of students and academics that intervene in the Master. The reflection enables to apprehend the uneasiness resulting of the gap between the ideal expected profile and the actual profile of the student in postgraduate training. Face this fact, we hypothesize that failures and even the lack of certain knowledge that appears at the necessary prerequisites to the two years of Master undertaken. The fact remains that in terms of results, various verbal reactions proceeding of the students’ language practice from one year to another, between 2009 and 2012, converge towards a same discourse namely that the operated investments, then the efforts realized have a low and even an absence of impact on the respective learning paths but also on the results obtained at the end of the assessments. Moreover, this discourse is not specific to the students that obtained the more disappointing results and therefore are referred. Actually, it is also the discourse of the students that are admitted. This can be explained by the fact that, indeed, notes given are beyond 10/20, the average note; however they are closed to it. This implies a success that appears very modest compared to the excellence expected.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 54-61. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-11
Pub. Date: January 26, 2015

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Multidimensional Reliability of Instrument for Measuring Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics by Using Semantic Differential Scale

by Gaguk Margono

Original Research

The purpose of this paper is to compare multidimensional and unidimensional reliability of instrument of students’ attitude towards statisticsby using semantic differential scale. Few researches utilized multidimensional reliability measurement. Multidimensional reliability is calculated by using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in Structural Equation Model (SEM) technique. The measurement and calculation described in this article deal with instrument of students’ attitude towards statistics.This instrument has been tried out to 150 students. It is found that multidimensional reliability has higher accuracy compared to the unidimensional one. Perhaps various formulas applying multidimensional reliability would be used in future research.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 49-53. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-10
Pub. Date: January 20, 2015

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English Language Learning in a Community Setting: Creating Pathways for Civic Engagement

by Melissa Lavitt and Diane Boothe

STATE OF THE ART

Actively engaging community members and incorporating a problem-based learning (PBL) model in a community setting strengthens English language acquisition. This transformational learning strategy is based on three elements; achieving success in English language learning (ELL) through innovative pedagogy, creating hands-on PBL real world activities to empower students, and supporting learning by building community partnerships and fostering collaboration. Community members actively engaged in robust ELL contribute economic, societal and cultural benefits and create new avenues to inspire creativity and enthusiasm for learning. By utilizing PBL methods that empower critical thinking and incorporate real world experiences and pathways for civic engagement, ELL becomes a collaborative effort rewarded by communication with community leaders who will challenge students and strengthen learning. Implementation of this innovative PBL multi-dimensional model engages and motivates all learners, including those from underserved populations, and provides the opportunity to build relationships and connect with community members in ways that they never thought possible. Integrated technologies can also be utilized to improve ELL instruction and build workplace skills across the spectrum of community responsibilities. Examples of ways to leverage a variety of community resources and professionals to transform ELL are provided. This approach can also be expanded to myriad contexts and disciplines incorporating content across the curriculum. The pedagogical potential including meaningful research opportunities and analytics, as well as strategies for ELL educators to frame best practices focused on the diverse learning needs of the students is discussed.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 43-48. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-9
Pub. Date: January 15, 2015

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Blogs as a Tool for the Development of Self-Regulated Learning Skills: A Project

by Consuelo Martínez Priego, Guiomar Nocito Muñoz and Monika Ciesielkiewicz

Original Research

In the last decade projects have been emerging aimed at promoting the competency of self-regulation through didactic resources included in college curriculum. The use of strategies for self-reflection and self-evaluation while the course material is being taught favors self-regulation of students and increases their level of self-efficacy regarding the content of the course. The goal of this didactic experience is to develop self-regulation learning skills through a systematic use of ICT’s, in particular, a blog as a teaching and learning tool. It was implemented as a part of Sociology of Education course whose content is mostly theoretical and requires an advanced level of reflection and internalization of concepts that were completely unfamiliar to the students. The experiment is designed to: [a] encourage well-organized and consistent work habits, by establishing sufficient periods of time for students that would give them enough autonomy to make decisions; [b] to promote reflection on topics covered in class; [c] to facilitate a dialogue among students that promotes reflection aimed at forming a learning community. Said project demonstrates that further research, both qualitative and quantitative in nature, on the impact of the use of blogs for the development of the competencies identified above, is not only possible but would likely provide very useful data.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 38-42. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-8
Pub. Date: January 15, 2015

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Recent Curriculum Reforms at the Basic Education Level in Nigeria Aimed at Catching Them Young to Create Change

by Charity O. Igbokwe

Original Research

The Universal Basic Education (UBE) Programme was introduced in Nigeria in September, 1988. Following this, in 2008 the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) developed and introduced the 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) in schools by realigning all extant Primary and Junior Secondary School Curricula to meet the key targets of the UBE programme. In view of some contemporary and national concerns and to make the curriculum more practical, relevant, interest generating to the young learners and in line with global best practices, the 9-year BEC was recently revised in 2012 and its implementation has just commenced in September, 2014. This article is focused on the structure, special features and the implementation strategy of the Revised 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum with some emphasis on the Basic Science and Technology component as one of the key cluster subjects prepared with the aim of catching the young learner to love science, learn science and create change in the learners environment.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 31-37. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-7
Pub. Date: January 14, 2015

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Confucius and Plato on Virtue and its Implementation in Education for International Understanding: A Comparative Study

by Yan Gao

Original Research

In recent years, the Education for International Understanding (EIU) program has become popular in East Asia. The EIU program promotes “international understanding” and aims to cultivate people possessing characters and abilities that prompt mutual cultural respect and reduce conflicts through a variety of educational means. In EIU curricula the concept of virtue cultivation is targeted as the ultimate goal. Some scholars have claimed that we need a value system that is commonly accepted by countries to solve global conflict. But can a value system be commonly accepted across nations and cultures? The present study uses this question to compare two influential philosophers: Confucius and Plato, by examining their representations of virtue. The author found that although there are similarities in these two thinkers philosophies, the differences among these two ideological systems are considerable. Therefore, the author concludes that it is dangerous to assume we have one value system that is universally applicable. Based on my analysis, the author also makes recommendations for current EIU curricula. The author thinks the current EIU program needs to pay special attention to two layered goals. First, the basic layer: to let students know “the fact of others.” In addition to that, EIU program needs to pay attention on the deep-seated level: “the reason of the fact” to reach international understanding.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 25-30. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-6
Pub. Date: January 13, 2015

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The Influences of Organizational Culture, Moral Hierarchy Level, and Motivation towards the Teacher’s Commitment

by Pramudjono

Original Research

In the process of improving educational standards, we often neglect the importance of teacher competence. In this case, teacher commitment is a substantial asset of teacher competence. Researchers assume that teacher commitment affects the student performance, in addition the educational quality. This study suggests that teacher’s commitment is affected by school organizational culture, moral hierarchy level, and motivation. Using questionnaire method and path analysis technique that measure 309 high school teachers in Samarinda, this research try to identify correlation between organizational culture, moral hierarchy level, motivation and teacher’s commitment. The results indicates that (1) organizational culture, moral hierarchy level, and motivation has influence on teacher’s commitment; (2) organizational culture has influence on motivation; and (3) level of moral hierarchy has influence on motivation. Moreover, the results suggest that distribution of reward can be employed to improve teacher’s commitment.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 20-24. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-5
Pub. Date: January 13, 2015

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On the Flip Side of the Coin: Thinking Dispositions in Learning Blogs

by Kurtz Gila and Peleg Ela

Original Research

This paper describes a study of a blog, a web 2.0 application, as a learning tool for promoting thinking dispositions. The study was conducted at the College for Academic Studies in Israel, in the Master Program of ICT and Learning. Data was collected from a sample of students' blogs using rubric for the study. The results show that students’ postings displayed evidence of thinking dispositions processes. In almost all blogs there were indications of a variety of thinking dispositions In addition, the findings indicate an increase in frequency of 2.3 representations of habits of mind during the period of this study.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 16-19. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-4
Pub. Date: January 12, 2015

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Review of Women's Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

by Yahya Al Alhareth, Ibtisam Al Dighrir and Yasra Al Alhareth

Review Article

In spite of the barriers that stand in front of women’s education, their higher education opportunities have increased with the improvement of female higher education provision but the opportunities are still not able to provide the level of education needed to meet the demand of women or to provide equality of access across the country. Thereby, this paper will review the literature on women’s higher education in Saudi Arabia considering several different aspects including history, pedagogy, teaching methods and barriers.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 10-15. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-3
Pub. Date: January 12, 2014

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Sustainability in the Curriculum and Teaching of Economics: Transforming Introductory Macroeconomics

by Madhavi Venkatesan

Original Research

Present models of economic growth primarily focus on the role of expenditures as captured in the commonly cited economic indicator, gross domestic product (GDP), where GDP is defined as the sum of final goods and services sold within a country’s natural borders. Noting that a country’s expenditures are referred to as “aggregate expenditures” and that the majority of spending is specific to consumption or consumer spending, especially in the United States where this spending category is nearly two-thirds of annual GDP (other expenditure categories for GDP include investment spending, government spending and foreign spending as proxied by net exports), there exists a significant relationship between consumer expenditures and macroeconomic growth, justifying the standard acceptance of consumption-based expenditures as being a significant driver of economic expansion. Given the consumption and growth relationship, consumption values and behaviors have a significant impact on economic outcomes as well as other parameters including the environment and social and economic equity, where the latter are defined as relating to disparities between groups within a country, as well as across countries. Following a discussion of the impact of consumer-led growth on sustainability parameters: the environment, economic and social equity, this paper provides an explicit linkage between the measure of economic progress in universal use, GDP, and the degradation to common global resources, connecting the endogeneity present between the modeling of economic growth and the values and behaviors that support the outcome of the very same growth. A discussion of the present teaching methods specific to introductory macroeconomics provides the foundation for an innovative, replicable, and grant-funded case study for introducing sustainability. The curriculum variants discussed are not in widespread use and at present, there are no standard textbooks for the instruction of Principles of Macroeconomics that explicitly include sustainability and provide sustainability-based economic parameters for alternative evaluation to standard economic growth as presently and singularly enumerated in GDP. The value-augmenting outcome of the sustainability inclusive curriculum case study is captured in a qualitative assessment of student reaction and absorption of sustainability as a value and behavior catalyst and provided in summary form.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 5-9. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-2
Pub. Date: January 11, 2015

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The Comparative Study of Chinese Character Teaching between Chinese as First Language and Chinese as Second Language

by Liu Yan, Tang Yingjuan and Cai Jing

Original Research

Chinese character teaching as first language mainly refers to the Chinese elementary student's Chinese character literacy education in China, with the literacy teaching of low-grade students in primary school as the object of investigation. Chinese character teaching as a second language mainly refers to Chinese character teaching in teaching Chinese as foreign language, namely Chinese character teaching for non-native Chinese learners. The main purpose is to let the non-native Chinese learners can read Chinese characters and cultivate their Chinese written communication skills. This paper compares elementary school’s Chinese literacy education and teaching Chinese as second language and analyzes the connection and differences between them which can improve the teaching in Chinese as a second language.

American Journal of Educational Research. 2015, 3(1), 1-4. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-1-1
Pub. Date: January 10, 2015

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