Research

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14 pages, 1861 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teaching Ecosystem Design: Teachers’ Satisfaction with the Integrated Course Service System

by Meng-Hua Li, Ming-Chien Hung, Wen-Hsu Hsian, Won-Fu Heung, Mai-Lun Chiu and Shen-Tsu Wang

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030232 - 01 Sep 2019

Viewed by 3120

In order to support teachers preparing their teaching resources, a teaching ecosystem for developing an online service system to acquire teaching materials, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan, implemented an Integrated Course Service System (ICSS) to assist teachers in searching for instructional [...] Read more.

In order to support teachers preparing their teaching resources, a teaching ecosystem for developing an online service system to acquire teaching materials, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan, implemented an Integrated Course Service System (ICSS) to assist teachers in searching for instructional resources from distributed Educational Six Learning Networks (ESLN) of MOE. The study designed the ICSS and developed an instrument to investigate the satisfaction for the teachers of primary schools, junior high schools and senior high schools. By analyzing 253 teachers, the results show that demographics, such as age, school level, teaching experience and position, have significant effects on the ICSS satisfaction. Further, the teachers were found to be satisfied with the system content, system accuracy, report format, ease of use, system timeliness and community building offered by the ICSS that helps us to understand the teachers’ online behavior in more detail for the popularization of the course service system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

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11 pages, 260 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Future Teachers’ Smartphone Uses and Dependence

by Julio Ruiz-Palmero, Enrique Sánchez-Rivas, Melchor Gómez-García and Elena Sánchez Vega

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030194 - 23 Jul 2019

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4993

Abstract

Smartphones are indeed becoming an essential tool in the daily lives and relations of their users in recent years, thanks to their uses and potential. However, excessive and inappropriate use can lead to dependence syndromes. The objectives of our study were to ascertain [...] Read more.

Smartphones are indeed becoming an essential tool in the daily lives and relations of their users in recent years, thanks to their uses and potential. However, excessive and inappropriate use can lead to dependence syndromes. The objectives of our study were to ascertain how these devices are being used and whether students are at risk of addiction. The study was carried out based on a survey with students—future teachers—from two Spanish universities. A sample of 453 students between the ages of 18 and 47 was analyzed, 76.8% female and 23.2% male. Smartphones were found to be the preferred Internet connection device for 80% of students, 38% of students connect to the Internet five hours or more a day (which can be considered an addiction) and smartphones are used primarily to connect with others (social media and instant messaging). The abusive use of smartphones affects men’s behavior more than women and can lead them to neglect other activities, while smartphones affect women more in the emotional field, in matters related to boredom, impatience, and irritability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

13 pages, 966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self-Efficacy of Teachers in Initial Training: A Comparison between the Populations of Two Universities

by Eduardo Chaves-Barboza, Tomás Solá-Martínez, José-Antonio Marín-Marín and Mariano Sanz-Prieto

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030188 - 18 Jul 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3485

Abstract

This article carries out a comparison of the self-efficacy of teachers in initial training, between the populations of two universities. A questionnaire with two Likert scales is applied in two samples, 836 subjects from the Universidad Nacional (Costa Rica) and 588 from the [...] Read more.

This article carries out a comparison of the self-efficacy of teachers in initial training, between the populations of two universities. A questionnaire with two Likert scales is applied in two samples, 836 subjects from the Universidad Nacional (Costa Rica) and 588 from the Universidad de Granada (Spain). The data is reviewed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics (95% confidence interval), correlation tests (Kendall τ correlation coefficient) and variance analysis (Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis H test). The results indicate that both populations show high levels of self-efficiency during their initial training, where the self-perceived capacity to pay attention to the explanations and instructions of the teachers excels. Meaningful differences are observed with getting ahead with difficult situations, doing the extra-class tasks and having motivation in the less interesting classes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

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13 pages, 1094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analytical Competences of Teachers in Big Data in the Era of Digitalized Learning

by Jesús López-Belmonte, Santiago Pozo-Sánchez, Arturo Fuentes-Cabrera and Juan-Manuel Trujillo-Torres

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030177 - 10 Jul 2019

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 6108

Abstract

The progress of technology in the field of education has led to the development of new professional skills in the teaching community, such as digital competence. Likewise, it has propagated the appearance of new learning environments mediated by technological resources that favor the [...] Read more.

The progress of technology in the field of education has led to the development of new professional skills in the teaching community, such as digital competence. Likewise, it has propagated the appearance of new learning environments mediated by technological resources that favor the generation of a large volume of data, known as Big Data, derived from the interactions of educational agents in virtual environments. This study aims to determine the level of digital competence in the informational area of teachers and to determine the projection of Big Data in them. For this study, a descriptive and correlational quantitative method was followed. The study sample consists of 832 Spanish teachers, with data collected through a questionnaire. The results reveal that the teaching staff have a medium level of digital competence in the informational area. The teachers obtained better valuations in the dimensions concerning storage and recovery, postulating themselves as connoisseurs of the Big Data concept to a large extent. In some instances, the teachers affirmed that sometimes they access and interpret the data generated by the digital interactions, transforming it into useful information to improve their teaching processes. Finally, our research shows that the level of digital competence in the informational area influences the degree of knowledge about Big Data. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

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21 pages, 310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Reflective Practicum in the Process of Becoming a Teacher: The Tutor’s Discursive Support

by Rosario Cubero-Pérez, Mercedes Cubero and Miguel Jesús Bascón

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(2), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9020096 - 02 May 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4034

Abstract

Interest in reflective practices, within the broader framework of teachers’ professional knowledge, has been ongoing in educational research for the past few decades. The idea from which reflection itself stems is that of teachers’ agency in their own professional development. The initial positivist [...] Read more.

Interest in reflective practices, within the broader framework of teachers’ professional knowledge, has been ongoing in educational research for the past few decades. The idea from which reflection itself stems is that of teachers’ agency in their own professional development. The initial positivist approach viewed the relationships between teachers’ theoretical knowledge and educational practice in terms of hierarchical reductionism. We analyze the relationships between different types of knowledge from a historical-cultural perspective, which requires locating them in the context of the cultural activities. Our aim is to analyze the discursive interactions, which take place during collaborative seminars, within a reflective practicum, and to identify how the university tutors support and foster reflection on practice. We use a multiple case design in which each case is a classroom unit made up of a tutor and his or her students. An analysis of the tutors’ discourse revealed an ongoing promotion of students’ active engagement through highly structured classroom participation, a strong focus on interpreting students’ personal experiences during teaching practice and significant interventions aimed at establishing links with academic knowledge. Results invite us to rethink the ways in which we can contribute to processes of reflection among trainee teachers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

18 pages, 303 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Teachers’ Professional Development Activities on the Factors Promoting ICT Integration in Primary Schools in Mongolia

by Shengru Li, Shinobu Yamaguchi, Javzan Sukhbaatar and Jun-ichi Takada

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(2), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9020078 - 12 Apr 2019

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 8470

Abstract

This paper examines the influences of professional development activities on important teacher-level factors that are important for the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education for primary school teachers in Mongolia. The study utilizes the survey data collected in 2012 ( [...] Read more.

This paper examines the influences of professional development activities on important teacher-level factors that are important for the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education for primary school teachers in Mongolia. The study utilizes the survey data collected in 2012 (n = 826) and 2016 (n = 1161) to identify the changes in factors that are important to the use of ICT in education. The study result shows that six teacher level factors that are important for the ICT integration have been improved over time through professional development activities. These are professional competency in educational use of ICT, collaboration for ICT integration, benefits on use of ICT, autonomy to innovate, recognition as a professional, and skills and practices in educational use of ICT. This provides supporting evidence to educational practitioners for the implementation of effective professional development programs to promote ICT integration in education, especially in the developing country’s context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

9 pages, 823 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: A Bibliometric Study on its Impact in the Scientific Literature

by Francisco-Javier Hinojo-Lucena, Inmaculada Aznar-Díaz, María-Pilar Cáceres-Reche and José-María Romero-Rodríguez

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010051 - 08 Mar 2019

Cited by 118 | Viewed by 16302

Abstract

Artificial intelligence has experienced major developments in recent years and represents an emerging technology that will revolutionize the ways in which human beings live. This technology is already being introduced in the field of higher education, although many teachers are unaware of its [...] Read more.

Artificial intelligence has experienced major developments in recent years and represents an emerging technology that will revolutionize the ways in which human beings live. This technology is already being introduced in the field of higher education, although many teachers are unaware of its scope and, above all, of what it consists of. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to analyse the scientific production on artificial intelligence in higher education indexed in Web of Science and Scopus databases during 2007–2017. A bespoke methodology of bibliometric studies was used in the most relevant databases in social science. The sample was composed of 132 papers in total. From the results obtained, it was observed that there is a worldwide interest in the topic and that the literature on this subject is just at an incipient stage. We conclude that, although artificial intelligence is a reality, the scientific production about its application in higher education has not been consolidated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

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16 pages, 683 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Teacher Expectancy Improvement Strategies on Student Attitude and Achievement in English Courses (An Action Research Sample)

by Selnur Toksoy and Filiz Evran Acar

Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010020 - 22 Jan 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4410

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of teacher expectancy improvement strategies on student achievements and attitudes in English courses. We investigated the existing situation, and have presented a method that can provide the educational processes necessary to bring about [...] Read more.

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of teacher expectancy improvement strategies on student achievements and attitudes in English courses. We investigated the existing situation, and have presented a method that can provide the educational processes necessary to bring about the required changes. For this reason, the emancipatory/improving/critical action research model was used. The study was carried out on a sample group consisting of 87 students, 43 sixth graders, and 44 eighth graders, attending a school located in Düzce’s city center during the 2015–2016 academic year. In order to collect the data, the “Teacher Expectancy Scale” that was developed by the researchers, as well as the “Attitude Scale towards English Course”, and a further seven tests, which were prepared by the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE), were used. The study was conducted for a total of 48 hours over 12 weeks, for four hours per week. As a result of the study, it was revealed that teacher expectations influenced the attitudes of the students towards the English lesson in a positive way, and increased their academic achievements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

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12 pages, 601 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Development of Digital Competence in Secondary Education Teachers’ Training

by María Napal Fraile, Alicia Peñalva-Vélez and Ana María Mendióroz Lacambra

Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(3), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8030104 - 20 Jul 2018

Cited by 112 | Viewed by 14441

Abstract

Digital competence is one of the eight key competences for life-long learning developed by the European Commission, and is a requisite for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion, and employment in a knowledge society. To accompany young learners in the development [...] Read more.

Digital competence is one of the eight key competences for life-long learning developed by the European Commission, and is a requisite for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion, and employment in a knowledge society. To accompany young learners in the development of competence, and to guarantee optimal implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs), it is necessary that teachers are, in turn, literate. We had 43 secondary school teachers in initial training to assess their own level of competence in 21 sub-competences in five areas identified by the DIGCOMP project, using the rubrics provided in the Common Digital Competence Framework for Teachers (Spanish Ministry of Education). Overall, pre-service teachers’ conceptions about their level of digital competence was low (Initial). Students scored highest in information, which refers mostly to the operations they performed while being students. Secondly, in safety and communication, excluding protection of digital data and preservation of digital identity. Lowest values were achieved in content creation and problem solving, the dimensions most closely related with the inclusion of ICTs to transform teaching-learning processes. The knowledge or skills they exhibit are largely self-taught and, so, we perceive an urgent need to purposefully incorporate relational and didactic aspects of ICT integration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

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12 pages, 1251 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Algorithm-Aided Design with Python: Analysis of Technological Competence of Subjects

by Thiago Bessa Pontes, Guilhermina Lobato Miranda and Gabriela Caffarena Celani

Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(4), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040200 - 15 Nov 2018

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4056

Abstract

Difficulties in learning computer programming for novices is a subject of abundant scientific literature. These difficulties seem to be accentuated in students whose academic choice is not computation, like architecture students. However, they need to study programming, since it is part of the [...] Read more.

Difficulties in learning computer programming for novices is a subject of abundant scientific literature. These difficulties seem to be accentuated in students whose academic choice is not computation, like architecture students. However, they need to study programming, since it is part of the new academic curricula. The results presented here are part of a PhD research, which investigates the achievement motivation and the acquisition and transfer of programming knowledge from an online environment designed on the basis of the 4C-ID instructional design model. These results are a sociodemographic analysis, and the technological competence of these subjects. We concluded that most of the students of our sample do not know how to auto assess their ICT expertise level, because they believed that they had sufficient computational knowledge for their needs. However, most of them told that they had difficulties creating codes. However, they recognized the importance of learning to program, thought it was valuable for architectural students, and felt motivated to acquire this new skill. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Educational Technologies, Teacher Training and Competencial Development Based on Innovative Emerging Pedagogies)

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