Lynn M. Burlbaw

Supporting Teacher Education with Computer-Based Telecommunication Systems

Computer-based telecommunication systems have the potential to change the way people communicate, both on and off the job. This article reports how university students seeking initial teacher certification are trained in the use of one computer-based telecommunication system and how the system is used to support their academic studies and their experiences in student teaching and beginning teaching. Beginning teachers who have been trained in computer use for communication and resource retrieval have the potential to be leaders in the public schools as technology becomes more and more pervasive in modern life.

The Project Method in Historical Context

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been a long tradition in America’s public schools, extending back to the 19th century to the work of Francis W. Parker and John Dewey. As a method for general education, the idea of project-based classroom instruction was co-opted from agriculture and the industrial arts and, after first being applied in the elementary schools, was extended to all grade levels. Initially focused on “real-world” problems with tangible, measurable outcomes, the project method was quickly adopted and applied to any activity of interest to students, however transient and/or insignificant. The lack of a succinct definition for the project method has prevented the assessment of its success, regardless, the “method” became the “current” model of instruction in all subjects for all students, often failing to meet the needs of children, teachers, or society. The project method, as a descriptive term for school practice, was replaced with child-centeredness and the activity curriculum. After a period of near obscurity, PBL has been reclaimed by educators to educate 21stcentury students.

The Development of a Scale to Measure Teacher's Self-Efficacy and Confidence in Teaching Compulsory K-12 Theology Courses.

One of the most important goals of education is to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Sense of teacher’s self-efficacy affects the quality throughout the contribution to all stakeholders in educational process. The right of religious education is one of the essential rights in the world. Moreover, it has positive effect on the society by helping to improve social relationship. Therefore, teacher self-efficacy belief based on religious groups is critical for stakeholders in religious education as well as other fields. The purpose of this study is to construct an instrument to measure teachers’ sense of self-efficacy related to teaching compulsory K-12 theology courses. The result of the study indicates that the teacher self-efficacy scale towards religious groups is valid and reliable instrument. The instrument is going to be useful to look to peaceful future with confidence.

The role of learner subjectivity and Korean English language learners' pragmatic choices

Abstract The main goal of this study was to identify factors motivating pragmatic transfer in advanced learners of English. Based on a cross-cultural comparison of requesting behavior between Koreans and Americans, this study determined the impact of individual subjective motives on pragmatic language choice. Two different groups of subjects participated in this study: 30 Korean participants (KK) and 30 American college students (AE). Data were collected by using a Discourse Completion Task (DCT). Korean (KK) participants provided the data for Korean (KK) and English versions of DCT (KE). Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 13 Korean ESL learners who showed the most and least amount of pragmatic transfer. Findings showed evidence of pragmatic transfer in the request responses given by Korean ESL learners in their requestive strategies, level of directness, and perspectives of head acts. The interview data revealed that Korean students were conscious of differing rules for making requests. Learners’ judgment of L2 pragmatic norms, perception of their own language, and their attitudes of the target language influence language use. Furthermore, findings showed that purpose of learning English, different types of motivation, and the length of intended residence contribute to the extent of pragmatic transfer