Journal of Social Sciences

ICE-2011: 7th International Conference on Education

Description

The ICE-2011, the 7th International Conference on Education, was held on Samos Island in Greece from the 7th to the 9th of July in 2011. Organized by the Research and Training Institute of the East Aegean (INEAG), the 7th ICE SAMOS 2011 was designed to provide a forum for the discussion of issues associated with international education and an opportunity for productive scientific discussion and communication in a multicultural social setting.

This significant conference allowed scientists, educators and researchers to present their research and findings, knowledge, ideas and experiences to others with a common interest, and to identify and discuss the challenges associated with education and their possible resolutions. Ultimately, the conference aims to aid these professionals in finding new and improved approaches to enhancing education worldwide.

Scope

The ICE-2011 allowed contributors to submit their work and findings on a vast range of significant topics associated with education and learning. Some of these topics included adult learning, art education, business and management education, communications and computing education, distance and rural education and E-learning, economics of education, education leadership, educational management and research, educational measurement and evaluation, educational policy, environmental education, gender and education, geographic education, ICT in Education, imagination and education, inclusive education, Indigenous education, innovation in education, issues and trends in education, lifelong learning, multicultural education, pedagogic themes, physical education and sport, research methodology, primary, secondary and higher education, and vocational education and training research. Of course there are endless possibilities for relevant topics and the conference is always open to new and progressive ideas related to education, ensuring new research is made directly available to those who can utilize it.
As a peer reviewed international journal, the Journal of Social Sciences endeavors to provide the most current and noteworthy knowledge in the fields of scientific understanding and academic scholarship that study social groups and, more generally, human society; and therefore was delighted to publish the most significant research and findings presented at the ICE-2011 by world-renowned professionals in the field of Social Science.

Collaboration

Of the papers published in the Conference proceedings, a number were selected to be published in a special issue of Science Publication's Journal of Social Sciences following a routine peer review process by members of Conference's and Journals' Scientific Committees to ensure the relevance, value and quality of these submissions.

Significant Articles

Nutrition in Tertiary Education: Biological and Social Approaches
G. A. Fragkiadakis, C. Papandreou and K. Gkouskou.
This article identifies the major issues faced by the nutritional sciences and highlights the need for current research in biological sciences in order to connect nutrition-dietetics with biomedical sciences and applications; also emphasized is the importance of the social dimensions to nutrition due to the impact of the subject on individuals as well as communities at large. The authors stress the need for the inclusion of nutritional knowledge in the syllabuses and curricula of tertiary education nutrition to ensure the continuation and improved knowledge of the subject among professionals.

Transformation or Transgression? Institutional Habitus and Working Class Student Identity
T. Byrom and N. Lightfoot.
This article highlights the experiences of members of varied social groups undertaking higher education and how their social positions influence their choice of and acceptance to higher education institutions. It focuses on first generation students' ability to cope with the theoretical distance created themselves and their families during the higher education process, their ability to adapt to the university environment, and the subsequent impact on their performance.

Moderators of the Effectiveness of Adult Learning Method Practices
C. J. Dunst and C. M. Trivette.
The authors of this article aimed to investigate the effectiveness of certain adult learning method practices and the factors that affected their success. They found that certain practices had signficant effects on learner outcomes and highlighted the need to consider the affecting factors when designing instruction and training for adult learners.

Teachers View on Social and Emotional Aspect of Pedagogical Competence
I. Belousa and S. Uzulina.
In this article the authors conducted a study designed to explore the professional experiences of Latvian elementary school teachers and their view of the significance of their educational competence, as well as the impact of their own social and emotional understanding on their ability to educate.

Shakespeare and Literacy: A Case Study in a Primary Classroom
G. Belliveau.
This article endeavors to examine the educational strategies most effective in promoting literacy learning among a group of young children by specifically demonstrating how the employment of specific literacy and drama-based practices affected childrens' comprehension and appreciation of a Shakespeare play. The authors highlight a number of strategies that fostered vocabulary development, understanding of plot and character motivations.

Developing Inner Peace and Joy through Art Education
S. Lakhyani.
This article contests the common view of art education as insignificant in the school curriculum, finding that art education promotes and stimulates a number of qualities essential to creativity, happiness, satisfaction, confidence and self-acceptance. The authors stress that the often overlooked subject is essential to personal growth and development during education.

Demotivating Factors for English Language Learning Among University Students
R. Ghadirzadeh, F. P. Hashtroudi and O. Shokri.
This significant article was concerned with the factors that cause Iranian University students studying English language to lose interest or motivation, identifying five key demotivating factors and highlighting the need to address internal demotivating factors such as perception of ability and competence.

The Effect of Learning Styles on Learning Strategy Use by EFL Learners
W. Pei-Shi.
In this article the strategies employed to assist learners in developing language competence were examined with the intent to identify the relationship between strategy use and reading comprehension and compare the different strategies of successful and less successful learners.

Autism Worldwide: Prevalence, Perceptions, Acceptance, Action
P. B. Kopetz and E. D. L. Endowed.
This article presents a metanalysis of the development of the increasingly common and much-researched condition, autism. It highlights the need for educators to learn and utilize the strategies that best enable individuals with autism to cope and thrive in safe and accepting environments and the need to implement programs designed to address the needs of children with autism so that they may fulfill their learning potential.

Scientific Legitimation of the European Union's Competence Development Policy
R. S. Maniscalco
Presented in this study is a useful account of the policy-making processes employed by the European Union related to adult skills and competence development, finding that the way the EU approaches the improvement of adult learners' skills demonstrates a focus on basic and digital skills in order to cope with the knowledge economy rather more beneficial and practical competencies essential for lifelong learning. The authors conclude that the EU governments are neglecting civil and social elements in favor of employment and economic growth.

Volume 8, Issue 2 (2012)