Disrupting neoliberal discourse in critical sustainability education: a qualitative analysis of intentional language framing

While education for sustainability is a critical task that is gaining ground in a plethora of educational contexts, it is frequently rendered ineffective in the face of neoliberal practice and discourse. Here we examine the pervasive impacts of neoliberalism on education for sustainability, looking specifically at discursive formations that shape our understandings of humans in and as nature. Throughout ecological texts, root metaphors carry forward specific cultural histories that serve neoliberal agendas by positioning nature as commodity and humans as consumers. We sought to systematically understand how manipulating a root metaphor in the creation of instructional texts might disrupt neoliberal discourse and foster critical sustainability. Using a thought-listing technique to explore student response patterns qualitatively allowed for insights into the power of discourse in educational contexts. Data support the notion that intentional framing may be a powerful tool in education for sustainability. We argue that language and discourse are necessary and effective grounds for change if sustainability is to take root.     

Exploring Person Fit with an Approach Based on Multilevel Logistic Regression

The idea that test scores may not be valid representations of what students know, can do, and should learn next is well known. Person fit provides an important aspect of validity evidence. Person fit analyses at the individual student level are not typically conducted and person fit information is not communicated to educational stakeholders. In this study, we focus on a promising method for detecting and conveying person fit for large-scale educational assessments. This method uses multilevel logistic regression (MLR) to model the slopes of the person response functions, a potential source of person misfit for IRT models. We apply the method to a representative sample of students who took the writing section of the SAT (N = 19,341). The findings suggest that the MLR approach is useful for providing supplemental evidence of model–data fit in large-scale educational test settings. MLR can be useful for detecting general misfit at global and individual levels. However, as with other model–data fit indices, the MLR approach is limited in providing information regarding only some types of person misfit.     

Exploring Changes in Home Visitors’ Perspectives in the Context of a Professional Development Activity

Early Childhood Education Journal - Research-based professional development opportunities for early childhood home visitors are valuable to the Early Head Start-Home-Based Option (EHS-HBO) and to...     

Implementation and Assessment of Food Safety Educational Materials for Secondary and Postsecondary Education

Previous studies have reported on the inadequacy of youth knowledge and practice of food safety principles. The formal high school science classroom environment presents an opportunity to stimulate interest and increase knowledge in food safety with potential benefits to students in improved science literacy, development of life skills, and greater awareness of career opportunities. Previously developed educational materials, Foodborne Illness Outbreak Investigations for Food Safety Education, were evaluated for instruction by high school and community college science educators of various subject matters including foods, microbiology, disease, and chemistry courses. Educator feedback was favorable on measures of quality, implementation ease, and student engagement, with ratings greater than 3 on a 5‐point scale corresponding to “good” to “excellent.” A positive change in familiarity with food safety concepts for 4 groups of students, representing approximately 77% of the participants, was demonstrated by an overall increase, ranging from 4% to 14%, in correct responses to a test administered before and after exposure to the materials. There was variation in degree of change and the topics positively impacted for student groups by subject matter.     

Toward High-Performance Communications Interfaces for Science Problem Solving

From a theoretical viewpoint, educational interfaces that facilitate communicative actions involving representations central to a domain can maximize students’ effort associated with constructing new schemas. In addition, interfaces that minimize working memory demands due to the interface per se, for example by mimicking existing non-digital work practice, can preserve students’ attentional focus on their learning task. In this research, we asked the question: What type of interface input capabilities provide best support for science problem solving in both low- and high-performing students? High school students’ ability to solve a diverse range of biology problems was compared over longitudinal sessions while they used: (1) hardcopy paper and pencil (2) a digital paper and pen interface (3) pen tablet interface, and (4) graphical tablet interface. Post-test evaluations revealed that time to solve problems, meta-cognitive control, solution correctness, and memory all were significantly enhanced when using the digital pen and paper interface, compared with tablet interfaces. The tangible pen and paper interface also was the only alternative that significantly facilitated skill acquisition in low-performing students. Paradoxically, all students nonetheless believed that the tablet interfaces provided best support for their performance, revealing a lack of self-awareness about how to use computational tools to best advantage. Implications are discussed for how pen interfaces can be optimized for future educational purposes, and for establishing technology fluency curricula to improve students’ awareness of the impact of digital tools on their performance.     

Using professional practice frameworks to evaluate consultation

Within the United Kingdom (UK), recent socio-legislative changes have led to increased trading of educational psychology services (EPSs) and greater focus on accountability. However, the impact of educational psychologists’ (EPs’) practice can be difficult to ascertain, particularly within consultation where resultant actions are often implemented by other professionals. This action research, conducted within two EPSs, sought first to find possible frameworks for evaluating consultation, via literature review. Thereafter, qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed with EPs, leading to the identification of two preferred frameworks: Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and the Constructionist Model of Informed Reasoned Action (COMOIRA), which were piloted and reviewed. In the final research phase, focus groups considered their usefulness as evaluation tools. Despite some promising findings, variation amongst EPs’ views about their applicability, perhaps influenced by previous familiarity with the frameworks, suggested the need for further research in this area.