Understanding families’ conceptions of school readiness in the United States: a qualitative metasynthesis

ABSTRACT

The call by policymakers, education stakeholders, and families for children to enter school ‘ready’ has led to numerous empirical studies that seek to identify how children and their families are or are not prepared for school. In the United States, this empirical work tends to identify particular children and their families ‘at-risk’ for school success and often seeks out ways to intervene so that such risks are addressed. Absent from this work is an understanding of how families conceptualise school readiness, and how those understandings influence their conceptions of whether or not their own children are ready for school. Such work could assist educators and other school personnel in supporting families and their children as they enter their programmes. This article examines this issue by presenting findings from a qualitative metasynthesis of studies that investigated how families conceptualised school readiness. Analysing, synthesising, and interpreting their conceptions of school readiness offers the chance to consider how early childhood stakeholders can be ready for families as they enter their programmes as well as support their efforts in readying their children for school.     

School climate and teacher beliefs in a school effectively serving poor South Carolina (USA) African-American students: A case study

This study examined the roles of school climate, teacher expectations, and instructional practices in one elementary school in South Carolina (USA) that produced effective achievement outcomes with poor and minority students. Survey data, teacher interviews, and classroom videotaping was used to identify school characteristics and instructional behaviors of six teachers nominated by colleagues as exemplary. The school was characterized by an emphasis on high student expectations, school staff cohesiveness, engaging instruction, high parent involvement, and multicultural instruction integrated with curriculum. The practices identified are consistent with literature on effective American schools; and the practices are key aspects of the sound instruction of poor and minority children. Teachers stated that teacher education programs did not prepare them to teach these students and that they had to learn this on the job.     

Expanding preservice teachers' metacognitive awareness of instructional planning through pedagogical agents

In this experimental study, 135 preservice teachers developed an instructional plan for a case study within the Multiple Intelligent Mentors Instructing Collaboratively (MIMIC) computer-based environment. Three-dimensional, animated pedagogical agents, representing constructivist and instructivist approaches to instructional planning, served as instructional mentors within the environment and were available to provide advisements. The research design consisted of two factors, (a) instructivist agent (present, absent) and (b) constructivist agent (present, absent), with two primary groups of dependent measures, (a) metacognitive awareness, and (b) attitude. Regarding metacognitive awareness, when the constructivist agent was present, participants tended to report a change in their perspective of instructional planning, reflected less on their thinking, and developed instructional plans rated as more constructivist in underlying pedagogy. Regarding attitude, when the instructivist agent was present, participants reported a more negative disposition regarding instructional planning. Results are discussed in terms of the impact on teaching instructional planning to preservice teachers.     

Teacher–Child Interactions and the Development of Executive Function in Preschool-Age Children Attending Head Start

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine the potential contribution of teacher–child interactions to residualized Inhibitory Control (IC) gains over approximately a six-month period for preschoolers from predominantly low-income households. The study also explored whether the association between quality of teacher–child interactions and IC gains depends on children’s IC skills upon classroom entry and their household income-to-needs ratio. The study included 169 preschoolers from 51 classrooms in a Head Start program run by an agency in a large city in Oklahoma. Children’s IC skills were assessed in fall (time 1) and spring (time 2), and teacher–child interaction quality was observed at fall (i.e., September through November). Results from Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) did not show significant effects of high-quality teacher–child interactions on residualized IC gains over six months. However, results showed that children who initially presented poor IC skills displayed higher gains in their IC skills at spring when they were in classrooms practicing high-quality teacher–child interactions, as defined by emotional support and classroom organization. Practice or Policy: Emotionally supportive and well-organized classrooms in Head Start programs may benefit early IC development, especially for children presenting poor IC skills at classroom entry.     

Using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate cross-cultural research: identifying and understanding non-invariance

Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) allows researchers to determine whether a research inventory elicits similar response patterns across samples. If statistical equivalence in responding is found, then scale score comparisons become possible and samples can be said to be from the same population. This paper illustrates the use of MGCFA by examining survey results relating to practising teachers' conceptions of feedback in two very different jurisdictions (Louisiana, USA, n?=?308; New Zealand, n?=?518), highlighting challenges which can occur when conducting this kind of cross-cultural research. As the two contexts had very different policies and practices around educational assessment, it was considered possible that a common research inventory may elicit non-equivalent responding, leading to non-invariance. Independent models for each group and a joint model for all participants were tested for invariance using MGCFA and all were inadmissible for one of the two groups. Inspection of joint model differences in item loadings, scale reliabilities, and scale inter-correlations established the extent of non-invariance. This paper discusses the implications of non-invariance within this particular study and identifies difficulties in using an inventory in cross-cultural settings. It also provides suggestions about how to increase the likelihood that a common factor structure can be recovered.     

Simulations: Using experiential learning to add relevancy and meaning to introductory courses

Over the past two years the authors have provided experiential learning in the form of a simulation exercise to help 240 college students relate personally to the foundations of education. Introductory courses, with a preponderance of facts and breadth of content, can easily overwhelm students. The simulation not only energized the students but also personalized an in-depth understanding of educational issues. This theoretical knowledge was applied practically, a link which may often be missing in many introductory courses.Kathleen K. Montgomery holds a D. Ed. from The Pennsylvania State University. She is Assistant Professor of Education at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Instructional Strategies, and Curriculum and Instruction for Elementary Education. Professor Montgomery's research interests include the design of experiential learning and assessment methods used to evaluate such learning. She is currently working on a book about authentic assessment methods useful for elementary teachers. Susan C. Brown holds an Ed.D. from the University of Central Florida. She is the Assistant Director/Assistant Professor of Education at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Instructional Strategies, and Multicultural Education. Professor Brown has recently published articles on multicultural education for perservice teachers in theJournal of Curriculum and Supervision andCurriculum, a British Journal of educators. She is on the Editorial Board of the Educational Forum. Cathleen M. Deery holds the M.S. degree for Syracuse University. She is lecturer at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Educational Psychology, and Inclusionary Education. Professor Deery has designed numerous experiential learning components for her classes, and she is currently working on a book with Kathleen Montgomery about authentic assessment methods.     

Deaf and hard of hearing students’ perceptions of campus administrative support

Most students with hearing loss attend community college, yet very little research on this population of students exists in higher education. This research was conducted in order to gain a better understanding of how students who are d/Deaf navigate the mainstream postsecondary environment. Purposeful sampling was used to gather data from 19 individuals who attended postsecondary institutions not designed specifically for d/Deaf students. These participants were enrolled in an urban community college district in the southwestern United States and were receiving accommodations from their campus accessibility office.

Participants shared their perceptions of the campus accessibility office, the individuals within it, and campus administrative support. The results from this study help shed light on the experience of d/Deaf students in community college and provide insight on how to facilitate their success in postsecondary education. The author provides recommended practices for campus accessibility offices to adopt in order to effectively serve this student population, including specialized orientation for students and instructors, specialized advising, utilization of student feedback, and increasing campus and community awareness of services offered.     

Utility of follow-up skeletal surveys in suspected child physical abuse evaluations

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of a follow-up skeletal survey in suspected child physical abuse evaluations. METHODS: In this prospective study, follow-up skeletal surveys were recommended for 74 children who, after an initial skeletal survey and evaluation by the Child Abuse Team, were suspected victims of physical abuse. The number and location of the fractures were recorded for the initial skeletal survey and for the follow-up skeletal survey in each case. RESULTS: Forty-eight of the 74 (65%) children returned for a follow-up skeletal survey. The follow-up skeletal survey yielded additional information in 22 of 48 patients (46%). In three patients (6%) the additional information changed the outcome of cases; child abuse was ruled out in one of these patients and abuse was confirmed in two cases. In three other patients, the follow-up skeletal survey refuted tentative skeletal findings, but did not change the outcome because of other physical findings. CONCLUSION: A follow-up skeletal survey identified additional fractures or clarified tentative findings in children who were suspected victims of physical child abuse. The follow-up skeletal survey should be completed on all patients who have an initial skeletal survey performed for suspected physical child abuse and for whom child abuse is still a concern.