Networking frameworks: a method for analyzing the complexities of classroom cultures focusing on justifying

In this paper, we network five frameworks (cognitive demand, lesson cohesion, cognitive engagement, collective argumentation, and student contribution) for an analytic approach that allows us to present a more holistic picture of classrooms which engage students in justifying. We network these frameworks around the edges of the instructional triangle as a means to coordinate them to illustrate the observable relationships among teacher, students(s), and content. We illustrate the potential of integrating these frameworks via analysis of two lessons that, while sharing surface level similarities, are profoundly different when considering the complexities of a classroom focused on justifying. We found that this integrated comparison across all dimensions (rather than focusing on just one or two) was a useful way to compare lessons with respect to a classroom culture that is characterized by students engaging in justifying.

     

The risk of subsequent maltreatment allegations in families with substance-exposed infants

OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to: (1) assess the relationship between identified prenatal substance use and the risk of subsequent maltreatment allegations among families involved with child protective services; and (2) compare the types of safety threats encountered by children whose parents had substance-exposed infant (SEI) allegations to the types of safety threats faced by children whose parents had other types of allegations. METHOD: Survey data from a probability sample of parents were linked to state administrative data over a 33-month time frame. Cox regression models were conducted to assess the relative risk of subsequent allegations associated with parents whose child welfare case opened following an SEI allegation (the SEI group) compared to parents whose case opened following other types of allegations. RESULTS: The likelihood of subsequent allegations is greater among parents in the SEI group. However, the increased risk stems almost entirely from subsequent SEI-related allegations. Parents in the SEI group are not more likely to incur other types of allegations such as physical abuse or lack of supervision. CONCLUSIONS: An increased risk of subsequent maltreatment has been used to justify opening child protective cases on the basis of an SEI allegation alone. By looking closely at the types of subsequent allegations as well as the incidence of subsequent allegations, this research helps to clarify the maltreatment risks associated with SEI cases.     

Fostering innovation through collaborative action research on the creation of shared instructional products by university science instructors

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to profile four university science instructors who utilized action research as a means of learning how to develop and integrate a novel curriculum innovation – engineering design – in their science courses. Data included curriculum maps, lesson plans, notes from group meetings, and instructor reflections. Data analysis included document review and content analysis. Findings from this study suggest that action research effectively enabled the instructors to 1) establish shared ownership of the project goal – to improve preservice teachers’ learning of science through engineering design; 2) continuously test, revise, and recalibrate their shared instructional products; and 3) leverage multiple sources of innovation. Knowledge generated and used by the instructors represented different kinds of knowledge and distributed expertise resulting in products that were more useful and of higher quality than products created by individuals working alone. Consequently, this resulted in increased use of the products and increased instructor commitment to improve them over time. By simultaneously engaging in research and consequently taking specific action to inform their practice, science instructors in this study successfully created shared instructional products that both guided and enhanced their classroom teaching.     

Assessment of the integration of AAMC Medical Informatics Objectives into the medical school curriculum

The School of Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University examined the 2005/2006 medical school curriculum to ensure that students were prepared to meet the informatics objectives put forward by the AAMC Medical School Objectives Project published in 1998. The AAMC Medical Informatics Objectives Survey, issued in 2005, led the VCU School of Medicine to investigate the points of integration between informatics objectives and course syllabi for the first three years of the medical school curriculum. This analysis raised awareness of the informatics objectives with SOM faculty and staff and showed that more than 74% of the informatics objectives have been integrated into the curriculum.     

Discovering Expert Perspectives on Dispositions and Remediation: A Qualitative Study

The authors used a qualitative approach to discover the perceptions of 19 experts on dispositions and remediation for counseling students. Analysis revealed 4 dispositional domains related to context, severity, amenability to change, and cultural sensitivity. Counselor educators should consider dispositions at admission and examine their program’s ability to remediate severe tenacious dispositions.     

Orphan Works at Theatre Library and Information Centres: Assessing Librarians' Perceptions and Management in Spain

Currently, libraries and other information services are facing new professional challenges in relation to digitization policies and orphan works after the publication of European Directive 2012/28/EU on certain permitted uses of orphan works and Spanish Royal Decree 224/2016. This paper aims to analyse how Spanish library and information centres specialising in theatre and performing arts meet users' textual and non-textual information needs, by respecting copyright issues and being involved in a dynamic and digital environment. For this purpose, an online questionnaire, which was used as a methodological tool, was sent to library directors in February 2018. At the same time, some research questions based on orphan works and digitisation approaches are discussed in the paper, specifically in reference to graphic and audiovisual materials.     

From crayons to perfume: Getting beyond contrived collegiality

Based on reflections from over a decade of research, scholarship, and programmatic applications, this article provides evidence of impact from the work of Professor Andy Hargreaves with a specific focus on his concept of contrived collegiality. Explorations into matters of emotion provided an entry point through which the author has addressed the potential for overcoming patterns of contrived collegiality. Early research resulted in a theoretical framework of emotional epistemologies which has been foundational to the design and delivery of professional development and master’s degree programs as well as further research into the evidence of impact from this approach to leadership development. The engagement with emotional meaning making, when treated as a way of building trust and developing collaborative learning communities, has proven a good match for the otherwise relatively contrived collegiality that Professor Hargreaves identified. Professor Hargreaves’ contributions to the author’s journey are a feature of the piece.     

Exploring a Science Teacher’s Uncertainty with Integrating Engineering Design: An Action Research Study

This study examines a fifth grade science teacher’s attempts at integrating engineering design using the construct of uncertainty. Collaborative action research served as a supportive mechanism to uncover and confront the teacher’s uncertainties. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, reflections, classroom observations, lesson plans, and student work. Data analysis entailed the use of grounded theory. Findings from this study revealed that teaching science through engineering design is both challenging and problematic. Underpinning the teacher’s pedagogical experiences was the constant force of uncertainty, in various forms, and how her sense of doubt was beneficial rather than problematic.     

Growth in emotion understanding across early childhood: A cohort-sequential model of firstborn children across the transition to siblinghood

Emotion understanding develops rapidly in early childhood. Firstborn children (N = 231, 55% girls/45% boys, 86% White, 5% Black, 3% Asian, 4% Latinx, M_age = 29.92 months) were recruited into a longitudinal study from 2004 to 2008 in the United States and administered a series of tasks assessing eight components of young children's emotion understanding from ages 1 to 5. Cohort sequential analysis across three cohorts (1-, 2-, and 3-year-olds) demonstrated a progression of children's emotion understanding from basic emotion identification to an understanding of false-belief emotions, even after controlling for children's verbal ability. Emotion understanding scores were related to children's theory of mind and parent reports of empathy, but not emotional reactivity, providing evidence of both convergent and discriminant validity.     

SUPERVISION IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY: THE DEVELOPMENTAL/ECOLOGICAL/PROBLEM‐SOLVING MODEL

Effective supervision models guide the supervisory relationship and supervisory tasks leading to reflective and purposeful practice. The Developmental/Ecological/Problem‐Solving (DEP) Model provides a contemporary framework for supervision specific to school psychology. Designed for the school psychology internship, the DEP Model is also applicable to all pre‐service and advanced field‐based training, as well as career‐long continuing professional development. The Developmental domain initiates training at the functioning skill level of the supervisee and progresses toward independent competency. The Ecological domain addresses the multiple systemic contexts that influence school psychology practice and prepares the intern to intervene within both individual and systemic contexts. The Problem‐Solving domain focuses on the application of data‐based decision making and evidence‐based interventions to the full range of school psychology activities. It provides a systematic schema to address student, family, and school needs.