Clinical supervision using interactive/compressed television (I/C‐TV)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to examine the impact emerging interactive/compressed television (I/C‐TV) could have on a technologically based clinical supervision model for preservice teachers. This paper looked at the clinical supervision model as it is framed in a traditional school experience. It is clear that major change must occur in the area of technology training for the preservice teacher to ensure that technology ignorance does not create barriers to performance in the clinical experiences. Equally important is the change in the clinical supervision process itself. This paper suggests methods for the use of the clinical supervision model within the technology environment. The authors offer suggestions for creating appropriate processes, which include the following: adaptations of the clinical supervision model, incorporation of I/C‐TV capabilities, and early and frequent teaching in authentic settings.     

Understanding emotions as situated,embodied, and fissured: thinking with theory to create an analytical tool

An emerging theoretical perspective is that emotions are a verb or something we do in relation to others. Studies that demonstrate ways to analyze emotions from a performative stance are scarce. In this article, a new analytical tool is introduced; a critical performative analysis of emotion (CPAE) that draws upon three theoretical perspectives: emotions as situated, as embodied, and as fissured. These three theoretical perspectives (i.e. critical sociocultural, narrative, and rhizomatic) allow researchers to think with theory. Data from teaching children with a critical inquiry curriculum demonstrates a CPAE. Educators are encouraged to continue to embrace the malleability of theories, to push educational research forward by finding new ways to research inquiries, and to adapt CPAE for further research interests.     

What builds student capacity in an alternative high school setting?

Good mental health is a learning enabler for adolescents, demonstrating a reciprocal relationship between mental health and learning outcomes. This article describes a Canadian participatory action research partnership between students, staff and a nurse researcher working together to explore student capacity-building experiences at an alternative high school. Fourteen themes including the importance of supportive healthy relationships within the school environment demonstrated what was happening that built capacity in students. We found that when students’ voices were nurtured and they participated in school decision-making processes, a sense of capability resulted; often extending into long-term positive effects. Research outcomes were shared with key decision-makers including the Board of Education Trustees.     

The evolution of trust in information technology alliances

As strategic alliances become an increasingly important weapon for companies in achieving a competitive advantage, an important subject of investigation has become those factors that contribute to the success of the alliance. Trust between the alliance partners has been proposed to be one of those critical success factors. The high levels of uncertainty and interdependence that characterizes high technology alliances make trust particularly important in these contexts. Very little is known, however, about the process of trust creation or erosion in strategic alliances. This study addresses this shortcoming in cross-sectional trust research by utilizing a longitudinal survey design to examine the antecedents and outcomes of trust formation between strategic alliance partners. We contrast a transaction cost economics view of trust with a social exchange perspective to more fully explore what may influence changes in the level of trust between partners. Results suggest that the development of trust was not a function of the formal incentive systems that transaction cost economists deem necessary to prevent opportunistic behavior. Conversely, factors from social exchange theory – communication, shared values, and relationship equity – provide a more thorough explanation of what contributes to the development of higher levels of organizational trust. Finally, this study provides evidence that as trust increases between partners, the alliance benefits by displaying higher levels of dependence, higher levels of partner learning, and higher levels of performance.     

A Follow‐Up of Mathematics Interventions for Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract This article extends a previous review of the literature ( Maccini & Hughes, 1997 ) on mathematics interventions for secondary school students with learning disabilities (LD). A systematic review of the literature from 1995 to 2006 yielded 23 articles that met the criteria for inclusion. It was determined that a number of practices demonstrated significant gains for secondary school students with LD in math, including mnemonic strategy instruction, graduated instructional approach, cognitive strategy instruction involving planning, schema‐based instruction, and contextualized videodisc instruction. We also discuss the nature and focus of math interventions and implications for both research and practice based on the findings.     

Broadening the horizons of research on discovery-based learning

In reviewing the six articles within this Instructional Science special issue, we are reminded of Schoenfeld’s (Educ Res 45(2):105–111, 2016) review of American Educational Research Association president-authored papers for the centennial celebration of AERA. There, he succinctly unveiled the content focus of AERA research in the first half of the twentieth century: “there is content to be mastered; it is the schools’ job to help students master it” (p. 106). Yet, like Schoenfeld says, “A century later, we hear the echoes of this functionality in the calls for ‘21st-century skills,’” (p. 106), and the “skills” of the twentieth and twenty-first century would hardly know each other. Twentieth century skills, as represented in the accounts from past AERA presidents, were product-oriented, like accurate copying and precise handwriting. Twenty-first century skills are focused on creativity, ingenuity, critical thinking, and the like. In our primary research space, mathematics education, problem solving, sense making, and conceptual understanding dominates in the twenty-first century, whereas procedures dominated teaching and learning mathematics in the twentieth century.     

Perceptions and knowledge of preservice and inservice educators about early reading instruction

A major conclusion from research regarding children with poor reading performance is that early, systematic instruction in phonological awareness and phonics improves early reading and spelling skills and results in a reduction of the number of students who read below grade level. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and knowledge of presevice and inservice educators about early reading instruction. The results indicated that these educators expressed positive attitudes toward explicit and implicit code instruction, with inservice educators more positive about explicit code instruction than preservice educators and preservice educators more positive about implicit code instruction. Preservice and inservice educators demonstrated limited knowledge of phonological awareness or terminology related to language structure and phonics. Additionally, they perceived themselves as only somewhat prepared to teach early reading to struggling readers. These findings indicate a continuing mismatch between what educators believe and know and what convergent research supports as effective early reading instruction for children at risk for reading difficulties. Implications support continuing efforts to inform and reform teacher education. Just prior to publication, the editorial office was informed of the untimely death of the first author, Candace Bos, who died on August 13, 2001.     

When Peer Performance Matters: Effects of Expertise and Traits on Children's Self‐Evaluations After Social Comparison

The present research examined the influence of peer characteristics on children's reactions to upward social comparisons. In Experiment 1, one hundred twenty‐six 5‐, 8‐, and 10‐year‐olds were told that they were outperformed by an expert or novice peer. Older children reported higher self‐evaluations after comparisons with an expert rather than a novice, whereas 5‐year‐olds reported high self‐evaluations broadly. In Experiment 2, ninety‐eight 5‐ to 6‐year‐olds and 9‐ to 10‐year‐olds were told that the peer possessed a positive or negative trait that was task relevant (i.e., intelligence) or task irrelevant (i.e., athleticism). Older children reported higher self‐evaluations after hearing about positive rather than negative traits, irrespective of relevance. Younger children reported high self‐evaluations indiscriminately. Results inform the understanding of social comparison development in childhood.     

Survey of attitudes toward statistics: Factor structure and factorial invariance for women and men

White undergraduate students enrolled in introductory statistics courses completed the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS). Student responses were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis to determine the validity of several alternative models of the structure of attitudes toward statistics. A four‐factor structure composed of Affect, Cognitive Competence, Value, and Difficulty provided the best model fit. Responses of women and men to the SATS were then examined to explore scale invariance across gender. Invariance tests of factor structure, factor‐variable correlations, factor correlations, and variable uniquenesses showed that the four‐factor model fit well for both female and male responses. Only two significant differences in model fit were found: the Value variance was greater for women and the correlation between Affect and Value was greater for men. Generally, the study provided evidence for the appropriateness of a four‐factor structure of the SATS.