Distance Coaching for Pre-service Teachers: Impacts on Children’s Functional Communication in Inclusive Preschool Classrooms

This article reports the results of a post hoc analysis of child data from a single-case multiple-probe study of pre-service teachers’ use of communication strategies before, while, and after receiving distance coaching. Data were analyzed for the number of functional communication utterances used by groups of preschool children with and without disabilities who participated in activities. Results suggest pre-service teachers’ use of evidence-based communication strategies was related to increased functional communication by children in the inclusive preschool classrooms. Implications for future research and classroom practices are discussed.     

Development and Field Test of an Employment Selection Instrument for Teachers in Urban School Districts

Employment interviews are widely used in the selection of quality teachers, and indeed research confirms administrators’ belief in the validity of the procedure. However, many key recommendations for improving the general reliability of interviews including selecting questions that are job-related and research grounded, including well designed scoring rubrics, and incorporating adaptive variable-length interview designs are generally not well implemented in currently available instruments. Furthermore, emerging research suggests the need for specially tailored interviews that assess attitudes and pre-dispositions deemed essential to teachers’ effectiveness in certain high attrition environments like urban schools. This study describes the development and initial field-test results of a computer based, adaptive interview with an additional domain included for teachers in urban areas. The instrument is based on careful analysis of the suggestions from the extant literature base about effective employment interview techniques, effective general teaching practices, and sound teaching strategies in urban schools. By comparing the interview scores of 30 teachers with varying effectiveness ratings provided by administrators in one urban district, significant correlations were found. Regression analysis indicated a significant amount of variance in teachers’ effectiveness ratings could be predicted from their scores on the interview instrument.

Science-based laboratory comprehension: an examination of effective practices within traditional,online and blended learning environments

An increase in online education is causing science educators to evaluate student cognitive understanding after completing virtual, computer-simulated laboratories. Online education has demonstrated comparable learning gains when analysed to those of the traditional classroom, but research is mixed when reviewing students’ ability to manipulate tangible laboratory equipment after participating in online experimentation. The question remains, are students who are exclusively enrolled in online science courses equipped with the cognitive ability to operate laboratory equipment within a physical laboratory? When considering the optimal learning environment for science majors, educators have discovered the blended classroom may provide the perfect opportunity to combine the benefits of face-to-face instruction and feedback with the reinforcement of scientific theory through technology integration. New advances in virtual education provide promising examples of enhancing the online classroom laboratory in all scientific disciplines. Further insight into the blended classroom has the potential to influence the field of education towards an optimal learning environment for science majors in colleges and universities.     

Using Community-Based Research to Improve BSW Students’ Learning in Community Practice: Bringing the Macro into Focus for Traditional and Distance Learners

This article describes community–university partnership building, course development/management, and evaluation outcomes related to an intensive community-based research project that was integrated in two sections of an undergraduate course on community practice. Pre- and posttest data were collected from 60 BSW students who were enrolled in community practice and who participated in a community-based research project with their state’s fair housing office. The evaluation outcomes focus on changes in professional interest in macro practice, students’ self-efficacy, and differences in students’ learning experiences, based on traditional bricks-and-mortar or distance learning contexts. Results show that students experience increases in self-efficacy related to community assessment and intervention. Qualitative results show that students experienced shifts in their professional goals related to macro practice, increased competence and understanding, and personal transformation. A number of differences emerged between traditional and distance learners. Results are discussed in the context of curriculum development and next steps for institutionalizing CBR in community practice courses.     

Changes in the relation of self-efficacy beliefs and behaviors across development

Many social science theories that examine the connection between beliefs and behaviors assume that belief constructs will predict behaviors similarly across development. Converging research implies that this assumption may not be tenable across all ages or all belief constructs. Thus, to test this implication, the relation between behavior and beliefs about the self was examined in 2 independent data sets with 2 different constructs: aggression and achievement. The respondents were 6-18 years of age and predominately Caucasian. Results using quasi-simplex structural equation models suggest that self-beliefs become more strongly related to behavior as children grow older independent of the reliability of the measures used. Possible limitations in the use of self-report methodology with young children are discussed.     

Using I poems to illuminate the complexity of students’ mathematical identities

In this article, we demonstrate how I poems, part of the Listening Guide method, can help researchers to better understand the multiple voices that might comprise a student’s mathematical identity. We provide an analysis of one student’s interview as an example of this method. We argue that the use of the Listening Guide method illuminates the complexity of students’ mathematical identities, especially their fluid, negotiated, and sometimes contested character. In the example shared here, we show how others’ discourses become part of a student’s developing mathematical identity, as well as highlight how the addition of drawings enhances the Listening Guide method.     

Establishing the Role and Impact of Academic Librarians in Supporting Open Research: A Case Study at Leeds Beckett University,UK

ABSTRACT

This practical article presents findings of a small scale study undertaken at a large U.K. University. The purpose of the study was to encourage academic engagement with Open Access (OA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) mandate with the measurable impact being increased engagement with the Repository and dissemination of research while circulating information to the wider community. In order to promote research, a series of “Focus on” webpages were created aligned to a particular theme and were then disseminated via social media. It was anticipated that by potentially increasing access to research outputs, academic staff would be motivated to make their work available following OA models and use the institutional repository (IR) as a means to achieve this. The main drivers for the study were the Finch Report, the HEFCE Policy for open access in the post-2014 Research Excellence Framework and the institutional strategy for research. Data was collected through a statistical analysis of both the “Focus on” pages and journal article downloads via the IR, with results indicating increased engagement with the IR making research openly accessible.     

Spatial information literacy for digital humanities: The case study of leveraging geospatial information for African American history education

ABSTRACT

The rise of “digital humanities” and the “spatial turn” in the humanities has generated many new insights in the study of culture, history, literature, and arts. Within this research trend, the library's geospatial service can play an active role by introducing spatial information literacy and technology. In this article, we use the information literacy framework to explore the library's role in supporting digital humanities by introducing a successful collaboration involving a librarian and history and education researchers in hosting a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-funded summer institute for school teachers. Our results suggest that the framework has opened a new way to facilitate collaborations between librarians and multidisciplinary researchers.