Education Commons^™

Culturally Responsive Practices In Graduate Training: Challenges, Strategies, And Recommendations, Khadija Ali, Jolinpreet Dhami, Odessa Luna

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This paper examines three women of color perspectives on the relevance of incorporating culture and race discussions, activities, and assignments into graduate courses. The authors provide a description of their upbringing to highlight how their personal experiences shaped their perspective on culture and race in educational settings. The challenges of delivering instruction to encompass culture are discussed alongside a student’s evaluation of these barriers. In addition, instructors outline strategies they have implemented to incorporate a culturally responsive practice. Lastly, the authors present recommendations to urge other faculty members and students to use and advocate for culturally responsive practices.

Prologue, Patrick J. Clipsham

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

No abstract provided.

Delivery Matters—Or Does It? A Snapshot Of Online Versus In-Person Instruction, Carol A. Mullen

Essays in Education

Online instruction and computer-based innovations in brick-and-mortar institutions are here to stay, but the study of distance delivery is lacking. Areas needing more attention include instructional effectiveness and student satisfaction. Educational quality, especially in online classes, should be monitored and evaluated to ensure learning, collaboration, and success, as well as to gain knowledge and improve practice. The purpose of this paper is to encourage scholar–practitioner dialogue on and comparison of issues pertaining to online and in-person instruction for adult learners. The research question guiding this exploratory qualitative study was, Are there any differences in the learning performance of two graduate …

Uzbek Students’ Perception Of Classroom Experience In Emi Courses, Praveen Malla

Essays in Education

Knowledge acquisition of university students is influenced by many factors including program quality, teacher quality and support, classroom environment, medium of instruction, peer ecosystem, infrastructure availability and other non-academic enablers. This study aims to examine Uzbek classroom experience in internationalization (EMI) programs led by both foreign and local faculty within both the public and private university settings. 280 responses were received, 42 of them from students studying in public universities and 238 from those studying in private universities. The study triangulates the survey responses with a focus group study and fleshes out several interesting insights. We observe significant effect of …

Scholarship With A Reach, Lori B. Doyle, Tanya M. Tarbutton, Kellie L. Albrecht

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

While the goal of providing a path to degree completion for master’s level participants is worthy, universities can consider ways for scholarship to have a far-reaching impact beyond the individual benefits to program completers. The field of education is situated in the social sciences and rationale for program development, when tied to a theoretical foundation, provides for theory-to-practice implications. Organizational change theory is an appropriate foundation for a discussion on master’s level culminating research projects designed with a goal of enacting change in classrooms, schools, districts, and even around the globe. One university’s approach will be highlighted and two culminating …

A Call For Digital Citizenship Curriculum In Early Childhood Education, Jenna K. Ladd, Joel J. Traver

Essays in Education

Accessibility of information (factual or fabricated), social interconnectedness, and more of our daily lives being lived in the digital world has created challenges and opportunities for children and families around the world. As a result, there exists an emerging need for families with children aged birth-to-five to receive education and support through standards-based digital citizenship curriculum to navigate living online. Several models of digital citizenship curriculum have been created for the K-12 education to provide education and guidance for teachers, administrators, and parents of older children. Thus, we call for the development and implementation of standards-based digital citizenship curriculum in …

Implementation Of A Novel Social-Emotional Learning Program To Advance Integration Of Wellness In Education Practice, Kit Knier, Gauri Sood, Will Ruffin Ii, Jennifer Arroyo, Ankit Sabharwal, Michael Bostwick, Chris Pierret

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs aim to enhance emotional intelligence by teaching problem solving, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship building skills. SEL interventions have been shown to improve quality of life and wellbeing, increasingly important outcomes in the wake of the staggering effects of the COVID-19 crisis on mental health. HappiGenius is a novel SEL program with the addition of mindful attention and self-compassion. We hypothesized HappiGenius would improve positive emotions, self-compassion, attention, mindful self-awareness, and social skills in a group of students. This observational cohort study took place at a diverse elementary school in a midsize midwestern city and …

All Young People Of Scotland Will Flourish Under Curriculum For Excellence: Mainstream Primary Teacher Perception Of Additional Support Need Resources In Curriculum For Excellence, Fraser Mcguinness

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

An increase in the number of pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN) in Scottish mainstream schools has brought with it a wide variation of learners’ educational needs and corresponding support. Despite this, there is anecdotal evidence sufficient support has not been supplied effectively to meet these needs.

Given repeated policy statements by the Scottish Executive (2004) and Scottish Government (2009; 2016) that Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) will “enable all of the young people of Scotland to flourish as individuals”, one may call into question whether CfE is indeed a curriculum that can facilitate such promise. The purpose of this research …

Prologue: The Intersectionality Of Research And Practice In Addressing Challenges And Issues In Education, Dejuanna M. Parker

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

The Spring 2023 theme for the Journal of Advancing Education Practice (JAEP) is The Intersectionality of Research and Practice in Addressing Challenges and Issues in Education.

Attributes Of Successful Graduate Students: Facilitating Self-Efficacy And Persistence, Hamid H. Atchan, Hannah M. Terry, Jacob H. Perner, Jesse Gonzalez, Joseph R. Mueller, Kornelia Staniszewska, Mendela K. Paulsen

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Colleges and universities struggle with declining program completion rates among graduate students. While the attrition rate of graduate students declined over the last five years in the United States, the issue of graduate student persistence continues to be challenging. This study identifies and explores reported characteristics: expectations, motivation, self-discipline, emotional intelligence, and passion for learning. Graduate students studying educational leadership conducted a qualitative inquiry to approach theoretical comprehension of the intrinsic motivations, expectations, and major attributes of successful graduate students. Examining these areas provides a deeper understanding of success achieved by graduate students.

Leadership And Instructional Coaching: A Synthesis Of Approaches And Practices That Promote Change, Katie L. Perkins

Essays in Education

The aim of this educational essay is to provide a literature-based synthesis of the leadership approaches and practices of instructional coaches that best support teacher development. The essay is grounded in transformational leadership theory (Bass & Avolio, 1990) and synthesizes three main constructs for effective instructional coaching. These constructs include: andragogical practices (Knowles, 2015), the ethics of care (Beck, 1994), and organizational change (Burke, 2014). Incorporating these leadership practices may encourage effective teacher-coach relationships, promote teacher development and retention, and ultimately increase student success.

Interaction Effects Of Undergraduate Students' Factors And Two Instruction Modalities On Academic Performance In A Stem Course, Olubusayo Foluso Adebusuyi Dr., Ademola K. Badru Dr

Essays in Education

Presently, schools are changing from a face-to-face (F2F) teaching mode to an online or virtual mode of teaching. Research has shown the two instruction modes to affect students' success positively. However, studies investigating the interaction effects of students' factors that could enhance the effectiveness of the two modes of instruction are limited. This study examines how age, socioeconomic status (SES), and course of study affect how well students do in both face-to-face and online settings.

The study employed an ex post facto design. Students' assessment results and demographic data were utilized to collect data for the study. The sample comprised …

Reading Through The Pause: How Superintendents Viewed Literacy For Middle Grade Learners During The Pandemic, Dana Evans, Paige Paquette, Dionne Rosser-Mims, Terry Oatts, Brenda Coley

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This paper highlights the voices of two superintendents' lived experiences guiding teachers, parents, and students in their districts during the pandemic shutdown. The emphasis of literacy education showcases the ways in which middle grades learners were able to continue discursive practices through online platforms to share and engage with texts. This reflective piece describes the process of perseverance in literacy education through the pandemic pause.

Utilizing Counter Narratives To Develop Culturally Sustaining, Critically Conscious Preservice Teacher Practitioners, David Wolff

Essays in Education

The content areas that get most attention in an elementary classroom include mathematics and English/Language Arts (ELA), and little time is devoted to other content areas like social studies. Preservice elementary teachers can learn to maximize instructional time by integrating social studies content in the ELA block. Using counternarratives, preservice teachers can learn to use children’s literature to teach multiple perspectives to the dominant narrative in the textbooks. This article shares strategies to present counternarratives and examples of children’s literature that can be used in an elementary classroom.

Prologue: Faculty Of Color Expressions And Perspectives, Kathryn Engdahl

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This special issue of the Journal of Advancing Education Practice featuring Faculty of Color Expressions and Perspectives creates a critical forum for truth-telling, education, and empowerment. It offers an invitation to deepen understanding of each other’s experience, and to integrate that deeper understanding in practice to enhance ongoing equity and inclusion work.

It Goes Without Being Said: An Adjunct Faculty Of Color Navigating The Mores In A Predominantly White University, Kia Mills

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Experiences in higher education as an adjunct faculty of color have led me to conclude that higher education institutions have a long way to go in dismantling racialized and racially- based discriminations, stereotypes and marginalization of faculty of color contributions, expertise and professionalism. Drawing from mores about race, education, expertise and life, predominantly white institutions (PWIs), for example, tend to condone and perhaps promote the treatment of adjunct faculty of color as less qualified (different = less than), and invisible place-holders without any regard for their professional expertise and contributions to their disciplines. Sometimes adjunct faculty of color …

If You Build It, They Will Take It: Institutional Theft Of The Academic Work Of Black Faculty, Dejuanna Parker

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This reflection piece described the perception of the lived experience of Black adjunct faculty and a program director of an inaugural Education Doctorate program. The essay recounts milestone moments of program development, administrative theft of the program, and the replacement of all Black inaugural faculty with lesser experienced White faculty who were unfamiliar with the philosophy and content of the program. A message of wisdom and a glimmer of hope is offered to Black faculty who find themselves in a similar context.

Black Male School Administrators Unbridled: Strategies To Say What Needs To Be Said, Jamel Gibson

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Black males in educational leadership positions need strategies to remain authentic, make cultural connections to staff and students, and to be free to speak to stakeholders without fear of reprimand, retaliation, demotion, and other negative perceptions associated with American stereotypes. This opinion paper will share insight on the challenges coupled with being a Black male administrator in the American public school system and provide strategies for success.

Intentional Mentoring: A Shared Journey Of Discovering And Supporting Diverse Talent In Academia, Barbara Holmes, Kent Willis

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Thriving in academe for faculty of color is difficult and challenging (Gasman, 2022). Faculty of Color face enormous odds of overcoming barriers such as an unwelcoming culture, isolation, lack of professional support, imposter syndrome and disengagement from the community of scholars. In recognition of these factors, intentional mentoring provides a strategy of support in facilitating successful persistence in the academy.

This autoethnographic paper explores the mentor-mentee relationship of a tenured faculty member whose contributions in mentorship and coaching produced notable professional growth for countless doctoral students and new faculty members. Sharing the experiences of one mentee and mentor may inform …

Model Classrooms: One Approach To Teacher Shortages, Ashlee Boothe

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Due to a nationwide teacher shortage, instructional leaders are utilizing more alternatively certified teachers than in the past, creating a problem for principals (Darling-Hammond & Berry, 2006; Birinci and Amburgey, 2022). Teachers in alternatively certified programs often lack pedagogy due to an absence of educational training, and as a result, principals hire teachers who are inadequately trained for the classroom. Therefore, there is a need to improve the way instructional leaders prepare alternatively certified teachers. The solution to this dilemma is creating professional learning through model classrooms, a term coined by the author. Model classrooms serve as exemplars to other …

Prologue, Leo Mcauley Brown

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This edition focuses on the need to cultivate scholarly learning communities. Education leaders can benefit from relevant research that may aid in keeping students and educators engaged. The editorial staff of JAEP is committed to creating spaces for topics that support scholarly inquiry.

Five Steps Of Evaluative Feedback That Promotes Teacher Development, Katie Perkins, Audrey Roberts

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

The purpose of this article is to provide five succinct steps that effective leaders in education can implement when conducting teacher observations and evaluations. Through the analysis of current literature, the authors suggest that teacher evaluation includes (1) establishing norms, (2) building relationships, (3) conducting classroom observations, (4) providing feedback, and (5) setting goals and follow-up. The need for effective feedback delivery and evaluation is crucial for teacher development, and ultimately, student success.

Integrating Intercultural Communication Competence Into Entrepreneurially-Minded Online Discussions, Lisa Bosman, Bhavana Kotla, Carolina Cuesta, Neeraj Duhan

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Abstract: The continued rise of the global economy, especially during COVID-19, has required stakeholders, including higher education, to think more strategically about preparing future university graduates with intercultural skill development. This study contributes to the literature by showing one approach whereby faculty can integrate intercultural communication competence into the STEM classroom via entrepreneurially-minded online discussions (a form of information literacy). This semester-long study applied a mixed methods approach. First, students participated in five online discussions, which were analyzed qualitatively to identify themes and patterns. Second, at the end of the semester, after completing the online discussions, students responded to a …

Building Community For Completion: Doctoral Students’ Perceptions Of Technology Integration Within Dissertation Committee Collaboration, Scott Fillman, Barbara Holmes, Dejuanna Parker, Kent Willis

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the prevalence of technology-mediated collaboration and mentorship between dissertation committee members and doctoral student scholars. Qualitative research methods were used to explore the role of technology for collaboration and building community within dissertation committees, focusing on dissertation scholars’ perspectives. The study was based on one overarching research question: How do doctoral students describe the integration of technology for collaborating with dissertation committees? Doctoral scholar participants described the importance of technological literacy within dissertation committees, most indicating that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the importance of fluency with technology. Other participants portrayed the importance of technological literacy within …

Reconsidering The Call To Teach: K-12 Teacher Responses To Schools’ Addressing A Global Health Disruption, Dejuanna Parker

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This qualitative study explored K-12 teacher experiences with school responses to the pandemic that prompted instructors to reconsider the call to teach. Two theories provided a lens through which to view the problem. The Theory of Purpose was applied to analyzing instructors’ original decision to teach. Fortigenesis Theory undergirded the exploration of teacher responses to physical and emotional challenges. Three themes emerged as a result of data analysis: Discontent and Disdain for Post-Pandemic Teaching Practices, Emotional Distance Created by Physical Distance, and Administrative Priorities and Teacher Wellbeing.

Wait! Don’T Quit! Stay With Your Doctoral Program During The Global Pandemic: Lessons Learned From Program Completers, Sonya Hurt, Ericka Woods Ways, Barbara Holmes

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Using the self-determination theory framework developed by Ryan and Deci (2000), this study explored the facilitation strategies doctoral candidates used to stay on task during the global pandemic. Areas of inquiry included academic progression, dissertation research writing processes and addressing impacts on work, academic studies and persistence. The study used a phenomenological approach of qualitative research design. Ten participants were selected using a convenient sampling method. Three themes emerged from the data that included (1) Balancing work and life quality issues, (2) Mastering academic protocols (3) Developing collective efficacy in scholar development. This study revealed that student dependence on the …

College Athletes’ Safe Return To Play: Perceptions Of Strength And Conditioning Training In A Midwest University, Reid Peters

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This study focused on exploring the lived experiences of student-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic at a midwestern university in the United States of America. Survey responses from collegiate athletes regarding perceptions of strength and conditioning training during the pandemic uncovered meaningful information to inform practices of strength and conditioning personnel during unexpected disruption to daily operations. Sixteen student athletes from a Midwest university were the respondents providing feedback to open-ended survey questions during fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Student perspectives offer important insight about cares and concerns that athletic administrators, coaches and institutional leaders should consider when developing …

Midwest University Coach Perspectives On Student-Athlete Recruitment During Unprecedented Disruption, Jonah Bradley

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Recruiting student-athletes is one of the fundamental elements of success for college-level athletic coaches. The COVID-19 pandemic made student-athlete recruitment next to impossible due to restrictions on in-person activities. Utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR), this study sought to understand the experiences of four athletic coaches in one Midwest college basketball program. Three themes from this study that informed the recruitment process during disruption were: theme 1: traditional recruiting replaced with technology-enabled recruiting. theme 2: inability to engage in person hinders interactions and communication, and theme 3: roster management and player development inconsistent with disruption. This study reveals a need for …

Non-Profit Leaders Confronting Challenges Presented By Covid-19, Tennille Spears

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Little is known about the totality of the challenges non-profit leaders are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores how non-profit leaders are adapting to challenges caused by COVID-19. This paper presents an inquiry into participatory action research questions with responses from non-profit leaders’ firsthand experience with the challenges faced during the pandemic. The study collected data from three non-profit leaders in Wisconsin. Crisis management conceptual framework supports this investigation. The findings of this study reveal challenges non-profit leaders face in response to the pandemic include identifying new skills needed by non-profit leaders, and gaining information on the financial …

Speaking Of Disruption: Experiences Of Speech Faculty In Transitioning Face-To-Face Courses To Remote Instruction, Amanda Ratcliff

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Online learning is not new to higher education, but the rapid transition from face-to-face instruction to virtual course delivery in the middle of an academic term due to the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for better training and preparation (Mseleku, 2020). This qualitative study explored the experiences of speech and communication faculty members (N = 5) who were required to swiftly transition to online teaching with short notice. Based on faculty perspectives, findings reveal the need for recognizing different pedagogical approaches to distance education, the need for more faculty training to teach online, the need for engagement and interaction with …