Education Commons^™

Being Curious With Secrecy, Clare Stevens, Elspeth Van Veeren, Brian Rappert, Owen D. Thomas

Secrecy and Society

This article contributes to ongoing attempts to broaden out theorizations of secrecy from an intentional and willful act of concealment to a cultural and structural process. We do so by fostering a conversation between secrecy and curiosity. This conversation is enabled through a review of central themes in secrecy studies and curiosity studies, but also through an examination of a collaboration between the science center “We the Curious” and a network of academic researchers. In doing so, this article makes a case for the benefits of paying more attention to curiosity as a means of facilitating a multifaceted understanding of …

Teaching Social-Emotional Learning (Sel) In A Pandemic, Charley Todd, Tori L. Colson, Moriah Smothers

Journal of Practitioner Research

Teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has become increasingly more common in the American school system, and many districts have adopted curricula or strategies to promote its usage. Research has continued to show that students receive various short- and long-term benefits when SEL is taught in the classroom. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how SEL instruction was given, and the implications are far-reaching. The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on how SEL was taught. In addition, the study identifies challenges and possible solutions to ensure that SEL is taught during incredibly challenging …

Investing In Connection: Exploring The Online Graduate Student Experience, Michelle Vaughan

Journal of Practitioner Research

Within the context of online learning, there are challenges presented by the virtual medium that may lead to diminished experiences in learning. Without a physical connection or the ability to feel the support from your teacher, online students can be left isolated, and the pedagogy can easily slip into an execution of tasks as opposed to a pedagogy of care. My inquiry into the online graduate student experience began with a survey to understand how online graduate students describe their experiences as an online learner and their relationships with their instructors. A thematic analysis of their responses revealed themes regarding …

Action Research In The Time Of Covid-19, Victoria Seeger, Troy Fredde, Brianna O'Neal, Johnna Stewart

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This study provides a picture of the impact the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) had on action research performed by graduate students at a small Midwest university. A qualitative case study was conducted to examine how the participants’ abilities to implement their research, gather data, and analyze the results was impacted by COVID-19. Participants were asked a series of questions regarding modifications made, the impact to the research that was done, the impact to their findings, and implications for future research. Based on the responses to these surveys, researchers determined four prominent themes; altered timelines, limited access to data and materials, quality …

Teacher Inquiry: A Catalyst For Professional Development, Divonna Stebick, Jonathan Hart, Lauren Glick, Jaime Kindervatter, Jenna Nagel, Cathy Patrick

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Teachers seek and require meaningful professional development opportunities to truly grow in the profession. Teacher inquiry, or teacher research, is one way to accomplish professional development goals. Teacher inquiry is thought of as individualized, personalized, and meaningful professional development (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999). In this paper we articulate the learning of a cohort of certificated professionals engaged in a year-long project that included asking research questions, designing data collection tools, and developing an independent study to examine their questions. Nine certificated professionals participated in the year-long project representing various grade levels and experiences. Data was collected through teacher reflections and …

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Reading And Music: A Natural Pedagogical Collaboration, Jarrett D. Moore, Kathryn Simonyak, Kelsey Ruzicka

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Reading and music instruction can form a symbiotic relationship to positively impact lower-elementary literacy and increase student engagement. In this action research study, cross-curricular instruction between reading and music at the 2nd grade elementary level was taught by both the reading and music teacher. This study employed reading, rhythm, rhyme, instrumentation, writing, physical movement, and song to benefit students’ phonemic awareness while reading. Developmental Reading Assessments (DRAs) were used to measure student growth from the start of the study to its conclusion. These DRAs were used as pre- and posttests and were bookended around instruction using reading, rhythm, rhyme, instrumentation, …

Building Research Capacity Of Future Teachers: A Canadian Case Study, Dragana Martinovic, Ziad F. Dabaja

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since their first day in school, in-service teachers are expected to act professionally, make good judgments, think critically, and problem-solve effectively. The literature suggests that engaging pre-service teachers in research can help them to develop several key skills. In this paper, we present the outcomes from a year and a half long mixed-methods case study that was conducted in two phases (i.e., a pilot and a follow-up study) with two groups of pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher education programme in a Canadian mid-size university. The purpose of this research was to examine how an in-course research component might have …

Supporting Students’ Social Emotional Well-Being Using Clay: An Action Research Study, Paul Monroe

Graduate Review

The purpose of this action research study is to examine scholarly recommendations on how to use clay to promote the social and emotional well-being of students in the high school ceramics classroom. This study enacts recommendations and strategies to enhance an existing curriculum to align with my school district’s educational goals of promoting social emotional learning (SEL). This study took place at a high school in Westchester County, New York in the fall of 2021. Data for this study is informed by my interviews with two specialists regarding putting SEL strategies into action, my modification of an existing curriculum as …

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction For Fifth Graders’ Vocabulary Knowledge And Reading Comprehension: An Action Research Study, Tonia Bauer, Hengtao Tang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This action research aimed to evaluate the impact that explicit vocabulary instruction delivered through Schoology had on the vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension of fifth graders at an urban elementary school in the southeastern United States. A convergent mixed-method approach was applied. The vocabulary and reading comprehension scores and the learner experience survey accounted for the quantitative data. Furthermore, qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews were analyzed inductively. Findings show that students' vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension significantly increased after receiving explicit vocabulary instruction, and results marked instruction regarding Latin and Greek roots as areas needing attention. For elementary educators, …

Exploring The Impact Of Workshops And A Mini-Project In Student Teachers Becoming Qualitative Researchers, Junjun Muhamad Ramdani, Elih Sutisna Yanto, Melisa Sri, Rahmat Djunaedi

The Qualitative Report

Drawing on Vygotsky's "space framework" (Harré, 1984; Mostofo & Zambo, 2015), this article reports the findings of our action research project that examined student teachers' beliefs and behavior changes while completing a qualitative research project. Our research question was, "to what extent do student teachers change their beliefs and behaviors about qualitative research (QR) after participating in a two-workshop series of qualitative designs in language classrooms and doing a mini-project?" The participants of this study were eight student teachers at an Indonesian university, and the research data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. The study's findings show that student teachers …

Dynamic Sight Translation: A Simultaneous Interpreting Strategies Driver, Kun Yan, Zhongwei Song

International Journal of Interpreter Education

This paper reports on eliciting anticipation strategy, a common strategy in simultaneous interpreting (SI) via sight translation (ST). A new ST variant, the dynamic type, was designed in a modular and progressive manner to facilitate the trainees’ transition into SI at the early stage of learning. The new tool was used and tested under a framework of action research that was conducted continuously over 3 years. Despite some limitations, the longitudinal study finds that the newly designed set of exercises is not only a skill development and transfer enabler but also a contributor to eliciting SI-related strategies. This article explains …

Reflective Practice Through Dialogic Interactions: Togetherness And Belonging Within A Collective Of Efl Teachers In Mexico, Patricia Marie Anne Houde

The Qualitative Report

This study tackles the lack of collective models to analyze teaching practices by employing a bottom-up and collaborative approach for engaging in Reflective Practice (RP) for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in a Mexican context. The Collective Accompaniment Model (CAM; Guillemette, 2014) served to develop reflection with peers at the same hierarchical level, allowing for reflection to evolve over time. The research question was “What are the contributions of other colleagues’ interactions to support reflective practice via collective accompaniment with EFL teachers in Mexico”? The methodology employed during the inquiry was action research (AR) with nine EFL teachers …

School Leadership Support: Understanding The Experiences Of Elementary-Level Teachers During A Global Health Pandemic, Kathleen M. Crawford, Pamela Wells, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Kristen N. Dickens, Katherine Fallon

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to better understand how the current COVID-19 global health pandemic has professionally and emotionally impacted elementary-level teachers. Teachers experienced diverse challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from in-person to online learning. Two overarching themes emerged based on participant experiences: abandoning best practices and increased stress and emotional pain. Implications for practice included the need for school leaders to evaluate the current level of support being provided to teachers and assess areas of need to support professional and emotional growth with the backdrop of the pandemic. We encourage future research with all …

The Art Of Audiencing: Visual Journaling As A Media Education Practice, Theresa Redmond

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Using qualitative methods with an action research design, the author investigates uses of visual journaling as a media production opportunity in an undergraduate media literacy class. Through visual journaling as an arts-based inquiry process, students engaged in production, creating and sharing graphical representations of their emerging media literacy knowledge and perspectives. Findings illuminate visual journaling as a way of audiencing that cultivates agentive knowledge building, active negotiation of learning, and student-centered expression in the context of media literacy education. Visual journaling as a method of production results in a manageable and creative maker experience that augments learning, inviting students to …

Redesigning Literacy: Our Story, Johannah D. Baugher, Victoria Seeger

Educational Considerations

This manuscript details efforts to redesign a graduate literacy program guided by two, full-time faculty members to better meet candidates’ needs in an online learning environment supported with relevant and current curricula. Through professional literature, intentional curriculum, and authentic field experiences, program coursework is closely linked, easily allowing candidates to see and experience relationships across course content, better aligning with K-12 instructional practices. As a result of candidates’ completion of this program, they are steeped in best literacy practices and interventions, which equip them to celebrate their autonomy in philosophical beliefs as it relates to their identity as a literacy …

Positioning Dispositions In Initial Teacher Education: An Action Research Approach, Qilong Zhang, Joanne Hayes, Rawhia Tehau-Grant, Roberta Skeoch, Lois France, Ke Jiang, Ruth Barnes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In spite of debate, ambiguity, and tension around teacher dispositions, in the past over two decades, the place of dispositions in initial teacher education (ITE) has been widely supported among policy makers and researchers. Specifically, debate on whether dispositions are teachable has largely given way to action to foster dispositions. Adopting a two-cycle participatory action research design, this study explored ways to teach the first-year teacher candidates’ dispositions in an early childhood ITE programme in New Zealand. The intervention included eight focus dispositions and corresponding strategies to teach each focus disposition. Data collection methods included student self-assessment surveys, individual and …

Action Research As Evidence-Based Practice: Enhancing Explicit Teaching And Learning Through Critical Reflection And Collegial Peer Observation, Renee Crawford

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: In an era where teachers are increasingly being asked to demonstrate evidence of their impact, action research is identified as a practical and critically reflective research approach for enhancing explicit teaching and learning. Using a historical perspective, foundations for reflective practice and action research in educational contexts are explored. A discussion of the processes and techniques that may be employed, including how collegial peer observation is embedded to strengthen application is provided. An action research model, encapsulating the approach discussed, demonstrates its practicality for teachers to engage in critically reflective practice and provide an evidence-base for their work. As …

Individualized Professional Development, Thea Dirton

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

A one-size-fits-all professional development program may not be beneficial to all of the staff in an educational setting. The following professional development program offers an alternative solution to traditional professional development methods, by allowing teachers to determine the strategies that they want to implement into their classroom. The implementation of these strategies and the reflection that goes along with it in the form of action research, allows staff members to determine which methods are most beneficial to them and the students in their learning environment.

Formative Automated Writing Evaluation: A Standpoint Theory Of Action, Lynette Hazelton, Jessica Nastal, Norbert Elliot, Jill Burstein, Daniel F. Mccaffrey

Journal of Response to Writing

In writing studies research, automated writing evaluation technology is typically examined for a specific, often narrow purpose: to evaluate a particular writing improvement measure, to mine data for changes in writing performance, or to demonstrate the effectiveness of a single technology and accompanying validity arguments. This article adopts a broader perspective and offers a standpoint theory of action for formative automated writing evaluation (fAWE). Following presentation of the features of our standpoint theory of action, we describe our two study sites, and each instructor documents her experiences using the fAWE application (app), Writing Mentor® (WM). One instructor analyzes experiences using …

Trustworthiness In Sampling Selection: Remedies Against Introspective Chaos, Cécile Gabarre, Serge Gabarre

The Qualitative Report

The ethical dimension pertaining to protecting participants from psychological harm due to the in-depth nature of the inquiry and to the intimacy resulting from prolonged engagement is well-documented. This is laudable, but very few studies focused on guiding the researchers against chaotic emotions arising from introspectively questioning their beliefs and motivations and inspiring their judgments underlying their decisions. In our involvement with masters’ students’ thesis writing and research management training, supervision, and examination, we became aware of recurring cases of novice researchers silently disappearing from the program, eventually reappearing, continuously struggling with their thesis. Investigating this process, we identified the …

Place-Based Education: People, Places, And Spaces For Interdisciplinary Literacy Learning, Melissa Reed, Courtney (Weber) Klassen

The Reading Professor

Abstract

Place-based education (PBE) encourages teachers to create authentic learning communities of real-world experts outside of the regular classroom setting. Literacy strategies were used to support understanding of content. This article will explore the results of teacher action research in creating interdisciplinary literacy opportunities in the real world using a PBE model. What impact does PBE have on motivation and interest of learning in this interdisciplinary setting? The advantages and challenges are examined through the use of interviews, exit slips, and antidotal records during a summer camp experience with students in grades 4-6. The findings from a research project involving …

Supporting English Learners Through Practice-Based Research, Catherine Lammert, Erica B. Steinitz Holyoke

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Learning to use critical practice-based research as part of teaching is an important goal for preservice teachers, especially for those who plan to teach English learners in linguistically diverse settings. In this study, we examine the experiences of preservice teachers who were introduced to a framework for enacting iterative, transformative action research, and used the framework to study their own teaching in a one-on-one writing partnership with young English learners. Using an established self-efficacy survey instrument, as well as qualitative measures such as course artifacts and observations of teaching, we conducted a mixed-methods study to examine the impact of research …

Enhancing Student Learning In The Online Instructional Environment Through The Use Of Universal Design For Learning, Kathleen A. Boothe, Marla J. Lohmann, Ruby Owiny

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

As college faculty who prepare future teachers, we strive to teach our students through instruction and modeling best practices in teaching. We constantly evaluate our teaching and make adjustments to include updated knowledge about effective instruction. The evaluation and adjustments made to our courses lend themselves to action research. We take what we learn from our research and make appropriate changes to better meet the diverse needs of students. This article provides an overview of a final project that used Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for assessing student knowledge. This research focused on the principle of Multiple Means of Action …

Voices On Data Literacy And Initial Teacher Education: Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflections And Recommendations, Shannon Kennedy-Clark, Vilma Galstaun, Peter Reimann, Taylor Martyn, Kiatin Williamson, Jessica Weight

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of study was gain insight into pre-service teachers’ experiences in using classroom data to make learning and teaching decisions. The qualitative study is based on the reflections and recommendations of three pre-service teachers’ that participated in a data-driven decision-making intervention whilst on an immersive 10-week professional learning experience. This study is underpinned by an action research framework. There are many understandings of action research, here the approach is understood to be a systematic investigation into one’s own practice with the aim of improving teaching and learning. From the thematic analysis of the reflections, several recommendations were put forward …

Helping Middle School Students Acknowledge And Navigate Anxiety: An Action Research, Teresa Jones, Amanda Riggs, Nai-Cheng Kuo

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Teachers and school counselors have the responsibility not only to build a positive school climate in which students want to perform and stretch themselves academically and socially, but also to create an environment in which students know that their teachers and school counselors are aware of their needs, anxiety, and other factors preventing them from reaching their potential. In the present study, we used an action research design to help students acknowledge their anxiety and know how to navigate it. The results indicate that most students exhibited lower anxiety before and during the test, while their anxiety level was the …

Developing Instructional Skills: Perspectives Of Feedback In Student Teaching, Noelle Won, Kimy Liu, Debra Bukko

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Feedback is essential for the transformation and development of new teachers. This action research study explored perceptions of feedback givers/receivers in the development of essential teaching skills in a new co-teaching model. Outcomes informed programmatic changes to teacher education trainings and protocols. The research team included teacher education faculty, including the program leader (author 1), faculty (author 2) and K-12 teacher leader (author 3). Student teachers (6), cooperating teachers (7), and university supervisors (3) participated in semi-standard interviews and close-ended surveys. Responses were analyzed for feedback content, frequency, timing, effectiveness, reception and application. Three key components of the feedback process …

Developing Student Critical Consciousness: Twitter As A Tool To Apply Critical Literacy In The English Classroom, Joshua P. Kunnath, Arika Jackson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

As young people today are flooded with information from a multitude of sources, they must be prepared to perceive the potentially oppressive and nefarious nature of many texts. Critical literacy is a theory and strategy that allows young people, along with people of all ages, to achieve just this; however, teachers often experience difficulties implementing and guiding students in taking crucial action steps in the classroom. This exploratory action research case study was conducted to address these concerns, as a teacher utilized Twitter to implement critical literacy and guide 32 ethnically diverse eleventh grade students in applying critical literacy in …

From Where Two Or More Are Gathered: Understanding An Interdisciplinary Team, Glynnis Childress

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This study explores the types of professional learning teachers report when participating in an interdisciplinary team at the high school level.

Classroom Management Through Teacher Candidates’ Lenses: Transforming Learning Communities Through A Community Of Practice, Mary S. Thomas, Penny B. Howell, Shantel Crosby, Khirsten Scott, La'que Newby, Hannah Evans, Sophie Daneshmand

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

• To better prepare teacher candidates for classroom management through attention to learning communities that affirm and support diverse students, including those effected by trauma, four instructors redesigned a required, undergraduate course. This study describes findings from three teacher candidate co-authors who were enrolled in that course. One semester after completing a course on classroom management and building community, candidates were asked to review their course products and other artifacts to consider what they learned and build upon their prior knowledge. Candidates used stimulated recall to respond to prompts on community building and relationships, gender and racial inclusivity, trauma …

Elevating Student Understanding: Irish Occupational Therapy Students’ Experience Of A Service Learning Project, Karen Mccarthy, Marian Mccarthy

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Service learning is a pedagogy that embraces learning in action and addresses community needs. Since the adoption of the Occupational Therapy Competencies in 2008 and the launch of national occupational therapist registration in Ireland in 2015, there has been limited research on the effectiveness of service learning pedagogies in Irish higher education for meeting core competencies. The majority of research focusing on evaluating service learning have been North American studies which brings to question the relevance of these service learning outcomes beyond North America and specifically Ireland. This qualitative study examined 11 occupational therapy students’ journal reflections, portfolio entries, and …