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Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 1, Spring 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Spring 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to student self-reflection, participatory learning, and returning to the in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic. The first article takes a critical approach to understanding pedagogy with adult learners by involving students in the creation of course syllabi as a way to challenge ideologies related the roles of instructor and students. The second article blends research and narrative to explore how the experiences of …

The Reality Of Teaching English Virtually: Esl Teachers' Perspectives And Experiences During The Covid-19 National Pandemic, Natalia Guerrero

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the dilemma ESL teachers experienced as the educational system shifted from the usual modus operandi of in-person lessons to the uncharted virtual learning environment (VLE). ESL teachers, in one of the largest urban districts in Louisiana, accumulated additional roles and responsibilities that were unique to the teachers of the English learner (EL) population enrolled at their schools.

Data collected to answer the research questions were the product of single and focus group’s interviews with five ESL elementary and middle school teachers in Freedom District. State and district emergency response to COVID-19 guidelines, along with instructional artifacts, were …

Digital Intercultural Education: A Comparative Study Of Self-Access Learning Experiences, Gareth Humphreys

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: Two sets of intercultural learning resources incorporating Global Englishes learning content were developed for self-access use in the higher education context. The resources were investigated in terms of student learning experiences across two contexts in Japan: an English language major program and a nonlanguage major program. The aim was to develop an understanding of student learning experiences to inform practical implications for self-access learning in these areas.

Method: The educational resources were investigated in a qualitative content analysis of reflective writing and supporting survey data from 30 students across the two university programs to understand how (and if) they …

K-12 Teachers’ Perceptions Of Preparedness And Training To Provide Instruction And Support To English Language Learners, Rebecca Doxsee

Ed.D. Dissertations

The increased number of English language learners in the general education classroom created the need for teachers to be knowledgeable about how to instruct and support English language learners. Due to the minimal extant literature related to K-12 teachers’ preparedness and training, specifically regarding English language learners, the purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to examine the perceptions of Tennessee K-12 teachers related to preparedness and training to provide instruction and support to English language learners in the general education classroom. I emailed the questionnaire to 63 potential participants and received questionnaire responses from 44 (69.84%) K-12 teachers. I …

Creando La Confianza: Narratives On Mentorship Of Latina Professors At The University Of New Mexico, Maria G. Vielma

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

Numerous scholars have investigated the significant role that representation and mentorship play in the success of Latinas and other women of color during their journey through higher education, from degree completion to faculty hiring and advancement (Vasquez 1982, Zambrana et. al. 1997, Valdez 2001, Cavazos & Cavazos 2010, Shayne 2020, Contreras et. al. 2022). However, little research exists surrounding the lived experiences that have shaped mentorship carried out by university faculty, specifically, mentorship carried out by bilingual Latina faculty in higher education. Through a Latina Feminist Epistemology implementing Oral History Methodologies, this thesis aims to understand the cycle of mentorship …

The Intersection Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy And Engineering Design In Secondary Stem, Mariam Manuel, Jessica Gottlieb, Gina Svarovsky, Rebecca Hite

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The instructional practices of the engineering design process and culturally responsive pedagogy have each garnered national attention and multiple decades of research. Findings from the respective literature bases call for educators and policymakers to integrate these two pedagogical approaches into K-12 classroom instruction. Scholars have argued that this integration would improve student engagement and academic achievement. There is a significant amount of research that supports the positive student outcomes associated with each approach, yet there remains a dearth of literature that addresses the integration of these two practices into the science and mathematics content areas. The movement around educational reform …

Examinar El Desarrollo Professional En La Educación Bilingüe (Professional Development In Bilingual Education And Its Effect On Teacher Preparedness), Cody Boozell

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Thesis: With the expansion of bilingual education, dual immersion teachers are being constantly neglected as a result of the lack of training that they receive, putting them at a disadvantage in meeting the unique demands of being bilingual educator.

Did The Rapid Transition To Online Learning In Response To Covid-19 Protocols Result In Forced Disclosure By Faculty Members With Invisible Disabilities, Charles Edward Ethridge

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In December of 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, now commonly referred to as COVID-19, was first identified in Wuhan, China. The virus proved highly contagious and quickly spread around the globe. By April 7, 2020, Stay-at-Home orders and/or directives regarding the closures of non-essential businesses and schools had been issued throughout the US. While there has been considerable research since 2020 regarding the impact of COVID-19 on higher education, nearly all the research has focused on the effects on students, the economic impact on institutions, and the future landscape of higher education. However, there is little research regarding the effect on …

Supporting Preservice Teacher Development Of Culturally Responsive Reading Instruction Through A Cross-Course Assignment, Brittany Adams, Annemarie Bazzo Kaczmarczyk

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article describes design-based research undertaken by two teacher educators to support elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) in integrating culturally responsive teaching practices with reading methods. The study described was motivated by calls for teacher preparation programs to be more intentional about supporting PSTs in synthesizing their learning across courses, especially when it comes to culturally responsive reading pedagogies. This article focuses on an activity that tasked PSTs to select culturally authentic children’s texts and design interactive read-alouds that engage elementary students in conversations around social justice topics while simultaneously meeting English language arts standards. Analysis of the lesson plans revealed …

Using Online Video Observations And Real Time, Peer Reflective Analysis Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Pedagogy In A University Teacher Preparatory Program For Preservice Teachers, Adrian E. Cortes

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This research aimed to understand the impacts of using online video observations and real-time peer reflection to teach and address culturally responsive teaching in a Pacific Northwest university’s teacher preparatory program. Six active university students enrolled in a university’s new teacher preparatory program (i.e., preservice, new teacher candidates) actively participated in all areas of this study (i.e., nonrandom sampling) and provided both quantitative and qualitative data. Study participants completed self-evaluative pre- and post-surveys in a research group session. Surveys were built using the ready 4 rigor framework (Hammond & Jackson, 2015) and the four areas of culturally responsive teaching as …

“How Come There’S No Spelling?”: What Spontaneous Comments Teach Us About Student Thinking During Vocabulary Learning Tasks, Susan J. Chambrè

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Vocabulary development remains an active and robust research area, yet little is known about what students, particularly young students, think during vocabulary learning. A commonly held assumption is that young learners employ few, if any, cognitive and metacognitive strategies when engaged in literacy tasks. Conversely, decades of research confirms that older learners with active metacognitive tools are better equipped to make meaning from text, of which vocabulary is a crucial component. To better understand the strategies and metacognitive actions young students make when learning vocabulary, student comments (N = 35) spontaneously produced during two experimental vocabulary learning tasks were reviewed …

Why Word Problems Are Hard For High School Math Students: Problem Formulation And Disciplinary Literacy, Emily Charlotte Elliott

Senior Theses

This thesis is an extensive literature review designed to better understand the obstacles high school math students encounter when solving word problems (WPs). While many high school students find math difficult in general, students especially struggle with WPs. Often they are unable to provide correct solutions to WPs even when they are successful in solving computational problems using the same mathematical concepts (Cummins, 1988). Data from the 2007 National Survey of Algebra Teachers suggests that solving WPs is one of the skills that students are most unprepared for when entering Algebra 1 (Hoffer et al.). Additionally, many students try to …

Demystifying Preservice Teacher Reflective Thinking: A Systematic Literature Review, Joan Flora

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This systematic literature review responds to the need for research on clarity of what reflective thinking practice is and in determining the value of that practice for preservice teachers. While much has been written about preservice teacher reflective thinking, few studies have explored empirical research on the processes that inform and shape preservice teachers’ reflective practice. This study examines the existing literature to discern common themes in the diverse definitions of reflective thinking. This study also examines diverse frameworks that help teacher educators guide, analyze, assess, and measure the quality of preservice teacher reflective thinking. This study helps inform education …

Tapping Into Calm And Clarity, Caroline Macarah

MATL Action Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Understanding Rural Communities: Crafting Local Inquiries As Praxis For Pre-Service Ela Students In Teaching Composition, Cathie English

The Rural Educator

This study focused upon a sequence of three inquiry assignments with pre-service teachers (PSTs) in English language arts in an advanced composition and theory methods course. Place conscious and critical literacy scholars argue for a deeper understanding of rural lifeways and note the deficit or lesser than assumptions associated with rural communities and the need to develop a critical rural literacy to address the specific needs of rural educators as well as address the long-standing stereotypes. This study’s purpose was to determine if these inquiry tools can be used to teach PSTs a critical literacy that can be applied in …

How Prepared Are Educators To Work With Students Of Color, Ja're Thorn

Dissertations

From what I have experienced, there has been a lack of preparation when it comes to preparing educators to work with students of color. This research aimed to explore the importance of early childhood teachers’ cultural preparation programs when it comes to working effectively with students of color. Most of the time, teachers teach to the common core standards set in place by the state. They also implement a curriculum that is considered “best practices” for students instead of paying attention to and considering the individual student’s specific culture, family, and community values and ways of life before planning (Spies, …

Alec 805 Teaching Portfolio: Exploring Students' Teaching Effectiveness, Becky Haddad

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio explores students attainment on InTASC Standards 1 & 3 through ALEC 805: Advanced Teaching Strategies. Students completed an initial teaching roots reflection and a final education philosophy that served as the basis for analyzing growth in effective teaching. Overall, students had more statements discussing teaching methods and strategies in their final education philosophies than they did in their initial reflections, but used their own experience to substantiate these methods much less. This provides opportunities for additional synthesis and reflection through the course, as well as opportunities for future scholarship in the course focused on students' connection to their …

Curriculum Application: Designing Aims Andlearning Outcomes In The English Department, Yulia Agustina, M. Adib Nazri, Hary Murcahyanto

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The purpose of this study was to determine curriculum developers in determining curriculum objectives, learning outcomes, and aspects of the design of English study programs. This research uses the descriptive qualitative method. Data triangulation, observation, interviews, and documentation were used to collect data using a list of questions related to the curriculum and documentation. The result of this finding is that the English department curriculum is by the applicable standards in Indonesia. In designing the language curriculum, there is only one aspect that has not been applied as an indicator in its design, namely environmental analysis.

The Impact Of Supplemental Phonemic Awareness Lessons On Phonological Awareness And Spelling Development Among Kindergarten And First Graders, Crystal Olinger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Reading is a developmental process that builds on complex cognitive processes and starts long before children enter school. This present study investigated the impact of supplemental phonemic awareness lessons on phonological awareness and spelling development among kindergarten and first graders. The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2) measured phonological awareness. The Kindergarten Inventory of Developmental Spelling (KIDS) measured spelling development in kindergarten students. The Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA) measured spelling development in first grade. Participants in the treatment group received 16 weeks of weekly word study instruction and 10-15 minute daily phonemic awareness instruction. A mixed design full factorial ANOVA …

Inclusion Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity (Sogi) Cultural Competence In Higher Education Healthcare Programs: A Scoping Review, Kristin Willey, Jennifer K. Fortuna, Jessica Guerra, Amanda Gross, Samantha Turner, Tara Grant, Betsy Williams

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Lack of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) cultural competence in healthcare providers contributes to poor health outcomes in individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more (LGBTQIA+). However, SOGI is often overlooked in healthcare education. Existing research shows educational programs in the nursing, medical, and pharmacy professions are incorporating cultural competence training into the curricula. Few studies have explored how SOGI cultural competence is incorporated into occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (SLP) curricula. Clear guidelines for training on SOGI cultural competence are lacking in these professions. It is …

Understanding The Relationships Between Social-Emotional Competency, Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, And Reading Achievement In Adolescent Students, David Phillips

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The improvement of social-emotional factors is thought to help increase students’ achievement by 11% (Durlak et al., 2011). This current study is a descriptive study set in a rural setting, and it included 101 seventh and eighth-grade students. The study explored the relationship between social-emotional competency, reading ability, and reading achievement in adolescent students. Correlation results showed statistically positive relationships between reading measures and social-emotional measures except for social awareness and grit. Regression results revealed that social-emotional competencies explained from 7% to 36% of the variance in adolescent reading. Social-emotional competencies and reading ability measures together explained 51% to 53% …

To Teach Or Not To Teach: A Qualitative Study Of Pre-Collegiate Grow Your Own Teacher Programs And The Perceptions Of Alumni, Current Staff, And Former Staff, Natasha T. Pitt

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The teaching profession is in peril. Teacher recruitment and teacher retention are issues that have compounded the teacher shortage crisis, particularly in Black and Latinx communities. Research has demonstrated that there are a plethora of academic and socio-emotional benefits when Black and Latinx teachers are educating Black and Latinx students. The lack of Black and Latinx people choosing to pursue the profession is especially glaring. American public schools are becoming more racially diverse; however, the teaching force does not mirror the racial diversity of the students. While this issue of a lack of teacher racial diversity must be addressed with …

The Effects Of An Interactive E-Book On Promoting Idiomatic Competence And Motivation Among L2 Learners Of Arabic Language In Saudi Arabia, Alfaifi Adel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Native Arabic speakers used idiomatic expressions such as idioms, formulas, and collocations, in their daily communications. In learning Arabic as a second language (L2), effective communication requires “the ability to understand and use idioms appropriately and accurately in a variety of sociocultural contexts, in a manner like that of native speakers, and with the least amount of mental effort” (Liontas, 2015, p. 441). Yet, promoting L2 idiomatic competence in the classroom and beyond remains a difficult task (Liontas, 2006; Tabatabaei, 2012). The utilization of e-books in the learning environment in L2 teaching in the English language has received much research …

Why Not Sign? Classrooms As Sites Of D/Deaf And Multilingual Literacy Development, Dawnavyn James, Brianne R. Pitts

Michigan Reading Journal

While often, “bilingual” literacy instruction has overlooked the potential of incorporating ASL in classrooms (U.S.DPE, 2021), this article engages discussions of practice from a Missouri Kindergarten classroom to argue that teachers can improve student literacy outcomes by leveraging d/Deaf and hard of hearing multilingual learning (DML) strategies as a way of (re)imagining students’ multimodal literacy development. By engaging with a variety of strategies learned from DML students, readers may conceptualize DML inclusive classroom practices. Following a review of the literature and discussion, games, instructional strategies, and text recommendations for educators seeking DML inclusive literacy environments are provided.

Schools As Borderlands: How Anzaldúa’S Concept Of Borderlands Apply To Schools That Serve Black Communities, Gene Fellner

Publications and Research

Many young people in Newark, New Jersey, when they cross the invisible line that separates street from school, enter what constitutes for them an alien territory, a place where their values, experiences and their ways of talking and thinking are not acknowledged, respected, or welcomed. At the same time, schools are also one of the few places where Black youth will interact and form relationships with White adults and where White adults will meet and engage with Black students and teachers. In both these ways, schools are akin to what Gloria Anzaldua calls a Borderland, both a geographical designation and …

Envisioning Online English Teaching In Indonesia: A Digital Autoethnographic Account, Muhalim Muhalim

The Qualitative Report

The onset of the global pandemic has become a radical turn of brick-and-mortar schooling to online distance learning. In this respect, continuous dialogue, and evaluation around the issue of online learning should be nurtured, particularly from actual pedagogical practices. Drawing on a digital autoethnographic account of the author, this article explores everyday online English teaching in tertiary education. I collected data using textual, visual, and aural experiences, corroborated by Zoom auto-recorded chats and screenshots as the artefacts of my online learning and teaching activities. The data were analyzed using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework that focused on social, cognitive, …

E2: Equity And Excellence Framework, Adrienne Coleman

Professional Learning Day

Considering there is a national and global equity focused call to action, IMSA engaged in a process to institutionalize and operationalize Equity and Excellence to address educational inequities. This included policy development, capacity building to engage in equity work, an inclusive and comprehensive data collection methodology, data meaning making, as well as an equity and excellence plan and scorecard development. This presentation will provide participants with an understanding of educational equity, share tools to assist in drafting datainformed policy/plans, and provide a framework to score and measure progress in advancing equity. It will share how to approach equity and excellence …

Identifying And Strengthening Existing Support For Students On A Research To Publication Pathway, Connie James-Jenkin, Sowmya Anjur, Jean Bigger, Amberly Carter, Raven Mckelvin '24

Professional Learning Day

Participants will 1) learn how IMSA is generating and disseminating scholarship and incorporating students on a Research to Publication pathway, 2) discover classroom activities that support and promote an understanding of scientific inquiry and the nature of research, 3) discuss student work in IMSA’s repository and student portfolios, 4) hear how we are engaging and supporting our CLED students, like Raven McKelvin ’24, who will share her experience as an Intern and student liaison.

Defining Intercultural Competence: How Four Pre-Service Teachers Developed A More Complex Understanding Of Icc, Elizabeth C. Barrow

Journal of Global Education and Research

This manuscript is one part of a larger exploratory collective case study of pre-service teachers who participated in a student teaching abroad program for one-month in Germany. The objective was to ascertain if and how pre-service teachers with no prior training in intercultural competence (ICC) developed both their understanding and conceptualization of ICC. Data was collected before, during, and after the experience via focus groups, individual interviews, journal entries, and program evaluations. Data was analyzed using a priori codes compiled from Bennett’s (2008) characteristics of affective, cognitive, and behavioral competencies of ICC. Findings from this study indicated that a short-term …

Culture-Laden Extensive Reading Through Team-Based Mobile Learning: Effects On Intercultural Communicative Competence And Reading Motivation, David Imamyartha, Eka Wahjuningsih, Areta Puspa, Mutiara Bilqis, Rizki Febri Andika Hudori

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

With the advent of technology and increasing cultural diversity, language teachers in higher education are encouraged to push current pedagogical boundaries in search of the best approaches to cultural learning. This study responds to this pedagogical pursuit by experimenting with the integration of team-based mobile learning (TBML) in extensive reading classes mediated by the mobile instant messaging application Telegram. The research findings statistically demonstrate that TBML can develop EFL readers’ intercultural knowledge and understanding. The technological and socioconstructivist affordances of TBML also enhance reading motivation as a springboard for developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC). The research implications and limitations are …