Education Commons^™

Integrated Stem Professional Development: Utilizing Best Practices In An Online Format, Sarah Haines, Sumreen Asim, Jeanna R. Wieselmann, Deepika Menon

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Online professional development (PD) can reach teachers from widespread areas. Here, we describe PD activities that are part of a project focused on integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (iSTEM) teaching self-efficacy and effectiveness among early-career elementary teachers. Toward our objective of building a community of elementary teachers focused on improving their iSTEM teaching, we are conducting online PD institutes over four summers. These PD institutes are designed using Desimone’s five critical features of effective PD: content focus, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective participation. Our institutes engage teachers in an initial synchronous online session, which is followed by independent …

Integrated Stem Professional Development: Utilizing Best Practices In An Online Format, Sarah Haines, Sumreen Asim, Deepika Menon, Jeanna Wieselmann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Summary

• STEM Career focus

o Children’s literature integration

o Resources shared on Canvas Site

o Vicarious experiences--classroom video

• Engineering o Modeling of integrated STEM lessons with participants

o Observe STEM lessons with STEM OP debrief

• Lessonplandesignandfeedback

A Meta-Synthesis Of The Literature On Science And Engineering Teaching Self-Efficacy: Current Gaps And Future Research Directions, Deepika Menon, Jeanna R. Wieselmann, Sarah Haines, Sumreen Asim

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Self-efficacy is a topic of great interest in elementary preservice and inservice teacher education given that elementary teachers often have low self-efficacy for STEM teaching. In this article, we synthesize the existing literature on science and engineering teaching self-efficacy to (1) explore trends in science and engineering teaching self-efficacy research, (2) identify current gaps that exist in the literature, and (3) propose a visual model to provide future direction in research. Utilizing a qualitative meta-synthesis, we analyzed 88 articles focused on science and engineering teaching self-efficacy. Of these articles, 66 studied preservice teachers, 21 studied inservice teachers, and one included …

Investigating Preservice Secondary Teachers’ Understanding And Enactment Of The Standards‑Based Practices During Microteaching, Deepika Menon, Diana S. Chang, Rosetta W. Ngugi

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Reform efforts in K–12 science education have been gaining pace ever since the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The new vision calls for reconsidering teacher preparation programs to prepare future teachers who are confident and competent in delivering NGSS-based instruction. This study investigated the development of 27 preservice secondary science and mathematics teachers’ (PSTs’) knowledge and skills as they understand, interpret, and implement the NGSS, particularly science and engineering practices (SEPs), within the context of microteaching during a STEM methods course. Primary data sources include 12 videos of 40-minute-long microteaching lessons, self-reflections, semistructured and focus-group interviews, and …

Researching Teacher Self-Efficacy: Linking Self-Efficacy To Teacher Effectiveness, Persistence And Retention, Sarah Haines, Deepika Menon, Jeanna R. Wieselmann, Sumreen Asim

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Introduction

Self-efficacy is an important construct in teacher education. Applied to teacher education, self-efficacy is a key variable that influences preservice teachers’ beliefs within teacher preparation programs, which further influences teacher effectiveness, persistence, and retention in the field. In this poster, we propose a model, guided by the prior literature, with the goal of generating a set of recommendations and guidelines for researchers working in the field of self-efficacy.

Science Teachers’ Initial Use Of Ngss Science Practices In Diverse Classrooms, Amy Tankersley, Elizabeth Hasseler, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lyrica Lucas, Brandon Helding

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In the landscape of U.S. education, the widespread adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offers a unique vantage point for researchers to better understand teacher-, school- and classroom-level factors that advance reform initiatives in science classrooms. Addressing a gap in current knowledge, our study probes how secondary science teachers implement one dimension of NGSS - the science practices (SPs). Our data collection encompasses teacher interviews and meticulous observations of science lessons, coded for NGSS science practices (SPs) and inquiry-based teaching. Embracing a methodologically rich approach, our study employs both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Quantitatively, we …

Mentoring Student Teachers For Ambitious And Inclusive Science Teaching, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Elizabeth Hasseler, Karen Covil, Amy Tankersley, Susan Frack

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Introduction: TPP Problem of Practice

Preparing Science Teachers for Teaching in Culturally Diverse Schools ● National average of 70% higher science teacher turnover in Title I versus non-Title I schools (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). ● Mismatch between teacher and student demographics; national teacher workforce is overwhelmingly white (and female) and a student population that has become increasingly racially and ethnically diverse. ● Longer, supervised teacher preparation internships have been linked to higher retention rates of new teachers (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017), but… with more science teachers retiring, there are also fewer master science teachers to mentor preservice teachers.

Context: Our …

Initial Growth Of Inclusive Knowledge And Leadership Practices By Science Education Teacher-Leaders, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Elizabeth Hasseler, Rachel Benzoni, Gina S. Matkin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Introduction & Rationale for Study

● Science teachers are integral to the success of science education reform. ● Science education needs leaders from all parts of the field and system. ● However, science teachers have not been well-positioned for leadership.

Grant-funded Project & Study Focus

Project Phases, Objectives, & Timeline

Conceptual Framework

ACESSE Framework for Equitable Science Learning

Literature Review

Methodology: Approach, Research Question, & Participants, Data Sources & Analytic Methods

Noyce MTFs’ Science Teaching Experience & Certifications

MTFs’ School and District Demographics

Summary of MTFs’ Most Common Leadership Activities

Research Instrument and Analytic Lens

Cohort 1 & 2 Baseline …

Collaborative Aesthetic Experiences And Teacher Learners: Arts-Practice Research In A Teacher Education Classroom, Theresa A. Catalano, Inoussa Malgoubri, Jennifer Bockerman, Hector Palala Martínez, Mackayla Kelsey, Leonardo Brandolini, Ilia Shcherbakov

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This paper explores the experiences of six teacher learners and one teacher educator in a graduate course on aesthetic education at a Midwestern university in the U.S. Using collective autoethnography and arts-practice research, the researcher/participants examine how aesthetic experiences were activated in the learning environment and how this activation supported the development of transformational rethinking that led to the changing of formed habits of teaching. Findings reveal how aesthetic teacher education can be therapeutic, aid in building connections between the teacher and students (and among students), inspire wonder and discovery, facilitate the valuing and including of cultural and linguistic backgrounds …

A Science Teacher’S Experiences When Fostering Intercultural Competence Among Students In Multilingual Classrooms: A Narrative Study, Uma Ganesan, Amanda R. Morales

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Increased globalization of the world economy, growth in human migration, and rapid devel-opments in science and technology have required people to develop intercultural commu-nication skills. Teachers play a crucial role in developing intercultural competence among students in our globalized, multilingual classrooms. The need for fostering collaborative discourse among students with diverse cultural and linguistic repertoires and building in-tercultural competence among students is a common blind spot in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics teacher praxis. This can inhibit efforts to cultivate safe and supportive learning environments for all students and can ultimately threaten multilingual student success. As part of a larger …

Exploring Teacher Leadership’S Effect On Teacher Burnout: Does School Rurality Make A Difference?, Jiangang Xia, Sam Butler

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In literature, both teacher leadership and teacher burnout have been heavily studied. However, it is unknown to what extent teacher leadership makes a difference in teacher burnout, and whether school rurality makes a difference in between. This study fills the research gaps by conceptualising teacher leadership from both instructional and non-instructional dimensions and applying a quantitative method to large-scale national data. Findings revealed that (a) rural teachers presented higher levels of teacher leadership practices; (b) rural and non-rural teachers presented the same levels of burnout; and (c) both instructional and noninstructional dimensions of teacher leadership practices helped reduce teacher burnout …

Why Domain-Specific Science Knowledge Matters In Teacher Certification: Focusing On Evidence For Effective Science Teaching (Revised Version), Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lyrica L. Lucas, Amy Tankersley, Elizabeth Hasseler

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The landscape of teacher preparation is complex. From a research perspective, how to prepare teachers presents as a multilevel, multivariable puzzle. For decades, federal and state policymakers, educational researchers, and administrators, along with teacher education institutions, school districts, and other stakeholders have tried to determine and measure the key malleable factors that result in effective teaching (NRC, 2010).

Periodically, state departments of education review secondary science teaching endorsement policy guidelines. As revisions occur, teacher educators in higher education and district administrators need to engage in a multidisciplinary discussion about:

1. the ways in which strong domain-specific science content knowledge contributes …

The Bilingual Literacy Development Model: A Holistic Way To Support Spanish-Speaking Children, Stephanie Wessels

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In the Bilingual Literacy Development Model: A holistic way to support Spanish-speaking children research study, I studied bilingual families over a 5-month period in their home environments through home visits. Drawing from data obtained through home visits, including interviews with mothers and observations of family literacy practices in the home environment, this study examines children’s bilingual literacy development. The findings are presented in an adapted Bilingual Literacy Development Model I created. The model was adapted from the work of researchers Leseman and de Jong (1998) and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system (1977, 1995), from which four facets were developed: literacy and …

Preservice Elementary Teachers Conceptions And Self-Efficacy For Integrated Stem, Deepika Menon, Deef A. A. Shorman, Derek Cox, Amanda Thomas

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Educational reform efforts have emphasized preparing highly competent and confident preservice teachers to deliver effective K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instruction. Self-efficacy is a key variable that influences motivation and performance, and therefore it is necessary to support the development of preservice teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy. This mixed-methods study investigates how preservice elementary teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy is shaped during their participation in a newly redesigned STEM semester consisting of three concurrent methods courses (science and engineering, mathematics, and technology methods courses). The quantitative data sources included the Self-efficacy for Teaching Integrated STEM instrument administered as …

Exploring Stem Teaching Assistants’ Self-Efficacy And Its Relation To Approaches To Teaching, Cody R. Smith, Deepika Menon, Annette Wierzbicki, Jenny Dauer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants (TAs) play large roles in introductory undergraduate education despite having little to no teaching experience or professional development (PD). Self-efficacy and teaching approach have each been studied as independent variables that impact teaching performance and student learning in the absence of practiced skill or developed knowledge. This study explored relationships between TAs’ teaching approaches and teaching self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was measured using the Graduate Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (GTA-TSES), and teaching approach was measured using the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI). The following research questions guided the study: What is the relationship between TAs’ approaches to teaching …

Multiple Case Study Of Science And Engineering Integration In Secondary School Across Six School Districts, Elizabeth Hasseler, Elizabeth B. Lewis

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

A multiple case study was conducted to investigate six districts’ approaches to integrating science and engineering curricula in their secondary education programs. Data collected included classroom observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, college transcripts, professional development, and curriculum, as well as how, and how district personnel supported, and teachers enacted classroom instruction to align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Six districts were chosen due to their ranges in their size, urban or rural context, and demographics. There were 25 participants in the study who were either district personnel or secondary teachers. All school districts in the study incorporated …

Exploring Stem Teaching Assistants’ Self-Efficacy And Its Relation To Approaches To Teaching, Cody R. Smith, Deepika Menon, Annette Wierzbicki, Jenny M. Dauer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants (TAs) play large roles in introductory undergraduate education despite having little to no teaching experience or professional development (PD). Self-efficacy and teaching approach have each been studied as independent variables that impact teaching performance and student learning in the absence of practiced skill or developed knowledge. This study explored relationships between TAs’ teaching approaches and teaching self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was measured using the Graduate Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (GTA-TSES), and teaching approach was measured using the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI). The following research questions guided the study: What is the relationship between TAs’ approaches to teaching …

Teaching With Collective Resilience During Covid-19: Korean Teachers And Collaborative Professionalism, Minseok Yang, Yujin Oh, Sunbin Lim, Taeyeon Kim

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study applies system-focused resilience and collaborative professionalism to examine how teachers in Korea collectively developed resilience and transformed teaching during COVID-19. Using qualitative data from seven individual interviews and four focus groups, we found Korean teachers navigated complex challenges (rapidly changing policies, online teaching, exacerbated learning gaps, and excessive social pressure) and utilized contextual resources (collective autonomy and flexibility, solidity and solidarity, and collective responsibility) to develop strategies (collaborative inquiry, timely communication, and envisioning the future of schooling). The study extends teacher resilience toward more collective and communal, from the individual level, by linking resilience to collaborative systemic changes. …

‘Chinese Virus’: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Anti-Asian Racist Discourse During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Peiwen Wang, Theresa Catalano

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Since the emergence of COVID-19, researchers have documented an increase in cases of anti-Asian racism and hate crimes. Research shows a possible connection between the ‘Chinese virus’ discourse of the Trump administration and violence in society (Arora and Kim 2020:387). Drawing from critical discourse studies we explore 2,071 comments from one YouTube video which documents anti-China rhetoric by the Trump administration in order to understand the underlying strategies commenters relied on in their reproduction and defence of this discourse. Findings show the trickle-down influence of Trump’s discourse on YouTube commenters, but also ways in which social media created a platform …

Comparison Of Rural And Urban High School Science And Engineering Integration In Two School Districts, Elizabeth Hasseler, Elizabeth B. Lewis

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

A comparative case study was conducted in an urban and rural district, focusing on how science and engineering were integrated into the high school programs. This led to the recommendation for districts to provide collaboration and mentorship opportunities that support teachers integrating engineering into their classrooms.

Session presider: Omah Williams-Duncan

Advisor: Beth Lewis

Committee members: Gwen Nugent, Justin Olmanson, Heidi Diefes-Dux

Religious Influences On The Growth Of Literacy Practice, Loukia K. Sarroub, Cassandra Schroeder

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Religious influences on the growth of literacy practices are well documented and span more than a century of research ranging from disciplines such as social and cultural anthropology to sociology to language and literacy studies in education. Intellectuals known across disciplines such as Benedict Anderson, Lila Abu-Lughod, Pierre Bourdieu, Jonathan Boyarin, Clifford Geertz, Michaela de Leonardo, Shirley Brice Heath, Alan Peshkin, Claude Lévi Strauss, and Brian Street broke new ground in the 20th century in connecting literacy to religious literacies. In recent years, the work of contemporary language education scholars such as Huamei Han (2018) as well as English education …

From Bilingual To Biliteracy: Learning From Families, Stephanie Wessels, Guy Trainin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study examined the home literacy practices of bilingual families. We were specifically interested in the literacy practices families developed to answer the challenge of biliteracy. Through the home visits and supplying high quality bilingual books, we listened, observed, and gained a deeper understanding of the children and their families which allowed us and educators reading this piece to make connections between children’s home literacy practices and literacy practices in the classroom. After discussing the use of bilingual books, the following four themes emerged from the data: families negotiating biliteracy using bilingual books, the role of Spanish, siblings and literacy …

“It’S Like They Don’T Recognize What I Bring To The Classroom”: African Immigrant Youths’ Multilingual And Multicultural Navigation In United States Schools, Lydiah Kananu Kiramba, Alex Kumi-Yeboah, Anthony Mawuli Sallar

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Discourses of African immigrant children are rare in educational research. As such, African immigrant educational experiences are often obscured (in part, owing to the model minority myth about Africans based on higher education degrees received by African immigrants), as well as the actual experiences and realities for African immigrant K-12 students. This qualitative study examines cross-cultural educational experiences of 30 Black African immigrant youth in U.S. schools. The findings reveal multiple participants’ struggles with cultural and linguistic differences, stereotypes and marginalization in the school environment, low expectations from teachers, and adjusting to new schooling practices. The African youths’ voices exhibited …

Effective Teachers Of Multilingual Learners: A Mixed-Method Study Of Uk And Us Critical Sociocultural Teaching Practices, Naomi Flynn, Annela Teemant, Kara Mitchell Viesca, Ratha Perumal

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This convergent parallel mixed-method study (quan + QUAL) relies on systematic classroom observations of mainstream teachers considered highly effective with multilingual learners in the United Kingdom and the United States (N = 9). Using a critical sociocultural theoretical lens, we use an established quantitative observation rubric and lesson field notes to capture real-world teaching practices. Using deductive reasoning to merge closed- and open-ended observation data, we illuminate the features of highly effective teaching for multilingual students. Evidence demonstrates that elements of challenge in activity design and teacher presentation, prioritizing language and literacy development, and modeling, were practices with the highest …

Migrants, Covid-19, And Italy: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Construction Of And Resistance To Nationalist Discourses, Alessia Barbici Wagner, Theresa Catalano, Bryan Meadows

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Migration has historically been a controversial issue around the world and one that has often been harnessed by people in power (or people hoping to gain power) for their own political agendas. In times of a global pandemic, the scapegoating of migrants has only increased, often rooted in nationalist ideologies which lead to policies and practices that harm migrants and the larger society. The present paper employs multimodal critical discourse analysis to explore how nationalist ideologies supported by right-wing populism are constructed visually and verbally during COVID-19 on Italian social media in regard to migration. We analyze Giorgia Meloni’s (leader …

“It Was Just My Name!”: A Crt/Crf Analysis Of International Female Graduate Students’ Perceptions And Experiences Regarding Their Ethnic Name, Peiwen Wang, Xiaoyan Gu, Amanda Morales

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Although international female students accounted for 44% of the enrolled international students in the United States (U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, 2020), their experiences regarding their ethnic name are relatively understudied in the onomastic literature. This study considers the experiences of eight international female graduate students of Color who are studying at a Midwestern predominantly White university. Utilizing critical race theory (CRT) and critical race feminism (CRF) as the theoretical and analytical lenses, this qualitative phenomenological study collected data through semistructured, in-depth interviews. We explore the meaning of ethnic names and their connection to …

Teaching Assistant Responses To Covid-19: Investigating Relationships Between Stress, Self-Efficacy, And Approaches To Teaching, Cody R. Smith, Deepika Menon, Annette Wierzbicki, Jenny Dauer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study investigates the self-efficacy of undergraduate and graduate TAs associated with changes in instruction after the COVID-19 disruption to the spring 2020 semester.

Guiding research questions include: (i) What are the relationships among TA teacher efficacy and stress resulting from the COVID-19 disruption? (ii) What experiences do TAs describe that contribute to their stress and teacher efficacy?

Implications of the results for supporting TAs during similarly stressful events and circumstances are discussed.

Scaffolding Learning For Teachers Of Multilingual Learners Through Agency, Leadership, And Collaboration, Kara Viesca, Cindy H. Linzell, Peiwen Wang, Molly Heeren, Jessica Mitchell-Mccollough, Alexa Yunes-Koch

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Grounded in findings from multiple disciplines (e.g., neuroscience, human, development, cognitive science, and social psychology), Lee, Meltzoff, and Kuhl (2020) propose a framework to understand human learning. Composed of multiple propositions, one aspect of this framework emphasizes the social nature of learning. Specifically, they argue, “A comprehensive theory of human development must take into account basic motivations for learning from, through, and in relationship with social others” [emphasis added] (p. 25). Education researchers and practitioners working with multilingual students and their teachers have extensively argued for attention to “learning from, through, and in relationships with social others” (Lee et al., …

The High School In The Middle Of Everywhere: Nebraska’S Lincoln High, Edmund T. Hamann, Janet M. Eckerson, Mark Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In 2002, world-renowned author Mary Pipher published a book about her home city, Lincoln Nebraska, playfully titled “The Middle of Everywhere” a tongue-in-cheek rejoinder to the idea that Nebraska is ‘the middle of nowhere.’ But word play aside, her title was empirically apt, as her volume documented how immigration and refugee resettlement were demographically transforming Nebraska’s capital city. As in other cities, resettlement was concentrated in some areas of Lincoln, placing differential burdens on different parts of the community’s institutional infrastructure. Of interest to readers of this volume, Lincoln’s refugees and immigrants were concentrated in the city’s oldest high school. …

“Just Attaching A Face”: Engaging Local Refugee Communities In Preservice Teacher Education Focused On Students With Immigrant/Refugee Backgrounds, Stephanie Wessels, Theresa Catalano, Jenelle Reeves, Alison E. Leonard, Uma Ganesan, Alessia Barbici-Wagner, Consuelo Gallardo

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This arts-practice research study explores what happens when preservice high school teachers (aka teacher-learners) and local refugee communities engage in the co-creation of art together via an arts-and community-based project. Grounded in social justice teacher education, the researchers conducted a 2-week workshop in which participants included preservice high school teachers and local Yazidi community members who explored art in a museum together, spent time getting to know each other and their backgrounds, and re-created some of their stories in the form of dance. Findings reveal a variety of ways in which the workshops helped teacher-learners develop interculturality, increase understanding of …