Education Commons^™

Identifying And Investigating The “Best” Schools: A Network-Based Analysis, Priyadarshani Joshi

Priyadarshani Joshi

Friendships And Retention At A Historically Black University: A Quantitative Case Studyno Title, Mondrail Myrick, John Gipson, Donald Mitchell

A Comparison Of Two Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Programs In Females With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Pilot Study, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, Wendy Chorny, C. Brahler, Ashley Ingley, Jennifer Kennedy, Valerie Osterfeld

C. Jayne Brahler

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a condition affecting millions of Americans. Few studies have assessed the benefits of different exercises involved in pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). Purposte: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a traditional PFMT program to an assisted pelvic floor muscle training (APFMT) program that included contraction of hip musculature.

Test Items In The Complete And Short Forms Of The Bot-2 That Contribute Substantially To Motor Performance Assessments In Typically Developing Children 6-10 Years Of Age, Kadi Carmosino, Ashley Grzeszczak, Kaylie Mcmurray, Ali Olivo, Bo Slutz, Brittany Zoll, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, C. Brahler

C. Jayne Brahler

Objectives: Determine the magnitude of association between individual subtest items of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2), and the respective total subtest scores and to review items on the BOT-2 Short Form. Background: The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2), is a test used to measure gross motor proficiency in both typically developing children and children with developmental disabilities between the ages of four and twenty-one. The BOT-2 Short Form consists of fourteen test items proportionally selected from the subtests of the Complete Form. It can be used as a screening tool and takes less …

Leveraging Resources Across Units And Universities To Address Academic Literacies And Research Skills In Ontario Graduate Students, Melanie Mills, Elan Paulson

Melanie Mills

Hopscotch Building: A Model For The Generation Of Qualitative Research Designs, Ivan Jorrín Abellán

Ivan M. Jorrín Abellán

In this work we describe the process followed to create the “Hopscotch Model”, a tool to help novice researchers to thoroughly accomplish with the design of qualitative research studies. The model helps to incorporate the theoretical background behind any qualitative study, as well as the intrinsic complexity of the multiple technical procedures that could be followed within the many different traditions in the field. The model is supported by an easy to use web-tool that drives researchers through the design of qualitative studies. In this article we describe the different phases followed to generate the conceptual model and the web-tool …

Latino Language Minority Students In Indiana: Trends, Conditions, And Challenges. Special Report, Bradley Levinson, Katie Bucher, Lauren Harvey, Rebecca Martinez, Becky Perez, Russell Skiba, Bryn Harris, Peter Cowen, Choong-Guen Chung

Bryn Harris

This Special Report surveys existing conditions for Latino [superscript 1] language minority students in Indiana's schools and identifies the most significant problems and challenges for improving their learning. The report opens with an overview of recent demographic shifts in Indiana's K-12 student population, and makes an important distinction between Indiana's long-standing and newcomer Latino populations; the latter account for the dramatic increase in the language minority population. The report then considers the culturally competent psychological assessment of ELL students. School psychologists, especially, bear the responsibility of balancing formal with informal assessments that take into account the unique cultural characteristics of …

Do Proper Accommodation Assignments Make A Difference? Examining The Impact Of Improved Decision Making On Scores For English Language Learners., Rebecca J. Kopriva, Jessica E. Emick, Carlos P. Hipolitio-Delgado, Catherine A. Cameron

Carlos P. Hipolito-Delgado

Does it matter if students are appropriately assigned to test accommodations? Using a randomized method, this study found that individual students assigned accommodations keyed to their particular needs were significantly more efficacious for English language learners (ELLs) and that little difference was reported between students receiving incomplete or not recommended accommodations and no accommodations whatsoever. A sample of third and fourth grade ELLs in South Carolina (N = 272) were randomly assigned to various types of test accommodations on a mathematics assessment. Results indicated that those students who received the appropriate test accommodations, as recommended by a version of a …

The Impact Of An Experiential Instructional Design On College Student Development, James Sottile, George Watson

George R Watson

Although there is a lack of research regarding the impact of ropes courses on student development, this paper states that there is significant information on this experiential learning experience contributing to student retention. It describes research designed to study how an experiential ropes course can impact undergraduate male and female (18 to 26 years old) student development among students attending a university in a rural area of a Mideastern state. Along with survey data, observations, and journal writings, the students completed open-ended questions about their experiences on the final paper and were interviewed. When the data was analyzed from a …

Mat-Rix-Toe: Improving Writing Through A Game-Based Project In Linear Algebra, Adam Graham-Squire, Elin Farnell, Julianna Stockton

Elin R Farnell

The Mat-Rix-Toe project utilizes a matrix-based game to deepen students’ understanding of linear algebra concepts and strengthen students’ ability to express themselves mathematically. The project was administered in three classes using slightly different approaches, each of which included some editing component to encourage the improvement of the students’ mathematical thinking and writing. Differences in the implementation of the project illustrate the benefits and drawbacks of various methods of editing in the mathematics classroom and highlight recommendations for improvements in future implementations of the project.

Making The Work Interesting: Classroom Management Through Ownership In Elementary Literature Circles, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner's contribution to "Breaking the Mold of Classroom Management: What Educators Should Know and Do to Enable Student Success".

Addressing The Research/Practice Divide In Teacher Education, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

Educational scholars often describe a research/practice divide. Similarly, students in teacher education programs often struggle to navigate the differences between university coursework and expectations they face in field-based placements. This self-study analyzes one researcher's attempt to address the research/practice divide from the position of a teacher educator. Teaching in a university-based mathematics methods course during the academic year and an elementary classroom during the summer recess provided opportunities to make connections between research and practice. This article examines the effects this study had on the researcher's instruction at the university level. Specifically, the article suggests ways for teacher educators to …

Agency Through Teacher Education: Reflection, Community, And Learning, Ryan Flessner, Grant Miller, Kami Patrizio, Julie Horwitz

Ryan Flessner

Agency through Teacher Education: Reflection, Community, and Learning addresses the ways that agency functions for those involved in twenty-first-century teacher education. This book, commissioned by the Association of Teacher Educators, relies on the voices of teacher education candidates, in-service teachers, school leaders, and university-based educators to illustrate what agency looks like, sounds like, and feels like for people trying to act as agents of change. These examples take the form of narratives, theoretical explorations, formal research studies, and reflective essays. Agency through Teacher Education does not seek to establish one definition for agency, but rather to conceptualize it from three …

Politics And Action Research: An Examination Of One School’S Mandated Action Research Program, Ryan Flessner, Shanna Stuckey

Ryan Flessner

Action research has been shown to empower educators, create lasting changes in schools, and have an impact on student learning outcomes. Given these positive results, many school leaders are beginning to mandate the use of action research within their schools. While some in the field have warned against mandating action research, there is little research examining the effects of doing so. This study examines the mandated school-wide action research program at Fieldstone Elementary. While some results align with the action research literature (importance of collaboration, necessity of time to conduct action research, etc.), this article also examines the political tensions …

Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research, Cathy Caro-Bruce, Ryan Flessner, M. Klehr, K. Zeichner

Ryan Flessner

Despite the best intentions of reform efforts, educational inequity continues to exist in public schools. Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research to both raise student achievement and strengthen instruction leadership. Ideal for both a first-time action research endeavor or one already in progress, this practical guidebook helps practitioners formulate specific research questions, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings. Invaluable for school district leaders, teachers, professional development schools, and preservice teachers, this resource …

Pushing The Field Of Practitioner Research: Utilizing ‘Reflective Third Spaces’ To Explore Educational Practice, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

For decades, literature in the field of education has been rife with descriptions of the divides between theory and practice, research and implementation, and universities and public schools. Beginning with an examination of these divides, this chapter explores the ways that teacher educators can capitalize on their positioning in order to better understand educational practice. Following a brief introduction, an examination of third space theory and its usefulness to teacher educators— especially those engaged in practitioner research— ensues. Building on the work of early theorists in fields such as literature and cultural geography, third space theory has typically been used …

The Rationale For And Use Of Assessment Frameworks: Improving Assessment And Reporting Quality In Medical Education, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates, Benedict Canny, David Wilkinson

Julian Fraillon

An assessment framework provides a structured conceptual map of the learning outcomes of a programme of study along with details of how achievement of the outcomes can be measured. The rationale for using frameworks to underpin the targeting of essential content components is especially relevant for the medical education community. Frameworks have the capacity to improve validity and reliability in assessment, allowing test developers to more easily create robust assessment instruments. The framework used by the Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC) is an interesting and relevant case study for the international community as it draws and builds on established processes …

The Rationale For And Use Of Assessment Frameworks: Improving Assessment And Reporting Quality In Medical Education, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates, Benedict Canny, David Wilkinson

Dr Jacob Pearce

An assessment framework provides a structured conceptual map of the learning outcomes of a programme of study along with details of how achievement of the outcomes can be measured. The rationale for using frameworks to underpin the targeting of essential content components is especially relevant for the medical education community. Frameworks have the capacity to improve validity and reliability in assessment, allowing test developers to more easily create robust assessment instruments. The framework used by the Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC) is an interesting and relevant case study for the international community as it draws and builds on established processes …

A Cross-Institutional Initiative In Digital Assessment, Anne-Marie Chase, Diane Robbie, Bella Ross, Ekaterina Pechenkina

Dr Anne-Marie Chase

Fostering Study Skills Using Google Apps For Education, J. A. T. Smith

J. A. T. Smith

On October 15, 2014, Pepperdine University held its third Technology and Learning Faculty Conference. In this presentation, Dr. Jennifer Smith (Seaver College) discusses the integration of Google Apps for Education into her curriculum, and how she uses it to improve college level literacies like study skills, note taking, and collaboration.

Engineering A Dynamic Science Learning Environment For K-12 Teachers, Patricia Hardré, Mark Nanny, Hazem Refai, Chen Ling, Janis Slater

Dr. Chen Ling

The present study follows a cohort of 17 K-12 teachers through a six-week resident learning experience in science and engineering, and on into the planning and implementation of applications for their classrooms. This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program was examined using the strategic approach of design-based research, with its fluid, adaptive management of the complexity of authentic learning "in situ" and its attentive documentation of expected and unexpected events, in process and products, to capture the richness of teachers' and mentors' experiences. Research on effective teacher professional development, adult learning, situated cognition, and learning transfer were utilized to inform …

Community-Based Teaching In A Wicked World: Preparing Students For Messy Inquiry, Danielle Lake, Anna Sluka

Danielle L Lake

Tackling Wicked Food Issues: Applying The Wicked Problems Approach In Higher Education To Promote Healthy Eating Habits In American School Children, Danielle Lake

Danielle L Lake

The Rationale For And Use Of Assessment Frameworks: Improving Assessment And Reporting Quality In Medical Education, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates, Benedict Canny, David Wilkinson

Dr Daniel Edwards

An assessment framework provides a structured conceptual map of the learning outcomes of a programme of study along with details of how achievement of the outcomes can be measured. The rationale for using frameworks to underpin the targeting of essential content components is especially relevant for the medical education community. Frameworks have the capacity to improve validity and reliability in assessment, allowing test developers to more easily create robust assessment instruments. The framework used by the Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC) is an interesting and relevant case study for the international community as it draws and builds on established processes …

The Value Of Academic Group Work: An Examination Of Faculty And Student Perceptions, Joanne P. Labeouf, John C. Griffith, Marian C. Schultz

John Griffith

A Whole New Engineer, David Goldberg, Mark Somerville

Mark Somerville

A Revolution Is Coming. It Isn’t What You Think. This book tells the improbable stories of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and the iFoundry incubator at the University of Illinois. That either one survived is story enough, but what they found out together changes the course of education transformation forever: How trust is key to unleashing young, courageous engineers. How engineers need to move from a narrow technical education to one that actively engages six minds. How emotion and culture–not content, curriculum & pedagogy–are the crucial elements of change. How all stakeholders can collaborate to disrupt the status quo.status …

How Service-Learning In Spanish Speaks To The Crisis In The Humanities, Terri Carney

Terri M. Carney

Service-learning is a transformational pedagogy with timely application to the teaching and learning of foreign languages. In our current climate of assessment outcomes, language study and the humanities more generally tend to be devalued and rendered invisible by utilitarian models of evaluation. Incorporating service-learning courses and experiences into the foreign language classroom provides real- world immersion for students in their local linguistic and cultural communities, satisfies teachers’ desires to connect teaching and research to local community issues, and allows departments to meet institutional and educational goals. Indeed, service-learning points us to new definitions of old concepts—such as the role of …

Perceptions Of Instructors And Students With Respect To Synchronous Video Learning, John Griffith, Marian C. Schultz

John Griffith

The Lost Ideal, Rowan Cahill, R Connell, Brian Freeman, Terry Irving, Bob Scribner

Terry Irving

Now a document of historical interest and significance, this is the foundation manifesto of the Free University, Sydney. Conducted in rented premises in Redfern and nearby inner-Sydney suburbs, this utopian education experiment ran from December 1967 until it closed in 1972. At its height, during the Summer of 1968-1969, some 300 people were involved.

Personalizing Software Development Practice Using Mastery-Based Coaching, Chris Boesch, Sandra Boesch

Chris BOESCH

The authors previously developed a system to facilitate the self-directed learning and practicing of software languages in Singapore. One of the goals of this self-directed learning was to enable the development of student mentors who would then be able to assist other students during classroom sessions. Building on this work, the authors extended the platform to support personalized coaching with the goals of further enabling and preparing students to mentor their peers. This paper covers the challenges, insights, and features that were developed in order to develop and deploy this mastery-based coaching feature.