Education Commons^™

How To Deliver An Effective Course: A Student's Perspective, Jaipaul Udaipaul, Lynne N. Kennette

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Certain course features, such as engaging delivery, can benefit student learning. This essay presents one student’s opinion of what made for an effective introductory psychology course. The student provides his perspective on various features of the recently completed psychology course and how those elements supported his learning. The elements he identified included various ongoing knowledge checks, test reviews, tests, in-class engagement, personalized touchpoints, scaffolding, and student feedback. For each, the course instructor explains the pedagogical underpinnings of her choices. Faculty may find a student’s perspective on courses valuable as they consider their pedagogical decisions in terms of course design and …

Online Assessment In Large Undergraduate Courses During Covid-19 Emergency Response Teaching, Kate Maloney Williams, Alice E. Donlan

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The transition to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented and forced many universities to quickly embrace online distance learning. This context created new challenges, particularly around assessment strategies. Empirical research has demonstrated that formative assessment fosters more active learning in online classrooms. However, formative assessment strategies are not always adapted well to online platforms based on the nature of the subject matter and the size of the class. This qualitative case study sought to understand instructors’ experiences and strategies for conducting assessment remotely, specifically for large-size undergraduate courses. The investigation relied on data from semi-structured interviews with University …

Results Of A One-Day Seminar On Preservice Teachers’ Incorporation Of The Udl Framework In Lesson Design, K. Alisa Lowrey, Audra Classen, Peter Paprzycki

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Students with disabilities are increasingly receiving their instruction in inclusive classrooms. General education teachers continue to report a lack of preparation to address their needs. This study examined the impact of a 6-hour professional development seminar on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to determine if preservice general and special education teachers’ overall performance in lesson design to reduce barriers, identified through increased attention to student variability, improved. Two lesson plans, preseminar and postseminar, from 242 participants were scored using a modified education field experience (EFE) rubric that included 19 evaluation criteria. A Rasch analysis was used to determine …

Redefining “Lgbtq+ Interculture” In Academia, Samantha Winterberg, Michelle Mccraney

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Members of the LGBTQ+ community often face discrimination, harassment, and exclusion in academic settings, which can negatively impact their academic and personal success. Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ students are more likely to experience negative mental health conditions, drop out of school, and struggle to find employment after graduation. Cultural humility fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is critical to ensuring an equitable educational experience for all students, particularly those from marginalized communities. Intercultural understanding is essential to develop cultural humility so that attitudes reflect empathy and tolerance of differences, including sexual or gender orientation variances or ambiguity. Understanding how …

Critical Education In Community Health Literacy For Brazilian Nurses: A Course Evaluation, Margareth S. Zanchetta, Walterlânia S. Santos, Onislene A. E. De Almeida, Katarinne Lima Moraes, Maria Wanderleya L. Coriolano-Marinus

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This article presents an immediate evaluation of a professional development course in community health literacy for Brazilian nurses. An evaluation based on an applied thematic analysis of the accounts of 63 attendees in three Brazilian cities (January 2020) was guided by the following themes: (a) expansion of understanding about community health literacy as a pillar for planning and providing health care; (b) encouragement of innovation in research and/or practice; and (c) plans to incorporate the information shared in the course into professional projects. The evaluation disclosed the complexity of social contexts for health literacy, which is intertwined with ethnocultural diversity …

So Much New To Learn And So Much Unknown: Novice Teachers’ Experiences During Covid-19, Angela W. Webb, Jennifer J. Baumgartner

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

To support novice teachers, we need to listen to and honor their experiences in the classroom. This is true during the best of times and especially true amid the tumultuous teaching and learning experiences brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we discuss emergent themes from interviews with student teachers and early career teachers in spring 2021 about their experiences with the transition to virtual or remote teaching in response to COVID-19. We explore how student teachers and early career teachers experienced the stress of pandemic teaching, what they found supportive, and how their experiences can inform care-full …

Case Study Method To Increase Preservice Teachers' Experience With Ell Accommodations And Self-Efficacy, Kelly M. Torres, Samantha Tackett, Meagan C. Arrastía-Chisholm

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The enrollment of English language learners (ELLs) in American public schools continues to increase each year. The substantial growth in this population of learners makes it imperative for future educators to understand how to effectively support ELLs’ acquisition of academic content and English language proficiency. In past studies, preservice teachers have reported lower levels of self-efficacy when supporting these learners. This investigation examines how case study approaches can be utilized with preservice teachers to understand how they recommend strategies/accommodations for ELLs and their levels of self-efficacy in implementing these instructional approaches. Findings from this research suggest case studies are effective …

Student Mistakes In Elite School Classrooms: Teacher Reflections And Reported Instructional Strategies, Maleka Donaldson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This article explores how teachers respond to student mistakes in one educational setting—an elite private high school. This qualitative study is a thematic analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with teachers at one such school. The results reveal that in their responses to student mistakes, the teachers work to build trust and emotional safety, give students agency throughout the learning and feedback processes, and ask probing questions that rigorously challenge their thinking. By considering teacher accounts of their instructional approaches and past experiences, the study adds a context-specific, real-world perspective on how teachers in an elite school frame student mistakes.

Examination Of Training On Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Views On Socio-Scientific Issues And Nature Of Science, Aylin Çam

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Science continuously interacts with the social environment. Science develops with social needs, and society develops and changes with scientific advances. These changes and developments may cause dilemmas in society. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the improvements among pre-service science teachers in terms of socio-scientific issues and nature of science after explicit theoretical and practical training. The participants in this case study were 16 voluntary pre-service science teachers. In-depth views of the pre-service science teachers on nature of science and socio-scientific issues were examined with open-ended questions and reflective diaries. After the training, the understanding of the …

Enacting Inclusive Mathematics Teaching And Learning Using Biography Driven Instruction, Jessie C. Store

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

As schools become increasingly diverse, there is an increasing need for examples of classroom practices that create inclusive teaching and learning environments. Many research studies found that gaining knowledge of student home life and using it to bridge learning and home supports access and equity. Many scholars have called for exemplars of activities that connect students’ in-school and out-of-school cultural activities. This paper provides an example that may be used in teacher education and K–12 classrooms to bridge out-of-school and in-school activities. In this paper, we discuss the enactment of biography-driven instruction, specifically how cultural biographies can be used to …

Closing Reading Achievement Gaps For Middle School Students, Michael D. Daugherty

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This research examined how self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and professional development compared between core content and special education middle school teachers working with middle school students in reading comprehension and fluency. Accordingly, no statistically significant difference in teacher self-efficacy between core content and special education teachers was discovered based on the ANOVA analysis results. An analysis of professional development and collective teacher efficacy showed mixed results with a negative relationship predicted between increased professional development hours for core content teachers. A predicted positive relationship existed with the number of professional development hours increasing for special education teachers. There was no statistically …

Forced Isolation In An Era Of Inclusion Within U.S. K-12 Public School Communities, Cheryl Burleigh, Andrea Wilson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront disparities and inequities in U.S. K–12 public school systems that affected both educators and the students they served—not only during school closures but also after in-person instruction resumed. The purpose of this scholarly essay is to shed light on the levels of isolation that occurred during the pandemic and still affect educators in K–12 public schools as they seek to foster academically rigorous and inclusive school communities. Recognizing, and then quickly responding to, historic events by implementing strategies that take into account the social determinants of learning and health is the starting point …

In Search Of Belonging Online: Achieving Equity Through Transformative Professional Development, Michelle Pacansky-Brock, Michael Smedshammer, Kimberly Vincent-Layton

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Abstract

Online classes hold the potential to expand college access to Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, and other students of color who must be supported to diversify the STEM workforce. Research shows that fostering belonging is key to the academic success of students from minoritized groups. However, online classes often lack interpersonal interactions and are often left out of research about the positive impacts of belonging. This paper summarizes an equity-focused STEM grant project that produced an openly-shared online professional development program, the Humanizing Online STEM Academy. Through the Academy, STEM faculty are introduced to a model of humanized online teaching that …