LibGuides: Advanced Reading: Education & Training

More Article Choices for Education & Training

Aulck, Lovenoor, and Jevin West. "Attrition and Performance of Community College Transfers." PLoS One, vol. 12, no. 4, 2017. ProQuest Community colleges are an important part of the US higher education landscape, yet the aptitude and preparedness of student transfers to baccalaureate institutions is often called into question. Examining transcript records and demographic information of nearly 70,000 students across over 15 years of registrar records at a public university, this study performed a descriptive analysis of the persistence, performance, and academic migration patterns of community college transfers, transfers from four-year institutions, and freshmen entrants. We found little difference between community college transfers and freshmen entrants in terms of post-transfer grades and persistence. Transfers from four-year institutions had higher grades but also had higher attrition rates than their peers. This study also found no strong evidence of transfer shock on students’ post-transfer grades. When examining the tendencies of students to shift fields of study during their educational pursuits, the academic migration patterns of transfer students were more concentrated than those of freshmen entrants.
Goldberg, Simon B., et al. "Is Mindfulness Research Methodology Improving Over Time? A Systematic Review." PLoS One, vol. 12, no. 10, 2017. ProQuest Despite an exponential growth in research on mindfulness-based interventions, the body of scientific evidence supporting these treatments has been criticized for being of poor methodological quality. Across the 142 studies published between 2000 and 2016, there was no evidence for increases in any study quality indicator, although changes were generally in the direction of improved quality. When restricting the sample to those conducted in Europe and North America (continents with the longest history of scientific research in this area), an increase in reporting of ITT analyses was found. When excluding an early, high-quality study, improvements were seen in sample size, treatment fidelity assessment, and reporting of ITT analyses.
Hendricker, Elise, and Wendy M. Reinke. "Conceptualizing Family Risk in a Racially/Ethnically Diverse, Low-Income Kindergarten Population." Contemporary School Psychology, vol. 21, no. 2, 2017, pp. 125-139. ProQuest Children who exhibit early behavioral and academic difficulties are at increased risk of later negative outcomes (U.S. Department of Human and Health Services 2009). Within the school setting, conceptualization of family risk, culture, and demographic factors is needed to effectively identify at-risk families to improve child educational outcomes. This study investigates family risk factors within profiles of low-income kindergarten students and associated longitudinal academic and behavioral outcomes. Latent profile analysis was conducted separately for African-American, Caucasian, and Latino samples, using five observed family risk factors. Once profiles were established, analysis was conducted to determine significant differences in relation to third-grade outcomes. Family profiles varied based on race/ethnicity, with some risk factors being more prominent in differentiating among profiles. Some profiles were also significantly different in relation to reading, externalizing behavior, and internalizing behavioral outcomes. Implications of these findings in conceptualizing risk factors, as well as screening and intervention practices, are discussed.
Im, Soo-hyun, et al. "Taking an Educational Psychology Course Improves Neuroscience Literacy but does Not Reduce Belief in Neuromyths." PLoS One, vol. 13, no. 2, 2018. ProQuest Educators are increasingly interested in applying neuroscience findings to improve educational practice. However, their understanding of the brain often lags behind their enthusiasm for the brain. We propose that educational psychology can serve as a bridge between basic research in neuroscience and psychology on one hand and educational practice on the other. We evaluated whether taking an educational psychology course is associated with increased neuroscience literacy and reduced belief in neuromyths in a sample of South Korean pre-service teachers. The results showed that taking an educational psychology course was associated with the increased neuroscience literacy, but there was no impact on belief in neuromyths. We consider the implications of these and other findings of the study for redesigning educational psychology courses and textbooks for improving neuroscience literacy.
Lee, Kathryn S., Shaunna Smith, and Beth Bos. "Pre-Service Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Knowledge: A Continuum of Views on Effective Technology Integration." Journal of Distance Education (Online), vol. 29, no. 2, 2014, pp. 1-19. ProQuest This article reports a heuristic case study that explored how components of Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) manifested in the artifacts of post-Baccalaureate pre-service teachers. Self-reported perceptions of their technology integration competencies were high. End-of-semester presentations reflected three distinct views of technology integration: trendy, pragmatic, and pedagogical. The quality of TPK connections in lesson plans was mixed. Higher TPK scores were apparent in lesson plans associated with models of teaching with which they had the most familiarity as learners themselves. The appropriateness of their choice of technology to enhance student learning was related to the depth of their conceptual understanding of the pedagogy. This article concludes by echoing Shulman's (1987) advice that teacher education courses and programs need to be structured in a way that explicitly address pedagogical reasoning.
Nitecki, Elena. "Integrated School-Family Partnerships in Preschool: Building Quality Involvement through Multidimensional Relationships." School Community Journal, vol. 25, no. 2, 2015, pp. 195-219. ProQuest The purpose of this study is to examine a preschool program with a high level of quality family involvement. Since family involvement during the early years has been linked to achievement and success in school, it is important to examine how such partnerships can be fostered in a meaningful way. The study employs an inductive qualitative approach, including observation and interviews. The integrated school-family partnerships existing at this suburban preschool are attributed to three main factors: the multidimensional nature of the relationships, a welcoming environment, and an effort to enhance parents' cognitions about school. This case study, which addresses contextual gaps in the parent involvement literature, could serve as a generative paradigm for facilitating meaningful school-family partnerships in preschool, which is an important part of a child's educational foundation.
Nowikowski, Stacie H. "Successful with STEM? A Qualitative Case Study of Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions." The Qualitative Report, vol. 22, no. 9, 2017, pp. 2312-2333. ProQuest This research is a qualitative case study of pre-service teachers' experiences with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) module during a middle level interdisciplinary course in the teaching of mathematics and science. Data were collected through document analysis of participant reflection journals (during six distinct stem tasks) and college curriculum as well as an analysis of researcher observations of the STEM activities. While the first and last tasks were reflective and designed to identify pre-existing STEM experiences and post-module knowledge, respectively, the other four STEM tasks simulated student-centered STEM activities common to the middle level classroom. The data were analyzed for patterns and significant experiences among participants. Findings indicated that participants perceived little to no experiences with STEM in K-12 education and other college courses despite contradicting data from required college coursework. As the module progressed, participants developed improved self-efficacy and expanded definitions for the teaching of STEM at the middle level. Future recommendations include more purposeful connection of teaching methodology and STEM content courses taught in isolation. Additional research is needed in more consistent and authentic STEM field placements for the continued growth and support of STEM in middle level teacher preparation.
Shockley, Robert, Eliah Watlington, and Rivka Felsher. "Out on a Limb: The Efficacy of Teacher Induction in Secondary Schools." National Association of Secondary School Principals.NASSP Bulletin, vol. 97, no. 4, 2013, pp. 350-377. ProQuest This article reports the results of a qualitative meta-analysis study of the research and literature on the efficacy of teacher induction on the retention of high-quality secondary school teachers and challenges current assumptions about the efficacy of induction despite the proliferation of induction programs nationwide. A theoretical model for the design of future teacher induction programs that emerged from the research is presented. Recommendations for secondary school leadership, policy, and future research are included.
Suhrheinrich, Jessica, et al. "Exploring the Relationship between Classroom Type and Teacher Intervention Fidelity *." International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, vol. 9, no. 2, 2016, pp. 349-360. ProQuest As special education enrollment for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased, school-based programs and providers have been challenged to expand the scope and quality of services. Researchers and school-based providers are aligned in the goal of providing high-quality services to students with ASD, however current literature does not address how training and implementation needs may differ by the age of children served. The current study evaluates variability in teacher fidelity of Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching (CPRT), an evidence-based naturalistic behavioral intervention based on the principals of applied behavior analysis. Data included 479 individual video units collected from 101 teacher and 221 student participants. Videos were coded using behavioral coding definitions and student demographic information was collected from parents of participating children. Analyses explored differences in fidelity of CPRT by age of students. Results indicate a significant relationship between classroom type (preschool/elementary) and teachers' fidelity of CPRT, suggesting the possibility of targeted training based on student age.
Takemae, Natsuko, Nicole Dobbins, and Stephanie Kurtts. "Preparation and Experiences for Implementation: Teacher Candidates' Perceptions and Understanding of Unversal Design for Learning." Issues in Teacher Education, vol. 27, no. 1, 2018, pp. 73-93. ProQ Since UDL aims to provide learning environments functional for the most extensive number of learners possible, the needs for individualizing these environments can be minimized (Curry, Cohen, & Lightbody, 2006). The Center for Applied SpecialTechnology (CAST, 2014) provides three core principles of UDL: (1) multiple means of representation; (2) multiple means of action and expression; and (c) multiple means of engagement. Because individuals have varied skills, needs, and interests in relation to their learning, uniquely coordinated by individuals' brain networks, each of these three core principles are derived from activating the following brain networks: (a) recognition networks making connections with the what of learning; (b) strategic networks making links with the how to learning; and (c) affective network activating the why to learning (CAST, 2014). [...]the UDL principles from Universal Design for Learning Guidelines- Version 2.0 (CAST, 2011) were utilized to guide subcategorization of UDL features identified in the lesson review protocol. [...]the results of the lesson plan reviews were grouped according to the UDL principles; (1) multiple means of representation, (2) multiple means of action and expression in, and (3) multiple means of engagement.
Chai, Zhen, PhD. "Improving Early Reading Skills in Young Children through an iPad App: Small-Group Instruction and Observational Learning." Rural Special Education Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 2, 2017, pp. 101-111. ProQuest This study evaluated the effectiveness of using a researcher-developed iPad app with a 0- to 5-s constant time delay procedure to improve phonological awareness skills of young children with mild developmental delays in a small-group arrangement in a rural public elementary school in Southwest United States. The study was conducted using a multiple-probe design across three target phonemes and replicated with three young children. Results indicated all children not only improved their performance on their target phonemes but also learned some of their peers' target phonemes through observational learning. Implications for using tablet computers in a small-group arrangement are discussed.