Illuminating growth and struggles using mixed methods: Practice-based professional development and coaching for differentiating SRSD instruction in writing     

Debra McKeown  Mary Brindle  Karen R. Harris  Steve Graham  Alyson A. Collins  Megan Brown 《Reading and writing》2016,29(6):1105-1140

In this mixed methods study, qualitative, quantitative, and single-case methods were combined to provide a comprehensive investigation of teacher and student outcomes following practice-based professional development (PBPD) for self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) in writing. Qualitative observations were used to determine outcomes among the three-fourth grade teachers involved, a nested quantitative model was used to analyze classwide student writing outcomes across 53 students in the three classes, and single case design was used to determine differential outcomes among randomly selected struggling and average writers in each class. PBPD was followed by coaching for differentiation based on student performance and fidelity as teachers taught their students strategies for writing timed imaginary stories (with self as main character), as required by the state writing test. Qualitative results indicated two teachers did not differentiate writing instruction without coaching; one teacher was unresponsive to coaching and did not differentiate instruction. Classwide analysis demonstrated significant growth in writing at the class level for students from baseline to posttesting. Single case design results indicated mixed outcomes among struggling and average writers and instances where instruction was not effective. Teachers indicated high social validity for PBPD and for SRSD; students indicated high social validity for SRSD. Results across the multiple methods illuminate growth and struggles often disguised in group data and are addressed to aid in understanding and enhancing PBPD as well as instruction in SRSD and other evidence-based practices. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.  相似文献   

An analysis of the role of peers in supporting female students’ choices in science subjects     

Debra Panizzon  Lesley Levins 《Research in Science Education》1997,27(2):251-270

This exploratory study investigated the role and importance of peers in providing personal and academic support for Year 11 female students, enrolled in physics and biology. While these areas of support had been identified in earlier research by Holland and Eisenhart (1981), this study attempted to investigate further their importance within an Australian context. Questionnaires, completed by one hundred female students, were analysed using Principal Components Analysis and MANOVA. The statistical analysis found no significant differences between the six relevant factors and science subjects, however, significant differences emerged in relation to schools and particular factors. Subsequently, six interviews were conducted with selected students to elaborate upon the statistical differences that emerged from these results. The interviews corroborated the findings of the quantitative analysis and provided explanations for these differences. Overall, the results of this study suggest that while the supportive role provided by peers is similar regardless of the science subject undertaken by a female student this role varies between schools.  相似文献   

Urban teachers’ implementation of SRSD for persuasive writing following practice-based professional development: positive effects mediated by compromised fidelity     

McKeown  Debra  FitzPatrick  Erin  Brown  Megan  Brindle  Mary  Owens  Julie  Hendrick  Robert 《Reading and writing》2019,32(6):1483-1506

Reading and Writing - Writing allows access to venues often limited by poverty, disabilities, and geography. Promoting writing skills can create bridges to overcome the isolation that often keeps...  相似文献   

Using ‘big ideas’ to enhance teaching and student learning     

Ian Mitchell  Stephen Keast  Debra Panizzon 《Teachers and Teaching》2017,23(5):596-610

Organising teaching of a topic around a small number of ‘big ideas’ has been argued by many to be important in teaching for deep understanding, with big ideas being able to link different activities and to be framed in ways that provide perceived relevance and routes into engagement. However it is our view that, at present, the significance of big ideas in classroom practice is underappreciated while their implementation in teaching is perceived as ‘unproblematic’. In this paper we address these issues; while we draw on the experiences of two major research projects focusing on teachers’ pedagogical reasoning, we attempt to investigate big ideas from a conceptual stance. While the domain is important, we argue that the source of big ideas should include reflection on issues of student learning and engagement as well as the domain. Moreover, big ideas should be framed in ways that are richer, more generative of teaching ideas and more pedagogically powerful than topic headings. This means framing them as a sentence, with a verb, that provides direction and ideas for teachers. We posit three different kinds of big ideas: big ideas about content, big ideas about learning and big ideas about the domain; the last two result in teachers having parallel agendas to their content agendas. In addition to discussing how pedagogically powerful big ideas can be constructed, we draw on data from highly skilled teachers to extend thinking about how teachers can use big ideas.  相似文献   

Effects of an Animal-Assisted Intervention on Reading Skills and Attitudes in Second Grade Students     

Deborah E. Linder  Megan K. Mueller  Debra M. Gibbs  Jean A. Alper  Lisa M. Freeman 《Early Childhood Education Journal》2018,46(3):323-329

Reading skills are an important component of academic success for school-age youth, and are associated with increased academic performance and positive attitudes about school. The presence of an animal appears to reduce stress during reading. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the feasibility and effects of a 6-week after-school canine-assisted reading program in a public elementary school setting. Second-grade students were randomized to either an intervention group (n?=?14) in which they read to a registered therapy dog for 30 min once weekly for 6 weeks or a control group (n?=?14) with a standard classroom curriculum. Children’s reading skills were assessed biweekly and attitudes about reading were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The 6-week after-school canine-assisted reading program was feasible. Reading skill scores did not change significantly for either group. Although scores on recreational reading attitudes also did not change significantly for either group, the academic reading attitudes scores increased significantly in the intervention group (p?=?.002), but not in the control group (p?=?.06). These results support the benefits of an animal-assisted intervention for child literacy on children’s attitudes about reading and can inform future programs evaluating reading programs that include dogs.  相似文献   

Kinship Support and Maternal and Adolescent Well-Being in Economically Disadvantaged African-American Families   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Ronald D. Taylor  Debra Roberts 《Child development》1995,66(6):1585-1597

This study tested a conceptual model developed to explain the link between kinship support and the psychological well-being of economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. The relation of kinship support with maternal and adolescent well-being and mothers' child-rearing practices was assessed in 51 African-American families whose incomes placed them at or below the poverty threshold. Findings revealed that kinship social support to mothers/female guardians was positively associated with adolescent psychological well-being, maternal well-being, and more adequate maternal parenting practices (acceptance, firm control and monitoring of behavior, autonomy granting). Maternal well-being and more adequate maternal parenting practices were positively related to adolescent well-being. Evidence of the mediational role of maternal well-being and parenting practices was revealed. When the effects of maternal well-being and maternal parenting practices were controlled, significant relations between kinship support and adolescent well-being were no longer apparent.  相似文献   

Students' Studying and Approaches to Learning in Introductory Biology     

Debra Tomanek  Lisa Montplaisir 《CBE life sciences education》2004,3(4):253-262

This exploratory study was conducted in an introductory biology course to determine 1) how students used the large lecture environment to create their own learning tasks during studying and 2) whether meaningful learning resulted from the students' efforts. Academic task research from the K–12 education literature and student approaches to learning research from the postsecondary education literature provided the theoretical framework for the mixed methods study. The subject topic was cell division. Findings showed that students 1) valued lectures to develop what they believed to be their own understanding of the topic; 2) deliberately created and engaged in learning tasks for themselves only in preparation for the unit exam; 3) used course resources, cognitive operations, and study strategies that were compatible with surface and strategic, rather than deep, approaches to learning; 4) successfully demonstrated competence in answering familiar test questions aligned with their surface and strategic approaches to studying and learning; and 5) demonstrated limited meaningful understanding of the significance of cell division processes. Implications for introductory biology education are discussed.  相似文献   

Alternative education and social justice: considering issues of affective and contributive justice     

Martin Mills  Glenda McGregor  Aspa Baroutsis  Kitty Te Riele  Debra Hayes 《Critical Studies in Education》2016,57(1):100-115

This article considers the ways in which three alternative education sites in Australia support socially just education for their students and how injustice is addressed within these schools. The article begins with recognition of the importance of Nancy Fraser’s work to understandings of social justice. It then goes on to argue that her framework is insufficient for understanding the particularly complex set of injustices that are faced by many highly marginalised young people who have rejected or been rejected by mainstream education systems. We argue here for the need to consider the importance of ‘affective’ and ‘contributive’ aspects of justice in schools. Using interview data from the alternative schools, we highlight issues of affective justice raised by students in relation to their educational journeys, as well as foregrounding teachers’ affective work in schools. We also consider curricular choices and pedagogical practices in respect of matters of contributive justice. Our contention is that the affective and contributive fields are central to the achievement of social justice for the young people attending these sites. Whilst mainstream schools are not the focus of this article, we suggest that the lessons here have salience for all forms of schooling.  相似文献   

The Concerns of School Counselors‐in‐Training About Working With Children and Adolescents With HIV Disease: Training Implications     

Jamie S. Carney  Debra C. Cobia 《Counselor Education & Supervision》2003,42(4):302-313

As the number of children and adolescents who have or are affected by HIV disease increases, so does the need to examine the preparation of counselors to work with this population. This study assessed (a) the knowledge, beliefs, and social comfort of school counselors‐in‐training, as related to working with this population, and (b) these students' concerns and perceptions about their preparedness. Participants reported high levels of general knowledge and positive beliefs; however, they also demonstrated deficits in specialized knowledge and discomfort in counseling situations. Participants expressed concerns about their preparation and ability to deal with grief issues. Implications for training counselors are discussed.  相似文献   

Commentary on “Implementing New York's Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program: An Exploratory Study of Systemic Impacts”     

Debra J. Ackerman 《Early education and development》2013,24(4):601-604

The Morrissey, Lekies, and Cochran (this issue) article is a welcome addition to the literature focusing on whether state-funded preschool education negatively impacts child care. Yet, although the study is a step in the right direction, it does not provide the data needed to answer the question at hand or inform state preschool and child care policy. Furthermore, while there is merit to research that begins with the premise that publicly funded preschool initiatives may contribute to instability in the child care market, the present commentary offers an alternative perspective on such an outcome. More specifically, the commentary argues that such initiatives may be the best thing that ever happened to children, their families, and those who work in the field. The commentary concludes with a recommendation for additional studies that combine concern for an adequate supply of child care with robust data and an overall focus on improving children's outcomes.  相似文献