Trends and Issues in Student-Run Peer-Reviewed Journals of Education

The purpose of this mixed methods bibliometric study was to identify the trends and issues in student-run peer-reviewed journals of education and to determine predictive factors of journal longevity. To that end, a search for journals was conducted, yielding 11 journals and 1,105 records. Journals were coded for editorial procedures, goals, and guidelines. Records were coded for publication characteristics, author characteristics, and keywords and abstracts. The analysis consisted of calculating descriptive statistics for journals, authors, and affiliations, implementing text mining on titles, keywords, and abstracts, and fitting a logistic regression model to predict journal longevity. Results revealed that student-run journals are somewhat prone to gaps in publication, but that effective editorial practices such as requiring abstracts and publishing issues consistently predict journal longevity. Three themes emerged across journals: a transformative focus, leaning into the margin, and inconsistent guidelines & processes. Recommendations for student-run peer-reviewed journals of education are to (a) form sustainable editorial structures, (b) follow consistent publication patterns, (c) solicit authors purposefully, and (d) continue leaning into the margin

Two Undergraduate Students’ Journal Reviewing Experiences

This paper describes the benefits of student-run publications from the perspective of two undergraduate students. Based on their experiences, the commentary elaborates how reviewing for a student journal has contributed to their growth as writers and developed a sense of community

TeleNGAGE: Enhancing Collaboration Between Families and Schools

Findings in the literature strongly support the importance of family engagement in education. However, effective partnerships between families and schools are rare, especially in ethnically diverse communities where families may lack efficacy or face structural challenges for engagement. Additionally, educator perspectives toward engagement are often framed by White, middle-class paradigms. Educators often fail to acknowledge structural challenges faced by low-income families or the cultural contributions low-income and/or minoritized families can bring. To facilitate engagement between families and schools, a new ECHO® line, TeleNGAGE, was developed at Oklahoma State University, Educational Leadership program. ECHO®, traditionally used in the field of medicine, has utility for professional development for educators because it offers a platform for case-based learning where real problems are addressed in real-time. Additionally, didactic presentations provide professional development for collaborative learning. Through the lens of Communities of Practice (CoP), this qualitative case study explores how relationships between families and schools changed as a result of participation in TeleNGAGE. Tenets of CoP, negotiated meaning, mutual engagement, and a shared repertoire, support a collaborative approach to addressing complex problems. Findings suggest that a CoP has emerged through TeleNGAGE and has resulted in changes in perspectives across families and educational leaders about “what it means to be engaged,” enhanced family efficacy for engagement, and changes in engagement practice as family voice has expanded through sharing of concerns/perspectives. These findings have important implications for equitable engagement in a convenient, cost-free environment where educators and families can communicate and develop mutually supportive understandings and practices

Canada’s Student Journal Forum: From Humble Beginnings to National Conference

Student Journal Forum began as an in-person half-day event at the University of Toronto (U of T) in 2015. It was organized by a group of librarians with the goal to connect editors of 60+ student-led U of T journals with publishing supports, best practices, and with each other. The audience’s enthusiastic engagement and the community-building power of the event prompted the librarians to offer it again the next year, and the year after. Eight years later, this local annual event has grown into a Canada-wide virtual gathering. The shift to online during the COVID-19 pandemic was a key catalyst to open the Forum to students to connect remotely, and for the event to be jointly organized by multiple libraries across Canada. The event’s offering has evolved as well, moving from librarian-led publishing best practice sessions to student-led presentations and participatory learning sessions. The most recent 2023 Forum featured an open call for proposals that let student editors share their experiences and present on topics that mattered to them. It was complemented by a half-day of publishing skill sessions presented by Canadian librarians and two panels with scholarly editors and publishing professionals. In this paper, we reflect on the evolution of the Student Journal Forum, its successes and challenges, and its role in establishing the connection between student editors across Canada and between different Canadian libraries that offer student journal publishing support

Not “Just” an Undergrad: Undergraduate Journals as a Portal to Participating in Academic Discourse Communities

This essay examines a case study that investigated how students learned and how they applied their writing skills as they pursued publication in an undergraduate scientific journal at a Canadian university. As we conducted a genre analysis of student drafts submitted to the journal and interviewed students who published in the journal’s inaugural year, we noted the desire and eagerness that students had to publish at the undergraduate level. We also noticed certain barriers to students fully participating in research for their discourse communities, including challenges accessing publication opportunities and revising their work for new audiences and contexts. Undergraduate journals offer a tremendous space for them to hone a variety of skills in a supportive environment while also taking the first steps to fully participating in scholarly practice

Improving Student Journal Visibility via the Directory of Open Access Journals

In this interview with Judith Barnsby, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), we look at how student-run journals could enhance their visibility by joining DOAJ. We highlight the general and student journal-specific application requirements for inclusion in DOAJ, known challenges with the application process, and recommendations for student journals that want to apply. The interview is conducted by Mariya Maistrovskaya, University of Toronto Libraries, the Interviewer

Student-Led Undergraduate Journals: A Catalyst for Comprehensive Research Experience and Professional Growth

This opinion piece underscores the critical role of undergraduate academic journals in fostering a comprehensive research experience for students, with a spotlight on Qapsule, an open-access journal at Queen’s University led by undergraduates. These journals offer a unique platform for students to engage in the full spectrum of scientific inquiry, from conducting research to writing, peer review, and publication. The paper emphasizes the importance of undergraduate students’ involvement in all aspects of research, discussing its crucial role in intellectual growth and professional development. However, these journals often remain under-utilized due to a lack of awareness. The paper discusses the importance of universities actively promoting these journals and providing the necessary resources for students to establish such platforms, thereby nurturing a culture of academic collaboration, creativity, and excellence. It also addresses quality concerns about undergraduate journals, asserting that with appropriate mentorship and guidance, undergraduate students are capable of contributing to the academic community

Complementary Medicine in the Classroom: Is it Science?

This academic essay provides a strategy for teaching complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the classroom, a subject typically critiqued as unconventional and non-scientific. It demonstrates how students can enhance their critically reflective skills by examining polarizing and controversial medical topics, which are often considered by conventional doctors and researchers to be on the fringes of credible Western medicine. Included are examples of hands-on CAM experiments that can easily be incorporated in the classroom. It demonstrates how, by using an inquiry-based constructivist pedagogy, examining controversial and sometimes pseudoscientific ideas deepens learning

"Not motivated but frustrated": Preservice Teachers’ Career Choice Motivations and Professional Identity in an African Context

This study examines preservice teachers’ career choice motivations and professional identity in an African context, Nigeria, using a narrative research method. It draws on the stories of 37 social education preservice teachers at a university in Nigeria about their teacher-becoming trajectory and teaching practice experience to realize its aims. Findings show that in Nigeria, the choice of teaching is highly motivated by fallback higher education programs, extrinsic, and socialization influence factors, while intrinsic, perceived abilities, and altruistic factors are the least motivators. The choice of teaching is influenced by gender in Nigeria, with women’s sociocultural status and traditional gender roles influencing their choice of teaching and intention to remain in the teaching profession. The majority of the preservice teachers (83.78%) have poor and negative teaching professional identities. Also, intrinsic and altruistic motivation factors are associated with positive teacher professional identity in Nigeria. Preservice teachers’ professional identity develops from social influences, intrinsic perspectives, and their teacher education experiences and institutional factors such as teacher welfare and development policies. The findings provide insights into social education teacher pedagogic and ethics training needs that could, drawing on teacher agency to navigate the structural challenges confronting the education profession in Nigeria, foster preservice teachers’ strong interest in teaching and possibly reduce teacher attrition in developing contexts

Comprehensive Literacy Instruction within Classroom Contexts: Teachers’ Perceptions of Best Practices for Literacy

This study illuminates the voices of literacy teachers. Findings from this study were based on a questionnaire about what teachers perceive as best practices in literacy instruction. We received 44 fully completed questionnaires. The 44 teacher respondents ranged from Pre-K through 6th grade with experience ranging from 1 to 20+ years of teaching. Teachers came from rural, suburban, and urban schools, with 40% of these teachers in Title I schools. More than 130 best practices in literacy instruction were identified by our teacher participants. Teachers’ responses illustrated many of the components of comprehensive literacy instruction that covered a broad array of practices from the initiation of instruction through the assessment of student learning. Literacy teachers’ responses were organized into three themes: Preparing for Instruction, Literacy Instruction, and Student Assessment and Differentiation