A Narrative Review of Student Evaluations of Teaching in Decolonial Praxis: Implications for Occupational Therapy Higher Education

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are the primary source for evaluating teaching effectiveness and are used for deciding tenure and promotion. However, as efforts to engage in a decolonial critique of higher education amplify, the use of SETs in teaching and learning requires scrutiny. A narrative review was used to address the research question of SET biases in decolonial praxis and what insights may be useful for OT decolonial praxis. We identify and describe two content areas: (a) SET biases and (b) recommendations for alternatives promoting OT decolonial praxis. A total of 92 articles were sourced from five databases. Of the 92 articles, 44 met the inclusion criteria: peer-reviewed across disciplines, written in English, research conducted in the US, and published between 2011–2021. SETs scores are affected by factors beyond the influence of the instructor. Twenty-nine factors contributing to SETs biases were grouped into three main categories: SETs biases against instructors, other biases from students, and SETs biases in processes. Alternative methodological approaches are highlighted that may mitigate the identified biases for application in decolonial praxis in OT higher education

Developing a Situational Judgment Test for Admission into Initial Teacher Education in Oman: An Exploratory Study

With most selection practices for initial teacher education programmes (ITEPs) focusing on applicants’ cognitive attributes (academic records, subject knowledge, and so on), less attention is paid to evaluating applicants’ non-cognitive attributes such as motivation and resilience. Evidence indicating the role of non-cognitive attributes in teacher effectiveness and the limitations of the current selection tools points to a need for better selection measures. Initial results on the development of situational judgment tests (SJTs) for the selection of prospective teachers in the UK are promising (Klassen et al., 2014b, 2017b), encouraging further research in a wider range of contexts. The current study extends this work to the context of Oman and aims to (a) report the development process of an SJT for selecting ITEP applicants in Oman and (b) describe the initial evaluation of the developed SJT by exploring the test’s reliability and validity and applicants’ reactions to it. The research design consists of four phases. In Phase 1, the necessary non-cognitive attributes were explored with a convenience sample of key stakeholders (college tutors (n = 2), school principals (n = 74), supervisors (n = 63), teachers (n = 50)). The results suggested five non-cognitive domains. The domains were used in Phase 2 for developing an SJT with groups of working teachers (N = 116). The developed SJT was piloted in Phase 3 with a convenience sample of first year students (N = 171), and then implemented in Phase 4 with other criterion measures (N = 142). The results show that the developed SJT has good internal consistency (α = .75). The correlation between the SJT scores and other measures indicates that the SJT correlates significantly with two facets of the Big-Five personality measure; that is ‘conscientiousness’ (r = 0.29) and ‘agreeableness’ (r = 0.20). In addition, the SJT has a positive and significant correlation with the participants’ GPA (r = .31), and a negative (but non-significant) correlation with the scores of the interview currently used in the admission process (r = -0.17). The participants’ responses to the SJT content and use as a selection tool were positive. Recommendations for policy makers and for further studies are discussed

Connecting Social Support to the Academic Persistence and Health of Indigenous Post-Secondary Students

This case study examined how social support affected the academic persistence and health of Indigenous post-secondary students attending an Indigenous-affiliated institution. This research study aimed to provide a holistic understanding of Indigenous students’ experiences that will inform educators and administrators about the lived realities of Indigenous post-secondary students and facilitate policy and program development to support the academic persistence and health of Indigenous post-secondary students in undergraduate programs. The Family Education model by HeavyRunner and DeCelles (2002) provided conceptual support for the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data. An intrinsic qualitative case study approach was used. Data were gathered through four focus group interviews and three face-to-face interviews with Indigenous students and staff and faculty members from the case institution. The findings suggest that although Indigenous students are a diverse group, they experience many similar personal, familial, social and campus-related challenges. Indigenous students receive social support from their peers, families, communities, and from the staff and faculty members at First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), Northern campus. Staff and faculty members deliver social support through their authentic relationships with Indigenous students by displaying genuine interest, building trust, creating a supportive environment, and establishing connections with Indigenous students. Social support improves Indigenous students' academic persistence by providing motivation, building resilience and shaping Indigenous students' identities while enhancing their holistic health. The conclusions from the study suggest that FNUniv, Northern campus, as an Indigenous-affiliated institution, is helping Indigenous students obtain a post-secondary education. The Northern campus is creating a culturally responsive environment and building a web of support for Indigenous students. The findings indicate that culturally responsive social support delivered with an Indigenous-affiliated institution is needed for Indigenous students to persist academically, flourish as individuals, and contribute to the broader Indigenous community

How do Further Education (FE) teachers see their role changing in the future to exploit digital teaching and learning opportunities in an increasingly digital education environment?

A thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the Professional Doctorate in Education.This research explores and reveals the complexity of Further Education (FE) teachers’ viewpoints in relation to digital teaching and learning technologies. The enquiry begins by reviewing the Government policies that surround digital learning technologies in Further Education (FE) and recognises the challenges that policy, reform, social, economic and educational changes present to the FE Sector. Policy suggests that changes in education may be necessary for developing skills that are required to live and work effectively in a globally connected world and for what the UK Government terms a modern Britain. This means teaching, learning and assessment in FE might need to change, which may lead to considerable changes to the role of the teacher. This research argues that government policy is underestimating the complexities of developing a culture of integrated digital teaching and learning technologies, and has a view too simplistic for the upskilling of teaching staff and transformation of the FE Sector with digital learning technologies. Q-methodology and qualitative semi-structured interviews have been used to illuminate the views of teachers and how they position themselves for using digital learning technologies in their teaching. By selecting a group of experienced teachers who are considered, by the College, to be advanced teachers and a second group of teacher-education (TED) students, the research demonstrates the nuances of the teaching habitus, whether evolving through long-term teaching experience or through the initial teacher-education (ITE) programme. This research explores the concept of the digital teaching habitus through Bourdieu’s theoretical lens of field, habitus and capital from which the participants are revealed to have a continuum of positions and level of digital capital at play within their digital teaching habitus. By interpreting these different emerging positions, several digital teaching habitus are identified with associated levels of digital capital for the participants. The teachers’ voice provides current knowledge on what teachers feel is important to the teacher-student relationship in a digital education environment and the prominence that FE teachers assign to managing students’ aspirations and to preparing students for their occupations and future workplaces.Walsall Colleg

Exploration of the lived experiences of Native American science teachers of the Great Plains: A Narrative Inquiry

The complicated history of the education of Native American children through U.S. government-sponsored practices has led to the elimination of the Native children’s sense of Indian identity, culture, and language (Noel, 2002). In addition, increased emphasis on standardization and high-stakes accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has resulted in less culturally responsive educational efforts and more Indigenous students left behind in school systems (Castagno & Brayboy, 2008). This has led to Indigenous students being underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields where they account for only 3% of STEM workers (Fry, Kennedy, & Funk, 2021). This dissertation study explores the racialized and gendered lived experiences of Indigenous science teachers in elementary, middle, and high school (K-12) settings in a reservation school in Nebraska. This study, grounded on critical race theory (TribalCrit), employs a qualitative methodology (i.e., narrative inquiry) that focuses on investigating the culturally and linguistically relevant pedagogical practices of the three Indigenous science teachers that could help to meet the needs of Indigenous students. Findings reveal that pedagogical practices, such as holistic learning and storytelling; nature-based outdoor science classrooms; experiential and project-based science that promotes critical consciousness and civic engagement in students; arts-based approaches; and involving Native Elders in classrooms hold promise (and serve as a model for teachers of Indigenous students in other locations/contexts) in improving Indigenous students’ science learning outcomes and facilitating their upward social mobility, thereby upholding educational equity and social justice for Native American communities. Advisor: Theresa Catalan

Information Technology in the World of the Educational Psychologist

Purpose: This thesis explores information technology (IT) use amongst educational psychologists (EPs) in the United Kingdom, specifically the IT used with and recommended to children and young people (CYP), the availability of devices, and how information is shared with service users. Factors that could influence IT use were also explored, including EPs’ personal variables (age, demographics, disability), service variables, comfort levels with IT, and the impact of COVID-19. Bronfenbrenner’s ecosystemic theoretical framework was used to conceptualize IT use amongst EPs. Methods: A mixed-methods research approach was used to analyse the data. Quantitative research surveys were administered and collected across two phases (before and after March 2020); 65 EPs completed the first survey and 37 completed the second. Qualitative data were also collected in two phases and involved in-depth interviews with three EP innovators to explore the enablers of IT usage and 10 further interviews to explore IT use after the COVID-19 lockdown. Results: The results indicate that EPs employ IT most frequently in their administrative tasks. Most EPs do not have access to IT-mediated assessments, whereas many frequently use IT to score assessments. Service factors were additionally found to influence IT usage, including senior leadership’s openness to IT and the compatibility of IT with the EP service. Senior leadership impacts the frequency of IT use, availability of up-to-date devices, IT usage policies, availability of IT-mediated assessments, and time allocated to explore IT and develop competence. Planning by senior leadership was often related to comfort levels with IT. Since COVID-19, there has been a shift in the use of videoconferencing to communicate with service users and other EPs. EPs reported that videoconferencing was efficient for some meetings in terms of time spent travelling and flexibility for working parents. This research also found that remote working can negatively impact mental health; however, it is moderated by social networking and opportunities to gather virtually as a team. Most EPs do not use any IT with CYP directly. EPs most often recommend IT to support CYP’s literacy development, mental health, and augmentative and alternative communication. EPs frequently utilize laptops and smartphones in their practice for administrative tasks and communication. Availability of devices influences the frequency of usage; self-employed EPs frequently employ tablets, whereas EPs in other services reported not utilizing them. Implications: EPs must be supported to effectively utilize IT by being provided with the appropriate devices (and resources) and allocated time to learn and experiment with IT. Services must audit IT skills within teams and available resources. Additionally, services must develop IT use policies that enable an open exchange of ideas and new ways of working. CYP will utilize IT in their schooling and future work and will need to be supported to ensure that they have access. There are currently no resources or training for EPs on IT use. As such, it might be premature to explore how the availability of technology impacts IT use when very few EPs are using IT directly with CYP. This thesis seeks to begin the discourse on IT use in the hope that EPs and trainee EPs will continue to explore the role of IT and its potential for evolving practice