How Supervisors Influence Performance: A Multilevel Study of Coaching and Group Management in Technology-Mediated Services

This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in which calls, or task assignments, are randomly distributed via automated technology, providing a quasi-experimental approach in a real-world context. Results show that the amount of coaching that an employee received each month predicted objective performance improvements over time. Moreover, workers exhibited higher performance where their supervisor emphasized group assignments and group incentives and where technology was more automated. Finally, the positive relationship between coaching and performance was stronger where supervisors made greater use of group incentives, where technology was less automated, and where technological changes were less frequent. Implications and potential limitations of the present study are discussed

Understanding Equitable Assessment: How Preservice Teachers Make Meaning of DisAbility

Disproportionality of historically marginalized populations in special education continues to be a critical concern. The identification of students with disabilities is reliant on valid and reliable assessment that is free of bias. The extent to which this is possible given measurement constraints and an increasingly diverse student population is unclear. How teachers are trained to design, select, administer, score, and interpret assessment data related to the identification of students with disabilities is vastly under-researched considering the significant implications of assessment practices. In this study, six special education preservice teachers engaged in an assessment methods course during their second semester of an initial certification program. This study focuses on shifts in preservice teacher understanding and the associated learning experiences in the course. Findings from this study have the potential to inform general and special education teacher preparation coursework

The effect of individualized versus cooperative learning on achievement and task performance

The present study investigates whether individuals who are trained in groups will benefit from a more enhanced facilitation of the information than those trained in a more traditional, individualistic, classroom setting. Participants who learn in a cooperative, group setting are expected to exhibit better performance on a subsequent knowledge test than participants who learn individually

Technology Solutions for Developmental Math: An Overview of Current and Emerging Practices

Reviews current practices in and strategies for incorporating innovative technology into the teaching of remedial math at the college level. Outlines challenges, emerging trends, and ways to combine technology with new concepts of instructional strategy

An Investigation of the effects of behavioral and pharmacological interventions on the academic performance of students with ADHD

ADHD is a potentially life-long condition that is first diagnosed in childhood and has no known cure. In addition to having behavior problems such as inattention and hyperactivity, the disorder impacts other areas of the child's functioning, including academic performance. Treatments for ADHD have commonly focused on improving the behavioral manifestations of the disorder with very few studies examining the impact of these treatments on other areas of functioning. Academic performance and homework completion are common concerns cited by the parents of children with ADHD. The present study examined the impact of medication and behavior therapy on the homework performance of children with ADHD. Six children attending 4th or 5th grade participated in this study. Data were collected on the child's homework completion and accuracy and classroom behavior during medication, behavioral therapy, and no-treatment conditions. Both treatments improved homework performance and classroom behavior for all six participants. Behavior management resulted in a more consistent performance on homework compared to the medication condition. Limitations and considerations for future research are discussed

An Experimental Comparison of the Effect of Teacher Versus Self‑Evaluation/Self‑Reflection Feedback on College Students’ Behavioral Observation Skills

An experimental investigation of the effectiveness of two types of feedback on college students’ acquisition of behavioral observation skills was conducted. Special education and psychology students completed two training assignments involving behavioral observations of students engaging in problem behavior. Depending on the condition to which they were randomly assigned, participants experienced either teacher or self-evaluation/self-reflection feedback immediately after each assignment was completed. Participants in the teacher feedback condition scored higher on the post-training assignments and viewed it more positively than those in the self- evaluation/self-reflection condition. Additional research is needed to identify the relevant variables contributing to effective teacher feedback since it is a frequent component of instructional situations

Rush to Judgment: Teacher Evaluation in Public Education

The troubled state of teacher evaluation is a glaring and largely neglected problem in public education. Co-director Thomas Toch and Robert Rothman of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform examine the causes and consequences of the crisis in teacher evaluation, as well as its implications for the current debate about performance pay