Navigating mainstream higher education: examining the experiences of Native students using Tinto's interactionalist's model

Postsecondary degree attainment for American Indian college students at predominantly White institutions has consistently been the lowest among any ethnic and/or racial group for the past three decades. A plethora of studies have been conducted to examine the experiences of Native students at mainstream institutions within the conceptual framework of Vincent Tinto's interactionalist's theory whether in segments or in its entirety. Tinto's model considers, among other variables, prematriculation characteristics and dispositions of students including the influence of family, postsecondary aspirations, components of informal and formal academic integration, and the phenomenon of transient transition of students through institutional assimilation. Today, the retention and graduation of college students is the bedrock of conversations on quality and accountability in the field of higher education and Tinto's model has served as one of the catalysts for policy and program development in this area of study. In keeping with this model, this study examines the experiences of American Indian college students at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) to determine the applicability of this particular model and its Western paradigm to an examination of Indigenous students

(Un)restricting the imagination: community engaged research involving college students with intellectual disabilities and implications on scholarship, postsecondary programming and pedagogy in higher education

This dissertation explores the intersection of community engaged research and arts-based methodologies involving students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) on a college campus, with broader theoretical connections related to disability identity and day to day practice that impacts access to higher education. This intersection, presented as a nexus of “visionary pragmatism” in the words of Patricia Hill Collins (1996) represents a coming together of theory/vision and the practical strategies that students with “unruly body/minds” must use to navigate the world on their own terms. Using thematic and poetic analysis of person centered planning documents and student interviews, the research circle (consisting of students, faculty, community members and program staff) sought to answer two research questions: 1) what do students with ID consider personal growth as it relates to being in college, and 2) how do students perceive the supports needed to achieve their desired goals. The community engaged approach encouraged power sharing within the research circle, including students with ID as co-researchers in collective data collection and analysis, and as peer interviewers. In alignment with Universal Design and feedback from scholars with ID regarding accessible formatting, literature, discussion and analysis are presented in a multimodal format that includes graphics and poetry. Themes from the data reflect perceptions of college as a path to self-realization and self-determination (critical consciousness), valued roles, careers and financial stability, interdependence, social justice and inclusion

Responding to the rhetoric: Professional educators' perspectives on reading instruction.

As professional, experienced educators, we have gained many understandings about teaching reading based on our work with our students, research and theory, and our beliefs about "what really matters" (Allington, 2001) in reading instruction. We are concerned about the increasing control that is being exerted over reading instruction in some elementary schools in the United States and some of the messages about reading instruction that have been reported in the popular press. Therefore, we would like to provide some of our perspectives on reading instruction in an attempt to help parents, families, and other community members hear from educators on some of the important issues surrounding reading instruction

Then and now: Perspectives on the status of elementary reading instruction by prominent reading educators.

This study queried members of the Reading Hall of Fame about elementary school reading instruction. Results from closed and open items revealed three major themes: (a) a neo-traditional view toward the teaching and learning of reading; (b) frustration with the fadism and ideological debates in the field; and (c) the necessity of enhancing teacher knowldge at the university and in public school settings. The perspectives of Reading Hall of Fame members of today were then compared to those of prominent reading educators of the past (Morrison, 1963), revealing both similarities and differences in the evaluation of elementary reading education then and now

Teacher-researcher methodology: Themes, variations, and possibilities.

This analysis of teacher research studies illustrates the variety of choices teachers make in exploring questions within their own classrooms. Teacher action research has a long and rich history (McFarland & Stansell, 1993; Olson, 1990), and there has been a recent renaissance of interest in teacher research (Baumann, Shockley-Bisplinghoff, & Allen, 1997; Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993; Lytle, 2000). This resurgence has resulted in the publication of numerous collections of teacher-research reports (e.g., Bissex & Bullock, 1987; Donoahue, Van Tassell, & Patterson, 1996; Patterson, Santa, Short, & Smith, 1993), teacher-research studies published as full-length books (e.g., Allen, 1995; Allen, Michalove, & Shockley, 1993), and articles appearing in periodicals such as The Reading Teacher, Teacher Research: A Journal of Classroom Inquiry, and Language Arts. Although there are many excellent sources for selecting and applying specific methods in teacher-research studies (e.g., Brause & Mayher, 1991; Hopkins, 1993; Hubbard & Power, 1993, 1999; Mohr & Maclean, 1987; Sagor, 1992), we know much less about the methodological decisions teacher researchers actually make. In this article, we (a) summarize findings from a methodological analysis of published teacher-research studies, and (b) discuss what the results might suggest for the conduct of teacher-research investigations

Balance, literacy acceleration, and responsive teaching in a summer school literacy program for struggling readers.

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of a balanced, accelerated, and responsive literacy program on the reading growth of elementary school struggling readers. The participants in this study were 10 second-grade children identified as underachieving in reading who were enrolled in an elementary school summer program. This study was conducted as a formative experiment, an emerging research design in which quantitative and qualitative data are collected and analyzed in relation to an established pedagogical goal. An analysis of the data revealed that students grew in their word identification abilities, fluency, strategic comprehension abilities, perceptions of themselves as readers, attitudes toward reading, and instructional reading levels. The importance of educators implementing self-constructed balanced literacy programs was discussed. The accelerated progress of students was detailed, and the importance of implementing responsive reading programs was considered. Implications for future reading research and instruction were provided

Learning to teach struggling (and non-struggling) elementary school readers: An analysis of preservice teachers' knowledge.

The purpose of this research was to describe elementary school preservice teachers' beliefs, understandings, and instruction of struggling and non-struggling readers as they evolved over time in two university reading education courses with a field component. Using a qualitative content analysis, we analyzed the assignments of 22 preservice teachers across one year of their teacher education program. We found that, throughout the year, preservice teachers improved in their abilities to integrate their personal, practical, and professional knowledges to inform their reading instruction. Their misunderstandings surrounding reading instruction decreased while their abilities to examine reading instruction critically and estimations of their preparedness to teach struggling readers increased. Preservice teachers' views about the value of assessing students' reading proficiency became increasingly more positive as did perceptions about the importance of tutoring struggling readers. Finally, implications are made to suggest how university reading education courses may support the learning and development of future preservice teachers

The learning and perceptions of teacher researchers and facilitators in a literacy-focused, teacher-research course: A content analysis of system, learner, and spheres of influence.

The purpose of this research was to add to the knowledge base of teacher research in literacy education by focusing on the inquiry processes and learning of literacy teacher researchers from their perspectives. We accomplished this goal through presenting the voices of the teacher researchers, providing individual and collective voices and perspectives that are sometimes missing in discussions of literacy teacher- research inquiries. Using qualitative content analysis methodologies, our results indicated that these educators learned about themselves as system members, learners, and change agents within varying spheres of influence. We provide discussion and implications for research and practice, including conducting teacher research beyond the support of a university community and the constraints that teacher researchers face in this current political climate

Getting to the core: Addressing the overrepresentation of students of color in special education through culturally relevant core instruction

In education, disproportionality, often used interchangeably with overrepresentation, is defined as, "the high probability of being placed in special education, based on membership in a historically marginalized group" (Oswald, Coutinho, Best, & Singh, 1999). Research findings have identified root causes of disproportionality as a lack of culturally competent teachers, curriculum that is not culturally relevant, or a need for professional development on equity. This disquisition, or dissertation in practice, provides an analysis of the implementation and outcomes associated with one school's improvement process that was aimed at reducing the overrepresentation for students of color in special education. The intermeditate goal was addressing disproprtionality and implicit bias, as well as improving capacity to implement culturally relevant practices through professional developemnt. Pre- and post-test data were collected in the form of survey responses and an efficacy scale related to evidence-based culturally relevant practices. Qualitative data were collected in journal reflections and a focus group, and analyzed using coding to develop themes. Quanititaive data were analyzed using a one sample t-test to determine if there was a statistical significance. The results demsontrated statisical and marginal significance in teachers’ self-efficacy to implement culturally relevant practices, and themes of awareness related to disproportionality and implicit bias. The results of implmentation reveal that the professional development was effective at addressing the intermediate goal of awareness. While this disquisition focused on participants being self-reflective to improve their efficacy, future research would be needed to determine if improved efficacy translates to proportional representation of SoC in special education

Randomized Interventional Study on Prediction of Preeclampsia/Eclampsia in Women With Suspected Preeclampsia: INSPIRE.

The ratio of maternal serum sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1) to PlGF (placental growth factor) has been used retrospectively to rule out the occurrence of preeclampsia, a pregnancy hypertensive disorder, within 7 days in women presenting with clinical suspicion of preeclampsia. A prospective, interventional, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial evaluated the use of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in women presenting with suspected preeclampsia. Women were assigned to reveal (sFlt-1/PlGF result known to clinicians) or nonreveal (result unknown) arms. A ratio cutoff of 38 was used to define low (≤38) and elevated risk (>38) of developing the condition in the subsequent week. The primary end point was hospitalization within 24 hours of the test. Secondary end points were development of preeclampsia and other adverse maternal-fetal outcomes. We recruited 370 women (186 reveal versus 184 nonreveal). Preeclampsia occurred in 85 women (23%). The number of admissions was not significantly different between groups (n=48 nonreveal versus n=60 reveal; P=0.192). The reveal trial arm admitted 100% of the cases that developed preeclampsia within 7 days, whereas the nonreveal admitted 83% (P=0.038). Use of the test yielded a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI, 85.8-100) and a negative predictive value of 100% (95% CI, 97.1-100) compared with a sensitivity of 83.3 (95% CI, 58.6-96.4) and negative predictive value of 97.8 (95% CI, 93.7-99.5) with clinical practice alone. Use of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio significantly improved clinical precision without changing the admission rate. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.isrctn.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN87470468