Examining Classroom Observation Instruments for English Language Learners: An Example of Proposing Causal Structure Pertaining to Pedagogy

The purpose of this dissertation study was to describe teacher pedagogy through the use of systematic review, observation data, and to comment on causal structure. Three objectives were necessary: the assessment of the literature of classroom observation instruments used in observing English language learners, using archival classroom observation data from Project Middle School Science for English Language Learners (MSSELL), and the casual commentary of teachers’ pedagogy during Project MSSELL. The Project MSSELL is a randomized, longitudinal, field-based, National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research project (NSF Award No. DRL-0822343; 2009-2010). Included in the project was archived data for the pedagogy of eight grade 5 teachers during a science intervention. The observation protocol, Transitional Bilingual Observation Protocol (TBOP), used in the project is theoretically derived from the transitional bilingual observation model (Lara-Alecio & Parker, 1994), and measures classroom frequency events in four instruction domains: Language of Instruction, Language Content, Communication Mode, and Activity Structure. The data for this dissertation are taken from both a treatment and control group. The treatment group is comprised of four teachers participating in the intervention associated with Project MSSELL, while the control group is comprised of four teachers not participating in the intervention. By conducting the following: (a) systematic review of classroom observation instruments evaluating classrooms with English language learners (ELL); (b) frequency analysis in classroom events during Project MSSELL; and (c) commentary of the causal inference for the project in relation to teachers’ pedagogy, the researcher further describes the project’s feasibility toward pedagogy conducive to ELL academic achievement. Results from this study implicate treatment teachers, when compared to control teachers, focus more on writing as a way of communication between the student and teacher. Additionally, through a systematic review of classroom observations instruments, the researcher highlights the TBOP’s strength toward recording pedagogy. Through causal commentary the researcher converts Project MSSELL into a simple causal structure to indicate the causal effects at the local level. The resultant commentary provided further insight into teachers’ pedagogy during Project MSSELL. The data for this dissertation are taken from both a treatment and control group. The treatment group is comprised of four teachers participating in the intervention associated with Project MSSELL, while the control group is comprised of four teachers not participating in the intervention. By conducting the following: (a) systematic review of classroom observation instruments evaluating classrooms with English language learners (ELL); (b) frequency analysis in classroom events during Project MSSELL; and (c) commentary of the causal inference for the project in relation to teachers’ pedagogy, the researcher further describes the project’s feasibility toward pedagogy conducive to ELL academic achievement. Results from this study implicate treatment teachers, when compared to control teachers, focus more on writing as a way of communication between the student and teacher. Additionally, through a systematic review of classroom observations instruments, the researcher highlights the TBOP’s strength toward recording pedagogy. Through causal commentary the researcher converts Project MSSELL into a simple causal structure to indicate the causal effects at the local level. The resultant commentary provided further insight into teachers’ pedagogy during Project MSSELL

We Need to Be in the Classroom More”: Veteran Teachers’ Views on Teacher Preparation and Retention

Annual teacher attrition hovers around 8% and causes of teacher attrition have been studied widely. However, more needs to be known about specific aspects of teacher preparation that can foster retention. The goal of this study was to understand the perspectives of veteran teachers regarding retention. This investigation employed semi-structured interviews with teachers who graduated from a south western university and who have persisted in their teaching careers in a large, urban school district. Our analyses conveyed that rich field experiences and particular characteristics of mentor teachers can foster retention; however, these persisters also persevered through inauthentic teacher preparation experiences

Data of the Constructivist Practices in the Learning Environment Survey From Engineering Undergraduates: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

This paper presents the dataset of a questionnaire on first-year engineering undergraduates’ perceptions of constructivist practices in the learning environment. The questionnaire with a 5-Likert scale was adapted from previous research. The sample consisted of 293 first-year engineering undergraduates in the southwest region of the United States. The online questionnaire was sent to participants who completed it voluntarily at the end of Fall 2019. A total of 274 of 293 participants completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 93.515%. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to test the underlying factor structure of the questionnaire, which serves as a good reference for future research

Prepping for Another Recession: Re-Assessing the Validity of Teacher Evaluation Systems for Human Capital Decision-Making

Problem. The school budget cuts concomitant with the COVID-19 pandemic mean educator jobs may again be threatened by layoffs. During prior recessions, school district administration primarily deter- mined teacher layoffs by virtue of seniority. However, as new evidence emerges that seniority policies may not be the most equitable way to determine teacher layoffs, some have turned towards performance-based measures from evaluation systems. Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to examine the validity and reli- ability of the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) for making human capital decisions like layoffs. Recommendations. We recommend that Nevada and other states improve the differentiation in scores across the varying evaluation domains by engaging in more rigorous training of evaluators. Addi- tionally, we recommend that Nevada and other states improve the distribution of final teacher evaluation scores so that the performance measure really distinguishes among teacher performance. Strategies could include lessening the administrative burden of filling out the final evaluation, increasing the number of performance levels, or rotating the specific standards focused on each year

The Effects of Developing English Language and Literacy on Spanish Reading Comprehension

In this longitudinal study, the cross-language transfer from second language (L2) to first language (L1) was examined among Spanish-speaking English-language learners in an English intervention (Grades 1–3) in the southwest United States. Path analysis revealed statistically significant transfers (ps \u3c .05) for the treatment group from English reading comprehension to Spanish reading comprehension. English vocabulary and English grammar also had an indirect influence on Spanish reading comprehension through English reading comprehension. For the comparison group, no English to Spanish paths were statistically significant. We concluded that intervention activities in L2 influenced L1 reading even when L1 instructional time was reduced