Professional Development for Working with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Teacher Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effect of teacher professional development for working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and teacher (N = 56) self-efficacy in the general education classroom. A pretest/posttest quasi-experimental research design was implemented. Teachers in one randomly assigned school received professional development training on research-based practices in working with students with autism to determine if the training had any effect on their perceived self-efficacy ratings and teachers in the other school were randomly assigned to serve as the control (i.e., no additional professional development training was provided during the research phase). Results showed that the training had a large positive effect on teacher self-efficacy ratings regarding working with students with autism in the inclusion classroom. Findings tentatively show the need and importance for the provision of more professional development training to general education teachers for working with students with autism to improve teacher self-efficacy and to provide the most effective and inclusive educational experience possible

Supporting Metacognitive Awareness and Strategy Use Through Digital Photography in a Rural Title I School

The Photography and Media Literacy Project (PMLP) was an after-school program designed to teach fourth and fifth grade children about the science and art of photography in a Title I school in rural southeast Georgia. Through the completion of a problem-based applied project, we endeavored to further enhance and develop students’ media literacy, critical thinking, and metacognitive skills. The project involved having students consider some aspect of their environment (i.e., a problem from the natural, physical, school or social environment) and develop a media presentation about the topic (e.g., a movie), which included images that they took (with iPods that we provided), as well as a narrative that described their observation, research, argument and/or experience. Through the use of technology and various other media, our purpose was to help these young learners improve their metacognitive planning and monitoring skills, as well as their problem-solving and reasoning ability, all foundational skills critical for success in high stakes assessments such as Georgia Milestone Assessment. Although no significant differences were found in pre-posttest assessments, we believe that with minor modifications, this type of program shows promise in its potential for boosting participants’ metacognitive functioning and other skills related to critical evaluation of information, which have been found to enhance learning outcomes

Relação entre Medidas Subjetivas de Consciência Metacognitiva e viés implícito entre estudantes universitários dos Estados Unidos

Objective. e purpose of the present study was to explore the relation between subjective measures of metacognitive awarenessand implicit bias, and to investigate whether metacognition is a viable pathway to meet the two objectives. Method. A sampleof U.S. undergraduate students (N = 117) completed self-report measures of implicit bias (Situational Attitude Scale) andmetacognitive awareness (Metacognitive Awareness Inventory). Correlational analyses, Pearson’s r coefficients, and a hierarchicallinear regression analysis were conducted to address the research objectives. Results. Findings revealed that implicit bias andmetacognitive awareness were related, and that conditional knowledge, comprehension monitoring, information management,debugging, and evaluation led to decrements in negatively charged implicit bias. Conclusion. Evidently, metacognition is a viablepathway for raising awareness of one’s implicit biases and subsequently mitigating them through the development of tailorededucational interventions.Objetivo. El propósito del presenteestudio fueexplorarlarelación entrelas medidas subjetivas deconciencia metacognitiva y sesgoimplícito e investigar si la metacognición es una vía viable para cumplir los dos objetivos. Método. Una muestra de estudiantesde pregrado de EE. UU. (N = 117) completaron medidas de autoinforme de sesgo implícito (Escala de Actitud Situacional) yconcienciametacognitiva(Inventario deConcienciaMetacognitiva). Serealizaron análisiscorrelacionales,coecientesr de Pearsony un análisis de regresión lineal jerárquica para abordar los objetivos de la investigación. Resultados. Los hallazgos revelaronque el sesgo implícito y la conciencia metacognitiva estaban relacionados y que el conocimiento condicional, el monitoreo de lacomprensión, la gestión delainformación, la depuración y laevaluación condujeron a disminucionesen elsesgo implícito con carganegativa. Conclusión. Evidentemente, la metacognición es una vía viable para crear conciencia sobre los sesgos implícitos de unoy, posteriormente, mitigarlos mediante el desarrollo de intervenciones educativas personalizadas.Escopo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi explorar a relação entre as medidas subjetivas de consciência metacognitiva e viésimplícito, e pesquisar se a metacognição é um caminho viável para atingir os dois objetivos. Método. Uma amostra de estudantesde graduação dos EUA (N = 117) completou medidas de auto relatório de viés implícito (Escada de Atitude Situacional) econsciência metacognitiva (Inventário de Consciência Metacognitiva). Foram realizadas análises correlacionais, coecientes r dePearson e análise de regressão linear hierárquica para atender aos objetivos da pesquisa. Resultados. Os resultados revelaramque o viés implícito e a consciência metacognitiva estavam relacionados e que o conhecimento condicional, o monitoramentoda compreensão, o gerenciamento da informação, a depuração e a avaliação levaram a diminuições no viés implícito de carganegativa. Conclusão. Evidentemente, a metacognição é um caminho viável para criar conscientização sobre os vieses implícitos e,posteriormente, mitigá-los por meio do desenvolvimento de intervenções educacionais personalizadas

“You Can Sort of Feel It”: Exploring Metacognition and the Feeling of Knowing Among Undergraduate Students

Traditional research on the metacognitive practice of calibration has been primarily investigated within the realm of quantitative experimental methodologies. This article expands the research scope of metacognitive calibration by offering a qualitative approach to the growing body of literature. More specifically, the current study investigates the learners’ perspective on the calibration process. Ten undergraduate students were selected to participate in a structured interview on their previous calibration performances (five students low in calibration processing and five proficient in calibration processing). Ultimately nine students (N=9) participated in individual interviews. Participant interviews are qualitatively assessed through the mediums of (1) Serra and Matcalfe’s original work on the “feelings of knowing” and (2) self-regulated learning theory (SRL). Results indicate a difference in feelings of knowing between low and proficient calibrators across a battery of themes: effort, strategies, planning, and evaluation. Implications of the results and direction for future research are explored

Undergraduate Students’ Perception of Leadership Development Programs and Leadership Self-Efficacy

Colleges and universities across the United States face continual pressure to meet enrollment and retention goals, as budgets in this performance-based environment continue to become more important. On-campus student involvement, such as in undergraduate leadership development programs, has been shown to have a positive influence on both student retention and success. A survey was utilized to examine leadership self-efficacy and engagement of undergraduate students that participated in campus-based leadership development programs and explore some motivators (contributing factors) and barriers (detracting factors) to involvement in those programs. One emergent theme within contributing factors to participation was alignment with personal goals (74.7%), whereas, a theme for detracting factors was lack of time to invest in the leadership opportunity (51.1%). Exploration of which factors contributed to and detracted from leadership development participation showed that contributing factors were a positive and significant predictor of leadership self-efficacy. For every one unit increase in contributing factors, leadership self-efficacy score increased by β - = .38 standard deviations. This study encourages leadership educators to examine their own leadership development programs and build recruitment strategies to increase engagement among student demographics such as male students, non-White students, and first-generation college students. In the future, researchers could consider including students that did not participate in leadership programs to gain more valuable insights on the motivators and the barriers that students face to participation in these programs

Instructional Leadership Practices and School Leaders\u27 Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders while controlling for years of experience as a school leader. With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. The methodology utilized a survey and the participants were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, spanning 18 school districts and 180 schools. The findings revealed that supervising and evaluating instruction and monitoring student progress were significant positive predictors of leadership self-efficacy for the entire sample of respondents whereas coordinating curriculum was only approaching significance. This pattern shifted, however, when the sample was divided between principals and assistant principals. For practical implications, educational leaders and key constituents may consider these results for reflection on practice as well as planning professional learning for skill development to attain school improvement. Recommendations for future research include expansion of the population to include participants in other locations as well as the inclusion of additional instructional leadership practices

Los juicios metacognitivos como tendencia emergente de investigación. : Una revisión conceptual

Objective: The purpose of the current article is to conduct a conceptual revision of the term “metacognitive judgment.” Methodology: For the thematic review of the literature written by some of the most important authors in the field, 55 archival sources were taken into consideration. These sources were examined through thefollowing stages: introduction, reflection, and establishment of conclusions. Results: It is established that metacognitive judgments are seen as the construct that brings together the students’ beliefs about what they know and do not know, as well as their control and regulation over their learning. Conclusion: The study of metacognitive judgments is put out as an alternative to aid students in self-regulating their learning so they can become gradually more accurate in assessing their performance.Objetivo: en el presente artículo se tuvo como objetivo realizar una revisión conceptual del constructo ‘juicio metacognitivo’. Metodología: para la revisión temática de la literatura producida por algunos de los autores más relevantes del campo se consideraron 55 fuentes documentales que fueron analizadas mediante las siguientes etapas: introducción, reflexión y establecimiento de conclusiones. Resultados: se establece que los juicios metacognitivos son entendidos como el constructo que agrupa el conjunto de creencias que tienen los estudiantes acerca de lo que saben, y no saben; y también, respecto a cómo controlan y regulan su aprendizaje. Conclusión: el estudio de los juicios metacognitivos se presenta como una alternativa para favorecer el proceso de autorregulación del aprendizaje de los estudiantes a fin de que puedan ser progresivamente más precisos en la calibración de su desempeño

Instructional Leadership Practices and School Leaders\u27 Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders while controlling for years of experience as a school leader. With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. The methodology utilized a survey and the participants were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, spanning 18 school districts and 180 schools. The findings revealed that supervising and evaluating instruction and monitoring student progress were significant positive predictors of leadership self-efficacy for the entire sample of respondents whereas coordinating curriculum was only approaching significance. This pattern shifted, however, when the sample was divided between principals and assistant principals. For practical implications, educational leaders and key constituents may consider these results for reflection on practice as well as planning professional learning for skill development to attain school improvement. Recommendations for future research include expansion of the population to include participants in other locations as well as the inclusion of additional instructional leadership practices

Pass/fail grading in medical school and impact on residency placement

Objective: There is a trend toward using pass/fail (P/F) grading in the first 2 years of medical school as it has been noted to improve student well-being and academic performance is not negatively impacted. It is important that medical students are afforded the best medical education possible to prepare them for residency placement. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of P/F grading in medical school on residency placement. Methods: This study compared archival residency match data from two medical school classes. The Class of 2016 had tiered grading and the Class of 2017 had P/F grading in the first year of medical school. Doximity’s Residency Navigator was used to rank the residency programs and an independent samples t-test was calculated to determine if residency rankings differed by class. Results: The findings showed no statistically significant differences in residency placement when comparing a cohort of medical school graduates with tiered grading to a cohort with P/F grading in the first year of medical school. Conclusion: These findings may be useful to medical education leaders when making decisions about grading systems. Medical education leaders should consider implementing P/F grading into the first year of medical school