Identifying eBook Pedagogies for Literacy Instruction: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Students in K-6 support becoming digital learners but many lack the digital skills needed to engage with ICTs such as eBooks. Some educators lack the technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to adjust instruction and meet students’ needs. This study examined the extant body of research on the use of eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction to address the perceived lack of effective evidence based practices needed to build self-efficacy. The goal: identify effective TPK regarding when, how, and why to integrate eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction. The research questions: According to the extant literature, what types of K-6 literacy practices and engagements with eBooks are identified? What does the body of research recommend as the technological instructional pedagogies and knowledge needed by educators to meet the diverse needs of K-6 students as they engage with eBooks to develop digital literacy skills and competencies? The conceptual frameworks were the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) model. TPACK provided the rationale to develop a body of pedagogical knowledge. The TIM model provided the tools to identify when and how eBooks were integrated, the TPK educators need to build self-efficacy towards and value of eBook integration. Qualitative content analysis provided the rigor and structure to narrow the field of research, select relevant text for analysis, and identify why eBook integration is of value. The analysis reported eBooks have been integrated with the components of a balanced approach to literacy instruction and across a range of learning environments and levels of technology integration as defined by the TIM model. Three connected themes emerged: eBooks have a positive effect in building and sustaining reading motivation and engagement. This leads to literacy growth and development. The catalysts for much of these changes was the integrative tools and features embedded within the eBooks

Experimental studies of the program of assertive community treatment (PACT): A meta-analysis

The effectiveness of the Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) versus standard inpatient/outpatient treatment was investigated through a meta-analysis. The study included 19 peer-reviewed published articles describing controlled, randomized experiments comparing PACT to standard treatment of individuals with severe mental illness. Treatment was found to have a significant relationship with effectiveness on each of the following six indicators: number of hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, social functioning, symptomatology, patient satisfaction, and cost. The use of PACT was associated with fewer admissions, shorter length of stay, higher social functioning, lower symptomatology, greater patient satisfaction, and lower cost. These findings were challenged, however, by the confounding effect of attrition and the small amount of total variance explained in the effectiveness indicators by the PACT intervention. Future replication studies of PACT using larger sample sizes and standardized measures of benefits and costs appear necessary to justify major shifts in mental health and vocational rehabilitation services and funding policies.Journal ArticleFinal article publishe

Coronanomics: What the Outbreak Means for Jobs, Student Loans, and Your Future

Hosted by Ursinus College Business and Economics Department Faculty, the Career and Post-Graduate Development Office, and the Ursinus College Investment Management Company, this virtual panel addresses the growing concerns of students all across the country facing a new economic crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics covered include student loans, financial aid, internships and employment prospects

Intensive case management: A critical re-appraisal of the scientific evidence for effectiveness

Intensive Case Management (ICM) is widely claimed to be an evidence-based and cost effective program for people with high levels of disability as a result of mental illness. However, the findings of recent randomized controlled trials comparing ICM with ‘usual services’ suggest that both clinical and cost effectiveness of ICM may be weakening. Possible reasons for this, including fidelity of implementation, researcher allegiance effects and changes in the wider service environment within which ICM is provided, are considered. The implications for service delivery and research are discussed