Factors impacting teacher efficacy in policy implementation : the case of the reading first initiative

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on November 15, 2010).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisor: Dr. Karen Sunday Cockrell.Vita.Ph. D. University of Missouri--Columbia 2008.Implementation of educational innovations is a complex endeavor influenced by any number of individual and organizational factors (Berman, McLaughlin, Bass, Pauly, & Zellman, 1977; Elmore, 1978, 1979; Guskey, 1988; Huberman & Miles, 1984). Even as implementation research findings indicate policy success is most directly impacted by two broad factors -- local capacity and will (McLaughlin, 1987), "policy-directed change ultimately is a problem of the smallest unit" (McLaughlin, 1987, p. 171). Inasmuch, however, as individuals have influence over factors impacting implementation so too do organizational dynamics affect how individuals act in response to policy initiatives (Elmore, 1978; 2004; Huberman & Miles, 1984). Considerable resources have been expended over the years to build individual and organizational capacity to implement change (Guskey, 2000). Little is understood, however, about what it takes to influence the individual and organizational will to do so. Federal agencies, seeking to change "institutional behavior" at state and local levels "by offering ... financial assistance on the condition that [subordinate agencies] undertake certain prescribed activities" (McDonnell, 2005), have tightened control over disbursement of categorical program funds by linking payout of federal monies more closely to learning outcomes. At the same time that such strenuous requirements may serve to shift the political will at state and local levels, federal funds have been allotted for the purpose of building individual and organizational capacity for implementing change in school and classroom practices. Milbrey McLaughlin's (1987) claim that "policymakers can't mandate what matters" is particularly salient in the current atmosphere of high stakes accountability created by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The focus of this study, implementation of the Reading First initiative funded under Title I of NCLB, offers a complex context in which to examine the impact of environmental factors on the individual will to change teaching practices aligned with program requirements. This study is framed by the literature on teacher efficacy as I examine factors perceived to either enhance or undermine individual capacity and commitment for meeting policy goals. As the focus on implementation of federal education policies shifts from compliance with state and local requirements to the provision of technical assistance for supporting both teacher and student learning outcomes, it is imperative that research efforts focus on individual perception of environmental factors impacting such outcomes. In that sense, teachers may act as "informants and guides" to more effective policy design and implementation (McLaughlin, 1990, p. 15).Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-221)

Feasibility of Measuring Tobacco Smoke Air Pollution in Homes: Report from a Pilot Study.

Tobacco smoke air pollution (TSAP) measurement may persuade parents to adopt smoke-free homes and thereby reduce harm to children from tobacco smoke in the home. In a pilot study involving 29 smoking families, a Sidepak was used to continuously monitor home PM(2.5) during an 8-h period, Sidepak and/or Dylos monitors provided real-time feedback, and passive nicotine monitors were used to measure home air nicotine for one week. Feedback was provided to participants in the context of motivational interviews. Home PM(2.5) levels recorded by continuous monitoring were not well-accepted by participants because of the noise level. Also, graphs from continuous monitoring showed unexplained peaks, often associated with sources unrelated to indoor smoking, such as cooking, construction, or outdoor sources. This hampered delivery of a persuasive message about the relationship between home smoking and TSAP. By contrast, immediate real-time PM(2.5) feedback (with Sidepak or Dylos monitor) was feasible and provided unambiguous information; the Dylos had the additional advantages of being more economical and quieter. Air nicotine sampling was complicated by the time-lag for feedback and questions regarding shelf-life. Improvement in the science of TSAP measurement in the home environment is needed to encourage and help maintain smoke-free homes and protect vulnerable children. Recent advances in the use of mobile devices for real-time feedback are promising and warrant further development, as do accurate methods for real-time air nicotine air monitoring

Three-Centimeter Doppler Radar Observations of Wingtip-Generated Wake Vortices in Clear Air

This report documents a high risk, high pay-off experiment with the objective of detecting, for the first time, the presence of aircraft wake vortices in clear air using X-band Doppler radar. Field experiments were conducted in January 1995 at the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) to demonstrate the capability of the 9.33 GHz (I=3 cm) radar, which was assembled using an existing nine-meter parabolic antenna reflector at VVTT and the receiver/transmitter from the NASA Airborne Windshear Radar-Program. A C-130-aircraft, equipped with wingtip smoke generators, created visually marked wake vortices, which were recorded by video cameras. A C-band radar also observed the wake vortices during detection attempts with the X-band radar. Rawinsonde data was used to calculate vertical soundings of wake vortex decay time, cross aircraft bearing wind speed, and water vapor mixing ratio for aircraft passes over the radar measurement range. This experiment was a pathfinder in predicting, in real time, the location and persistence of C-130 vortices, and in setting the flight path of the aircraft to optimize X-band radar measurement of the wake vortex core in real time. This experiment was conducted in support of the NASA Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS)

The Teacher’s Role in Writing: A Study of Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions

A team of teacher education researchers conducted a qualitative study to explore how teacher candidates viewed the teacher’s role in teaching students to write. Participants (N = 107) enrolled in writing-focused methods courses across four universities completed a reflective quick write near the end of the course. Since writing is a complex and multidimensional activity, these responses were analyzed through the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory. When describing the role of the teacher, the data indicated candidates across all institutions primarily focused on the affective aspects of teaching writing, specifically supporting and developing students’ confidence in writing. Some mentioned the need for explicit instruction such as developing students’ writing skills and use of strategies. A smaller percentage included both the importance of affective and explicit instruction. Many candidates indicated the significance of the role that teachers play in students learning to write. Implications for writing pedagogy support within and beyond teacher preparation are discussed

Effectiveness of Interventions to Reduce Tobacco Smoke Pollution in Homes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction:: Smoke-free homes can help protect children from tobacco smoke exposure (TSE). The objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to quantify effects of interventions on changes in tobacco smoke pollution in the home, as measured by air nicotine and particulate matter (PM). Methods:: We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Embase. We included controlled trials of interventions which aimed to help parents protect children from tobacco smoke exposure. Two reviewers identified relevant studies, and three reviewers extracted data. Results:: Seven studies were identified. Interventions improved tobacco smoke air pollution in homes as assessed by nicotine or PM. (6 studies, N = 681, p = 0.02). Analyses of air nicotine and PM separately also showed some benefit (Air nicotine: 4 studies, N = 421, p = 0.08; PM: 3 studies, N = 340, p = 0.02). Despite improvements, tobacco smoke pollution was present in homes in all studies at follow-up. Conclusions:: Interventions designed to protect children from tobacco smoke are effective in reducing tobacco smoke pollution (as assessed by air nicotine or PM) in homes, but contamination remains. The persistence of significant pollution levels in homes after individual level intervention may signal the need for other population and regulatory measures to help reduce and eliminate childhood tobacco smoke exposure

Genetic insights into the introduction history of black rats into the eastern Indian Ocean

Islands can be powerful demonstrations of how destructive invasive species can be on endemic faunas and insular ecologies. Oceanic islands in the eastern Indian Ocean have suffered dramatically from the impact of one of the world’s most destructive invasive species, the black rat, causing the loss of endemic terrestrial mammals and ongoing threats to ground-nesting birds. We use molecular genetic methods on both ancient and modern samples to establish the origins and minimum invasion frequencies of black rats on Christmas Island and the Cocos-Keeling Islands. We find that each island group had multiple incursions of black rats from diverse geographic and phylogenetic sources. Furthermore, contemporary black rat populations on these islands are highly admixed to the point of potentially obscuring their geographic sources. These hybridisation events between black rat taxa also pose potential dangers to human populations on the islands from novel disease risks. Threats of ongoing introductions from yet additional geographic sources is highlighted by genetic identifications of black rats found on ships, which provides insight into how recent ship-borne human smuggling activity to Christmas Island can negatively impact its endemic species

The Design and Implementation of an Educational Computer Game and Its Study as a Motivational Tool for Middle School ESOL Students

Gemstone Team ILL (Interactive Language Learning)Over the past three years, Team ILL has designed, created and tested a multiplayer computer game intended to complement middle school English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) curriculum. Reflecting upon our own language classroom experiences, we wanted to create a game whose entertainment value equaled its educational value, thereby helping us answer our research question ―How effective is our interactive multiplayer computer game as a motivational tool for students?‖ In June 2009, we tested the game in Bates and Annapolis Middle Schools, the two schools in the Anne Arundel County Public School system with the largest ESOL populations. For further understanding of the game‘s potential as an educational tool, we performed a follow-up focus group with ESOL teachers and teachers with an interest in ESOL teaching techniques. Overall, the game was well received by both students and educators and shows potential as a motivating factor in middle school ESOL classrooms

An exploration of the current knowledge on young people who kill: a systematic review

This exploratory systematic review assessed the quality of primary studies on young people who kill and synthesised the findings regarding the characteristics of these offenders. An electronic search yielded 12,717 hits of papers published between 1989 and 2012. Of these, 8,395 duplicates, 3,787 irrelevant hits, and 527 publications not meeting the inclusion criteria of the review were excluded (15 publications were added after searching the grey literature), leaving 23 good quality studies. From these, a further seven were removed due to their small sample size (i.e., n < 30), leaving a total of 16 studies reviewed in detail. A search update was carried out on 2 February 2014 and no further studies meeting the inclusion criteria were found. The results indicate that juvenile homicide offenders are a heterogeneous group and the risk factors for juvenile homicide are cumulative and evolve through life. The findings are mixed, but ten risk factors are identified which appear to be consistent for offenders across the studies reviewed. The limitations of the current review are highlighted and recommendations for future research are outlined, with particular consideration given to improving the quality of the literature in this field

Sense of coherence predicts post-myocardial infarction trajectory of leisure time physical activity: a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical activity confers a survival advantage after myocardial infarction (MI), yet the majority of post-MI patients are not regularly active. Since sense of coherence (SOC) has been associated with health outcomes and some health behaviours, we investigated whether it plays a role in post-MI physical activity.</p> <p>We examined the predictive role of SOC in the long-term trajectory of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) after MI using a prospective cohort design.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cohort of 643 patients aged ≤ 65 years admitted to hospital in central Israel with incident MI between February 1992 and February 1993 were followed up for 13 years. Socioeconomic, clinical and psychological factors, including SOC, were assessed at baseline, and LTPA was self-reported on 5 separate occasions during follow-up. The predictive role of SOC in long-term trajectory of LTPA was assessed using generalized estimating equations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>SOC was consistently associated with engagement in LTPA throughout follow-up. Patients in the lowest SOC tertile had almost twice the odds (odds ratio,1.99; 95% confidence interval,1.52-2.60) of decreasing their engagement in LTPA as those in the highest tertile. A strong association remained after controlling for disease severity, depression, sociodemographic and clinical factors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our evidence suggests that SOC predicts LTPA trajectory post-MI. Assessment of SOC can help identify high-risk MI survivors, who may require additional help in following secondary prevention recommendations which can dramatically improve prognosis.</p