55 research outputs found
Mediators of Inequity: Online Literate Activity in Two Eighth Grade English Language Arts Classes
This comparative case study, framed by Cultural Historical Activity Theory and sociocultural understandings of literacy, investigated studentsâ online literate activity in two eighth grade English Language Arts classes taught by the same teacher - one with a scripted literacy curriculum and the other without. During a year-long research project, we used ethnographic methods to explore the nature of middle school studentsâ literate activity in each of these classes, with particular attention to the mediators evident as students engaged in online literate activity. Specifically, this article addresses the following research question: What mediators were evident within and across each of the classes and how did these mediators influence studentsâ online literate activity? In addressing this question, we illustrate how particular configurations of mediators â even those operating within the context of the same school and same teacher â significantly influenced the nature of studentsâ online literate activity and the literate identities available to students. This study reinforces the importance of attending to the influence of offline mediators in school settings. Without such attention, studentsâ formal education is likely to be transferred online rather than transformed online
Teachers\u27 Perceptions of Preparedness to Teach Students with Disabilities
Providing a meaningful education to all learners, including those with disabilities, is the responsibility of all educators. This study utilized a multi-method survey design to examine and compare general and special education teachersâ perceived preparedness to teach students with disabilities as well as the experiences each group believes contributed to that preparedness. Special education teachersâ rated themselves as more prepared for both instruction and social inclusion of students with disabilities than general education teachers, both after completing their undergraduate programs and after gaining teaching experience. While teachers across both groups valued similar experiences during their undergraduate programs, such as clinical placements and the ability to interact with students with disabilities during their program, the nature and frequency of those experiences across programs differed. Reported post-undergraduate experiences contributing to preparedness also differed between the groups. Across both teaching groups, few post-undergraduate professional learning opportunities (e.g., graduate school, professional development workshops) to teach students with disabilities were identified. Implications and recommendations for teacher education programs are described
âI Think Writing isâŠâ A Multi-State Study of Teacher Candidatesâ Changing Beliefs about Writing
While writing scholarship framed by sociocultural theory illuminates the complexity of writing, writing in schools is frequently presented in simplistic ways. For this to change, teacher educators must support future teachers to develop complex understandings of writing. The purpose of this multi-state study was to investigate teacher candidatesâ changing beliefs about writing and to consider the implications for teacher preparation. Data sources were written responses from 113 teacher candidates to questions about good writing and the purposes of writing that were collected at the beginning and end of semester-long literacy courses in six institutions across the United States. The responses were examined using thematic and discourse analysis. Findings indicate that, almost all teacher candidates changed their beliefs related to writing as a social, personal, and/or school practice, although changes were minor. Responses centering writing as a school activity were pervasive, and certain key sociocultural understandings, such as the connections between writing, context, culture, and power, were absent. Implications highlight ways that teacher educators might work to disrupt and broaden teacher candidatesâ beliefs about writing, so teacher candidates might expand how writing is taught in their future classrooms
The Teacherâs Role in Writing: A Study of Teacher Candidatesâ Perceptions
A team of teacher education researchers conducted a qualitative study to explore how teacher candidates viewed the teacherâs 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 studentsâ confidence in writing. Some mentioned the need for explicit instruction such as developing studentsâ 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
Mate Value and Self-Esteem: Evidence from Eight Cultural Groups
This paper explores self-perceived mate value (SPMV), and its association with self-esteem, in eight cultures. 1066 participants, from 8 cultural groups in 7 countries, rated themselves on 24 SPMVs and completed a measure of self-esteem. Consistent with evolutionary theory, women were more likely to emphasise their caring and passionate romantic nature. In line with previous cross-cultural research, characteristics indicating passion and romance and social attractiveness were stressed more by respondents from individualistic cultures, and those higher on self-expression (rather than survival) values; characteristics indicative of maturity and confidence were more likely to be mentioned by those from Traditional, rather than Secular, cultures. Contrary to gender role theory, societal equality had only limited interactions with sex and SPMV, with honesty of greater significance for male self-esteem in societies with unequal gender roles. These results point to the importance of cultural and environmental factors in influencing self-perceived mate qualities, and are discussed in relation to broader debates about the impact of gender role equality on sex differences in personality and mating strategies
Self-Reported Time in Bed and Sleep Quality in Association with Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in School-Age Youth
This study investigated the relationship between self-reported time in bed and sleep quality in association with self-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of 285 elementary school students (52% female) recruited from a rural Midwestern elementary school. Path models were used to estimate proposed associations, controlling for grade level and gender. Curvilinear associations were found between time in bed and anxiety, depressive symptoms, and irritability. Marginal curvilinear trends were found between time in bed and emotion dysregulation, reactive aggression, and proactive aggression. Sleep quality was negatively associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, irritability, reactive aggression, and delinquency engagement. Gender and grade differences were found across models. Findings suggest that examining self-reported time in bed (both linear and quadratic) and sleep quality is important for understanding internalizing and externalizing symptoms associated with sleep in school-age youth. Incorporating self-reported sleep assessments into clinical practice and school-based evaluations may have implications for a childâs adjustment
Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) 2015: advancing efficient methodologies through community partnerships and team science
It is well documented that the majority of adults, children and families in need of evidence-based behavioral health interventionsi do not receive them [1, 2] and that few robust empirically supported methods for implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) represents a burgeoning effort to advance the innovation and rigor of implementation research and is uniquely focused on bringing together researchers and stakeholders committed to evaluating the implementation of complex evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Through its diverse activities and membership, SIRC aims to foster the promise of implementation research to better serve the behavioral health needs of the population by identifying rigorous, relevant, and efficient strategies that successfully transfer scientific evidence to clinical knowledge for use in real world settings [3]. SIRC began as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded conference series in 2010 (previously titled the âSeattle Implementation Research Conferenceâ; $150,000 USD for 3 conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015) with the recognition that there were multiple researchers and stakeholdersi working in parallel on innovative implementation science projects in behavioral health, but that formal channels for communicating and collaborating with one another were relatively unavailable. There was a significant need for a forum within which implementation researchers and stakeholders could learn from one another, refine approaches to science and practice, and develop an implementation research agenda using common measures, methods, and research principles to improve both the frequency and quality with which behavioral health treatment implementation is evaluated. SIRCâs membership growth is a testament to this identified need with more than 1000 members from 2011 to the present.ii SIRCâs primary objectives are to: (1) foster communication and collaboration across diverse groups, including implementation researchers, intermediariesi, as well as community stakeholders (SIRC uses the term âEBP championsâ for these groups) â and to do so across multiple career levels (e.g., students, early career faculty, established investigators); and (2) enhance and disseminate rigorous measures and methodologies for implementing EBPs and evaluating EBP implementation efforts. These objectives are well aligned with Glasgow and colleaguesâ [4] five core tenets deemed critical for advancing implementation science: collaboration, efficiency and speed, rigor and relevance, improved capacity, and cumulative knowledge. SIRC advances these objectives and tenets through in-person conferences, which bring together multidisciplinary implementation researchers and those implementing evidence-based behavioral health interventions in the community to share their work and create professional connections and collaborations
Balancing opportunities and risks in teenagers' use of the internet: the role of online skills and internet self-efficacy
Many hopes exist regarding the opportunities that the internet can offer to young people as well as fears about the risks it may bring. Informed by research on media literacy, this article examines the role of selected measures of internet literacy in relation to teenagersâ online experiences. Data from a national survey of teenagers in the UK (N = 789) are analyzed to examine: first, the demographic factors that influence skills in using the internet; and, second (the main focus of the study), to ask whether these skills make a difference to online opportunities and online risks. Consistent with research on the digital divide, path analysis showed the direct influence of age and socioeconomic status on young peopleâs access, the direct influence of age and access on their use of online opportunities, and the direct influence of gender on online risks. The importance of online skills was evident insofar as online access, use and skills were found to mediate relations between demographic variables and young peopleâs experience of online opportunities and risks. Further, an unexpected positive relationship between online opportunities and risks was found, with implications for policy interventions aimed at reducing the risks of internet use
- âŠ