(2021). Using Analytic Rubrics to Support Second Language Writing Development in Online Tasks. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Hawai'i at Manoa. With the accelerated move to online learning, writing skills have become increasingly important for managing digital genres, such as educational blogs and discussion forums. Although effective written communication via such media is important for student success, many university-level second language learners navigate these unfamiliar tasks without access to guidelines concerning content, structure, and language use. Researchers in Applied Linguistics have suggested communicating teacher expectations through descriptive rubrics (Crusan, 2010; Ferris & Hedgcock, 2014; Weigle, 2002), and this dissertation investigates the effects of sharing an analytic rubric on learners' written development. The first phase of this sequential mixed-methods research involved the expert review of academic blog posts written by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Quantitative and qualitative data gathered during the review led to the identification of five categories around which… [Direct]
(2013). Designing Learning Object Repositories as Systems for Managing Educational Communities Knowledge. International Association for Development of the Information Society, Paper presented at the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA) (Fort Worth, TX, Oct 22-24, 2013). Over the past years, a number of international initiatives that recognize the importance of sharing and reusing digital educational resources among educational communities through the use of Learning Object Repositories (LORs) have emerged. Typically, these initiatives focus on collecting digital educational resources that are offered by their creators for open access and potential reuse. Nevertheless, most of the existing LORs are designed more as digital repositories, rather than as systems for organizing and sharing educational communities' explicit knowledge (depicted in digital educational resources constructed by teachers and/or instructional designers) and tacit knowledge (depicted in teachers' and students' experiences and interactions of using digital educational resources available in LORs). Within this context, in this paper we present an approach for designing LORs as systems for facilitating the organization and sharing of different types of educational communities'… [PDF]
(2019). From the Corner Office: New England Governors' Budget Proposals. New England Journal of Higher Education, Feb. This article summarizes the Governor Budget proposals in the New England region. Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut proposed restructuring, refinancing the systems' payments and slowing the rate of increase in the teachers' pension fund and the state employee pension fund, both of which are underfunded. Lamont also announced that for the first time, cities and towns will be asked to contribute $73 million toward municipal teachers' pension funds. At the same time the governor will provide cities and towns with an extra $65 million in Education Cost Sharing grants. In Maine, Governor Janet Mills increased spending in K-12 education, which is slated to receive an additional $126 million over the previous two-year budget cycle and for the University of Maine System. Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts presented to lawmakers a $42.7 billion budget for fiscal 2020, which represents a 1.5% increase over the prior year's budget. Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire provides $64… [Direct]
(2019). Forum Guide to Personalized Learning Data. NFES 2019-160. National Forum on Education Statistics Educators employ different methods of teaching and learning to help their students succeed. One such method is personalized learning, which aims to tailor instruction to the needs, talents, and skills of each individual learner. Rapid advances in technology platforms and digital content over the last decade have enabled more widespread use of personalized learning. As a result, many schools and districts may be interested in expanding its use across various content areas and grade levels. Effective personalized learning requires the collection, understanding, and use of data across many variables. Schools and districts that are interested in implementing personalized learning need to be prepared to ensure the data access, data privacy, and time and training to use data that are necessary to making personalized learning scalable. This document is designed to assist education agencies as they consider whether and how to expand their use of personalized learning. It provides an overview… [PDF] [Direct]
(2013). The Effect of Technology-Supported Co-Sharing on L2 Vocabulary Strategy Educational Technology & Society, v16 n4 p1-16. Strategies play an important role in learning a second or foreign language (L2). The aim of the current study was to develop and evaluate a co-sharing-based strategy learning system for L2 vocabulary learning known as [Direct]
(2018). The Virtual Microscopy Database–Sharing Digital Microscope Images for Research and Education. Anatomical Sciences Education, v11 n5 p510-515 Sep-Oct. Over the last 20 years, virtual microscopy has become the predominant modus of teaching the structural organization of cells, tissues, and organs, replacing the use of optical microscopes and glass slides in a traditional histology or pathology laboratory setting. Although virtual microscopy image files can easily be duplicated, creating them requires not only quality histological glass slides but also an expensive whole slide microscopic scanner and massive data storage devices. These resources are not available to all educators and researchers, especially at new institutions in developing countries. This leaves many schools without access to virtual microscopy resources. The Virtual Microscopy Database (VMD) is a new resource established to address this problem. It is a virtual image file-sharing website that allows researchers and educators easy access to a large repository of virtual histology and pathology image files. With the support from the American Association of Anatomists… [Direct]
(2018). Distributed Leadership in Three Diverse Public Schools: Perceptions of Deputy Principals in Johannesburg. Issues in Educational Research, v28 n3 p781-796. This article explores the perceptions of deputy principals of formerly segregated township schools in South Africa on the concept of distributed leadership. In the apartheid dispensation, school leadership style was hierarchical and centralised on the principal, but now distributed leadership has gained global attention because it allows different leadership roles to be allocated over multiple members of the school, for the purpose of improvement of learner achievement. The paper is based on a case study research of three deputy principals in three schools in Johannesburg. The schools were selected on the basis that they were historically disadvantaged, hence they are designated here as former Indian, Black and Coloured schools. A qualitative approach was employed in which semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. The findings revealed that all the three deputy principals understood distributed leadership as sharing responsibilities and working collaboratively for the sake… [PDF]
(2012). Financing Higher Education: Lessons from China. Irish Educational Studies, v31 n2 p191-206. In China, debates about higher education finance led to the introduction of a cost-sharing model, whereby students were required to pay tuition fees, over a decade ago. However, there is still significant resistance towards such a system within the broader society. In order to share insights into the development of the cost-sharing policy in China with international readers and scholars, this paper thoroughly reviews the origins, impact and challenges of the cost-sharing system in Chinese higher education. Based on systematic analysis, the paper recommends reforms to the cost-sharing system in order to contribute to a stronger financial foundation for the development of the Chinese higher education system. (Contains 3 figures, 2 tables, and 8 notes.)… [Direct]
(2015). The Role of Identity Narratives in Overcoming Barriers to Parental Engagement. TESOL in Context, v25 n1 p16-33 Sep. This paper describes a qualitative study conducted over the course of one school year in an ethnically diverse school. Aimed at exploring the conditions under which parents of low socioeconomic status (SES) immigrant-background children will engage actively with the school, we involved parents and facilitators in story-telling sessions, sharing personal experiences and reading and writing stories about identity and diversity. An interactional space for these exchanges was created within the school where parents' linguistic and cultural talents were valued. We conclude, on the basis of interviews and group discussions with parents, that parental engagement will be productive in supporting student achievement only when their relationships with educators in the school are identity-affirming…. [PDF]
(2016). Parents' Beliefs and Commitments towards Formal Education and Participation in Book-Sharing Interactions amongst Rural Mayan Parents of First Grade Children. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Harvard University. As Western schooling continues to expand and reach remote communities, it is imperative to understand rural parents' beliefs about formal education and the ways in which they can support their children's schooling. Sociodemographic changes in rural communities have been connected to shifts in parents' cultural values and practices (Greenfield, 2009), and parental participation in the institution of Western schooling has been identified as an important influence in these changes (Chavajay, 2006; LeVine et al, 2003; 2012, Rogoff & Chavajay, 2002; Rogoff et al., 1993). This dissertation contributes to this knowledge base by exploring both schooled and unschooled parents' beliefs and commitments towards formal education and their participation in a book-sharing interaction in four rural Mayan communities. In the first study, I used grounded-theory methods to characterize and compare schooled and unschooled parents' beliefs on the benefits of formal education for their children's… [Direct]
(2013). Development of Critically Reflective Dialogues in Communities of Health Professionals. Advances in Health Sciences Education, v18 n4 p627-643 Oct. Critically reflective dialogues (CRD) are important for knowledge sharing and creating meaning in communities. CRD includes different aspects: being open about mistakes, critical opinion sharing, asking for and giving feedback, experimentation, challenging groupthink and research utilisation. In this article we explore whether CRD aspects change over time, through a study of two dialogues each from six different communities of veterinary health professionals. Change was studied from the perspective of observations, through analysing transcripts of dialogues, and from the perspective of community members' perceptions, through an evaluative discussion with members. The results showed that some communities became more open about mistakes, a finding that is related to an increase in trust. Other observed aspects of CRD seemed to be fairly stable over time. Community members perceived research utilisation and asking for and giving feedback to have been increased. From an analysis of… [Direct]
(2022). Psychological Applications and Trends 2022. Online Submission This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2022, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.), held in Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal, from 23 to 25 of April 2022. Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. We take pride in having been… [PDF]
(2022). Supporting Science Teacher Learning in Curriculum-Based Professional Development. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston College. Science education is shifting from a vision of students memorizing facts towards engaging in figuring out the natural world as students build ideas from their own experiences and backgrounds. This shift is hard for teachers. One way to support teachers is curriculum-based professional development, which pairs high-quality instructional materials with professional development to help teachers understand the philosophy of those materials and what that looks like in practice. This three-paper dissertation uses the OpenSciEd middle school field test, a curriculum-based professional development program, as a context to investigate how to support teachers with this shift. The first paper is a quantitative look at teacher surveys taken across the first two years of the OpenSciEd field test. I tracked changes in teachers' beliefs about science instruction and confidence in implementing OpenSciEd. I used Hierarchical Linear Modeling to identify teacher characteristics associated with… [Direct]
(2022). Beyond Access: Best Practices to Increase Success for Low-Income, First-Generation College Students. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Morehead State University. Low-income, first-generation (LIFG) student enrollment into postsecondary education programs has been steadily increasing over the last decade. These two groups of marginalized students are habitually overlooked regarding the need for additional supports as they often lack any visual indicators of their LIFG status. LIFG students arrive on-campus with unique goals, stories, and challenges but regularly lack college-going knowledge and social capital necessary to be successful at the collegiate level. Colleges and other advocacy groups have been working across the globe to develop, implement, and examine specific programming and andragogy that hold the potential to increase LIFG collegiate student success when measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA), retention, and degree completion. LIFG students report multiple reasons for leaving a postsecondary program including intense feelings of isolation, financial need, and lack of campus engagement. Several studies reflect similar… [Direct]
(2022). Secondary Science Teachers' Sociopolitical Consciousness and Their Conceptions of Science and Science Instruction. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Connecticut. Science reform efforts over the years have addressed the need to make science engaging and accessible for all learners. These efforts attend to multiple aspects of science teaching and learning, including, but not limited to, more intentional focus on teaching students about the nature of science, as well as increased use of Culturally Relevant Science Teaching. Teachers are thus being asked to lead the charge in facilitating shifts in what is considered science and how science classrooms operate. These shifts require (1) high levels of sociopolitical consciousness, (2) anti-traditional conceptions of science, and (3) critical ideas on how to modify science instruction. The purpose of this dissertation, comprised of three papers, was to investigate teachers' consciousness and conceptions across these three areas. I conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 secondary science teachers from culturally and linguistically diverse districts in the same northeastern state. I drew on… [Direct]