Newsletter - Winter 2010

STEM Summit 2010
STEM Summit 2010, held February 18-19 at the UC Irvine Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, was sponsored by the Samueli Foundation, the UC Irvine Department of Education, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, and Children and Families Commission of Orange County, with the National Academy of Engineering as host, and White House Writers Group as a Contributing Partner.
Over the two-day Summit, more than 140 educators, researchers, industry leaders, foundation representatives, policy makers, and funders considered the continuum of STEM education from early childhood through higher education, including the challenges faced by underserved populations, such as those with limited English proficiency and those from low-income families.
Presentations addressed the nexus between early learning and the long-term goal of improving the United States' innovation capacity, competitiveness in the global economy, and the quality of life enjoyed by all of its citizens,
The Summit was structured with three overarching goals:
STEM Summit 2010, held February 18-19 at the UC Irvine Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, was sponsored by the Samueli Foundation, the UC Irvine Department of Education, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, and Children and Families Commission of Orange County, with the National Academy of Engineering as host, and White House Writers Group as a Contributing Partner.
Over the two-day Summit, more than 140 educators, researchers, industry leaders, foundation representatives, policy makers, and funders considered the continuum of STEM education from early childhood through higher education, including the challenges faced by underserved populations, such as those with limited English proficiency and those from low-income families.
Presentations addressed the nexus between early learning and the long-term goal of improving the United States' innovation capacity, competitiveness in the global economy, and the quality of life enjoyed by all of its citizens,
The Summit was structured with three overarching goals:
- Create a dialogue about the current state of Early Learning - Higher Ed STEM research, innovations, and trends.
- Encourage the further development and dissemination of effective Early Learning - Higher Ed STEM initiatives and discuss programs that are strong targets for investment.

Ellen Galinsky Previews New Book for DoE
Ellen Galinsky previewed her new book, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs (New York: HarperStudio, available April 2010), at UC Irvine, on February 3.
Ms. Galinsky is President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute, a Manhattan-based non-profit organization that conducts research on the changing family, changing workforce, and changing community. She is the author of over 40 books and reports, including The Six Stages of Parenthood, The Preschool Years, and the groundbreaking book, Ask the Children: The Breakthrough Study That Reveals How to Succeed at Work and Parenting, selected by The Wall Street Journal as one of the best work-life books of 1999. She has published more than 100 articles in academic journals, books, and magazines.
A leading authority on work-family issues and a popular keynote speaker, Ms. Galinsky was a presenter at the 2000 White House Conference on Teenagers and the 1997 White House Conference on Child Care. She is the recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Achievement Award from Vassar College and appears regularly at national conferences, on television and in the media, including Today, Good Morning America, 20/20, Nightline, and Oprah.
Before co-founding FWI, Ms. Galinsky was on the faculty of Bank Street College of Education for 25 years, where she helped establish the field of work and family life.
Ellen Galinsky previewed her new book, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs (New York: HarperStudio, available April 2010), at UC Irvine, on February 3.
Ms. Galinsky is President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute, a Manhattan-based non-profit organization that conducts research on the changing family, changing workforce, and changing community. She is the author of over 40 books and reports, including The Six Stages of Parenthood, The Preschool Years, and the groundbreaking book, Ask the Children: The Breakthrough Study That Reveals How to Succeed at Work and Parenting, selected by The Wall Street Journal as one of the best work-life books of 1999. She has published more than 100 articles in academic journals, books, and magazines.
A leading authority on work-family issues and a popular keynote speaker, Ms. Galinsky was a presenter at the 2000 White House Conference on Teenagers and the 1997 White House Conference on Child Care. She is the recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Achievement Award from Vassar College and appears regularly at national conferences, on television and in the media, including Today, Good Morning America, 20/20, Nightline, and Oprah.
Before co-founding FWI, Ms. Galinsky was on the faculty of Bank Street College of Education for 25 years, where she helped establish the field of work and family life.
DoE Faculty Present at Society for Research in Educational Effectiveness (SREE)
The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) was established in 2005 to provide an organizational infrastructure that supports and promotes research focused on causal effects of education interventions, practices, programs, and policies.
In keeping with its commitment to applying procedural norms of science to the study of educational problems, the SREE sponsors activities and publishes original research focused on educational effectiveness. Research highlighted by SREE includes rigorously designed predictive studies of educational interventions and descriptive studies that model the distribution of education outcomes. Publications and activities sponsored by SREE bring into focus developments in research design, measurement, modeling and data analysis to advance education research.
Six DoE professors participated in the 2010 Conference for the Society for Research in Educational Effectiveness (SREE) held in Washington, D.C. March 4-6.
Professor Margaret Burchinal
"Testing for Thresholds in Associations Between Child Care Quality and Child Outcomes"
Abstract
Professor Burchinal with University of Virginia Senior Research Scientists Bridget K. Hamre and Jason T. Downer and Dean Robert C. Pianta
"A Course on Supporting Early Language and Literacy Development Through Effective Teacher-Child Interactions: Effects on Teacher Beliefs, Knowledge, and Practice"
Abstract
Assistant Professors Thurston Domina and AnneMarie Conley, with Marianne Bitler (UCI Economics) and Hillary Hoynes (UCI Economics)
"The Distributional Consequences of High School Exist Exams"
Abstract
Distinguished Professor Greg Duncan, with Hillary M. Shager and Katherine A. Magnuson (University of Wisconsin), Cassandra M.D. Hart (Northwestern University), Holly S. Schindler and Hirokazu Yoshikawa (Harvard University)
" Using Meta-Analysis to Explain Variation in Head Start Research Results: The Role of Research Design"
Abstract
Professor George Farkas served as discussant for the invited symposium: "Using National Data Sets to Study the Effects of Early Childhood Programs"
Professor and Chair Deborah Lowe Vandell presented at the invited symposium: "Using National Data Sets to Study the Effects of Early Childhood Programs"
The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) was established in 2005 to provide an organizational infrastructure that supports and promotes research focused on causal effects of education interventions, practices, programs, and policies.
In keeping with its commitment to applying procedural norms of science to the study of educational problems, the SREE sponsors activities and publishes original research focused on educational effectiveness. Research highlighted by SREE includes rigorously designed predictive studies of educational interventions and descriptive studies that model the distribution of education outcomes. Publications and activities sponsored by SREE bring into focus developments in research design, measurement, modeling and data analysis to advance education research.
Six DoE professors participated in the 2010 Conference for the Society for Research in Educational Effectiveness (SREE) held in Washington, D.C. March 4-6.
Professor Margaret Burchinal
"Testing for Thresholds in Associations Between Child Care Quality and Child Outcomes"
Abstract
Professor Burchinal with University of Virginia Senior Research Scientists Bridget K. Hamre and Jason T. Downer and Dean Robert C. Pianta
"A Course on Supporting Early Language and Literacy Development Through Effective Teacher-Child Interactions: Effects on Teacher Beliefs, Knowledge, and Practice"
Abstract
Assistant Professors Thurston Domina and AnneMarie Conley, with Marianne Bitler (UCI Economics) and Hillary Hoynes (UCI Economics)
"The Distributional Consequences of High School Exist Exams"
Abstract
Distinguished Professor Greg Duncan, with Hillary M. Shager and Katherine A. Magnuson (University of Wisconsin), Cassandra M.D. Hart (Northwestern University), Holly S. Schindler and Hirokazu Yoshikawa (Harvard University)
" Using Meta-Analysis to Explain Variation in Head Start Research Results: The Role of Research Design"
Abstract
Professor George Farkas served as discussant for the invited symposium: "Using National Data Sets to Study the Effects of Early Childhood Programs"
Professor and Chair Deborah Lowe Vandell presented at the invited symposium: "Using National Data Sets to Study the Effects of Early Childhood Programs"
AERA 2010 Presentations
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.
AERA is the most prominent international professional organization, with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. Its more than 25,000 members are educators; administrators; directors of research; persons working with testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists.
The broad range of disciplines represented by the membership includes education, psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science. (Text courtesy of AERA: http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA.htm)
AERA's 2010 Annual Meeting will be held April 30 through May 4th in Denver, Colorado. The 2010 theme is "Understanding Complex Ecologies in a Changing World."
Below are abstracts of presentations by nine professors, one research scientist, and eight Ph.D. in Education students from UC Irvine Department of Education.
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.
AERA is the most prominent international professional organization, with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. Its more than 25,000 members are educators; administrators; directors of research; persons working with testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists.
The broad range of disciplines represented by the membership includes education, psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science. (Text courtesy of AERA: http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA.htm)
AERA's 2010 Annual Meeting will be held April 30 through May 4th in Denver, Colorado. The 2010 theme is "Understanding Complex Ecologies in a Changing World."
Below are abstracts of presentations by nine professors, one research scientist, and eight Ph.D. in Education students from UC Irvine Department of Education.
Associate Professor Liane Brouillette
“Arts Integration in the Era of No Child Left Behind: A Case Study of Two Urban Elementary Schools" Abstract This paper uses teachers' attempts to include the arts in the classroom as a lens to look at the school-level effects of inflexible state and federal directives that focus on raising test scores but take little account of local conditions. In one of the two urban elementary schools examined, integration of the arts into the classroom curriculum had proven productive, boosting the achievement of English language learners (ELLs), while invigorating teacher motivation and feelings of effectiveness. In the other school, which was in the fifth year of school improvement under NCLB, teachers' use of innovative strategies was discouraged, affecting teacher morale. -------------------------------------------------------- “How the Arts Support Social-Emotional Development: The Experiences of Urban K-2 Teachers” Abstract Although there is widespread recognition that arts experiences enhance children's social-emotional development, the mechanisms through which this takes place are little understood. This paper provides insight into the role of the arts, first through a review of recent research on child development and, second, through interviews with inner city K-2 teachers who had participated in the San Diego K-2 Teaching Artist program. Evidence is presented that arts experiences--drama activities in particular--both motivated children and helped them to develop an enhanced understanding of the responses, emotional expressions, and actions of others. Children who spoke a language other than English at home benefited from the opportunity to perform at their true developmental level. |
Associate Professor Gilberto Q. Conchas, Discussant
“Pathways to Postsecondary Education for Youth in Poverty: Developing a Critical Research Agenda" Abstract This purpose of this symposium is to share research on the obstacles and opportunities to postsecondary education (PSE) for youth in poverty. The objectives of the symposium are three-fold: 1) provide a critical examination of the way youth in poverty are framed in higher education literature; 2) present an analysis of enrollment trajectories for low-income youth; and 3) describe how the use of an emerging methodological technique, geographic information systems (GIS), informs knowledge on the intersection between space, poverty, and educational outcomes for youth. Assessing where we are and where we are going as a field in this area may enhance our abilities to develop the systemic and concerted efforts that are needed to improve opportunities to higher education. |
Professor George Farkas with Paul Morgan and Steve Maczuga
“Do Poor Readers Feel Angry, Sad, and Unpopular?" Abstract This study investigated whether and to what extent being poorly skilled in reading contributes to children's self-reported feelings of anger, distractibility, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and social isolation. Multi-level logistic regression analyses indicated that poor readers in 3rd grade were more likely to self-report feeling angry, sad, or unpopular in 5th grade than those who had not been poor readers in 3rd grade (ORs range=1.71-1.89). These statistically significant estimates were derived after controlling for whether children had already self-reported negative feelings in 3rd grade, as well as for a wide range of additional child-, family-, school-, and community-level confounding factors. The study's results provide additional empirical evidence for theoretical accounts that reading failure negatively impacts children's socio-emotional adjustment. |
Professor Michael E. Martinez with Joe Klunder and Jeneen D. Graham
“Strategies for the Direct Enhancement of Intelligence" Abstract In decades past, researchers attempted to enhance cognitive functioning through interventions, and met with modest, though measurable, success. In this paper, we present a conceptual basis for the enhancement of intelligence that is plausibly more powerful than previous attempts. The design targets three key cognitive traits strongly associated with intelligence: working memory capacity, inductive reasoning ability, and verbal reasoning. Psychometric studies affirm that these three have strong loadings on measured intelligence. The first, working memory capacity, is the pivotal parameter of the mind's ability to hold and process active information. It has long been presumed to be ultra stable or unalterable, but recent research shows that working memory capacity can be improved, and the effects of training transfer to novel tasks. Inductive reasoning ability, a second broad construct, is likewise highly related to general intelligence. The ability to induce patterns and apply them--the essence of inductive reasoning--is closely related to fluid intelligence, which, in turn, is sometimes indistinguishable from general mental ability. A third factor, verbal ability, is strongly associated with crystallized intelligence, which facilitates the accumulation of a deep knowledge base. These three sub-abilities, each a potent component of intelligent functioning, are demonstrably trainable. Considered together, they present the basis of a design to enhance human intelligence directly and substantially. -------------------------------------------------------- Professor Michael E. Martinez with Erin E. Peters (George Mason University) “Cognitive Affordances of the Cyberinfrastructure for Science and Math Learning” Abstract The emergine cyberinfrastructure now presents an evolutionary lap in access to information about the natural world. The term cyberinfrastucture refers to a broad informational network that permits connections to real-time data sensors, tools that permit visualization and other forms of analysis, and facile access to vast scientific databases. The cyberinfrastructure not only presents a significant resource for scientists, it also offers an unprecedented opportunity for STEM teachers and learners (Borgman et al., 2008). The articulated resources of the cyberinfrastructure can underpin more authentic learning experiences than were possible in the past by bringing scientific data into greater proximity with the student. Changes in the modes, styles, location, and results of learning mediated by the cyberinfrastructure--collectively called cyberlearning--presents what some believe is an unprecedented opportunity to advance STEM education broadly (to diverse populations, ages, and setting) and deeply (toward more complex understandings). |
Associate Professor Judith Haymore Sandholtz with Cathy Wingstaff (WestEd)
“Reversing the Downward Spiral of Science Instruction in K-2 Classrooms” Abstract Although science is included in national standards and is recognized as an important subject, the time spent on science at the elementary level and the quality of instruction are declining. This study investigates the extent to which teacher professional development leads to changes in science instruction in K-2 classrooms. The study focuses on 40 teachers who are involved in a professional development program that provides science and technology assistance for K-2 teachers in rural and small districts. The research specifically examines a) changes in instructional time, instructional strategies, content knowledge, and self-efficacy; and b) contextual factors contributing to or preventing changes. Data sources include a teacher survey, a self-efficacy assessment, content knowledge tests, interviews, and classroom observations. |
Assistant Professor Elizabeth van Es with Lynn Goldsmith (EDC) and Nannette Seago (WestEd)
"Facilitating Teachers Analysis of Artifacts of Practice” Abstract Research on artifact-based PD often focuses on detailing teachers' learning (e.g., Santagata, Zannoni, & Stigler, 2007). This paper shifts the focus from the question of "what did teachers learn?" to "how do facilitators support teacher learning?" We investigate how facilitators shape, focus, and support teachers' inquiries in professional development. Previously, we found that teachers who examined classroom artifacts learn to focus on the mathematically important details of student thinking (Goldsmith & Seago, 2008; Sherin & van Es, 2009). This research left us with questions about how the teachers learned to be more analytic and the facilitators' role in that process. Data for this study come from two artifact-rich PD programs. One of these programs is highly specified, which is based on published materials with pre-set agendas and activities (Seago, Mumme, & Branca, 2004) and the other is emergent PD, which has specific frameworks and overarching goals but does not have pre-determined agendas. Instead, the specifics of the PD depend on the context and goals of the participants (Sherin, 2000). We examine the nature of facilitation and demands on facilitators in these two contexts. Data include meeting discussion transcripts. Qualitative methods were used to characterize the nature of facilitation in each context and to generate a framework for facilitating productive discussions across these contexts. -------------------------------------------------------- Assistant Professor Elizabeth van Es with Ph.D. Student Laurie Hansen “Developing Professional Vision: Learning to Notice in Complex Classroom Settings” Abstract Central to the development of expertise in teaching, particularly that advocated by current reforms in mathematics and science education, is the ability to recognize and interpret student thinking as it is expressed during instruction. This ability can be described as noticing and is a key component of teachers' professional vision. The objective of this session is to explore the affordances of noticing and professional vision to inform teacher education for pre-service and beginning teachers of mathematics and science. By bringing together researchers working in both mathematics and science education and those working in two different countries (the United States and Germany), this session provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas across disciplines and contexts. |
Professor and Chair Deborah Lowe Vandell in Presidential Session
“Complex Ecologies and Epidemiology: Research in Educational and Developmental Dispartities" Abstract The annual meeting theme calls for a discussion of the complex ecologies that influence individual psychological functioning as well as related social outcomes. A science that supports a better understanding of the distribution and determinants of protective and risk factors as individuals and groups negotiate our complex ecosystem(s) is important. Understanding life course protective and risk factors is central to addressing educational and developmental disparities. This session will focus on how epidemiology might improve on our knowledge of educational and developmental disparities. The discussion will also include the potential limitations of this science as well. -------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Vandell Serves as Discussant for the Session "Developing Family-School Social Capital in Latino Communities: 1st-Year Results From a Mixed-Methods Study." Abstract This symposium presents first-year findings from a mixed-methods, interdisciplinary study of an effort to reduce educational inequality for children of Latino origin. Latino families' sense of isolation from school systems is a major barrier to children's school success. The research tests whether a parent-child after-school program that brings families and educators together on an ongoing basis can reduce isolation and enhance outcomes for children by building social capital: relations of trust and shared expectations between parents and children, among families, and between parents and schools. Papers focus on the measurement and emergence of social capital, the role of language use and acculturation in social capital development, and the impact of social capital on child outcomes. -------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Vandell is participating in the session: "So You Want To Be a Peer Reviewer: Learning to Review Annual Meeting Papers and Enhancing Annual Meeting Quality." Abstract This session provides a comprehensive orientation directed primarily at graduate students who are interested in serving as peer reviewers on review panels for AERA Annual Meeting submissions. Emphasis will be placed on the process of reviewing, how to review, and the educative value for the reviewer. |
Professor Mark Warschauer
“Netbooks and Open Source Software in One-to-One Programs" Abstract More than a decade of research on one-to-one laptop programs in K-12 schools has demonstrated their educational benefits, including heightened student engagement, greater access to and use of diverse sources of information, improved student writing, and development of technological proficiency and 21st century learning skills (Zucker, 2009; Warschauer, 2006). Yet, in spite of these benefits, the growth of such programs has been slow, largely due to their cost (Greaves & Hayes, 2008). A new genre of small, low-power laptops known as "netbooks," used in conjunction with open source software, could substantially lower the cost of one-to-one programs. Advocates suggest that the low-cost, easy portability, and long battery life of netbooks makes them very suitable for education, but no studies have previously been carried out of their use in U.S. schools. This study examined the use of netbooks and open source software in one-to-one programs in three elementary schools-one principally African American, one principally Latino, and one principally White-in three states. The multi-site case study gathered data through classroom observations; interviews with teachers, students, parents, and administrators; and collection of district, school, teachers, and student documents and student records. An iterative data analysis-based on a combination of top-down and bottom-up coding-generated findings within and across the three cases. The study was theoretically motivated by a socially embedded view of technology and education that views any technological intervention as having meaning only in relationship to its social context and its fit with the needs of teachers, learners, and schools (Warschauer, 2003). Analysis of the first round of observations and interviews indicates that the cost of implementing these programs is less than one half that of prior one-to-one programs (see Greaves & Hayes, 2008). Use of the Linux operating system also sharply reduced costs of technical support. Both teachers and students found the small display and keyboard very suitable for educational purposes. The hardware and software combinations were robust and enabled all previous educational applications except for video editing. The principal uses of netbooks paralleled those reported in prior research on one-to-one programs (e.g., Warschauer, 2006), including writing and editing, finding and using online information, and accessing and producing multimedia. Newer uses included collaborative writing with blogs and wikis and visual programming with the Scratch language. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators were highly satisfied with the programs, and interviews, observations, and student work suggest that netbook use has the same impact on improving student engagement and the learning of 21st century skills found earlier with standard laptops. Particular benefits of the programs were noted for special education and ESL students, due to improved individualization of instruction and learner scaffolding. The study points the way for development and implementation of lower cost one-to-one educational programs and helps scholars and educational leaders better understand how elementary school children learn with individual laptops, a topic not widely investigated previously. -------------------------------------------------------- "Lessons from Brandy: Creative Media Production by a Child With Cognitive (Dis)Abilities" Abstract Though the value of incorporating new media literacy and creative production into classrooms is becoming increasingly recognized, current research overlooks learners with cognitive (dis)abilities to determine the extent of their participation in production. We use a case study approach to examine a nine-year-old girl with serious cognitive and learning disabilities as she learns creative media production in an after-school center. Over a three-year period, she transitions from a marginalized member of the community to becoming a skilled and esteemed multimedia artist. She also applies the skills she develops in creative media production to better understand the process of text decoding, thus improving her reading ability. Implications for how to expand the use of technology in special education are discussed. -------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Warschauer is chairing the session: "Examining Learning and Literacies With New Media." |
AERA Ph.D. Student Presentations
Ph.D. Student Janice Hansen, AERA Graduate Student Council Junior Representative for Division C (Learning and Instruction), Co-Chairing GSC Division C Fireside Chat with Dr. Dale Schunk:
"Understanding Motivated Learning for Academic and Career Success" Abstract This session focuses on how motivated learning can help to promote success. The conceptual framework informing this presentation is Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory, which contends that human functioning involves a dynamic interplay among personal, behavioral, and environmental influences. Within this framework, Dr. Schunk emphasizes the role of motivational and self-regulatory processes such as goal setting and self-evaluation of capabilities (self-efficacy). He will discuss motivation and self-regulation in his scholarly agenda and higher education career, and address the relevance of motivated learning for successful academic and career development. -------------------------------------------------------- “Visual Representation Use in Eighth Grade Classrooms” Abstract Visual representations have the potential to enhance learner understanding of science concepts (Carney & Levin, 2002). Little is known about how these tools are used in everyday teaching practice. This study examined 52 visual representations in a sample of 16 middle school science lessons included in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and frequency codes were used to capture information about how teachers supported student thinking about these representations. Lessons featuring strong conceptual links were compared to those linked at the topic level only. Analyses revealed significant differences in the ways teachers utilized visual aids. Teachers of lessons with strong conceptual links were more likely to engage in practices thought to aid students in learning from visual representations. |
Ph.D. Student Laurie Hansen
“Quality Matters: Examining Children's Independent Reading Habits Using a Reading Management Program” Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine reading management programs as a measure of quantity and quality of children's in-school and out-of-school independent reading. This study draws from the literature on print exposure and children's independent reading habits (Anderson et al., 1988; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1990; Kim, 2007; Stanovich, 1986). Previous research of reading management programs focused on the relationship between reading management program use and reading skills, general reading achievement, and motivation to read (Bullock, 2005; Everhart, 2005; Johnson & Howard, 2003; Kulik, 2003; McGlinn & Parrish, 2002; Nunnery, Ross, & McDonald, 2006; Sadusky & Brem, 2002; Volland, Topping, & Evans, 1999; What Works Clearinghouse, 2007). The current study was conducted in three third-grade classrooms at a K-6 public elementary school located in California and included English-only (EO), limited English proficient (LEP), and redesignated fluent English proficient (RFEP) children. Data sources were the Title Recognition Test (TRT) and reading management program records, including quantity (e.g., the total number of books read) and quality (e.g., average book level, total number of points, and average percentage correct on quizzes) of independent reading. No significant differences between language groups were found on quantity of book reading. However, an overall main effect of language designation was found on quality of book reading. Specifically, EO and RFEP children read books at significantly more difficult levels than LEP children. Furthermore, LEP children comprehended the books they read significantly more poorly than the EO children. There were no significant differences between EO and RFEP children on book comprehension. The results from this study reflect the complexity in describing and quantifying children's independent reading. Consideration of the quality of reading may supplement mere counts of books read to portray a more complete picture of EO, RFEP, and LEP children's independent reading and the likelihood that they would reap the benefits associated with increased reading volume. -------------------------------------------------------- Ph.D. Student Laurie Hansen with Loretta Donovan and Shanon Fitts “Bilingual Preservice Teachers' Access to Technology, Technology Competence, and Beliefs About Technology Integration” Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine bilingual preservice teachers' access to technology, technology competence, and beliefs about technology integration within K-8 schools at the beginning of a teacher education program. Participants had access to technology at home, reported higher initial competence on a variety of basic technology skills than on instructional technology skills, and were emerging in their understandings of social justice issues surrounding technology use in K-8 classrooms. These findings suggest that teacher education programs should continue to integrate technology-rich curricula into methods courses and include course assignments and class activities that help bilingual teacher candidates develop understandings of equity issues in technology access and pedagogy. |
Ph.D. Student Briana Hinga with Associate Professor Joseph Mahoney
"Student Experiences in the Certificate in After-School Education (CASE) Program" Abstract This study reports first-year evaluation findings from the University of California, Irvine Department of Education's Certificate in After-school Education (CASE) program. The goal of CASE is to promote positive youth development in diverse learners by helping to educate and train the after-school workforce. CASE blends instruction across 5, 10-week long courses with 70+ hours in fieldwork in local after-school programs (ASPs). The first-year evaluation involved a survey university student enrollment in CASE courses and fieldwork along with their perceived understanding of course material, multicultural education, and civic interests and engagement. A comparison group of students enrolled in a non-CASE course in the same department were also surveyed. Students in CASE courses report higher levels of perceived course understanding (p <.01), civic responsibility (p <.01) and empowerment (p <.05) than students in the non-CASE courses. Students enrolled in CASE courses requiring fieldwork report greater perceived course understanding (p <.01) and academic engagement (p <.01) than CASE students without fieldwork. The findings suggest the program is achieving several of its early goals. |
Ph.D. Students Teomara Rutherford and Melissa Kibrick, with Assistant Professors Lindsey Richland and AnneMarie Conley; Professor Margaret Burchinal; Keara Osborne, Stephanie Schneider, Lauren Duran, Andrew Coulson, Fran Antenore, Abby Daniels; and Professor Michael E. Martinez
“Spatial Temporal Mathematics at Scale: An Innovative and Fully Developed Paradigm to Boost Math Achievement Among All Learners” Abstract This paper describes the background,methodology, preliminary findings, and anticipated future directions of a large-scale multi-year randomized field experiment addressing the efficacy of ST Math, a fully-developed math curriculum that uses interactive animated software. ST Math's unique approach minimizes the use of mathematics symbols, terminology, and language to teach standards-based mathematical concepts by utilizing students' innate spatial ability. In 2007, fifty ethnically diverse low performing schools in Orange County, California were randomly assigned to receive ST Math in either 2nd and 3rd or 4th and 5th grades, with 36 of these schools implementing the program during the 2007-2008 school year. Initial findings using data from the math subtest of the California Standards Test show a greater improvement in the percentage of students performing at the proficient or advanced level among the treatment grades (p=0.04) after one year of ST Math instruction. This improvement is most pronounced among second graders, suggesting that particular ages or grades may especially benefit from ST Math. Further analysis of the treatment effect for specific groups, such as English Language Learners, is ongoing. Future directions include research on individual student-level effects and motivation as well as analysis of the effects of specific components of the program. |
Ph.D. Student Nayssan Safavian
"Motivational Predictors of Math Achievement in Early Adolescence" Abstract The expectancy-value model of achievement motivation tested the effects of middle school expectancies and values on short term (8th grade) and long term (10th grade) achievement net of prior achievement (6th grade). An ethnically diverse cohort of 1,633 students reported on motivation for mathematics at 4 points during 7th and 8th grade; mathematics achievement was assessed with high-stakes tests given in 6th, 8th, and 10th grade. Expectancies and values uniquely predicted 8th and 10th grade achievement after controlling for prior achievement and a full set of demographic controls. In addition to replicating previous work by showing an effect of expectancies on achievement, this work suggests that task value (alone and with interaction with expectancies) has important consequences for achievement in middle school and long term learning. |
Ph.D. Student Lauren Shea with Therese B. Shanahan (UC Irvine Center for Educational Partnerships)
"Students Talk, Teachers Learn" Abstract Most teachers instructing English Language Learners (ELLs) are insufficiently prepared to integrate English language and literacy with content-area instruction. This lack of preparation contributes to continued minority-student failure and increased drop-out rates. This mixed methods study looks at how one professional development program integrated a student talk component to its content area professional development. Findings show teachers' had a deeper understanding of content and language integration and were more likely to implement student talk in their classrooms after one year in the program. We propose a content-based professional development model which includes language learning strategies |
Ph.D. Student Femi Vance with UCI Project Scientist Maria Pilar O'Cadiz
"Creating a Model of Knowledge for Youth Development Professionals" Abstract This paper proposes a model of knowledge for youth development professionals (YDP) that is informed by the literature on teacher knowledge and prior research on the practices of youth development professionals. The applicability of this model to the after-school field is examined using surveys and observations of youth development professionals gathered from one center-based youth program. Survey data suggest that the studied YDPs have a deep understanding of youth development principles. The domains of knowledge that are evident in the practice of observed YDPs include youth development principles, knowledge of their students, curricular knowledge, and an experiential pedagogy. There was limited evidence of more advanced domains of knowledge that may be specific to the youth development field. |