faculty research notes summer 2013

Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

FACULTY RESEARCH NOTES SUMMER 2013

RESEARCH NOTES: SUMMER 2013 The University of Oklahoma Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education is proud to present this profile of selected research being conducted by its faculty.

Research by our faculty directly affects important issues in education, driving both discussion in policy and change in the classroom, with the aim of influencing educational policy, improving teacher quality and continuing to inspire innovation in all learning environments.

VISION OF THE COLLEGE:

The vision of the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education is to promote inquiry and practices that foster democratic life and that are fundamental to the interrelated activities of teaching, research and practice in the multi-disciplinary field of education.

FIND US:

ou.e du/e ducat ion

ADMINISTRATIONGregg A. Garn

DeanLawrence Baines

Associate DeanGraduate Studies and Research

Teresa DeBackerAssociate Dean

Professional EducationSherry Cox

Assistant DeanUndergraduate

Student Advising

DEPARTMENTSInstructional Leadership and

Academic CurriculumStacy Reeder

ChairEducational Leadership and

Policy StudiesDavid Tan

ChairEducational Psychology

Xun GeChair

University of OklahomaJeannine Rainbolt

College of Education820 Van Vleet Oval, Room 100

Norman, OK 73019-2041(405) 325-1081

[email protected]

CONTACT US


WHERE TO FIND IT:A Faculty’s Life After Becoming the University Presidential Partner

A Family-School Study of Academic Emphasis and Self-Regulation in Urban Schools

Early Adolescents’ Views of Good Readers and Writers in School and Their Literate Identities: An International Exploration

Educational Management Turned on Its Head Exploring a Professional Ethic for Educational Leadership

Elementary School Contexts, Teachers’ Collective Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Math Achievement

Engaging Practices at Home and School: Listening to the Voices of Young Adolescents in Five Countries

Exploring Students’ Literate Identities and Engagement in Language Arts Across Five Countries

Insights Into Engaged Literacy Learning: Stories of Literate Identity

Is Oklahoma Really OK? A Regional Study of the Prevalence of Biological Evolution-Related Misconceptions Held By Introductory Biology Teachers

Lessons Learned About Data Utilization From Classroom Observations

Pedagogical Shifts in Medical Health Education

Perspectives on Teaching and Learning Chinese Literacy in China

Perspectives on Teaching and Learning English Literacy in China

Professional Development: A Framework that Works

Profiles of Literate Identity

Responding to the Collective and Individual “Best Interests of Students”: Revisiting the Tension Between Administrative Practice and Ethical

Imperatives in Special Education Leadership

Self-Regulatory Climate: A Positive Attribute of Urban Schools

Sensations, Not Words

Teacher Development for Critical Inquiry

Slovak Students as Readers and Writers: What Engages Them in Classrooms

The Effects of Self-Regulatory Climate on Bullying Behavior Within Schools

The Relationship Between Academic Optimism and Self-Regulatory Climate: Enhancing Student Capacity in an Urban School District

Toward an Understanding of Student-Athlete Career Construction in the 21st Century

White Activism and Social Justice in Educational Leadership: The Work of Jean-Charles Houzeau

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A Faculty’s Life After Becoming the University Presidential Partner

Juanita Gamez Vargas, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

THE ABSTRACT:The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify a public, state‐supported university’s role expectations of the presidential partner. The study identified various challenges and obstacles, as well as useful strategies for retaining the presidential partner’s professional identity as a professor. This paper provides a glossary of terminology unique to this under‐reported population followed by a brief literature review of the history of the role expectations for public university presidential partners. The paper continues with role theory as the framework, the methodology used in developing the study, and a discussion of the results with supporting narrative. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results and further implications for practical use and research.

READ THE ARTICLE:International Journal of Leadership in Education. 14 (4), pp. 423-442


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FACULTY RESEARCH NOTES SUMMER 2013 5

A Family-School Study of Academic Emphasis and Self-Regulation in Urban Schools.

Patrick B. Forsyth, Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Ellen A. Dollarhide, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Curt M. Adams, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Ryan Miskell, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Katherine Curry, Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University, Gaetane Jean-Marie, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Jordan Ware, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

THE ABSTRACT:In an effort to explore a set of school reform goals broader than enhanced, standardized test scores, this study replicates claims for the importance of both home and school with respect to the development of student self-regulated learning using an urban school sample. The relative importance of these antecedents of student performance are explored through parent academic emphasis and teacher academic press as experienced by students. Even among students who live in concentrated poverty, home influence is found to be a stronger predictor of academic performance (as mediated by self-regulation) than is teacher press for achievement. In addition, the utility of a potential predictor set of parent beliefs and behaviors antecedent to the emergence of home academic emphasis within urban families is examined.

PRESENTED:Presented in 2013 at The American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.



Early Adolescents’ Views of Good Readers and Writers in School and Their Literate Identities: An International Exploration

Sara Ann Beach, Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Angela Ward, Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Jennifer Dorsey, Doctoral Student, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, University of Oklahoma, Libby Limbrick, Professor, University of Auckland, Jill Paris, University of Otago, Klaudia Lorinczova, Assistant Professor, Keuka College, Marcela Maslova, The Orava Association for Democratic Education, Sapargul Mirseitova, Kazakhstan Reading Association

THE ABSTRACT:In these new times, what counts as literacy in a global society is in a constant state of flux, tailored to and situated within a time and place, and as such cannot be decontextualized or universal (Rex et al., 2010). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore early adolescents’ sense of being literate at school in five countries. This study enabled adolescent students to share perceptions of their own and their classmates’ literate identities, and more tellingly, to reveal their understandings of how teachers and educational institutions value particular literate activities. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently to answer different research questions and then integrated during data analysis. In this study, qualitative data were gathered to determine how the children described good readers and writers, and quantitative data were gathered to find out about children’s literate identities in relation to that standard. The early adolescents in each country could describe what good and readers and writers looked like in their classrooms, and exhibited both similarities and differences in those narratives. Additionally, children’s literate



identities across the different countries were similarly diverse and very nuanced, particularly in the ways they compared themselves to others and felt their teachers, parents, and peers evaluated their competence. Perhaps the deepest insight for us as researchers and teacher educators is that there is much to be learned from talking with students. The nuanced richness of focused conversations with adolescents about their literacy experiences, sense of competence, and literate identities speaks directly to teachers about what it’s like to be in their classrooms, and how their students are engaged in learning.

READ THE PAPER:Beach, S.A., Ward, A., Dorsey, J., Limbrick, L, Paris, J., Lorinczova, K., Maslova, M., and Mirseitova, S. (In Press). Early Adolescents’ Views of Good Readers and Writers in School and Their Literate Identities: An International Exploration. 61st Yearbook of the Literacy Research Association.



Educational Management Turned on Its Head Exploring a Professional Ethic for Educational Leadership William C. Frick, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

THE ABSTRACT:The importance of professional and/or practical ethics cannot be overstated in most occupations, especially in light of our contemporary,interconnected world. Within formal education, the management paradigm is shifting as a result of a continuing refocus on the moral and ethical dimensions of working and leading in schools. Although professional norms and personal qualities of the educator can be powerful in directing and informing work-related judgment and behavior, this book puts forth and expands upon the viability of a professional ethic for education and educational administration and leadership in particular. The expansion of such an ethic for education has been underway, but in its current state could be viewed as underdeveloped or commonly misunderstood as obvious and simplistic. In this book, such an ethic for educational administration is presented, developed, and interrogated. This critical reader makes a strong argument for the legitimacy of a professional ethic for the field of education by drawing together a diverse collection of literature that explores, critically examines, and further develops a practicalethical paradigm for the field.

READ THE BOOK:Frick, William C. (ed.) Educational Management Turned on Its HeadExploring a Professional Ethic for Educational Leadership New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, Oxford, Wien, 2013. 270 pp., num. ill. Education Management: Contexts, Constituents, and Communities. Vol. 8 General Editor: M. Christopher Brown II

Elementary School Contexts, Teachers’ Collective Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Math Achievement Dimitri Van Maele, Ghent University, Patrick B. Forsyth, Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Educational Administration, Curriculum and Supervision and Curt M. Adams, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies THE ABSTRACT:This study relates principal stability and the socioeconomic (SES) and ethnic school composition to math achievement. It further explores whether faculty organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) supports achievement and mediates the association between school context and achievement. Regression analysis on school-level data of 669 teachers across 56 public elementary urban district schools indicate a negative and independent association of the proportion of free or reduced lunch students, the proportion of non-white students, and the level of principal turnover with math achievement. Faculty OCB positively associates with achievement and mediates the ethnic composition-achievement relationship, controlling for SES composition. The findings underscore the importance of OCB for student achievement but equally warrant attention to issues related to poverty and race/ethnicity within (teacher) education.






Engaging Practices at Home and School: Listening to the Voices of Young Adolescents in Five Countries Sara Ann Beach, Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Angela Ward, Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Libby Limbrick, Professor, University of Auckland, Jill Paris, University of Otago, Sapargul Mirseitova, Kazakhstan Reading Association, Marcela Maslova, The Orava Association for Democratic Education, Klaudia Lorinczova, Assistant Professor, Keuka College, Jennifer Dorsey Johnson, Doctoral Student, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum

THE ABSTRACT:This symposium will explore what practices early adolescents in five diverse countries say engage them in literacy (reading and writing) both at home and at school. Students in Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Canada, New Zealand and the United States reported on engaging practices at home and school on both a survey and in focus group discussions. Researchers representing each country will report on what the students in their country identified, situate those practices in the school contexts, and offer implications for classroom practice. Participants will be asked to make connections to their own contexts.

PRESENTED:Beach, S.A., Ward, A, Limbrick, L., Paris, J., Mirseitova, S., Maslova, M., Lorinczova, K, Johnson, J. (2013, August). Engaging practices at home and school: listening to the voices of young adolescents in five countries. Symposium to be presented at the 18 European Conference on Reading, Jonnkoping, Sweden.



Exploring Students’ Literate Identities and Engagement in Language Arts Across Five Countries

Angela Ward, Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Sara Ann Beach, Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Sapargul Mirseitova, Kazakhstan Reading Association, Klaudia Lorinczova, Assistant Professor, Keuka College, Marcela Maslova, The Orava Association for Democratic Education, Jennifer Dorsey, Doctoral Student, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum

THE ABSTRACT:In this symposium the participants will present findings from an international study of student engagement in language and literacy activities at school and at home. Surveys were administered to over one thousand grade 4, 5 and 6 students in Saskatchewan, United States (Oklahoma), Slovakia, Kazakhstan and New Zealand. Student focus groups were carried out in each country and thematically analyzed. The researchers, who are all teacher educators, will build on the intriguing data to develop a theoretical framework to support our understanding of opportunities for engaged literacy learning built on students’ perceptions of their own literate identities and their views of engaging school and home literacy practices. Students had strong views about classroom tasks and activities that engaged them as language learners, and of course about tasks that did not help them learn. Their “advice to teachers” is especially illuminating. This study is unique in several ways. It has given voice to student perceptions of their experiences in their language arts classrooms, and allowed them a chance to “talk back” (always very respectfully) to teachers about their own learning needs. The study has expanded our theoretical understanding of literate identity and of the social aspects of pedagogical engagement. It was clear from the data that middle years students who experienced literacy as a social activity in their classrooms were particularly highly engaged and thoughtful literacy learners.

PRESENTED:Ward, A., Beach, S.A., Limbrick, L., Paris, J., Mirseitova, S., Lorinczova, K., Maslova, M, Dorsey, J. (2013, June) Exploring Students’ Literate Identities and Engagement in Language Arts across Five Countries. Symposium to be presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Victoria, BC, Canada.



Insights Into Engaged Literacy Learning: Stories of Literate Identity Sara Ann Beach, Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum and Angela Ward, Professor, University of Saskatchewan.

THE ABSTRACT:As an aspect of the confluence between schooling and lived experiences, children develop literate identities and build personal theories of literacy. The purpose of this study was to explore the construction or children’s literate identity in different contexts. Four children, two from Canada and two from the United States, were interviewed and observed in their 4th-grade classrooms. Their teachers and a parent of each child were also interviewed, and the classroom literacy instruction observed. Stories of the children’s literate identities told by the child, the parent and the teacher were constructed and compared. The children who engaged in the activities presented were those whose literate identities matched schooled literacy. The other children saw the activities as tasks, not as opportunities to learn.

READ THE ARTICLE:Beach, S.A. and Ward, A. (2013). Insights into engaged literacy learning: Stories of literate identity. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 27: 239–255.



Is Oklahoma Really OK? A Regional Study of the Prevalence of Biological Evolution-Related Misconceptions Held By Introductory Biology Teachers

Tony Yates, Professor of Biology at Oklahoma Baptist University, Edmund A. Marek, Presidential Professor and Director at the John W. Renner Science Education Center

THE ABSTRACT:Biological evolutionary explanations pervade all biological fields and bring them together under one theoretical umbrella. Whereas the scientific community embraces the theory of biological evolution, the general public largely lacks an understanding, with many adhering to misconceptions. Because teachers are functioning components of the general public and most teachers experience the same levels of science education as does the general public, teachers too are likely to hold biological evolution misconceptions. The focus of this study was to identify the types and prevalence of biological evolution misconceptions held by Oklahoma high school introductory biology teachers and to correlate those findings with demographic variables. Seventy-six teachers who taught at least one section of Biology I during the 2010 - 2011 academic year in one of 71 Oklahoma public high schools served as this study’s unit of analysis. The Biological Evolution Literacy Survey (Yates and Marek, 2011), which possesses 23 biological misconception statements grouped into five categories, served as the research tool for identifying participants’ misconceptions, calculating conception index scores, and collecting demographic data. Analysis of survey results revealed participants’ knowledge of biological evolution concepts to be lacking as indicated by a mean 72.9% rate of understanding coupled with a 23.0% misconception rate. Results also indicated significant differences in participants’ mean index scores related to biological evolution knowledge self-rating and hours dedicated to teaching evolution. Implications associated with the study’s results are explained, including that of teachers serving as sources of student misconceptions.

READ THE ARTICLE: Yates, T. B. and E.A. Marek. 2013. Is Oklahoma really OK? A regional study of the prevalence of biological evolution-related misconceptions held by introductory biology teachers, Evolution: Education and Outreach. http://www.evolution-out-reach.com/content/6/1/6 (20 pages).



Lessons Learned About Data Utilization FromClassroom Observations

Shannon S. Guss, Deborah J. Norris, Researcher, Diane M. Horm, Profes-sor, Lisa A. Monroe, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education Institute, University of Oklahoma–Tulsa and Vicki Wolfe, Tulsa Educare, Inc.

THE ABSTRACT:Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of classroom observational assessments to monitor program quality and inform quality improvement efforts across a variety of early childhood initiatives and settings. Despite this recent increase in the use of observational assessments,there has been limited discussion about processes and mechanisms for sharing and using the data from these tools to drive program improvement. The purpose of this article is to articulate lessons learned about the data-sharing process from the embedded evaluator paradigm of assessment and feedback used in Educare, an early childhood program model, to inform the initiatives emerging in the larger field. Research Findings: The application of principles from developmental evaluation and self-determination theory resulted in numerous processes that facilitated the utilization of classroomobservation data. These processes, which involved the 3 main steps of establishing a Research-Program Partnership, implementing classroom observations, and sharing the results, are described and discussed. Across these 3 steps, processes were developed to support relatedness, competence, and autonomy as critical needs to be met to facilitate data internalization and use. Practice or Policy: Implications are drawn for the larger early childhood field, including settings without an embedded evaluator.

READ THE ARTICLE: Shannon S. Guss , Deborah J. Norris , Diane M. Horm , Lisa A. Monroe and Vicki Wolfe (2013): Lessons Learned About Data Utilization From Classroom Observations, Early Education and Development, 24:1, 4-18



Pedagogical Shifts in Medical Health Education Alberto J. de Armendi, MD, AM, MBA, Robert W. and Elise B. Lykins Chair in Anesthesiology, Professor of Anesthesiology, Chief of Pediatric Anesthesia, The Children’s Hospital, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Edmund A. Marek, Presidential Professor and Director at the John W. Renner Science Education Center

THE ABSTRACT: The medical education system has evolved over time and undergone a radical transformation in the past few decades. With advancements in disease treatments, emergence of new specialties and highly competitive practicing environment, the focus has shifted from gaining knowledge to acquiring degrees. This paper presents a) where we have been, b) problems that we have faced, c) our present status and d) where we need to be in the future.

READ THE BOOK:De Armendi, A. J. and E. A. Marek. 2013. Pedagogical shifts in medical health education, Creative Education, (July, in press).



Perspectives on Teaching and Learning Chinese Literacy inChina

Jiening Ruan, Associate Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum and Cynthia Leung, Associate Professor, College of Education, University of South Florida

THE ABSTRACT:This is one of two volumes by the same editors that explore historical, philosophical, and cultural perspectives on literacy in China. This volume focuses on Chinese literacy, while the other volume is on English literacy. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the country has witnessed a dramatic increase in its literacy rate, but not without challenges. The essays in this volume provide a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary look at changes in Chinese literacy education from ancient times to the modern day. Together, the essays address a wide array of topics, including early Chinese literacy development, children’s literature, foreign translated literature, and uses of information technology to teach Chinese. This authoritative text brings clarity and precision to the field and serves as a vital core resource for those who want to expand their understanding of Chinese literacy education. Its scope is unmatched even in academic literature in the Chinese language.

READ THE BOOK:C. Leung, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, USA; J. Ruan, University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA (Eds.) Perspectives on Teaching and Learning Chinese Literacy in China Series: Multilingual Education, Vol. 2, 2012, XIII, 219 p. 9 illus.



Perspectives on Teaching and Learning English Literacy in China Jiening Ruan, Associate Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum and Cynthia Leung, Associate Professor, College of Education, University of South Florida

THE ABSTRACT:This is one of two volumes by the same editors that explore historical, philosophical, and cultural perspectives on literacy in China. This volume focuses on English literacy in China, while the other volume is on Chinese literacy. In modern day China, English has enjoyed an increasingly important status in education, but not without challenges. The essays inthis volume provide a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary look at changes in English literacy practices and literacy instruction in China from the first English school in the 19th century to recent curriculum reform efforts to modernize English instruction from basic education through higher education. Together, the essays address a wide array of topics, includingearly childhood English education, uses of information technology to teach English, and teaching English to Chinese minority students. This work is essential reading for those who want to expand their understanding of English literacy education in China.

READ THE BOOK:J. Ruan, University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA; C. Leung, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, USA (Eds.) Perspectives on Teaching and Learning English Literacy in China Series: Multilingual Education, Vol. 3, 2012, XII, 166 p. 4 illus.



Professional Development: A Framework that Works

Priscilla L. Griffith, Ruth G. Hardman Chair in Education and Director of the Oklahoma Writing Project, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum and Jiening Ruan, Associate Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum

THE ABSTRACT: Teacher professional development is seen as one way to increase student outcomes and to close the achievement gap in education. For nearly two decades researchers have discussed the need to reform professional development in education by moving away from brief workshops that do not affect practice to professional development that is context specific and related to classroom practice. Current research on professional development is pointing to core features of effective professional development. These core features include content focus, collective participation, active learning, duration, and coherence. The investigators have developed a delivery framework for professional development that incorporates these five core features. Using a logic model for change that assumes the learning and development of teachers is a malleable factor related to student achievement, the investigators report results from professional development projects that focused on an aspect of literacy (reading or writing) and were implemented across academic years 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012.Across all three projects the framework has been supported for increasing teacher content and pedagogical knowledge, classroom practices, and sense of efficacy to provide effective classroom instruction. Support for this framework represents an important contribution to the advancement of theory, knowledge, and practice in teacher professional development.

PRESENTED:Griffith, P. L., and Ruan, J. (2012). Professional development: A framework that works. Paper presented at the meeting of the Literacy Research Association, December 2012, San Diego, CA.

Profiles of Literate Identity Julie Collins, Assistant Professor, University of Central Oklahoma and Sara Ann Beach, Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum

THE ABSTRACT:The purpose of this quantitative research was to explore the literate identity of young adolescents in their classroom settings. The participants in the study were students in grades 4 and 6 in three school districts who were given a literate identity survey to ascertain students’ perceptions of themselves as readers and writers. In general, students in both grades thought they were good readers and writers, though fourth grade students had more positive feelings/ perceptions about themselves as writers than the sixth grade students. While there were three similar profiles across the grades, four distinct profiles were identified at each grade level. This supports our assertion that literate identities change across time as a child moves through school with different expectations from teachers and society. The study illuminates the fact that children have their own varying literate identities that are manifested in different classrooms and the importance of teachers learning about their students’ literate identity in order to best support their engagement in literacy tasks and activities. PRESENTED:Collins, J. and Beach, S.A (2012). Profiles of literate identity. Literacy and Diversity: Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Reading.




Responding to the Collective and Individual“Best Interests of Students”: Revisiting the Tension Between Administrative Practice and Ethical Imperatives in Special Education Leadership William C. Frick, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Susan C. Faircloth, Associate Professor of Education, North Carolina State University and Karen S. Little, Researcher, Zarrow Center

THE ABSTRACT:Given the increasing role of the principal in the administrative and supervision of special education programs and services, this research examines how elementary principals interpret their experience of leadership decision making as a moral activity in relation to the Ethic of the Profession and Model for Students’ Best Interests. A phenomenological-like research method was used to capture administrators’ perspectives involving moral practice and ethical decision making as it relates to students with disabilities. Participants indicated a distinction and clear difference between the best interests of one student and the best interests of students as a group. Participants viewed the work of deciding and acting in the best interests of the student body as being qualitatively different than working and acting in the best interests of individual students.

READ THE ARTICLE:Educational Administration Quarterly 2013 49: 207 originally published online November 12, 2012




Self-Regulatory Climate: A Positive Attribute of Urban Schools Curt M. Adams, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Jordan Ware, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Ellen A. Dollarhide, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Patrick B. Forsyth, Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

THE ABSTRACT:This study used data from 1,039 teachers and 1,956 students in 80 urban schools to test two hypotheses. First, self-regulatory climate is a latent variable comprised of collective faculty trust in students, collective student trust in teachers, and student perceived academic emphasis. Second, self-regulatory climate explains differences in student achievement over and above school social composition. Results of the study confirmed our hypotheses and belief that self regulatory climate is a positive school attribute that can counteract environmental risks for many urban students.



Sensations, Not Words

Lawrence A. Baines, Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Research

THE ABSTRACT: The written word has served as an important mode of communication for thousands of years. The twenty-first century promises to deliver increasingly sophisticated, always-on machines that use sensory stimuli, such as images and sound, not words, as basic units of communication. The shift from words to sensations has implications for how we think, what we think, and how we feel about what we think. This article describes the current state of the transition from words to sensations, and explores some potential gains and losses.

READ THE ARTICLE: Baines, L. A. (2012). Sensations, not words. Journal of the Washington Academy of the Sciences 98(3), 1-18.



Teacher Development for Critical Inquiry Charlene Huntley, Assistant Professor, Oral Roberts University, Sara Ann Beach, Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Allison Geary, Doctoral Student, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum

THE ABSTRACT:All children deserve teachers who are prepared for the diversity they will find as they begin their teaching careers. In order to successfully manage learning processes in classrooms, support the development of students of all ages, and connect to the broader community, teacher education must shift from a view of teacher education as training to one of teacher education as developing the potential of teachers to face the challenges of diverse students and diverse educational settings. Teacher educators should help each teacher candidate to develop a toolkit of pedagogical resources, encourage critical reflection on action, and foster the ability to modify teaching tools to meet the needs of students. Only then will teacher candidates be ready to meet the challenges they will face as professional educators.

PRESENTED:Huntley, C., Beach. S. A., and Geary, A (2012). Supporting teacher development for critical reflection. Literacy and Diversity: Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Reading.



Slovak Students as Readers and Writers: What Engages Them in Classrooms Sara Ann Beach, Professor, Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Angela Ward, Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Klaudia Lorinczova, Assistant Professor, Keuka College, Marcela Maslova, Orava Association for Democratic Education

THE ABSTRACT:

For our study, we were interested in what students said were engaging activities in their classroom and outside of the classroom and what they thought teachers could do to help them become more involved. Our participants were students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 from five different countries: Slovakia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. We had a total of 1026 students who completed our survey about how they saw themselves as readers and writers, the reading and writing activities that they did outside of school, how they used technology outside of school, and what activities they found engaging and not engaging in school. In Slovakia, 232 students completed our survey at two different schools. We also spoke with groups of children at each grade level in each school. They told us about engaging and not engaging activities in school, whether reading and writing activities that they did at school or at home were more engaging, and gave us advice to give to teachers. All of the students could tell us what activities in their classrooms they found engaging and those that they did not. They also had advice for teachers to make classroom reading and writing lessons more interesting and engaging. Slovak students descried activities for both reading and writing that they thought were very engaging. They like bringing their own books or texts of their choice into class and having time to read those texts. Students stated that they liked reading at home more than at school because there were no grades at home. While the Slovak students found activities in their classrooms that were engaging, they also found ones that they did not like and that they felt did not help them to learn and become


eannine Rainbolt College of Education

better readers and writers. To make classrooms more engaging places, students offered a variety of suggestions for teachers. Students suggest that teachers provide less focus on memorization and more discussions and interactive activities that allow them to talk to each other about knowledge and apply it in different situations. Students in the other four countries in our study had suggestions for teachers that were both similar and different. In all countries, more time to read, write, think and discuss was requested. Students wanted activities that were challenging, not too easy or too hard and that were matched to their level. They wanted teachers to ask them what they wanted to write about, not tell them what to write about. We believe that these suggestions will lead to more students that are engaged learners in classrooms, not just good workers who are compliant students but not really interested in sustained reading and writing for many purposes.

READ THE ARTICLE:Beach, S.A., Ward, A., Lorinczova, K., Maslova, M. (In Press). Slovak Students as Readers and Writers: What Engages Them in Classrooms. NOTES (Journal of Orava Association for Democratic Education [ Zdruzenie Orava pre demokraciu vo vzdelavani].




The Effects of Self-Regulatory Climate on Bullying Behavior Within Schools

Ellen A. Dollarhide, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Patrick B. Forsyth, Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Curt M. Adams, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

THE ABSTRACT:This study examines the effect of a self-regulatory climate on bullying behavior at the school level. As a latent construct, self-regulated climate indicates a school’s ability to provide psychological needs support for students. The structural regression model confirmed the hypothesized relationship that high levels of self-regulated climate are associated with low levels of bullying. Results show that self-regulatory climate has a significant and strong effect on school bullying. The findings demonstrate that a climate of self-regulation enhances students’ assimilation into a higher functioning environment, thereby lessening the frequency of aggressive behaviors.



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The Relationship Between Academic Optimism and Self-Regulatory Climate: Enhancing Student Capacity in an Urban School District

Gaetane Jean-Marie, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Ellen A. Dollarhide, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Katherine Curry, Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University, Curt M. Adams, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Patrick B. Forsyth, Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Ryan Miskell, Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

THE ABSTRACT:Using data from 1,039 teachers and 1,956 students in 80 urban schools, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the relationship between academic optimism and self-regulatory climate, fostering a relational environment and instructional context that help students develop competence, relatedness, and autonomy to achieve academically. Optimism suggests learning possibilities and has implications on how a pessimistic school workplace can change to one where faculty can learn to be optimistic (Forsyth and Adams, 2011). A culture of optimism is an environment where administrators and teachers are empowered to make a difference in the lives of students. The research question we explored is: what is the relationship between academic optimism and self-regulatory climate when controlling for prior achievement?




Toward an Understanding of Student-Athlete Career Construction in the 21st Century Kristina Navarro, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Director, Intercollegiate Athletics Administration Graduate Program

THE ABSTRACT:During the 21st century, the American labor force has experienced significant challenges (Savickas 2002, 2005; Savickas et al., 2009). As the job market has become increasingly unstable and economy has drastically declined during this time period, how individuals construct career identities has changed (Savickas, 2002). Throughout career development literature, the higher education experience is posited as a crucial time period to forming a sense of career identity (Savickaset al., 2009). While this period of time poses developmental challenges for all students, researchers highlight student-athletes, a specific subset of individuals nested within the general student body, face additional challenges with respect to constructing meaningful career plans (Chartrand and Lent, 1992; Danish, Petitpas, and Hale, 1993). In turn, this study looked at the life experiences of 29 senior student-athletes at a large highlyselective Midwestern university. The purpose of this phenomenological study was twofold: (a) to understand the career aspirations of these student-athletes as they approached the transition to life after sport; and (b) to learn what life experiences influenced these individuals throughout their processes of exploring, choosing, and preparing for career fields. This phenomenological study was framed from a constructivism epistemology and intrepretivism theoretical framework. A multiple semi-structured individual interview method was employed to examine how 21st century studentathletes constructed individual career paths. Data analysis was guided by Savickas’ (2002) Career Construction theoretical framework. This study proposes a conceptual model, which delineates salient life experiences that have influenced the career exploration, choice, and preparation processes of these 29 individuals. In addition, this conceptual model demonstrates how the progression of salient experiences across the lifespan result in specific higher education outcomes for Division I student-athletes (i.e. the alignment of undergraduate major and career aspiration and perceived readiness for life after sport).



eannine Rainbolt College of Education Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

White Activism and Social Justice in Educational Leadership: The Work of Jean-Charles Houzeau

Kirsten T. Edwards, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

THE ABSTRACT:Through a close reading of Jean-Charles Houzeau’s autobiography, My Passage at the New Orleans Tribune: A Memoir of the Civil War Era, I began the process of attempting to adjudicate between an abolitionist––a type of individual who has been made possible in our collective imagery through our historical education––and an active anti-racist educational leader––someone who is more of a recent twentieth–twenty-first century figure in our collective consciousness. Next, I question the absence of active white anti-racists throughout history curriculum and our dependence on the almost docile and paternalistic character of abolitionists as the singular historical example of white allies or radicals. Finally, I consider the implications for not providing a spectrum of white resistance in curriculum or educational leaders, students and the work of social justice in schools wholly.

READ THE ARTICLE:Edwards, K. T. (2013). White activism and social justice in educational leadership: The work of Jean-Charles Houzeau, International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1-16. DOI:10.1080/13603124.2012.748217. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/KVAKgwt32TYBERggUWkj/full


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faculty research notes summer 2013

Documents

urban school districttoward

engaged literacy learning

educational policy

learning environments

profile of selected

academic optimism

chinese literacy

english literacy