NERA Conference Proceedings 2011

Fitting-in: Sociocultural Adaptation of International Graduate Students

Georgette P. Wilson — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:33:33 PST

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between sociocultural adaptation of international graduate students and selected demographic characteristics, and to explore the students’ perceptions of institutional support with regard to their adaptation. A three-phased, mixed methods approach was used to study international graduate students at a private, urban, mid-sized, Northeastern university. Preliminary discussion groups (N = 42), followed by a questionnaire (N = 129), and then follow-up focus groups (N = 11), resulted in 28 statistically significant findings and five major themes. These findings resulted in recommendations for: improving university communication with international students, expanding international orientation, including more Americans in international activities, expanding English language improvement activities, and continually assessing international programs.

Exploring Language as a Source of DIF in a Math Test for English Language Learners

Minji K. Lee et al. — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:28:31 PST

English language learners (ELs) have shown lower performance in mathematics than non-ELs although mathematics is an area that uses the least amount of language among the subjects that are mainly tested. If this differential performance is due to the bias in test items, then validity of using ELs’ test scores in comparison to non-ELs’ is compromised. For this reason, studies have investigated whether the differential performance can be attributed to language load in the tests. The results of these studies were not consistent. Some studies did find its effect, whereas others did not. Some of the difficulties encountered by researchers in past studies investigating DIF include a large difference in sample size between the two groups and unclear distinctions between ELs and non-ELs. This study aims to investigate the source of DIF between ELs and non-ELs using a comparatively large and a better defined/restricted population of ELs. This study will contribute to existing knowledge about English proficiency as a possible cause of differential performance between the two groups. The findings of this study will have implications for test construction and policies for providing testing accommodations (e.g., test language simplification).

Promoting Student Engagement through Bulletin Board Style Virtual Learning Communities

Anthony R. Fruzzetti — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:24:49 PST

This study investigated the possibility of increasing student engagement by creating, implementing and maintaining a virtual learning community (VLC) as an added resource for students. A two-phase, mixed methods approach was used. Two focus groups of undergraduates (N = 10, N = 11) were conducted to gather information about attitudes toward a virtual community as a resource and to solicit suggestions for improvement. The updated VLC was activated and data collected to assess student participation and engagement in the VLC and classroom (N = 81).

Gender Differences in Engineering Classrooms: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice?

Jennifer Walter et al. — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:18:12 PST

The purpose of this paper is to examine ways in which pedagogy and gender of instructor impact the development of self-regulated learning strategies as assessed by the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) in male and female engineering students. One hundred seventy-six students from four universities participated in the study. Within-group analyses found significant differences with regard to pedagogy and instructors’ gender on the learning strategies and motivation subscales as operationalized by the MSLQ. Male and females students reported significant post-test differences with regard to the gender of instructor and the style of pedagogy. The results of this study showed a pattern where more positive responses for students of both genders were found with the same-gendered instructor.

Influencing Higher Education Pedogogy through Focused Study and Peer Review

Mary B. Schreiner — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:07:24 PST

Much research has been published on effective instruction and the use of Universal Design principles in inclusive classrooms at the pre-collegiate level; however, faculty in higher education settings are only beginning to tackle the instructional demands of post-secondary students with diverse learning needs. Utilizing classroom peer review as a means of both faculty development and collaborative research about effective teaching holds special relevance to those new to the professoriate.

“It’s a Process”: An Initial Grounded Theory Framework for Success with Social Studies Simulations

Cory Wright-Maley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:07:22 PST

This research examined beliefs of two veteran middle school teachers about simulations in the social studies classroom. Using a grounded theory analysis, a framework emerged which details the ways these teachers went above and beyond standard practice with simulations in an effort to maximize their impact on students. The proposed framework aims to highlight the features of their practice, as revealed by the participants, which may help to improve teachers’ use of simulations. The analysis of this pilot study is intended as the first stage of an emergent theory on how to use simulations effectively in the social studies classroom.

Enhancing Student Learning Through Discussion Boards and Blogs

Barbara Rosenfeld et al. — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:00:51 PST

Discussion boards and blogs are Web 2.0 tools that purportedly enhance learning. Teachers hope that the exchange of ideas and opinions that occur in these environments will help students to form, solidify, or change their own ideas on a given topic. The purpose of the study is to determine if participation in a discussion board helps students’ perceptions of learning, particularly in forming opinions, and if active participation aids in the acquisition of course objectives. Results indicate that active discussion board participation helped students’ perceptions of learning as well as acquisition of course objectives.

Will the U.S. Poverty Achievement Gap Narrow by 2015? Probably Not

Stuart E. Smith — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:57:00 PST

The primary objective of the study was two-fold: First, to determine, for the period 2003-2009, if the U.S. poverty achievement gap has narrowed between students eligible for the free/reduced price school lunch program and students not eligible, using National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) measures of reading and math. The second part of the primary objective was to make projections about the size of the poverty gap for years 2011, 2013, and 2015. A secondary objective was to determine for each of the 50 states, for the 2003-2009 period, whether the poverty achievement gap has narrowed. Thus, the secondary objective pertains to the poverty achievement gap for states, while the first objective pertains to the national poverty achievement gap. The poverty achievement gap in math increased by 2 percentage points, and by 1 point in reading from 2003 to 2009. I projected that by 2015 the percentage of students eligible for free lunch would be greater than the percentage not eligible. Forty-one states had larger poverty achievement gaps in 2009 than in 2003.

College Student Perceptions of Student Life Programs

Felice D. Billups — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:24:43 PST

This sequential explanatory mixed methods study explored undergraduate student satisfaction with student life programming at a small Northeast college. Phase I of this study employed a quantitative instrument (N = 240) to determine the factors affecting satisfaction and extent of involvement; Phase II employed focus groups (N = 4) to further probe Phase I findings. Astin’s (1993) work regarding the ways in which college impacts undergraduate students frames this study; specific involvement factors closely associated with satisfaction includes student interactions in clubs, social events, and relationships with peers. The findings may assist in program development to enhance students’ undergraduate experience.

Collegiate Administrator Perceptions of Organizational Culture: An Analysis of Metaphors

Felice D. Billups — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:21:26 PST

This study sought to characterize college and university administrator perceptions of organizational culture, their perceptions of themselves versus other subcultures, and their perceptions of themselves within the campus community. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, this research employed semi-structured individual interviews to explore cultural perspectives, using metaphor analysis to generate rich, detailed participant descriptions and perceptions. Participants representing the areas of admissions, student affairs, development, and planning comprised the cross-section of purposefully selected participants from ten private northeast institutions. Results may clarify the roles and effectiveness of administrators within campus communities, establishing them as a legitimate collegiate subculture.

Do PAX-RN Scores Predict First Year Success in Nursing School for Minority Disadvantaged Students?

Gavrielle Levine et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:20:02 PST

The National League for Nursing developed the Pre-Examination for RN Programs (PAX-RN) to predict academic success for applicants at the completion of the first year of nursing programs. While the PAX-RN is normed on a stratified sample, the effectiveness of this test in predicting academic success for minority disadvantaged students is unclear. A cohort of 41 predominately minority students (56.1%) enrolled in an Associate Degree nursing program in an urban environment completed the PAX-RN as part of the admission process. As predicted, verbal and composite scores were significantly higher for students who passed the first semester nursing course than for those who failed. However, there were no significant differences in mean scores for students at the completion of the first year. These first-year results should be considered with caution due to the small sample size. Future research is needed to identify those factors predicting academic success for minority disadvantaged students.

Item Response Theory (IRT) Analysis of Item Sets

Liwen Liu et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:18:43 PST

We examined whether set-based items affected IRT model-data fit. We also evaluated fit after combining dependent items into composites and treating them as polytomous items. Analysis of the 2009 AP English Literature and Composition Exam showed that some of the item pairs had major violations of local independence. Model fit improved when we analyzed the data using composites. Our findings suggest that conducting IRT analyses on composites provides a viable approach to circumventing problems of local dependence for set-based items.

Aligning Voices, Urban Teachers and Leaders

Jess L. Gregory et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:15:30 PST

Through a probabilistic functionalism model, this research sought to identify concordance and dissonance in the voices of urban educators. The educators surveyed were optimistic that changes at the building level can positively impact educational outcomes for students; along with the optimism was a sense of purpose and commitment. The synergy of teacher and leader voices in the data suggest that alignment is possible; while the lens model highlights the importance of empowering educators to improve efficacy, to compel choices that will heighten student success and drive change in societal expectations.

Perspectives of Resilience and Recidivism Among Hispanic Male Adolescents

Javier Montañez et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:13:18 PST

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the barriers that urban, male Hispanic adolescents face and the interventions that may contribute to their behaviors. Participants (N = 10) were purposefully selected based on the following criteria: 1) Latino males between 18 and 23; 2) U.S. residents for no less than five years; 3) history of recidivist behaviors leading to incarceration; and 4) demonstration of a minimal pattern of two years of resilient behavior. The researcher employed a self-generated demographic questionnaire, a semi-structured interview protocol, and a group moderator’s guide in order to obtain data. Findings were reported in a narrative summary.

Crisis Preparedness: Do School Administrators and First Responders Feel Ready to Act?

David J. Alba et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:10:00 PST

This study explored the perceptions of school principals in regards to school crisis preparedness planning and training using survey data. ANOVAs indicated that elementary schools reported greater external security measures than high schools (F = 3.17, p = .049); high schools reported greater internal security measures (F = 11.06, p = .001) and drills with first responders than elementary and middle schools (F = 6.09, p = .004). Implications for educators regarding a relationship between the perceptions of preparedness to respond to a school crisis that requires a coordinated, multi-agency effort, and the collaborative training between school districts and their first responders were discussed.

For the Good of the Multicultural Society in One Urban Third Grade

Margaret Lally Queenan — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:06:29 PST

This study used ethnographic participant observation methods to analyze weekly teaching in five third grade urban classrooms. The theoretical background included the National Reading Panel and the RAND Reading Study Group’s advocacy of comprehension strategies and concern that strategies are taught for their own sake rather than for learning content. Data included student artifacts (notes on science trade books and interviews) and researcher artifacts (lesson plans, teaching charts, and field notes. Analysis included constant comparison of data and coding until saturation. Results showed that students learned content and strategies but upset teachers with noise during discussion, alleviated through structured procedures.

Perspectives of Suburban Public School Teachers on the Characteristics of Students At-Risk for Dropping out of School

Michael Sollitto et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:04:31 PST

This study focuses on a major problem facing today’s educators: high school dropouts. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify the reasons that students drop out of school and programs that may address the needs of students at-risk for dropping out of school. Literature in this area was reviewed to identify what can be learned from these studies.

Research questions addressed differences in teacher perspectives of the characteristics of elementary, middle, and high school struggling students. Differences in teachers’ perspectives based on tenure and type of teaching assignment were examined. A sequential, mixed methods approach was taken. The researchers began with a quantitative survey of 108 teachers, followed by focus groups with 12 elementary and secondary teachers. The research was conducted in two suburban school districts. The analysis indicated that characteristics of at-risk students fall into four dimensions: Family Involvement, Behavior, Achievement, and Family Background. Significant differences were found for Achievement with secondary teachers reporting higher mean scores than elementary teachers. Additionally, significant differences were identified for elementary classroom teachers in regards to Achievement. Elementary classroom teachers reported higher mean scores than elementary non-classroom teachers for this dimension.

The data gained from the study can be used to inform decisions regarding the identification of at-risk students. It also provides information related to support services aimed at assisting struggling students. Determining if differences in perspectives exist among the levels of teachers can be beneficial in identifying students before they become at-risk for dropping out of school. This study benefits students, parents, teachers, school administrators, central office administrators, and school committee members as these stakeholders look to address the dropout problem that plagues high schools across the nation.

Eliciting Student Judgments of Intrinsic Difficulty for Studying Student Misconceptions in Solving Basic Mathematics Items

Eric Magaram et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:24 PST

The misconceptions of developmental mathematics students in solving basic arithmetic problems are becoming a national crisis. If instructors better understood the conceptions that students have that lead to incorrect responses when solving arithmetic problems, instruction of the material presented to the students may improve. Four groups of five students were given five basic math questions for a total of 20 questions, and the only instructions the students were given was to solve the problems out loud and to please continue talking. Their answers were transcribed and the student responses were used to create solution strategies for each of the 20 questions the students were given. Using the solution strategies enabled the determination of the of misconceptions that arise in attempting to find the correct answer to arithmetic items.

The Nonwhite Speech Language Impaired Student Population: The "Cycle-of-Silence" and the "Possessive Investment in Whiteness"

Nicholas D. Hartlep et al. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:56:43 PST

Overall we feel strongly that one of the myriad goals of research is to positively effect change in the lives and educational experiences of all SLI students, keeping in mind that many who suffer and are silenced are students of color. This research is highly important given that research indicates that language impairment (such as SLI) is linked with youth suicide. This paper, noticing the underrepresentation of SLI research in multicultural texts, analyzes Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) data procured from the Data Accountability Center (DAC) (2011). Testing for racial differences amongst SLI students, it was found that Whites (ages 6-21) are more likely to stutter than Blacks or Asians.

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ MATHEMATICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, EFFICACY, and PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITIES in ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION

Brian R. Evans — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:44:19 PST

The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ mathematical content knowledge, self-efficacy, problem solving abilities, and teacher beliefs in an elementary education mathematics methods course for special education teachers in the New York City Teaching Fellows and Teach for America alternative certification programs. Findings revealed a significant increase in mathematical knowledge and self-efficacy. Additionally, teachers were found to have high self-efficacy and strong problem solving abilities. Teachers generally found that helping students with disabilities learn mathematics was the biggest issue in their teaching, and that the use of technology and manipulatives were the most important topics in their learning.