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** Where
there is a paper and a name but no abstract, the abstract is missing. Please send the abstract to
9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M. FIELD EXPERIENCE......................................................................... Bayou
Presider: Judith
A. Boser,
What Student Teachers are Thinking: A View from Their
Journal Reflections
James D.
Kirylo, Southeastern
Through
their reflective daily journal entries, student teachers have a lot to say
relative to their student teaching experience. Their meaningful insights and suggestions can be extremely beneficial
for both the supervisory professor and cooperating teacher in order to better
serve the teacher candidate during the student teaching experience. Moreover, their journal reflections can be an
integral, informative asset for teacher candidates preparing to enter the
student teaching experience. To that
end, this research presentation explored what student teachers were thinking through
their daily student teaching journal entries.
Working
in lower and upper elementary-level classes spanning across urban, rural, and
suburban areas in the southern region of the
To
identify the critical information from the mass of collected data, the
researchers read and reread the data, and intensely discussed, reflected, and
debated what was noticed and what seemed to be the emerging themes and
patterns. Among other things, it was
found that the teacher candidates had much to say about their initial anxieties
of the student teaching experience to the important role of preparation and the
complexity of behavior management to the sometimes complicated relationships
with the cooperating teacher to best pedagogical practices.
In
short, primarily through their journal entries, this presentation was driven by
the “real” voices and reflections of former student teachers, offering their
unique insights, suggestions, and experiences. The invaluable contribution of what they expressed may better assist the
cooperating teacher/supervisory professor in facilitating a positive student
teaching experiencing, as well as offer empathetic understanding and
suggestions to future student teachers.
Using Metaphors to Enhance Preservice Teachers’ View
of Their Role as Teachers
Arthur
McLin,
The
ability of teachers to teach is a challenging role for teachers in this 21st
century. Teacher education programs are also challenged to train students to
meet the challenges of this new century. A critical piece in teacher
development is a self understanding of how preservice teachers view themselves
in their role as teacher.
The
study evaluated the use of metaphors in a teacher education program for
preservice teachers majoring in secondary education. Metaphors were used to
help preservice teachers reflect and analyze their role of teacher and how they
view themselves confronting the realities of classroom teaching. To help
preservice teachers reflect and analyze their role of teacher and how they see
themselves confronting the realities of classroom teaching, metaphoric inquiry
was used to engage conceptions of themselves as teachers.
The
purpose of this study was to identify preservice teachers’ (N=62) choice of metaphors
used that represented their role of teacher. Students responded to a questionnaire at the completion of their Field
II course (semester before internship) to determine if metaphoric inquiry
enhanced their sense of self in their role as teacher. The responses from the
questionnaire demonstrated that metaphoric inquiry in students’ sense of self
had a positive affect on how preservice teachers saw themselves in their role
of teacher and the profession. Also, teachers’ sense of self could enhance the
effectiveness of teachers to teach in this century and the challenges that it
presents.
Field Experiences: Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions
of Kidwatching**
Carla C.
Dearman, Mary Nell McNeese, and Rose B. Jones,
9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M. ONLINE LEARNING........................................................................... Levee
Presider: Marcia
R. O’Neal,
Application of Self-Regulatory Strategies in Online
Learning Environments
Fethi A.
Inan and Anita G. Wells,
In
an online learning environment, it is assumed that learners take responsibility
for their own learning. In an online course, the students are basically
supported by communication tools and course management systems. Therefore,
students must perform self-regulatory competency to achieve learning goals.
Self regulation is defined as “The degree to which students are able to become a
metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participant of their
own learning process” (Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2004, p. 41). Schunk (2004),
Driscoll (1999), and Dabbagh and Kitsantas (2004) identified key
self-regulatory processes: (1) goal
setting: students identify and set their learning goals; (2) self-monitoring:
students observe and direct their learning progress; (3) self-evaluation: students
compare their outcomes of performance with their individual goals; (4) task-strategies:
students identify, select, and apply appropriate methods and techniques to
achieve learning goals; (5) help-seeking: students identify, select, and
receive help from social and non-social sources; and (6) time planning and
management: students effectively schedule and manage their time.
Regarding
online learning, most of the researchers focus on content and material
development considering how to make material more meaningful. They list a lot
of expected skills from online learners but most studies do not include how
learners can gain these skills. Therefore, there is a need to investigate how
these materials can be utilized by learners. Further, there is a need to
examine how online learners can be supported to develop self-regulatory skills
to take responsibility of their learning.
This
paper discussed: (1) What is the
importance of self-regulation in online learning? (2) Which type of instructional strategies
can be used to support self-regulation? and (3) What should be the role of the
instructor to support self-regulation in online learning?
Does Self-Determination Theory Have an Effect on
Satisfaction of Graduate
Students in the Online Learning Environment?
David A.
T. Hall,
In
meeting the need for the flexible access to education, graduate students have
turned to the Internet and, in particular, to the many offerings provided by
online learning. As such, the educational offerings presented via this delivery
system, the online learning environment, have unique challenges and, in
particular, learner satisfaction. The challenge presented by the mechanism of learner
satisfaction appears to be the key to make the online learning experience a
holistic organism for the learner. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) asserts that
when the three factors of autonomy, or control, relatedness, and competence are
combined, they provide self-determination behavior. SDT is an appropriate
measure to understand satisfaction in the online learning environment as
individuals participate in self-determined behavior due to an awareness of becoming
potentially satisfied.
This
study sought to understand satisfaction of graduate students in the online
learning environment. The factors of control, relatedness, and competence are
worthy human psychological needs regardless of the intended environment. It was
intended that this study would provide data concerning learner satisfaction on
this emergent educational delivery method provided by online learning. Instructional designers and those involved in
educational psychology were provided further data so as to enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness the adult learner needs to thrive within the
online learning environment. The study’s participants were a sample of graduate
students solicited using several online discussion servers utilized by graduate
students. This study used data collected from an online survey addressing
measures to the subject criterion on graduate student satisfaction in the
online learning environment based on prior experience. Measures founded in SDT
were utilized by examining the relation between the factors of SDT and graduate
student course satisfaction as perceived from several criterion predictors.
Discussion was made about the data collected and recommendations for further
research.
Online Learning Varies Greatly Among Institutions of Higher
Education
JoAnna
Dickey, Eastern
Students
want it. Instructors are asked to do
it. What is it and how can we do
it? As the demand for online learning
increases, there is a wide range of perceptions, definitions, and
applications. Although there are
academic definitions and prescribed methods of delivery, online learning and
the way it is defined, delivered, and administered may vary greatly among
institutions of higher education. As
part of the Teacher Education Models Program grant in the state of
Five
regional universities, two land-grant universities, one private university, and
one private college participated in this study. These institutions reported
information as requested in a survey sent to them via email. Information collected in this survey
included: (1) definitions for “online”
courses, (2) types of delivery systems, (3) faculty development assistance, (4)
tuition or fees, (5) student assistance, and (6) other types of online learning
experiences offered. Results from this
survey indicated that there was a wide range of definitions, faculty
development services, tuition and fees, student assistance and online learning
experiences other than course offerings. There was little variance in the information concerning delivery
systems.
9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..........................................
Presider: Charles
L. McLafferty Jr.
The Planning and Implementation of a Workshop on the
Basics of Research
This
research project was an analysis and overview of the planning and
implementation of a workshop titled “Research Simplified.” In the fall of 2004, several graduate students
in an educational leadership and research department formed a graduate
educational research association whose goal was to promote research among
students. In the development of a service project during spring of 2005, the organization
began planning and organizing a workshop to provide an overview of research
basics, essentially a “how to get started” seminar, with the goal to motivate
and encourage students to research, present, and publish original work.
Research can be a daunting task, especially for those just beginning the
process. The importance of conducting research may be stressed to graduate
students by professors, but students often reported that they did not know how
to begin it. Students also learn the importance of presenting work at
conferences and submitting it for publication, but it has been observed that
very few attempt to do either. The question was raised about why this is so.
Part
one included development of a needs assessment questionnaire to analyze students’
interest in a workshop, interest levels in research topics, current research
activity, confidence levels, interest levels in conducting projects, and
perceived involvement levels by faculty in helping students. Next, based on the survey results, the agenda
was set to include topics such as developing research ideas, steps to
conducting research and publishing, and using research resources more
effectively.
The
workshop consisted of a panel of professors who discussed different aspects of
research and responded to audience questions. The participation was successful,
both in attendance and panel-student interaction. Evaluations from attendees
rated sessions positively. Suggestions from these evaluations and informal
responses indicated a high interest level in additional workshops and will
serve as a guide for future projects.
The Relationship Between Reading Ability and
Bibliographic Errors
Vicki L.
Waytowich and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie,
and Qun
G. Jiao,
Reference
lists in articles serve a number of important scholarly functions. They provide
credibility and support for the author’s ideas, supply background information
for the article, and serve as a resource for the reader to find additional
literature on the topic. Readers of journal articles may wish to follow up a
cited reference to further their knowledge of existing research, to track down
other related material, or to verify the assertions and claims made by the
authors. To retrieve cited works easily, it is essential that references are
accurate. Inaccurate references reflect poorly on the authors, devaluate the
credibility of the article and the journal in which it appeared, and also
hinder the search for additional sources of related literature. Further,
citation errors in references can make it difficult for readers to obtain,
check, or verify information to which the text of a paper refers. Errors such
as misspelled titles and author names could conceivably have the consequence of
preventing important works from being retrieved, consulted, and recognized.
Thus, reference errors can be a source of great frustration for readers.
Recently,
a few researchers have attempted to identify the underlying causes of citation
errors. Reasons that have been identified include the “complexity” of some
citations and carelessness and misuse of language. These findings suggest that
levels of reading ability might play an important role in the accuracy of reference
lists. Yet, to date, this possible link has not been investigated. Thus, the
present study examined the relationship between levels of reading ability
(i.e., reading comprehension and reading vocabulary) and the citation error
rate and quality of reference lists in doctoral dissertation proposals among
115 doctoral students. A canonical correlation analysis revealed a multivariate
relationship between levels of reading ability and both bibliographic error
variables. Implications were discussed.
Bibliographic Errors in Articles Submitted to
Scholarly Journals: The Case for “Research
in the Schools”
Anthony
J. Onwuegbuzie and Vicki L. Waytowich,
and Qun
G. Jiao,
In
recent years, several researchers have examined the bibliographic accuracy of citations,
especially in public health and medical journals. These studies analyzed
different types of citation errors in selected journals for a fixed time period
to determine the prevalence of the bibliographic errors in these journals. The
results have shown a high rate of errors, ranging from 8% to 66.7%, with as
many as 6% of the original articles being irretrievable. Yet, to date, no study
has examined citation errors among articles submitted for possible publication
to a journal. This was the purpose of the present investigation. Specifically
investigated were 52 articles submitted to Research
in the Schools, a nationally and internationally refereed journal. This
number of articles represented more than 50% of the articles submitted to this
journal over a two-year period. For the purpose of this inquiry, citation error
rate was defined as references cited in the body of the article that were
missing, incomplete, or inconsistent with the reference list.
Findings
revealed a mean number of citation errors of 5.87 (SD = 7.88). Further, a
statistically significant and moderate relationship was found between the
number of citation errors and whether the article ended up being rejected by
the editor(s). Moreover, articles containing more than three citation errors
were approximately four times more likely to be rejected than were articles
containing fewer citation errors. These findings suggest that citation error
rate is an important predictor of whether an article is accepted for
publication. The present researchers also documented the most prevalent
bibliographic errors with respect to the 5th edition of the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, such as issue numbers being presented when the
page numbers in each volume are continuous. The implications of these findings were
discussed.
9:00 A.M.– 9:50 A.M. POLICY.................................................................................. Delta
Queen
Presider: Ronald
A. Styron,
Analysis of Five School Districts’ Discipline
Policies’ Alignment to Louisiana’s School Wide
Positive Behavior Support Model
Doug
Postel, Tifarah Dial, Kathy Adcock, Theresa Hamilton, and
Education
Consortium:
and
Many
states have proposed a shift in paradigms to more proactive and positive
approaches to student discipline. School systems throughout
Five
doctoral students examined the existing discipline policies of five rural
public school districts in northwest and northeast
Researchers
contacted school superintendents to obtain permission to examine the discipline
policies in their districts. Copies of discipline plans were obtained from the
Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance in each school district. Researchers
created a Likert-scale instrument to evaluate district policies (Maximum
Alignment to No Alignment) with five indicators that identified the degree of alignment:
(1) behavior expectations identified, (2) tracking of misbehavior, (3) outline
of consequences, (4) communication of expectations to all stakeholders, and (5)
acknowledgement of pro-social behaviors. Three research questions guided this study: (1) have school districts identified
alternative methods to discipline? (2) have school districts
identified and implemented
Assessment and Analysis of Per Pupil Expenditures: A
Case Study Testing a Micro-Financial Model
in Equity Determination in a Large Southern State
Richard
Holsomback,
The
purpose of this study was to examine district-level financial data to assess
equity across public school districts and to compare equity benchmarks
established in the literature using selected functions from the state’s
financial database after a major court ruling to remedy constitutional problems
within a large southern state. The study
was limited to all public school districts in that state, and no charter schools
or special schools were included in the sample. The study included a purposive sample of school districts where
comparable data were available across two academic years for the 1996-1997
school year immediately following the court ruling to the 2003-2004 school year
(n = 1043 in 1996-1997, n = 1037 in 2003-2004 ).
The
analysis that was performed on the data was a univariate equity analysis on the
total per pupil expenditures across the purposive sample based upon equity
benchmarks set in the school finance literature. Based on these benchmarks, equity existed in
total per pupil expenditures as measured by an index established in the
literature for the lower half of the distribution, i.e., the poorer districts
in per pupil spending and equity existed in total per pupil expenditures as
measured by a broader range ratio on the entire sample. However, equity only existed in two of eight
of the benchmarks for the time elapsed in the distribution samples, 1997-2004,
including benchmarks set in the literature for the top one half of the
distribution and broader measures across these samples, as well for
expenditures per pupil.
Strategies for Cost Control in K-12 Education
Olin
Adams, Rachael G. McDaniel, Bonnie K. Mapp, Jeffrey P. Forster, and Jon R. Thomas,
Auburn University
This
paper explored strategies for cost control in K-12 education. Three approaches
suggested were outsourcing of support services, scheduling of classes in longer
blocks of time, and distance education. The outsourcing of support services
offers education agencies not only cost reduction, but greater expertise in the
management of support functions and an opportunity for administrators to devote
more time to the core function of instruction. Although implementation of outsourcing
generally involves controversy in human resource management, education agencies
have contracted extensively such functions as transportation, food service, and
custodial service. Block scheduling likewise has provided cost savings. The
largest savings has been in learning resources, viz., textbooks and
supplemental materials. Moreover, block scheduling enables education agencies
to hire part-time and retired faculty, who do not carry the benefit costs of full-time
teachers. Yet this scheduling approach yields academic, as well as financial,
advantages including more flexibility in classroom instruction and more time
for in-depth study. Finally, many education agencies are using technology to
enhance learning and to create distance education opportunities. Distance
learning programs allow education agencies full utilization of teachers as they
conduct instruction on more than one campus. While this use of technology
carries a startup cost, the initial investment is recovered in human resource
savings at multiple campuses. These cost control strategies should be viewed as
a means, not ends, to the goal of quality education. Nonetheless, the education
agency savvy in cost control will be in a better position to achieve quality.
9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M. AT-RISK STUDENTS................................................................... Riverboat
Presider: Shelly
Albritton, University of Central Arkansas
Student Training for Academic Reinforcement in the
Sciences: An Interdisciplinary, Innovative Approach for Recruiting Minority
High School Students into the Fields of Science and Medicine
Daphne
W. Hubbard, University of South Alabama
In
a collaborative effort involving a college of medicine, a regional center for
healthy communities, and a college of education, college faculty secured a
federal grant to recruit minority high school students into the fields of science
and medicine. Student Training for Academic Reinforcement in the Sciences
(STARS) recognizes the importance of strengthening the K-12 education base as a
vehicle to increasing the number of minority students who can successfully
complete postsecondary and graduate-level education.
In
this program, 15 rising juniors from two minority high schools participated in
the program that included six-week academic enrichment sessions for two
consecutive summers, a six-week internship in a health care provision site or a
medical research facility during the third summer, Saturday academies for two
academic years, and afternoon tutorial sessions for two academic years. The
objective of the first two summer enrichment sessions was to provide students
with the necessary academic skills to succeed in college. The objective of the
Saturday academies and the on-going tutoring program was to ensure that
minority students who entered the program in Phases I and II remained motivated
and eligible to complete Phase III, which was designed to expose students to
practical experience in health care or medical research. This study provided an
overview and evaluation for the STARS program’s inaugural summer.
Data
were collected and analyzed from pre- and posttest scores on sample Alabama
High School Graduation Exams in the areas of math, science, reading, and
language arts; student questionnaires and interviews; and instructor
questionnaires and interviews. The STARS program is an authentic, innovative
example of an interdisciplinary approach to recruiting minority high school
students into the fields of science and medicine.
The Impact on Achievement and Interest in Science: La
GEAR-UP Camps, Year III
Randy
Parker and Julie A. Holmes, Louisiana Tech University
In
an era of increasing accountability, universities must collaborate with P-12
schools to develop programs that increase student achievement, as well as
preparation for postsecondary opportunities. One way to collaborate is in
providing on-campus experiences for at-risk students. Such opportunities have
been shown to increase student attitudes and achievement (Dori & Revital,
2000); influence future career choices in mathematics, science, engineering,
and technology (Joyce & Farenga, 1999); and provide for students a bridge
to how science, technology, and engineering are used in society at large
(Cavallo & Laubaugh, 2001; Dori & Revital, 2000).
The
purpose of this study was to determine the effects of La GEAR-UP summer
residential science exploration camps on the science achievement and attitudes
of at-risk middle school students from 37 low performing school districts.
Students participated in leadership workshops, tutoring sessions, science field
trips, and explorations in: (1) nature
and biology, (2) engineering and chemistry, (3) physical science and physics,
and (4) technology. During the three years of the program, 900 rising seventh-,
eighth-, and ninth-grade students have attended camp.
Pre-
and posttest data were gathered on science attitudes using the 28-item Science
Attitude Survey (SAS) and on achievement using the EPAS (Explore). Data were
analyzed with dependent t-tests and ANOVA with alpha set at .05. Results of this
analysis showed significant increases in: (1) attitudes toward science, (2) math
achievement, and (3) overall achievement for each year and for the total group.
Significant increases were consistent when data were analyzed by race and
gender. Effect sizes using Cohen’s d were in the moderate to large ranges.
Results of this study indicated positive attributes of residential exploratory
camps in raising student awareness, achievement, and attitudes toward science
while also guiding student preparation for secondary and postsecondary
education.
Improving Performance of At-Risk Youth Via a College
Mentoring Program
Phyllis
Williams, Birmingham-Southern College
This
was a presentation of a mentoring program between a small liberal arts college
and inner-city public schools. The program was initially developed at the
request of an elementary school principal. It was designed as a collaborative plan to provide one-to-one
instruction for at-risk youth and a multicultural experience for college
students.
Participants
in the program included upper-level college students who were currently
enrolled in an Educational Psychology course and at-risk youth who were
identified by their classroom teacher, school counselor, or administrator. The
youth were identified because of academic, social, or behavioral issues. The college students used educational and
psychological theories from their course to enhance the academic, social,
and/or behavioral performance of the at-risk youth.
10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M. TECHNOLOGY.................................................................................. Bayou
Presider: William
Brescia, University of Arkansas
The Influence of Gender and Gender Grouping on
Attitudes, Perceptions, and Uses of Technology
Connie
D. Bain, University of Alabama
With
the continued growth and prevalence of technology, of interest is whether gender
differences continue to exist with regard to technology. Gender, the technology
available at home, and amount of time spent on the computer are factors that
have the potential to influence students’ uses and attitudes toward technology.
This study examined the influence of gender and gender grouping on attitudes,
perceptions, and uses of technology. The mixed methods research design
consisted of a combination of qualitative and quantitative instruments: pretest
and posttest surveys, computer logs, student interviews, student reflections,
and teacher observations. Quantitative data were examined using chi square,
independent samples t-test, frequency analysis, and descriptive statistics.
Qualitative data were used to build theory and corroborate quantitative data.
The
quantitative data analysis found no significant differences or relationships
between males and females and gender groupings based on the results of The
Computer Survey; however, differences were found in the amount of time spent on
the computer and types of activities. Females spent more time on the computer
than males. The majority of the females used the computer for instant messaging
while the majority of the males used the computer for playing games. Placement
in gender classes did not influence attitudes, perceptions, or uses of the
computer based on analysis of the pretest and posttest.
The
implications from this study were that females are using the computer more and
have a greater interest in technology. All students should have the opportunity
to use the computer and be encouraged to use the available technology. Single
gender classes have the potential to increase self confidence by providing a
safe learning environment where students have more freedom to express
themselves without fear of embarrassment.
Using Technology Effectively to Promote Teaching and
Learning in Culturally Diverse Classrooms
Linda F.
Cornelious and Vicki Keel, Mississippi State University
Technology
brings about many changes in the ways in which students learn and their
teachers prepare for the instructional process. Although computers are now
available in most schools, not all teachers see the value of using them to
complement their instructional practice in ways that motivate culturally
diverse students to maximize their learning potential. The purpose of this research
was to identify ways in which teacher education candidates can use technology
to design and deliver effective instruction for culturally diverse classrooms.
Recommendations were made about how faculty in schools and colleges of
education can become better prepared and comfortable in their use of
technology. Specific strategies suggested how faculty can use the Internet,
World Wide Web, and multimedia-tools to enhance teaching and learning. Because
effective teachers are expected to use technology as an integral part of the
teaching and learning process, they must also know how to properly integrate
technologies into their instructional practice. Student achievement can be affected by the degree to which teachers use
technology. Therefore, it is crucial
that faculty in schools and colleges of education model the best practices in
teaching by effectively using technologies themselves in order to promote teacher
candidates’ use of technology in their own classrooms to improve students’
learning experiences. Searches from
Academic Search Elite and EBSCO Host research databases were used to select
relevant refereed journal articles.
A Study Comparing the Levels of Technology
Integration of Teacher Preparation Faculty to K-12 Faculty**
Shannon
Parks, Alabama Department of Education, Stephanie B. Ash, University of Alabama
– Birmingham
10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M. CURRICULUM................................................................................... Levee
Presider: Kathleen
Collins, University of Arkansas
Teacher Preparation for Integrated Learning: The
Value of Music Instruction
for the Elementary Classroom Teacher
Sara B.
Bidner, Southeastern Louisiana University
The
curtailment and elimination of music and other arts from elementary and middle
school classroom teacher preparation programs have become increasingly common
in institutions of higher education. Thus, classroom teachers sometimes have no opportunity to develop skills
for incorporating music into the curriculum, although education in the arts is
generally valued, and often required, in the elementary school curriculum. Additionally, many schools have no music
teachers, and lack of funding often results in the elimination of existing
music and other arts programs. It was
the premise of this paper that prospective classroom teachers should have the
opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in music education that will serve
to enrich the elementary curriculum, and to make learning more meaningful for
students.
Music
experiences provide an added dimension for engaging students in the learning
process. Teacher candidates, even those
who have had successful school music experiences, need guidance in structuring
music lessons for students that make learning meaningful within the context of
the total curriculum. Nothing is so
convincing to teacher candidates as witnessing the involvement of students in
lessons they have prepared that enrich student understanding and foster
connections in student learning.
Guidance
in preparatory experiences for teachers provides the direction that classroom
teachers need for recognizing how music can truly enrich the total classroom
experience. Strategies designed by
teacher candidates and implemented in field experiences provide evidence of
successful integrated approaches connecting music learning with thematic
content learning. Specific content
standards from both music and other disciplines serve as the focus for
assessment of student learning.
Research
studies in recent years have assessed the attitudes and self-confidence levels
of teacher candidates regarding the likelihood that music and the arts will be
included in their own classrooms. These
studies have indicated the need for hands-on preparation in learning basic
knowledge and skills before prospective teachers are willing to include arts
experiences in their own classrooms. As teacher candidates develop a greater
knowledge of music and improve musical skills, they become more confident in
their abilities to incorporate music into strategies for teaching.
Elementary Recess: A Study of First- and Fifth-Grade
Children
Rose B.
Jones and Jeanetta G. Riley, University of Southern Mississippi
Although
many American schools have reduced scheduled recess periods in recent years,
research has suggested the important role recess plays in children’s overall
development. With less emphasis on the total child and more on standardized
testing in schools, the present study examined different types of recess play
of first- and fifth-grade children in two county schools and two small city
schools during spring semester in one state in the southern region of the
United States. From a review of literature, seven play categories were chosen
for observation purposes: (1) objects, (2) observation, (3) literacy, (4)
dramatic, (5) physical movement, (6) aggressive, and (7) sedentary. Ten
research questions were developed for these individual and group play
categories. Two researchers observed 81 elementary children (44 first-grade and
37 fifth-grade) for a three-week period using “bug-in-the-ear” with audio
signals indicating time for observations and recordings and a checklist
designed to record play categories.
Data
were compiled, and t tests were run comparing two groups by city/county,
gender, grades, and schools. Three significant differences were found: (1)
children in county schools had more observation play, t (79) = -2.08, p=.04; (2)
children in county schools had more literacy play in mixed gender groups, t
(79) = -2,11, p=.04; and (3) children in
city schools had more physical movement in single gender group play, t (79) =
3.41, p<.001. Few differences were
found between county school and city school children; however, children in city
schools were found to have more physical movement play, which may indicate that
these children engaged in more after school physical activities as research
suggests. This finding could be of importance because of new documentation
linking more sedentary life style with the rise of obesity in children and
adolescents.
The Negative Impacts of Media on Children’s Behavior
Lishu
Yin and Li-Ching Hung, Mississippi State University
Media
have brought very positive influence on promoting young children’s learning
because of their colorful images and excitement. At the same time, they have also brought
violence and pornography to pollute young children’s innocent minds and
souls.
On
average, young children watch TV for two to four hours per day and watch 4,000
hours of TV before they enter kindergarten (ACT, 2005). The average American child will have viewed
around 200,000 acts of violence on television by age 18 (AAA, 2005). In the last two decades, numerous studies
have warned parents and educators that violent television programs and movies
can arouse children to act violently (Hepburn, 2001). However, actions have not been taken yet to
protect young children. A significant
increase in violent behavior has taken place across the United States. The statistics from different sources have
shown that mass media have caused damage in children’s healthy emotional
development.
Mass
media have played a very important role in society. In this paper, the side effects brought by
the mass media were analyzed and resolutions were suggested. This paper addressed the concerns of parents,
educators, and school counselors. It also called the attention of media
designers and producers to help young children to use media in a more
constructive way.
Examples
of the concerns include: (1) children learn to behave aggressively toward
others from media violence; instead of learning to take care of problems and
conflicts, they are taught to use violence; and (2) children think drinking and
smoking as a “cool & attractive” fashion rather than an unhealthy and
deadly habit (AAP, 2005).
10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M. RESEARCH IN PROGESS.............................................. Mississippi Queen
Presiders: Sherry
Shaw and Pamela M. Broadston, University of Arkansas – Little Rock
Utilizing Children’s Materials with Adult Learners**
Elizabeth
C. Smith, University of Southern Mississippi
Same-Sex Classrooms in Public Schools**
LaShanda
Kennedy, University of West Alabama
Identification of Social Support Systems of Interpretation
Students in Postsecondary Settings**
Charissa
Craw, University of Arkansas – Little Rock
Effect of Advanced Placement Teacher Training on
Learning Atmosphere**
Melany
Hamrick, University of West Alabama
Feasibility of Offering American Sign Language as a
Second Language Option for High School Students**
C. J. Jacob,
University of Arkansas – Little Rock
10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M. LEADERSHIP.......................................................................... Delta
Queen
Presider: Abraham
A. Andero, Mississippi State University - Meridian
Nurturing School Leaders: The School Leadership
Center of Greater New Orleans
Kathleen
T. Campbell, Southeastern Louisiana University; Jean Krieger, Woodlake
Elementary School,
St.
Tammany Parish (LA) Schools; Jeff Oescher, University of New Orleans; and Betty
Porter, School
Leadership
Center of Greater New Orleans
In
the current age of high-stakes testing and school accountability, school
principals have assumed increasingly more responsibilities. They are expected to create a school master
schedule and individual student and teacher schedules, oversee maintenance and
repair of the school building, manage the budget, supervise classroom
instruction while staying abreast of research-based best practices, facilitate
appropriate professional development for teachers, direct the preparation of
students for the annual high-stakes testing, be visible in the classrooms and
hallways and extracurricular activities, and implement all state and federal
mandates while keeping up with their required paperwork. In addition, they are supposed to be leaders
with a vision for school improvement and student achievement, the
accomplishment of which they inspire students and teachers toward by effecting
change.
How
is the principal going to find time to effect change while performing the
myriad managerial tasks? Research
indicates that change in schools is best accomplished through shared decision
making. Building a collaborative
decision-making group requires that the principal assume the responsibility of
ensuring that relationships are developed, that a knowledge base is
established, and that a shared vision is developed. Again, the question is “How?” The School Leadership Center of Greater New
Orleans Fellows Program is designed to empower principals to effect needed
changes by providing the professional development and the resources related to
the essential elements mentioned above.
Evidence
has suggested that the SLC has been effective. Data analyzed over a three-year period disclosed the average of
standardized test scores of the SLC schools for each of the three years ranged
from 22% to 43% higher than non-SLC schools across the state and as much as
124% higher in Orleans Public Schools this past year. This quantitative data, combined with
qualitative data in the form of principals’ vignettes, indicated the
effectiveness of the SLC.
Implementing a Three-year Partnership Between an
Urban School District and Two Universities
to Prepare Future In-House School Leaders: A Recipe
for Success
Jack
Klotz and Shelly Albritton, University of Central Arkansas; Jane McHaney,
Armstong Atlantic State
University;
Karen Connelly, Savannah-Chatham County Board of Public Education SBDM Council
Members’
Perceptions of Support for and Leadership of School Councils; and William R.
Schlinker,
Mary
Hall O’Phelan, Sharon Spall, and William Kelley, Western Kentucky University
This
presentation focused on how three different educational entities came together
to develop a concept that became a plan for training future school site
instructional leaders in one southern school district. The organizations that were involved in this
enterprise were the local school district that has a student population of
35,000+, a local state university’s College of Education, and a second
university from another state that offers a nationally recognized standards-based,
performance-oriented, non-traditional principal preparation program. The presenters provided participants with
timelines followed, activities, and contributions of each partner institution
that led to the implementation of this “out of the box’ principal preparatory partnership
program, which is its first year of delivery. Attendees heard of the trials and tribulations encountered along the way
by these partners as they have moved forward during the implementation of this
unique partnership. Additionally
participants received information detailing the program’s two-year
instructional content components. Finally, those in attendance heard from students in the first of three
planned student cohorts regarding their impressions of the program’s
instructional content components, rigor, and practicality.
10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M. PROGRAM EVALUATION............................................................ Riverboat
Presider: Susan
Santoli, University of South Alabama
The Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act:
State-Mandated Testing Program
on Rural Schools in Northeast Mississippi
Sarah E.
Campbell, Mississippi State University
The
study examined teachers’ perception regarding the No Child Left Behind Act
2001. The study sought to find out: (1)
the opinions of teachers regarding NCLB Act based on current knowledge, (2) the
effect of NCLB Act state mandated testing on classroom instruction, and (3) the
effect of the NCLB Act state-mandated testing on student achievement. With particular interest in local context,
this study was undertaken to discover the impact of standard-based state
testing in Mississippi. Data from this
study will increase public awareness of teachers’ attitudes regarding the NCLB
Act and its effect on classroom practices.
A
query using numerous and varied grouping and a mixture of keywords such as
state-mandated testing, teaching and instruction, NCLB and rural schools,
testing and NCLB Act and Mississippi was conducted through ERIC (Educational
Research Information Center) to begin the search. Conducting this search
connected to this body of literature prompted further discovery of related books,
newsletters, journal articles, conference papers, project reports, essays,
research studies, public opinion surveys, testimonies, and historical
materials. From this body of literature, the author selected the works that
focused specifically on teachers’ perception and state-mandated testing within
the last 10 years. This literature consisted of the work that could be
identified as qualitative and quantitative research, public opinion surveys,
and non-empirical works. In short, only
a handful of studies specifically explored teachers’ perception of
state-mandated testing, and these studies were examined in this literature
review. Analysis began with reading the
target research to see what researchers had to say about teachers’ perception
of the NCLB Act and teachers’ perception of the NCLB on instruction and
students’ achievement. These studied
were examined in the literature review.
An
examination of the literature review suggested that the NCLB Act state-mandated
testing program both positively and negatively influence instruction and
student achievement. This research
suggested that NCLB state-mandated testing program adversely affected
instruction and student achievement not just in Mississippi but through the
nation.
Furthermore,
the research examined in this paper suggested that the relationship between
NCLB state-mandated testing program, curricular and instructional practices,
and student achievement is neither easy nor straightforward and is in dire need
of further clarification within states. If state-mandated testing continues to be viewed as a practical means of
educational reform, then it is very important to understand the ways in which
NCLB is mediated through the local contexts and the minds, motives, and actions
of teachers.
Program Evaluation for Early Childhood Mental Health
Services in Louisiana
Beverly
A. Mulvihill, Tonia D. Crossley, and Carl Brezausek, University of Alabama,
Birmingham
Center for Educational Accountability
Timely
identification of high-risk children and families permits more effective
interventions. Mental health concerns often go undetected until school
age. This one- to five-year delay
exacerbates untreated social, emotional and behavioral problems. Early
intervention may prevent or ameliorate subsequent and related issues. Since
2002, the Early Childhood Supports and Services (ECSS) program has demonstrated
the effectiveness of a mental health intervention in six Louisiana
regions. This model program promoted
collaboration among agencies providing services that impact a child’s learning
capabilities and school readiness.
This
paper reported evaluation results for 157 families. Families receiving Temporary Assistance to
Needy Families (TANF) are eligible for ECSS. Demographics, family and child risk factors, employment barriers, and
parenting stress were assessed at baseline and every six months. Frequencies, t-tests,
and Pearson correlations were used to describe the study population, compare
mean scores at baseline and six-months, and explore the relationship between
parenting stress scores and services received.
After
six months, families reported a 9%-24% reduction in employment barriers. Two of
five areas (personal/ financial and emotional/physical barriers) were
significantly reduced (p=<.05). Parenting stress showed significant reductions in two of three subscales
and the total score (p=<.05). The
services families received and initial stress scores were positively
correlated.
Parenting
stress has been shown to be related to depression and to adversely affect the
parent-child relationship. These results indicated families that perceive fewer
employment barriers and less stress in their parent-child relationship after six
months in the program. Families
experiencing more stress received more services. Services provided for families in the early
childhood period to improve family functioning appeared to assist parents in
the critical areas of employment and parenting, consequently promoting a
healthier and more stable environment for early childhood mental health
development.
LA 4 and Starting Points Prekindergarten Program
Evaluation, 2003-2004
Carl M.
Brezausek, Meredith M. Matthews, Thomas O. Ingram III, and Scott W. Snyder,
University of Alabama –
Birmingham
Center for Educational Accountability, and Billy R. Stokes, University of Louisiana
- Lafayette
The
LA 4 prekindergarten program began in 2001 with the passage of Senate Bill 776
with the purpose of serving four-year-old children not currently enrolled in
publicly-funded prekindergarten classes. The LA 4 program was modeled after the Starting Points prekindergarten
program begun in the 1992-1993 school year.
In
2003-2004, prekindergarten intervention was provided to 4,767 children in the
LA 4 Program, and 996 children in the Starting Points program. The targeted
children were at-risk, unserved four-year-olds. These children were evaluated with the McGraw-Hill Developing Skills
Checklist in the fall and spring of their prekindergarten year.
Analyses
of LA 4 test scores revealed significant improvement from pretest to posttest
in the participating students’ scores. Additionally, the LA 4 students’ performance remained close to or higher
than the national average on the posttest. Starting Points students displayed similar results. Specific analyses of the test scores also
indicated a narrowing of the differences between students from differing family
income backgrounds by ethnicity, consistent with the No Child Left Behind
legislation.
These
results supported the high-quality Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving
Four-Year-Old Children followed by the LA 4 and Starting Points programs,
including certified teachers, full-day program, research-based and
developmentally appropriate curricula, and a low student-to-teacher ratio.
Further
examination of kindergarten screening test scores indicated that students who
participated in LA 4 prekindergarten were better prepared than students who did
not participate in a prekindergarten program, despite their impoverished
backgrounds.
10:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M. INTERVENTIONS FOR BASIC ACADEMIC SKILLS:
READING-TO-READ,
MATH-TO-MASTERY, READING-TO-READ,
AND REACHING-FOR-
WRITING (2-HOUR TRAINING
SESSION)............................. Meeting Room
Carlen
Henington, R. Anthony Doggett, and Brad Dufrene, Mississippi State University
Approximately
12% of school-aged children have been identified and receive services for
learning disabilities. Before these children are evaluated, amendments to the
Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act (IDEA, P.L.
108-446) mandate the use of pre-referral interventions and accountability.
Typically, these interventions must be brief and targeted to meet the specific
child’s immediate need for assistance using early academic problem
identification, and academic intervention development and implementation. Based
on timelines and constraints of the school environment, the interventions must
be brief and unobtrusive within the daily routine of the classroom, easy to
monitor with empirical evidence to show efficacy of the intervention, and
acceptable to those who “consume” the intervention.
The
purpose of this training session was to provide participants with detailed
information about the implementation of pre-referral individual and group
interventions for delays in basic academic skills: Math-to-Mastery,
Reading-to-Read, Reaching-for-Writing. Each intervention uses a variety of intervention strategies including
previewing, repeated practice, self-correction, feedback, and graphing to
visually depict progress across time. Previous studies have shown significant growth in targeted areas using
the general model for the intervention in school systems, but no presentations
or publications have been conducted to assist the interventionist and school
personnel in modifying the interventions to meet the needs of diverse
settings.
This
training session provided the participants with detailed descriptions of the
interventions that could be implemented by novice and experienced
interventionists, teachers, and other school personnel. Demonstrations of each intervention were
provided, and participants were encouraged to practice the interventions during
the training. Handouts specific to the
interventions were also provided to participants. Presentations also included
specific case studies presenting empirical data for interventions in each skill
area using time series analysis and curriculum-based assessment. Social
validity data were presented for each intervention.
11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ............................................................... Bayou
Presider: Anthony
J. Onwuegbuzie, University of South Florida
Nurturing Their Students: Primary-Level Teachers’
Perceptions
Jeanetta
G. Riley, University of Southern Mississippi
Although
recent emphasis in public education on academic achievement tends to omit the discussion
of issues related to children’s social and emotional development, society
expects teachers, particularly those teaching younger children, to care about
and nurture their students. The theoretical background for this qualitative
study within the phenomenological tradition included romantic ideology,
constructivism, attachment theory, motivation theory, and concepts related to
teaching the whole child. The purpose of the study was to examine four primary-level
teachers’ understandings of their lived experiences of nurturing students. The
teachers taught in two schools located in a rural area of a southern state. The
research was undertaken to reveal the teachers’ definitions of nurturing, the
teachers’ understandings of their nurturing behaviors, and the teachers’
beliefs of how they learned to nurture students.
Data
collection consisted of formal and informal interviews with the teachers,
supplemented by observations and documents. Interview data were analyzed using
a three-tiered process of phenomenological reflection. From the analysis of
data, major themes, minor themes, and subthemes emerged. The two major themes
were physical and emotional availability and responsibility for student
success. Three minor themes were absence of nurturing, student response, and
learning to nurture. Descriptions of the teachers’ individual understandings of
nurturing and an overall description of their understandings of nurturing were
generated.
Conclusions
drawn from the data indicated that the teachers understood their nurturing
experiences to consist of attitudes, emotions, and actions. By being physically
and emotionally available to develop caring relationships with their students,
the teachers believed that they could provide emotional and academic support to
help their students succeed in their classrooms and in life. Additionally, the
teachers believed that nurturing was part of their innate personality but was also
learned behavior from observation of those around them, particularly during
their childhood.
Mirror, Mirror: A Phenomenological Study of the Role
of Reflection in Teaching
Amy F.
Morgan and Nataliya Ivankova, University of Alabama – Birmingham
In
this era of increasing accountability in education, teachers are being asked to
move away from the role of intuitive guide to being a more deliberate
reflective practitioner. The need exists
to understand the experience of reflection and its meaning from the perspective
of practicing teachers. Existing studies
describe an effective teacher as one who reflects upon her/his teaching;
however, they do not illuminate the perspective of teachers in order to assist
other teachers in knowing how to reflect effectively. Guided by the works of Dewey (1909/1933) and
Schon (1983, 1987), this phenomenological study explored the reflective
experiences of practicing teachers in order to understand, from the perspective
of teacher, the meaning of reflection in teaching. The central research question was: What is the meaning of reflection in
teaching?
The
purposeful sample included five female teachers and one male teacher currently
teaching fourth or fifth grade with three to 29 years of teaching
experience. The data were collected
through focus group interviews and subsequent follow-up individual interviews
with each participant. The data analysis
followed the procedures outlined by Moustakas (1994). After transcribing interviews verbatim,
invariant horizons, or statements significant to the central phenomenon and
reinforced by more than one participant were pulled from the transcripts. The statements were organized into seven
themes pertaining to reflection: (1) ongoing learning process, (2) way to solve
problems, (3) way to deal with change, (4) sharing with others, (5) evolving
with experience, (6) being formal and informal, and (7) taking place in a
nurturing environment.
These
findings can help school administrators hear the voices of practicing teachers
so that they can better establish, monitor, and evaluate effective reflective
practices. As teachers begin to
understand the meaning of reflection for themselves and other teachers, they
will become empowered to use time in the classroom more efficiently.
11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M. MATHEMATICS EDUCATION............................................................. Levee
Presider: David A.
T. Hall, University of South Alabama
Project ELEVATE: Enhancing Learning Environments Via
Active Teaching Enhancement Strategies
Julie A.
Holmes, Louisiana Tech University, and Cathy Stockton, Richland Parish (LA) Schools
Project
ELEVATE (Effective Learning Experiences via Active Teaching Enhancement
Strategies) is a grant project with a primary purpose of enhancing the
mathematical skills of students with disabilities, regular education students,
and blind students. This project addressed the needs of mathematics teachers in
four north Louisiana parishes, as well as teachers of the blind throughout the
state.
An
Educational Needs Assessment was given to all principals and teachers that
wanted to participate in the project. This 27-item instrument contained
open-ended questions to allow the participants to more effectively communicate
their needs in terms of professional development and materials to enhance their
mathematics instruction. Analysis of the data revealed that the majority of the
participants expressed: (1) parental
involvement was critical for student success, (2) they do not have enough
training on the use of technology, (3) a willingness for outside consultation
for learning better teaching skills and strategies, and (4) more learning aids
and manipulatives were needed to enhance instruction.
To
fulfill these needs, the staff of Project ELEVATE has worked with participating
schools by providing Family Math Nights to encourage more parental involvement
and provided participating schools with math materials kits. The project staff
has also established relationships with faith-based groups and provided
professional development for their volunteers, conducted Family Math Nights,
modeled demonstration lessons in mathematics, and provided needed mathematics
manipulative materials. To address the technology needs, professional
development through the INTECH Regional Technology Center was sponsored by
Project ELEVATE and provided teachers stipends and materials. The Project also
provided scholarships and stipends for participating teachers for the DEEP in
Math training. Braille mathematics materials were also purchased for the state
resource center through the project. This presentation reported the current
progress in the project and the future endeavors of Project ELEVATE.
Preliminary Evaluation of the 2005 AMSTI Summer
Training Institutes
Marcia
R. O’Neal and Scott W. Snyder, University of Alabama – Birmingham,
and Steve
Ricks, Alabama State Department of Education
This
presentation provided an overview of the Alabama Math and Science Teaching
Initiative (AMSTI), now in its second year, funded through the Department of
Education. Presenters summarized preliminary
results of the second year of summer institutes conducted at three sites during
June 2005. Over 500 math and science
teachers (first-time institute participants) and administrators from school
districts in three regions in Alabama participated in the institutes. The AMSTI
summer institutes were designed to provide intensive and high quality
professional development in inquiry-focused math and science instruction for
teachers and administrators in grades K-8. Participating teachers received two
weeks of grade-specific training in the subject matter and pedagogy. Teachers
who completed the institute had access to AMSTI instructional materials
(module-based) to support math and science instruction in their
classrooms.
Data
collected from first-time participating teachers included pretest/posttest
subject matter knowledge (tied to the content of the workshop, not-too-deep
subject matter understanding), surveys of current practices and attitudes, and
an evaluation of the workshop and its anticipated impact on practices.
Administrators completed open-ended survey items eliciting their perceptions of
the institute and expected impacts in their schools. The evaluation of the institutes is one
aspect of a comprehensive multi-year evaluation of a large-scale grant intended
to reform math and science teaching in Alabama.
The
presenters described the AMSTI and the summer institutes, summarized results of
the preliminary evaluation of the institute, and outlined subsequent evaluation
plans. Feedback and discussion regarding evaluation of Math and Science
Partnerships were solicited from the audience.
The Effects of Math-to-Mastery with Elementary and
High School Students
Michael
Mong, Mississippi State University
Based
on Curriculum State University Based Assessment, the Math-to-Mastery
intervention package has been empirically proven to be an effective
intervention for increasing mathematics fluency. Because of the general lack of research
concerning age effects, the purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate
the effects of the Math-to-Mastery intervention package with both elementary
school students and a high school student.
The
participants for the elementary-aged study were eight children selected from a
summer academic skills clinic. The
participants ranged in age from seven years old to 12 years old with a mean age
of 9.2 years of age. The participants
for this study were at various points in their academic careers, the youngest
entering the first grade with the oldest entering the sixth grade. The majority of the participants were African
American children (62.5%), with Caucasian participants comprising the rest of
the sample (37.5%). Females comprised
the majority of the sample (75%), while males made up the minority (25%). The
participant for the high school study was a 16-year-old, Caucasian male. The subject was recruited from a pediatric
behavior clinic at Mississippi State University. All subjects were performing
at least one year below grade level in math. Students were selected from a
summer academic clinic and a behavioral/pediatric clinic for remediation of
reading, writing, and mathematics deficits held at Mississippi State
University.
A
between-series multiple baseline design across participants was used to
evaluate the effects of both of the interventions.
11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M. USE OF PORTFOLIOS IN ASSESSMENT OF TEACHER
CANDIDATES:
THREE PERSPECTIVES (SYMPOSIUM).......................... Mississippi
Queen
Organizer: Judith
A. Boser, University of Tennessee
Denise
Beeler Jones, KY Education Professional Standards Board and University of Kentucky;
Dorothy C. Schween
and
Thilla Sivakumaran, University of Louisiana – Monroe; and William Wishart, University
of Tennessee
The
use of portfolios, especially electronic ones, continues to increase in
assessing teacher candidates at both the institutional and state levels. They provide a readily accessible system
showing quality of teacher candidates needed for NCATE accreditation and state
licensure.
11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M. MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION............................................... Delta
Queen
Presider: Michelle
Haj-Broussard, McNeese State University
Perceptions of Motivation to Learn: A Multi-ethnic
Perspective**
Srilata
Bhattacharyya, New York Institute of Technology, Wendy Jordanov, Tennessee State
University
A Comparative Study of Preservice Teachers’
Motivations in Two Continents
Qaisar
Sultana, Eastern Kentucky University
This
study, a replication of one conducted in Kentucky two years ago, aimed at
assessing the motivational factors that led the preservice teachers at the
American University of Beirut to choose teaching as their profession. The investigator asked all preservice student
teachers during their last seminar meeting to write two reasons why they wanted
to become teachers. The total of 70 Lebanese student teachers (7 males and 63
females) was comprised of 17 majoring in Secondary Science, 13 in Secondary
Math, 10 in Elementary Math and Science, 7 in Elementary Social Studies and
Language Arts, 11 in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 5 in Special
Education, 4 in Informatics (Technology), and 3 in Music and Art.
The
respondents gave a total of 123 different reasons. These were classified into eight
factors, namely, patriotism, future, help, self-appraisal, change, impact, giving,
and self-needs. It was difficult to separate the responses associated with
change from those referring to the impact of a teacher. For convenience,
responses were assigned to factors by the language respondents used. Frequency of responses in each factor was
counted. Self-need received the highest
frequency (30). It was followed by help (17), self-appraisal (16), patriotism
(14), future (8), change (8), giving (5) and impact (5).
The
data were collected three months after the assassination of the most popular
leader, Rafic Hariri. The national fervor was running very high. The political
climate may have influenced the respondents. Kentucky data did not generate the patriotism and giving factors. In the self-appraisal factor, Kentucky’s
highest frequency response, “I love children,” did not appear in the Lebanese
data. Kentucky’s highest frequency
response in self-need factor, long summer vacations, was mentioned only once by
their Lebanese counterparts. Kentucky’s
second highest frequency response, lots of holidays, did not appear in the
Lebanese responses. There were several other noticeable differences worth
further study for multicultural education.
A Multilevel Longitudinal Study of Ethnic Differences
in Achievement Among Asian American Students
Eugene
Kennedy and Shujie Liu, Louisiana State University
Asian
American students have often been labeled the “model minority” as a result of
their documented high levels of academic achievement (Chan, 1991). However, there is considerable variation in
achievement among the population of Asian American students in the U.S. Although the research on this variation is
limited, there are growing indications that cultural differences in ethnic
groups and social-economic background are important factors (Huang, 1995).
The
present study focused on the role of ethnicity in the academic growth of
different ethnic groups of Asian American students as they progressed from
grades 8 to 12. The study used data from
the first three waves of the NELS:88. The focus of the analysis was on variation in the growth trajectories of
these students as reflected in their performance on the vertically scaled
standardized achievement tests administered with each wave of the NELS:88
survey. A two-level multilevel model was
used to analyze these data. At level
one, student performance on the standardized tests was regressed on time and
selected time-varying covariates. At
level two, ethnicity and socio-economic background were predictors. These analyses used appropriate panel weights
and addressed questions concerning the levels and rates of achievement among
these groups, the role background factors play, and the impact of attitudes
(e.g., locus of control) and behavior (e.g., number of hours of study) changes
(time varying covariates) on these processes.
The
significance of this project lies in its potential to shed light on an often
overlooked issue-- variation in academic achievement among Asian American
students. As noted by Kim (1997), the “model minority” label applied to all
Asian American students blurs the considerable variation that exists and can
lead educators and policy makers to leave these students out of discussions
when the focus is on addressing the needs of struggling learners.
11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M. HIGHER EDUCATION................................................................... Riverboat
Presider: Lola
Aagaard, Morehead State University
University Faculty Under Stress: A New Look at an Old
Theory
Yonghong
Xu, University of Memphis
Research
on university faculty worklife brought to attention the importance of
understanding and reducing work-related faculty stress. Gmelch and his
colleagues (Gmelch, Wilke, & Lovrich, 1986) developed a five-dimension
definition of stress among university faculty: reward and recognition, time
constraints, departmental influence, professional identity, and student
interaction. However, after 20 years have passed, have the stress patterns
stayed unchanged? Does it still convey a complete picture?
Using
the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty: 1999 data, the current study
first revalidated this five-dimension stress structure with a factor analysis,
and then provided more insight into the complex patterns of faculty stress by
including additional variables. Based on a weighted sample of 2,689 fulltime faculty,
the analyses showed that measures of faculty reward and recognition, time
constraints, departmental influence, professional identity, and student
interaction produced only one solid underlying factor, evidence that the five
dimensions still define the faculty stress very well.
Furthermore,
a hierarchical regression confirmed that untenured faculty perceived a higher
stress level than do their tenured colleagues, and faculty stress differed
across different academic disciplines. At odds with the previous findings,
academic ranks were found not related to stress in terms of time constraints
and departmental influences. Also, as age increases, stress levels decrease in
all dimensions. Remarkably, ethnicity and sense of job security, two variables
omitted by Gmelch and his colleagues, turned out to be significantly related to
faculty stress. Asian American and Hispanic faculty members experienced
significantly higher stress in reward and recognition; the former group also
had higher stress in student interactions.
This
study supported the five-dimension stress pattern. By including measures on
ethnicity and job security, the findings demanded more attention to minority
faculty and their unique worklife stresses, and revealed sense of job security
as one of the key factors in reducing the faculty stress level.
Deception in Faculty Job Application
Mary
Hall O’Phelan, Western Kentucky University
The
use of deceit during the job application process in higher education has
received some attention in recent years. Various ways of detecting deceit were
explored by Ekman and O’Sullivan (1991) and in a review of literature by
Edelman (1999). Because most of the research on deception has been done using
undergraduates as subjects, Edelman suggests that additional studies be done
using other populations in order to establish ecological validity. The degree
to which faculty applicants present false information, distort their past
histories, or omit crucial negative evidence about themselves is not known.
The
purpose of this study was to develop a survey instrument to measure faculty
attitudes about deception in the college and university workplace. Likert-type items for the instrument were
developed for four different scales within the instrument: (1) faculty beliefs
about deception, (2) faculty self-reported behavior, (3) faculty beliefs about
other people’s perceptions, and (4) faculty beliefs about other people’s
behavior. After IRB approval was
obtained, 50 faculty members across several disciplines at a comprehensive
university were asked to complete the pilot version of the instrument in order
to estimate validity and reliability. Participants were asked to give their
reactions and suggestions about content and format of the survey items. Using
split-half procedures, reliability was estimated for the instrument as a whole,
as well as for each of the four subscales. The pilot study prompted
modifications in the wording and format of the instrument, as well as in the
content and focus of the four scales. The revised instrument can be used to
begin discussions about deception in the workplace in higher education.
Subsequent studies focused on survey responses for different groups of faculty,
e.g., newly hired vs. tenured, faculty in different disciplines, or faculty at
comprehensive vs. research universities.
Adjuncts Happen: Strong Faculty or Weak System?
Naomi
Jeffery Petersen, Indiana University - South Bend
Faculty
role expectations were discussed for the purpose of clarifying teacher
education program stressors. Involvement in faculty decisions is considered a
key component of the quality of students’ learning environment according to
NCATE accreditation standards intended to address the systemic nature of
faculty involvement. To strengthen program infrastructure, one must recognize
the complications of maintaining a system that does not clearly define roles
and expectations concerning one of its key components: contingent faculty.
Increasing use of contingent faculty in schools of education highlights the
complexity: faculty roles and responsibilities are increasingly blurred,
exceeding the scope of traditional definitions, i.e., isolated teaching.
Reported
were the preliminary findings from an ongoing qualitative study, including
interviews with core and contingent faculty at two different teaching
institutions. Whereas contingent faculty bring valued expertise, they may be
less aware of university expectations, thereby magnifying program weaknesses.
Communication necessary for true collaboration can be generated only through
core faculty service, because it is not teaching or scholarship that is neither
valued or compensated. Collaboration among core and contingent faculty could
strengthen program quality, but requires: (1) far more service from core faculty than is
valued or compensated, (2) a more complex role for contingent faculty to
embrace, and (3) student survey data that must include perceptions of the
integrated program. Proposed was a focus group discussion for conference
participants to contribute to this investigation.
1:00 P.M. – 2:15 PM IMPROBABLE RESEARCH WITH IMPOSSIBLE
REPLICABILITY AND
IRREPRODUCIBLE RESULTS BY
IRRESPONSIBLE RESEARCHERS
(MSERA KEYNOTE ADDRESS).................................................. Premier
III)
Organizers: Walter M. Mathews, Evaluation Associates of New York; Ronald
D. Adams, Western
Kentucky
University; Robert L. Kennedy, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences;
William
L. Deaton, Wears Valley, Tennessee; Harry L. Bowman, Council on
Occupational
Education; Robert Rasmussen, Louisiana State University System;
George
W. Gaines, Silas Griffin B&B, Danby, Vermont; and Jean Krieger, Woodlake
Elementary
School, Mandeville, Louisiana
2:30 P.M. – 3:20 PM MIXED METHODS............................................................................. Bayou
Presider: David
Morse, Mississippi State University
Resolution of Qualitative-Quantitative Dichotomy:
Implications for Theory, Praxis,
and National Research Policy
Charles
L. McLafferty Jr. and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, University of South Florida
Politicians
and taxpayers wonder why researchers have not developed educational research
and practice with the same scientific rigor attributed to medicine and
engineering. Legislation threatens to proscribe funded research. The debate
recurs: Is qualitative or quantitative research best? Beginning in graduate
school, educators and researchers are usually taught only one such approach.
Philosophical explanations depict an insolvable incompatibility.
This
article transcended the traditional qualitative-quantitative dichotomy using a
three-dimensional ontology: soma, psyche, and noös. The physical dimension
(soma) is best researched through quantitative methods. Naturalistic inquiry
optimally encompasses the emotions and intellect (psyche). The noëtic dimension
includes choice, purpose, and spirituality: our unique personhood and universal
connection with “Life.” Concepts such as
choice, responsibility, and discovered meaning are largely missing from
research and theory in psychology and education, partly because methods are not
philosophically suited to the noëtic dimension.
From
a dimensional perspective, the quantitative-qualitative concept is no longer
dichotomous—rather, the two methodologies are *dimensionally different.* Further, the political move toward “science-based
research” in the areas of human learning and development bears reconsideration
in order to ensure that education, praxis, and research do not leave out the
search for meaning--the soul of education.
Qualitative and Quantitative Studies: Where Do They
Converge?
Cindy M.
Casebeer and Judy Burry-Stock, University of Alabama
In
the United States, there continues to be a strong emphasis on student
standardized test scores as the benchmark of learning. Therefore, it is
commonplace for funding agencies, in particular, to ask that educational
programs provide evidence-based (or science-based) results attesting to their
efficacy. This is true in teacher education programs as well. However, program
evaluators know that providing just the “numbers” does not allow for a rich, true,
or complete examination of modern-day programs with multiple stakeholders.
However, through the use of mixed-method evaluation designs, it is possible to
gain a more complete picture of the program. Through the use of qualitative
methods, it is possible to provide a forum whereby the voices of program
participants can be heard. Through the use of quantitative methods, it is
possible to provide evidence-based results that will meet the demands of the
public.
Mixed Methods Research in Counseling Research: The
Past, Present, and Future
Nancy L.
Leech, University of Colorado – Denver - Health Sciences, and Anthony J.
Onwuegbuzie,
University
of South Florida
The
purpose of this paper was to explain and illustrate the utility of mixed
methods research (i.e., combining quantitative and qualitative techniques) to
the field of counseling. First, the authors discussed and exemplified the use
of mixed methods approaches in counseling practice. Second, the authors
described mixed methods designs in the context of applicability to counseling
research. Third, they delineated the current state of affairs with respect to
mixed methods designs in counseling research through a content analysis of the
types of empirical studies published in the three leading counseling journals
between 2000 and 2004. These journals are Journal of Counseling and
Development, Journal of College Counseling, and Counselor Education and
Supervision. The analysis revealed that only a small proportion of these
studies can be classified as representing mixed methods research. Finally, the
authors illustrated the utility of mixed methods research designs by critiquing
select monomethod (i.e., qualitative or quantitative) and mixed methods studies
that have been published in counseling journals. They demonstrated how mixed methods research
yields richer, thicker data than do monomethod studies, culminating in a
greater understanding of underlying phenomena.
2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M. ACHIEVEMENT................................................................................. Levee
Presider: Beverly
M. Klecker, Morehead State University
The Different Roles of Income and Family Structure on
Student Achievement and School Performance
Beverly
Derington Moore and Stephen K. Miller, University of Louisville
This
study analyzed the effects of seven socio-demographic factors on student scores
on the CTBS Mathematics tests at three grade levels: third, sixth and
ninth. It also examined the effects of
those seven socio-demographic factors aggregated at school level (i.e., school
composition factors) on the aggregate school scores, i.e., on school
performance at those grades. Major findings involved the relationship between
SES and family structure. In this study, SES was defined as family income
measured by whether a student qualified for free and reduced meals (F&R).
Family structure was defined as having two-parents (mother and father) living
in the home. Those same factors were expressed as percentages of students not
on free and reduced meals and percentages of students with two-parent families
to represent school composition. The effects of the individual factors on
individual scores and the effects of school composition factors on school
performance (aggregate school scores) were analyzed using forward multiple
regression
A
major finding was the contrast between the correlation of SES and family
structure at the student level, which was very low, and that at the school
level, which was very high. In addition, the regression effects demonstrated a
much higher degree of colinearity between those two variables at the school
level than at the individual level, which was also higher than the colinearity
of the other variables at the school level. The implications of the findings
for evaluating school performance and guiding future research were discussed.
Mathematics Achievement Patterns Across Two Groups of
Learners: A Multilevel Approach
John K.
Rugutt and Caroline C. Chemosit, Illinois State University, and Philip K.
Kaloki, Dallas Baptist University
The
purpose of this study was guided by the following research questions: (1) Are
there differences in mathematics achievement scores among state high schools? (2)
Do school factors (socio-economic status - SES, family income, percentage of
male students, school mathematics ladder, school size, etc.) explain the
differences in mean school mathematics achievement scores? (3) Do student factors
(gender, free/reduced lunch, SES, IEP, mathematics ladder, etc.) explain
differences in mathematics achievement scores? and (4) Do the school factors
influence the magnitude of the student factors on mathematics achievement
scores?
The
sample of this study was 85,804 high school students, consisting of 73,370
observations collected from 558 schools from white American students and 12,434
observations from African American students from 164 schools. The study used
mathematics ACT scores as its outcome variable. The results of the study indicated that there were significant
differences among schools. For the African
American sample, the test statistic (967;2 = 3064.84, df = 163) indicates
significant (p<0.000) variation among predominantly African American schools
in their mathematics achievement. For
the white American sample, the test statistic (967;2 = 13567.20, df = 557)
indicated significant (p<0.000) variation among predominantly white American
schools in their mathematics achievement. At the student level, the variance components was 963;2 = 9.65, and
26.00 for African American, and white American students, respectively. This indicated that white American students
were more variable in their mathematics achievement than African American
students. Intra-class correlations,
computed for the two samples, were 0.19 (19%), and 0.10 (10%) for the African
American, and white American students, respectively.
The
intra-class correlations showed relatively substantial proportion of variation
among schools, indicating that 19% of variance in mathematics achievement was
among predominantly African American schools, and 10% of variance in
mathematics achievement was among predominantly white American schools. The within schools variability for African
American students is relatively smaller, but substantial variability between
predominantly African American schools exists. Complete results of this study and procedures used were reported at the
conference. Further, the major findings
and conclusions of the study were also discussed in view of their implications
for future research, measurement theory, research design, and practice.
Regression-Based Formula for Predicting the Academic Success
of First-Year College Students
John F.
Edwards and David L. McMillen, Mississippi State University
To
reduce student attrition, many colleges and universities have implemented
academic mentorship programs designed to increase student performance and
persistence. Such programs frequently classify “at-risk” students based on ACT
score and/or high school grade point average (HSGPA). Although researchers have identified numerous
other variables that are reasonably accurate in predicting the academic
performance of first-year college students, ACT and HSGPA continue to be the
most widely used predictors of academic performance in college. The purpose of
the present study was to provide a fledgling mentorship program, recently
instituted at a large public university in the southeastern U.S., with a
regression-based formula for identifying at-risk students.
The
sample included all freshmen students entering the university in the years 2003
and 2004 (n = 3,440). Only variables that were part of the university database
were investigated. The dependent measure was a dichotomous categorization of
first-year GPA: either, greater than or equal to 2.00, or less than 2.00. A
logistic regression analysis indicated that the following predictor variables
accounted for a statistically significant portion of the variance in the
dependent measure: (1) ACT, (2) HSGPA, (3) gender, (4) race, (5) residency
status (living in dormitory versus living off-campus), (6) registration date
(early versus late registration), and (7) guardianship (single-parent versus dual-parent).
The
methodology employed in this study could serve as a model for deriving
regression-based formulas to be used by academic mentorship programs at other
universities. Such formulas should be program specific with derivations based
on data from local student populations in order to maximize the reliability of
prediction. It is further recommended that new population data be analyzed
every few years in order to account for the dynamic nature of present day college-student
populations.
2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M. LEADERSHIP (DISPLAYS).............................................. Mississippi
Queen
No Child Left Behind, Preparing Highly Qualified
Principals
Ronald
A. Styron, David E. Lee, and Mike Ward, University of Southern Mississippi
Mississippi
Curriculum Test scores in the south-central region of Mississippi are among the
lowest in the state. Improving these
scores is essential to improving student achievement, school performance
scores, and breaking the cycle of poverty found among families residing in
these school districts. Additionally, south-central Mississippi is suffering
from both a lack of, and the inability to attract and keep, qualified school
administrators, especially school principals. With over 50% of currently serving principals now eligible for
retirement, this problem has now reached a magnitude never before seen. As a result of accountability programming,
there has never been a more critical time for schools to have competent leadership. The University of Southern Mississippi School
Leadership Institute was developed to address these two primary concerns.
The
Institute consisted of a comprehensive 20-day summer program, with two days of
follow-up during the fall, involving 35 participants, who included practicing
and aspiring principals grouped under two primary instructional strands. Two professors
from the Department of Education Leadership, along with successful field
practitioners, served as instructors.
The
goals of the Institute were to: (1) improve
leadership skills as related to the facilitation of core academic instruction,
comprehension, and student achievement; (2) integrate core academic topics
directly related to content standards into daily instruction; (3) facilitate
the integration of technology into daily instruction through the use of word
processing and spreadsheet software, computer applications, email, web pages,
pocket computers, and web-based resources so as to foster the learning concepts
of core academics; (4) utilize school-based administrative applications of
technology through the use of pocket computers and software such as PowerPoint,
T-Observe, and test data analysis software, web-sites, email, and daily
organizer; (5) improve the interpretation and management of appropriate test
data; and (6) develop and implement action plans based on test data.
Institute
content contained a focus on instructional programs, leadership theory and
leadership styles, school vision, decision making, time management, fiscal
prioritization, management, supervision, selection and evaluation of teachers,
action planning, lesson design, professional growth plans, special education
inclusion, analysis of test data, interpreting test results, identifying
program needs and low-performing students, curriculum alignment, grant writing,
accountability, and No Child Left Behind and utilization of technology.
The
effectiveness of the Institute was measured by an instrument utilizing open-ended
questions and Likert scale, MS curriculum test scores, and a follow-up questionnaire
completed during the following spring. Longitudinal data collected and discussed included 2002-03, 2003-04, and
2004-05 Mississippi Curriculum Test scores.
Curriculum Alignment Matrix: A Systematic Framework
for Aligning Educational Leadership
Program Curriculum with Standards, Principles, and
Assessment
Donna E.
Pascoe, Martha Hall, Tom Hackett, Bill Hortman, and Patricia Duttera, Columbus
State University
The
importance of training highly qualified administrators and leaders, along with
the importance placed on educational accountability, facilitated changes to our
Educational Leadership program. Curriculum alignment was deemed the foundation
of this initiative.
The
curriculum improvement process was complex and required ongoing program evaluations.
An approach that was systematic and comprehensive was a necessary requirement
for successful program adaptations and applications. Educational Leadership
faculty designed a wall-sized taxonomy matrix framework for analyzing and
aligning Educational Leadership Program Curriculum with Standards, Principles,
and Assessments.
Alignment
began with a review of curriculum standards, principles, instruction, and
assessment. Improvements were made by aligning program with external standards
from Standards for Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership (SAPEL) and with
national testing objectives. The second alignment level was internal, requiring
a review of curriculum goals and objectives, instructional strategies, syllabi,
class content (validity studies), and curriculum-embedded assessment
instruments.
All
members of the Leadership faculty team met weekly to study alignment data
presented visually on the wall-sized taxonomy matrix framework. Item analysis
changes were made within the framework. Topics for consideration and discussion
were determined weekly with follow-up as needed.
Program
evaluations have been ongoing and reiterative. Assessment measures have been
designed as indicators for changes to the program and input from students,
faculty, community leaders, standards commissions, and candidates was
encouraged. Leadership faculty worked cooperatively to interpret and use
assessment data, research, and professional expertise when making decisions
regarding curriculum alignment. The wall-sized taxonomy matrix framework
facilitated the process of curriculum alignment by providing a visual
representation of the information to be assessed. Movement of data and
information was visually evident when changes were made by moving information
from one cell to another. The wall-sized taxonomy matrix framework provided
visual documentation of standards and program content evaluated.
Do Ideals Meet the Real World in School Psychology?:
Analysis of Internship Time Allocation
Constance
K. Patterson, Michelle A. Jackson, W. Alan Coulter, and Lisa L. Persinger, Louisiana
State
University
– Health Sciences Center, The University of Southern Mississippi School
Leadership
Institute,
and David E. Lee and Ronald A. Styron, University of Southern Mississippi
Expectations
and guidelines for the training and practice of school psychology are
constantly evolving and are often affected by both state and federal law (e.g.,
IDEA 1997; IDEA reauthorized for 2004). These laws are reflected in the roles
given to school psychologists in individual states and districts.
This
poster presented a graphic display of the roles and activities of school
psychology interns in several Louisiana school systems. The data reflected the
diversity among activities in districts that partnered with the Louisiana
School Psychology Internship Consortium for the 2003-2005 schools years. Data were
depicted for districts that engaged in more traditional practices, districts
with more progressive practices, pre-doctoral-level intern activities, and
pre-specialist-level intern activities. These activities included assessment,
counseling/intervention, consultation, research, writing, organization,
meetings, training provided and received, and supervision.
Validation of a Leadership Self-Efficacy Scale
Kyna
Shelley, Wanda S. Maulding, Marquise L. Loving, Mary Alexander-Lee, Bronagh
Gallagher,
and
Lauren Beckman, University of Southern Mississippi
Though
there is an undeniable relationship between self-confidence and effective
leadership, it appears that it is a related concept, task-specific confidence
or self-efficacy, that explains this relationship. Despite the potential
importance of leadership self-efficacy (LSE) with regard to assessment and
training, there are, with few notable exceptions, no tools available by which
to measure this construct. Based on leadership research, an instrument was
developed for the purpose of evaluating LSE, defined specifically as confidence
to monitor and influence in order to promote group effectiveness.
This
study assessed the relationship between leadership participation and efficacy
by, first, investigating the validity of this leadership efficacy instrument,
and, second, utilizing the instrument in drawing parallels between experience
and efficacy of individuals who are in positions of leadership and those who
are not. Five areas of leadership efficacy were explored. They included: (1)
monitoring, diagnosing, and action planning, (2) task management, (3) relations
management, (4) impression management, and (5) context management. Participants
in phase 1 were asked to sort the items according to leadership categories.
The
initial sample was composed of 150 students, and per their responses, the
questionnaire was revised by retaining items that received at least 70%
agreement on category confirmation and rejecting items that did not. Phase 2
participants were selected from a different group of students and were asked to
respond to the revised questionnaire to further confirm category classification
and revise the questionnaire through factor analysis. Phase 3 participants were
graduate students and education professionals (a group of leaders, aspiring
leaders, and non-leaders) who were administered the final leadership efficacy
instrument in order to assess the relationship of their responses to their
respective leadership experience levels.
2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M. MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION............................................... Delta
Queen
Presider: Eugene
Kennedy, Louisiana State University
Initial Teacher Candidates’ Attitudes Toward
Diversity
Michelle
Haj-Broussard and Rose Henny, McNeese State University
Kailin
(1999) and Sleeter (1993) both document teachers’ perceptions of racial issues
in schools. Kailin (1999) notes that
even when teachers view acts within their schools that they would call “racist”
the teachers said or did nothing, leading Kailin to assert that “Silence was
the persistence of racism.” Sleeter
(1993) studied a cohort of 30 teachers over a period of two years and found
that the white teachers associated race with their own European ancestry,
denying the history of colonization or the complicity of social institutions in
propagating inequality. Haberman and
Post (1992) found that preservice teachers, despite intensive coursework in
multicultural education and over 100 hours field experience with low-income
minority children in schools, reinforced their initial preconceptions rather
than reconstructing their views of children of color.
This
study sought to determine McNeese’s beginning teacher education majors’ views about
cultural diversity before they began their diversity education foundations
courses at both the undergraduate and the graduate level--SPED 204 and EDUC
647.
Participants
were selected to participate in this study based on their enrollment in either
SPED 204 or EDUC 647-- foundation courses, which addressed multicultural
education and the education of students with exceptionalities. Participants
were asked to answer the Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory (Henry, 1991)
at the beginning of the semester during class. The questionnaire was a five-point
Likert scale. Data were analyzed to
yield the frequencies and percentages of responses for each class and within a
variety of demographic categories such as age, socio-economic status, and ethnicity.
The
researchers anticipated that there would be differences between graduate and
undergraduate candidates attitudes vis-à-vis diversity. Furthermore, as previous studies have found,
the researchers felt that there would be a difference between candidates’ views
on diversity based on ethnicity and age.
Developing Diversity Dispositions in Teacher
Candidates via Video Vignettes
Connie
LaBorde and Frances Kelley, Louisiana Tech University, and Cathy Stockton,
Richland Parish (LA) Schools
The
study examined the use video vignettes developed to address topics (inclusion,
abuse, bullying, and racism) to improve teacher candidates’ awareness and
appreciation of diversity in educational settings. The vignettes (videos) were
field-tested by 59 participants in two classroom management courses at a
midsized,
southern public university. The participants were
teacher candidates enrolled in traditional undergraduate and alternative
certification programs.
The
researcher met with the teacher candidates one time and administered the survey
packet prior to viewing the videos and then, again, immediately after viewing
the videos. Participants completed: (1) a demographic questionnaire, (2) the
Interpersonal Reactivity Index, (3) the Instrumental Caring Inventory, (4) the
Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, (5) the Miville-Guzman
Universality-Diversity Scale-Short Form, and (6) a ranking of the four videos
they watched (Abuse, Bullying, Inclusion, Racism).
Overall,
the teacher candidates’ responses to the four video vignettes (Abuse, Bullying,
Inclusion, and Racism) indicated that candidates felt that the videos: (1) accurately portrayed real life scenario,
(2) helped them empathize with people portrayed in the video, (3) helped them
better understand the issues presented in the video, and (4) helped them see
the issues presented in a different light. Teacher candidates tended to
disagree that their opinions were changed based upon the issues presented in
the vignettes. Pretest and posttest data were analyzed and differences were
noted between the pre- and posttest with mean scores higher prior to viewing
the videos. This suggested that participants’ compassion, altruism, empathy,
and relativistic appreciation decreased after viewing the videos. The findings
of the study suggested that simply showing the diversity videos did not improve
dispositions toward diversity. It was determined that different methodologies
for use of the videos would be researched.
Preservice and Inservice Teachers’ Attitudes Toward
Multicultural Issues in Tennessee’s Public Schools
Barbara
N. Young and Donald Snead, Middle Tennessee State University
The
public schools in Tennessee are experiencing an influx of linguistically and
culturally diverse students. Many
teachers are exhibiting a level of frustration when teaching these students
because their personal background and preparation for teaching diverse students
are limited. The purpose of this study was to ascertain teachers’ multicultural
knowledge, cross-cultural perceptions, and attitudes about different cultures
as a function of both preservice professional preparation and graduate
education curriculum. Accomplishing this goal required the administration of
the Multicultural/Diversity Scale–Revised (MCR) at pre/post points.
Data
were collected from 90 preservice and 90 inservice teachers. Inquirers used a
quantitative descriptive statistical design to analyze these data. Reliability
was computed on the instrument, which indicated a .90 index. The data collected
in this study indicated a significant difference among preservice students in
the category of acceptance for pretest data; however, no significant difference
emerged in this category for posttest data. Inquirers surmised that the
difference was not present in posttest data because of the instruction
administered during the course between pretest and posttest data collection.
The researchers suggested that there will be a significant difference between
the undergraduate preservice teachers and graduate inservices teachers’
perceptions of and attitudes toward cultural issues as they relate to the
public school environment. Furthermore,
researchers will look at specific data as these data relate to respondents’
replies within specific courses.
2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M. TECHNOLOGY............................................................................ Riverboat
Presider: Connie
D. Bain, University of Alabama
A Study of Preservice Teacher Exposure to Technology
in the Field
Jeff W.
Anderson, University of Alabama – Birmingham
This
study evaluated the exposure of preservice teachers at a major southeastern
university to technology in the classroom during field experience as compared
with technology standards for teacher education programs. The study consisted
of both quantitative and qualitative data collected from preservice teachers
who were involved in their field experience. The study took place over the spring
and fall semesters of 2003 and the spring semester of 2004.
Findings
included identification of perceived challenges and opportunities for using
technology in the classroom, and frequencies and percentages of students
reporting the use of technology related to state technology standards.
Recommendations included areas for professional development for faculty and
opportunities to address technology implementation in area public schools.
Results of this study were not generalizable beyond the teacher education
program at this university.
School Websites and Teacher Interest: Demographic and
Content Differences
David T.
Freeman, University of Southern Mississippi
This
study examined the responses of preservice teachers to determine: (1) if a school or school district website would
influence the teachers’ perceptions of that school or district, (2) if the
perception obtained from the website would influence teachers’ interest
regarding applying for work at the school or district, and (3) if that interest
would vary between groups of teachers based on demographic, content areas, and
computer efficacy. The sample for the study was undergraduate students
completing a teacher education program at a major southeastern teacher training
university. The 100+ students completed
an online survey that collected demographic, content area, and computer
efficacy data. The sample members also provided their reactions to a fictitious
school website. A regression analysis
was conducted to determine which, if any, of the demographic, content area, or
computer efficacy responses could predict reactions to the fictitious school
website.
This
research was important because school districts need to find cheaper and more
effective means to attract the highly qualified teacher required by NCLB. Online recruiting in the private section has
produced time and cost savings. Studies
from private industry have indicated that websites often provide the first
impression for prospective employees and that a poorly functioning and
unattractive website reflect negatively upon an organization. School leaders need to know if their web
presence has an influence, good or bad, on recruiting efforts.
Preservice Teacher Training In Technology
Charles
E. Notar, Donna Herring, and Janell Wilson, Jacksonville State University,
and Judy
McEntyrie, State of Georgia Technical Center, Rome, Georgia
The
presentation was a report on the results of the second year of a Federal PT3
grant entitled Enhancing Teacher Education through Technology (ET) 2, Dalton,
Georgia. The grant involved four school
systems and 11 schools, K-6, in West Georgia. The second year, 42 preservice teachers from the University of West
Georgia were participants.
The
grant trained preservice teachers’ technology integration using InTech with a
twist. In addition to the InTech
training, the students developed their own website for student teaching and
after graduation.
Evaluation
data were provided from observation of the instruction of students during
student teaching by their university supervisors and grant evaluators, LOTI and
other self assessment instruments, personal interviews of preservice teachers
and their students, and a survey of the preservice teachers and students’
parents. Also, all the websites were
posted for use by fellow preservice teachers.
2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN TEACHING AND
LEARNING:
MUSEUMS AND K-16 EDUCATION
(TRAINING SESSION).......................................................... Meeting
Room
Susan
Santoli, Paige V. Baggett, and Edward L. Shaw Jr., University of South Alabama
This
training session presented three different partnerships involving public
schools, college of education faculty, and museums in Mobile, AL. The first partnership involved the Museum of
Mobile and fourth- grade students from an inner-city elementary school. The second partnership involved the Mobile
Museum of Art, an art education instructor at the University of South Alabama,
and preservice teachers. The third
partnership involved the Exploreum of Mobile and a professor of elementary
science education at the University of South Alabama and preservice teachers.
The
goal of the Museum of Mobile’s after-school program (Developing the BIG Picture)
is to help selected fourth-grade students strengthen their knowledge of
historical events, develop oral and written communication skills, and increase
their levels of literacy. The projects
and activities complement what the students are learning in social studies and
emphasize cross-curricular learning. The Mobile Museum of Art provides
university students actual resources and experiences related to art
education. Elementary art majors engage
in on-site experiences in the education wing of the Museum. In turn, the Museum has the opportunity to
make preservice teachers aware of its resources. The evolution of this partnership has led to
involving preservice teachers in the teaching of students from the community
who visit the museum as part of the summer program and school-year field
trips.
The
Gulf Coast Exploreum is a regional science center that provides
hands-on/minds-on experiences for students of all ages. There are two permanent
exhibits and an I-Max theater that shows a variety of movies that typically
correspond with the current traveling exhibit. Preservice teachers go to the Exploreum for an orientation and tour and
to teach a lesson to a group of elementary students at a later date. These students become the contact persons for
their elementary schools when they are hired as teachers upon graduation.
3:30 P.M.– 4:20 P.M. CURRICULUM/INSTRUCTION........................................................... Bayou
Presider: Beth A.
Richmond, University of Southern Mississippi
Processing the “Process”: Two Positions on the Worth and
Wisdom of Process
in a Methodological Environment
Janis P.
Hill, Louisiana Tech University, and Jennifer Falls, Louisiana Department of Education
Several
eminent educational philosophers and theorists have spoken and written from a
process perspective. Most notable among
many are John Dewey and Alfred North Whitehead, 20th-century
contemporaries whose works and words seem particularly familiar in many of the
practices and strategies being utilized in today’s classrooms. There are some, in fact, who upon a closer
revisiting of their educational works, might claim that they were both
anachronisms in their time periods. Because
many of the practices they advocated are now widely accepted as not only the
most appropriate but also the best practice and/or strategy to promote student
achievement in the classroom, the premise of this paper was that a careful
study of process would offer much wisdom to not only the curriculum theorist
but also the classroom teacher.
This
paper examined from two perspectives the evolving stages of the process of
transformation, looking specifically at two process-driven projects involving
classroom teachers engaged in a hands-on analysis of curriculum documents.
Using personal journals, anecdotal records, and electronic dialogue, the
authors analyzed the tasks, the participants, the environment, and the
interaction that occurred throughout all stages of the project. Of particular interest was a
comparison-contrast of the following: restrictions as opposed to a lack of boundaries, a director as opposed
to a guide, and directed as opposed to emerging. The conclusions of the
participants validated the original hypothesis, with unexpected findings
emerging from the actual process of exploring the process. Overall, the findings indicated much value in
a continued exploration of the benefits of process-driven projects for the
classroom teacher.
A Reanalysis of the Year One Focus Group Results From
a Teacher Education Program Evaluation
Cindy M.
Casebeer and Judy Burry-Stock, University of Alabama
A
collection of four focus group interviews with teacher mentors and their
first-year teacher mentees at a small, private university in the northeastern
United States provided the source of the data for this presentation. Using Atlas.ti,
a qualitative data analysis computer program, the authors were able to provide
a means whereby the actual words of program participants could be explored.
Participants shared their views of the pitfalls and promises of their
technology-rich, inquiry-based teacher education and professional development
program. These participants described the teacher education program’s web-based
innovations and the virtual learning community that allows them to maintain
close ties with one another across experience levels and physical locations.
They discussed their hopes and their frustrations in their own classrooms and
in the teacher education program. These interviews provided a more contextualized
view of the program itself, as well as some of the program participants. This
enabled the authors to provide a richer, more in-depth report of this teacher
education program.
A Study of Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes Toward
Human Rights and Unfair Labor Conditions:
A Comparison of the Influence of Two Teaching Methods
Benicia
D’sa, University of Southern Mississippi
The
purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of preservice teachers
towards human rights, particularly about human rights related to labor. To
assess their attitudes of human rights and unfair labor conditions, two types
of presentations, (1) docudrama and
discussion and (2) lecture and discussion, were conducted. The researcher
evaluated these teaching methods on their efficacy in creating an awareness of
human-rights violations and labor conditions. Additionally, the participants
were exposed to two types of invitations to engage in human-rights advocacy.
The
study involved elementary preservice teachers and secondary preservice teachers
typically at the junior undergraduate level. There were 118 participants who
attended the treatment and control group and completed the surveys. The study
utilized mixed methods, combining quantitative and qualitative data. Surveys
addressed general human-rights attitude and advocacy along with attitudes towards
labor conditions in the United States and all over the world. Posttest
interviews were conducted with six participants to gain additional insights on
their attitudes towards human rights and labor conditions. Descriptive and inferential
statistics were used to analyze the scores of participants.
Findings
suggested that participants had small gains in knowledge and general attitudes
towards human rights after being exposed to the treatments. Interviewees
acknowledged poor activism on human-rights issues in the United States and felt
that educating their students about these issues when they became teachers
might create a change. They emphasized the relationship of knowledge about
human-rights abuses to taking action on human-rights issues. This study suggested
that if schools and colleges have a role in preparing students for
compassionate citizenship in a global economy, then there is a clear need for
teacher educators to help develop better informed teachers regarding human
rights.
3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M. COLLEGE STUDENTS....................................................................... Levee
Presider: Olin
Adams, Auburn University
The Relationship Between Reading Ability and
Self-Esteem Among Graduate Students
Kathleen
Collins, University of Arkansas, and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, University of South
Florida
Research
has suggested that self-perception is a multidimensional construct. For college students, the dimensions of
self-concept can be classified as falling into one of two main categories: (1)
competencies or abilities (e.g., perceived scholastic competence, perceived job
competence), and (2) social relationships (e.g., perceived appearance,
perceived social acceptance). Self-perception has been found to play an
important role in the college context. In particular, academic-related self
concept has been found to predict levels of academic achievement. Moreover,
academic-related self concept has been implicated as moderating the
relationship among cognitive, demographic, and personality variables and
performance in various fields such as foreign language, statistics, and
research methods. As such, it is important to determine potential antecedent
correlates of academic self-perception.
One
potential antecedent of academic self-perception that has received no attention
at the college level is reading ability. This is surprising, bearing in mind
that levels of reading ability have been found (1) to be extremely variable
among both undergraduate and graduate students, and (2) to predict levels of
academic performance among both of these groups.
Therefore,
the goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between two
components of reading ability (i.e., reading comprehension and reading
vocabulary) and three dimensions of academic self-perception (i.e., perceived
creativity, perceived intellectual ability, and perceived scholastic
competence) among 101 graduate students enrolled in a large university in the
eastern United States. Findings revealed a strong multivariate relationship
between reading ability and academic self-perception. Implications were
discussed.
Legal “Cheat Sheets” and Their Relationship to
Undergraduate Test Scores
Lola
Aagaard, Ronald Skidmore, and Dean W. Owen, Morehead State University
The
purpose of this research was to investigate the attributes of legal “cheat
sheets” prepared as study aides and used by students during tests and to
determine whether these attributes were related to students’ test scores. Students with low academic achievement
exhibit a consistent pattern of limited study strategy usage (Mokhtari &
Reichard, 2002). These students may
understand effective organizational skills but typically fail to use them
consistently (Wong, 1994).
The
participants in this study were 149 undergraduate students enrolled in a course
required for entry into the teacher education program at a regional state
university in the Mid-South. Students
were allowed to make and use legal “cheat sheets” on two of the five tests
during the semester. These cheat sheets
were collected along with the completed tests by the instructors. The cheat sheets were analyzed for total
number of words, use of highlighting or underlining of terms or concepts, use
of headings indicating chapters or general topics, breadth of coverage of the
material on the test, and whether these attributes related to students’ test
scores.
Analysis
indicated a positive relationship between test score and word count (A students
had the most words on their cheat sheets and F students the least). The use of highlighting or underlining was
also related to higher test scores. Some
lower scoring students did not make cheat sheets at all.
The
relationship between word count and score may reflect the amount of time
students spent preparing. Highlighting and underlining may have been
indications of increased time spent, but also of an understanding of
strategy. Low performing students
mirrored the findings of research literature in not taking full advantage of
this study strategy and failing to use effective organizational strategies in
preparing their cheat sheets.
Grade Attainment and Life Orientation
Ronald
Skidmore, Lola Aagaard, and Dean W. Owen, Morehead State University
Research
has been equivocal as to an association between optimism and academic
performance. Group differences relative to course grade attainment in an
academic venue have not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to
determine whether there was a reliable group difference in Life Orientation
(i.e., dispositional optimism or pessimism) relative to final course grade
attainment in a sophomore-level course required for entrance into the Teacher
Education Program at a regional state university in the Mid-South.
The
Life Orientation Test – Revised (LOT-R) was administered at the beginning of
the semester, prior to administration of the first examination, to 107
undergraduate students in a sophomore-level course that is required for
entrance to the Teacher Education Program. The LOT-R is a 10-item, Likert-type scale that yields subscales of
pessimism and optimism and a total LOT score. All three variables were analyzed for a relationship to final grade in
the course. ANOVA revealed significant differences in all three dependent
variables across grade levels. Multiple
comparisons showed that students attaining an “A” grade for the course were
significantly less pessimistic at the beginning of the semester. Further
research is necessary to determine whether an optimistic Life Orientation is
related to specific study strategies or a result of prior academic success.
3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M. ACHIEVEMENT (DISPLAYS)........................................... Mississippi
Queen
Reading Fluency and Comprehension Strategies: A
Combination of Successful Interventions
Stacy L.
Bliss and Ashley Williams, University of Tennessee
Students
reading below grade-level are a major concern for most educators. Reading
interventions are plentiful in the literature; however, the success rate of
many of these interventions is unknown. This presentation demonstrated the
effectiveness of three different reading interventions. Each of the
interventions represented a distinct stage of the reading process (pre-reading,
during reading, and post-reading), and resulted in significant gains in reading
fluency or comprehension. While all were conducted on an individual basis, each
can be adapted for group use.
The
first intervention, TELLS, is a previewing strategy that is designed to improve
reading comprehension. Results showed an increase in reading comprehension of
20%. Rate of comprehension showed a much larger increase, increasing by over
100%. While rate of comprehension displayed a larger increase, reading
comprehension was limited by ceiling effects.
The
second intervention, focusing on strategies to be used while reading, used a
combination of a checklist and story mapping to increase the reading
comprehension of a fifth-grade student using grade-level chapter books.
Baseline data indicated that the student read at a low fourth-grade level with
a comprehension rate at the low third-grade level. Six weeks after implementation
the student increased his reading comprehension to the fourth-grade level,
while his reading fluency increased to a high fourth-grade level.
The
third intervention, focusing on a post-reading strategy, used a combined
intervention consisting of a read-aloud, paired-reading intervention, and
assisted-reading intervention to increase the reading fluency of a child
reading at or below grade level. Baseline data showed a fluency level between
53 and 60 WCPM. Accuracy rate was at frustration level. Results of the
intervention indicated an increase in the child’s reading fluency from 59 to
79, which places the student at the mastery level.
Predictors of First-Grade Reading Performance
Lynda
Daughenbaugh, Richard Daughenbaugh, and Edward L. Shaw, Jr., University of South
Alabama
This
study identified variables in the home literacy environment that could be used
to predict the reading performance of children at the end of first grade.
Reading performance was measured by the Grade Equivalent (GE) score Standardized
Testing and Reporting (STAR) reading test. There were 109 subjects surveyed.
Independent variables investigated were: educational levels of mothers and
fathers, frequency of reading mothers and fathers engaged with their children,
predominant type of reading done by mothers and fathers with their children, socio-economic
status, public library membership, and visiting libraries affected reading
performance of students.
Multiple
regression analyses and one-way ANOVAs showed that the mother’s level of
education, type of reading done by the father, family income, socio-economic
status, and public library membership were significant. This study showed that
the father’s education level was not significant but the mother’s educational
level was significant. The frequency of reading the mothers and fathers did
with the children was not a significant factor in reading performance. School
versus entertainment reading was significant for the father, but not the
mother. The socio-economic status of the parents was a significant factor in
the child’s reading performance: the
higher the income level the higher the grade reading level. The last factors,
public library membership cards and visiting the public library, were
significant.
This
study provided insights into home literacy characteristics that can be used to
predict a child’s reading performance. The results indicated that the home
environment sets the tone for lifelong literacy skills. The results can be used
to guide the development of future literacy programs that focus on parental
involvement. Parent education concerning simple ways they can assist their
children’s education could ultimately improve their children’s literacy skills.
High School Physics Students’ Epistemological and
Motivational Beliefs About Science
Meiko
Negishi, Anastasia D. Elder, and Taha Mzoughi, Mississippi State University
As
part of a larger evaluation, this preliminary study explored high school
physics students’ beliefs about science, including (1) epistemological beliefs
and (2) motivational beliefs. This study
was a part of a larger evaluation project that examined the effectiveness of a
three-week summer workshop for high school physics teachers in a southern
state, funded through a grant by the Institutions of Higher Learning and the
U.S. Department of Education.
Survey
questionnaires were administered to a total of 226 students enrolled in high
school physics courses at 10 different schools in the beginning of the academic
year of 2004-2005. Beliefs about science utilizing a five-point Likert scale
was used to measure students’ epistemological beliefs such as certainty (6
items, 945; = .66), development (6 items, 945; =.71), authority (5 items, 945;
= .76), and reasoning (9 items, 945; = .78). Attitudes toward Science using a
five-point Likert scale was used to measure students’ motivation in science
including efficacy (6 items, 945; = .66), value (6 items, 945; = .86), mastery goals
(7 items, 945; = .80), ability (6 items, 945; = .76), and extrinsic (7 items,
945; = .69).
Results
showed that the high school physics students had strong epistemological beliefs
about science in reasoning (M = 4.10) and development (M = 4.05). At the same
time, they reported least support in the beliefs such as certainty (M = 2.25) and
authority (M = 2.10). Those students were most strongly motivated by value (M =
3.78) and mastery goals (M = 3.77), but least motivated by extrinsic factors (M
= 2.63). Further, the high school students in physics courses were fairly
motivated by efficacy (M = 3.65) and ability (M = 3.05). Overall, the findings
of this study indicated that the high school physics students had positive
attitudes toward learning science.
How Do Kindergarteners Express Their Mathematical
Understanding?
Kyoko M.
Johns, University of Alabama
The
study was conducted to advance understanding of the ways kindergarten students
express and represent their understanding of mathematical ideas and knowledge
and how a classroom teacher assesses students’ mathematical understanding. The
goal of this study was to develop an in-depth view about how young children
communicate mathematically.
Data
were collected from 18 kindergarten students during a four-week period using
observation, audiotaping, informal interviews, children’s journal writing,
individual conferences, and field notes. Of the 18 students (eight females, 10 males) participating in the study,
two were African American and 16 were Caucasian. The following research
questions guided the inquiry: (1) How do kindergarten students express their
mathematical understanding? and (2) How does a kindergarten teacher assess
children’s mathematical knowledge and ability?
A
descriptive analysis was used to determine children’s mathematical
representations. Each audiotaped lesson and activity was transcribed for
further analysis. Informal interview questions addressed students’ views,
beliefs, attitudes, and thoughts about doing mathematics. Children’s journal
entries and individual conferences provided information regarding their mathematical
understanding and knowledge. Field notes were used to record children’s
mathematics skills and understanding. The findings of the study revealed how
young children communicate and represent mathematically and their positive
attitude toward doing mathematics. The kindergartners in this study were
successful at communicating mathematically with their peers and with the
teacher using their oral and written language. The study has curriculum
implications for early childhood teachers on how to incorporate more
mathematics activities in daily classroom routines and how to utilize a various
assessment methods to help children become mathematically literate.
Effects of a Year-Long Discipline Strategy on K-12
Students’ Achievement,
Social Skills, and Classroom Discipline**
Peter
Ross, Mercer University
3:30 P.M.– 4:20 P.M. MENTOR SESSION................................................................. Delta
Queen
Presiders: Quisar
Sultana, Eastern Kentucky University, and Nola J. Christenberry,
Arkansas
State University
Hosted
by MSERA Mentors, this session provided opportunities for attendees to
collaborate with one or more long-term members of MSERA about attendees’
existing or potential research projects, proposed or draft manuscripts,
dissertation ideas, data analysis, program evaluation projects, and other
research-related topics. These sessions were offered primarily for new graduate
students and professional members of the Mid-South Educational Research
Association.
3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M. LEADERSHIP.............................................................................. Riverboat
Presider: Jean D.
Krieger, Woodlake Elementary School, St. Tammany Parish (LA) Schools
“What Are You Doing On The Balcony?”: The Role of Reflection
in Leadership
Linda J.
Searby, University of Alabama – Birmingham
This
paper and discussion centered on the reflective practices of aspiring and
active school leaders. Heifetz (1994)
uses the metaphor of “going from the dance floor to the balcony” when
describing reflection. This refers to the act of changing perspectives in the
midst of the leadership fray. A school
leader must move forward, then pull back and reflect; intervene, then listen;
test the waters, then refine the strategy. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) pose a similar metaphor for the reflective
practitioner – that of being an actor in the drama, on the one hand, and the
critic who sits in the audience watching and analyzing the performance, on the
other. Reflection is an intrapersonal behavior, an inward-looking act. However, reflection, a specific type of
thinking, should lead to action. Schlechty (1993) has stated that “thinking is the most important act of
leadership in a change-oriented environment.” Therefore, the inner life, the
thinking life, the reflective life of a school leader is of utmost importance.
This
presentation drew upon data from two separate research studies: one that
focused on the reflective practices of leaders of stuck and moving schools
(principals) and one that investigated the kinds of reflection practiced by
aspiring and practicing female school leaders who attended a mentoring conference.
The presentation highlighted the reflective practice of an outstanding leader
of a “moving” school and showed how his personal reflection translated into
effective leadership skills. It
highlighted the reflections of women school leaders who were asked to journal
their thoughts about entering into mentoring relationships to enhance their
leadership abilities. As the two studies
were compared, the author emphasized the benefits of reflection and the impact
that quality reflective time can have on one’s developing leadership
skills. Implications for administrator
preparation programs were also discussed.
Knowledge for Action: A Guide to Overcoming Problems
of Leadership
Abraham
A. Andero, Mississippi State University – Meridian, and Bettie Jimerson, Robert
C. H. High School
Societal
pressures from many sources and directions, representing a host of growing
issues, are challenging administration personnel. A school superintendent must take the
offensive in developing curricula that will be accountable to these needs. Several
leadership approaches have been used in education. A functional approach was
recommended for instructional improvement today. With this in mind, a respected
school leader will employ skill in group facilitation, in recognizing and
defining group needs, and in encouraging emerging leadership among group
members. This type of leadership is flexible and varies with every problem
situation. School leaders must be able to recognize a situation openly, search
for alternatives, and cope effectively. A school leader needs to help
organizational members develop and implement goals. Well-developed goals help
an organization to sharpen its decision making and challenge it to do more and
do it better. The measure of an organization’s success is determined by the
extent to which it sets goals and develops plans for their attainment.
A
successful school leader should delegate wisely and effectively. She should
delegate when tasks can be done, as well or better by staff members, helping them
grow professionally in the process. She should make effective use of teamwork,
giving members opportunities to participate in problem solving, always
recognizing and rewarding them for successful accomplishment. A school leader
should foster a humanizing working climate. This climate is characterized by
such qualities as openness, appreciation, caring, kindness, positive
enthusiasm, sensitivity, self-discipline, and empathy. All people are treated
as unique persons who have a potentiality for making a positive contribution to
the growth and improvement of others and of the organization. A school leader
should motivate her followers by recognizing them and showing faith and trust
in them. A successful school leader is a change agent. She should work with
others to direct change in children and youth for coping with the world of the
future.
Where Should Levine’s “Educating School Leaders” Be
Taking Us?**
John J.
Marshak and Jerry A. Rice, State University of New York –Cortland
3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M. WRITING GRANT PROPOSALS (TRAINING SESSION)......... Meeting Room
John R.
Petry, University of Memphis
The
session emphasized the following: (1) sources of grant and project funding
(local, state, and federal); (2) initiating activities: statement of need,
personnel concerns, contract issues, ethical issues, work/task analysis,
costing, scheduling, and network analysis; (3) project management budgeting,
meeting deadlines, resource changes, reviews and reports, and evaluation
procedures; and (4) deliverables (product and reports). Knowledge bases and skill requirements cited were:
(1) teamwork, (2) critical thinking, (3) problem solving, (4) professional
responsibility, (5) values, (6) time management, and (7) best professional
practices. Emerging computer applications were discussed, including university
electronic services for grant seekers. Websites were contacted for
information. Participants spent time in
imagining an educational need, submitting a short proposal to a funding agency
to create a project to meet a need and manage the project, noting deficiencies
in design, discrepancies in meeting goals, and success in the achievement of
objectives.