School of Education
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With over 60 faculty members, the School of Education provides innovative and nationally-recognized teacher preparation and graduate programs that position its alumni to be leaders in the field of education. Through groundbreaking research, collaborative partnerships, and extensive field experiences in real-world settings, our programs prepare graduates to address critical educational issues and serve children, families, and their communities.
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Item Why Most Accreditors Don’t Have Standards(Taylor & Francis, 2015-07-09) Murray, Frank B.; Frank B. Murray; Murray, Frank B.Accreditors should focus on the one task they are truly capable of performing— verifying that the claims programs make about their graduates’ competence are true by evaluating whether the evidence the programs rely on for their claims satisfies a scholarly standard of evidence.Item The Push for More Challenging Texts: An Analysis of Early Readers’ Rate, Accuracy, and Comprehension(Taylor & Francis, 2015-08-11) Amendum, Steven J.; Conradi, Kristin; Liebfreund, Meghan D.; Steven J. Amendum, Kristin Conradi & Meghan D. Liebfreund; Amendum, Steven J.The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the challenge level of text and early readers’ reading comprehension. This relationship was also examined with consideration to students’ word recognition accuracy and read- ing rate. Participants included 636 students, in Grades 1–3, in a southeastern state. Results suggest that students reading texts well above their actual grade levels, even with sufficient accuracy scores, scored significantly lower on com- prehension than students reading texts at their actual grade level. This result also held regardless of students’ reading rates. Findings signal the importance of considering text level during instruction and suggest some caution is warranted when pushing students into texts well above their grade levels.Item Matching Interventions to Reading Needs: A Case for Differentiation(International Literacy Association, 2016-01-01) Jones, Jill S.; Conradi, Kristin; Amendum, Steven J.; Jill S. Jones, Kristin Conradi, Steven J. Amendum; Amendum, Steven J.The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of providing reading interventions that are differentiated and aligned with an individual student’s most foundational reading need. The authors present profiles of different readers and suggest three principal areas for support: decoding words, reading at an appropriate rate, and comprehending text. In addition to describing differentiated interventions, related classroom instructional techniques are also recommended.Item Building Capacity to Deliver Sex Education to Individuals with Autism(Springer, 2016-01-01) Curtiss, Sarah L.; Ebata, AaronProfessionals from a variety of fields are called upon to understand the needs of individuals with autism, advocate for services, and provide sexuality education, however, few have formal training. This study examined a process to build capacity for individuals with autism to receive human sexuality education through training professionals via a one day workshop and providing ongoing education online. To better understand both the context for professionals and the outcomes of the training we examined the reasons participants attended, their work climate surrounding issues of human sexuality education for individuals with autism, the extent to which the training changed instructional behavior and perceptions of readiness, and the differential effectiveness of follow-up education based on online delivery modality (Facebook update or email message). Participants were interested in attending a training on human sexuality education even if they had no intention to teach this topic. In general, the climate among attendees was positive for teaching human sexuality education both in terms of their own values and their perceptions of support by others. The workshop and follow-up online education were effective for increasing instructional behavior and feelings of readiness.Item Dialogic Pedagogy and Educating Preservice Teachers for Critical Multiculturalism(Sage Publications, 2016-02-05) Abd Elkader, Nermine; Nermine Abd Elkader; Abd Elkader, NermineThe study investigates the potentials of educating preservice teachers for critical multiculturalism through dialogic pedagogy. The study findings suggest that dialogic pedagogy experienced some successes in encouraging preservice teachers to revise their worldview about certain topics in the multicultural curriculum about which they were not initially open to dialogue. The study should contribute to the literature of dialogic pedagogy and multicultural education in terms of suggesting more democratic educational approaches toward teaching the controversial topics of the multicultural curriculum.Item Bayesian Prior Choice in IRT Estimation Using MCMC and Variational Bayes(Frontiers Media SA, 2016-09-27) Natesan,Prathiba; Nandakumar,Ratna; Minka,Tom; Rubright,Jonathan D.; Prathiba Natesan, Ratna Nandakumar, Tom Minka, Jonathan D.Rubright; Nandakumar, RatnaThis study investigated the impact of three prior distributions: matched, standard vague, and hierarchical in Bayesian estimation parameter recovery in two and one parameter models. Two Bayesian estimation methods were utilized: Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and the relatively new, Variational Bayesian (VB). Conditional (CML) and Marginal Maximum Likelihood (MML) estimates were used as baseline methods for comparison. Vague priors produced large errors or convergence issues and are not recommended. For both MCMC and VB, the hierarchical and matched priors showed the lowest root mean squared errors (RMSEs) for ability estimates: RMSEs of difficulty estimates were similar across estimation methods. For the standard errors (SEs), MCMC-hierarchical displayed the largest values across most conditions. SEs from the VB estimation were among the lowest in all but one case. Overall, VB-hierarchical, VB-matched, and MCMC-matched performed best. VB with hierarchical priors are recommended in terms of their accuracy, and cost and (subsequently) time effectiveness.Item Investigating the Efficacy of a Web-Based Early Reading and Professional Development Intervention for Young English Learners(International Literary Association, 2017-04-27) Amendum, Steven J.; Bratsch-Hines, Mary; Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Steven J. Amendum Mary Bratsch‐Hines Lynne Vernon‐Feagans; Amendum, Steven J.The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), a professional development program and early reading intervention delivered via webcam technology could support English learners’ early reading progress. Participants for the current study were drawn from a larger three-year randomized controlled trial and included 108 English learners (ELs) from 47 classrooms randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Teachers in treatment classrooms used the TRI in one-on-one sessions in the regular classroom for approximately 15 minutes per day. Weekly, and later, biweekly webcam coaching sessions between the TRI coach and each classroom teacher allowed the coach to interact with both the teacher and student in real time, and allowed classroom teachers to receive real-time feedback from the coach. Two-level hierarchical linear models suggested that ELs struggling with learning to read in intervention classrooms significantly outperformed their peers in control classrooms on word-level measures of early reading with effect sizes of .43 and .45, but not on text-level measures. Results also suggested that ELs struggling with learning to read were gaining at the same rate as their non-struggling peers, but they were not able to catch up within the study yearItem The Birds and the Bees: Teaching Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education to Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities(SAGE Publications, 2018-01-01) Curtiss, Sarah L.This article describes a framework for providing human sexuality instruction to individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). There are two main components in this framework: (1) goals for healthy sexual development throughout the lifespan and (2) dimensions of sexuality instruction. For each dimension of instruction, this article will outline specific strategies and resources that can be used by special educations. By following the recommendations in this framework, special educators will be more confident in teaching human sexuality to their students with IDD.Item Integrating Family Ritual and Sociocultural Theories as a Framework for Understanding Mealtimes of Families with Children on the Autism Spectrum(Wiley, 2018-01-01) Curtiss, Sarah L.Based on a critical review of research on family meals and autism, this article explores ritual and sociocultural perspectives on shared family meals of families with children on the autism spectrum. Family ritual theory is a lens for analytically understanding phenomena observed in family life, how individuals are connected, and how symbolic meaning is created through patterned behavior. Sociocultural theory explains the presence of culture in thinking, the nature of learning, and the relation between development and instruction. An integration of these theories provides a framework for understanding what mealtime rituals mean and how they are created. Specifically, I address the limitations that impairments associated with autism may impose on a family’s ability to have shared family meals by situating sociocultural theory as a method for including children with autism in family rituals when they are not naturally occurring events.Item Understanding Provider Attitudes Regarding Father Involvement in Early Intervention(SAGE, 2019-01-01) Curtiss, Sarah L.; McBride, Brent A.; Uchima, Kelly; Laxman, Dan J.; Santos, Rosa M.; Weglarz-Ward, Jenna; Kern, JustinPublic and research interest in fathers as active parents has increased dramatically with considerable attention given to father involvement in direct child-rearing activities; however, mothers continue to be the most likely participants in early intervention services. Using thematic analysis we explored providers’ perceptions (n = 511) of father involvement in early intervention regarding (a) the impact of increased father involvement; (b) how father involvement could be increased; and (c) the role of culture in father involvement. Providers believed more involvement was better and identified several ways in which fathers made and difference. Some providers believed it was not in their hands to increase involvement; however, other providers identified system-level and direct approaches. Providers preponderantly reported culture as a barrier to involvement but there were notable exceptions. We recommend providers receive professional development to support family-centered philosophies and practices that are inclusive of father involvement.Item The Nature of Family Meals: A New Vision of Families of Children with Autism(Springer, 2019-01-01) Curtiss, Sarah L.; Ebata, Aaron T.Families with children on the autism spectrum are often viewed in terms of their deficits rather than their strengths. Family meals are portrayed as sources of stress and struggle for parents and children. In this study, we take a resilience perspective to challenge underlying assumptions and get a more accurate picture of the nature of shared family meals. In-depth interviews were conducted and mealtimes were video recorded with 16 families for this thematic analysis. We identified four themes as being particularly salient to the mealtime experience: (1) schools and homework, (2) managing eating, (3) chores, and (4) intimate conversations. Our results elucidate the context of mealtimes as a site where parents struggle, yet negotiate, the challenges of everyday family life.Item Understanding the Risk of Sexual Abuse for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities from an Ecological Framework(Wiley, 2020-01-01) Curtiss, Sarah L.; Kammes, RebeccaCurrent research on sexual violence perpetrated against individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) focuses on rates of victimization and individual risk factors. This research suggests that individuals with IDD are at a greater risk for sexual violence compared with the general public. At this time, there is no comprehensive theoretical framework to explain sexual abuse risk factors for individuals with IDD. This article describes such a framework by examining how an ecological perspective can be used to understand why individuals with IDD are at increased risk as well as provide a roadmap for how to prevent sexual abuse. An ecological framework, first introduced by Bronfenbrenner in 1979, examines individuals at multiple contextual levels. Current research on sexual violence and adults with IDD is reviewed through an ecological lens. We argue that an ecological approach is necessary for examining the nature of sexual violence and IDD, understanding why individuals with IDD are at a greater risk for sexual violence, and providing insight into how to prevent sexual violence.Item Autistic Young Adults, Parents, and Practitioners Expectations of the Transition to Adulthood(SAGE Publications, 2020-01-01) Curtiss, Sarah L.; Lee, Gloria K.; Chun, Jina; Lee, Heekyung; Kuo, Hung Jen; Ami-Narh, DanielleParental expectations are important for autistic youth during the transition to adulthood, but less is known about the expectations of other stakeholder groups. The current study examines similarities and differences in expectations among autistic youth, parents, and professionals. Data were collected through six focus groups with 24 participants (7 parents, 11 professionals, and 6 young adults on the autism spectrum). Thematic analysis was used to identify five themes: Normative Hopes, Living with Uncertainty , Mismatch of Reality and Expectations , Impairments Shape Expectations, and Services Dictate Expectations. Autistic youth expressed the most optimism for the transition to adulthood. All stakeholder groups touched on the tension between matching expectations with abilities; however, only professionals indicated a direct relation between expectations and abilities. Both parents and professionals highlighted the role of service availability in shaping expectations.Item Portrait of early science education in majority dual language learner classrooms: Where do we start?(Journal of Childhood, Education & Society, 2021-01-01) Rumper, Brooke; Frechette, Elizabeth; Sharifnia, Elica; Greenfield, Daryl B.; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Hirsh-Pasek, KathyDespite the growing interest in early science education, there is much left to be explored, particularly in majority Dual Language Learning (DLL) classrooms. The current study examined 1) early science opportunities across classroom contexts in majority Spanish-English DLL Head Start classrooms, 2) the languages (i.e., English and Spanish) that teachers used to engage DLL children in science, 3) and how teachers’ discussion of scientific and engineering practices and disciplinary core ideas related to children’s academic outcomes. In a sample of 411 children (ages 3-5) from 34 Head Start classrooms, the current study found that teachers discussed and encouraged more practices during science lessons than circle time, dramatic play, and story time. There were no differences in teachers’ discussion of core ideas across contexts. Teachers used the same amount of English and Spanish to discuss practices and core ideas. Teaching physical science was associated with children’s science outcomes. Making observations and discussing life science were associated with children’s math outcomes. Teaching math, making observations, and developing and using models were related to children’s executive functioning. Findings from this study demonstrate that science opportunities occur across preschool classroom settings. Additionally, it provides evidence that teachers may be supporting DLL children’s home language while discussing science. Finally, results indicate that teaching science supports children’s academic performance in several outcomes. These findings have implications for DLL education policy as science may be a domain where teachers can support children’s home language and their learning across multiple domains.Item Effects of resistance training interventions on muscular strength in adults with intellectual disability: a systematic review and meta-analysis(Disability and Rehabilitation, 2021-04-17) Obrusnikova, Iva; Firkin, Cora J.; Cavalier, Albert R.; Suminski, Richard R.Purpose: Muscular strength is critical for adults with an intellectual disability (ID) to promote their mobility, cardiovascular capacity, and performance of daily living/recreational/vocational activities. This article reports the results of the first systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed clinical trials that evaluated the effects of resistance training (RT) interventions on muscular strength in adults with ID. Methods: The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020184905). The review focuses on clinical trials that recorded quantitative measures of maximum muscular strength. Eleven electronic databases were searched from their earliest available record up to May 2020. After screening 1996 search records, 11 clinical trials were reviewed. Results: The RT interventions, while heterogeneous, had an overall significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on muscular strength in adults with ID, ages 25–58 years. The findings were more significant and less heterogeneous for non-combined RT interventions than for interventions that combined RT exercises with aerobic or balance exercises. The TESTEX overall score was 8.3 ± 3.6. Conclusions: RT interventions (particularly when not combined with other exercises) are effective in promoting muscular strength in adults with ID. The limited number of studies and the low study quality scores indicate a potential risk of bias, which limits the interpretation of the findings and warrants further investigation. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Muscular strength is critical for adults with an intellectual disability (ID) to promote their mobility, cardiovascular capacity, and performance of daily living/recreational/vocational activities. RT interventions are an effective means of improving muscular strength in adults with ID, especially when not combined with other forms of exercise. Testing and assessment protocols used in RT programs should be individualized for adults with ID to accommodate their characteristics and should be implemented under conditions similar to those experienced during the training regimen. It is important to implement familiarization sessions before carrying out muscular strength testing or initiating an RT program to ensure safety, accuracy, and effectiveness of the program for adults with ID.Item Disseminating Resources Online for Teaching Sex Education to People with Developmental Disabilities(Sexuality and Disability, 2021-06-12) Curtiss, Sarah L.; Stoffers, MelissaSex education is important for individuals with developmental disabilities; however, it is difficult for educators to find resources to support them when teaching sex education. A website, asdsexed.org, was developed to disseminate sex education resources. Using analytic data from the website we explored how dissemination occurs online. We identified (1) how visitors were referred to the website; (2) what search terms were used to look for sex education resources; (3) what content was most frequently viewed; and (4) how visitors engaged with the content. Search engines were the top referrer. Variations on the phrase “body parts” were the most frequently recorded terms. Free lesson plans were the most viewed content. Privacy social stories were the most engaged with content. Online dissemination was a complex undertaking but did allow for potential sex educators to be connected with research-based resources.Item Curriculum and Coaching: Maximizing our Investments in Teaching(The Reading Teacher, 2021-09-14) Walpole, SharonThis article advocates for investments in curriculum and in coaching to support the work of teachers. It recommends coherent systems of professional learning to include active work with curriculum before it is used and support from coaches during use. To facilitate this work, the author provides a theory of change to move from curriculum and coaching to achievement, and a rubric for schools to use to document a set of enabling conditions and school-level norms that would facilitate the work of coaches.Item Educational Change in Saudi Arabia: Insights from One USA/KSA Teacher Professional Development Collaborative(International Education Studies, 2021-09-26) Bentahar, Adil; Copeland, Kathleen D.; Stevens, Scott G.; Vukelich, Carol J.Teacher professional development (PD) programs ideally evaluate how professional learning experiences empower teachers to be effective change agents in their disciplines and communities. The Khbrat [“experiences” in Arabic] program is a year-long, global teacher PD initiative launched by the Saudi Ministry of Education. The goal is to change the mindset of Saudi teachers through immersive experiences in the U.S. K-12 schools and university academic culture so that they can participate as effective “change agents” in the transformation of Saudi schools. Our mixed-methods study examined the impact of the Khbrat program on Saudi teachers’ leadership, classroom experiences, and sociocultural levels; the findings inspire new directions for program design with key insights into teacher PD program evaluation.Item Mechanisms of injury for concussions in collegiate soccer: an NCAA/DoD CARE consortium study(Science and Medicine in Football, 2021-10-13) Kaminski, Thomas W.; Chrisman, Sara P. D.; Glutting, Joseph; Wahlquist, Victoria; Eagle, Shawn; Putukian, Margot; Tierney, Ryan; Broglio, Steven P.; McAllister, Thomas W.; McCrea, Michael A.; Pasquina, Paul F.; Kontos, Anthony P.; CARE Site InvestigatorsOver 9,000 concussions occur annually in intercollegiate soccer in the United States with little known about the incidence of mechanisms (e.g., collisions) and possible factors (e.g., sex) associated with each mechanism. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the mechanism of injury (MOI) and examine factors associated with greater risk for specific MOIs involving concussions in collegiate soccer players. Methods: Participants included 3,288 collegiate soccer players from 28 institutions across four competitive seasons, 2014–17. MOIs were documented for 262 soccer-related concussions during the study and placed into one of four categories: collisions, unintentional contact, aerial challenges, and others. Results: 70% of the concussions occurred in DI soccer players. Collisions and unintentional contact were the MOIs that resulted in 66.5% of all concussions. DI and DIII soccer players sustained more concussions by unintentional contact versus collisions and aerial challenges when compared to their DII counterparts. Defenders were more likely than midfielders to sustain concussions by aerial challenges than collisions. As expected, the field players experienced more concussions as a result of collisions, unintentional contact, and aerial challenges when compared to goalkeepers. Conclusions: Future research should explore preventive strategies for decreasing collisions, especially during aerial challenges while heading the soccer ball, and unintentional contacts from errant balls in soccer in order to decrease concussion risk.Item A mixed-methods study of novice teachers’ technology integration: Do they leverage their TPACK knowledge once entering the profession?(Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 2021-11-03) Karchmer-Klein, Rachel; Konishi, HarukaResearch indicates educators benefit from developing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), a combination of constructs that inform the design of pedagogically-sound technology-integrated instruction. Applying a mixed-methods explanatory sequential study design, we examined if and how novice K-12 teachers, who developed TPACK during the same teacher education program, transferred that knowledge to their full-time teaching upon graduation. A total of 50 participants completed a survey that explored their perspectives of technology integration. Interviews were conducted with 20 participants to further examine the survey results. Three significant findings were identified: (1) participants perceived technology integration as important to their teaching, (2) a disconnect existed between teachers’ perceived importance of technology-integrated activities and actual integration, and (3) persistent barriers continued to challenge teachers’ integration of technology.