268 results on '"Wakefield, P"'
Search Results
2. Learners' Spontaneous Gesture before a Math Lesson Predicts the Efficacy of Seeing versus Doing Gesture during the Lesson
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Eliza L. Congdon, Elizabeth M. Wakefield, Miriam A. Novack, Naureen Hemani-Lopez, and Susan Goldin-Meadow
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Gestures--hand movements that accompany speech and express ideas--can help children learn how to solve problems, flexibly generalize learning to novel problem-solving contexts, and retain what they have learned. But does it matter who is doing the gesturing? We know that producing gesture leads to better comprehension of a message than watching someone else produce gesture. But we do not know how producing versus observing gesture impacts deeper learning outcomes such as generalization and retention across time. Moreover, not all children benefit equally from gesture instruction, suggesting that there are individual differences that may play a role in who learns from gesture. Here, we consider two factors that might impact whether gesture leads to learning, generalization, and retention after mathematical instruction: (1) whether children see gesture or do gesture and (2) whether a child spontaneously gestures before instruction when explaining their problem-solving reasoning. For children who spontaneously gestured before instruction, both doing and seeing gesture led to better generalization and retention of the knowledge gained than a comparison manipulative action. For children who did not spontaneously gesture before instruction, doing gesture was less effective than the comparison action for learning, generalization, and retention. Importantly, this learning deficit was specific to gesture, as these children did benefit from doing the comparison manipulative action. Our findings are the first evidence that a child's use of a particular representational format for communication (gesture) directly predicts that child's propensity to learn from using the same representational format.
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- 2024
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3. A Model for Implementing Learner-Generated Filmmaking into Undergraduate Teaching and Assessment
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Murray, Rose, Bell, Emily, and Wakefield, Andy
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This article describes a model and online resources for including learner-generated videos as part of an assessment portfolio, and a suggested schedule for a week-long filmmaking workshop. The rationale behind the guide was to enable teaching staff with limited filmmaking experience to embed a novel, authentic, and enjoyable assessment activity into their programmes which can allow learners to combine academic research with a variety of transferable skills; such as communication, collaboration and digital literacy. Ideas presented could be implemented within a variety of degree programmes at minimal financial cost.
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- 2023
4. Exploring Adolescent Resilience during COVID-19 in a South African Township Context
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Shannon Enid Wakefield and Linda Theron
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COVID-19 has permeated news since December 2019 and has impacted all areas of life. Despite widespread coverage of COVID-related risks, there is limited understanding of adolescent resilience in Global South contexts (e.g., Africa) and against the backdrop of COVID-19. We, therefore, conducted a qualitative secondary analysis of 79 documents (i.e., drawings and written explanations) generated by school-attending adolescents in grades eight to ten in Zamdela, South Africa, during 2020 lockdown. Using a multisystemic resilience approach, we explored what these documents revealed as resilience enabling for adolescents in a township context during COVID-19. The thematic findings highlight the importance of personal resources, complemented by relational resources and very occasionally, resources in young people's physical ecology. These findings reinforce that resilience is more than a set of personal strengths and reminds us that individual capacity for resilience is pertinent when contextual and temporal dynamics such as resource constraints and lockdown conditions prevail.
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- 2023
5. Collaborating on Inquiry-Based Mathematics Education Curricula with Graduate Student Instructors to Establish an Equitable and Sustainable Community of Practice
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Josh Brummer, Sean Yee, and Nathan Wakefield
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We present a multiple case study wherein one institution established new communities of practice supporting graduate student instructors teaching coordinated courses in the presence of minimal existing resources and funding. This was accomplished by partnering with and adapting resources from another institution; one with a well-established community-driven curriculum structure. In particular, we detail a potential model for similarly seeding a new community of practice by describing amounts of time and attention for adapting curriculum materials. We also detail how a professional learning community approach can be leveraged to build curriculum structures that can sustain an equitable community among instructors.
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- 2024
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6. Students Got Mail: Do Students Read Semi-Tailored Emails and What Is the Impact?
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Madison Reynolds, Jonathan Tyler, James Wakefield, and Raechel Wight
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This paper examines the effectiveness of providing personalised email feedback via an automated email application in a large undergraduate introductory accounting course. Over 1,200 students received feedback via emails sent weekly, semi-tailored to each student based on their results in online self-test learning quizzes. We first found that students read the majority of emails distributed. Second, through tracking, using regression analysis, we found that reading emails is related to significantly higher final examination performance in some cases. However, this is moderated by factors relating to diversity in a large cohort exceeding 1,000 students. The results indicate that feedback needs to be readily actionable and aligned with assessed learning outcomes to realise significant impacts on exam performance. This study is relevant to educators who teach large and diverse cohorts and need time-efficient solutions to tailor the learning experience to each student.
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- 2024
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7. Examining an Alternative Teacher Education Undergraduate Program: Possibilities for Teaching and Extending What It Means to Be an Educator outside of the Classroom
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Wakefield, Wendy, Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey, Collins, Clarin, Parra Gaete, Ivet, Glassmeyer, Kristi, Palandjian, Garine, Pretti, Esther do Lago e, Roberts, T'ata, and Terada, Takeshi
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As part of efforts to become more interdisciplinary, socially embedded, and innovative, leaders of a large college of education reimagined a program originally designed to retain struggling students to target students interested in nontraditional educational careers (e.g., nonprofits). Researchers in this study explore reasons why this program has increasingly become a program of choice through both quantitative and qualitative analyses of institutional data across the program's history and surveys of current students and instructors. Findings about shifting demographics of students enrolled in the program toward nontraditional students who appreciate the accessibility and flexibility of the online modality, as well as shifts in program focus on preparation for a broader range of educational career options are presented. Findings also highlight the possibilities of this type of program to prepare students for further educational opportunities, including graduate programs, to also facilitate university-business partnerships. Implications for continued improvement and growth of this program and the design of similar programs targeting the preparation of students for non-traditional teaching positions are also discussed.
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- 2022
8. Children Integrate Speech and Gesture across a Wider Temporal Window than Speech and Action When Learning a Math Concept
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Carrazza, Cristina, Wakefield, Elizabeth M., Hemani-Lopez, Naureen, Plath, Kristin, and Goldin-Meadow, Susan
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It is well established that gesture facilitates learning, but understanding the best way to harness gesture and "how" gesture helps learners are still open questions. Here, we consider one of the properties that may make gesture a powerful teaching tool: its temporal alignment with spoken language. Previous work shows that the simultaneity of speech and gesture matters when children receive instruction from a teacher (Congdon et al., 2017). In Study 1, we ask whether simultaneity also matters when children themselves are the ones who produce speech and gesture strategies. Third-graders (N = 75) were taught to produce one strategy in speech and one strategy in gesture for correctly solving mathematical equivalence problems; they were told to produce these strategies either simultaneously (S + G) or sequentially (S[right arrow]G; G[right arrow]S) during a training session. Learning was assessed immediately after training, at a 24-h follow-up, and at a 4-week follow-up. Children showed evidence of learning and retention across all three conditions. Study 2 was conducted to explore whether it was the special relationship between speech and gesture that helped children learn. Third-graders (N = 87) were taught an action strategy instead of a gesture strategy; all other aspects of the design were the same. Children again learned across all three conditions. But only children who produced "simultaneous" speech and action retained what they had learned at the follow-up sessions. Results have implications for why gesture is beneficial to learners and, taken in relation to previous literature, reveal differences in the mechanisms by which doing versus seeing gesture facilitates learning.
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- 2021
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9. Personal Technology in the Classroom: Evaluating Student Learning, Attention, and Satisfaction
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Iluzada, Christina Long, Wakefield, Robin L., and Alford, Allison M.
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College instructors desiring classrooms free from learning distractions often enforce personal-technology-use policies to create what they think is an optimal learning environment, but students tend not to favor restrictive personal technology policies. Which type of personal technology classroom environment maximizes student satisfaction, learning, and attention? We surveyed 280 business communications students in two types of classrooms: a personal technology-restricted environment and a free-use environment. We evaluated student perceptions of cognitive learning, sustained attention, and satisfaction with the course as well as the technology policy governing their classrooms. Students believed they achieved greater cognitive learning in non-restricted personal technology classrooms and perceived no significant difference in sustained attention. Although students may be more satisfied with a free personal-technology-use policy in the classroom, overall satisfaction with the course did not significantly differ according to the classroom environment. We discuss the importance of sustained attention and policy satisfaction for enhancing student course satisfaction in classrooms with both technology policy types.
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- 2021
10. Learner-Generated Podcasts: An Authentic and Enjoyable Assessment for Students Working in Pairs
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Wakefield, Andy, Pike, Rebecca, and Amici-Dargan, Sheila
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Assessment and feedback are common sources of student dissatisfaction within higher education, and employers have shown dissatisfaction with graduates' communication skills. Authentic assessment, containing 'real-world' context and student collaboration, provides a means to address both issues simultaneously. We discuss how we used authentic assessment within a biological sciences degree programme, replacing an individually written essay coursework assignment with learner-generated podcasts. We outline our implementation strategy in line with existing theory on learner-generated digital media, assessment for learning and self-regulated learning. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of survey data (2020 and 2021) indicate students prefer podcast assignments over traditional essay coursework, perceiving them to be more enjoyable, authentic, allowing for greater creativity, and better for building their confidence as communicators. Podcasting as an assessment may have a positive influence on knowledge retention and promote deep learning too. Our assessment design provides opportunities for community building, formative peer review and enhancing assessment literacy, while also being flexible enough to be used across any discipline of study and/or as an inter-disciplinary assessment.
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- 2023
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11. 5 Keys to a Successful Transition Year: An ACCT Guide for Community College Boards and CEOs
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Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), Wakefield, Jill, Allen, Colleen, Victor, Alexis, and Gray, Cathy
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With over 50% of current college CEOs expected to retire within the next few years, boards are seeking new ways to connect the hiring and onboarding processes to ensure the new CEO's effectiveness and longevity. The first year often sets the stage for the CEO's success. This document outlines key first-year strategies for the board and new president, including five key activities: (1) Conduct a board-CEO retreat; (2) Develop the CEO's first-year communication and transition plans; (3) Establish the CEO's professional development plan; (4) Complete a mid-year check-in during the new CEO's first year; and (5) Conduct a first-year CEO evaluation. This report discusses the value of undertaking these key activities and recommended processes by which they can be done.
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- 2020
12. LiveLighter® 'Junk Food' Mass Media Campaign Increases Behavioural Strategies to Reduce Consumption
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Morley, Belinda, Nuss, Tegan, Gascoyne, Claudia, Dixon, Helen, and Wakefield, Melanie
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The LiveLighter® 2016 'Junk Food' campaign ran for 5 weeks in Western Australia (WA) and urged adults to reduce their junk food consumption to avoid weight gain and associated chronic disease. A cohort design assessed campaign impact on knowledge, beliefs and behaviour. Pre-campaign (n = 1501) and post-campaign (n = 737) telephone surveys of WA adults aged 25-49 were undertaken. A post-campaign-only sample (n = 501) controlled for pre-test effects. The campaign reached 57% of respondents and increased knowledge of the link between overweight and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (78% cf. 87%; P < 0.01). Following campaign activity, respondents were more likely to avoid purchasing food from settings depicted in the advertisements (fast food outlets: 63% cf. 77%; service stations: 82% cf. 93%; vending machines: 87% cf. 96%; all P < 0.001), particularly among pre-campaign consumers of fast food and salty snacks ([less than or equal to]2 times/week). Weight-loss self-efficacy increased among adults with higher body weight and campaign exposure (89% cf. 97%; P < 0.01), and there was no increased endorsement of overweight stereotypes among the full sample. Support for fiscal disincentives and nutritional disclosure policies increased among healthy weight adults. LiveLighter® positively influenced knowledge, beliefs and behaviours, along with attitudes towards policies to encourage healthy eating, supporting LiveLighter® as an advocacy campaign.
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- 2022
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13. Prevalence and Correlates of Observed Sun Protection Behaviors across Different Public Outdoor Settings in Melbourne, Australia
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Haynes, Ashleigh, Nathan, Andrea, Maitland, Clover, Dixon, Helen, Nicholson, Anna, Wakefield, Melanie, and Dobbinson, Suzanne
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Skin cancer prevention efforts in Australia have increasingly incorporated a focus on protection during incidental sun exposure. This complements the long-present messages promoting protection in high-risk settings and avoidance of acute intense bouts of sun exposure. Data from two waves of a cross-sectional direct observational survey was used to assess the prevalence and correlates of N = 12,083 adolescents' and adults' sun protection behavior (arm and leg cover, hat, sunglasses, and shade cover). Individuals were observed in public outdoor settings in Melbourne, Australia during peak ultraviolet (UV) times (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) on summer weekends. Settings included pools and beaches, parks and gardens, and for the first time in 2018, outdoor streets and cafés which may capture more incidental forms of sun exposure and represent another public setting where Australians commonly spend time outdoors. Females and older adults were consistently better protected than males and adolescents. Physical activity was strongly associated with low shade cover across settings. Weather was more strongly associated with sun protection at outdoor streets/cafes and parks/gardens than at pools/beaches but use of observed sun protection (particularly arm cover and covering hat) was low across settings. Continued public education about UV risk and its relation to weather and the seasons is needed to promote the routine use of multiple forms of sun protection during outdoor activities in peak UV times, especially among males and adolescents. Findings also highlight the importance of considering activity demands of public spaces in shade planning to optimize sun protection during outdoor activities in public spaces.
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- 2022
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14. Developing the Student Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey in Mathematics for Measuring Student Experiences in Introductory Mathematics Courses
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Creagar, Molly, Wakefield, Nathan, Smith, Wendy M., Apkarian, Naneh, and Voigt, Matthew
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Active Learning is becoming a standard method of delivering instruction in mathematics courses across the country. Researchers, administrators, policy makers, and instructors all need access to valid means of measuring practices used in the classroom. Drawing on the Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey, the Student Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey in Mathematics (SPIPS-M) was developed to measure the undergraduate student perspective of active learning. Factor analysis from 10 institutions (N = 16,495 surveys) supports a 4-factor model with a plausible theoretical foundation connected to the four pillars of Inquiry-Based Mathematics Education, by measuring the degree to which students perceive (1) their own engagement with meaningful mathematics; (2) collaboration to process mathematical idea; (3) participation and formation of community; and (4) contribution of their own ideas for immediate instructor feedback. The instrument provides a new mechanism for program evaluation and course formative feedback. Ultimately the SPIPS-M instrument will allow a better understanding of the nuances of student experiences in their mathematics courses.
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- 2022
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15. Designing a Research Experience for Teachers: Applying Features of Effective Professional Development to a Hybrid Setting
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Wakefield, Wendy
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To facilitate transfer of teachers' learning into classroom practice, science and engineering teacher professional development (PD) experiences should increase teachers' content knowledge, disciplinary practices, and pedagogical strategies. As this can be difficult within traditional PD contexts, this study is a qualitative investigation of hybrid PD program design. The author explores influences on five teachers' learning and instruction when seven features of effective PD, derived mainly from traditional PD, were integrated into both the pedagogical and practice components of a hybrid Research Experience for Teachers (RET) PD. Through constant comparative analysis of interviews, reflections, artifacts, and classroom observations, the author discovered that explicit connections between the seven features across pedagogical and disciplinary aspects of the RET facilitated teachers transferring their learning into classroom practices in ways applicable to their specific contexts. Thus, these seven features of effective PD hold promise as an organizing framework for designing and evaluating a hybrid PD.
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- 2022
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16. 'When I Act Consciously, I Can See a Brighter World around Me': Preservice Teacher Readiness to Support Transformative Sustainability Learning
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Wakefield, Wendy, Weinberg, Andrea E., Pretti, Esther, Merritt, Eileen G., and Trott, Carlie
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Teacher education is pivotal to advancing pedagogies, practices, and content knowledge that promote sustainability literacy in formal education settings. To explore preservice teachers' (PST) readiness to implement transformative sustainability learning with elementary (i.e. kindergarten to 6th grade) students, we analyzed unit plans created by PSTs in a sustainability teacher education course. Within these units, we looked for evidence of content and pedagogy which (1) embraces the complexity of human-environmental interactions, (2) advances sustainability literacy by enlisting both knowledge and engagement, and (3) mobilizes action in local and global contexts to advance social and environmental justice aims. We describe the range of topics and analyze the rationales and learning activities through the 'Head, Hands and Heart' framework for transformative sustainability learning. We found that, though most PSTs integrated learning objectives and activities intended to engage students' heads, hearts, and hands into their units, they struggled to embrace the complexity of sustainability issues and to engage students in justice-focused action. We provide three recommendations for preservice teacher education to increase PSTs' readiness to implement transformative sustainability learning.
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- 2022
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17. School Leadership and Teacher Retention
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Shantay Wakefield, Michelle McDaniel, and Joseph Willis
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A 2021 survey of teachers showed that almost 1 in 4 teachers planned to leave their jobs at the end of the school year. Teacher retention is a growing problem in the United States. Research shows multiple factors influence teacher retention. Research shows that school leadership can control many of the factors that increase the likelihood of teacher retention. A website was created that allows for sharing information that is proven through research to increase teacher retention in schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
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- 2022
18. Employability Skills and Trends in the Outdoor Power and Equipment Industry
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Alston, Antoine J., Anderson, Ryan, English, Chastity W., and Wakefield, Dexter B.
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The Power, Structural, and Technical Systems (PST) Career Pathway is one of eight within the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career Cluster; this pathway provides the curriculum that includes outdoor power equipment content. The perceived workforce readiness and skills needed in this pathway and related future trends were analyzed for entry-level jobs within the outdoor power equipment industry. The respondents expressed concern with being able to find qualified entry-level employees. Respondents indicated that the major skill categories of interpersonal skills, communication skills, computer skills, character skills, technical competency, and their corresponding subskills, were important for entry-level employment. The respondents indicated shop experience and general work experience are important for career success, which are experiences that take place through school-based agricultural education. The areas with greatest impact on the future of the industry were equipment technology advancements, urbanization, environmental laws/policies, and the growth of technical education at the secondary and post-secondary level. Secondary agricultural educators and outdoor power equipment dealers should explore developing internships and other partnerships in order to better prepare students for entry-level positions within the outdoor power equipment industry.
- Published
- 2018
19. Perfect Storm Hits Georgia Schools: Teachers Overwhelmed
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Wakefield, Dara V.
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No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Race to the Top (RT3) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) have piled up federal mandates into a "perfect storm" for Georgia teachers. This study considers the impact of this storm through the eyes of 23 Georgia teachers. A tidal wave of federal mandates leaves teachers overwhelmed and skeptical about their future.
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- 2017
20. What Is Culturally Informed Literacy Instruction? A Review of Research in P-5 Contexts
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Kelly, Laura Beth, Wakefield, Wendy, Caires-Hurley, Jaclyn, Kganetso, Lynne Watanabe, Moses, Lindsey, and Baca, Evelyn
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This critical, integrative qualitative review explores how researchers approach, describe, and justify culturally relevant, culturally responsive, or culturally sustaining literacy instruction in prekindergarten through fifth-grade (P-5) classrooms. We reviewed 56 studies published between 1995 and 2018. We documented terms researchers use, theorists cited, methods, student outcomes, and student populations. We also analyzed how researchers talked about achievement gaps, addressed their own positionality, and determined that specific literacy instructional practices were culturally informed. We found that researchers most commonly claim to document culturally relevant or responsive instruction, in some cases conflating the terms and related theorists. Most studies were qualitative, occurred with traditionally marginalized students (usually Black or Latinx) in the United States, and involved students reading a text that researchers deem culturally informed. We make recommendations for teachers and researchers to move the field of culturally informed literacy forward.
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- 2021
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21. Real Work with Real Consequences: Enlisting Community Energy Engineering as an Approach to Envisioning Engineering in Context
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Jordan, Michelle E., Zuiker, Steve, Wakefield, Wendy, and DeLaRosa, Mia
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This study describes an illustrative case study from a year-round program that positions middle and high school youth to explore the social value of energy systems in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Designed to center existing youth assets, interests and values, Community Energy Engineering (CEE) frames engineering as a tool that students can enlist in order to understand and interrogate their local socio-energy system while also acting to transform it. CEE partners with Title 1 schools in Latino/a neighborhoods in the U.S. southwest. CEE situates youth community-based solar energy innovation projects as consequential, evolving in and with historically contingent engineering practices, and shaping and shaped by interactions across multiple contexts. We present our analysis of an asset-based approach to pre-college energy engineering education by following an exemplary project team across 15 months of programming. We used critical design ethnography to address the research question: How do community-centered energy engineering projects organize opportunities for productive disciplinary engagement and consequential learning? Findings are presented through the endogenous, first-person accounts of five youth as they participated in their project, and as they reflected on their participation during interviews. We consider connections to a wider array of cases reported using a sociocultural theoretical perspective on asset-based approaches to pre-college engineering education. We discuss these connections in relation to reciprocity as an asset-based approach to ingenuity and care, as well as two overarching design principles that emerged: (1) real work with real consequences; and (2) everyone a learner, everyone a contributor.
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- 2021
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22. A Study of Faculty Perceptions of the Quality Matters Professional Development Experience
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Pettus-Wakefield, Sarah Louise
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Quality Matters certification is regarded by many American universities, including the university where the study was conducted, as the industry standard for quality online course design. Although a wide body of research has been completed on Quality Matters rubric effectiveness in changing course design, research was needed to explore faculty perceptions of the Quality Matters professional development program to determine perceived training effectiveness at preparing faculty to design and teach in a fully online learning environment. This research is aimed at Quality Matters facilitators to aide in determining the effectiveness of Quality Matters training and to help identify possible areas of improvement. Faculty participants were asked to fill out a survey indicating their prior experience teaching online, their perceptions about the quality of Quality Matters training, and their perceptions about the quality of their online courses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
- Published
- 2021
23. Learning from Gesture and Action: An Investigation of Memory for Where Objects Went and How They Got There
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Hostetter, Autumn B., Pouw, Wim, and Wakefield, Elizabeth M.
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Speakers often use gesture to demonstrate how to perform actions--for example, they might show how to open the top of a jar by making a twisting motion above the jar. Yet it is unclear whether listeners learn as much from seeing such gestures as they learn from seeing actions that physically change the position of objects (i.e., actually opening the jar). Here, we examined participants' implicit and explicit understanding about a series of movements that demonstrated how to move a set of objects. The movements were either shown with actions that physically relocated each object or with gestures that represented the relocation without touching the objects. Further, the end location that was indicated for each object covaried with whether the object was grasped with one or two hands. We found that memory for the end location of each object was better after seeing the physical relocation of the objects, that is, after seeing "action," than after seeing gesture, regardless of whether speech was absent (Experiment 1) or present (Experiment 2). However, gesture and action built similar implicit understanding of how a particular handgrasp corresponded with a particular end location. Although gestures miss the benefit of showing the end state of objects that have been acted upon, the data show that gestures are as good as action in building knowledge of "how" to perform an action.
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- 2020
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24. Toward Conceptual Clarity: A Scoping Review of Coteaching in Teacher Education
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Weinberg, Andrea E., Sebald, Ann, Stevenson, Cerissa A., and Wakefield, Wendy
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While coteaching is not a novel or even new approach in P-12 classrooms, its application in teacher education contexts has become increasingly prevalent. Coteaching in teacher education has been touted for its potential to promote collaborative classroom practice, connect theory and praxis, counteract sociocultural disparities in classrooms, and improve outcomes for teacher candidates as well as P-12 students and inservice teachers. This article presents a scoping review of the 103 empirical studies focused on coteaching in teacher education to enhance conceptual clarity and heighten understandings of the nature and extent of such research. We map the methodological characteristics of these studies that serve to the breadth and depth to which coteaching in teacher education has been examined. Next, we describe the outcomes and phenomena explored by the 103 studies to reveal the intended results as well as points of tension for coteaching in teacher education. Finally, we couple an analysis of coteaching definitions within these studies with an analysis of the ways in which coteaching is implemented in teacher education. Notable findings of this scoping review include the extensive range of ways coteaching is implemented across the preservice teacher education curriculum, the variety of aims for coteaching in these contexts, and the need for continued grounding in frameworks to enhance understandings of coteaching practices and impacts for stakeholders including P-12 students, inservice teachers, teacher candidates, and university faculty.
- Published
- 2020
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25. Piloting and Implementing Mathematics Co-Requisite Courses: A Chair's Perspective
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Wakefield, Thomas P.
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Many colleges and universities recently piloted and adopted the co-requisite model of delivery of developmental mathematics while offering more options for students to fulfill their mathematics requirement. We discuss our process for piloting and ultimately implementing the co-requisite model at our university, provide preliminary data on student success in this model, and note the challenges that come with such change in the delivery of developmental mathematics.
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- 2020
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26. A Jigsaw RACE Activity Incorporating Themes from 'Geography: Why It Matters' by Alexander B. Murphy
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Wakefield, Julie and Lash, Jeff
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The objective of this lesson is for students to explain the basic geographic concepts of "space," "place," and "nature and society" using examples discussed in Alexander Murphy's "Geography: Why It Matters." The lesson is taught over two 50-minute class periods using the jigsaw technique and two strategies adapted from College Board Close Reading Workshop resources. On Day 1, students are divided into three groups (i.e., jigsaw pieces). Each group conducts a collaborative close reading of one content chapter from "Geography: Why It Matters." On Day 2, students are reorganized into groups comprising one student from each of the three Day 1 groups. Students share their close reading insights with their group. Finally, each group presents their explanations (i.e., assembled jigsaw pieces) on the basic geographic topics of "space," "place," and "nature and society." Once each group member has had a chance to report out to the others about their chapter, the teacher can use debriefing as a formative assessment.
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- 2020
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27. Developing Confidence in the Use of Digital Tools in Teaching
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Greener, Sue and Wakefield, Craig
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In this study Higher Education teachers were offered new mobile devices with very few conditions attached. The aim was to introduce staff to mobile technology and how it could be used to support teaching and learning within a small, interdisciplinary campus. The study hypothesized that by offering staff the simple incentive of new mobile devices for professional and private use, they will be keener to adopt new practices. The only conditions required were the adoption of two items of software--SharePoint as a file repository, and the VLE provider's mobile learning application which provides access to the VLE for both learners and staff. There were three stages to the project; Stage 1 involved presenting staff the results of student feedback from their own courses, where the students set out their preferences for using learning technologies. Stage 2 involved surveying staff opinions on the impact of the mobile devices once they were issued. Stage 3 followed up with a selection of interviews, focussing on concepts of interest gained from the questionnaires. Overall results from this study suggested there was an undeniable enthusiasm amongst teaching staff for using mobile technology, however there were still issues surrounding digital confidence and the pedagogical reasoning for integrating such technologies. There is still a divide on the role of mobile technologies within the classroom, most likely stemmed from the lack of knowledge surrounding their potential purpose. In conclusion, staff enthusiasm alone is not enough to result in adoption and integration of mobile technology within teaching and learning, there must be a focus on pedagogy and relevance for teaching staff to engage fully.
- Published
- 2015
28. Vertical Enhancement of Second-Year Psychology Research
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Morys-Carter, Wakefield L., Paltoglou, Aspasia E., and Davies, Emma L.
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Statistics and Research Methods modules are often unpopular with psychology students; however, at Oxford Brookes University the seminar component of the second-year research methods module tends to get very positive feedback. Over half of the seminars work towards the submission of a research-based experimental lab report. This article introduces and reflects on some of the recent changes made to improve this coursework by increasing the similarities with staff research; specifically targeting the areas of supervision, ethical review, peer review and dissemination. These developments are aligned with the teaching fellowship project, Vertical Enhancement of Statistics and Psychology Research, and aim to encourage second-year students to treat their group experiments as part of the department's research activity, rather than simply as pieces of coursework. Enhancing this research-based aspect of the student experience teaching will hopefully, in turn, lead to higher quality third-year dissertations by increasing student enthusiasm for academic research.
- Published
- 2015
29. Helping Students to Climb the Mountain: A Study to Inform the Development of a Resource to Improve the Learning of Statistics in Psychology
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Davies, Emma L., Morys-Carter, Wakefield L., and Paltoglou, Aspasia E.
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Students often struggle with learning about statistics, which encompass a large proportion of a psychology degree. This pilot study explored how first- and final-year students reflected on their experiences of being taught this topic, in order to identify needs that could be addressed in a project to improve their learning. First-year students reported that they initially found their module challenging but that it became easier towards the end.Third-year students recognised the importance of the topic but were not confident in their abilities. Most students reported anxiety about statistics. Although students were positive about practical classes, many felt that they could not easily remember the materials. The findings suggested three areas of focus to improve student learning. Firstly, diverse needs and levels of ability should be catered for. Secondly, students need help to go beyond surface learning and button clicking. Finally, low levels of engagement should be addressed. This work has informed a project to develop an online resource to address the above identified needs to enhance teaching of this important topic.
- Published
- 2015
30. A Mentoring Program for Inquiry-Based Teaching in a College Geometry Class
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Miller, Nathaniel and Wakefield, Nathan
- Abstract
This paper describes a mentoring program designed to prepare novice instructors to teach a college geometry class using inquiry-based methods. The mentoring program was used in a medium-sized public university with approximately 12,000 undergraduate students and 1,500 graduate students. The authors worked together to implement a mentoring program for the first time. One author was an associate professor and experienced using inquiry-based learning. The other author was a graduate student in mathematics education. During the course of the year the graduate student first observed and then taught a college level inquiry-based geometry course for pre-service teachers. This article describes the details of this mentoring program and our reflections on how the program went.
- Published
- 2014
31. A Mentoring Program for Inquiry-Based Teaching in a College Geometry Class
- Author
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Miller, Nathaniel and Wakefield, Nathan
- Abstract
This paper describes a mentoring program designed to prepare novice instructors to teach a college geometry class using inquiry-based methods. The mentoring program was used in a medium-sized public university with approximately 12,000 undergraduate students and 1,500 graduate students. The authors worked together to implement a mentoring program for the first time. One author was an associate professor and experienced using inquiry-based learning. The other author was a graduate student in mathematics education. During the course of the year the graduate student first observed and then taught a college level inquiry-based geometry course for pre-service teachers. This article describes the details of this mentoring program and our reflections on how the program went.
- Published
- 2014
32. A Double Take: The Practical and Ethical Dilemmas of Teaching the Visual Method of Photo Elicitation
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Wakefield, Caroline and Watt, Sal
- Abstract
This paper advocates the teaching of photo elicitation in higher education as a valuable data collection technique and draws on our experience of teaching this visual method across two consecutive postgraduate cohorts. Building on previous work (Watt & Wakefield, 2014) and based on a former concern regarding student duty of care, a modification was made that constrained or made less "risky" the topic area of a photo elicitation project for the second year group. The paper compares and contrasts the effects of this change through student and tutor reflections. In Cohort 1, (year one) although the reflections of some of the students gave us cause for concern, the work produced was exceptionally creative and of an excellent standard. The work produced by the following year, Cohort 2, was of much lower quality, in the main lacked creativity which was supported by student reflection that similarly lacked depth or insight. In comparing and contrasting the two cohorts we discuss the effect of the topic change in potentially affecting student engagement, creativity and quality of work. In taking what pedagogically, we perceived as a less risky topic area, we discuss the potential this had on stifling creativity and student engagement concluding that ours should serve as a cautionary tale that there is a need to be careful in what we wish for; a less risky topic equated to less risky work and affected student engagement.
- Published
- 2014
33. Picture It! The Use of Visual Methods in Psychology Teaching
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Watt, Sal and Wakefield, Caroline
- Abstract
Photo elicitation theoretically located under Creative Analytic Practice was set as an assessment on a taught postgraduate programme. In groups of three to four, 30 students acted as both researcher and participant. Group topics were self-selected, each member took five photographs that group members reflected on. Topics chosen were varied and students reflexively critically reported their experience of the method. The power of photo elicitation saw some students engage in a cathartic journey which pedagogically raised concern. This paper reports both the potential and creativity of photo elicitation but also discusses and makes suggestions on how to overcome ethical issues.
- Published
- 2014
34. School Students with Chronic Illness Have Unmet Academic, Social, and Emotional School Needs
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Lum, Alistair, Wakefield, Claire E., Donnan, Barb, Burns, Mary A., Fardell, Joanna E., Jaffe, Adam, Kasparian, Nadine A., Kennedy, Sean E., Leach, Steven T., Lemberg, Daniel A., and Marshall, Glenn M.
- Abstract
Students with chronic illness generally have higher school needs than their healthy peers. The research to date examining school support for these needs has been limited to qualitative methods. We collected quantitative data to compare the school needs and supports received by 192 students with chronic illness and 208 students without chronic illness using parent-completed surveys. We assessed school experiences and receipt of school support across academic, social-emotional, and medical domains and school attendance. We analyzed the data using logistic regression. Students with chronic illness were 3.8 times more likely to have repeated a grade, 3.6 times more likely to have parent-reported academic challenges, and 4.9 times more likely to have recent illness-related school absenteeism than healthy students. Parents of students with chronic illness were 2.2 times more likely to report their child to have moderate-high emotional distress, and 4.6 times more likely to report that their child had low social confidence compared with parents of healthy students. Students with chronic illness did not receive more school-based tutoring, home-based tutoring, or support from a teacher's aide or school psychologist than healthy students. Students with chronic illness receive insufficient support to address their academic and social-emotional needs or high rates of school absenteeism. Evidence-based educational services must be developed and delivered to meet the needs of students with chronic illness at school and while recovering at home.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
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35. Facilitating Engagement with School in Students with Chronic Illness through Positive Education: A Mixed-Methods Comparison Study
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Lum, Alistair, Wakefield, Claire E., Donnan, Barb, Burns, Mary A., Fardell, Joanna E., Jaffe, Adam, Kasparian, Nadine A., Kennedy, Sean E., Leach, Steven T., Lemberg, Daniel A., and Marshall, Glenn M.
- Abstract
Students with chronic illness may disengage from school, adversely affecting their school outcomes. Positive education targets students' social-emotional well-being (school well-being), which can increase engagement with school. We compared the relationship among positive educational practices, school well-being, and engagement with school as reported by parents of students with and without chronic illness. We used a convergent mixed-methods cross-sectional design. We collected data from 215 parents of school-age children with chronic illness and 212 parents of children without chronic illness. Data assessed positive educational practices, school well-being, and engagement with school, which we analyzed using regression and structural equation models. Forty-nine parents of students with chronic illness completed a telephone interview about their child's school experiences, which we analyzed using content analysis. School well-being was significantly lower among students with chronic illness, compared with students without chronic illness (p = 0.05). Higher student well-being (p = 0.001) and higher levels of positive educational practices (p = 0.002) were associated with higher engagement with school. School well-being mediated the relationship between positive educational practices and engagement with school for students with chronic illness but not students without chronic illness. Parents of children with chronic illness described how positive educational practices and their child's school well-being promoted their child's engagement with school. Parents also reported the negative consequences of low school well-being. Positive educational practices alone may not be sufficient to increase engagement with school in students with low school well-being. Combined preventative and early intervention psychosocial support may best promote engagement with school in students with chronic illness.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
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36. From Anxiety to Confidence: Exploring the Measurement of Statistics Confidence and Its Relationship with Experience, Knowledge and Competence within Psychology Undergraduate Students
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Paltoglou, Aspasia E., Morys-Carter, Wakefield L., and Davies, Emma L.
- Abstract
Psychology students often feel anxious about learning statistics, which can impact their performance. However, little research has explored statistics confidence, which may be an important way to reduce the negative connotations of associating statistics with anxiety. We aimed to explore whether modifying an existing measure of statistics anxiety (the STARS scale) and reframing the questions so students rated their confidence instead, would be associated with competence, prior knowledge and experience. A total of 104 undergraduate students completed an online questionnaire comprising these measures. The factor structure of the STARS scale was predominantly maintained when wording was changed to measure confidence instead of anxiety. Confidence was related to experience and competence, but not knowledge. Two aspects of confidence (interpretation of statistics and exam confidence) plus initial experiences were significant predictors of competence. Confidence was a mediator of the relationship between experience and competence. These findings suggest statistics confidence can be measured in a similar way to anxiety, and highlight areas that could be addressed to increase competence. Future research is needed to explore the relationship between statistics anxiety and statistics confidence, as well as to determine their individual impact on performance in assessments.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
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37. Breaking down Gesture and Action in Mental Rotation: Understanding the Components of Movement That Promote Learning
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Wakefield, Elizabeth M., Foley, Alana E., Ping, Raedy, Villarreal, Julia N., Goldin-Meadow, Susan, and Levine, Susan C.
- Abstract
Past research has shown that children's mental rotation skills are malleable and can be improved through action experience--physically rotating objects--or gesture experience--showing how objects could rotate (e.g., Frick, Ferrara, & Newcombe, 2013; Goldin-Meadow et al., 2012; Levine, Goldin-Meadow, Carlson, & Hemani-Lopez, 2018). These two types of movements both involve rotation, but differ on a number of components. Here, we break down action and gesture into components--feeling an object during rotation, using a grasping handshape during rotation, tracing the trajectory of rotation, and seeing the outcome of rotation--and ask, in two studies, how training children on a mental rotation task through different combinations of these components impacts learning gains across a delay. Our results extend the literature by showing that, although all children benefit from training experiences, some training experiences are more beneficial than others, and the pattern differs by sex. Not seeing the outcome of rotation emerged as a crucial training component for both males and females. However, not seeing the outcome turned out to be the only necessary component for males (who showed equivalent gains when imagining or gesturing object rotation). Females, in contrast, only benefitted from not seeing the outcome when it involved producing a relevant motor movement (i.e., when gesturing the rotation of the object and not simply imagining the rotation of the object). Results are discussed in relation to potential mechanisms driving these effects and practical implications.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
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38. The Development and Psychometric Properties of a Survey to Assess Breast Knowledge and Attitudes of Adolescent Girls
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Omrani, Atefeh, Wakefield-Scurr, Joanna, Smith, Jenny, and Brown, Nicola
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Background: Breast health education could alleviate breast concerns reported by adolescent girls. Purpose: This article describes the development and psychometric properties of a survey to measure knowledge in multiple aspects related to breasts, attitudes to breasts and breast issues and the likelihood of engagement with positive breast habits among adolescent girls. Methods: An 85-item, developmentally appropriate, breast survey was generated using previous research. Consultation with 13 breast experts and a focus group of 7 girls established face and content validity. Survey validity and reliability was established by item analysis with 148 girls, principal components analysis with 729 girls, confirmatory factor analysis with 921 girls, known groups validation with 15 breast experts and 18 girls, internal reliability (729 and 921 girls) and test-re test reliability (18 girls). Results: Results indicate that the final 39-item breast survey (10-subscales) is valid, reliable, and easy to administer. Discussion: Each subscale within the survey addresses adolescent girls' specific breast concern which is consistent with the breast needs of adolescent girls. Translation to Health Education Practice: This study offers researchers and health educators a survey that can be used to inform the design of breast health education programs and determine the impact of such programs.
- Published
- 2019
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39. An Examination of Mindset and Academic Growth of Middle School Science Students
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Wakefield, Maria C.
- Abstract
While recent studies (Donohoo, Hattie, & Eells, 2018; Hattie, 2017) have discovered that teacher collective efficacy is prominent on students' academic success, earlier research (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck, 2007; Chan, 2012; Chen, 2014; Dweck, 2006; Ricci, 2013) has pointed to mindset as having the largest effect in elementary and middle school math. Emanating from the literature based on the academic growth of adolescent students, the current study examined if there was a significant difference in student academic growth in middle school science based on grade level, mindset, or teacher. Taking place at one suburban middle school in the mid-Atlantic United States and using ex post facto data, this study included 374 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders from two teachers at each grade level who were randomly chosen by the school administration to give their students the Mindset Assessment Profile Tool". Descriptive statistics revealed the highest growth for sixth grade (M = 23.75, SD = 15.05, N = 92) compared to the lowest in seventh grade (M = 10.18, SD = 12.25, N = 135) and the highest mean growth for Teacher 6A (M = 43.87, SD = 33.42, N = 8) and the lowest for Teacher 7B (M = 9.29, SD = 12.37, N = 83). A three-way analysis of variance revealed that the teacher was found statistically significant, F(3, 362) = 13.49, p = [less than] 0.001, [eta superscript 2] = 0.041; therefore, the null hypothesis that there was no statistically significant difference in academic growth based on the teacher was rejected. On the other hand, there was no statistically significant difference in mindset, F(1, 362) = 0.131, p = 0.718, [eta superscript 2] = 0.000; therefore, the null hypothesis that there was no statistically significant difference in academic growth based on mindset was accepted. Finally, there was no statistically significant difference based on teacher and mindset, F(3, 362) = 1.42, p = 0.237; therefore, the null hypothesis that academic growth based on mindset remains constant regardless of teacher was accepted. While this study did not reaffirm the existing research (Blackwell et al., 2007; Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012) on students' mindset affecting their academic growth, it did reveal that the teacher made a larger impact on academic growth rather than students' mindset. Albeit this study's small sample size, the data allowed for descriptive and inferential analysis; however, it is important to note that generalizations should be limited to the students within this study and that additional research around academic growth in middle school science based on grade level, teacher, or mindset is essential. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
- Published
- 2019
40. Understanding Information Seeking Behavior in Technology Pervasive Learning Environments of the 21st Century
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Mills, Leila A., Knezek, Gerald A., and Wakefield, Jenny S.
- Abstract
This research reports findings from a study on information behavior to indicate educationally relevant activity, such as information seeking and sharing, in technology pervasive information environments of the 21st century. Adult learners who are social media users (n = 147) completed an online learning preference survey battery that included the Social Media Learning scale, the Technology Affinity Survey, the Computer Attitude Questionnaire, and the Information and Communications Technology Learning survey. Findings revealed that 23% of the variance in information seeking behavior for this sample was explained by a multiple linear regression model, based on reported perceptions of creative tendencies, attitude towards school, learning with social media, and degree of daily technology use/immersion. Participants with higher preference for information seeking were found to have more positive attitudes toward school, a stronger sense of having creative tendencies, and a higher preference for learning with social media while they also had a lower preferences for continuous immersion in digital communications. Implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.
- Published
- 2013
41. Leveraging Sociocultural Theory to Create a Mentorship Program for Doctoral Students
- Author
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Crosslin, Matt, Wakefield, Jenny S., and Bennette, Phyllis
- Abstract
This paper details a proposed doctoral student connections program that is based on sociocultural theory. It is designed to assist new students with starting their educational journey. This program is designed to leverage social interactions, peer mentorship, personal reflection, purposeful planning, and existing resources to assist students in navigating a department's doctoral program culture. [For the full proceedings, see ED562107.]
- Published
- 2013
42. Student-Driven Classroom Technologies: Transmedia Navigation and Tranformative Communications
- Author
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Mills, Leila A., Knezek, Gerald A., and Wakefield, Jenny S.
- Abstract
This research paper explores middle school student attitudes towards learning with technology and proposes a design-based approach to formulating instruction that includes innovative classroom technology use with computers and communications technologies placed in the hands of students. The intent of this research is to advance practice and theory on student-centered use of information and communications technology (ICT), going beyond the implementation of school technologies for delivery of lessons and data processing. The focus of the recommended design-based approach is teaching and learning that provides opportunities for student-driven ICT use in the classroom, including transmedia navigation for classroom activities that encourage students to think, interact with instructional content, and engage in transformative communications. [For the full proceedings, see ED562107.]
- Published
- 2013
43. Some Observations from a Very Telling Innocuous Query: An Essay on the State of Higher Education in America
- Author
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Castillo, José, Wakefield, Michael, and LeMaster, Jane
- Abstract
We present a self-reflective assessment of higher education from the perspective of educators and administrators prompted by a common question addressed to many of us, perhaps hundreds of times in the year; "What's my grade?" Upon some scrutiny, we find a series of troubling interrelated issues that more or less depict a system of higher education adrift in a sea of maladies and its course in need of correction, lest a total "wreck" befall the system.
- Published
- 2010
44. Gesture Helps Learners Learn, but Not Merely by Guiding Their Visual Attention
- Author
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Wakefield, Elizabeth, Novack, Miriam A., Congdon, Eliza L., Franconeri, Steven, and Goldin-Meadow, Susan
- Abstract
Teaching a new concept through gestures--hand movements that accompany speech--facilitates learning above-and-beyond instruction through speech alone (e.g., Singer & Goldin-Meadow, 2005). However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still under investigation. Here, we use eye tracking to explore one often proposed mechanism--gesture's ability to direct visual attention. Behaviorally, we replicate previous findings: Children perform significantly better on a posttest after learning through Speech+Gesture instruction than through Speech Alone instruction. Using eye tracking measures, we show that children who watch a math lesson with gesture do allocate their visual attention differently from children who watch a math lesson without gesture--they look more to the problem being explained, less to the instructor, and are more likely to synchronize their visual attention with information presented in the instructor's speech (i.e., "follow along with speech") than children who watch the no-gesture lesson. The striking finding is that, even though these looking patterns positively predict learning outcomes, the patterns do not mediate the effects of training condition (Speech Alone vs. Speech+Gesture) on posttest success. We find instead a complex relation between gesture and visual attention in which gesture "moderates" the impact of visual looking patterns on learning--"following along with speech" predicts learning for children in the Speech+Gesture condition, but not for children in the Speech Alone condition. Gesture's beneficial effects on learning thus come not merely from its ability to guide visual attention, but also from its ability to synchronize with speech and affect what learners glean from that speech.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
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45. Diagnostic Effects of an Early Mastery Activity in College Algebra and Precalculus
- Author
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Wakefield, Nathan, Champion, Joe, Bolkema, Jessalyn, and Dailey, Douglas
- Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate implementation of an early intervention mastery activity during the first two weeks of college algebra and precalculus courses at a large U.S. public university. Statistical modeling of (N = 935) students' performance in the courses, including a logistic regression model of pass/fail course achievement with students' high school rank, ACT Mathematics scores, and performance on the intervention as explanatory variables, suggested significant independent differences in course performance across performance levels on the early mastery activity. An evaluation of diagnostic validity for the model yielded a 19% false negative rate (predicted to fail the course, but passed) and a 7% false positive rate (students predicted to pass the course, but failed), suggesting the early mastery activity, when combined with admissions indicators of mathematics readiness, may be useful in better identifying students at risk of failing their first university mathematics course. This strategy, which also yields information for focused intervention efforts, is currently being explored through a campus-wide advising tool at the research site.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
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46. Gesture for Generalization: Gesture Facilitates Flexible Learning of Words for Actions on Objects
- Author
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Wakefield, Elizabeth M., Hall, Casey, James, Karin H., and Goldin-Meadow, Susan
- Abstract
Verb learning is difficult for children (Gentner, [Gentner, D., 1982]), partially because children have a bias to associate a novel verb not only with the action it represents, but also with the object on which it is learned (Kersten & Smith, [Kersten, A.W., 2002]). Here we investigate how well 4- and 5-year-old children (N = 48) generalize novel verbs for actions on objects after doing or seeing the action (e.g., twisting a knob on an object) or after doing or seeing a gesture for the action (e.g., twisting in the air near an object). We find not only that children generalize more effectively through gesture experience, but also that this ability to generalize persists after a 24-hour delay.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
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47. Identification with the School Predicts Better Mental Health amongst High School Students over Time
- Author
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Miller, Kirsty, Wakefield, Juliet, and Sani, Fabio
- Abstract
Aim: The aim of the current study was to investigate, in line with the 'Social Cure' tradition, whether identification with various groups (including the family, school and friends) predicted better psychological wellbeing amongst high school students. While previous research had shown there was a relationship between identification with these groups and mental health in adolescents, this work was cross-sectional, meaning that the direction of the relationship could not be established. The further aim of the current study was therefore to investigate these relationships over time. Method: Data were collected via self-report questionnaires from 409 pupils in several Scottish high schools. We measured students' mental wellbeing via the GHQ-12 questionnaire, as well as identification with their family, school and friend groups. Findings: Of the three groups investigated, only school identification predicted psychological wellbeing over time, indicating that educational practitioners are in a unique position to influence young people's mental health. Furthermore, the finding that school identification predicts mental health over time supports the theory presented in the social cure literature: that group identification predicts mental wellbeing. Limitations: A potential limitation was the use of self-report questionnaires. However, we feel that the strict policy of anonymity will have reduced socially desirable responses. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of the school for young people's mental health. Future research and interventions should consider the importance of identification with the school when attempting to enhance young people's mental wellbeing.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
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48. The School Experiences of Siblings of Children with Chronic Illness: Australian Parents' Perceptions
- Author
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Gan, Lucy L., Lum, Alistair, Wakefield, Claire E., and Donnan, Barbara M.
- Abstract
Children with chronic illness often experience difficulties at school, yet little is known about the impact of the child's illness on siblings' school experiences. This study investigated parents' perceptions of siblings' school experiences and school support. We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 27 parents of children with a chronic illness who had a sibling or siblings (4-25 years), representing the experiences of 31 siblings. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using content analysis. Parents believed that 14 of 31 (45.2%) siblings had school difficulties related to the ill child, such as increased anxiety or stress at school, lack of attention from teachers, and changes in behaviour as a result of increased carer responsibilities. Parents identified increased absenteeism due to the ill child's hospitalisation and the impact of parent absences on sibling school functioning. Parents described general and psychological support from the school, and the importance of monitoring the sibling at school and focusing on their unique needs. Overall, our findings suggest the need for a school-based sibling support model that combines psycho-education for siblings and school personnel, individualised sibling psychological support, and shared school and parent responsibility in normalising the sibling experience and providing consistent support.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Positioned in the Middle: Exploring Affordances for Underrepresented Engineering Students in a Cross-Age Engineering Research Experience Team
- Author
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Bruchok, Christiana, Bowers, Nicole, Wakefield, Wendy, and Jordan, Michelle
- Abstract
Enrollment in engineering programs by women and minority students has steadily decreased in recent years. Extending participation in programs for Research Experience Undergraduates (REU) to underqualified candidates may help recruit and retain students to engineering if the students are positioned in research teams in ways that leverage the assets they do have. This paper uses positioning theory as a lens to understand how two women not selected as applicants in an REU program identify as engineers as they participate in a research project team as part of a REU program. Middle placement in a cross-age team expanded the ways these women could position themselves, and those positionings appear to influence their contributions and engineering identity.
- Published
- 2018
50. Early Blindness May Be Associated with Changes in Performance on Verbal Fluency Tasks
- Author
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Wakefield, Claire E., Homewood, Judi, and Taylor, Alan J.
- Abstract
Studies of how children who are blind acquire and use language have focused less on cognitive compensations and more on delays in development. Vision is important in the establishment of early communicative patterns, and sighted children regularly use contextual visual information, such as a speaker's gestures and eye gaze, to make sense of speech that is directed at them (Mills, 1988). Some researchers have argued that, in the absence of vision, children may be expected to have more difficulty understanding concepts and the relationships between them and in acquiring generalizations about language and the way it works (Andersen, Dunlea, & Kekelis, 1993). In contrast, it has been argued that linguistic experience may be more important for children who are blind than for sighted children and that children who are blind may pay more attention to language (Chomsky, 1990; Perez-Pereira & Castro, 1997). This report examines the question of whether apparent compensatory changes in verbal fluency are concomitant with early blindness. The goal of the study was to discover whether there are differences between children who are blind and children who are sighted in verbal fluency, particularly whether there are differences in clustering and switching in fluency tasks. The data reported in this paper were collected concurrently with a larger data set reported in Wakefield, Homewood, and Taylor (2004).
- Published
- 2006
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