Educational Research Association Research Articles

World Education Research Association Holds First Meetings in Vienna

World Education Research Association Holds First Meetings in Vienna

Exploring the “Development” in Professional Development School Research

The professional development school (PDS) is a model of choice for many teacher preparation programs. This approach integrates the functions of teacher preparation, professional development, inquiry and research, and student achievement to bring about whole-school improvement and the simultaneous renewal of the teaching profession. Ideally, inquiry and research serve as a catalyst for developing the PDS organization. However, a review of abstracts of purported PDS research (1988–2006) showed that most of the publications used nonresearch methods and focused primarily on descriptions of programs. In this article, we discuss issues surrounding the PDS that may account for the lack of development of a solid body of research about the phenomenon. We also propose a framework for research on PDSs that is aligned with the Standards for Professional Development Schools (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, 2001) and with appropriate research methodologies recommended by the American Educational Research Association (Jaeger, 1998).

Positivist Dogmas, Rhetoric, and the Education Science Question

Explicit versions of positivism were cast off some time ago in philosophy, but a tacit form continues to thrive in education research, exemplified by the “new scientific orthodoxy” codified in the National Research Council’s Scientific Research in Education (2002) and reinforced in the American Educational Research Association’s Standards for Reporting on Empirical Social Science Research in AERA Publications (2006) . The author rehearses previous critiques of positivist “dogmas” in education research and applies them to the new orthodoxy. Then, borrowing from the emergent field of the “rhetoric of science,” he explores how pursuit of the education science question has nourished a positivist conception of education research. He concludes by suggesting that the education science question should be reframed and briefly suggests how.

Unplanned Educational Obsolescence: Is the ‘Traditional’ PhD Becoming Obsolete?

Unplanned Educational Obsolescence: Is the ‘Traditional’ PhD Becoming Obsolete?

Learning from L.A.: institutional change in American public education

Drawing on a four-year study of the last 40 years of education reform in Los Angeles, Learning from L.A. captures the sweeping change in American education. It puts forth a provocative argument: while school reformers and education historians have tended to focus on the success or failure of individual initiatives, they have overlooked the fact that, over the past several decades, the institution of public education itself has been transformed. Colorful characters, dramatic encounters, and political skirmishes enliven this rich account of the wrenching transformations that took place in the Los Angeles Unified School District from the 1960s onward. The book focuses particularly on four key ideas that emerged through a succession of reforms beginning in the 1990s decentralization, standards, school choice, and grassroots participation. Though the particular plans that gave rise to these ideas may have faded, the ideas themselves have taken root and developed in ways that those who inaugurated or participated in these reforms never anticipated. Winner of Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Districts in Research and Reform Publication Award, American Educational Research Association

World Education Research Association Founded

World Education Research Association Founded

Interpreting the Evidence for Effective Interventions to Increase the Academic Performance of Students With ADHD: Relevance of the Statistical Significance Controversy

This article reviews the literature on interventions targeting the academic performance of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and does so within the context of the statistical significance testing controversy. Both the arguments for and against null hypothesis statistical significance tests are reviewed. Recent standards promulgated by both the American Psychological Association and more recently by the American Educational Research Association are discussed. The ADHD literature is reviewed with respect to reporting of statistical, practical, and clinical significance and to the reporting of explicit, direct comparisons of obtained effect sizes with those in the related prior literature. It is suggested that a greater emphasis on (a) effect size reporting and (b) replicability comparisons will better enable practitioners to select evidence-based educational interventions.

In defence of anonymity: Rejoining the criticism

This article is a response to the growing criticisms of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ethical guidelines on anonymity and pseudonymity as default positions for participants in qualitative educational research. It discusses and responds to those criticisms under four headings—illusion, impossibility and undesirability, access and quality—and extends the explication of difficulties to quantitative approaches using an example from value‐added effectiveness research. The article discusses potential flaws in the arguments made against anonymous and pseudonymous research, and presents some issues for the research community to take forward. Finally, some suggestions are offered for a modified code of practice regarding anonymity and pseudonymity, which attempts a more subtle capture of difficulties in the field and qualifies the existing rationale to take account of previously unconsidered technical concerns.

American Educational Research Association 2010 Awards

American Educational Research Association 2010 Awards

Effect of Repetition of Exposure and Proficiency Level in L2 Listening Tests

Biola, H. R. (1982). Time limits and topic assignments for essay tests. Research in the Teaching of English, 16,97-98. Caudery, T. (1990). The validity of timed essay tests in the assessment of writing skills. ELT Journal, 44, 122-131. Crone, C, Wright, D., 8c Baron, R (1993). Performance of examinees for whom English is their second language on the spring 1992 SAT II: Writing Test. Unpublished manuscript prepared for ETS, Princeton, NJ. Elder, C, Barkhuizen, G., Knoch, U., 8c von Randow, J. (2007). Evaluating rater responses to an online rater training program. Language Testing, 24, 37-64. Elder, C, Knoch, U., Barkhuizen, G., 8c von Randow, J. (2005). Individual feedback to enhance rater training: Does it work? Language Assessment Quarterly, 2, 175-196. Elder, C, 8c Von Randow, J. (in press). Exploring the utility of a Web-based English language screening tool. Language Assessment Quarterly. Ellis, R. (Ed.). (2005). Planning and task performance in a second language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hale, G. (1992). Effects of amount of time allocated on the Test of Written English (Research Report No. 92-27). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Knoch, U., Read, J., & von Randow, J. (2007). Re-training writing raters online: How does it compare with face-to-face training? Assessing Writing, 12, 26-43. Kroll, B. (1990). What does time buy? ESL student performance on home versus class compositions. In B. Kroll (Ed.), Second language writing: Research insights for the class room. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Livingston, S. A. (1987, April). The effects of time limits on the quality of student-written essays. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, D.C., United States. McNamara, T, & Lumley, T. (1997). The effect of interlocutor and assessment mode variables in overseas assessments of speaking skills in occupational settings. Language Testing, 14, 140-156. Powers, D. E., & Fowles, M. E. (1996). Effects of applying different time limits to a proposed GRE writing test. Journal of Educational Measurement, 33, 433-452. SPSS, Inc. (2006). SPSS (Version 15) [Computer software]. Chicago: Author. Weigle, S. C. (2002). Assessing Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Younkin, W. F. (1986). Speededness as a source of test bias for non-native English speakers on the College level Academic Skills Test. Dissertation Abstracts International, 47/11-A, 4072.

Research Commentary: Examining the Quality of Statistical Mathematics Education Research

This “Research Commentary” addresses the quality of statistical research in mathematics education. To do so, we analyze 10 years of Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) articles based on criteria suggested by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council for Measurement in Education (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999); the National Research Council (Shavelson & Towne, 2002); and the American Statistical Association (ASA, 2007). We find the majority of JRME articles lacking in one or more respects, and we highlight criteria for JRME authors, reviewers, and editors.

American Educational Research Association 2010 Annual Meeting Call for Submissions

American Educational Research Association 2010 Annual Meeting Call for Submissions

A Psychometric Review of Measures of Irrational Beliefs: Implications for Psychotherapy

In this study, measures of irrational beliefs based on the principles of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) were reviewed and contrasted based on psychometric characteristics and quality of guidelines for interpretation. The use of measures of irrational beliefs is an important component of the assessment of presenting problems in psychotherapy and may inform clinical decision making. Additionally, these measures are a helpful way to identify change in irrational beliefs and to measure the effectiveness of specific interventions to facilitate such change. While there are a number of measures of beliefs, there is considerable variability in their psychometric properties and utility for assessment. The majority of the tests are not produced by a publishing company, nor do they provide test manuals. The reliability and validity evidence presented in the publications varies considerably as do the size and quality of standardization samples, which impacts upon the ability to draw normative conclusions. Analyses demonstrated that most measures of irrational beliefs do not provide the evidence needed to adequately address the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (Standards; American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association [APA], National Council on Measurement in Education [NCME] 1999). Discussion of the implications of this review for the development of future measures of irrational thinking by researchers as well as recommendations in the test selection process for an REBT practitioner is offered.

Community organizing and educational change: a reconnaissance

Ten years ago community organizing as a form of educational change had only begun to challenge traditional models of school reform. Yet a decade later, community organizing has led to important changes in school and community relationships that have been documented by scholars in the areas of education, sociology, social work, and political science. Current US President Barack Obama, a former organizer who worked on the South Side of Chicago, has given new visibility to community organizing. The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has approved the creation of a new Special Interest Group (SIG) on the topic of community and youth organizing. This article traces the origins, spread, and impacts of community organizing on educational change, arguing that it provides an important repertoire of practices for change leaders.

Commentary: Reparations for Educational Malfeasance

They tell me there's no money for schools, But I think they're telling me tales 'Cause [Michael] Bloomberg funded our [surveillance] cameras. And they always got money for jails. See what they fund schools with, and then times that by more than three, And you'll still get less than half of what they fund prisons. Huh! Wonder where they want me to be. Jorman Nunez, student, DeWitt Clinton High School, New York City Students tell me that overcrowding at Fremont [High School] makes them think that they are worthless because they rarely get any individualized attention or feedback from their teachers. ... I have seen many of the brightest students at Fremont High become emotionally withdrawn because they have to spend long periods of time waiting to get their teachers' attention. Mary Hoover, teacher, Fremont High School, Los Angeles, California The common sense made by the expert ... has given currency to one-dimensional and devastating perceptions of young people of color as anti-intellectual. In doing so, this common sense draws the public's gaze away from racially segregated, physically decaying, and crowded places where ... instruction continues to occur. ... It is the students, the expert voices emphasize, that are dysfunctional and in need of fixing rather than the school system or the social structures in which students find themselves. Gaston Alonso, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Brooklyn College, co-author with Noel S. Anderson, Celina Su, and Jeanne Theoharis, Our Schools Suck: Students Talk Back to a Segregated Nation on the Failures of Urban Education (2009). At the recent April 2009 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), I attended the Presidential Session devoted to Bringing Education Research to Policymakers: The Academy Speaks to the New President. The panelists included former elected officials and current members of the National Academy of Education and the National Research Council. University of Pittsburgh's Lauren Resnick declared that now that the new science of reading is emerging, we would soon be able to guarantee that even would learn to read and develop proficiency. University of Michigan's Maris Vinovskis, who also has worked for several federal educational research agencies, as part of his presentation made the statement, After all this research, we still don't know how to teach disadvantaged I have heard these types of statements all too often in educational research circles so when the time came for questions and answers, I asked from the floor, Clearly, we know how to teach people to read, we don't need a new 'science of reading' for that, as witnessed by the hundreds of people in this room who taught to read by somebody! And there are numerous examples of successful educational programs with so-called disadvantaged students. Why don't we take the money now being expended on additional educational research and use it to implement those programs that have proven successful with disadvantaged children? Both Vinovskis and Resnick quick to point out that we could not possibly do that. And besides, those programs were implemented on a small scale and had a unique set of characteristics with highly motivated, specialized staff, and thus could not be implemented on a mass scale. This is a massive problem and those programs successful in a very limited application. On hearing this response, I was reminded of the statement Tonto would often make to the Lone Ranger: White man (and in this case white woman) speak with forked tongue. Here we have members of the National Academies making declarations ex cathedra, and they are sending out two opposing messages: We don't know how to teach disadvantaged children to read and achieve academically, but there are successful programs, which through some alchemical formula manage to produce high levels of academic achievement among disadvantaged children. …

Educational research for innovation and quality in education: a report of the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA) conference 2008

This is a report of the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA) 2008 conference, held at the National Institute of Education, Singapore (NIE), from 26 to 28 November 2008.

The scholar dances

This poem was written in response to the speech given by Donald Blumenfeld-Jones in his role as Vice-President of Division B [Curriculum Studies] at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association meeting in April of 2006. Like many creative acts, it has required a long gestation and I have revisited it from time to time over the past 2 years. Creative researchers may struggle as do some artists with the process of letting-go; it is time to let this poem go and to wish that it communicates some small part of the powerfully visceral, intellectual and emotional response I had to Donald’s dance and speech that day. As a fragment of arts-based inquiry, I intend for it to reveal the sometimes hidden intersections between the scholarly and personal, often found in the overlapping landscapes of experience and memory (which also happens to be the landscape of poetry).

Asia and the Pacific in 2020: scenarios for educational research

By 2020 our world will have changed and with it the shape and role of education and of educational research. One cannot predict the future, but in this paper three possible scenarios are outlined reflecting alternative approaches of government to the economic, political, social and environmental challenges facing the Asia Pacific region. For each scenario (loosely-labelled: conservative-hierarchical, pragmatic-competitive, utopian-co-operative), the goals, structure, policy and practice of education and educational research are outlined, and the implications for the development of educational research and for the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA) are explored.

アメリカ教育学会 (AERA) 90年度大会参加記

アメリカ教育学会 (AERA) 90年度大会参加記

Singapore Meeting of Education Research Associations Sets the Stage for Establishing a World Education Research Association

Singapore Meeting of Education Research Associations Sets the Stage for Establishing a World Education Research Association