Research-based Practices Research Articles

Make the Move to K-12 Online Teaching: Research-based Strategies and Practices by Kerry Rice

Make the Move to K-12 Online Teaching: Research-based Strategies and Practices by Kerry Rice

An unbound critical lived-built environment

Through engaged analysis of entangled research-based practice, this article argues that thresholds of distinction between environmental or conflict-based violence are unbound across Lebanon’s critical lived–built environment. Drawing on the fields of architecture, law, art and cultural production, this investigative scope is engaged through de-colonial, feminist and critical legal theory and method. The analysis in this article is an attempt at dismantling the inherent asymmetric power structures – legal, political and architectural – operating through violent risk, which continue to evade certain frames of accountability. This is done to reveal the complexity of this violent limit condition and its materializations, in the proposal of a progressive methodological imagining and investigation: an unbound critical lived–built environment.

Involuntary Youth Transport (IYT) to Treatment Programs: Best Practices, Research, Ethics, and Future Directions

Involuntary youth transport (IYT) is a controversial practice used to admit adolescents into residential care. Critics point out that IYT is in need of regulation and is best used as a last resort. This article examines the risks and benefits of IYT, especially the longterm effects on the client, in order to ensure that all facets of a client’s treatment are trauma-informed and guided by research-based practices and ethical principles. Practices that re-traumatize youth need to be replaced with informed practices that facilitate positive outcomes. This article utilizes an ethical decision-making framework developed for behavioral health professionals to assess and improve the ethical use of IYT. Based on this ethical framework, a more effective and collaborative model is presented that results in less restrictive approaches, greater levels of willingness by the adolescent to enter treatment, and trauma-informed management of difficult emotional or physical behaviors. This model also guides professionals and caregivers on how to proceed when IYT services are deemed necessary. The article presents past research and addresses ethical guidelines and best practices for IYT. Steps for practitioners and future directions are discussed.

A study of parents reading aloud habits with research on reading aloud applied to research-based practices for promoting students’ intrinsic motivation to read

Read-alouds play an important role in young children’s literacy development. This study investigates how, and to what extent, Swedish parents of children aged 1–16 engage in reading aloud. Previous research on reading aloud is also applied to research-based practices for promoting students’ intrinsic motivation to read and discussed in the present study. The results show that 9 out of 10 parents read aloud to children aged 0-4 years while only 4 of 10 read aloud to children aged 10-12 years. Several content areas that overlap were found where research on children's own reading can be easily transferred to the area of reading aloud.

Fostering professional responsibility through high-quality professional learning opportunities

ABSTRACT This study builds on another project focused on primary grade teachers’ integration of technology (screencasting). Original findings showed that participating teachers changed their practices to better align with research-based practices in early mathematics teaching. Two years later, the authors returned to the district to work with teachers from the initial study. Teachers referenced the effect of the original study’s professional development on their current practices. Here, the authors describe how they implemented a grounded theory approach to show how the project’s professional learning opportunities supported the teachers in developing professional responsibility, a code of ethics that allows them to teach in a manner aligned with their values. They describe how the teachers demonstrated a new conception of their role of teacher, a growing sense of autonomy and curricular control, and a recognition that their work helped students. They also began to take on leadership roles in their schools, district, and state.

Análisis temático de las revistas de Atención Primaria indexadas en Journal Citation Reports: 2015-2019

ObjectiveAnalyze the thematic lines of the articles and reviews published between 2015 and 2019 in the journals indexed in the “Primary Health Care” category of the Journal Citation Reports. MethodsObservational bibliometric study. The bibliographic records of the Web of Science were identified and the frequencies of appearance of the thematic descriptors and their co-occurrence in the documents included in the study were analyzed. In addition to the global analysis, the reviews, the most cited documents, those published in 2015, and those published in 2019 were analyzed separately. Descriptors were classified by thematic clusters using the Current Canadian Index scale and clinical publications were analyzed using the second edition of the International Classification of Primary Care. ResultsA total of 16,444 descriptors were identified in the 7,453 documents analyzed. The most frequent descriptors focus on: diagnosis, prevalence, management, risks, care practice and the figure of the health professional. In the most cited documents, terms with specific themes were used: depression, intervention, satisfaction, quality, therapy, research-based practice. In 2019, there were a greater number of publications focused on epidemiology, clinic, research and provision of services. From a clinical point of view, studies on psychological and mental health problems, nervous system, social problems, palliative care and cancer increased in 2019. ConclusionsThe analysis carried out identifies the relevant thematic lines in primary care journals, highlighting the diagnosis and prevalence of diseases, the management of pathologies and their associated risks, as well as clinical practice and the figure of the health professional.

MADE 2 FADE: A Practical Strategy for Empowering Independence for Students With Disabilities

Independence is a critical skill in preparing students with disabilities for success after high school. Secondary special education teachers equip their students toward task independence across skill domains (e.g., employment, independent living), yet there is little guidance regarding a simple and systematic way to do so. MADE 2 FADE (M2F) is a mnemonic developed to support special education teachers in data-driven decisions and implementation of research-based practices. This framework is designed to help teachers as they encourage their students with disabilities toward greater self-efficacy and skill mastery.

Incorporating Lessons from Cognitive Science: Spacing and Mixing in Mathematics Homework Assignment Design

This paper presents ideas for constructing mathematics homework assignments based on lessons from the cognitive science of learning and memory. In particular, we focus on two popular techniques from the field: spaced practice and mixed practice. The paper describes the techniques and supporting research, and then discusses various straightforward ways to incorporate them into mathematics instruction via homework assignments. The ideas presented can be applied at virtually any level of instruction and may be of interest to educators looking to implement research-based practices from cognitive science.

Small Steps: The Inclusion of Young Children With Disabilities in Australia, Greece, and Malaysia

AbstractAlthough international research has accumulated significant evidence on inclusive practices and their benefits for children, how this translates into early childhood settings is often unsatisfactory within and across countries. Against the background of general acceptance of the principles incorporated in the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities, we examine how 3 countries who are signatories to this convention, Australia, Greece, and Malaysia, are making progress towards inclusion in early childhood. Using an implementation science framework, the key components of enabling contexts, research-based practices, and effective implementation supports are explored. In this framework, each of these components is essential for achieving the desired outcomes of inclusion. The country profiles of Australia, Greece, and Malaysia are examined (including similarities and differences in legislation, policies, early childhood services, and practices) in an effort to support understanding of factors facilitating and challenging early childhood inclusion.

Algebra Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities in the Era of Common Core

The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) were released more than 10 years ago. This set of standards outlines the mathematics that all students should know and be able to do to prepare them for post-secondary education and employment. Students with learning disabilities (LD) continue to underperform in relation to their peers without disabilities in secondary mathematics. As high school Algebra I is a required course for the majority of students, research-based instructional practices should be utilized to support students with LD in Algebra I. This article summarizes recent research on instructional practices for teaching algebra content that aligns to the CCSSM. Specifically, three types of instructional practices have been found to promote progress in the high school algebra content: (a) concrete-representational-abstract integration, (b) virtual manipulative instruction, and (c) gestures and diagrams.

The College of Radiographers Research Strategy for the next five years

This article outlines the updated College of Radiographers (CoR) Research Strategy. This new research strategy will shape the approach to research from the radiography profession over the next five years. This will apply to all the profession and is aspirational and future thinking.The updated research strategy is the fifth research strategy presented by the CoR. Over the last five years, there have been considerable developments within healthcare and healthcare research. As this article is being written we are still in the middle of a global pandemic (Covid-19) which has influenced all our lives. However, despite the challenges of the last year, we are in a stronger position as a profession with more radiographers working towards and gaining masters and doctoral level qualifications. There are more radiographers working in clinical academic roles and there has been further development of radiographers coordinating and delivering research as well as becoming research leaders.This updated research strategy supports the radiography profession in delivering research-based practice over the next five years offering a framework within which radiographers can develop.

“Trends Come and Go”: Early Childhood Rural Special Education Teachers’ Use of Reported Practices During Mathematics Instruction

Data suggest students are not meeting grade-level expectations in mathematics. If high-quality instruction is not provided, the inequitable outcomes observed in schools will be maintained. The goal of this study was to identify the frequency in which rural special education teachers (SETs) serving students in prekindergarten through third grade self-report using practices during mathematics instruction. A secondary focus was to investigate whether rural SETs differed in their reported use of practices compared with (a) suburban and urban SETs and (b) rural general education teachers. Data from 901 teachers serving students in prekindergarten through third grade were retained. Of this sample, 150 teachers identified as SETs in rural ( n = 55), suburban ( n = 50), and urban ( n = 45) schools. Results suggest teachers reported using research-based and unsubstantiated practices frequently. Rural SETs reported using research-based and unsubstantiated practices with similar frequency to urban SETs. Suburban SETs reported using explicit instruction more frequently than rural SETs.

Grade 3 ESL teachers’ (mis)conceptions about vocabulary acquisition, learning and instruction: A case study

development-related (mis)conceptions of ten purposively selected Grade 3 English Second Language teachers in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, with a view to indexing their vocabulary pedagogical practices. The efficacy of teacher cognition on teaching practices is the theory upon which the present study, which considers vocabulary development as a proxy for literacy attainment, is based. The theory is buttressed by literature on the research-based best practices in literature development against which teachers’ conceptionsare measured. Semi-structured teacher interview findings showed that vocabulary instruction proceeded largely on the basis of intuitive pedagogical decisions which evince dissonance with researchbased best practices. There was a manifest disregard for both incidental andcontextualised vocabulary development, and an apparent underestimation of learners’ potential for independent vocabulary acquisition. Professed instructional strategies only drew learners’ attention to the orthographic and phonological forms of the words at the expense of other crucial dimensions of word knowledge. The paper recommends a consideration of teachers’ vocabulary development-related perceptions as a point of departure for teacher education and teacher professional development, among others.

An Exploration of Educators’ Technology Integration in the Middle Grades

This research explored teacher in-school educational technology use for middle grades instruction. A quantitative investigation examined adoption of technology, sources of acquired skills, use frequencies, perceived effectiveness, and barriers to integration. A total of 796 participants employed across a Mid-Atlantic state from various demographic backgrounds responded to the researcher-developed questionnaire. Findings revealed document creation and presentation programs were most commonly used and perceived as the most effective tools to enhance student learning. Teachers voiced displeasure for video and audio-editing software, as well as social networking. Participants indicated personal trial and error as the most likely way to acquire new knowledge. Teacher perspectives offer unique insight and provide an opportunity to further discussion of educational technologies. By better understanding educators’ use of technology in the middle grades, current teachers and administrators, as well as teacher preparation instructors, may design more reflective curricula. It is recommended that future research be performed on a multi-state or regional basis to investigate technology integration at the elementary and young adult grade levels to best prepare future teachers and keep current professionals abreast of research-based best practices.

Constructing Assessment Indicators Weight System of Digital Business Chinese Materials

Learning business Chinese through digital materials has become an inevitable tendency with the growth of the internet and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the increasing research-based publications and practices relating to Chinese language textbooks, there is a dearth of assessment indicators weight systems constructed by alternative research tools and statistical methods to evaluate the quality of the growing digital business Chinese materials. To the best of our knowledge, no literature review has been published on using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to construct the assessment indicators of digital business Chinese materials. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by reviewing the existing, but limited, literature and providing recommendations for developing a checklist—based on the assessment indicators weight system—to evaluate digital business Chinese materials. The preliminary PC2U (Production, Content, Use, and Usefulness) assessment indicators are constructed based on the current research on business Chinese, CLTML, and relevant assessment indicators. In addition, the analysis hierarchy process (AHP) is used to construct the weight system. The results show that it is crucial to prioritize the access of digital business Chinese content. Of the three criteria in the content dimension, learning needs and credibility are equally important, and both are more important than data update. The assessment indicators are not only beneficial to fill the knowledge gap on business Chinese research, but also helpful for publishers and teachers to compile and select high quality digital business Chinese materials.

A Content Analysis of Selected State Plans for Gifted and Talented Education

Programs for gifted and talented education should be guided by research-based practices, but states’ policies vary in their recommendations for programming, and in how they hold local education agencies accountable for implementing those recommendations. State plans for gifted and talented education rely on the voluntary compliance of districts to implement policies meeting students’ advanced academic needs and providing opportunities for talent development. State plans for gifted education may outline expectations, but leave much about the implementation up to districts. Even within a state, gifted education services vary widely across districts and individual schools. This research identified 11 state plans for gifted education that included guidance on identification, curriculum, service options, professional development, and program evaluation. Through thematic analysis, eight primary themes and three secondary themes were identified, which demonstrate the necessity of ongoing program evaluation balancing the need for standardization with the need to adapt policies to fit local contexts.

Preschool teachers' selection of social communication interventions for children with autism: An application of the theory of planned behavior.

Preschool special educators' are more likely to choose an educational practice to teach a young child with autism a social communication skill if they have positive beliefs about it. We asked preschool special educators to read a description of an autistic student and their social communication goal and imagine they were the student's teacher. We then asked them to pick one of five practices to teach the student. We also asked them questions to understand their attitudes about, confidence in their ability to use, and their perception of their coworkers' support of each practice. There are many research-based practices that a teacher could use to help children learn, and preschool teachers often make these decisions for their students. Teachers' beliefs varied in how supportive they were of each practice, and research shows people are more likely to do something that their beliefs support. In this study, they had more supportive beliefs and were more likely to use some practices, like naturalistic intervention, than other practices, like discrete trial teaching. By knowing this, researchers can help teachers use practices that their beliefs support and help change teachers' beliefs to be supportive of a practice they may need to use.

Interpret with Caution: COPUS Instructional Styles May Not Differ in Terms of Practices That Support Student Learning.

There is a growing need for valid and reliable measures to monitor the efficacy of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) reform initiatives. The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) is a widely used tool originally designed to measure the presence of overt instructor and student behaviors. It has subsequently been used to characterize instruction along a continuum from didactic to student centered, and more recently to categorize instruction into one of three styles. Initiatives focused on professional development often support instructors’ progression from didactic to student-centered styles. There is a need to examine COPUS instructional styles in terms of behaviors that research has shown to improve student learning. Formative assessment is a research-based practice that involves behaviors accounted for by the COPUS (e.g., posing a question). We qualitatively compared the formative assessment behaviors in 16 biology class sessions categorized into each of the three COPUS styles. We were unable to detect differences in formative assessment behaviors between the COPUS styles. Caution should be taken when interpreting COPUS data to make inferences about the effects of reform efforts. This study underscores the need for additional measures to monitor national reform initiatives in undergraduate STEM.

Commentary – Why aren't more educational leadership scholars researching technology?

[...]a decade ago, my co-authors and I articulated a basic framework (McLeod et al., 2011) that categorized three research intersections between school leadership and digital technologies: [...]the third intersection of technology and school leadership is what we call preparing school administrators to be better technology leaders. To learn more about the identified key practices for leading school-based technology, keep current on research-based practices that have been empirically linked to student achievement and incorporate these into the courses that they teach;To learn how to learn about new technologies and about what they offer for teaching and learning and To consider conducting new research on technology leadership in schools and encouraging their doctoral students to do so as well (p. 223). Whether your scholarly lenses are within the fields of organizational theory, finance, the principalship or the superintendency, social justice, the law, curriculum, instruction, assessment, family-community engagement or a whole host of other educational leadership domains, there are technology-related intersections with each and every one of those.

Teachers' perceptions of collaboration within an evolving teacher evaluation context

This qualitative study examined teachers' perceptions of collaboration in a northeastern US state within the context of high-stakes teacher evaluation. Teachers were asked about collaboration via an open-ended prompt (n = 1336). Data were evaluated through the professional capital framework. Themes included: pockets of collaboration, inclusion versus isolation, administrator relationships and supports, and time. Results suggested that teacher evaluation changes reduced social and decisional capital via lost autonomy; usurped collaboration time; diminished administrator instructional leadership; and increased teacher competition. However, the changes forced teachers to collaborate, though counter to their preferences, around student data and research-based practices.