Vaughan, Michelle

The Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention System (LLI), first edition, is a textbook series designed for struggling elementary school readers. The materials have become entrenched in the nation’s schools and are currently utilized as an intervention resource in all fifty states and four of the seven largest school districts in Florida. Reading intervention support is a requirement for students in most states, often due to their performance on standardized assessments (Diffey, 2016). Moreover, NAEP data indicates that students of color are overrepresented in reading intervention courses; thus, instructional materials choices made for these courses disproportionally affect this population (The Nation’s Report Card, n.d.). As culturally relevant texts are academically beneficial, it is critical that intervention materials are appropriately representative (Aronson & Laughter, 2016; Au, 2001; Sampson & Garrison-Wade, 2011). The purpose of this qualitative critical content analysis of the 731 books within the LLI system was to examine the cultural, ethnic, and racial representation of people/characters of color within the series.
Major findings revealed that people/characters of color were depicted from a deficit model (Ladson-Billings, 2018). Coded information revealed 41.5% included a negative characterization while 7.6% offered a positive portrayal. Further, the books exploring the experiences and cultures of people/characters of color depicted undesirable conditions 25.7% of the time while presenting favorable information 2.5% of the time. The final finding centers on what is missing from the stories. Other than a select few texts, the LLI books are colorblind, presenting students an inaccurate view of society. Accordingly, counternarratives and stories that center on social justice/equity are notably absent.

This multiple case study explored the lived experiences of LGBTQ educators while they navigated the ongoing disclosure of their sexual orientation and inclusion of LGBTQ curriculum in K-12 public schools. Two main research questions and four sub-research questions guided this study. An electronic questionnaire was used to collect initial information and recruit participants for two rounds of semi structured interviews. The sample population for this study consisted of 8 participants. All eight participants completed the initial questionnaire and the first round of interviews. The first interview focused on the educator’s disclosure and school climate. From the original eight participants, six completed the second round of interviews which focused on inclusive curriculum. Data analysis supported themes and findings which emerged from the coding and are presented according to the research question they address. Research Question 1 found negative and positive experiences LGBTQ educators encountered that are presented according to shareholder groups: (a) administrators, staff, and community, and (b) students. Sub-Research Question 1 had three themes related to the influences school climate had on LGBTQ educators’, and Sub-Research Question 2 findings included the negative, positive, and neutral factors that influence an LGBTQ educator’s disclosure decision. Research Question 2 depicted LGBTQ educators’ experiences with LGBTQ inclusive curriculum. Sub-Research Question 3 identified two themes relating to LGBTQ educators’ feelings toward inclusion. Finally, Sub-Research Question 4 found three shareholder groups: (a) students, (b) school and district, and (c) society. Each group comprised factors that impacted the inclusion of LGBTQ curriculum including (a) barriers, (b) benefits, and (c) support.

The study explored whether middle school students’ select academic (grade point average [GPA], Accuplacer mathematics, reading, and writing scores, admission interview scores) and non-academic characteristics (race, ethnicity, the middle school they attended, their gender, their parents’ educational level) have any predictive power with regard to their success at an early college high school. This study compared binary logistic regression (BLR) and predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) statistical models. First-year early college academic success can be predicted using BLR and only six input factors from middle school (Accuplacer math scores, interview scores, gender, and race, as three dummy variables) with a 91% accuracy.
However, a student academic success prediction model using middle school data for a student’s first year college success could not be built. This finding asserts Astin’s Student Development Theory (1993, 1999a, 1999b), the theoretical framework that guided this study, that students can grow and improve over time and educators need to focus on cultivating and developing students’ smartness through high level instruction and coaching instead of identifying and celebrating smartness by accepting only the most prospective students into colleges (Astin, 1977, 1993, 1999a, 2017, 2018).

Substitute teachers organize the classroom and instruct students in the absence of the regular teacher. An expectation placed on substitute teachers is to ensure learning experiences continue (Duggleby & Badali, 2007); however, this charge may exceed the preparation. Three central research questions and four sub-questions guided this case study. The questions focused on initial experiences of new substitute teachers in a Kindergarten through twelfth grade public school, the factors they believed influenced their confidence for instruction and perceived strengths and weaknesses of the required training in a large urban public school system. This case study explored perspectives of 32 new substitute teachers. An online survey, semi-structured interviews, and artifact reviews captured data. Online tools organized data for coding and analysis to discover themes and answer research questions. Findings indicated that the initial experiences substitute teachers had while working were varied, significant and often had a direct impact on their own performance and perceptions of school community members. Lesson plans, student activities and classroom management contributed to a new substitute teacher’s success in the classroom. Opportunities to interact with school community members strengthened a sense of belonging. These feelings were reflected in their own confidence as a substitute teacher. Additional factors impacting confidence included a personal knowledge of subject areas being taught, consistency with job assignments and building relationships with students in the classroom. The required training for the new substitute teachers highlighted more strengths than weaknesses along with a few recommendations for improvement. Implications from this study can uncover, design and implement a pipeline to full-time teaching - experience as a substitute teacher. There are no substitutes for an optimistic, well-prepared, engaged substitute teacher. By understanding the perceptions of new substitute teachers, a new direction improving the work of this instructional position as a valuable school community member is justified.

The purposes of this sequential, mixed-methods, multiple-case study were to understand how fully-accredited medical schools in the United States operationalize the accreditation standard for self-directed learning (SDL), and to recommend an innovative framework for guiding SDL implementation across the continuum of medical education programs. The main investigation relied on a survey in Phase 1 to collect quantitative and qualitative data, followed by a multiple-case study in Phase 2 to collect qualitative data to gain deeper insights into the overall organizational context and capacity for SDL implementation at the local level. Two cases for Phase 2 were identified through analysis of the quantitative data collected with the survey instrument in Phase 1. A low survey response rate of 10% in Phase 1, and an unexpected high number of declined invitations to participate in Phase 2 (n = 6), were the most significant limitations to this study. However, considering the totality of the findings for this study, there are salient commonalities among the schools for implementing SDL across the continuum of medical education, which may be helpful for many programs struggling to meet LCME expectations for SDL. Commonalities included (a) definitions of SDL aligned or closely with the LCME’s definition; (b) explicit statements of where, when, and how SDL skills are implemented and experienced throughout the curriculum; (c) specific activities implemented to facilitate SDL objectives using clinically-relevant, active learning pedagogy with vertical and horizontal integration; and (d) evaluating implementation and identifying barriers that may impede SDL experiences for all stakeholders.
The findings highlight the need for medical schools to increase capacity for SDL implementation at all levels of the organization including optimizing experiential learning opportunities, scaffolding and spiraling SDL throughout the curriculum, and investing time and resources for continuous SDL faculty development. Planning for SDL implementation across the continuum of medical education will be different for each year or phase of a program, and unique for each medical school. It is recommended SDL implementation be explicit and strategic, integrating SDL skills acquisition, development, and refinement throughout the medical education program.

Information literacy is an extracurricular area that continues to grow in its impact on college learners in Florida today. Colleges with large English learner populations face additional challenges to equip their students with the tools and mindset needed to successfully complete college assignments. This quantitative study used responses to questionnaires to examine learner beliefs. Learner volunteers who were entry level college composition students participated by answering two questionnaires. Data were gathered from those responses and tested statistically to observe learner beliefs chosen on a Likert-type scale. Tests of symmetry and t-tests looking at pre and post information literacy instruction belief choices indicated small measures of learner anxiety. Further, anxiety indicators were more pronounced for U.S. native learners than for non-natives. This is likely due to U.S. native familiarity with libraries and information literary skills and practices commonly used in their U.S. environment. Library anxiety reduction strategies recommended in the literature reviewed include collaboration between content instructors and faculty librarians along with layering or specializing library instruction sessions. Additionally, scaffolding devices such as readily available electronic resource use guides and relationships with faculty and faculty librarians are suggested. Overall, learners anticipate research tasks with a bit of anxiety but largely they expect to be successful. Noting the growth of skills needed to verify and vet information, it is a positive point to note measurable learner-voiced confidence.

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of skydiving instructors who have shaped the instructional practices of experienced and active accelerated freefall instructors (AFFIs) in Central and Southern Florida. By contributing to the training curriculum, this research attempted to close the experiential gap between novice and senior instructors in a more efficient manner. Due to the complex nature of teaching skydiving and an absence of an opportunity for a skydiving instructor in training to work in freefall with non-certified skydivers, understanding the lived experiences of active AFFIs is of critical importance. This study aimed to answer the following research questions: (a) How do active accelerated freefall training instructors personalize the lessons learned in the AFFI instructor training course, forming their own best practices and instructional style? and (b) What roles do lived skydiving experiences, both significant and critical, play in the development of an active AFFI’s current instructional style and best practices? Sites selected included five dropzones located in Central and Southern Florida, with three of those sites yielding a total of 10 participants. Data were collected regarding basic demographic information as well as about the lived experiences of the active AFFIs through both structured and semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Interviews were conducted either in-person or over the phone based on the preference of the participants. Data analysis took place in three phases: separation of qualitative and quantitative data, open coding, and axial coding following Merriam’s (2009) process of coding. Findings revealed an understanding that accelerated freefall (AFF) instruction has become rooted within the culture and experiences of the skydiving community through the stance “license to learn.” This stance has led to the emergence of an educational model outlining the roles culture and experience play not only in the development of the active AFFIs, but also how those lessons are passed on to the next generation of AFFIs. Findings in this research will play a significant role in the development of future curricular adjustments, highlighting the importance of this stance while also providing a solid foundation for future inquiry.

Several Christian schools are becoming insolvent due to competition from larger private and charter schools. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to determine teacher and administrators’ perception of school climate in the dimension of “Professional Relationships” in two accredited secondary Christian schools in South Florida, identify factors that contribute to healthy interpersonal relationships between the two groups, and determine how each group’s Christian faith influenced their actions. This study was unique because it included the administrators. The Organizational Climate Descriptive Questionnaire Revised for Secondary Schools (OCDQ-RS) survey was administered and results indicated that the participants’ perception of school climate was strongly influenced by their interpersonal relationships with their leaders, and positive interactions with one leader balanced out negative interactions with another leader. The survey results determined that School B’s participants scored above average in all five behaviors, and in “Teacher Engaged Behavior” their high score was an outlier, but the qualitative strand proved the score was appropriate. A t-test proved there was a significant statistical difference between the two research sites. Both schools scored above average in their openness scores, supporting the literature that Christian schools tend to have healthier school climates than public schools. An intrinsic case study was used for the qualitative strand, and the results indicated that teachers appreciate “Intentional Compassionate Leaders” who demonstrate healthy communication skills and compassion, and administrators appreciate “Professional Teachers” who demonstrate healthy communication skills and reciprocal compliance. Teachers appreciate administrators who demonstrate humility, Christian leadership, collaboration, accessibility, and visibility. These findings are significant for all educators because they identify concrete actions that teachers and administrators can take to improve their professional relationships. Christian school leaders could consider conducting a school climate study with a qualitative strand and following the Christian Transformational Leadership style, which encourages leaders to develop professional relationships with teachers, provide teachers with growth opportunities, develop a shared vision with their staff, and incorporates the three R’s, which stand for Christian school leaders who are “responsible” to secure “resources” and implement “reform” to keep their school in business.