EGSO Research Conference 2024
Welcome to the 2024 EGSO Research Conference which is being held March 1st and 2nd, 2024 through a hybrid modality. The EGSO Board is excited to offer the College of Education graduate students with a variety of opportunities this year from research panels, keynote speaker, and multiple spaces to network with peers and faculty across tracks and programs. For information about all of our sessions this year, please see our conference program linked below. Virtual participants can find all the information about session times and videoconferencing links in the program as well.
Click Here for CONFERENCE PROGRAM (Coming Soon)
Keynote Speaker:
On Friday March 1st at 6:00pm CST we will have our keynote speaker, Dr. Juliana Reichert Assunção Tonelli, present about her research about decolonizing language education with children.
Dr. Tonelli holds an MA and a PhD in Language Studies and postdoctoral studies focused on the teachers’ education and teaching of English in Early Childhood. She is an associate professor at the Modern Languages Department at the Londrina State University, Brazil. She teaches and supervises undergraduate and graduate students both in the Language Studies Program and Professional Master's Program. She is a member of the Latin American Association for Language Testing and Assessment (LAALTA) and the BrazTesol Young Learners Special Interest Group. Her research field includes Linguistic Education in Early Childhood focused on second language, bi/multi and plurilingual, and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities(SEND). She is the founder and leader of the Research Group FELICE/ CNPq (Brazilian Research Council).
Please join us in person in Room 253 or online via Zoom.
Click Here for CONFERENCE PROGRAM (Coming Soon)
Keynote Speaker:
On Friday March 1st at 6:00pm CST we will have our keynote speaker, Dr. Juliana Reichert Assunção Tonelli, present about her research about decolonizing language education with children.
Dr. Tonelli holds an MA and a PhD in Language Studies and postdoctoral studies focused on the teachers’ education and teaching of English in Early Childhood. She is an associate professor at the Modern Languages Department at the Londrina State University, Brazil. She teaches and supervises undergraduate and graduate students both in the Language Studies Program and Professional Master's Program. She is a member of the Latin American Association for Language Testing and Assessment (LAALTA) and the BrazTesol Young Learners Special Interest Group. Her research field includes Linguistic Education in Early Childhood focused on second language, bi/multi and plurilingual, and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities(SEND). She is the founder and leader of the Research Group FELICE/ CNPq (Brazilian Research Council).
Please join us in person in Room 253 or online via Zoom.
Call for Proposals
Texas Tech Education Graduate Student Organization
Call for Proposals for the
2023 EGSO Education Research Conference
March 3rd – 4th, 2023
Lubbock, TX
Conference Theme: “Finding Truth in Education?”
As teachers, administrators, educators, and faculty members, we all have diverse desires for our education systems around the country and internationally. The 2024 EGSO conference aims to create a space for graduate students to come together to share their practical and scholarly pursuits in making these desires become transformative. This year’s event is a two-day hybrid experience meant to help us come together through diverse spaces. Together we will explore what it means to pursue truth through our educational research. The research panels are ways in which we can share our scholarly research endeavors at all different stages in thinking through what our desires are and how to make them transformative in the practical sphere. Whether you are joining us on campus or virtually, we hope that you will consider presenting your work at the EGSO conference.
Guidelines for Proposals
We hope you will consider preparing and submitting a proposal that outlines a research project and engages in scholarly debates around our general theme of discussion of making our desires for education agential. We invite graduate students to submit proposals that represent a wide variety of papers from empirical studies in progress to conceptual/theoretical papers and literature reviews. All proposals should include the (1) statement of the problem, (2) significance, and (3) proposed methods. The proposal should be limited to no more than 1000 words and should also include an abstract of no more than 150 words with 3-5 key words. Please follow the APA 7th edition norms
Proposals should be submitted electronically to Johanna Keene at [email protected] by January 15, 2024.
You should also register to participate in the conference with the link: https://forms.gle/DejXLabhxaX4j6gL6
Call for Proposals for the
2023 EGSO Education Research Conference
March 3rd – 4th, 2023
Lubbock, TX
Conference Theme: “Finding Truth in Education?”
As teachers, administrators, educators, and faculty members, we all have diverse desires for our education systems around the country and internationally. The 2024 EGSO conference aims to create a space for graduate students to come together to share their practical and scholarly pursuits in making these desires become transformative. This year’s event is a two-day hybrid experience meant to help us come together through diverse spaces. Together we will explore what it means to pursue truth through our educational research. The research panels are ways in which we can share our scholarly research endeavors at all different stages in thinking through what our desires are and how to make them transformative in the practical sphere. Whether you are joining us on campus or virtually, we hope that you will consider presenting your work at the EGSO conference.
Guidelines for Proposals
We hope you will consider preparing and submitting a proposal that outlines a research project and engages in scholarly debates around our general theme of discussion of making our desires for education agential. We invite graduate students to submit proposals that represent a wide variety of papers from empirical studies in progress to conceptual/theoretical papers and literature reviews. All proposals should include the (1) statement of the problem, (2) significance, and (3) proposed methods. The proposal should be limited to no more than 1000 words and should also include an abstract of no more than 150 words with 3-5 key words. Please follow the APA 7th edition norms
Proposals should be submitted electronically to Johanna Keene at [email protected] by January 15, 2024.
You should also register to participate in the conference with the link: https://forms.gle/DejXLabhxaX4j6gL6
Abstracts for the 2023 Conference
Panel 1: Educational Psychology
Samuel Hosford: Chemical or Perceptual Dependence? A Multidimensional Model Defining the Phenomenon of Addiction
Abstract: Substance use disorders (SUDs) and behavioral addictions have continuously increased throughout recent history. Given that we are yet to ascertain a comprehensive picture of these psychiatric conditions, many have attempted to investigate the phenomenon of addiction from cognitive, psychodynamic, behavioral, and humanistic disciplines. The purpose of this article is to provide an all-encompassing review of substance and behavioral dependency by dividing the umbrella of addiction between perceptual and chemical dependence. The basis of this notion derives from a proposition that free will is inhibited by physiological changes in the brain over time, wherein the brain progresses from a perceptual need to a chemical reliance. With current evidence surrounding drug- and behavior-induced changes in psychology, the researcher suggests addiction is defined by one’s perceptual dependence and identified by physical changes in the brain. Additionally, any change in one’s ordinary functioning with respect to how much one engages with an activity
Abstract: Substance use disorders (SUDs) and behavioral addictions have continuously increased throughout recent history. Given that we are yet to ascertain a comprehensive picture of these psychiatric conditions, many have attempted to investigate the phenomenon of addiction from cognitive, psychodynamic, behavioral, and humanistic disciplines. The purpose of this article is to provide an all-encompassing review of substance and behavioral dependency by dividing the umbrella of addiction between perceptual and chemical dependence. The basis of this notion derives from a proposition that free will is inhibited by physiological changes in the brain over time, wherein the brain progresses from a perceptual need to a chemical reliance. With current evidence surrounding drug- and behavior-induced changes in psychology, the researcher suggests addiction is defined by one’s perceptual dependence and identified by physical changes in the brain. Additionally, any change in one’s ordinary functioning with respect to how much one engages with an activity
Henry Duru: Examining the Relationship between Financial Well-being, Financial skills, Financial Fraud Susceptibility, and Psychosocial Well-being.
Abstract: Well-being is a multi-dimensional concept. People are affected by different kinds of well-being. This study uses the Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach to investigate the relationships that exist among different constructs namely: Financial Well-being, Financial Skills, Financial Fraud Susceptibility, and Psychosocial Well-being. The study aims to investigate if financial well-being, psychosocial well-being, and financial skills are predictors of financial fraud susceptibility. Financial well-being and financial skills are predictive variables, with psychosocial well-being as the mediator variable and financial fraud susceptibility as the outcome variable. The result from the analysis will report the direct, indirect, and total effect of the existing relationship and whether the relationships have statistical significance. The data for this study will be drawn from the Consumer Financial Protection
Abstract: Well-being is a multi-dimensional concept. People are affected by different kinds of well-being. This study uses the Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach to investigate the relationships that exist among different constructs namely: Financial Well-being, Financial Skills, Financial Fraud Susceptibility, and Psychosocial Well-being. The study aims to investigate if financial well-being, psychosocial well-being, and financial skills are predictors of financial fraud susceptibility. Financial well-being and financial skills are predictive variables, with psychosocial well-being as the mediator variable and financial fraud susceptibility as the outcome variable. The result from the analysis will report the direct, indirect, and total effect of the existing relationship and whether the relationships have statistical significance. The data for this study will be drawn from the Consumer Financial Protection
Opeyemi Ogunyomi & Eunice Ohidah: The Influence of Sexual Abuse on Deviant Behaviors Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Emotions
Abstract: The influence of sexual abuse on deviant behaviors among adolescents cannot be over emphasized as it directly affects their emotions. As important as it is, there is no known study on this using General Strained Theory as Theoretical framework from a developing country such as Nigeria, let alone a comparison of outcomes in developed countries like United States of America and developing countries like Nigeria. The role of emotions as a mediating factor in the sexual abuse that is linked to deviant behavior variations will be examined through the General Strained Theory.
This quantitative survey research study will utilize questionnaire from a web-based survey to collect data from American and Nigerian adolescents aged 14 to 18 who have suffered any sort of sexual abuse. This research will provide insight and knowledge that will directly aid victims of sexual abuse and their families through a coordinated strategy and general conceptual framework that will bring additional depth to the understanding of the long-term effects of sexual abuse.
Roham Hossein: Comparing influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on Mathematics and
Science student achievement
Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of behavior, specifically goal-directed behavior (Brophy,1998). These days, motivating students, increasing their motivation to learn in school, is something that is of great concern for many researchers. Motivating children to succeed in school is one of the greatest challenges of this century (Awan, Noureen & Nas, 2011). There are two different kinds of motivation (i.e., extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation). Intrinsic motivation is an internal force which stimulates students to participate in academic activities, because they are enthusiastic in learning and are appreciative of the learning process (Schiefele, 1991). The purpose behind the paper arises mainly from lack of study on the broader comparative effect of intrinsic motivation of students on their Mathematics and Science achievement. In fact, in this research, we are interested to understand the influence of intrinsic motivation on Mathematics and Science performance.
Abstract: The influence of sexual abuse on deviant behaviors among adolescents cannot be over emphasized as it directly affects their emotions. As important as it is, there is no known study on this using General Strained Theory as Theoretical framework from a developing country such as Nigeria, let alone a comparison of outcomes in developed countries like United States of America and developing countries like Nigeria. The role of emotions as a mediating factor in the sexual abuse that is linked to deviant behavior variations will be examined through the General Strained Theory.
This quantitative survey research study will utilize questionnaire from a web-based survey to collect data from American and Nigerian adolescents aged 14 to 18 who have suffered any sort of sexual abuse. This research will provide insight and knowledge that will directly aid victims of sexual abuse and their families through a coordinated strategy and general conceptual framework that will bring additional depth to the understanding of the long-term effects of sexual abuse.
Roham Hossein: Comparing influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on Mathematics and
Science student achievement
Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of behavior, specifically goal-directed behavior (Brophy,1998). These days, motivating students, increasing their motivation to learn in school, is something that is of great concern for many researchers. Motivating children to succeed in school is one of the greatest challenges of this century (Awan, Noureen & Nas, 2011). There are two different kinds of motivation (i.e., extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation). Intrinsic motivation is an internal force which stimulates students to participate in academic activities, because they are enthusiastic in learning and are appreciative of the learning process (Schiefele, 1991). The purpose behind the paper arises mainly from lack of study on the broader comparative effect of intrinsic motivation of students on their Mathematics and Science achievement. In fact, in this research, we are interested to understand the influence of intrinsic motivation on Mathematics and Science performance.
Panel 2: Teacher Education
Elizabeth Goldberg: Hearing from Them: Developing Teachers as Presenters
Abstract: While STEM has been identified as pivotal for all citizens, substantial issues of inequity persist. One factor contributing to the dearth of equity-based teaching practices is a lack of training in K-12 STEM equity-based pedagogical strategies. This study aimed to explore how teachers presenting their experiences in a STEM equity-based course influenced their self efficacy, understanding, and implementation of equity-based teaching practices. Research has shown teachers who share their research experiences improve their professional learning.
However, little research exists on the influence of teacher presentations on STEM equity. In this in-progress research study, three high school STEM teachers who participated in the STEM Teacher Online Induction Course presented their experiences at a national conference for teachers and teacher educators. Results from this study will provide information on how teachers presenting their experiences in an equity-based STEM teacher professional development influences their self-efficacy and equity-based teaching practices.
Chrissy Eubank: Instructional Coaching as a Catalyst for Transformative Learning: A Multiple Case Study of Coaching Conversations between Novice Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Abstract: This study explores instructional coaching relationships with novice teachers to analyze how instructional decisions are impacted, using the theoretical lens of transformational learning. A multiple case study approach will investigate each relationship/case, including three coach and teacher pairs in districts within the United States contracted with Innovation company to incorporate formalized coaching in the school setting. Data sources include: interviews, recorded conversations, coaching and observation logs, and anecdotal notes. It is hypothesized that relational qualities do influence a novice teacher’s desire to engage in coaching relationships which leads to changes in classroom practices, and the teacher’s beliefs about teaching and learning.
Johanna Keene: Playful, Professional Development Turned Disruptive within an Engaged Writing Community
Abstract: This study, situated within a long-term community engaged scholarship partnership with a local “underperforming” high school, focused on the impact of writing professional development that sought to critically engage practitioners in a multi-genre writing project as a way to increase teachers’ writing identities and help them see writing as playful and liberating. Furthermore, we desired for the writing community to inspire teachers to incorporate multiple genres and ways of writing into their classroom writing instruction as a way to combat the “banking concept” of education (Freire, 1967/2014, p. 65). Through democratizing discussions and experiences, the writing community formed and quickly served to disrupt traditional notions of professional development and test-centric notions of writing pedagogy.
Corinne Barger: Promoting Reflective Teaching: Initial teacher education through a community-engaged lens
Abstract: Action research has become a frequently used pedagogical tool within initial teacher education programs. Nevertheless, challenges occur as frictions arise among the practicum triad. One of the more specific challenges with implementing action research-based practicum experiences is that collaborating inservice teachers will have limitations in terms of practical and theoretical knowledge about how to conduct this systematic and intentional study on teacher practice. Recognizing however the continued professional development need for reflective practices, this study looks to use an action research methodology to evaluate the impact of an engaged-teaching model of an action research practicum course on the reflective practices of both preservice and inservice teachers. Utilizing Korthagen´s model of teacher reflection, the research team looks to understand how the collaborative action research experience molds the reflection of teachers, entering with the assumption that an engaged model will help preservice and inservice teachers move past the action-based reflections to deeper meaning-focused reflections that center on core teacher beliefs.
Abstract: While STEM has been identified as pivotal for all citizens, substantial issues of inequity persist. One factor contributing to the dearth of equity-based teaching practices is a lack of training in K-12 STEM equity-based pedagogical strategies. This study aimed to explore how teachers presenting their experiences in a STEM equity-based course influenced their self efficacy, understanding, and implementation of equity-based teaching practices. Research has shown teachers who share their research experiences improve their professional learning.
However, little research exists on the influence of teacher presentations on STEM equity. In this in-progress research study, three high school STEM teachers who participated in the STEM Teacher Online Induction Course presented their experiences at a national conference for teachers and teacher educators. Results from this study will provide information on how teachers presenting their experiences in an equity-based STEM teacher professional development influences their self-efficacy and equity-based teaching practices.
Chrissy Eubank: Instructional Coaching as a Catalyst for Transformative Learning: A Multiple Case Study of Coaching Conversations between Novice Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Abstract: This study explores instructional coaching relationships with novice teachers to analyze how instructional decisions are impacted, using the theoretical lens of transformational learning. A multiple case study approach will investigate each relationship/case, including three coach and teacher pairs in districts within the United States contracted with Innovation company to incorporate formalized coaching in the school setting. Data sources include: interviews, recorded conversations, coaching and observation logs, and anecdotal notes. It is hypothesized that relational qualities do influence a novice teacher’s desire to engage in coaching relationships which leads to changes in classroom practices, and the teacher’s beliefs about teaching and learning.
Johanna Keene: Playful, Professional Development Turned Disruptive within an Engaged Writing Community
Abstract: This study, situated within a long-term community engaged scholarship partnership with a local “underperforming” high school, focused on the impact of writing professional development that sought to critically engage practitioners in a multi-genre writing project as a way to increase teachers’ writing identities and help them see writing as playful and liberating. Furthermore, we desired for the writing community to inspire teachers to incorporate multiple genres and ways of writing into their classroom writing instruction as a way to combat the “banking concept” of education (Freire, 1967/2014, p. 65). Through democratizing discussions and experiences, the writing community formed and quickly served to disrupt traditional notions of professional development and test-centric notions of writing pedagogy.
Corinne Barger: Promoting Reflective Teaching: Initial teacher education through a community-engaged lens
Abstract: Action research has become a frequently used pedagogical tool within initial teacher education programs. Nevertheless, challenges occur as frictions arise among the practicum triad. One of the more specific challenges with implementing action research-based practicum experiences is that collaborating inservice teachers will have limitations in terms of practical and theoretical knowledge about how to conduct this systematic and intentional study on teacher practice. Recognizing however the continued professional development need for reflective practices, this study looks to use an action research methodology to evaluate the impact of an engaged-teaching model of an action research practicum course on the reflective practices of both preservice and inservice teachers. Utilizing Korthagen´s model of teacher reflection, the research team looks to understand how the collaborative action research experience molds the reflection of teachers, entering with the assumption that an engaged model will help preservice and inservice teachers move past the action-based reflections to deeper meaning-focused reflections that center on core teacher beliefs.
Panel 3: STEM Education
Shazia Iqbal: Exploring the obstacles of women in Pakistan accessing STEM education
Abstract: We live in a digital age where Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) plays a critical role in every aspect of how we experience our environment and if a country wants to produce innovative economic leadership, it will depend upon producing STEM professionals (engineers, mathematicians, physicists, etc) who develop inventions and innovations in all areas of the economy (Sahin, 2016). Pakistani women face the patriarchal issues of the society which transcends the gender barrier in STEM education and intertwines with their identity. The United Nations has recognized this loss of human resource and included building capacity ‘to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership, at all levels of political, economic and public life’ in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5(UNSDG5). A critical aspect of increasing access to the underrepresented women is to understand the culture, and societal restrictions in order to mentor them effectively.
Taylor Darwin, Christi Whitworth, & Cindy A. Lee Sang: Outdoor Learning Center, Texas Tech University at Junction: Searching for Self-Determination Constructs in Adolescent Girls
Abstract: During a three-day science learning opportunity provided by the Texas Tech University Junction’s Outdoor Learning Center, adolescent girls were exposed to outdoor learning experiences. Researchers employed two instruments, the Draw-a-Scientist (DAST) instrument, and a daily journal the adolescents completed after various outdoor group work and activities. Using Self-Determination Theory, the researchers explored if these experiences provided the constructs of autonomy, competency, and relatedness to conclude that the outdoor learning experiences increased the girls' motivation toward science learning. Data analysis, findings, and discussion will be included during the EGSO presentation.
Christi J. Whitworth, Taylor Darwin, Cindy Lee Sang, Dr. Gina Childers, & Dr. Rebecca Hite: Self-determination Displayed by Nonbinary Adolescents in an Outdoor STEM Learning Experience
Abstract: Educators’ understanding of the perspectives of nonbinary adolescents is limited by current Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research content since nonbinary adolescents appear as participants in STEM education research rarely. In the summer of 2022, an outdoor STEM learning experience included two nonbinary participants, supplying a research opportunity to explore their self-determination attributes through journal and Draw-A-Scientist (DAST) responses. Autonomy, competency, and relatedness were demonstrated in the responses in language and drawing characteristics. Specific language in responses indicates the nonbinary adolescents view STEM fields as appropriate for intelligent and mathematically focused individuals, but do not convey a personal perspective that nonbinary adolescents view themselves with these attributes. Their responses also indicate that affordances of outdoor learning experiences promote a relatedness to nature and a positive self-image for themselves. Further research comparison of this group to other adolescent participants in STEM outdoor learning experience is recommended.
Eunice Ohidah & Opeyemi Ogunyomi: Preservice Teachers’ Perception of Computational Thinking: A Mixed-Method Approach
Abstract: Preservice teachers will become the teachers in our classroom. If computational thinking skills will ever be available or used in our K-12 classrooms, it will take the mastery of it by these teachers. And it will also depend on how much of it is inculcated in the curriculum used for training them. The study is poised to find out through a mixed method, the Preservice teachers’ perception of computational thinking and what is provided for in the curriculum for training teachers in computational thinking skills. Their mastery of it determines their use of it when they get to the classroom. So, this research will gather data through a quantitative survey from selected preservice teachers in Texas Tech College of Education their knowledge and perception of computational thinking; and will do a document study of the curriculum. Both data gathered will be analyzed using descriptive data analysis tools in SPSS and content analysis respectively, and the results converged to understand their computational thinking comprehension.
Abstract: We live in a digital age where Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) plays a critical role in every aspect of how we experience our environment and if a country wants to produce innovative economic leadership, it will depend upon producing STEM professionals (engineers, mathematicians, physicists, etc) who develop inventions and innovations in all areas of the economy (Sahin, 2016). Pakistani women face the patriarchal issues of the society which transcends the gender barrier in STEM education and intertwines with their identity. The United Nations has recognized this loss of human resource and included building capacity ‘to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership, at all levels of political, economic and public life’ in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5(UNSDG5). A critical aspect of increasing access to the underrepresented women is to understand the culture, and societal restrictions in order to mentor them effectively.
Taylor Darwin, Christi Whitworth, & Cindy A. Lee Sang: Outdoor Learning Center, Texas Tech University at Junction: Searching for Self-Determination Constructs in Adolescent Girls
Abstract: During a three-day science learning opportunity provided by the Texas Tech University Junction’s Outdoor Learning Center, adolescent girls were exposed to outdoor learning experiences. Researchers employed two instruments, the Draw-a-Scientist (DAST) instrument, and a daily journal the adolescents completed after various outdoor group work and activities. Using Self-Determination Theory, the researchers explored if these experiences provided the constructs of autonomy, competency, and relatedness to conclude that the outdoor learning experiences increased the girls' motivation toward science learning. Data analysis, findings, and discussion will be included during the EGSO presentation.
Christi J. Whitworth, Taylor Darwin, Cindy Lee Sang, Dr. Gina Childers, & Dr. Rebecca Hite: Self-determination Displayed by Nonbinary Adolescents in an Outdoor STEM Learning Experience
Abstract: Educators’ understanding of the perspectives of nonbinary adolescents is limited by current Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research content since nonbinary adolescents appear as participants in STEM education research rarely. In the summer of 2022, an outdoor STEM learning experience included two nonbinary participants, supplying a research opportunity to explore their self-determination attributes through journal and Draw-A-Scientist (DAST) responses. Autonomy, competency, and relatedness were demonstrated in the responses in language and drawing characteristics. Specific language in responses indicates the nonbinary adolescents view STEM fields as appropriate for intelligent and mathematically focused individuals, but do not convey a personal perspective that nonbinary adolescents view themselves with these attributes. Their responses also indicate that affordances of outdoor learning experiences promote a relatedness to nature and a positive self-image for themselves. Further research comparison of this group to other adolescent participants in STEM outdoor learning experience is recommended.
Eunice Ohidah & Opeyemi Ogunyomi: Preservice Teachers’ Perception of Computational Thinking: A Mixed-Method Approach
Abstract: Preservice teachers will become the teachers in our classroom. If computational thinking skills will ever be available or used in our K-12 classrooms, it will take the mastery of it by these teachers. And it will also depend on how much of it is inculcated in the curriculum used for training them. The study is poised to find out through a mixed method, the Preservice teachers’ perception of computational thinking and what is provided for in the curriculum for training teachers in computational thinking skills. Their mastery of it determines their use of it when they get to the classroom. So, this research will gather data through a quantitative survey from selected preservice teachers in Texas Tech College of Education their knowledge and perception of computational thinking; and will do a document study of the curriculum. Both data gathered will be analyzed using descriptive data analysis tools in SPSS and content analysis respectively, and the results converged to understand their computational thinking comprehension.
Panel 4: Current Issues in Education
Sairah Ahmed: State Assessments and School Performance Ratings
Abstract: One of my dreams is to provide an education that is equitable to all students. This starts with how we assess student performance which is used to measure effective learning. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between Texas state assessment scores and student population demographics including gender, race, English Language proficiency and Special Education status in a charter school in Frisco. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test results impact a school’s performance rating and certain student population demographics impact test results. Regardless of gender, race, English Language Learner (ELL) or Special Education (SPED) status, all students take the same STAAR test. The results of this study has the potential to add knowledge of how we test the performance of ELL and SPED students and how their test results, as well as gender and race impact a school’s performance rating.
Rebecca Hudson: What impacts how teachers feel about their jobs?
Abstract: This study examined the TALIS database to determine if there was a strong indicator of how teachers feel about their jobs and if they feel valued as a teacher. The study looked specifically at which factors led to teacher satisfaction and the feeling that there were more advantages than disadvantages to being a teacher. The desire to research this stems from my personal experiences in education today as a secondary school Principal. The need for teachers is high while the pool for teachers has diminished significantly since the pandemic began. My curiosity lies in whether teachers with a high sense of self-efficacy also feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of being a teacher.
Sara Villanueva: Globalization Effects on Higher Education Institutions and the Internationalization of Their Systems
Abstract: This is a review of the literature on the globalization effects on higher education institutions (HEIs) and the internationalization of their systems. Though there is no set definition and concept of internationalization, and no one HEI implements English-medium instruction in the same way, there is much to learn about how non-English dominant countries work towards keeping up with the global market. University systems worldwide strive to find their place and their students’ places in a globally competitive market. The only way to do this is to provide a quality and equitable education. Throughout the literature, the four themes are noted: (a) the need to provide equitable learning opportunities, (b) HEIs' need to play catch-up with HEIs in English-dominant countries, (c) the increase of international student enrollment, and (d) the fear of cultural and linguistic loss in countries where EMI programs are established.
Min Huang: Integrating Flipped Classroom into Project-based Learning to Teach EFL Graduate Students Academic Writing
Abstract: For EFL graduate students, academic writing is complex and demanding. The current study attempts to explore a new model to integrate flipped classrooms (FC) into project-based learning (PBL) in a graduate-level academic writing course and investigate the effects of the new FC-PBL model on learners’ academic writing proficiency. A comparative experimental research design will be employed to compare the impacts of conventional PBL and the new FC-PBL model on students’ writing performance. After the intervention, students’ writing will be collected and graded based on the same rubric by the same instructors. Data will be analyzed through an independent t-test by SPSS.
Josie Rektenwald: Abstract Leveraging Meaning-Making in Translingual Spaces through the Arts-Based Approach of Bilingual Poetry
Abstract: This brief review of literature shares projects that utilize the arts-based approach of poetry, specifically bilingual poetry, while leveraging bilingual practices at the elementary and university level, as well as within a community-based program concerned with an intermixing of languages approach to meaning-making as opposed to language separation. Though there is a myriad of research available on bilingual practices that influence language acquisition in bilingual learners, there is much to learn about how embracing an arts-based approach contributes to the engagement and motivation learners gain as they use their context to create meaning, through the freedom of specific bilingual practices that include, but are not limited to translanguaging and codeswitching. The following themes are noted: (a) translanguaging pedagogy, (b) meaning, and (c) motivation. With the recent increase in research on this topic, the review shows the potential of using the arts-based approach, specifically bilingual poetry, in various learning landscapes.
Abstract: One of my dreams is to provide an education that is equitable to all students. This starts with how we assess student performance which is used to measure effective learning. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between Texas state assessment scores and student population demographics including gender, race, English Language proficiency and Special Education status in a charter school in Frisco. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test results impact a school’s performance rating and certain student population demographics impact test results. Regardless of gender, race, English Language Learner (ELL) or Special Education (SPED) status, all students take the same STAAR test. The results of this study has the potential to add knowledge of how we test the performance of ELL and SPED students and how their test results, as well as gender and race impact a school’s performance rating.
Rebecca Hudson: What impacts how teachers feel about their jobs?
Abstract: This study examined the TALIS database to determine if there was a strong indicator of how teachers feel about their jobs and if they feel valued as a teacher. The study looked specifically at which factors led to teacher satisfaction and the feeling that there were more advantages than disadvantages to being a teacher. The desire to research this stems from my personal experiences in education today as a secondary school Principal. The need for teachers is high while the pool for teachers has diminished significantly since the pandemic began. My curiosity lies in whether teachers with a high sense of self-efficacy also feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of being a teacher.
Sara Villanueva: Globalization Effects on Higher Education Institutions and the Internationalization of Their Systems
Abstract: This is a review of the literature on the globalization effects on higher education institutions (HEIs) and the internationalization of their systems. Though there is no set definition and concept of internationalization, and no one HEI implements English-medium instruction in the same way, there is much to learn about how non-English dominant countries work towards keeping up with the global market. University systems worldwide strive to find their place and their students’ places in a globally competitive market. The only way to do this is to provide a quality and equitable education. Throughout the literature, the four themes are noted: (a) the need to provide equitable learning opportunities, (b) HEIs' need to play catch-up with HEIs in English-dominant countries, (c) the increase of international student enrollment, and (d) the fear of cultural and linguistic loss in countries where EMI programs are established.
Min Huang: Integrating Flipped Classroom into Project-based Learning to Teach EFL Graduate Students Academic Writing
Abstract: For EFL graduate students, academic writing is complex and demanding. The current study attempts to explore a new model to integrate flipped classrooms (FC) into project-based learning (PBL) in a graduate-level academic writing course and investigate the effects of the new FC-PBL model on learners’ academic writing proficiency. A comparative experimental research design will be employed to compare the impacts of conventional PBL and the new FC-PBL model on students’ writing performance. After the intervention, students’ writing will be collected and graded based on the same rubric by the same instructors. Data will be analyzed through an independent t-test by SPSS.
Josie Rektenwald: Abstract Leveraging Meaning-Making in Translingual Spaces through the Arts-Based Approach of Bilingual Poetry
Abstract: This brief review of literature shares projects that utilize the arts-based approach of poetry, specifically bilingual poetry, while leveraging bilingual practices at the elementary and university level, as well as within a community-based program concerned with an intermixing of languages approach to meaning-making as opposed to language separation. Though there is a myriad of research available on bilingual practices that influence language acquisition in bilingual learners, there is much to learn about how embracing an arts-based approach contributes to the engagement and motivation learners gain as they use their context to create meaning, through the freedom of specific bilingual practices that include, but are not limited to translanguaging and codeswitching. The following themes are noted: (a) translanguaging pedagogy, (b) meaning, and (c) motivation. With the recent increase in research on this topic, the review shows the potential of using the arts-based approach, specifically bilingual poetry, in various learning landscapes.