Current Research

Studies in Progress

Using Early Performance Indicators to Develop Proactive Alternative Assessments of Candidate's Pedagogical Fitness

Description

Nearly a decade after its implementation in Washington State, the edTPA continues to be a divisive measure of pre-service teachers' pedagogical fitness. Because candidates of color and those from historically excluded populations tend to fail the edTPA at higher rates than their White counterparts, the Washington State Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB) has authorized teacher preparation programs to develop and implement "multiple measures" of candidates' pedagogical fitness as an alternative to the edTPA. Unfortunately, this option is only available to candidates who have already failed the edTPA. Consequently, programs must wait until a candidate has unsuccessfully attempted the edTPA before implementing multiple measures assessments, meaning that this process is primarily reactive.

This is not good enough.

This research, which is being conducted in partnership with the Northshore School District, has three aims:

Identify performance markers early in candidates' coursework that might predict future struggles with the edTPA;
Use those performance markers to develop proactive and individualized scaffolds and supports for candidates to aid in successful edTPA completion;
In the event that candidates do not pass the edTPA, use the already collected information to make quick and accurate multiple measures assessments.

Ultimately, the goal of this research is to promote equity within teacher preparation by systematizing proactive multiple measures assessments for candidates whose early performances suggest they might struggle with the edTPA.

Current Status

IRB approval has been received, and data-collection/scaffolded support begins in January, 2021.

Important Notes

This research is being funded by a PESB Advancing Equity Grant

The Affective and Academic Expectations of Pre-Service Teachers at CCCU Institutions

Description

Clunky title. Fascinating research. Building on our previous studies of pre-service teachers' (PSTs) expectations for their future students, this study surveyed more than 220 PSTs from an international array of 25 teacher preparation programs. The goal? To discover if the affective and academic teaching expectations of PSTs from Christian colleges and universities are consistent with trends found in the general PST population. This study is part of a larger effort to understand the relationship between religious faith and teaching expectations.

Current Status

The data have been collected and analyzed, and the resulting articles are currently under review.

Results

Do PSTs from Christian colleges emphasize affective expectations? Yes. Is that the same trend found in the general population? Yes. Are there other things going on that have us geeking out because they suggest some interesting and nuanced entanglement between religious faith and expectations of teaching? Of course. While our previous studies identified an overall affective emphasis among pre-service teachers, they also found that the degree of emphasis varied by participants' program type (undergraduate or MIT) and desired teaching level (e.g., elementary vs. secondary).

Although this current study found slight variations among participants academic expectations, it also found no significant differences among their affective expectations. The pre-service teachers surveyed for this study, all of whom attend Christian universities and identify as Christians, exhibited a uniformity of affective expectations not seen in the general population of pre-service teachers. We call this "affective homogeneity," and we don't know why it's happening. Does it have something to do with Christian faith or a sense of being "called?" Don't know. Do these participants see themselves as quasi-priests, charged with saving souls through teaching? Couldn't say. Our data show that it's happening, but they don't tell us why, which is super cool.

Important Notes

This research has been funded by the Pope Grant at Northwest University and was conducted with the help of my research assistant, Mikayla Lukkasson.

An Act of Faith: The Role of Religion in Establishing Teaching Expectations

Description

This small-scale qualitative study is designed to further unpack the possible relationships between pre-service teachers' (PSTs) personal religious faith and their individual expectations of teaching. Using an established interview framework, we interviewed a number of PSTs who identify as Christians and asked about their expectations for their future classroom. Specifically, we asked about the types of impact they expect to have on the students who will one day be in their charge.

Current Status

Data collection is ongoing.

Initial Results

It's too soon to tell.

Important Notes

This research has been funded by the Pope Grant at Northwest University