American Educational Research Journal 50卷2期文章

1. The Examined Life: On the Formation of Souls and Schooling

Author: Ansgar Allen

Source: American Educational Research Journal, 2013, 50(2): 216-250

Abstract:The spread of examination throughout educational institutions is often viewed as an overly constraining influence, one that distorts pedagogic relationships and prevents more genuine educational activities from taking place. This critique of examination ignores the extent to which the structure of the school and the soul of the child are already constituted by examining techniques. A survey of the 19th-century emergence of mass schooling shows that examining techniques have long been embedded in schools. The early development of mass schooling incorporated two distinct and enduring approaches to the formation of souls: disciplinary and pastoral examination. These examining practices would help construct the kind of self-governing subjectivities required by the nation-state. Those who seek to confront practices of examination today face a task that is far more demanding than it first appears. This confrontation would involve nothing less than a rigorous and wide-ranging critique of how examination and schooling in their various forms continue to assemble us as subjects of power.

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2. Understanding the Impact of Affirmative Action Bans in Different Graduate Fields of Study

Author: Liliana M. Garces

Source: American Educational Research Journal, 2013, 50(2): 251-284

Abstract:This study examines the effects of affirmative action bans in four states (California, Florida, Texas, and Washington) on the enrollment of underrepresented students of color within six different graduate fields of study: the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, business, education, and humanities. Findings show that affirmative action bans have led to the greatest reductions in science-related fields of engineering, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. These declines pose serious long-term consequences for the United States since these fields provide specialized training critical to the nation’s ability to compete effectively in a global market and for ensuring continued scientific and technological advancement.

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3. How Paradigms Create Politics: The Transformation of American Educational Policy, 1980–2001

Author: Jal Mehta

Source: American Educational Research Journal, 2013, 50(2): 285-324

Abstract:American educational policy was rapidly transformed between 1980 and 2001. Accountability was introduced into a sphere that had long been loosely coupled, both major political parties reevaluated longstanding positions, and significant institutional control over the schooling shifted to the federal government for the first time in the nation’s history. These changes cannot be explained by conventional theories such as interest groups, rational choice, and historical institutionalism. Drawing on extensive archival research and more than 80 interviews, this article argues that this transformation can be explained by a changed policy paradigm which restructured the political landscape around education reform. More generally, while previous scholars have observed that “policies create politics,” it should also be recognized that “paradigms create politics.”

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4. The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect and a National Policy of Within-School Ability Streaming: Alternative Frames of Reference

Author: Gregory Arief D. Liem, Herbert W. Marsh, Andrew J. Martin, Dennis M. McInerney,and Alexander S. Yeung

Source: American Educational Research Journal, 2013, 50(2): 326-370

Abstract:The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) was evaluated with 4,461 seventh to ninth graders in Singapore where a national policy of ability streaming is implemented. Consistent with the BFLPE, when prior achievement was controlled, students in the high-ability stream had lower English and mathematics self-concepts (ESCs and MSCs) and those in the lower-ability stream had higher ESCs and MSCs. Consistent with the local-dominance effect, the effect of stream-average achievement on ESCs and MSCs was more negative than—and completely subsumed—the negative effect of school-average achievement. However, stream-average achievement was stronger than, or as strong as, the more local class-average achievement. Taken together, findings highlight the potential interplay of a local dominance effect with variability and/or salience of target comparisons in academic self-concept formations. 

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5. Effects of a Data-Driven District Reform Model on State Assessment Outcomes

Author: Robert E. Slavin, Alan Cheung, GwenCarol Holmes, Nancy A. Madden, and Anne Chamberlain

Source: American Educational Research Journal, 2013, 50(2): 371-396

Abstract:A district-level reform model created by the Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education (CDDRE) provided consultation with district leaders on strategic use of data and selection of proven programs. Fifty-nine districts in seven states were randomly assigned to CDDRE or control conditions. A total of 397 elementary and 225 middle schools were followed over a period of up to 4 years. In a district-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis controlling for pretests, few important differences on state tests were found 1 and 2 years after CDDRE services began. Positive effects were found on reading outcomes in elementary schools by Year 4. An exploratory analysis found that reading effects were larger for schools that selected reading programs with good evidence of effectiveness than for those that did not.

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6. Evaluating Math Recovery: Assessing the Causal Impact of a Diagnostic Tutoring Program on Student Achievement

Author: Thomas M. Smith, Paul Cobb, Dale C. Farran, David S. Cordray, and Charles Munter

Source: American Educational Research Journal, 2013, 50(2): 397-428

Abstract:Mathematics Recovery (MR) is designed to identify first graders who are struggling in mathematics and provide them with intensive one-to-one tutoring. We report findings from a 2-year evaluation of MR conducted in 20 elementary schools across five districts in two states. The design allowed for the estimation of the counterfactual growth trajectory based on those students randomly assigned either to a tutoring cohort with a delayed start or to a wait list. Results demonstrate strong end of first grade effects on a diagnostic measure developed by MR and weak to moderate effects (effect size, .15–.30) on measures administered by external evaluators. By the end of second grade, no significant effects were found on any measures. Practical and research implications are discussed.