Educational Researcher 43卷3期文章

1. Dynamic Diversity: Toward a Contextual Understanding  of Critical Mass

Author: Liliana M. Garces and  Uma M. Jayakumar

Source: Educational  Researcher, 2014, 43(3):115-124

Abstract: Through an analysis of  relevant social science evidence, this article provides a deeper understanding  of critical mass, a concept that has become central in litigation efforts  related to affirmative action admissions policies that seek to further the  educational benefits of diversity. We demonstrate that the concept of critical  mass requires an understanding of the conditions needed for meaningful  interactions and participation among students, given the particular  institutional context. To highlight this contextual definition of critical mass  and to avoid further obfuscations in the legal debate, we offer the  term dynamic diversity and outline four main components of dynamic  diversity that institutions can attend to. By thinking of dynamic diversity as  the goal, institutions and lawyers should be better poised to answer the  question of how much diversity is necessary for leveraging its educational  benefits.

………………………………………………………………………………

2. Mitigating the Dangers of a Single  Story: Creating Large-Scale Writing Assessments Aligned With Sociocultural  Theory

Author: Nadia  Behizadeh

Source: Educational  Researcher, 2014, 43(3):125-136

Abstract: The dangers of a single story  in current U.S. large-scale writing assessment are that assessment practice does  not align with theory and this practice has negative effects on instruction and  students. In this article, I analyze the connections or lack of connections  among writing theory, writing assessment, and writing instruction, critique the  construct and consequential validity of direct writing assessment and portfolio  assessment, and reframe reliability as local consensus among experts. A new  vision of large-scale sociocultural writing portfolios in K–12 education is  offered that builds on the practices of past large-scale portfolio assessment  but also encourages students to write in multiple languages/dialects and modes  for multiple purposes. Another key feature of sociocultural portfolios is that  students are encouraged to write for impact. These additional components will  mitigate the dangers of a single story by ensuring that (a) assessment practice  matches sociocultural writing theory, resulting in high construct validity, and  (b) teachers are encouraged to utilize culturally sustaining pedagogy, resulting  in high consequential validity.

………………………………………………………………………………

3. Beyond a Definition: Toward a Framework for  Designing and Specifying Mentoring Models

Author: Phillip  Dawson

Source: Educational  Researcher, 2014, 43(3):137-145

Abstract: More than three decades of  mentoring research has yet to converge on a unifying definition of mentoring;  this is unsurprising given the diversity of relationships classified as  mentoring. This article advances beyond a definition toward a common framework  for specifying mentoring models. Sixteen design elements were identified from  the literature and tested through specification of two different mentoring  models from higher education contexts. This framework provides researchers and  practitioners with a detailed yet concise method of communicating exactly what  they mean when using the word mentoring; it may also act as a useful set  of prompts for educators designing new mentoring interventions.

………………………………………………………………………………

4. Toward Teacher Education Research That  Informs Policy

Author: Christine  Sleeter

Source: Educational  Researcher, 2014, 43(3):146-153

Abstract: This article investigates the  extent to which researchers are currently engaged in a shared research program  that offers systematic evidence of the classroom impact of organized venues  (preservice as well as inservice) for teacher professional learning. The article  stems from concern about policies rooted in suspicion that teacher education is  either ineffective or tangential to improving outcomes for students, as well as  earlier findings that far too little teacher education research has been  designed to address that suspicion with data (Cochran-Smith &Zeichner, 2005;  Yoon, Duncan, Lee, Scarloss, and Shapely, 2007). An analysis of 196 articles  published in 2012 in four leading teacher education journals internationally  found only 1% to report large-scale mixed-methods studies, only 6% to examine  the impact of teacher education on teaching practice and/or student learning,  and most of the rest to be conducted within rather than across silos. Three  recommendations for strengthening teacher education research are  offered.

………………………………………………………………………………

5. Using Educative Curriculum Materials to  Support the Development of Prospective Teachers’ Knowledge

Author: Corey Drake, Tonia J.  Land, and Andrew M. Tyminski

Source: Educational  Researcher, 2014, 43(3):154-162

Abstract: Building on the work of Ball  and Cohen and that of Davis and Krajcik, as well as more recent research related  to teacher learning from and about curriculum materials, we seek to answer the  question, How can prospective teachers (PTs) learn to read and use educative  curriculum materials in ways that support them in acquiring the knowledge needed  for teaching? We present two extended conceptual examples of ways in which  educative curriculum materials might be used to support PTs in developing the  knowledge needed for teaching. We follow these examples with a set of  empirically based design principles and conclude with a brief consideration of unanswered  questions related to the use of educative curriculum materials in teacher  education.