American Educational Research Journal 51卷5期文章

1. “I’m Not Going to Be, Like, for the AP”: English Language Learners’ Limited Access to Advanced College-Preparatory Courses in High School

Author:Yasuko Kanno and Sara E. N. Kangas

Source:American Educational Research Journal 51.5 (October 2014): 848-878.

Abstract:Advancement to postsecondary education for English language learners (ELLs) can be seriously constrained by a lack of academic preparation during high school. Currently, ELLs lag behind their non-ELL peers in their level of access to advanced college-preparatory courses. Through a qualitative case study of ELL education at a large public high school, we examine the educational practices that result in ELLs’ restricted curricular choices. The findings expose the way in which ELLs’ chances for rigorous academic preparation are systematically reduced and point to the importance of providing ELLs with high-level academic curriculum while also supplying linguistic scaffolding that makes such learning possible.

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2. Reclassification Patterns Among Latino English Learner Students in Bilingual, Dual Immersion, and English Immersion Classrooms

Author:Ilana M. Umansky and Sean F. Reardon

Source:American Educational Research Journal 51.5 (October 2014): 879-912.

Abstract:Schools are under increasing pressure to reclassify their English learner (EL) students to “fluent English proficient” status as quickly as possible. This article examines timing to reclassification among Latino ELs in four distinct linguistic instructional environments: English immersion, transitional bilingual, maintenance bilingual, and dual immersion. Using hazard analysis and 12 years of data from a large school district, the study investigates whether reclassification timing, patterns, or barriers differ by linguistic program. We find that Latino EL students enrolled in two-language programs are reclassified at a slower pace in elementary school but have higher overall reclassification, English proficiency, and academic threshold passage by the end of high school. We discuss the implications of these findings for accountability policies and educational opportunities in EL programs.

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3. College Selectivity and Degree Completion

Author:Scott Heil, Liza Reisel, and Paul Attewell

Source:American Educational Research Journal 51.5 (October 2014): 913-935.

Abstract:How much of a difference does it make whether a student of a given academic ability enters a more or a less selective four-year college? Some studies claim that attending a more academically selective college markedly improves one's graduation prospects. Others report the reverse: an advantage from attending an institution where one's own skills exceed most other students. Using multilevel models and propensity score matching methods to reduce selection bias, we find that selectivity does not have an independent effect on graduation. Instead, we find relatively small positive effects on graduation from attending a college with higher tuition costs. We also find no evidence that students not attending highly selective colleges suffer reduced chances of graduation, all else being equal.

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Section on Teaching, Learning, and Human Development

4. Proximal Processes in Urban Classrooms: Engagement and Disaffection in Urban Youth of Color

Author:Tanner LeBaron Wallace and Vichet Chhuon

Source:American Educational Research Journal 51.5 (October 2014): 937-973.

Abstract:We examine adolescents’ interpretations of instructional interactions to understand the academic and developmental implications of pedagogy for urban youth of color. In doing so, we seek to advance existing knowledge regarding student engagement in two ways—enhancing the ecological validity of such theories and making the links to teacher practice explicit. Urban youth of color (N= 28) were recruited from two urban high schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and two youth development programs in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The following three emergent findings summarize engagement-relevant interpretations of instructional interactions made by the adolescents in our study: (a) feeling heard in class, (b) going all in, and (c) taking students seriously.

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5. A Survey of Mathematics Education Technology Dissertation Scope and Quality: 1968–2009

Author:Robert N. Ronau, Christopher R. Rakes, Sarah B. Bush, Shannon O. Driskell, Margaret L. Niess, and David K. Pugalee

Source:American Educational Research Journal 51.5 (October 2014): 974-1006.

Abstract:We examined 480 dissertations on the use of technology in mathematics education and developed a Quality Framework (QF) that provided structure to consistently define and measure quality. Dissertation studies earned an average of 64.4% of the possible quality points across all methodology types, compared to studies in journals that averaged 47.2%. Doctoral students as well as their mentors can play a pivotal role in increasing the quality of research in this area by attending to the QF categories as they plan, design, implement, and complete their dissertation studies. These results imply that mathematics education technology researchers should demand greater clarity in published papers through the preparation of their own manuscripts and how they review the works of others.

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6. Boarding School, Academic Motivation and Engagement, and Psychological Well-Being: A Large-Scale Investigation

Author:Andrew J. Martin, Brad Papworth, Paul Ginns, and Gregory Arief D. Liem

Source:American Educational Research Journal 51.5 (October 2014): 1007-1049.

Abstract:Boarding school has been a feature of education systems for centuries. Minimal large-scale quantitative data have been collected to examine its association with important educational and other outcomes. The present study represents one of the largest studies into boarding school conducted to date. It investigates boarding school and students’ motivation, engagement, and psychological well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, interpersonal relationships)—controlling for sociodemographic, achievement, personality, and school covariates. The main sample comprised 5,276 high school students (28% boarding students; 72% day students) from 12 high schools in Australia. A subsample of 2,002 students (30% boarding students; 70% day students) had pretest data, enabling analyses of gains or declines in outcomes across the school year. Results indicated predominant parity between boarding and day students on most outcome factors, some modest positive results favoring boarding students, and no notable differences in gains or declines on outcomes between boarders and day students over the course of one academic year. Implications for researchers, the boarding sector, parents, and students are discussed.