AERA 2023 and K-12 Online Learning

The 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association begins tomorrow in Chicago.  I did a quick search of the schedule and here are the K-12 distance, online, and blended learning sessions I was able to find.

By the way, if you are attending let me know.  I’d be happy to connect.

Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Education Systems Around the World

Fri, April 14, 8:00 to 9:30am CDT (6:00 to 7:30am PDT), Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, Floor: 2nd Floor, BalticSession Type: Symposium

Abstract

In this symposium, members from different research teams around the world (Korea, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Canada, and USA) come together to examine multiple facets of digital practices, lived experiences, and observations on teaching and learning during COVID-19 and beyond. We will present our analyses via multiple entry points reflecting on digital literacy skills, achievement gaps in urban and rural settings, teachers’ perceptions of the rapid shift to distance learning as well as techno-stress and teacher needs in addressing school-to-home relationships. Our goal is to cultivate equitable learning environments on a larger scale.

Sub Unit

• SIG-International Studies

Chair

• Frank Reichert, University of Hong Kong

Papers

• How Does In-Person Learning Impact Student Achievement in the COVID-19 Era? – Chol-Kyun Shin, Kangwon National University; Youngeun An, Seoul Educational research & Information Institute; Soon-Young Oh, Michigan State University

  Abstract

  Two years of the pandemic have damaged education significantly (Reimers & Schleicher, 2020), which seriously exacerbated the inequality and financial austerity (Hargreaves, 2020). In South Korea (hereafter referred to as Korea), schools have adopted their operations in a way that combines online and in-person classes to cope with the unprecedented situation (Ministry of Education, 2020). This change brought a lot of concerns about the widening educational gap in Korea, resulting in a greater inequality of education over regions due to such disruptions to school operations and student learning. There have been various national-level case studies related to the achievement gap (e.g., Cai et al., 2020; Davis et al., 2020; Engzell et al., 2021). However, we find that empirical studies to identify the impact of in-person learning on educational gaps are insufficient.

  In this paper, we conducted a comparative study in different regions in Korea, including urban (Seoul) and rural (Gangwon Province) regions, to reveal the disparate impact of in-person learning in narrowing educational gaps. To this end, we analyzed academic achievement results for middle schools applying a common national curriculum. Compared to previous studies using students’ perceptions, we analyzed actual achievement data in math and English in the first semester of each year from 2018 to 2020. With these data, we measured how this score resulted in a greater gap among mid-range students with two quantitative analyses. First, to analyze the impact before and after COVID, we compared two student groups transitioning from 8th to 9th grade employing a paired t-test of distribution between those two grades. Next, to understand how in-person learning impacted student performance, we conducted a regression analysis to investigate the influence of the number of school days on the educational gap in schools by region. To this end, we used mid-range (B, C, & D) grades for maths and English as the dependent variables and included the number of in-session school days, type of school, average house price, number of hagwon, and region as independent variables.

  This study leaves several implications: First, COVID-19 has polarized academic achievement in Seoul and led to a decrease in achievement in Gangwon Province. Second, COVID-19 had an impact on academic achievement in Gangwon Province more negatively than that in Seoul. Third, in-person learning positively impacted the grades of middle school students in both areas. To summarize, we reveal that in-person learning before and after the start of COVID-19 positively impacted the proportion of mid-range students. These results suggest that a lesser degree of in-person learning degrades the students’ performance who are isolated at home without having enough educational support at home, resulting in greater educational inequality.

  Authors

  • Chol-Kyun Shin, Kangwon National University
    Presenting Author
  • Youngeun An, Seoul Educational research & Information Institute
    Presenting Author
  • Soon-Young Oh, Michigan State University
    Presenting Author
• Hong Kong Students’ Online Activity and Digital Literacy in a Rapidly Changing Ecological Context – Sisi Tao, University of Hong Kong; Frank Reichert, University of Hong Kong; Nancy W.Y. Law, Hong Kong University

  Abstract

  Research conducted during the pandemic found that students with higher DL performed better in online learning during the lockdowns (Limniou et al., 2021). Studies conducted before the pandemic further showed that students who were more experienced with digital devices had higher levels of DL (Fraillon et al., 2020). However, some types of online activities, such as completing technical tasks, were negatively associated with DL (ACARA, 2018). This apparent contradiction points to the need to decipher the types of online activities that promote the development of DL.

  Students in Hong Kong have experienced long periods of intermittent school suspension due to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Education Bureau, 2020). The shift in the learning mode from face-to-face to fully online has greatly increased the time students spend using digital technology (Lau et al., 2021). Thus, students require DL for successful online learning. To understand associations between students’ online activity and DL before and after the outbreak of the pandemic, this longitudinal study recruited 600 secondary 3 students (grade 9) in 2019 and 827 secondary 3 students from the same school in 2021 to examine (1) the differences in students’ online activities and DL, as well as (2) the relations between students’ online activities and DL before and after the pandemic started. In both years, students completed a DL assessment and reported their demographic information and online activities via an online survey.

  As displayed in Tables 1 and 2, students in the 2021 cohort spent more time discussing with teachers about learning, browsing social networking sites, and making charts, graphs or forms at home than the 2019 cohort. The time students of the 2021 cohort spent on learning activities at school was generally less than that of the 2019 cohort. Students in 2021 performed better in the DL assessment than students in 2019.

  Three factors were extracted: leisure activities at home, learning activities at home, and learning activities at school. As displayed in Figures 1 and 2, structural equation modeling showed that in both years, students who spent more time on leisure activities at home performed better in the DL assessment. In 2021, those who spent more time on learning activities at school had worse DL performance.

  The better DL performance observed among the 2021 cohort may be due to the increased use of digital technologies caused by the pandemic. It is also possible that younger cohorts of students have more opportunities to access the latest digital technologies and thus acquire more DL than their peers two years ago (Bennett et al., 2008). Extending previous findings that more experience with digital devices is associated with higher levels of DL (Fraillon et al., 2020), our study identified the specific relationships between three types of online activities and DL. The negative association between learning activities at school and DL in 2021 implies that the digital learning activities assigned to students in school in 2021 were not conducive to DL development and highlights the need for reform of online teaching and learning activities.

  Authors

  • Sisi Tao, University of Hong Kong
    Presenting Author
  • Frank Reichert, University of Hong Kong
    Presenting Author
  • Nancy W.Y. Law, Hong Kong University
    Presenting Author
• Teachers’ Perceptions of Digital Learning Approaches and Practices in Challenging Times – Samaa Haniya, Pepperdine University; Khaled Alrasheed; Ahmed Khalafallah
  

  Abstract

  With the rise of COVID-19, shifting to online learning has become the only option to facilitate teaching and learning while keeping distance and staying safe. Previous research studies have investigated the shift to online learning in the US during the pandemic, yet there is a lack of literature on the educational experiences in the Arab World, such as Kuwait. Before the pandemic, K-12 schools in Kuwait heavily relied on traditional education with minimum efforts to integrate technology into teaching practices (Al Gamdi & Samarji, 2016; Al-Sharhan, 2018). Transitioning from traditional face-to-face learning to online learning was an entirely new and different experience for teachers. They must adapt to it with little or no other alternatives available. This study sought to explore teachers’ perceptions of the unique opportunities and challenges that they have encountered with the quick change in this unfamiliar situation.
  This work is theoretically grounded in the self-perception theory. Self-perception theory states that individuals develop attitudes and options by observing and interpreting the meaning of their own behaviors (Bem, 1967; Fazio & Zanna, 1977). The research is also consistent with the multicultural education theory by Sleeter and Grant. The theory highlights the importance of understanding culturally diverse individuals in order to promote productive diversity and increase educational equality for all (Grant & Sleeter, 2012). Furthermore, this study is inspired by the transformative learning theory, which sheds light on the tremendous possibilities of technology integration to enhance and innovate teaching and learning and meet different needs (Kalnatzis & Cope, 2012).
  The study adopted a qualitative data analysis to explore the most common themes that have challenged K-12 teachers in Kuwait and the e-learning possibilities that supported the continuation of learning and offered ways to rethink and innovate future practices (Creswell, 2014). Data was collated from the open-ended questions in an online survey. Surveys were distributed in coordination with the Ministry of Education in Kuwait in the Fall of 2021. A total of 559 K-12 teachers participated in the study. Answers were manually coded into two main broad themes: opportunities and challenges. Then, we created sub-themes for each main theme. Data were coded and reviewed by two coders to ensure validity and accuracy. The most common challenges found are technical support, e-learning training, traditional curriculum (not technology-based), administrative support, and infrastructure. The opportunities that remote learning has offered are the flexibility to teach any time and at any place, reaching out to a greater audience, engaging learners in the learning process, and reducing the cost of high-quality learning. These findings are important to raise awareness of educational practices from a global lens. It helps us to understand the similarities and differences of teachers’ perceptions in a global context and thus find solutions for best practices to optimize learning for all. Further studies will focus on analyzing teachers’ experiences in Kuwait post-COVID and compare K-12 and higher education online practices.

  Authors

  • Samaa Haniya, Pepperdine University
    Presenting Author
  • Khaled Alrasheed
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Ahmed Khalafallah
    Non-Presenting Author
• “Learning to Dance Is Harder”: Aging Teachers’ Post-Pandemic Perspectives on Teaching Online During COVID-19 – Stephanie Ann Sadownik, University of Victoria

  Abstract

  Prior research has indicated teacher and administrative perspectives to neoliberal reforms
  (Fuller, 2019; Spreen et al., 2022) and the rate of acceptance for the use of technology in the
  classroom (Murray et al., 2019) and risk (Gómez et al., 2017). Related research considered
  terms of service agreements (Karanicolas, 2021; Moll, et al., 2017) coupled with privacy
  policies (Aimeur et al., 2016; Bonatti et al., 2018; Naarttijärvi, 2018; Phelps, et al., 2000) as
  impeding the use of technology and potentially increasing vulnerability from IT perspectives
  (Miller, 2021) to the integration of technology. Responses from teacher and education
  administrative participants in this case study identify a typology of the technology savvy
  teacher as younger and more willing to take risks, coupled with experience from a young age
  with technology applications in the classroom and post-secondary studies. Additionally,
  responses from IT participants indicate a lack of collaboration with teachers and
  administration for “helping” outside of the scope of their IT role and assigned duties.
  This case study is part of a larger study involving post-pandemic, semi-structured interviews
  with teacher participants and considers perspectives within one Francophone school district
  in Canada. The study highlights overwhelming confidence and ease with technology-
  integrated teaching through the use of a school district MOODLE. Responses illuminate the
  district’s strategy during COVID-19 to providing course offerings through one virtual school
  for all to students province-wide. Responses go further to honour a capacity for technology-
  integrated teaching across all ages and genders post-pandemic in online environments, with
  one aging participant comparing challenges to teaching online with dancing.
  This paper positions the participant responses within the larger spectrum of teaching and
  learning during COVID-19, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of the collaborative
  efforts and streamlining for teachers’ course delivery and ongoing professional development.
  Further considerations note the use of technology in teachers’ personal lives, post-pandemic,
  in the areas of cooking (recipes), sewing, the development of languages, art classes, and
  networking. Popular MOODLE applications such as POODLL are mentioned by aging
  participants. In addition, the desire to continue to bring aspects of audio and video technology
  into the classroom emerges from the participant responses as teacher considerations for the
  development and enrichment of course delivery for students as they returned to in-person
  classes. Results of the case study imply that providing teachers of all ages with ongoing
  technology support and professional development for online teaching and learning during
  COVID-19 alleviated many of the stresses potentially experienced by others. Considerations
  for ongoing transformational reciprocity (Jameson et al., 2010) through the collaboration of
  online and inperson teachers remains promising for participants in this case study.
  Results indicate that 26% of participants feel comfortable using technology in the
  classroom, while 42% of participants feel very comfortable. they also indicate
  that 70% of participants feel positive about using technology in the classroom, while 22% of
  participants feel positive if everything is working correctly, noting troubleshooting and
  technical difficulties are a cause of anxiety while teaching.

  Author

  • Stephanie Ann Sadownik, University of Victoria
    Presenting Author
• Teaching During Times of Turmoil: Ensuring Continuity of Learning During School Closures – Michael Kristopher Barbour, Touro University – California; Randy LaBonte, Canadian E-Learning Network

  Abstract

  This study, the final in the series, provides a national overview of each phase of the K-12 response to the pandemic from the initial and immediate school closures in Spring 2020 through the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years for each province and territory. It argues that we should not simply return to our teaching and learning practices prior to the pandemic, as teaching and learning landscapes are not dichotomous (i.e., in-person or online). Rather, teaching and learning today requires the flexibility to navigate multiple learning landscapes simultaneously. Yet few, if any, jurisdictions have taken the steps necessary to ensure that teachers and schools can toggle between in-person and remote learning with no loss of instructional quantity or quality.

  Authors

  • Michael Kristopher Barbour, Touro University – California
    Presenting Author
  • Randy LaBonte, Canadian E-Learning Network
    Non-Presenting Author
• Impact of Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program on Participating U.S. Secondary Schools – Michael Houdyshell, Florida Gulf Coast University; Ally Zhou, Florida Gulf Coast University; Carla Huck, Florida Gulf Coast University

Student and School Personnel Outcomes in Schools of Choice

Fri, April 14, 11:40am to 1:10pm CDT (9:40 to 11:10am PDT), Swissôtel Chicago, Floor: Lucerne Level, Lucerne 2Session Type: Paper Session

Sub Unit

• SIG-Charters & School Choice

Chair

• David T. Marshall, Auburn University

Papers

• Designing With Autonomy: Charter High School Counselors Helping Underrepresented Student Access to Higher Education – Margarita Landeros, California State University – Dominguez Hills
• Do Virtual Charter Schools Deliver for Some but Not Others? An Analysis of Academic Outcomes – Daniel Hamlin, University of Oklahoma; Curt M. Adams, University of Oklahoma; Olajumoke Beulah Adigun, Oklahoma State University

  Abstract

  Enrollments in virtual schools have surged nationally. Some policymakers have supported virtual schools because of their ability to extend educational options to families in rural areas where school choice is limited. In this study, we analyze data from Oklahoma (2017-2019) to compare the academic performance of virtual charter and brick-and-mortar public school students. We also examine outcomes for students who switched into a virtual charter school from a rural brick-and-mortar public school. Results indicate relatively large negative associations with achievement for students who attend virtual charter schools as well as for virtual charter school students from rural areas. Negative associations were mostly consistent for students across different models for students in grades 3 to 8 and in high school.

  Authors

  • Daniel Hamlin, University of Oklahoma
    Presenting Author
  • Curt M. Adams, University of Oklahoma
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Olajumoke Beulah Adigun, Oklahoma State University
    Non-Presenting Author
• Early Career Teacher Retention in the Charter Sector: Implications for Leveraging Authorizer Resources – Matthew Missias, Grand Valley State University; Kiel McQueen, Basis Policy Research; Ram Ravikumar, Grand Valley State University Charter Schools Office; Donald Cooper, Grand Valley State University Charter Schools Office
• Preparation Citizen: Interrogating the Civic Outcomes of Charter Schools – Chrystal S. Johnson, Purdue University; Godwin Gyimah, Purdue University
• Virtual School Principals: Perspectives and Possibilities – Mary Lynne Derrington, The University of Tennessee; Jeana Partin, The University of Tennessee – Knoxville

  Abstract

  This mixed-methods study explored how virtual school principals described leadership challenges and rewards working in the virtual context. Additionally, the researchers examined how principals in a virtual environment provided teacher professional development and created a social presence with teachers, students, and parents. Findings indicate that a virtual school is more than merely a traditional school online. Principals exhibit an intrapreneurial approach to developing and sustaining virtual schools. The researchers purport that innovative leadership is a key component of supporting virtual schools in assuming a unique position among the choice options. It is imperative, they conclude to understand the virtual school as a choice option serving some students more effectively than the traditional brick and mortar schools.

  Authors

  • Mary Lynne Derrington, The University of Tennessee
    Presenting Author
  • Jeana Partin, The University of Tennessee – Knoxville
    Presenting Author

Pandemic Politics: Power, Policy, and COVID-19 Policy Making (Table 1)

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Eight

Fri, April 14, 11:40am to 1:10pm CDT (9:40 to 11:10am PDT), Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, Floor: Level 4, Sheraton Ballroom IV and VSession Type: Roundtable Session

Sub Unit

• Division L – Educational Policies and Politics / Division L – Section 1: Governance, Politics, and Intergovernmental Relations

Chair

• Christine Corso, University of Toronto

Papers

• Collective Justice: What Can Education Policy Learn From the COVID-19 Reopening Debates? – Alexandra J. Freidus, University of Connecticut; Erica O. Turner, University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Policy Making During the Pandemic: Research and Evidence as Alternative “Truths” – Clare Brooks, UCL Institute of Education; Jane Perryman, UCL Institute of Education
• Politics as Usual: Union Political Influence on School District Decision Making During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Alyssa Nestler, Western Regional Educator Network
• The Relationship Between District COVID-19 Reopening Plan Signals and Pre-K–12 Enrollment Decline – Andrew R Diemer, Saint Louis University; J. Cameron Anglum, Saint Louis University; Aaron Park, Saint Louis University; Amy Shelton, Saint Louis University; Paula Langley, Saint Louis University

  Abstract

  In the weeks before the 2020-21 school year, districts communicated their pandemic reopening plans. Prior research has established a relationship between district reopening mode and subsequent enrollment, including heterogeneity by grade and race. We explore this relationship in Missouri using data from a sample of district reopening plans. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we estimate that signaling intent to start the year with distanced instruction led to a three-percentage point enrollment decline beyond overall pandemic-era declines of four percent, driven by an additional 16 percentage point decline in pre-K and kindergarten. In a triple-differences estimation, we find enrollment declined an additional five percentage points for middle school students in in-person districts that did not require students to wear masks.

  Authors

  • Andrew R Diemer, Saint Louis University
    Presenting Author
  • J. Cameron Anglum, Saint Louis University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Aaron Park, Saint Louis University
    Presenting Author
  • Amy Shelton, Saint Louis University
    Presenting Author
  • Paula Langley, Saint Louis University
    Presenting Author
• Who Profits From a Pandemic? A Descriptive and Social Network Analysis of School District–Vendor Contracts – Emily Hodge, Montclair State University; Amy N. Farley, University of Cincinnati; Tanya Suarez, Montclair State University; Roxana Marachi, San José State University

  Abstract

  Districts frequently contract with external vendors, but some scholars have noted that crises can create conditions for private corporations to intrude on public institutions to new degrees (Klein, 2010; Saltman, 2009). This study draws on school board meeting minutes from 21 of the largest U.S. school districts from March through September 2020 to identify the vendors to which districts turned to meet their initial pandemic-related needs. The authors conduct a descriptive analysis of contract purposes and use social network analysis to visualize the funding network of district-vendor contracts. This study speaks to who profits from a pandemic, as well as how the large-scale COVID-19 crisis may serve as an opportunity for private corporations to make stronger inroads into public institutions.

  Authors

  • Emily Hodge, Montclair State University
    Presenting Author
  • Amy N. Farley, University of Cincinnati
    Presenting Author
  • Tanya Suarez, Montclair State University
    Presenting Author
  • Roxana Marachi, San José State University
    Presenting Author

Discussant

• Laura E. Hernandez, Learning Policy Institute

Sat, April 15, 8:00 to 9:30am CDT (6:00 to 7:30am PDT), Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, Floor: B2 Level, Imperial BallroomSession Type: Roundtable Session

Sub Unit

• Division C – Learning and Instruction / Division C – Section 3a: Learning Environments

Chair

• Xuan Li

Papers

• A Meta-Analysis on the Learning Engagement and Achievement in Online Learning in Higher Education – Min Young Doo, Kangwon National University; Curtis J. Bonk, Indiana University; Jungwon Kim, Korea University
• Teachers’ Efficacy and Learner-Centered Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of Two Teaching Formats, Face-to-Face and Remote Teaching Online – Susan Wairimu Mahachi, Pennsylvania State University

  Abstract

  The COVID-19 pandemic provided a rare opportunity to gain insight into remote online teaching formats. Teachers (N=60) were asked to give comparisons on teachers’ efficacy and use of learner-centered practices in remote online and face-to-face teaching formats using a quantitative survey. As hypothesized, results indicated a decline in teacher efficacy due to the unfamiliar remote online teaching format. Surprisingly, however, comparable use of learner-centered practices in both formats, remote online teaching and face-to-face teaching was depicted in the survey results. Qualitative interviews conducted on six teachers following the surveys is to be carried out to gain a more in-depth understanding of the challenges of remote online teaching and the relationship between teachers’ efficacy and the use of learner-centered practices.

  Author

  • Susan Wairimu Mahachi, Pennsylvania State University
    Presenting Author
• Amplifying Student Voice: An Exploration of Student Well-Being in an Online School Environment – Julia Camille Ransom, Pearson Education, Inc.; Jessica E. Hall, Pearson; Katherine L. McEldoon, YouScience; Alyssa Walters, Pearson

  Abstract

  Research has indicated that wellbeing is crucial to educational experience (OECD, 2021) and life success (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). In this mixed methods study, we explored the social, emotional, and academic wellbeing of students in grades 5 through 12 (N=4,211 from 31 states) in an online public school system from both the student and school staff perspectives. Student survey data measuring wellbeing and interview data from school counselors and teachers were analyzed to understand perceptions of student wellbeing. Results suggest that students’ wellbeing varied across type and grade level, social wellbeing was bolstered by positive relationships, and school staff perceptions aligned with students’. This study highlights the importance of comprehensive support for student wellbeing in online schools across grades.

  Authors

  • Julia Camille Ransom, Pearson Education, Inc.
    Presenting Author
  • Jessica E. Hall, Pearson
    Presenting Author
  • Katherine L. McEldoon, YouScience
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Alyssa Walters, Pearson
    Non-Presenting Author

Sat, April 15, 9:50 to 11:20am CDT (7:50 to 9:20am PDT), Hyatt Regency Chicago, Floor: West Tower – Exhibit Level, Riverside West Exhibition HallSession Type: Poster Session

Abstract

This session brings together current research on topics of interest to the Online Teaching and Learning SIG community.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Online Teaching and Learning

Papers

• 9. Bringing the Neuroscience of Learning to Online Teaching: Brain Breaks on Students’ Perception of Engagement by Gender (Poster 9) – Salma Ali, Texas A&M University; Arshad Sultan
• 10. Community Dynamics of Large Open Online Learning Networks (Poster 10) – Wanli Xing, University of Florida; Hanxiang Du, University of Florida
• 11. Engaging and Interacting at a Distance: A Systematic Review of K–12 Online Instructional Approaches (Poster 11) – Shuree Altantsetseg, Old Dominion University; Rob Moore, University of Florida

  Online Resources

  View iPoster

  Abstract

  In this presentation, we share the results of a systematic review of empirical articles published between 2014 – 2021 that focused on instructional approaches implemented by K-12 online instructors. Our review identified 39 articles, and we synthesized their key findings around three themes: student content engagement, communication, and student support. These themes present opportunities for K-12 online instructors to tailor their instructional strategies, and this presentation shares the best practices that emerged from our review. Our presentation will offer recommendations for K-12 online instructors to improve the student learning experience.

  Authors

  • Shuree Altantsetseg, Old Dominion University
    Presenting Author
  • Rob Moore, University of Florida
    Presenting Author
• 12. Exploring the Challenges of Extreme e-Service-Learning in Higher Education (Poster 12) – Amalia Creus, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya; Ines Martins, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
• 13. Faculty Experiences Teaching High-Enrollment Online Courses (Poster 13) – Patrick R. Lowenthal, Boise State University; Amy Lomellini
• 14. First-Wave Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Higher Education Students in United Arab Emirates (Poster 14) – Abdulla Kamali, Pepperdine University
• 15. Middle School Incidental Information Literacy (MiSIIL): Assessing Middle School Students’ Skills When Evaluating Incidental Information (Poster 15) – Kara M. Dawson, University of Florida; Max Sommer, University of Florida; Christine Wusylko, University of Florida; Xiaoman Wang, University of Florida; Albert Dieter Ritzhaupt, University of Florida; Angela Marie Kohnen, University of Florida
• 16. Perceptions of U.S. and Saudi Undergraduate Students of Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Poster 16) – Burhan Ozfidan, Florida Gulf Coast University; Clarisse Halpern, Florida Gulf Coast University
• 17. Perceived Impact of Global Online Teacher Professional Development for English Language Educators of Young Learners (Poster 17) – Woomee Lee Kim, George Mason University

  Online Resources

  View iPoster

  Abstract

  Understanding how online teacher professional development (OTPD) courses designed for global participants influence their learning and application at their culturally and linguistically diverse local contexts is important and necessary for online course administrators, developers, participants and researchers. This case study explored the perceived impact of an OTPD program taken by English language educators of young learners. Data such as course assignment submissions, virtual semi-structured interviews, and voluntarily submitted artifacts were collected from 20 participants from 16 different countries. Etic analysis using Desimone’s (2009) conceptual framework for effective professional development (PD) and emic analysis for emergent themes revealed that a global OTPD can have positive influence of learning and application in various local contexts. Design elements for effective OTPD are recommended.

  Author

  • Woomee Lee Kim, George Mason University
    Presenting Author
• 18. Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse English Language Educators in Blended MOOCs: MOOC Camp Facilitators’ Perspectives (Poster 18) – Woomee Lee Kim, George Mason University; Joan Shin, George Mason University; Jered Borup, George Mason University; Heather A. Andrews, George Mason University; Anya S. Evmenova, George Mason University
• 19. Supporting K–12 Teachers’ Online Teaching Self-Efficacy With an Online Professional Development Program (Poster 19) – Virginia Byrne, Morgan State University; Donna L Wiseman, University of Maryland; Diane Jass Ketelhut, University of Maryland; Keyshawn Moncrieffe, Morgan State University; Beatrix Randolph
  

  Online Resources

  View iPoster

  Abstract

  In response to the pandemic, K12 districts implemented online professional development (PD) programs to support teachers’ online teaching skills and knowledge. Many of these programs however, over relied on content delivery and failed to provide an online learning environment ripe for developing teachers’ self-efficacy. We designed and implemented an online PD program focused on application and community building to lessen the bridge between content and practice, and to increase teachers’ Online Teaching Self-Efficacy (OTSE). We present findings from an explanatory mixed-methods study of 61 classroom teachers in a MidAtlantic public school district. The goal was to understand how and why participating in this PD program led to an increase in OTSE. This paper concludes with contributions for online teacher PD.

  Authors

  • Virginia Byrne, Morgan State University
    Presenting Author
  • Donna L Wiseman, University of Maryland
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Diane Jass Ketelhut, University of Maryland
    Presenting Author
  • Keyshawn Moncrieffe, Morgan State University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Beatrix Randolph
    Non-Presenting Author
• 20. The Role of Epistemic Beliefs and Gender in Argumentation Performance in Online Learning Environments (Poster 20) – Seyyed Kazem Banihashem, Wageningen University; Omid Noroozi, Wageningen University and Research; Harm Biemans, Wageningen University
• 21. The Virtual Shift: Examining Teacher Perceptions of Social Reproduction in Virtual Classrooms (Poster 21) – Maurice Mathis, North Carolina State University; Theodore S. Kaniuka, Fayetteville State University; Chuck Tryon, Fayetteville State University; Miriam Chitiga, Fayetteville State University; Terrence McAllister, Fayetteville State University

  Online Resources

  View iPoster

  Abstract

  Social reproduction theory posits that “schools are not institutions of equal opportunity but mechanisms for perpetuating social inequalities” (Collins, 2009, p. 33). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore teacher perceptions of their pedagogical practices during virtual learning and the role that those practices play in social reproduction. Nine high school teachers were interviewed to explore their own perceptions of how their virtual teaching practices helped to dismantle or exacerbate social reproduction in virtual classrooms. Findings indicated that there were clear delineations between practices with low and high income students, with the teachers indicating that they intentionally lowered their standards for low socioeconomic students while providing expanded learning opportunities for high socioeconomic students.

  Authors

  • Maurice Mathis, North Carolina State University
    Presenting Author
  • Theodore S. Kaniuka, Fayetteville State University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Chuck Tryon, Fayetteville State University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Miriam Chitiga, Fayetteville State University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Terrence McAllister, Fayetteville State University
    Non-Presenting Author
• 22. Understanding Faculty Strategies to Mentor Online Doctoral Students in Research Experiences (Poster 22) – Lida J. Uribe-Flórez, Boise State University; Jesus H Trespalacios, Boise State University
• 23. Validating the Turkish Version of Self-Directed Online Learning Scale: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Inquiry (Poster 23) – Hongwei Yang, University of West Florida; Müslim ALANOĞLU; Songül KARABATAK; Jian Su, The University of Tennessee – Knoxville

  Abstract

  The study developed and validated the Turkish version of the Self-Directed Online Learning Scale (SDOLS-T) for assessing students’ perceptions of their self-directed learning ability in an online environment. To that end, the study used one dataset collected using SDOLS-T which was part of a parent study. From multiple confirmatory factor analyses factoring into consideration the rating scale structure of the SDOLS-T data in two stages, evidence showed the correlated, two-factor structure, originally proposed for SDOLS, was the best-fit model for SDOLS-T and that the model achieved measurement invariance for SDOLS-T across the groups by gender and network connection. In the end, the findings support SDOLS-T for use in educational practice and policy/decision-making in online teaching and learning in Turkey.

  Authors

  • Hongwei Yang, University of West Florida
    Presenting Author
  • Müslim ALANOĞLU
    Presenting Author
  • Songül KARABATAK
    Presenting Author
  • Jian Su, The University of Tennessee – Knoxville
    Presenting Author
• 24. Whose Digital Equity and Whose Digital Justice? Emergency Remote Teaching for Emergent Bilingual Learners in the Pandemic (Poster 24) – Gregory Scott Child, Michigan State University; Kim Hyunsook Song, University of Missouri – St. Louis

  Online Resources

  View iPoster

  Abstract

  Framed from a digital justice perspective, this investigation examined how 12 PK-12 content teachers responded to the demands of emergency remote learning (ERT) during the pandemic to provide an equitable educational experience for emergent bilingual learners (EBLs). While highlighting the efforts of teachers and school districts to meet the needs of EBLs during the pandemic, this investigation also calls attention to long-standing digital inequities. Data were collected through a series of focus group interviews and analyzed following a grounded theory approach to gain insight into teachers’ response to ERT. Three themes emerged from the data: 1) providing digital resources equitably; 2) developing EBLs’ digital literacies; and 3) accountability for high educational demands.

  Authors

  • Gregory Scott Child, Michigan State University
    Presenting Author
  • Kim Hyunsook Song, University of Missouri – St. Louis
    Presenting Author

Diverse Perspectives on Improving Online Learning Theory, Research, and Practice

Sat, April 15, 11:40am to 1:10pm CDT (9:40 to 11:10am PDT), Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, Floor: 1st Floor, Atlantic ESession Type: Symposium

Abstract

Online learning is pervasive, multi-faceted, and evolving, creating opportunities and challenges for educational research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This symposium advances an agenda for online learning research at the intersection of educational technology, educational psychology, and the learning sciences. It convenes a multidisciplinary group of scholars to discuss diverse perspectives on improving online learning theory, research and practice. After opening remarks to convey key points about online learning today (its definition, variants, and pressing issues), the contributions will introduce five important theoretical lenses: community, engagement, pedagogy, equity, and design-based research, through which scholarly communities are creating knowledge that influences research and practice in online learning contexts. The symposium highlights points of conceptual overlap between fields and priority areas for research.

Sub Unit

• Division C – Learning and Instruction / Division C – Section 3b: Technology-Based Environments

Chairs

• Christine M. Greenhow, Michigan State University
• Charles R. Graham, Brigham Young University
• Matthew J. Koehler, Michigan State University

Papers

• Toward New Conceptualizations of Online Learning: Improving the Community of Inquiry Model – Peter Shea, University at Albany – SUNY; Jennifer C. Richardson, Purdue University; Karen P. Swan, University of Illinois at Springfield
• Online Learner Engagement: Conceptual Definitions, Research Themes, and Supportive Practices – Florence Martin, North Carolina State University; Jered Borup, George Mason University

  Abstract

  Purpose
  Online learning has increased in prominence across all levels of education, but definitions of online learner engagement (OLE) have been contested in current scholarship. Building on previous efforts to define online learner engagement (Martin et al., 2017) and drawing from the broader learning literatures, this theoretical paper argues for a reconceptualization of online learner engagement.

  Perspectives
  Toward this reconceptualization, we review literature on cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement, translating it to online contexts. Second, we synthesize five themes from online learning research and theory that have shaped understanding of learner engagement in online learning environments (Martin & Borup, in press).

  Methods and Data Sources
  Our theoretical article integrates scholarship from educational technology with scholarship from educational psychology and the learning sciences to consider both critical learner-centered dimensions of learner engagement and the affordances of the online learning environment that influence them. To arrive at this integration, we employed synthesis methods in reviewing, screening, and analyzing relevant conceptual and empirical literature from the last 25 years.

  Results
  We reconceptualize online learner engagement as the productive cognitive, affective, and behavioral energy that a learner exerts interacting with others and learning materials and/or through learning activities and experiences in online learning environments. Thus, we argue for a conceptual definition of OLE that includes three dimensions — cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement — commonly identified in both the educational psychology and educational technology literatures. Furthermore, we argue that any examination that focuses solely on the individual’s mental energy, emotion, or behavior is limited because the dimensions can present themselves differently based on the affordances and constraints of the online learning environment. Five research themes and accompanying frameworks have each made contributions to understanding and facilitating learner engagement in the online learning environment (i.e., engagement through communication, interaction, presence, collaboration, and community). In some thematic areas, research has addressed specific dimensions of engagement that are facilitated by the affordance of the online environment (e.g., cognitive and behavioral engagement supported through bichronous communication; cognitive and behavioral engagement facilitated by cognitive and teaching presences). In other thematic areas (i.e., engagement through interaction, collaboration and community) research has focused on online learner engagement generally, without much attention to its dimensions.

  To exemplify our reconceptualization of OLE in action, we introduce the ACE framework: a new perspective for online learning scholarship and practice that integrates the three learner-centered dimensions of engagement (i.e., cognitive, affective, behavioral) with consideration of the affordances of online contexts to provide guidance for how the online course community and personal community work together to support online learner engagement (Borup et al., 2020). Both course and personal communities are likely necessary for students to maintain the level of engagement needed for academic success in online learning.

  Significance
  The paper concludes with recommendations for research and practice, including operationalizing learner engagement in online learning research; designing measures of engagement quality and support; providing online instructors with professional development on OLE; and providing guidance for facilitators and parents to support K-12 online learners.

  Authors

  • Florence Martin, North Carolina State University
    Presenting Author
  • Jered Borup, George Mason University
    Non-Presenting Author
• Pillars of Online Pedagogy: A Framework for Teaching Online – Leanna Archambault, Arizona State University; Heather Leary, Brigham Young University; Kerry L. Rice, Boise State University

  Abstract

  Purpose
  New expectations and skills for teachers are emerging as the shift toward online learning grows. These new skills combine content knowledge with engaging pedagogical strategies and technology. As a result, online pedagogy has become increasingly relevant in modern-day schools. It is challenging, but essential, to understand the nature of online pedagogy along with the skills teachers need for success and the theoretical underpinnings related to these skills. This theoretical paper unpacks the foundational components of online pedagogy, proposing five pillars of online pedagogy grounded in principles of learner-centeredness, constructivism, and situated learning.

  Perspectives
  Two theories support learner-centered online instruction: (a) constructivism, and (b) situated learning. Constructivism provides learners with authentic, learner-centered experiences where they can determine how they will learn, how to evaluate alternative solutions to problems, how to collaboratively work with others, how to use multiple modes of representation or technology, and an awareness of their knowledge construction process (Brown et al., 1989). Situated learning claims that learner activities within a specific context or environment, and the level of engagement and interaction, are integral pieces to learning (Brown et al., 1989; Herrington & Oliver, 2000).

  Methods and Data Sources
  To generate the five pillars of online pedagogy, we conducted a cross-reference of (a) literature related to online and blended teaching competencies (e.g., Ferdig et al., 2009; Pulham & Graham, 2018; Short et al., 2021), (b) practice-based learner-centered psychological principles (LCPs; APA Work Group of the Board of Educational Affairs, 1997), (c) the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (NSQOT; NSQOL, 2019), and (d) theoretical underpinnings derived from learner-centeredness (McCombs, 2015), constructivism, and situated learning. Our analysis was comprised of an in-depth examination of fundamental constructs based on the existing knowledge base and our own work in the area of online teaching. Using LCPs and the initial work of McCombs and Vakili (2005), we attempted to demonstrate how learning theory (constructivism and situated learning) and practice (LCPs, NSQOT) can inform online pedagogy.

  Results
  We identified five key pillars as essential elements of effective online pedagogy. The five pillars include being able to: (a) Build Relationships and Community, (b) Incorporate Active Learning, (c) Leverage Learner Agency, (d) Embrace Mastery Learning, and (e) Personalize the Learning Process. The pillars present a grounded approach to examining essential elements of quality teaching in an online environment (see Figure 1).

  [Insert Figure 1]

  Significance
  Online pedagogy encompasses an array of skills and roles that teachers need to be adept at to help ensure learner success. Using LCPs as a foundation, online pedagogy can be
  viewed as comprised of five major pillars that involve using technology to build relationships, incorporate active learning, foster learner agency, and personalize the learning process (McCombs & Vakili, 2005). The identified pillars provide a pragmatic, research-based framework for considering areas that current and future teachers need to develop in preparation for the increasing role that online learning will play as part of modern education.

  Authors

  • Leanna Archambault, Arizona State University
    Presenting Author
  • Heather Leary, Brigham Young University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Kerry L. Rice, Boise State University
    Non-Presenting Author
• Equity Online: Making Online Learning Accessible and Effective for All Students – Tamara Powell Tate, University of California – Irvine; Mark Warschauer, University of California – Irvine

  Abstract

  Purpose
  Equitable learning occurs when every learner belongs, contributes, and thrives, regardless of race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status (OECD, 2018). Differential access to the physical, human, and social resources needed for digital learning has long exacerbated social and educational gaps in U.S. society. Student performance gaps between online and face-to-face instruction, and amplified gaps among sub-populations, such as underrepresented minorities and students with low socio-economic status, were consistently documented prior to the pandemic (Xu & Xu, 2019). This situation has been worsened by the pandemic (Authors, in press). In this paper, we synthesize research findings related to equitable online education both prior to and during the global pandemic, based on our review of the literature and our own research work in undergraduate education. We highlight issues of access — attending school — and achievement — learning once in school.

  Perspectives
  Using Warschauer’s (2003) three-dimensional framework on social inclusion, we highlight the physical, human, and social resources needed to fully participate in online learning.

  Methods and Data Sources
  We synthesize studies from K-16 contexts in the United States that illuminate the differences in (a) who takes online courses and why and (b) student attendance and performance. Then we discuss online learning trends during the pandemic, which we refer to as emergency distance learning (“EDL”) (Hodges et al., 2020) to distinguish it from online learning that was created intentionally in the online modality (Rice et al., 2020). Using Warschauer’s framework as a lens on reviewed studies, reveals equity issues across all three dimensions (physical, human, social) both before and during the pandemic.

  Results
  We present the physical, human, or social resources that were (or were not) available equitably across groups along with the implications of heterogeneous access. Results specifically address the impact on students designated as English learners or in special education, in addition to minoritized students and those with fewer socioeconomic resources. We provide suggestions for meeting more students’ needs when learning goes online based on promising interventions. Online learning is extremely challenging and requires students and teachers to adapt to the affordances of the modality rather than simply exporting face-to-face classes without modification to an online environment; researchers have found that focusing on creating a community of learners and scaffolding self-directed learning can be key to improving online learning.

  Significance
  Online learning options will continue to grow in both K-12 and higher education. Most schools, teachers, and students have now experienced online learning in its emergency format, which is likely to increase the availability of online learning in multiple formats. Even when learning takes place face-to-face, we believe that educators will increasingly rely on online tools such as learning management systems and utilize the affordances of hybrid and flipped learning to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of in person class time. For these reasons, even though K-12 schools at least have largely returned to traditional modes of learning during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, improving the equitable nature of online learning remains a high priority.

  Authors

  • Tamara Powell Tate, University of California – Irvine
    Presenting Author
  • Mark Warschauer, University of California – Irvine
    Non-Presenting Author
• Revisiting Design-Based Research Approaches to Studying Online Learning – Christopher Hoadley, University at Buffalo – SUNY; Fabio Campos, New York University

Discussants

• Daniel T. Hickey, Indiana University
• Barbara M. Means, Digital Promise

Examining Factors Related to Mental Health Within Online Learning Environments

Sat, April 15, 11:40am to 1:10pm CDT (9:40 to 11:10am PDT), Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, Floor: 4th Floor, Addison – 1/2 Marriott BallroomSession Type: Paper Session

Abstract

This session will explore the latest research on factors related to mental health within online learning environments, considering a range of topics such as anxiety, mental fatigue, emotions, and holistic approaches to well-being.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Online Teaching and Learning

Chair

• Suhasini Kotcherlakota, University of Nebraska – Medical Center

Papers

• Dropout in a Blended Learning and a Traditional Course: Role of Course Design and Emotions – Theresa Bauer, Technical University of Munich; Manuel Förster, Technical Universty München
• Factors Associated With Undergraduate Online Learning Anxiety: Validation of the Online Learner Anxiety Scale – Muhammad Rehman, University of Florida; Tuba Ketenci, Georgia Institute of Technology; Albert Dieter Ritzhaupt, University of Florida; Corinne Huggins-Manley, University of Florida; Jiehan Li, University of Florida
• Measuring Faculty Engagement in Online Formative or Whole-Person Education: A Revised Instrument and Item Response Theory Model – Stanton E. F. Wortham, Boston College; Katrina Borowiec, Boston College; Deoksoon Kim, Boston College
• Mental Fatigue in Online Higher Education: A Scoping Review – Fatemeh Marzban, Texas Tech University; Fethi A. Inan, Texas Tech University
• Questionable-Cause Logical Fallacy and Modality Scapegoating: Synthesis of Research on Mental Health and Remote Learning – Michael Kristopher Barbour, Touro University – California; Stephanie Moore, University of New Mexico; George Veletsianos, Royal Roads University

  Abstract

  While there has been a great deal of debate over the impact of online and remote learning on mental health and well-being, there has been no systematic syntheses or reviews of the research. Our review and thematic analysis of the literature suggests that (a) it’s difficult to control for pandemic effects, (b) studies present a mixed variability around how mental health is measured, (c) certain students may indeed struggle more in an online context, and (d) research that does not assume a direct relationship provides the best insights. Based on this study, we suggest researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and administrators exercise extreme caution around making generalizable assertions with respect to the impacts of remote learning and mental health.

  Authors

  • Michael Kristopher Barbour, Touro University – California
    Presenting Author
  • Stephanie Moore, University of New Mexico
    Presenting Author
  • George Veletsianos, Royal Roads University
    Presenting Author

Discussant

• Yurou Wang, University of Alabama

Online Learning and Instruction

Thu, May 4, 9:45 to 11:15am CDT (7:45 to 9:15am PDT), Division C Virtual Sessions, Division C – Section 3b: Technology-Based Environments Virtual Paper RoomSession Type: Virtual Paper Session

Sub Unit

• Division C – Learning and Instruction / Division C – Section 3b: Technology-Based Environments

Papers

• A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study Exploring Simultaneous Online and Face-to-Face K–12 Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Pengfei Zhao, University of Florida; Jinxiu Serena Liu, University of Florida; Mary Bratsch-Hines, University of Florida; Philip E. Poekert, University of Florida
• Developing Collaborative Dialogic Inquiry and Theory-Practice Integration Using Online Discussion for Preservice Teachers – Carol K. Chan, University of Hong Kong; Yuyao Tong, University of Hong Kong; Ying Zhang, University of Hong Kong; Ka Lok Cheng, University of Hong Kong; Xiao Hu, University of Hong Kong; Xueqi FENG, Southern University of Science and Technology

  Abstract

  This paper aims to explore and understand K-12 public school teachers’ perspectives on the delivery of simultaneous online and face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. From a larger convergent mixed methods project, 410 teacher surveys and four teacher interview transcripts were analyzed separately and then integrated and corroborated. On the quantitative survey, teachers indicated four top challenges: providing accommodations for students with Individualized Education Plans in online settings, assessing student learning, creating an engaging learning environment, and encouraging or maintaining student attendance. Support from colleagues and online resources were most impactful in guiding instruction. The qualitative data confirmed quantitative findings and deepened understanding about the professional supports received or needed by teachers when instructing both online and face-to-face during COVID-19.

  Authors

  • Pengfei Zhao, University of Florida
    Presenting Author
  • Jinxiu Serena Liu, University of Florida
    Presenting Author
  • Mary Bratsch-Hines, University of Florida
    Presenting Author
  • Philip E. Poekert, University of Florida
    Presenting Author
• Exploring Kindergarten Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Through Digital Storytelling – Suzannie Kit-Ying Leung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Kimburley Wing-Yee Choi, Lingnan University; Ruby oi-Wun Yip, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Joseph Wu, City University of Hong Kong

  Abstract

  Delivering digital storytelling activities is a novel and advanced early childhood activity that requires teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Therefore, we became interested in investigating the TPACK capabilities of early childhood teachers in Hong Kong. In this study, nine preservice teachers’ online teaching performances during their teaching practicum were examined. Altogether, 42 online storytelling activities were recorded, and a total of 504 minutes of video data were collected. We employed thematic analysis to code the participants’ reflections, with the goal of understanding their technological knowledge and their preparation for digital storytelling activities. Our findings revealed the extent of the TPACK knowledge of current early childhood teachers and shed light on how to improve kindergarten teachers’ professional development regarding technology.

  Authors

  • Suzannie Kit-Ying Leung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    Presenting Author
  • Kimburley Wing-Yee Choi, Lingnan University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Ruby oi-Wun Yip, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Joseph Wu, City University of Hong Kong
    Non-Presenting Author
• The State of the Field of Technology Use in Education: A Second-Order Meta-Analysis – Evgueni Borokhovski, Concordia University; David Pickup, Concordia University – Montreal; Rana Tamim, Wilfrid Laurier University; Robert M. Bernard, Concordia University; Richard F. Schmid, Concordia University – Montreal

  Abstract

  This review systematically identifies meta-analyses that address effectiveness of computer technology in education and summarizes their findings in a second-order meta-analysis that goes beyond previous reviews of reviews by relying on methodological quality of meta-analyses in inclusion decisions and in moderator variable analyses and expanding the area of technology use to include not only classroom integration, but also online and blended learning. It also provides timely updates of major research findings in these rapidly advancing (alongside with technologies that enable and support them) fields. The overall effect sizes were: g++=0.35, g++=0.09, g++=0.39—for face-to-face, online, and blended learning, respectively with the last two distributions being fairly homogeneous. Significant moderator variable analyses are reported and implications for research and practice discussed.

  Authors

  • Evgueni Borokhovski, Concordia University
    Presenting Author
  • David Pickup, Concordia University – Montreal
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Rana Tamim, Wilfrid Laurier University
    Presenting Author
  • Robert M. Bernard, Concordia University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Richard F. Schmid, Concordia University – Montreal
    Non-Presenting Author
• University Students’ Approaches to Online Learning Technologies: The Role of Perceived Support, Affect/Emotion, and Self-Efficacy – Xiaohui Geng; Jiying Han, Shandong University

Families, COVID, and Unequal Schooling: Stories and Lessons From the Field

Thu, May 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm CDT (9:30 to 11:00am PDT), Division G Virtual Sessions, Division G – Social Context of Education Virtual Session RoomSession Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on research conducted with and about families during COVID school disruptions. The works focus on new and unexpected roles parents and caregivers played as education partners during the pandemic. Despite glaring inequalities and discrepancies in experience, COVID schooling changed boundaries between schools and families as families translated, decoded, and reshaped learning in their homes alongside their children. The papers document and give voice to family experiences and suggest lessons learned. The analyses can help reframe and impact how educators, school leaders, and policy makers partner with parents going forward.

Sub Unit

• Division G – Social Context of Education

Chair

• Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

Discussant

• Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington

Papers

• Supporting Educational Resilience While Learning Remotely: How Teachers and Families Made Learning Fun – Caitlin Martin, Stanford University; Rose K. Pozos, Stanford University; Brigid Barron, Stanford University; Flora Troy
  

  Abstract

  Objectives or purposes. When schools across the US closed in March 2020, learners, parents, and educators were confronted with the reality that they were not designed for remote instruction. Concerns over learning loss (Kuhfeld, et al., 2020) and diminished mental health make it important to understand conditions supporting enjoyable learning. We contribute with an analysis of a longitudinal remote diary study with families across the United States.

  Perspective(s) or theoretical framework. Our focus on enjoyment is grounded in data from the learning sciences foregrounding the importance of interest-driven and meaningful learning in sustaining motivation (Hidi & Renninger, 2006; Zimmerman & Bell, 2014). As we recover from the acute phase of the Covid-19 crisis, the emotional well-being and academic learning of young children is of central concern and consistent with understanding of the science of learning and development, we see these domains as interrelated and mutually influential sources of resilience.

  Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry. For two weeks in May 2020, we collected daily documentation from 109 caregivers in families with children ages 5-10 using dscout, a remote qualitative research platform. Dscout, a smartphone app, allows participants to share multimedia data with researchers directly. Participants were mostly female caregivers (76%) with children in public school (84%), selected from dscout’s national participant pool, and were equally distributed by household income brackets (<$50K, $50-99K, $100K+). In May 2022 we carried out a follow up study with 52 of these participants.

  Data sources, evidence, objects, or materials. Participants answered a series of questions using videos, photographs, survey questions, and direct messages to the researchers. We requested six examples of learning moments. Data included a 2-minute video, transcribed, of the caregiver reflecting on a learning moment they observed that day, a photo of the activity, as well as multiple-choice survey style items where the caregivers reported the subject of the activity (e.g., art, writing, math), how much learning they perceived, and how engaged the child was with the activity (e.g., how much fun they were having.)

  Results and/or substantiated conclusions or warrants for arguments/point of view. Analysis uncovered five factors associated with higher ratings of enjoyment. These include activities that were (1) that were classified as open-ended rather than practice based; (2) included real-time connections to teachers and peers; (3) were identified by caregivers as initiated by families; (4) were structured by flexible content that offered choice and opportunity for independent work; (5) were accompanied by caregiver collaboration rather than simple supervision. These patterns will be illustrated with examples analysis of 600+ learning moments along with two case studies highlighting caregiver reflections on learning early and late in the pandemic.

  Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work. The successful co-creation of enjoyable learning moments played an important role in adapting to the challenges of making remote instruction work. We call for renewed attention to design-based research that prioritizes the identification of conditions that enable children, caregivers and educators to co-create meaningful learning experiences when conditions disrupt normal school routines.

  Authors

  • Caitlin Martin, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Rose K. Pozos, Stanford University
    Non-Presenting Author
  • Brigid Barron, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Flora Troy
    Non-Presenting Author
• We Got This: A Case Study on Families’ Literacy Practices in Response to COVID-19 Interruption – Daris McInnis, University of Pennsylvania

  Abstract

  Objectives. Interruptions in K-12 learning (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) present a relatively recent shift in examining family literacy practices, particularly for low-SES families. This study examines three key objectives: (1) exploring parents’ perceptions and determinations on learning loss due to the interruption to instruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) identifying systemic barriers, lack of access to educational resources, and challenges with hybrid learning options for some students in an urban school district; and (3) discovering and uplifting the ways parents responded to their children’s learning loss by facilitating literacy practices in the home.

  Theoretical Framework. I consider a conceptual framework (including a theoretical framework) comprising the Family Literacy Theory and Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) Model. I draw on Taylor’s Family Literacy Theory (1983) to identify and explore at-home practices intended to support young children’s learning. I also take up Yosso’s CCW model (2005) to consider the ways families’ practices might be considered in how we write about marginalized families when addressing children’s academic regression. CCW uses Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Crenshaw, 1989, 1993; Ladson-Billings, 2000) as a response and challenge to deficit narratives about socially marginalized groups and taking up their literacy practices, experiences, culture, and epistemologies in an asset-based approach.

  Methods and Data. Based on methodological approach(es) outlined in Dyson et al. (2005), Ravitch and Carl (2016), and Yin (2014), I conducted a case study to investigate how families facilitate summer learning opportunities. The sources of data used for this study include semi-structured 90-minute interviews with parents (a total of 31 Zoom interviews and five phone interviews), analytic memos, and field notes. For six months, I conducted bi-monthly interviews via Zoom with three families: parents who identify as low-income; identify as Black, Latinx, or Afro-Latinx; and have at least one child in a public K-12 school. I transcribed all interviews, and coded and analyzed the interviews using NVivo software.

  Findings. Findings in this study reveal parents’ perceptions of learning interruption, learning regression, and evidence of their resilience/brilliance in the agentic literacy practices they implemented at home with their little ones. Some of these practices include: (a) environmental print: parents wrote words and created labels for various items around their living space; (b) structured writing practice: two of the families oversaw structured writing time in addition to teacher-led and recommended writing practices beyond Zoom meetings; (c) play literacy: all of the families interviewed for this study facilitated some play literacy activities to build their children’s literacy acquisition.

  Significance. The results of this study make a meaningful contribution to the field of family literacy, focusing on the ways in which families from marginalized communities were impacted by (and responded to) rapid changes in instruction format, limited access to community resources, and inconsistency in academic support. Moreover, this study contributes to an emerging body of literature suggesting the COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for examining the multidimensionality of family practices – specifically responding to the questions: What literacy practices are absent from research and discourse on low-SES family involvement?

  Author

  • Daris McInnis, University of Pennsylvania
    Presenting Author
• A Tale of Two Working Mothers: The Intersection of COVID-19 and Feminism in the United States – Stephanie Robillard, Stanford University; Rubén A. González, Stanford University

  Abstract

  Objectives. A narrative at the onset of COVID-19 in the United States asserted ‌the pandemic was “a disaster” for feminism (Lewis, 2020), centering an upper middle-class white experience (Zakaria, 2021). We complicate this notion of feminism by employing a critical frame feminist perspective to the experiences of two working mothers (one Latina and one white) with school-aged children enrolled in the same school district during the 2020-2021 academic year. We explore how their gendered, racialized, and class identities intersected to shape their experiences as their children’s school transitioned from remote learning to in-person learning.

  Theoretical Framework. We draw on critical race feminism (Wing, 1997), which “focuses on the lives of whose of those who face multiple discrimination on the basis of race, gender and class, revealing how all these factors interact within a system of white male patriarchy and racist oppression” (p. 3). The intersection of race and gender is vital, as racism is “not something outside of the women’s movement but [is] intrinsic to the best principles of feminism” (Bourne, 1983, p. 3).

  Methods. To better understand this phenomena, we employed a year-long comparative case study (Goodrick, 2014) as an approach for “analysis and synthesis of the similarities, differences and patterns across two or more cases” (p. 1). A comparative case study allowed for us to capture the depth of how the racialized, gendered, and classed experiences influenced the lives of the two working mothers. To document our findings, we used portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot, 1983) to “capture the richness, complexity and dimensionality of human experience in social and cultural context, conveying the perspectives of the people who are negotiating those experiences” (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997, p. 3).

  Data. Data stems from a semi-structured interview series (3) (Siedman, 2019) with both working mothers conducted during the 2020-2021 academic year. Each interview averaged 60 minutes and was conducted by both researchers. All data was collected and analyzed through grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014) and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Multiple rounds of open, closed, and axial coding were employed to identify and analyze recurring themes across the data set (Saldaña, 2021).

  Results. Findings speak to how race, gender, and class‌ intersected and differentiated the experiences of both women. First, while both women were employed by the same school district, their roles and positioning within the district influenced interactions with a site administrator–leading to greatly varied interactions. Second, findings speak to the unique ways their marital status influenced how they navigated the demands of being a working mother. Last, there was a great difference in how both mothers navigated the different configurations of schooling as the district shifted toward in person learning.

  Significance. The results from this study demonstrate that while segments of the population experienced a return to traditional gender roles, some women of color navigated a pandemic existence while continuing to carry all the responsibilities that existed prior to COVID-19’s onset. This study joins others (Beck, 2021; Zakaria, 2021) in reassessing the degree to which “feminism” is working and who it is failing.

  Authors

  • Stephanie Robillard, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Rubén A. González, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
• Digital Screens as Teachers – Carmen Clayton, Leeds Trinity University; Rafe Clayton, University of Leeds; Marie Potter
  

  Abstract

  Objectives. We present parental perspectives on screen-based learning for children during the first and most restrictive lockdown in the UK. In doing so, we examine the lived experience of parents as home educators and highlight the opportunities and challenges of screen-based learning, whilst identifying policy implications.

  Perspective(s) or theoretical framework. Early in the pandemic, quantitative studies in the UK identified that the government enforced lockdowns may risk increasing inequalities based on gender, wealth and social background (Andrew et al., 2020). It was argued that the absence of formal education could have a significant negative impact upon educational attainment for marginalized groups (Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, 2021); in turn affecting opportunities for social mobility among the young (Major and Machin, 2020). With schools closed nationally and children having to learn from home, new family dynamics emerged as caregivers spent more time with their children and there was an expectation for parents to act as educators (Clayton et al., 2020). As schools sent more work to be completed via screens, education within the home also became increasingly digitalised (World Economic Forum, 2020). We discuss the phenomena associated with screen-based learning in the home during the pandemic.

  Methods. We interviewed sixty parents from diverse backgrounds using qualitative semi-structured online interviews via Voice over Internet Protocol/VoIP mediated technologies (Microsoft Teams) or telephone interviews.

  Methodologically, qualitative semi-structured online interviews are considered advantageous for their flexible and participant-friendly approaches, that help interviewees tell their stories, in their own words and their own time (Eder and Fingerson, 2003). This viewpoint aligns with the interpretivist stance of the study. VoIP mediated technologies allow for real-time interactions between the research team and the participants (Lo Iacono et al., 2016). Telephone interviews, like face-to-face interviews, have the ability to collect meaningful data and are advantageous in terms of their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility (Azad et al., 2021).

  Data sources. We developed a semi-structured interview guide, which included questions on the following:

  1) To what extent, and in what ways, did schools facilitate children’s learning during lockdown
  2) If screen-based approaches were used, how effective were they from a parental perspective
  3) Did parents have any concerns about the use of screens for children’s home-learning

  Interviews were recorded with participants’ permission, professionally transcribed (verbatim), coded and analyzed.
  Results. Findings establish how teaching and learning behaviors changed during the pandemic; and how through the analysis of changes, we see the emergence of new attitudes towards screen based digital education amongst parents.

  We identify positive and negative impacts from the increased use of screens for education, which provides educationalists and policymakers a more thorough understanding of the learning landscape, as the UK government pushes forwards with national digital strategies.

  Scholarly Significance. As much literature is framed around the negative portrayal of the short–term and long-term impacts of the pandemic on young people’s education (Ofqual Report, 2021) including the learning loss and widening inequalities narratives (Child Poverty Action Group, 2020), this paper offers alternative viewpoints to be considered.

  Authors

  • Carmen Clayton, Leeds Trinity University
    Presenting Author
  • Rafe Clayton, University of Leeds
    Presenting Author
  • Marie Potter
    Non-Presenting Author
• Lessons to Keep: Learning in the Time of COVID – Grace Tamara Handy, Stanford University; Elizabeth B. Kozleski, Stanford University; Karoline Trepper, New York University; Emma Bene, Stanford University

  Abstract

  In Fall, 2020, in response to family distress reported widely, we conducted five online convenings between families hosting their children’s educations in their homes and technologists who had created the tools and learning systems used for remote learning. We wanted to (a) uncover the issues families were facing and (b) engage the technologists who created the platforms being used.

  Theoretical Framework. Three constructs afforded a nuanced analysis of our data (a) Eisner’s notion of educational connoisseurs; (b) black feminists’ conceptualizations of criticism; and (c) transgressive carework to peel the layers of critique and care being balanced by families. As they stepped back from their direct misgivings about technology as users and user/critics, families offered a larger critique of systems and structures.

  Methods. Each three-hour convening afforded the opportunity for families and technologists to talk and listen. Of the participating 75 urban families in the study, 77% were from Spanish speaking households, 19% from English speaking homes and 4% spoke Khmer/Cambodian. During the convenings, families shared observations of student learning and interaction with their teachers. Fourteen technologists representing seven tech companies listened to the ways in which their products facilitated and hindered learning and communication. They asked questions and, in one convening, had a chance to talk about their work and products. Technologists then created prototypes of improved processes, designs, and new products that could reduce barriers to learning and communication. They test drove those prototypes with the families in their last convening. All zoom sessions were conducted with English/Spanish translators and trained facilitators.

  Data sources and Findings. Transcripts were coded by at least two coders, a codebook created, and a set of themes co-constructed. Families in this study were exquisitely attuned to the ways in which technology mediated teaching and learning. As they stepped back from their direct misgivings about technology as users and user/critics, a larger critique of systems and structures emerged: Families as (a) First Educators; (b) Transgressive Caregivers; and (c) Learners.

  The shifts in everyday routines and rising uncertainty as the pandemic evolved in 2020 were compounded by the new roles that families assumed in virtual schooling. Whether parents lost paid work, began working from home, or continued working outside their homes, their new roles as educators became full-time jobs. One parent said that her new insights about her son’s learning compelled her to work with her son’s teachers, and she was “surprised at how much we’ve been able to improve his focus (CFam290).” Decoding instructional language was a critical pivot point that enabled families to design supports and decode the grammar of instruction.

  Scholarly Insight. The findings underscore how historically persistent systemic failures were exacerbated during the pandemic. Families built critiques from an evaluative stance and situated them in their social locations in ways that indexed power disparities. These findings underscore the key role that family insight and partnership play in improving learning designs and outcomes. The policy implications extend from local contexts to federal policy.

  Authors

  • Grace Tamara Handy, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Elizabeth B. Kozleski, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Karoline Trepper, New York University
    Presenting Author
  • Emma Bene, Stanford University
    Non-Presenting Author
• Educator Actions to Care for Youth and Families of Color During COVID-19 – Francisco Parra Camacho; Leslie R. Herrenkohl, University of Michigan; Angela Calabrese Barton, University of Michigan; Hyeri Mel Yang, University of Michigan

Not Alone: Educational Leaders Uniting to Address Pressing and Emerging Challenges

Fri, May 5, 2:30 to 4:00pm CDT (12:30 to 2:00pm PDT), SIG Virtual Rooms, Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership SIG Virtual Paper RoomSession Type: Virtual Paper Session

Sub Unit

• SIG-Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership

Chair

• Julie A. Gray, University of West Florida

Papers

• A Developmental Professional Development Institute for Teacher Leaders and Principals to Lead Together – Christy O’Connor, Teachers College, Columbia University
• Centering Allyship in Education: The Allies for Politicizing Pedagogy Framework – Carol A. Mullen, Virginia Tech
• Online but Not Alone: Teacher Perceptions of Effective Online School Leadership – Joanne Robertson, University of the Fraser Valley; Awneet Sivia, University of the Fraser Valley

  Abstract

  As school districts develop online learning programs, the need to examine leadership in these programs is paramount. The literature suggests that while many studies focus on effective leadership in brick-and-mortar schools, research on leadership in online programs is limited. We aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions of what makes for effective leadership in online secondary schools in two districts. Using phenomenology, we interviewed six teachers, and qualitatively analyzed the transcripts to name teachers’ perceptions of effective OSL as sense of community, organizational learning, and empowerment. This research has implications for educational leadership broadly, but specifically for leadership in online and virtual schools.

  Authors

  • Joanne Robertson, University of the Fraser Valley
    Presenting Author
  • Awneet Sivia, University of the Fraser Valley
    Presenting Author
• Valuable Partnerships: Solo Educational Leadership Faculty Program Coordinators Collaborating Across Institutions – Wesley Henry, Central Connecticut State University; Sarah M. Jouganatos, California State University – Sacramento; Ann E. Blankenship Knox, University of Redlands; Lori Rhodes, Stamford Public Schools