47th Annual Northeastern Educational Research Association Symposia

March 1, 2017

Marcella Mandracchia, Ed.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Dr. James Reed Campbell, Ph.D., Professor of Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership, chaired symposia at the 47th Annual Northeastern Educational Research Association in Trumball, CT this past October 2016.  The participants were all former doctoral students of the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership.

Session 1.3: What's Happening with our Nation's Students?

Symposium Chair: Marcella Mandracchia, St. John's University & Hostos Community College

Discussant: James Campbell, St. John's University

Our students are being assessed by The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data or the Nation's Report Card. This symposium shares four studies based in Science and Reading. Each of the studies focuses on a unique theoretical framework that calls for the betterment of strategies for our students.

The Significance of Gender and Reading Achievement During Adolescence

Dorren Baldino, St. John's University  

The first Ex Post Facto quantitative study investigated the significance of gender and reading achievement by analyzing data from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) eighth grade reading scores. The 2011 sample of 135,775 eighth graders consisted of a cross-section of students that represented the socio-economic status (SES), cultural diversity, and gender of the population. Motivational behaviors were examined to ascertain factors that were predictors of reading achievement: technological autonomy, grit, engagement, autonomy, self-efficacy, and interest. The variables and factors were analyzed through a variety of methods: Descriptive Statistics, t-tests, Factor Analyses, and Hierarchical Regression Analyses. The results of the study indicated that there was a gap between male and female students in achievement and that all the variables were predictors of eighth grade reading achievement. The motivational behavior of Interest was the best predictor of achievement for both genders.

Predictors of Cultural Capital On Science Achievement

Jonathan Scott Misner, St. John's University 

This non-experimental study analyzed the results of the 2011 Eighth Grade Science National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The purpose of the study was to determine if students’ cultural capital is a significant predictor of 8 th grade science achievement test scores in urban locales. Other variables analyzed include socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and English language learners (ELLs). The researcher analyzed the data using a hierarchical regression analysis. The researcher concluded that the addition of cultural capital factors significantly increased the predictive power of the model where magazines in home, gender, student classified as ELL, parental education level, and SES were the independent variables. The model predicted 23.2% of variance in science achievement results. Other major findings include: higher measures of home resources predicted higher achievement; males were predicted to have higher achievement; classified ELL students were predicted to score lower; higher parent education predicted higher achievement; lower measures of SES predicted lower achievement.

The Impact of Professional Development Involving Technology On Reading Achievement

Dawn-Marie Sealy, St. John's University

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to analyze the results of the eighth grade 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Reading in order to determine if teachers’ technology professional development significantly influenced student achievement. The researcher used variables received from the NAEP data from students and teachers, such as students’ School Lunch Eligibility, gender, and teachers’ professional development involving technology use in the classroom. The analysis was conducted using a hierarchal regression by analyzing factors created from the 8th grade student and teacher surveys. Students’ School Lunch Eligibility, parental education, basic teacher professional development, professional development in instructional technology, and gender accounted for 36% of the variance in Reading.

The Influence of School Type and Alignment Of Standards On 8th Grade American Indian and Alaska Native Students' Reading Achievement

Marcella Mandracchia, St. John's University and Hostos Community College; Edwin Tjoe, St. John's University; Steven Neier, St. John's University

The purpose of this study was to find out whether school type (private, public, or charter) and standards (state and cultural) are significant predictors of 8 th grade students’ reading achievement on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the National Indian Education Study (NIES). It was found that the students in Bureau of Indian Schools scored lower than those in those in public schools. Students who had teachers that do not follow the cultural standards scored higher than those who had teachers who had some alignment with those standards. Students with teachers who do not follow programming state standards scored higher than those who had followed programming state standards with a small extent. Students with teachers who do not follow programming state standards scored higher than those who had followed programming state standards with a large extent. Therefore, this study called for a more thorough examination of standards as well as revision to the standards. In addition, the implications are that teachers need more professional development in the utilizing and aligning their course materials and content to standards.

 

Session 6.6: National Studies about Leadership with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Data Symposium

Chair: James Campbell, St. John's University

Discussant: Marcella Mandracchia, St. John's University and Hostos Community College

This symposium presents five national STEM studies. It demonstrates how NAEP data can be used with different theoretical frameworks. The studies deal with a wide range of topics including students' use of technology, professional development, limitations of iPads, predictors of science achievement, and the effectiveness of school configurations.

Nationwide Impact of Educational Technology Professional Development on Fourth Graders’ Math Achievement (NAEP)

Ailene Cavaliere, Lindenhurst School District, West Islip NY  

The purpose of this study is to determine if teachers’ professional development that involves educational technology is a significant predictor for fourth graders’ mathematics achievement on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) after accounting for their SES, the resources available in their homes, and their gender. The focus of this research revolves around professional development that employs educational technology. The TPACK theoretical framework was used because “Teaching successfully with technology requires continually creating, sustaining, maintaining, and reestablishing a dynamic equilibrium between each component” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006 p. 20). The current study analyzes factors related to this theoretical framework. In summary, the results of the analyses show that the students of teachers having professional development that involved technology have higher mathematics achievement.

They’re Not Just Texting: Grade 8 Students Use of Technology Outside And Inside School Effects on Mathematic Achievement.

Amy Reynolds, NYC Department of Education, St. John’s University 

This research looks for evidence of a significant relationship between academic achievement and student technology use in school and outside school. In the 21st century, technology and the internet have become omnipresent in students’ lives. There is little research on how students use the internet and how technology impacts on students’ academic achievement. Even fewer studies focus on how students use the internet and technology at home and how technology use at home correlates to student achievement (Kolikant, 2009; Lei, 2009). The results indicate that a student’s use of technology outside school is positively associated with student mathematic achievement in school. Another finding offers evidence that student technology use in school is negatively associated with student mathematic achievement. Why Are Schools Buying So Many Ipads?

The Influence of Fourth Grade Students’ Use Of Technology on Mathematics Achievement.

Stephen Draper, Baldwin UFSD, NY

The purpose of this study is to determine if SES, home resources, gender, and the use of instructional technology by students are significant predictors of mathematics achievement. There is extensive literature documenting the research on the relationship between SES and student academic achievement. Coleman was one of the first researchers to employ quantitative methods to link family SES with high achievement (Coleman, 1966). Jencks performed a sophisticated re-analysis that came to the same conclusion (Jencks, 1972). This study concluded that the addition of these students’ use of technology factors significantly increased the predictive power of the model where SES, home resources, and gender are significant predictors of mathematics achievement.

Improving American Students Science Achievement Scores.

Martin Craig, Brewster School District, NY

Recent international comparisons of twelfth graders’ science achievement reveal that American students consistently lag behind other developed nations (TIMMS, 2010). This study examines potential malleable factors that predict science achievement for twelfth graders using 2009 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This research examines the types of attributions (Weiner 2010; Hareli & Weiner, 2002) that students make about successes and failures in science that predict science achievement in twelfth-grade students. The students’ science self-concept was found to have a significant positive effect on science achievement. Similarly, the students’ use of in-class activities, such as taking tests, reading the textbook, and problem solving/experimenting were found to be significant predictors of science achievement. However, the use of technology available in science classrooms and social peer interactions within science classes were found to be negatively associated with science achievement.

School Structure and Its Effect On Eighth Graders’ NAEP Science Achievement.

Ainjinette Piccirella, St. John’s University

The purpose of this study is to analyze the results of the eighth grade NAEP assessment in science and determine the type of school setting that significantly influences student achievement. The researcher developed factors using school, teacher, and student variables collected from the NAEP 2011 eighth grade surveys. Gomez, Marcoulides, and Heck (2012) took a generalized model of variables that influence organizational performance to examine the effectiveness of school structure when comparing the different levels (K-8 versus middle schools). The variables in the model include organizational structure, organizational values, managerial processes, organizational climate, and teacher attitudes. This study finds that students attending K-8 schools have higher science achievement than those in middle schools. This finding confirms a similar result with the NELS:88 data (Eccles, Lord & Midgley, 1991).