Drawing on a year of participant observation in an untracked, diversifying middle school, I examine how sixth graders positioned themselves and were positioned by others as "smart" or "not smart." I focus on peer interactions during cooperative small group instruction, identifying the material, relational, and ideational…

Despite extensive research examining self-management interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), researchers have failed to evaluate self-management procedures for on-task behavior in the home environment or with parents as interventionists. Using an ABAB design, the present study examined the effectiveness of a…

It is widely believed that early diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder is essential for better outcome. This is demonstrated by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to screen all 1.5-2.5-year-old toddlers for autism spectrum disorder. However, multiple longitudinal studies of children diagnosed with autism spectrum…

When caregivers experience childhood maltreatment, their children may bear increased risk for maltreatment as well. Teachers have frequent opportunities to observe child behavior in the classroom and are likely to notice symptoms of maltreatment and have opportunities to intervene. Thus, teacher identification of PTSD may serve an important…

Strong teacher and principal evaluation systems have the potential to help teachers and principals improve their practice, to exit teachers who are perennially ineffective, to retain teachers who are effective and learn from them, and to increase the overall quality of a district's teacher workforce. As states respond to widespread concerns (both…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how academics in the United States described their social media self-presentations (SMSPs) in the context of imagined surveillance. Moral Reasoning Theory drove two RQs: (1) How do academics describe construction of SMSPs in the context of imagined surveillance? (2) How do academics…

The use of student-centered instruction or active learning has been linked to higher rates of student success compared to traditional lecture. However, a mechanistic understanding of why active learning "works" has proven elusive. This dissertation explores active learning in Learning Assistant supported courses and makes the case for…

Background: Over the past 20 years, much has been written about the merits and limitations of matching methods, particularly propensity score matching (see, e.g., Stuart, 2010 for a review of matching approaches), and the myriad ways matching can be implemented to identify a comparison group that is similar to the treatment group on observable…

The term nature deficit disorder describes the "human costs of alienation from nature" (Louv, 2019). While not meant to be a medical diagnosis, Louv argues that the condition has, "profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health of the earth itself" (Louv, 2008). Children most at risk are…

In this paper, I theorize reciprocal noticing as a relational practice through which teachers and students exchange roles as knowers by reciprocating each other's noticing as they study mathematics concepts. Findings from a unit on measuring time implemented in two classrooms with non-dominant students illustrate how teachers and students--through…

Researchers and practitioners sometimes presume that using a previously "validated" instrument will produce "valid" scores; however, contemporary views of validity suggest that there are many reasons this assumption can be faulty. In order to demonstrate just some of the problems with this view, and to support comparisons of…

A line of research has supported the development and validation of Direct Behavior Rating--Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) for use in progress monitoring. Yet, this research was largely conducted within the general education setting with typically developing children. It is unknown whether the tool may be defensibly used with students exhibiting more…

The purpose of this naturalistic observation study was to observe, in a natural setting, the actions of attendees at educational professional development conferences. In doing so, it was hoped that numerous behaviors could be observed that would indicate a level or extent of engagement or disengagement within presentations. It was found that the…

Co-occurring emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) frequently exist in young autistic children. There is evidence based on parental report that parenting interventions reduce child EBPs. More objective measures of child EBPs should supplement parent reported outcomes in trials. We describe the development of a new measure of child and parenting…

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure to investigate studio teacher's observational skill as a function of the observer's ability to identify effective pedagogical practices. A secondary purpose was to see if observational skill varied as a function of scores on a measure of empathy. Participants (N = 60) were saxophonists who…