Wednesday, May 31, 2023
1:45 – 3:00 p.m. Patel Center, Room 140
1:45 -2:00 p.m.
“Longitudinal Impacts of COVID-19 on U.S. Pre-K Children’s Language and Literacy Development“
In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 arrived in the United States, disrupting the education of millions of students. To date, reports the impacts on American children’s learning have typically focused on children in elementary school or older, with little information about impacts on children in pre-k. The present study aims to fill this gap, analyzing the short- and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on pre-k children’s language and literacy development. We ask the following research questions: 1) what are the impacts of COVID disruptions on pre-k children’s language and literacy at kindergarten entry? 2) what are the longer-term impacts of COVID on language and literacy development from pre-k to 1st grade? 3) did long- or short-term COVID impacts vary for children from different subgroups? We draw on data collected by a large school district in west-central Florida from pre-k through 1st grade. Our dataset includes two cohorts of children: a pre-COVID cohort who attended VPK in 2016-2017 (n = 1,211), and the COVID cohort (VPK in 2019-2020; n = 1,167). Results indicate that there were no significant differences between the COVID and pre-COVID cohort in terms of language and literacy scores at pre-k entry. However, children’s language and literacy learning trajectories in the COVID cohort flattened over time as compared to the pre-COVID cohort, suggesting a delayed negative impact of COVID for children who missed a portion of their pre-k year. Finally, we found that no subgroups were differentially impacted by COVID-19 in terms of their language and literacy outcomes.
2:05 – 2:20 p.m.
“Understanding Anthropological Education at Universities in the Dominican Republic”
Globally, social scientists in recent decades have increasingly examined how their disciplines have privileged scholars from the North Atlantic over others. To address this imbalance, anthropologists developed the concept of world anthropologies. However, few of these works have addressed structural and cultural differences related to training new anthropologists. In the anthropology of education, studies of curriculum and teaching have focused on K-12 school engagements and on university student experiences globally. Science and technology studies have pointed out the cultural aspects of scientific practitioners. As a result, scholarship on anthropological training worldwide fosters the incomplete notion that student education consists almost wholly of technocratic formation and individual fieldwork, thus marginalizing the work of university professors, the classroom context, and political economic and institutional dynamics. This paper provides a corrective by analyzing the teaching practices, course readings, assignments, and interactions in anthropology programs at universities in the Dominican Republic as well as the future use of anthropological training by students. Using ethnographic research in classrooms, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, we describe how students are trained in anthropology within two different institutions. These findings will contribute to discussions on world anthropologies, anthropologies of education, and science and technology studies while providing a blueprint for a more equitable and productive academic environment across the globe. This research builds on the PIs’ previous work on Caribbean anthropologies (Jayaram) and on curriculum and classroom setting (Braunstein).
2:25 – 2:40 p.m.
“Learning and Growing as a School Leader through the Practicum: Findings from the Investigating Educational Leadership Preparation Study”
In this initial session from the Investigating Educational Leadership Preparation Study, we share findings related to Master’s students’ growth in the two-semester, USF School Leadership Practicum. The findings are based on eleven (11) interviews with two cohorts of recent graduates.
The instrument’s first two questions are:
- Please describe a specific growth experience during the USF practicum from start to finish.
- Please discuss a specific growth experience that contributed to your development as a social justice leader.
A team of USF graduate doctoral student researchers managed the protocols, conducted, and transcribed the interviews. A research team made up of one USF faculty member and one graduate researcher coded these data using a deductive and inductive coding system. A major theme shared by practicum students in their interviews was the importance of alignment between academic knowledge, state-sanctioned knowledge, field experiences, mentorship, and school support. When students described their growth, they discussed sequences of learning activities stretched over the complex landscape of professional practice in the Florida public schools. Powerful learning activities in the practicum tended to be aligned with USF Leadership Program content and values. They were said to be coherent with the State of Florida sanctioned knowledge that guided schools’ operations. Students described how school-level mentors supported these growth-oriented, learning experiences. At RISE, the Investigating Educational Leadership Preparation Study’s graduate researchers will begin the session with a brief discussion of data collection, transcription, and first-cycle coding. The session will continue with a deductive and inductive analysis of the transcripts.
