The file below contains a course-by-course summary of the major concepts, theoretical stances, methods learned, and work produced during my PhD coursework at the University of South Florida 2010-2017:
research_coursework.123117.pdf | |
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RESEARCH: SUMMER 2017 TO SPRING 2018,
NARRATIVE & PRODUCT FILES
Publications
Journal Article: "Caught in a web of abjections: High-stakes testing in Miriam Cohen's First grade takes a test and Andrew Clements' The report card."
Abstract: Standardized achievement testing of children began in the United States in the 1960s. Since then, the data produced from such tests has been extrapolated to measure schools, teachers, and principals. Today, testing and its corollaries consume much of the time and energy of teachers and students. Miriam Cohen’s (2006/1980) First Grade Takes a Test and Andrew Clements’ (2004) The Report Card invite young readers to question the purposes and validity of the tests they are required to take. Both authors clearly present the more insidious aspects of testing and question the tests’ assumptions of normalcy, and each suggests the adults themselves are caught in the same web created by the agencies and institutions they serve. However, when read in the light of Kristeva’s (1982/1980) descriptions of the abject as that which is on the border of identity, Cohen’s and Clements’ stories go further, raising the specter of a disturbing scenario involving an underlying and diabolical institutional mindset—a Mind Behind the Test—that, through the guise of testing, blurs borders of identity, collapses meaning and perceptions of what is normal, and contributes to the resulting abjection of all participants, especially children identified as geniuses. Keywords: High-stakes testing, Abjection, Genius, Andrew Clements, Miriam Cohen, Julia Kristeva
This essay grew from a paper I presented at the 2015 Children's Literature Association Conference. At the end of our panel session, "Torture in the School," someone in the audience suggested the topic should be proposed for a special issue of Children's Literature in Education. I submitted an expanded version of the presentation in Fall 2015 in response to a CFP for the special issues, and the paper was accepted contingent on revisions. Revisions were completed by Fall 2016, and the issue was scheduled for publication in the Spring 2017 issue. However, the editors decided to rearrange their production schedule and publication of this special issue was delayed until Spring 2018.
Social media promotion and metrics: This article is the first publication I have had in a journal that tracked the number of downloads of the article and the number of times the link to the article was shared on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. I followed the instructions and posted the link on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but PlumMetrics only picked up the Twitter post. As of July 29, 2018, the article has been downloaded 107 times. By comparison, the introduction -- by editors Elizabeth A. Marshall and Lissa Paul -- has been downloaded 234 times. Download numbers for the other essays are 416 (vampires and witches in school stories), 503 (school shootings in YA lit), 96 (bookish boys), 93 (activist students taking on school boards), and 191 (children's ecoliterature).
Anderson, A. W. (2018). Caught in a web of abjection: High-stakes testing in Miriam Cohen's First grade takes a test and Andrew Clements' The report card. Children's Literature in Education: An International Quarterly, 49(1), 19-33.DOI: 10.1007/s10583-018-9350-1
Link: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10583-018-9350-1
Abstract: Standardized achievement testing of children began in the United States in the 1960s. Since then, the data produced from such tests has been extrapolated to measure schools, teachers, and principals. Today, testing and its corollaries consume much of the time and energy of teachers and students. Miriam Cohen’s (2006/1980) First Grade Takes a Test and Andrew Clements’ (2004) The Report Card invite young readers to question the purposes and validity of the tests they are required to take. Both authors clearly present the more insidious aspects of testing and question the tests’ assumptions of normalcy, and each suggests the adults themselves are caught in the same web created by the agencies and institutions they serve. However, when read in the light of Kristeva’s (1982/1980) descriptions of the abject as that which is on the border of identity, Cohen’s and Clements’ stories go further, raising the specter of a disturbing scenario involving an underlying and diabolical institutional mindset—a Mind Behind the Test—that, through the guise of testing, blurs borders of identity, collapses meaning and perceptions of what is normal, and contributes to the resulting abjection of all participants, especially children identified as geniuses. Keywords: High-stakes testing, Abjection, Genius, Andrew Clements, Miriam Cohen, Julia Kristeva
This essay grew from a paper I presented at the 2015 Children's Literature Association Conference. At the end of our panel session, "Torture in the School," someone in the audience suggested the topic should be proposed for a special issue of Children's Literature in Education. I submitted an expanded version of the presentation in Fall 2015 in response to a CFP for the special issues, and the paper was accepted contingent on revisions. Revisions were completed by Fall 2016, and the issue was scheduled for publication in the Spring 2017 issue. However, the editors decided to rearrange their production schedule and publication of this special issue was delayed until Spring 2018.
Social media promotion and metrics: This article is the first publication I have had in a journal that tracked the number of downloads of the article and the number of times the link to the article was shared on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. I followed the instructions and posted the link on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but PlumMetrics only picked up the Twitter post. As of July 29, 2018, the article has been downloaded 107 times. By comparison, the introduction -- by editors Elizabeth A. Marshall and Lissa Paul -- has been downloaded 234 times. Download numbers for the other essays are 416 (vampires and witches in school stories), 503 (school shootings in YA lit), 96 (bookish boys), 93 (activist students taking on school boards), and 191 (children's ecoliterature).
Anderson, A. W. (2018). Caught in a web of abjection: High-stakes testing in Miriam Cohen's First grade takes a test and Andrew Clements' The report card. Children's Literature in Education: An International Quarterly, 49(1), 19-33.DOI: 10.1007/s10583-018-9350-1
Link: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10583-018-9350-1
Book review: "Truckin' down the principles-focused evaluation road: A review of Michael Quinn Patton's Principles-focused evaluation: The GUIDE."
Abstract: This review of Michael Quinn Patton’s Principles-Focused Evaluation: The GUIDE (Patton, 2017a) examines the organizational structure of Patton’s book and notes the contributions of other evaluators who share their experiences in using principles-focused evaluation with a variety of programs, including ones serving homeless youth, ones seeking solutions to global food issues, and ones working to change journalism. The GUIDE provides a wealth of informative material about Patton’s model, an evaluative tool based on the acronym GUIDE—principles must Guide, be Useful, Inspire, be Developmental, and be Evaluable—plus practice exercises to encourage reflective processing of the material and numerous charts and tables. Patton also cautions readers to avoid a “best practices” mindset by embracing uncertainty, even toward evaluation. Keywords: Principles, Principles-Focused Evaluation, Developmental Evaluation, Best Practices
This review was completed in fulfillment of one of the requirements of the Qualitative Methods II course I took in the Fall 2017 term. Before reading this book, I knew nothing of Patton's work as the field of education measures itself by very different types of instruments. However, it would be interesting to use Patton's method to evaluate education policy or some other facet of the field.
Social media promotion, metrics, and feedback: Because it is an online journal, The Qualitative Report makes good use of social media to promote its articles. Each item is posted separately on Facebook and Twitter with appropriate links. Perhaps because of this, and because Patton is so well-known and because the articles are freely accessible, the review has been downloaded 460 times since March 31, 2018. Additionally, I received a very complimentary email from Patton who expressed his "deepest appreciation for your very thoughtful and comprehensive review" and noted, "It is rare for a book to be given such an in-depth and insightful analysis. You both describe the book and evaluate it. Your review is an exemplar of how reviews should be done. Kudos!"
Post-script: As I was searching my emails for Dr. Patton's note, I realized I had corresponded with him in 2015 to thank him for his brilliant adaptation of Hamlet's soliloquy to a discussion of sampling in qualitative methodology (AERA Spring 2015 Newsletter). Oh, my!
Anderson, A. W. (2018). Truckin’ down the principles-focused evaluation road: A review of Michael Quinn Patton’s Principles-focused evaluation: The GUIDE. The Qualitative Report,23(4), 774-778. Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol23/iss4/4
Abstract: This review of Michael Quinn Patton’s Principles-Focused Evaluation: The GUIDE (Patton, 2017a) examines the organizational structure of Patton’s book and notes the contributions of other evaluators who share their experiences in using principles-focused evaluation with a variety of programs, including ones serving homeless youth, ones seeking solutions to global food issues, and ones working to change journalism. The GUIDE provides a wealth of informative material about Patton’s model, an evaluative tool based on the acronym GUIDE—principles must Guide, be Useful, Inspire, be Developmental, and be Evaluable—plus practice exercises to encourage reflective processing of the material and numerous charts and tables. Patton also cautions readers to avoid a “best practices” mindset by embracing uncertainty, even toward evaluation. Keywords: Principles, Principles-Focused Evaluation, Developmental Evaluation, Best Practices
This review was completed in fulfillment of one of the requirements of the Qualitative Methods II course I took in the Fall 2017 term. Before reading this book, I knew nothing of Patton's work as the field of education measures itself by very different types of instruments. However, it would be interesting to use Patton's method to evaluate education policy or some other facet of the field.
Social media promotion, metrics, and feedback: Because it is an online journal, The Qualitative Report makes good use of social media to promote its articles. Each item is posted separately on Facebook and Twitter with appropriate links. Perhaps because of this, and because Patton is so well-known and because the articles are freely accessible, the review has been downloaded 460 times since March 31, 2018. Additionally, I received a very complimentary email from Patton who expressed his "deepest appreciation for your very thoughtful and comprehensive review" and noted, "It is rare for a book to be given such an in-depth and insightful analysis. You both describe the book and evaluate it. Your review is an exemplar of how reviews should be done. Kudos!"
Post-script: As I was searching my emails for Dr. Patton's note, I realized I had corresponded with him in 2015 to thank him for his brilliant adaptation of Hamlet's soliloquy to a discussion of sampling in qualitative methodology (AERA Spring 2015 Newsletter). Oh, my!
Anderson, A. W. (2018). Truckin’ down the principles-focused evaluation road: A review of Michael Quinn Patton’s Principles-focused evaluation: The GUIDE. The Qualitative Report,23(4), 774-778. Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol23/iss4/4
Coursework & Certificate earned
Fall 2017 - EDF7478: Qualitative Methods in Education II
In Fall 2017, the College of Education began offering a Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods. I realized I had taken almost enough qualitative methods courses to qualify for the certificate, so I enrolled in Professor Jennifer Wolgemuth's Qualitative Methods in Education II course to meet the final requirement . . . and it became the perfect capstone course. The course was structured in such a way that, for me, it became a review survey of qualitative methods. We had opportunities to try different types of coding software, and Dr. Wolgemuth invited several recent graduates to share their qualitative dissertations and their experiences with the dissertation process with the class.
Additionally, Dr. Wolgemuth challenged us to question the purposes of research methods to the point, even, of considering whether approaching data with a methodology -- or even a theoretical lens -- is counterproductive, especially in qualitative research.
Work Produced: Dr. Wolgemuth asked us to bring data we had gathered previously to serve as a kind of laboratory in which we might experiment with various qualitative methods of research. In my work as director of blended and online learning at a small liberal arts college, I had worked with two professors: one to reimagine her face-to-face course for online teaching/learning, the other to reimagine his online and face-to-face courses for blended or hybrid teaching/learning. We had worked together to document our work, collecting in-the-moment notes, later reflections, before-and-after screen shots, and guided discussion comments. I had already drafted a paper, using a case study approach and linking it to highly-relevant mentoring, but I was interested in how else I might present the data.
Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods Earned: In July, I submitted the paperwork to have the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods added to my transcript.
In Fall 2017, the College of Education began offering a Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods. I realized I had taken almost enough qualitative methods courses to qualify for the certificate, so I enrolled in Professor Jennifer Wolgemuth's Qualitative Methods in Education II course to meet the final requirement . . . and it became the perfect capstone course. The course was structured in such a way that, for me, it became a review survey of qualitative methods. We had opportunities to try different types of coding software, and Dr. Wolgemuth invited several recent graduates to share their qualitative dissertations and their experiences with the dissertation process with the class.
Additionally, Dr. Wolgemuth challenged us to question the purposes of research methods to the point, even, of considering whether approaching data with a methodology -- or even a theoretical lens -- is counterproductive, especially in qualitative research.
Work Produced: Dr. Wolgemuth asked us to bring data we had gathered previously to serve as a kind of laboratory in which we might experiment with various qualitative methods of research. In my work as director of blended and online learning at a small liberal arts college, I had worked with two professors: one to reimagine her face-to-face course for online teaching/learning, the other to reimagine his online and face-to-face courses for blended or hybrid teaching/learning. We had worked together to document our work, collecting in-the-moment notes, later reflections, before-and-after screen shots, and guided discussion comments. I had already drafted a paper, using a case study approach and linking it to highly-relevant mentoring, but I was interested in how else I might present the data.
- Brief explorations: I used the data to briefly explore a priori coding, both manually and with a couple of different software programs.
- In-depth explorations and analyses: I tried using Wordle to analyze before and after selections of text and using narrative techniques to present the analysis.
- Article on highly-relevant mentoring case study drafted: While I am very interested in further developing a paper on some form of visualization of data in the future, the thinking through of narrative techniques proved to be the most immediately helpful. I have submitted a ready-to-submit draft to my colleagues, and we plan to submit the work to a journal this Fall.
Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods Earned: In July, I submitted the paperwork to have the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods added to my transcript.
ConferenceS Attended
SUMMER 2017: CHILDREN'S LITERATURE ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
Because USF Tampa hosted the 2017 Children's Literature Association Conference, I knew I would be involved in the behind-the-scenes work and chose not to submit a proposal. However, I attended as many sessions as possible, particularly ones about environmental issues and eco-critical approaches to ChYA literature, as I was presenting at an educators' workshop on water sustainability within days of the ChLA Conference ending. Please see the Teaching tab for further information.
SPRING 2018: DISABILITY AWARENESS PANEL DISCUSSION
Part of my work this year at Eckerd College has been to provide logistical and administrative support to the director of Accessible Education Services. In March, the coordinator of Diversity Programs and Multicultural Affairs hosted a panel discussion as part of Disabilities Awareness Week. The panelists were:
Because USF Tampa hosted the 2017 Children's Literature Association Conference, I knew I would be involved in the behind-the-scenes work and chose not to submit a proposal. However, I attended as many sessions as possible, particularly ones about environmental issues and eco-critical approaches to ChYA literature, as I was presenting at an educators' workshop on water sustainability within days of the ChLA Conference ending. Please see the Teaching tab for further information.
SPRING 2018: DISABILITY AWARENESS PANEL DISCUSSION
Part of my work this year at Eckerd College has been to provide logistical and administrative support to the director of Accessible Education Services. In March, the coordinator of Diversity Programs and Multicultural Affairs hosted a panel discussion as part of Disabilities Awareness Week. The panelists were:
- Asher Edelson, a USF student with Tourette’s Syndrome (motor, vocal, and mind tics), who at one point was the Vice President of the Democratic Disability Caucus of Hillsborough County ([email protected])
- Olivia Babis (BAY-bis), a peer mentor with the Suncoast Center for Independent Living in Sarasota and currently a candidate for Florida Senate District 23, was born without arms (congenital double amputee). ([email protected])
- Karen Clay, mother of a 37-year-old man who requires total physical care (born with most severe form of spinal muscular atrophy) but who graduated from high school with a 5.0 GPA. ([email protected])
disability_awareness_panel.032918.pdf | |
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Works In Progress
Book Review due September 1, 2018: Final edited book review (invited) due to The Lion and The Unicorn.
Article submission by September 15, 2018: Final peer-reviewed paper ready for submission to Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, which is the journal in which the article about highly-relevant mentoring was published.
Conference Presentation at SAMLA, November 2-4, 2018: Shauna Maragh (doctoral candidate in College of Arts and Sciences / English / Literature) and I are presenting on the same panel at SAMLA, a regional association of MLA. My presentation is "Disrupting Cultural and Historic Images of Black Childhood: Christopher Paul Curtis's Elijah of Buxton, The Madman of Piney Woods, and The Journey of Little Charlie" for the SAMLA 90 panel on "We Need Diverse Books." The conference will be held in Birmingham, Alabama.
Conference Panel Chair at LRA, November 29, 2018: Technically, this falls under service. But my role as chair in the panel 12 Angry Moms: Positioned Against Ourselves as Parents and Literacy Educators is based on a paper I wrote in 2011 and rewrote and presented at JOLLE in 2015 ("Parents as Disembodied Outcasts in Literacy Education? Blocked, Barred, and Battered by Discourse"). The conference will be held in Indian Palms, California.
Conference Presentation at TQR, January 16-18: I am presenting "Cross-mapping text sets using Microsoft Word tables: First steps on the road to qualitative research" based on the work I did in 2011 mapping department syllabi to the then-new FEAPS. The conference will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Article submission by September 15, 2018: Final peer-reviewed paper ready for submission to Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, which is the journal in which the article about highly-relevant mentoring was published.
Conference Presentation at SAMLA, November 2-4, 2018: Shauna Maragh (doctoral candidate in College of Arts and Sciences / English / Literature) and I are presenting on the same panel at SAMLA, a regional association of MLA. My presentation is "Disrupting Cultural and Historic Images of Black Childhood: Christopher Paul Curtis's Elijah of Buxton, The Madman of Piney Woods, and The Journey of Little Charlie" for the SAMLA 90 panel on "We Need Diverse Books." The conference will be held in Birmingham, Alabama.
Conference Panel Chair at LRA, November 29, 2018: Technically, this falls under service. But my role as chair in the panel 12 Angry Moms: Positioned Against Ourselves as Parents and Literacy Educators is based on a paper I wrote in 2011 and rewrote and presented at JOLLE in 2015 ("Parents as Disembodied Outcasts in Literacy Education? Blocked, Barred, and Battered by Discourse"). The conference will be held in Indian Palms, California.
Conference Presentation at TQR, January 16-18: I am presenting "Cross-mapping text sets using Microsoft Word tables: First steps on the road to qualitative research" based on the work I did in 2011 mapping department syllabi to the then-new FEAPS. The conference will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.