Research Symposium

BIO

I am a second-year student at Florida State University from Daytona Beach, Florida. I intend on pursuing a career in Law after my time in Tallahassee is over.

Educational Privatization and School-Choice: Implications for Inclusion

Abstract

This research explores the question: “What are the effects of practice-based coaching, delivered via text messaging to support fidelity of scaffolding implementation, on paraprofessionals' use of scaffolding strategies during shared book reading?”. Paraprofessionals in early childhood classrooms often lack access to effective professional development. Practice-based coaching is a promising approach to train them in implementing scaffolded conversations, which supports evidence-based literacy practices. Shared book reading is an effective method for developing oral language skills, like speaking and listening, which improves language comprehension in preschoolers. The method involves baseline readings where paraprofessionals ask their students five sets of questions, without guidance on effective use. After this, an intervention stage introduces how to scaffold conversations. Paraprofessionals then practice these strategies in subsequent readings. Following a few days without readings, they are observed in the classroom to assess if their use of scaffolding has improved. The research assistant role includes preparing materials for the books, coding text messages to ensure fidelity in coaching, and testing the intervention slides and presentation. In addition, coding fidelity for audio recordings of both the readings and the intervention training, ensures adherence to research guidelines. The expected results are that the paraprofessionals will improve their use of scaffolding strategies because of the text message coaching. This will likely enhance their ability to support student comprehension and provide evidence-based tools for improving their teaching effectiveness.

Keywords: education, privatization, equity