Technology as an electronic mentor: scaffolding preservice teachers in writing effective literacy lesson plans
Abstract
A marked difference in the quality of reading lesson plans after early childhood education students were required to use the Unit Builder feature in a web-based productivity tool (TaskStream) prompted the design of a study to measure significant changes. A rubric was created that meshed the qualities of effective teachers of literacy and the elements of an effective lesson plan. Two researchers independently evaluated 32 lesson plans. Statistically significant differences in quality were found across all nine measures of effectiveness. It was concluded that technology, as a cognitive tool, positively scaffolded students as they learned about lesson planning in a content area and increased the effectiveness of their literacy plans.
Reference
Journal
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
- Southwestern United States
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
Data Analysis Tools
- rubric for data analysis
- t-test
Researcher Positionality
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
To what effect does technology, as a cognitive tool, scaffold the instructional design of lesson plans produced by preservice teachers in an early childhood language and literacy methods course?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Combination