Papers by Margaret Vaughn
Theory Into Practice, 2020
In this article, research tracing the historical progression of agency within recent educational ... more In this article, research tracing the historical progression of agency within recent educational reforms and empirical research from a variety of classrooms (geographic regions and grade levels) is discussed to document the power of agency across contexts. This article aims to propose a collaborative way of thinking about student agency from across the literature and provides insight into how to promote agency in classrooms today. A main focus is placed on examining structures and supports conducive to supporting student agency.
Theory Into Practice, 2020
This culminating article synthesizes the collection of articles to discuss conceptualizations of ... more This culminating article synthesizes the collection of articles to discuss conceptualizations of student agency across contexts. Themes that exist across the collection of articles include agency as multidimensional, agency as a navigational tool, and agency as advocacy. In this concluding article, ideas from across the articles are presented to define and describe student agency and identify the benefits that come from agency in schools. A focus is examining where to from here with implications for educators, administrators, teacher educators, researchers, and policy makers on ways to cultivate student agency in classrooms today.
Reading Psychology, 2020
A one-size-fits-all model of instruction cannot provide equitable access to education for all stu... more A one-size-fits-all model of instruction cannot provide equitable access to education for all students. Research demonstrates that thoughtfully changing instruction to support student learning during a lesson, known as adaptive teaching, is an important component of effective literacy instruction. To understand this dynamic dimension of effective instruction, our research team created an observation protocol to capture different adaptations made by literacy teachers, as described in the extant literature. This manuscript focuses on the development and refinement of the Adaptive Teaching Observation Protocol (ATOP), an instrument designed to enhance research and professional development.
Educational Review, 2020
Supporting students’ mathematical proficiency requires teachers to continuously adapt their instr... more Supporting students’ mathematical proficiency requires teachers to continuously adapt their instruction in response to their students’ instructional needs. To explore what it means to be an adaptive teacher, we conducted a literature review spanning from 1975–2014 of adaptive teaching in mathematics. Using 24 search terms in three databases, we identified 19 articles that met our inclusion criteria. Findings reiterated findings of a previous literature review regarding the importance of: (a) a stimulus, or something to which the teacher must attend; (b) teacher metacognition and reflection, or interpretation and analysis; and (c) teacher action, or response. Additional findings highlighted the importance in mathematics education research to look closely at: (a) how curricula can serve as stimuli aiding adaptive teaching practices; (b) the idea that the teacher reflects directly on the student stimuli, the learning trajectory, or her own actions; and (c) additional teacher responses, including orchestrating classroom discourse, modifying curricular materials, or selecting teaching aids.
The Reading Teacher, 2019
Student agency is an important dimension of classroom literacy learning. Recent calls have emphas... more Student agency is an important dimension of classroom literacy learning. Recent calls have emphasized the need to support student agency in literacy. Despite this interest, the field lacks a viable instrument that can be used to measure student agency with elementary students. The authors share the Student Agency Profile, a survey instrument that can measure student agency in literacy contexts. The authors provide insight into the validation process, which included 1,794 elementary students, and direction on how to administer, score, and interpret results. A central aim is to show how the survey can be used in practice while supporting teachers in their efforts to cultivate student agency in today's diverse classrooms.
Journal of Teacher Action Research, 2019
The purpose of this action research study was to explore students’ attitudes toward writing instr... more The purpose of this action research study was to explore students’ attitudes toward writing instruction during the implementation of a literacy project focused on authentic tasks. Data included student surveys, interviews, assessment data, observational teacher notes, and recorded teacher and student sessions. Using qualitative analysis, findings reveal the process by which authentic literacy opportunities during writing instruction supported the sophistication of student discourse in writing, attitudes and perceptions, and an awareness of students’ literacy skills. Implications for practice and future research are discussed as a way to support and empower teachers and students.
Reading Psychology, 2019
Adaptive teaching is considered a cornerstone of effective literacy teaching. Research has explor... more Adaptive teaching is considered a cornerstone of effective literacy teaching. Research has explored this dynamic aspect of classroom instruction and has found that given recent educational reform efforts implementing adaptive teaching during reading instruction has been particularly difficult. This study examined a yearlong inquiry of teacher adaptability during reading instruction across six classrooms in two school districts in the Pacific Northwest. Guided by theories of social constructivism and teacher metacognition, data analysis occurred in multiple phases to understand teacher adaptations and rationales for adaptations. Analysis yielded specific adaptations during reading instruction consistent with explicit instruction and rationales reflective of students’ instructional needs. Findings contribute to the literature on adaptive teaching.
Action in Teacher Education, 2019
Scholars suggest that through visioning preservice teachers can imagine their ideal classroom and... more Scholars suggest that through visioning preservice teachers can imagine their ideal classroom and construct instructional practices aligned with their knowledge of effective pedagogy. However, less is known about the relationship between preservice teachers’ visions and their personal ideologies and histories. During the semester, preservice teachers were asked to engage in autoethnographic processes to examine their histories, beliefs, and experiences. With a cross-case narrative design, a dialogic analysis was used to explore the how and why of preservice teachers’ visions on critical literacy teaching. Discussion focuses on the need to provide spaces within courses for students to explore their histories and articulate practical ways to live-out critical pedagogical visions in their future classrooms.
Parsons, S.A., Vaughn, M., Scales, R., Gallagher, M., Davis,S., & Ward-Parsons, A. (2018) Teachers’ instructional adaptations: A research synthesis. Review of Educational Research. 88 (2), 205-242. Review of Educational Research, 2018
Parsons, S.A., Vaughn, M., Bruyning, A., & Daoud, N. (2017). Teaching, visioning, and hope: A longitudinal study of one teacher’s vision. In N.P. Gallavan, & L. G. Putney (Eds). Action in Teacher Education Yearbook XXVI (pp.21-36). Action in Teacher Education Yearbook, 2017
Journal of Literacy Practice and Research, 2017
Theory Into Practice, 2016
Given today's educational context, educators are rarely viewed as knowledgeable decision makers, ... more Given today's educational context, educators are rarely viewed as knowledgeable decision makers, especially in rural contexts where there are few resources for professional development. However, action research has long been characterized as a way to engage in reflective practice while providing a forum for educators to share their knowledge of effective, research-based instruction. Therefore, this paper seeks to explore the ways in which eight rural educators understand their roles and knowledge gained from conducting year-long action research projects. Findings demonstrate that participants reported a shift in their roles as educators, an increased understanding of the benefit of incorporating a researcher lens, and an enhanced sense of responsibility for meeting the unique needs of their students and rural communities. In particular, the paper highlights the need in today's educational climate for teachers to engage in reflection, which can be supported through action research.
Alberta Journal of Educational Research
Scholars contend that effective teachers adapt their instruction to meet the particular needs of ... more Scholars contend that effective teachers adapt their instruction to meet the particular needs of each student. However, little research has studied the ways in which teachers adapt their instruction or their reflections on these adaptations. This article describes a yearlong multiple case study focused on two teachers from different contexts: a Kindergarten teacher in a rural school in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and a sixth-grade teacher in a suburban school in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This research replicates previous studies of adaptive teaching. Two researchers used classroom observations, post-observation interviews, and artefacts to document these teachers' instructional adaptations and their reflections on these adaptations. Findings demonstrate the complexity of classroom instruction and the metacognitive processes teachers need to succeed in this complex environment. This study has implications for policy, teacher education, an...
Reading Teacher, 2016
Adaptive teaching is an educational approach in which the differences between learners—cognitive ... more Adaptive teaching is an educational approach in which the differences between learners—cognitive or otherwise—are clearly recognized. In this research, we share findings of adaptive teachers across our research studies spanning the past decade. We closely examine episodes from a series of classroom interactions in an attempt to understand the situational and instructional characteristics undergirding teacher adaptability. Our aim is to support practicing teachers through an adaptive lens as they negotiate literacy instruction in today’s diverse classroom spaces.
This research describes a semester-long critical literature unit taught as a means to engage rura... more This research describes a semester-long critical literature unit taught as a means to engage rural pre-service teachers
(n=24) in discussions of those unlike themselves and to support understandings of how to conduct effective
literacy instruction through the use of literature circles. Findings highlight the ways in which pre-service teachers
discussed and negotiated understandings of critical issues of gender, race, culture, and social class during discussions.
Implications for practice and teacher preparation are discussed.
This cross-case qualitative study draws on poststructural notions of identity to explore the rela... more This cross-case qualitative study draws on poststructural notions of identity to explore the relationship between multimodal literacies of young children and their becoming identities. Although research focuses on the products or texts of multiliteracies, more research is needed to examine shifting identities in the process of students creating. This study uses mediated discourse analysis to analyse interactions across one school year in a kindergarten (five- and six-year-olds) and a second-grade (seven- and eight-year-olds) classroom. Four insights are discussed across cases: (1) understanding and recognition of shifting identities, (2) the children becoming and doing teacher, (3) being a multimodal visionary and (4) living as a mentor designer and teacher. Insights highlight a ‘multimodal as agency’ stance, suggesting that through the process of creating multimodal forms of literacy, positions were instantiated and identities were re/negotiated. We encourage early childhood educators to create multimodal curricular spaces to facilitate young children’s agency and becoming identities.
This study illustrates the need for classroom instruction to support student agency. Given the i... more This study illustrates the need for classroom instruction to support student agency. Given the increased demands of a competitive, global society, today’s educators must provide instruction that builds upon this important yet elusive construct. When students act on their sense of agency, they take action and initiate the direction of the instructional situation. When teachers recognize and build upon student inquiries, spaces to foster student agency develop. Using classroom vignettes, of a fourth grade classroom, student agency is explored through instructional actions and discourse. Findings suggest that a central aspect of student agency is the ability for students to take the initiative and to act upon their understandings. However, as evidenced by the teacher in this study, promoting student agency is a challenging and complex task. Practical implications and future research is discussed.
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Papers by Margaret Vaughn
(n=24) in discussions of those unlike themselves and to support understandings of how to conduct effective
literacy instruction through the use of literature circles. Findings highlight the ways in which pre-service teachers
discussed and negotiated understandings of critical issues of gender, race, culture, and social class during discussions.
Implications for practice and teacher preparation are discussed.
(n=24) in discussions of those unlike themselves and to support understandings of how to conduct effective
literacy instruction through the use of literature circles. Findings highlight the ways in which pre-service teachers
discussed and negotiated understandings of critical issues of gender, race, culture, and social class during discussions.
Implications for practice and teacher preparation are discussed.