EdTerps at AERA

Topic: Blueprint for Maryland's Future

This study examines Maryland’s Accountability & Implementation Board (AIB); a new governance body enacted to lead & monitor the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future educational law. Using case study methods & Mazzoni’s (1991) arena model as the theoretical framework, we found a gap between the power AIB as demonstrated in legislation and the power of the board leveraged during the first year of governing P-12 education. Despite hopes for innovation and greater educational equity following the formation of the AIB, we found the board’s Executive Director to leverage and wield more power than the board. We found political actors such as the state superintendent to ignore the supervisory powers of the AIB during the first year of implementation.

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom Room 3H
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: Pamela Callahan

Topic: Politics of Education

Navigating ​state ​policy, ​governance ​and ​reform.

Time: 8:00 – 10:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom Room 3H
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenters: Meghan Comstock, Youngsun Lee, Sora Kim

Topic: Data Science Education

Exploring the evolution of high school students’ questions in our Interest-Driven Data Science Curriculum.

Time: 9:50 – 11:20 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 710
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenters: Rotem Israel-Fishelson, Peter Moon, David Weintrop, Yue Xin, Xiaoxue Zhou

Topic: Teacher Self-Efficacy Implementing CT-Infused Elementary Science Lessons

This concurrent triangulation mixed-methods study examined the impact professional development (PD) had on teachers' self-efficacy to implement CT-infused elementary science lessons using Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy: verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, mastery experiences, and physiological and affective states. Data sources for this study included a survey (T-SelECTS), classroom observations, attendance during academic year PD, and focus groups. The results showed that PD sessions influenced teachers' self-efficacy in CT-infused elementary science lessons, although they were not statistically significant. This study contributes to understanding how teachers' self-efficacy changed and the impact self-efficacy had on CT-infused elementary science lessons.

Time: 9:50 – 11:20 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 4 // Table 9
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenters: Ebony Terrell Shockley, Diane Ketelhut, Yue Xin

Topic: Repairing the Harm of Reproductive Hegemonic Leadership in Higher Education: Supporting Women of Color

Despite growing awareness of racial inequities, Women of Color (WOC) remain underrepresented in leadership roles within Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). This systematic literature review addresses this gap by revealing how racialized institutions and leadership practices perpetuate white supremacist and sexist norms, thereby maintaining the subordination of WOC. By applying an intersectional lens to the theory of racialized organizations we found: 1) Burden of multiple identities on WOC in academia; 2) Lack of research regarding WOC in 'colorblind’ academia; 3) IHEs are racialized, gendered, and violent; and 4) reproductive hegemonic leadership harms WOC. To support WOC in IHE’s we propose leaders acknowledge the impact of race on organizations and leadership, listen to WOC, and take action to dismantle existing inequities.

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 4 
Event/session: Roundtable
Presenter: Marisha Addison

Topic: Resisting Curricular Flattenings Through Expansive Literacy Structures and Interventions 

Title: “Well, it’s reading, but it’s writing… but it’s reading…”: Mentor Texts as a Tool Toward Instructional Equity in Elementary Literacy Classrooms.

Time: 1:45 – 3:15 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3 // Table 11
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Kerry Alexander and Rose Cherussery 

Topic: Democratic Participation During Book Challenges

Responding to historical arguments about the decline of local control in American public schools, this study explores if and how school districts are limited because of tension between two concepts of democracy: participatory & deliberative. This study used case studies of library censorship over the inclusion of books with LGBTQIA+ content in 2008 and 2019 to see if either followed the guidance of Pico (1982), both in terms of the categorizations in Justice Brennan’s plurality opinion and in combining participatory and deliberative democracy. Our findings demonstrate that district practices have diverged from the ideals in democratic theory and legal decisions. Therefore we posit an additional reason for the decline of local control: the divergence of theory and practice.

Time: 1:45 – 3:15 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom Room 2B
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenters: Pamela Callahan, Joel Miller, and Neil Dhingra 

Topic: Maintaining Our Critical Racial Compass in Educational Research and Teaching

This is an invited panel for which I am chair and co-moderator with a former UMD graduate, Blake O'Neal Turner. The panelists are Adrienne Dixson, Zeus Leonardo, Leigh Patel, and Justin Coles. They will discuss what it means to uphold and maintain one's critical racial scholarship and teaching, now and beyond.

Time: 3:35 – 5:05 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 708
Event/Session: Symposium/Invited Panel
Presenter: Rossina Zamora Liu

Topic: Developing Youth for Socialist Society (Cuba)

The presentation focuses on the Jose Marti Pioneer Organization (and is part of a session featuring other contributions to the NORRAG Special Issue #10, Education for Societal Transformation).

Time: 3:35 – 5:05 P.M.
Location: Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 112
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Mark Ginsburg

Topic: Queering Belonging: The Lived Experience of Sense of Belonging for LGBQ+ Resident Directors

Description: This phenomenological project used queer theory as a framework to explore the lived experiences of sense of belonging for three LGBQ+ resident directors working at institutions of higher education in the United States. Three major themes emerged as notably different from how sense of belonging has been conceptualized in the literature.

Time: 3:35 – 5:05 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 4 // Table 5
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Pamela Scott

Topic: Giving Life to the Data: A Teacher-Centered Participatory Analysis of Professional Development and Performance

As part of a three-year professional development (PD) experience, current and former classroom teachers and researchers explore using data to inform elementary and middle school teaching practices. The investigators (including the teacher co-researchers) apply a culturally responsive teaching (CRT) and computational thinking (CT) framework to 1) integrate CT and CRT into elementary science and 2) present and discuss teacher performance data relative to the PD’s goals. Together, they confront the researcher-practitioner divide that often minimizes and ignores the unique experiences of teachers. They advocate for researchers and school administrators to be transparent with their data practices, emphasize growth mindsets, and ground data in the contexts where teachers work.

Time: 3:35 – 5:05 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 2 and 3 // Table 10
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenters: Ebony Terrell Shockley, Kristina Kramarczuk, Diane Ketelhut, Yue Xin

Topic: Superintendent Research

In selecting the district’s superintendent, school board members make one of the most consequential decisions about the direction and spending of the district. Yet little is known about the decision-making processes school board members use in selecting a superintendent. Drawing on Mazzoni’s (1991) arena mode, this case study investigates how power is leveraged during a superintendent search process in a suburban school district. In short, this analysis illustrates how for-profit search firms can limit the power and access of school boards and community members to meaningfully participate in the important and political process of selecting a superintendent.

Time: 5:25 – 6:55 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 203
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: Pamela Callahan

Topic: Networked Improvement Communities

Description: This study investigates two Networked Improvement Communities (NICs) —one focused on math reasoning, & one focused on social-emotional learning— organized by the same district-university partnership. Drawing on 59 interviews with Presenters in both NICs over two years, preliminary findings suggest: 1) Presenters at all levels & in both NICs described learning as part of the improvement work; 2) there were enabling factors that Presenters believed enabled the NICs to influence math reasoning; & 3) there was widespread concern over what & how to spread change ideas. As a result, this study has implications for academic and practitioner audiences as NICs are operationalized as an approach for tackling and improving persistent problems of practice in school districts.

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 1
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenters: Pamela Callahan & Christine Neumerski

Topic: Missing the Forest for the Trees: Technology Focus Hinders Teachers' Computational Thinking Implementation

Description: In this qualitative descriptive case study, we describe the challenges a group of teachers faced when integrating computational thinking (CT) into their science lessons after attending a professional development series. Using data from focus groups, lesson observations, and emails we examine how teachers' beliefs, thoughts, and perceptions of CT influence their classroom practices. We use the TPACK framework to echo other studies as we found that teachers conflated CT with technology, leading to reluctance to implement or over-reliance on tech tools. Our findings highlight the need for teachers to leave PD experiences with a clear understanding of CT, independent of the tools that may support CT in the classroom, as misunderstandings may impede the integration of CT in elementary science.

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Exhibit Hall Level // Exhibit Hall F
Event/Session: Poster Session
Presenter: Ebony Terrell Shockley

Topic: Bringing Computational Thinking into Elementary Classrooms through a Robotics-enhanced Mathematics Curriculum

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom Room 2A
Event/Session: Poster Session
Presenters: David Weintrop, Janet Bih Fofang

Topic: Multilingualism

The current dichotomy of many Dual Language Education (DLE) programs hinges on engaging equal groups of students of two linguistic backgrounds in literacy and content instruction through two languages, a partner language (often Spanish) and English. However, this program structure promotes an incomplete view of the student population, which further marginalizes the Black student population who are literate in African American Language and standardized English. Further, understanding that language is inextricably connected to identity, one of the simplest yet most controversial ways to heal Black children in P-12 settings and beyond would be through acknowledging the legitimacy of, teaching about, and encouraging dialogue in African American Language (AAL) in the dual-language classroom. In this systematic literature review, using a critical lens, the intersection of literature discussing AAL and translanguaging was examined, using the historic 1996 Ebonics debate as an entry point and carrying our literature search through 2024. The findings suggest that translanguaging can be effective for all students when their full linguistic repertoires are accessed and honored, there should be no restraints on English that present a native/non-native binary, and Bilingual Education programs must embrace rather than silence Black students. Moreover, the crux of translanguaging and AAL offers a metaphor for the lack of respect and naming of AAL and its conventions and literacies. The implications of the overlooking of this Black Language reality further marginalizes Black multilingual students and their linguistic genius, creating space for linguistic racism and discrimination.

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom 2E
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: Reka C. Barton, Evelyn Nkooyooyo

Topic: When Quantum Physics Meets Laozi: Expanding Beyond the Visible Toward the Cosmic Dao

This paper explores resonances between quantum physics and the contemplative philosophy of Laozi, arguing that while quantum theory helps modern science approach the invisible dimensions of reality, Laozi’s Dao De Jing offers a more holistic cosmology, one that integrates energy, consciousness, spirit, and moral cultivation. Drawing from quantum concepts such as wave-particle duality, entanglement, and observer-dependent reality, the paper reflects on the philosophical implications these discoveries hold for our understanding of the Dao. Laozi’s vision of the universe transcends materialism by pointing toward the invisible, energetic, and moral dimensions that underpin all existence.

Time: 9:50 – 11:20 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 1
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Jing Lin

Topic: Upholding Racial Equity in Higher Education

Description: Leaders of higher education will discuss what it means to uphold racial equity at their institutions; the challenges and the possibilities; how to move forward; role of leadership; importance of collaborations.

Time: 9:50 – 11:20 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 708
Event/session: Invited Speaker Session
Presenters: Kimberly Griffin, Rossina Zamora Liu

Topic: Shifts in Scientific Stance: Changing Judgments about the Plausibility of Competing Explanations

The present study explored middle and high school science students' judgments about the potential truthfulness of scientific explanations (plausibility) and alternative claims. A collection of 1,191 student observations were made during scaffolded science instruction where students evaluated connections between several lines of evidence and alternative explanations about scientific topics of social relevance (e.g., climate change, water resource availability). Our investigation examined  the distribution of pre- to post-instruction changes in plausibility judgment  (i.e., plausibility shift types) by student developmental level and geographic region. Results showed a majority of shifts were toward a more scientific stance. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that geographic region and, to a lesser extent, developmental level significantly associated with plausibility shift types.

Time: 11:40 A.M. – 1:10 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom Room 3B
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: John Robertson

Topic: Leveraging Core Practices to Transform Pedagogies of MLL Teacher Education:  A Collaborative Self-study

Making the entire ecosystem of MLL P-12 teaching and learning more humanizing: Preparation of teacher educators. Preparation of P-12 teachers. Learning experiences of P-12 students.

Time: 11:40 A.M. – 1:40 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 302
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenters: Megan Madigan Peercy, Jessica Crawford, Melanie Hardy-Skeberdis

Topic: Coherent and Equitable Instructional Systems

Session Title: Fostering Equitable, Culturally Responsive Instruction System-Wide: A Multidimensional Examination of Mathematics Education in Four Districts.

Time: 11:40 A.M. – 1:10 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom Room 3F
Event/Session: Symposium
Presenters: Meghan Comstock. Doctoral student: Ditra Backup

Topic: District-Level Equity Leadership

Session Title: Spinning in Circles or Driving Change: The Possibilities and Constraints of Racialized Change and Learning. How district-level equity leaders navigate resistant political environments.

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 404
Event/Session: Symposium
Presenters: Meghan Comstock. Doctoral students: Ditra Backup, Deb Euzebio

Topic: Advancing as Graduate Students or Postdoctoral Fellows to Establish Productive Professional Careers-- Edgar G. Epps Table (Table 9)

The 28th conversation with senior scholars on advancing research and professional development related to black education.

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Mile High Ballroom 2A and 3A
Event/session: Invited Roundtable
Presenter: Kimberly Griffin

Topic: Field-Embedded PLNs (Professional Learning Networks): Shaping Preservice Teachers’ Literacy Instruction and Support for Multilingual Learners

This study examines the impact of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) embedded in field placements on pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) literacy instruction and support for multilingual learners. Using qualitative case study methodology, the research explores how PLNs influence PSTs’ beliefs, instructional practices, and collaborative learning. Data from a final methods course, including Presenter observations, self-reflection, and discussion posts, highlight the benefits of PLNs in fostering reflective practices and professional growth. The findings suggest that PLNs enhance PSTs’ capacity to implement effective literacy strategies, promoting a deeper understanding of teaching multilingual learners. This work informs teacher educators on integrating PLNs into teacher preparation programs to bridge coursework and practical experience.

Time: 8:00 – 9:26 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 4
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Shannon Kane

Topic: Burdening the Marginalized: How College Websites Discuss Developmental Education Policies

A study of the websites of Michigan public institutions to determine how they present information about DevEd.

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 302
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: Younger Oliver 

Topic: Navigating First Year, Exploring the Professional and Social Support Systems for New Teachers

Data were gathered from semi-structured Zoom interviews with 24 first-year K-12 teachers (20 females, three males, one non-binary) in a large and diverse urban school district in northern California during June-July 2021. The Presenters, aged 22-50 (mean age 30), included 21 regular classrooms and three special education teachers. Racial/ethnic backgrounds were 10 Asian/Asian Americans, one Black, five White, seven Hispanic/Latinx, and one biracial. New teachers identified support systems that helped them navigate their first year of teaching. The support systems broadly included two types of support: professional and social. A significant majority of Presenters (95.8%, or 23 out of 24) mentioned professional support, while 83.3% (20 out of 24) reported social support.

Time: 9:50 – 11:20 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Exhibit Hall Level // Exhibit Hall F
Event/Session: Poster Session
Presenters: Yijing Zhang, Chunyan Yang

Topic: Black Women in International Education Leadership

This research explores how Black women in leadership roles within international education, both in the United States and abroad, navigate their minoritized identities in the workplace. It investigates their challenges and strategies to resist marginalization, sustain persistence, and remain motivated in their professional journeys. By examining these experiences, the study seeks to identify specific methods of resilience and empowerment that Black women in these roles use to thrive in often challenging environments. The findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the intersectional dynamics in international educational leadership and offer insights into fostering more inclusive and supportive workplace practices.

Time: 11:40 A.M. – 1:10 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Mile High Ballroom 2A and 3A
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Kelly Marbury

Topic: Engaging With Avatars: A Study of Preservice Teacher Learning in Immersive Field Experiences

Through two courses, redesigned to include assignments where preservice teachers (PSTs) interact with avatars, multiple artifacts were collected of teaching to glean information on PSTs’ learning. Content analyses of PSTs’ teaching plans were completed; written reflections on teaching; utilized an observation protocol during observations and discussions. Preliminary results indicate that PSTs began to hone in on features of planning and teaching more salient to student learning, and have begun to develop a shared vocabulary for discussing teaching in developmental terms.

Time: 11:40 A.M. – 1:10 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 1
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Shannon Kane

Topic: Development of the Pre-service Teacher Competency Scale in an Online Learning Environment: Using Mixed Methods

This study focuses on developing and validating a scale to measure pre-service teacher competency (PTC) in online learning environments. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study identified seven core competencies—such as design/planning, instructional, and technological skills—through literature review and expert input. The final scale includes 11 scenarios and 34 items, with evidence of strong validity and reliability based on data from 579 pre-service teachers.

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 610
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: Hyeonseong Lee

Topic: Perspectives on School Safety

Teachers and students perceptions of school safety in relation to turnover.

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 606
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: Andrew Brantlinger

Topic: Examinations of Policy Across K-16 Contexts~"I feel like I have something to say"

A paper that explores how teachers in D.C. engage in education policy advocacy, the barriers they encounter, the strategies they use to overcome them, and the motivations that drive their continued efforts despite these challenges.

Time: 3:20 – 4:50 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 302
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenter: Kearsetyn V. Bargeron

Topic: Touching Sources, Indwelling Each Other

The panel discusses perspectives from Taoism, Hinduism, African Ubuntu philosophy, ecological perspectives on how education can foster social harmony and connection with nature

Time: 5:10 – 6:40 P.M.
Location: Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 107
Event/Session: Symposium
Presenters: Jing Lin, Deepa Srikantaih, Pascal Pax Andebo, Jung-Hau Chen, and Wuqi Yu

Topic: Evidence-Based Practice for Teaching Writing and Reading and Rethinking the Reading Crisis

Distinguished Scholar Steve Graham, Arizona State University, will be presenting on evidence-based practice for teaching writing; Distinguished Scholar James Kim, Harvard University, will be presenting on rethinking the reading crisis.

Time: 7:00 – 8:30 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Street Level // Room 304
Event/Session: Two Distinguished Scholar Presentations at SIG Business Meeting
Presenter: Wayne Slater

Topic: Detecting Transition Points in the Slope-Intercept Relation in Linear Latent Growth Models: Bayesian Semiparametric Approach

In a linear latent growth model parameterized by intercept (alpha) and slope (beta) factors, those factors’ relation is often of interest. The model typically captures this through their covariance parameter, which inherently assumes linearity in their relation. However, this assumption may not always hold. For instance, alpha and beta might be unrelated below a certain threshold but show a meaningful relation above it. That is, even though individual growth trajectories may follow a linear pattern over time, the relation between alpha and beta can be nonlinear, potentially featuring distinct segments separated by a transition point. To address such relations, the following was proposed: a semiparametric approach that combines Bayesian P-splines for flexible nonlinear modeling with a segmented regression-based transition point detection method. This two-stage analytic approach provides for a more nuanced understanding of alpha-beta relation, including estimation of the transition point where the alpha-beta relation structure fundamentally changes. Simulation results and an empirical data illustration support this approach’s effectiveness within single transition point scenarios, offering deeper insights into aspects of the growth process.

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenters: Dayeon Lee, Gregory R. Hancock

Topic: Histories, Hauntings, and Hard Other Knowledges: Examining the Specters of Research Practice Partnerships Advancing Justice

Paper: Whiteness as a historical actor in community-centered RPPs.

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Terrace Level // Bluebird Ballroom Room 2C
Event/Session: Symposium
Presenter: Kerry Alexander

Topic: Session: Exploring Parent, Child, and Youth Outcomes From Home-School Engagement/ Paper: Collaboration of Korean Immigrant Autistic Youth and Their Siblings for Daily Living Skills Instruction

This session has five papers with the focus on impact of partnership on child outcome, storybook reading in early development, advocacy training program for Chinese parents of autistic children, sibling led daily living skills instruction for Korean autistic youth, and parent-teacher relationship and burnout. Paper abstract: Our study explored sibling-mediated video-based instruction to support autistic youth’s independent living skills using a single case, multiple probe design across three 13-19 year old autistic youth and their 9-15 year old siblings. After two researcher-led zoom training sessions, siblings used video-based instruction with a system of least to most supportive prompts and reinforcement to support their autistic sibling. A visual analysis of the graphed data was conducted to evaluate the trend, level, stability, and immediacy of effect across the three families which demonstrated a functional relation (or positive effect) between the sibling-mediated instruction and autistic youth’s percentage of correct steps to complete their selected independent living skills (e.g., using Excel, wiping the table, loading the dishwasher).

Time: 9:50 – 11:20 A.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 113
Event/Session: Paper Session
Presenters: Veronica Kang, Tvisha Vyas, Gulnoza Yakubova, Shehzad Iqbal Awasi, Melody Mann

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Middle-Level Teacher Preparation: Trends and New Directions

We reviewed the literature and posed questions related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment as part of the updated Middle Level Educational Research SIG’s research agenda (Brinegar et al., in press). Then, we engaged in a literature review to identify themes in recent research (2015 - present) and to propose directions for future scholarship. We draw on previous scholarship to propose new directions for possible research foci, contexts, and methodologies. We organize our recommendations holistically as curriculum, instruction, and assessment are intertwined. Throughout, we emphasize signature pedagogies (Previts et al., 2013; Shulman, 2005) of teacher education at the middle level.

Time: 11:40 A.M. – 1:10 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Ballroom Level // Four Seasons Ballroom 2 and 3 // Table 4
Event/Session: Roundtable
Presenter: Ebony Terrell Shockley

Topic: Elevating Black Girlhood Through Visual Methodology: Arts-Based Research As A Lens for Seeing Black Girls

With the hypervisibility that Black girls face in the US, more specifically in their educational experiences, visual methodologies offer a possibility of elevating Black girlhood. Visual methods can offer multiple modalities for girls to express their truths fully. Multimodal research allows for greater expression of complex emotions, experiences, and nuances of structured life opportunities shaped by gendered-racial bias. This chapter unpacks the offerings and importance of embedding visual-based methodologies into research for and with Black girls using three tenets of Ruth Nicole Brown's Creative Potential of Black Girlhood framework. This framework was also used as the analysis of selfies - photographs and drawn self-portraits - by young Black girls. The findings suggest that by offering visual and multimodal space that is constructed with Black girls we are able to see their truths, and learn more about their lived experiences. By engaging visuals as a standard part of research practices, Black girls can be the illustrators of their own worlds, which offers a more holistic view of the complexities of Black girlhood. This study calls for an urgency to disrupt traditional research methods and advocates for the use of visual methodologies for a stronger possibility of elevating Black girlhood in educational studies.

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 P.M.
Location: Colorado Convention Center // Meeting Room Level // Room 402
Event/Session: Panel Discussion
Presenter: Reka C. Barton