College of Education and Human Development - George Mason University

Literacy Scholarship at Mason is Well Represented at LRA

November 26, 2013

Literacy scholarship at George Mason University is well represented by more than 60 faculty and student presentations next week at the Literacy Research Association (LRA) conference.

Widely considered the most important research conference in the field, LRA is a barometer for gauging the depth and recognition of literacy research at Mason. Acceptance of presentation proposals is competitive, with each receiving a masked review by at least three peer reviewers.

Students on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. Photo by Creative Services.

The 29 Mason faculty members and students whose presentations were accepted for the conference are listed below. The list reveals the Literacy and Reading program's strong research interest in literacy in the content areas, the literacy of English language learners, and the teaching of early writing. A major presentation is on the "Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School."

The Literacy and Reading program is part of the Graduate School of Education, a school within Mason's College of Education and Human Development. The program continues to adapt and grow in stature, and now offers a new online hybrid master's degree program for experienced teachers called "Literacy Leadership for Diverse Schools: K-12 Reading Specialist." Taught by the same faculty and instructors who teach on-campus graduate literacy courses at Mason, the hybrid program is available for enrollment by individual teachers and is also available on a discounted contract basis to schools, divisions, and other organizations that wish to offer this advanced professional development opportunity for 15 or more individuals on a customized schedule. Please contact us at cehd@gmu.edu for details.

 


 

George Mason University presenters at the Literacy Research Association conference:

Jori Beck

  • "It’s Just Something About the Past": Students’ Perceptions of Reading and Learning in Social Studies
  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers

Athene Bell

  • Fostering the Writing Resilience of Adolescent English Language Learners

Michelle Buehl

Michelle M. Buehl, PhD, is an associate professor and member of the Educational Psychology faculty.

  • Motivational and Language Predictors of Growth in Reading Comprehension for ELLs and English Speakers
  • The Development of the Content Area Literacy Teaching Practice Protocol
  • "It’s Just Something About the Past": Students’ Perceptions of Reading and Learning in Social Studies
  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers

Susan Burns

M. Susan Burns, PhD, is a professor of education and member of the Early Childhood Education and Human Development and Family Science faculty.

  • Writing Research Study Group: Early Writing and Teachers of Early Writers

Rebecca Caufman

  • Discourse to Develop Science Vocabulary: Context and Content
  • Self-study of teacher education practices as a methodology: Learning what and how to ask others by studying yourself
  • Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School

Fahima Choudhry

  • Literacy Strategies and Inquiry in Social Studies
  • Transformative Literacy: A Historical Perspective on People, Events & Practices that Have Shaped the Present

Nedra Cossa

  • Preservice Teachers' Changing Perceptions and Knowledge of Young Children's Writing

Stephanie Dodman

Stephanie Dodman, PhD, is an assistant professor and member of the Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning faculty.

  • Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School

Karen Doheney

  • A World of Information: Using Informational Texts to Promote Comprehension in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade
  • Transformative Literacy: A Historical Perspective on People, Events & Practices that Have Shaped the Present

Marriam Ewaida

  • Picturing English language learners’ and pre-service teachers’ perspectives on literacy: Intersections and tensions to inform our pedagogies and curricula
  • Fostering the Writing Resilience of Adolescent English Language Learners
  • Youth As Sources of Literacy Equity: Using Photographs to Help Adolescents Make Sense of School, Injustice, and Their Lives
  • Transformative Literacy: A Historical Perspective on People, Events & Practices that Have Shaped the Present

Melissa Gallagher

  • Motivational and Language Predictors of Growth in Reading Comprehension for ELLs and English Speakers

Katina Kearney

  • Transformative Literacy: A Historical Perspective on People, Events & Practices that Have Shaped the Present

Julie Kidd

Julie Kidd, EdD, is an associate professor and the academic coordinator for the Early Childhood Education program.

  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers
  • Diversity Issues in Literacy Teacher Education: Results of a U.S. Survey
  • Writing Research Study Group: Early Writing and Teachers of Early Writers

Kimberly Kopfman

  • How do ninth-grade students work through online lessons in a World History class?

Leslie La Croix

  • The Development of Teachers’ Visions Over Time
  • Preservice Teachers' Changing Perceptions and Knowledge of Young Children's Writing

David Lojkovic

  • Preservice Teachers' Changing Perceptions and Knowledge of Young Children's Writing

Megan Lynch

  • Fostering the Writing Resilience of Adolescent English Language Learners

Swati Mehta

  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers

Sydney Merz

  • Dual language learning and early childhood literacy development in the United States: What the research tells us
  • Do They See Themselves as Readers? Profiles of Preservice Physical Education Teachers’ Reading Habits and their Visions for Teaching Literacy
  • Transformative Literacy: A Historical Perspective on People, Events & Practices that Have Shaped the Present

Joanna Newton

  • The Vocabulary Gap: A Review of the Research on Socio-economic Status and Vocabulary Development

Katherine Tucker Nutt

  • Reading Intervention Research Directed at Improving Reading Comprehension in Elementary School Students: A Synthesis

Allison Ward-Parsons

Allison Ward-Parsons, PhD, is an assistant professor and academic coordinator for the Literacy and Reading program.

  • Discussant- How Teachers Respond to Literacy in the Disciplines
  • Discourse to Develop Science Vocabulary: Context and Content
  • Opening Our Minds: Literacy Teacher Educators Engage in an Online Book Club to Improve Our Practice
  • Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School

Seth Parsons

Seth Parsons, PhD, is an assistant professor and member of the Elementary Education and Literacy and Reading faculty.

  • The Development of Teachers’ Visions Over Time
  • Do They See Themselves as Readers? Profiles of Preservice Physical Education Teachers’ Reading Habits and their Visions for Teaching Literacy
  • Opening Our Minds: Literacy Teacher Educators Engage in an Online Book Club to Improve Our Practice
  • Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School

Melissa Pierczynski

  • The Development of Teachers’ Visions Over Time
  • Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School
  • What Specialized Literacy Professionals View as Essential to Their Success

Erin Ramirez

  • The Development of the Content Area Literacy Teaching Practice Protocol
  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers
  • Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School

Leila Richey

  • The Development of the Content Area Literacy Teaching Practice Protocol
  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers
  • Do They See Themselves as Readers? Profiles of Preservice Physical Education Teachers’ Reading Habits and their Visions for Teaching Literacy
  • Discussant- Supporting Students' Literacy Learning
  • Collaborative Advancement of Reading Education (CARE): A Longitudinal Literacy Professional Development Project in a High-Needs, Urban Elementary School

Elizabeth Sturtevant

Elizabeth Sturtevant, PhD, is a professor of education and division director for Elementary, Literacy, and Secondary Education.

  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers
  • How do ninth-grade students work through online lessons in a World History class?
  • History of Literacy Instruction: Courses (In: Transformative Literacy: A Historical Perspective on People, Events & Practices that Have Shaped the Present)
  • What Specialized Literacy Professionals View as Essential to Their Success

Ana Taboada

Ana Taboada Barber, PhD, is an associate professor and member of the Literacy and Reading faculty.

  • Motivational and Language Predictors of Growth in Reading Comprehension for ELLs and English Speakers
  • Literacy in Social Studies: Impact of Cognitive and Motivational Variables on the Reading Comprehension of ELLs and English-Only Speakers
  • The Development of the Content Area Literacy Teaching Practice Protocol
  • "It’s Just Something About the Past": Students’ Perceptions of Reading and Learning in Social Studies

Kristien Zenkov

Kristien Zenkov, PhD, is an associate professor and member of the Secondary Education faculty.

  • Picturing English language learners’ and pre-service teachers’ perspectives on literacy: Intersections and tensions to inform our pedagogies and curricula
  • Fostering the Writing Resilience of Adolescent English Language Learners
  • Youth As Sources of Literacy Equity: Using Photographs to Help Adolescents Make Sense of School, Injustice, and Their Lives

 


About CEHD

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the largest teacher preparation and education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a comprehensive range of degrees, certificates, courses, and licensure programs on campus, online, and on site. The college is distinguished by faculty who encourage new ways of thinking and pioneering research supported by more than $75 million in funding over the past five years.

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