Co-Principal Investigators: Dimino, Joseph; Jayanthi, Madhavi

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the Teacher Study Group (TSG) professional development on observed teaching practice and on academic vocabulary knowledge of English learners. The TSG approach will be tested when implemented with eighth-grade teachers in low-achieving Title I schools, within the context of the social studies curriculum.

Project Activities: The initial steps for the project include recruitment, random assignment to condition (TSG or no TSG), and training the relevant personnel to implement the intervention. Researchers will collect data 3-4 weeks prior to the start of the intervention. During the intervention, researchers will examine fidelity of implementation, and will make any necessary adjustments to the implementation protocol. In addition, researchers will collect observational data relevant to the outcomes during the intervention period. The final round of data collection for each year will occur 3-4 weeks after the end of the intervention. The research team will enter and analyze data throughout the project, with dissemination activities occurring primarily during Year 4 of the project.

Products: The results from this study will provide evidence of the TSG intervention's potential to be effective at improving the academic vocabulary of English learners, which is a recommended area of instructional focus in the recently released IES Practice Guide on English learners. The study will also provide evidence on TSG implementation at the middle school level, where school culture and teacher dynamics tend to be markedly different from that of an elementary setting, where the TSG has been implemented and tested in prior research. Researchers will also produce peer-reviewed conference presentations and journal manuscripts.

Structured Abstract

Setting: This project will take place in eighth-grade classrooms in middle schools in urban school districts in California.

Sample: The sample for the study consists of 186 eighth-grade teachers of American history and their students in 62 Title 1 middle schools from urban districts in California, with at least 10% of the student body being English language learners. The intended number of students for the study is 4,650, with a subsample of an estimated 1,488 English learners.

Intervention: The fully developed Teacher Study Group (TSG) intervention is a concentrated professional development effort designed to improve teaching practice in order to produce increases in student academic vocabulary outcomes. Providing rich, in-depth vocabulary instruction, the TSG has been designed for teachers in high poverty, Title I schools, with a wide range of learners, including linguistically diverse learners from various ethnic backgrounds. The TSG intervention consists of 10 interactive sessions, which take place twice each month from October to March. Each session lasts 75 minutes. During the sessions, a five-phase recursive process is instituted: (1) Debrief Previous Application of the Research, (2) Discuss the Focus Research Concept, (3) Compare the Focus Research Concept with Practice, (4) Plan Collaboratively, and (5) Assignment. The goal of the TSG is to enhance instruction by helping teachers integrate research-based instructional strategies into their existing curriculum.

Research Design and Methods: The study uses a multi-site cluster randomized trial, with schools being randomly assigned to conditions within districts. There are two conditions: receiving the TSG intervention or not receiving the TSG intervention. The research team will administer pretest measures 3–4 weeks prior to the beginning of the intervention. Researchers will collect various measures during the intervention period, and collect posttest measures 3–4 weeks after the intervention is finished. Schools will be sampled in yearly cohorts of 20 (Year 1) or 21 (each of Years 2 and 3). In Year 4, researchers will analyze the data, and the research team will work to publish the results.

Control Condition: Teachers in the control condition will not receive the TSG intervention, but they may, per business-as-usual practices, end up receiving professional development from some other source during the study period.

Key Measures: Among the many instruments used in the study, researchers will use the Observation Measure for Vocabulary Instruction to measure observed teaching practice, and the Assessment of Social Studies Knowledge (ASK): Academic Vocabulary subtest to measure the primary student outcome. Researchers will use additional student and teacher measures, such as the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Vocabulary test and the Academic Word Mastery test, to test the effect of the intervention on other aspects of teaching and learning.

Data Analytic Strategy: Researchers will use two-level multilevel modeling to address the primary research questions regarding teacher outcomes and student outcomes. Multilevel models with random slopes will be used to test for potential moderator variables.

Related IES Funded Projects: Teacher Quality Study: An Investigation of the Impact of Teacher Study Groups as a Means to Enhance The Quality of Reading Instruction for First Graders in High Poverty Schools in Two States (R305M030052); Impact of Teacher Study Groups as Observed Teaching Practice and Student Vocabulary Knowledge: A Multi-Site Randomized Control Trial in First Grade (R305A090294).