Margaret Blanchard
North Carolina State University
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Publication
Featured researches published by Margaret Blanchard.
Frontiers in Psychology | 2011
Jason W. Osborne; Margaret Blanchard
Research in the social sciences often relies upon the motivation and goodwill of research participants (e.g., teachers, students) to do their best on low stakes assessments of the effects of interventions. Research participants who are unmotivated to perform well can engage in random responding on outcome measures, which can cause substantial mis-estimation of results, biasing results toward the null hypothesis. Data from a recent educational intervention study served as an example of this problem: participants identified as random responders showed substantially lower scores than other participants on tests during the study, and failed to show growth in scores from pre- to post-test, while those not engaging in random responding showed much higher scores and significant growth over time. Furthermore, the hypothesized differences across instructional method were masked when random responders were retained in the sample but were significant when removed. We remind researchers in the social sciences to screen their data for random responding in their outcome measures in order to improve the odds of detecting effects of their interventions.
International Journal of Science Education | 2010
Tracie M. Addy; Margaret Blanchard
Reform‐minded practices are widely encouraged during pre‐service science teacher education in concert with national reform documents. This contrasts to the nature of instruction within university science laboratories in which pre‐service teachers enrol, which are largely confirmatory in nature. Undergraduate science laboratories are taught predominantly by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) with minimal teacher preparation. The purpose of this mixed‐methods study is to investigate the instructional practices and teacher beliefs of eight GTAs at a university with very high research activity who completed a reform‐minded Teacher Certificate Programme, asking: What are their beliefs about teaching? How are their practices described? Do their beliefs and practices differ from one another? Do their teaching beliefs correspond with their practices? Findings indicate that GTAs held moderately reform‐minded “transitional” beliefs of teaching following the programme, yet displayed fairly traditional instruction. Cross‐case findings highlight similar patterns across subscales of the RTOP that draw attention to underlying constraints of the laboratory curriculum structure. We suggest that GTA professional development is best undertaken concurrent with laboratory course revision.
Educational Researcher | 2016
Margaret Blanchard; Catherine E. LePrevost; A. Dell Tolin; Kristie Gutierrez
This 3-year, mixed-methods study investigated the effects of teacher technology-enhanced professional development (TPD) on 20 teachers’ beliefs and practices. Teachers in two middle schools located in neighboring rural, high-poverty districts in the southeastern United States participated in reform-based lessons and learned how to integrate technologies into their teaching over three summers and throughout the school year. Mathematics and science assessment scores for 2,321 students both with and without TPD teachers were analyzed over the 3 years of teacher TPD. Teachers’ reform-based teaching beliefs and their comfort using new technologies increased significantly, and all of the teachers integrated the use of technologies into their instruction. Although some TPD teachers used technology in ways that transformed their roles and classroom practices, the majority of the teachers adopted technology in ways that improved efficiency and effectiveness. African American students who had more TPD teachers over more years experienced significant gains on end-of-grade mathematics and science tests. Findings suggest that if teachers integrate technology into their instruction, large-scale changes in teachers’ practices are not necessary to enhance students’ learning, particularly for African American students.
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | 2013
Catherine E. LePrevost; Julia F. Storm; Margaret Blanchard; Cesar Asuaje; W. Gregory Cope
The working and living environments of farmworkers put them and their families at risk for pesticide exposure and, consequently, immediate and long-term health effects. In this study, visual materials for a pesticide toxicology safety and health curriculum were constructed by engaging farmworkers in various stages of symbol development. Twenty-seven farmworkers in two states participated in this descriptive case study through focused small group discussions and interviews. Our findings support the importance of vivid and realistic symbols, the effectiveness of a traffic-light symbol in communicating technical information to farmworkers, and the need to engage low-literacy end-users in the production of educational materials. This work informs the development of curricula for other vulnerable populations pertaining to a variety of health-related topics, as well as discussions surrounding regulatory proposals to revise the United States Worker Protection Standard.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | 2011
Catherine E. LePrevost; Margaret Blanchard; W. Gregory Cope
Recent media attention has focused on the risks that agricultural pesticides pose to the environment and human health; thus, these topics provide focal areas for scientists and science educators to enhance public understanding of basic toxicology concepts. This study details the development of a quantitative inventory to gauge pesticide risk beliefs. The goal of the inventory was to characterize misconceptions and knowledge gaps, as well as expert-like beliefs, concerning pesticide risk. This study describes the development and field testing of the Pesticide Risk Beliefs Inventory with an important target audience: pesticide educators in a southeastern U.S. state. The 19-item, Likert-type inventory was found to be psychometrically sound with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.780 and to be a valuable tool in capturing pesticide educators’ beliefs about pesticide risk, assessing beliefs in four key categories. The Pesticide Risk Beliefs Inventory could be useful in exploring beliefs about pesticide risks and in guiding efforts to address misconceptions held by a variety of formal and informal science learners, educators, practitioners, the agricultural labor force, and the general public.
Science Education | 2010
Margaret Blanchard; Sherry A. Southerland; Jason W. Osborne; Victor Sampson; Leonard A. Annetta; Ellen M. Granger
Science Education | 2009
Margaret Blanchard; Sherry A. Southerland; Ellen M. Granger
Journal of Research in Science Teaching | 2012
Victor Sampson; Margaret Blanchard
Research in Science Education | 2014
Meredith W. Kier; Margaret Blanchard; Jason W. Osborne; Jennifer Albert
Research in Science Education | 2011
Sherry A. Southerland; Scott Sowell; Margaret Blanchard; Ellen M. Granger