MSU College of Education scholars publish findings in numerous peer-reviewed publications every year. Each makes an important contribution to the literature, to the field and to practitioners, decision-makers and other stakeholders. In the following pages, find selected publications from our faculty. Many examples highlighted also feature collaborative efforts from College of Education students at the time of this magazine’s printing (denoted by an asterisk, *) or alums (denoted by two asterisks, **).
The selected publications are shared alphabetically by department.
Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education
How to support student writing development, motivation and achievement
Heqiao Weng** and Professor Gary A. Troia
Helping students learn how to write (and to be excited about doing so) can be complex. MSU scholars used a model to learn about the relationships between student motivation, teacher personal/professional traits, writing instruction and writing achievement at the student and teacher levels. Their findings show the importance of effective instructional practices for writing development in grade-school settings.
Wang, H. and Troia, G. A. (2023) “How students’ writing motivation, teachers’ personal and professional attributes, and writing instruction impact student writing achievement: a two-level hierarchical linear modeling study.” Frontiers in Psychology (14). DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1213929
How school climates can impact a students’ hope and motivation
Ersie-Anastasia Gentzis and Associate Professor Dante D. Dixson
Previous research has found that school climate is important for student outcomes. Fewer studies have examined a school climate and its impact on achievement — and hope and motivation — across time. In this study, MSU scholars found detailed ways in which school climate contributes to a students’ perception of school, and therefore their achievement.
Gentzis, E. A., & Dixson, D. D. (2023). “How School Climate Relates to Other Psychosocial Perceptions and Academic Achievement across the School Year.” School Psychology Review, 1–18. DOI:10.1080/2372966X.2023.2261835
Can an app improve disability employment?
Assistant Professor Hung Jen Kuo, Sarah George and Janonne Reynolds
This study, which brings together an MSU scholar with external partners Peckham, Inc. and New Horizons Rehabilitation Services, Inc., examined if a particular software could improve the feasibility and efficacy of finding employment for individuals with disabilities. Though this is a preliminary study, the results are promising.
Kuo, H. J., George, S., & Reynolds, J. (2023). “Promoting disability employment with avail® – a pilot study for feasibility and preliminary efficacy.” Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 19(5), 1899–1906. DOI:10.1080/17483107.2023.2249502
Informed inclusion: Supporting English language learners
Elizabeth Snyder** and Associate Professor Sara Witmer
MSU scholars examined elementary teachers’ perspectives including English language learners in multi-tiered systems of support. This approach to instructional support, when implemented effectively, has shown to improve academic outcomes for English learners. The study explored what practices were common and what may help improve the quality of inclusion.
Snyder, E., & Witmer, S. E. (2024). “Including English learners in multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in reading: A CHAT-informed mixed methods investigation.” Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 1–11. DOI:10.1080/1045988X.2024.2302145
Department of Educational Administration
The connections between educational educations and urban marginalization
Professor and Interim Associate Dean Amita Chudgar, Janisha Chavda**, Vanika Grover** and Shota Hatakeyama**
Focusing on Mumbai, India, scholars highlighted the direct, profound implications of urban marginalization on educational decisions by examining it through the lived experiences of families. The study explores their wide-ranging experiences across public, private and aided schools, and points to the critical lens discourse should take on urban poverty decision-making.
Chudgar, A., Chavda, J., Grover, V., & Hatakeyama, S. (2023). “Educational decisions in the context of urban marginalisation in Mumbai, India.” Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 1–19. DOI:10.1080/03057925.2023.2292511
What factors contribute to the “imposter phenomenon” in U.S. doctoral students?
Assistant Professor Sara Bano and Cailen O’Shea
While other studies exist on the “imposter phenomenon” as it relates to specific demographics, this study adds to the literature by examining factors that contribute to someone experiencing the phenomenon in the first place. Its findings could have implications for higher education students nationwide.
Bano, S. and O’Shea, C. (2023). “Factors Contributing to Imposter Phenomenon in Doctoral Students: A US-Based Qualitative Study.” International Journal of Doctoral Studies (18), 251–269. DOI:10.28945/5195
The power of storytelling on policy
Ariell Rose Bertrand*, Melissa Arnold Lyon and Professor Rebecca Jacobsen
Using a narrative policy framework (NFP), the scholars studied how policymakers – or, in this study, policy actors – strategically use storytelling to influence policy. In particular, the scholars examined how storytelling influenced the rise of critical race theory in policy debates and support for bans on the topic or modes of instruction.
Bertrand, A. R., Lyon, M. A. and Jacobsen, R. (2023). “Narrative spillover: A narrative policy framework analysis of critical race theory discourse at multiple levels.” Policy Studies Journal (52). DOI:10.1111/psj.12523
How extracurriculars influence engagement and belonging in higher education
Sangfeng Miao* and Professor Matthew Wawrzynski
Examining data from nearly 1,900 survey responses, MSU scholars examined how involvement in co-curricular recreational activities impacted a student’s sense of belonging and learning outcomes at a South African university. They also examine how gender, finances and accommodation also influence belonging and engagement.
Miao, S., & Wawrzynski, M. (2024). “Participation in Recreational Sports and Student Engagement in a South African University.” Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 61(3), 442–455. DOI:10.1080/19496591.2023.2297196
Department of Kinesiology
Where are concussions most often reported in the U.S.?
Aaron J. Zynda**, Megan C. Loftin*, Assistant Professor Alyssa Pollard-McGrandy**, Professor Tracey Covassin, Ransome Eke and Jessica Wallace**
From 2010-2018, more than seven million visits to hospital emergency rooms were due to concussions. Scholars in this study examined geographic patterns in where concussions were reported to analyze, and potentially support, the mitigation of support and safety concerns to address these injuries.
Zynda, A. J., Loftin, M. C., Pollard-McGrandy, A., Covassin, T., Eke, R. and Wallace, J. (2024). “Geographic characteristics of sport- and non-sport-related concussions presenting to emergency departments in the United States.” Journal of Safety Research (89), 26-32. DOI:10.1016/j.jsr.2024.01.004
Assessing how ADHD and psychostimulant use relate to concussion risk and recovery
Colt A. Coffman*, Brett S. Gunn, Paul F. Pasquina, Michael A. McCrea, Tomas W. McAllister, Steven P. Broglio, Robert D. Moore, and Professor Matthew B. Pontifex
Findings from MSU scholars highlight that athletes with ADHD exhibit an increased risk of incurring a concussion and exhibit a longer symptom recovery time than athletes without ADHD. Yet while athletes with ADHD who take psychostimulant medications also exhibit similar increases in the risk of a concussion, they are returned to play earlier than athletes with ADHD who do not take psychostimulant medication — suggesting that these medications may mask residual concussion-related impairments.
Coffman, C. A., Gunn, B. S., Pasquina, P. F., McCrea, M. A., McAllister, T. W., Broglio, S. P., Moore, R. D., & Pontifex, M. B. (2023). “Concussion Risk and Recovery in Athletes With Psychostimulant-Treated Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings From the NCAA-DOD CARE Consortium.” Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 45(6), 337–346. DOI:10.1123/jsep.2023-0038
How movement impacts quality of life for adults with cerebral palsy
David A. Henning**, Oksana K. Ellison**, Associate Professor Janet L. Hauck, Nigel Paneth, Professor Karin A. Pfeiffer and Professor Matthew B. Pontifex
Findings from MSU scholars suggest that public health and therapeutic recommendations for individuals with cerebral palsy should extend beyond typical exercise behaviors to also encompass more general aspects of physical activity which positively benefit mental health-related quality of life in this population.
Henning, D. A., Ellison, O. K., Hauck, J. L., Paneth, N., Pfeiffer, K. A., & Pontifex, M. B. (2024). “Aspects of Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Adults with Cerebral Palsy.” Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 1–8. DOI:10.1080/02701367.2023.2290266
How ACL reconstruction impacts cardiorespiratory fitness
Ashley N. Triplett**, Professor Emeritus Jim M. Pivarnik, Assistant Professor Katharine D. Currie, Christopher L. Wilcox and Christopher M. Kuenze
A few key indicators of cardiovascular health are body composition and heart and lung fitness. Interestingly, some previous research suggests those who had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery have poorer cardiovascular health than their peers. But why? This study examines possible factors.
Triplett, A. N., Pivarnik, J. M., Currie, K. D.; Wilcox, C. L.; Kuenze, C. M. (2023) “The Impact Of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction On Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Body Composition: 259.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 55(9S):p 84-85. | DOI:10.1249/01.mss.0000980480.08076.e7
Department of Teacher Education
The before, now and future of culturally relevant pedagogy in physics
Assistant Professor Clausell Mathis, Sherry A. Southerland and Assistant Professor Terrance A. Burgess
Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) can be used to support diverse student culture and experiences within the classroom. This study explored the dispositions of a small group of physics teachers who were interested in adding CRP to their instruction, and suggests further research topics.
Mathis, C., Southerland, S. A., & Burgess, T. (2023). “Physics teachers’ dispositions related to culturally relevant pedagogy.” International Journal of Science Education, 45(14), 1162–1181. DOI:10.1080/09500693.2023.2190850
Social studies: Science, psychology and high school
Alexander M. Wood* and Associate Professor Kyle Greenwalt
Should social studies courses be considered psychology or science-based courses? As the debate continues, this study examined how the potential rebranding impacted six school psychology teachers. The paper concludes with recommendations for high school educators and leaders and teacher preparation programs.
Wood, A. M., & Greenwalt, K. A. (2024). Embracing the interdisciplinary nature of psychology: Challenging the increasing dismissiveness of high school psychology as a social studies course. Theory & Research in Social Education, 1–38. DOI:10.1080/00933104.2023.2289010
The power, promise and problems of controversial conversations in classrooms
Assistant Professor Shireen Al-Adeimi and Jennie M. Baumann*
This study analyzed how adolescents in seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms spoke about a controversial topic in the classroom. The researchers examined who took on what types of conversational roles in the discussion and how those roles shifted. The scholars also suggest implications for educators.
Al-Adeimi, S., & Baumann, J. (2023). “Roles of engagement: Analyzing adolescent students’ talk during controversial discussions.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 42–52. DOI:10.1002/jaal.1289
Using storytelling in science classrooms to improve community
Assistant Professor Stefanie L. Marshall
Per this publication’s abstract, storytelling can help us “remember, envision and consider what could have been, to imagine new possibilities.” Marshall explores this opportunity within the study, which explores the past, present and future of two science educators via a narrative case study analysis and how these narratives can change perceptions within a professional learning community.
Marshall, S. L. (2023). In Pieces: An Approach to Critical Reflexivity with Science Teachers through Storytelling and in Community. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 34(5), 563–581. DOI:10.1080/1046560X.2023.2169304