UMaine researchers to present at 2022 AERA annual meeting

April 27, 2022 News

University of Maine faculty members and graduate students presented or participated in more than 20 different events at the 2022 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting in San Diego, the world’s largest annual gathering of education scholars and practitioners.

Here’s a look at some of the presentations, panels, and other events featuring UMaine researchers:

Thursday April 21

Assistant professor of curriculum, assessment and instruction Rebecca Buchanan, assistant professor of communication and journalism Liliana Herakova, assistant professor of higher education Leah Hakkola and assistant professor of psychology Mollie Ruben participated in a paper session on “Faculty Development and Learning.” They shared their research, “Expansion and Contraction: Structuring Conversational Sense-Making Around Equity in Higher Education Teaching.”
Associate professor of educational leadership Catharine Biddle took part in a roundtable discussion on the “National Rural Education Association Research Agenda, 2022–2027,” as part of a workshop sponsored by the Rural Education Special Interest Group.
Buchanan and literacy education Ph.D. student Danielle Gabrielli are co-authors with colleagues from Mercer University and SUNY Cortland of “Lessons Learned from Social Justice Assignments in Elementary Teacher Preparation: Where Do We Go Now?” presented at a virtual paper session on “Teacher Education for Cultural Diversity and Social Justice: Insights from Multiple Methods.”

Friday April 22

College of Education and Human Development Dean Penny Bishop and Emily Jane Nelson from the Eastern Institute of Technology Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, presented their research, “Intersections Between Young Adolescent Well-Being and Schooling” as part of a symposium on “Building Shared Knowledge: Research on the Health and Well-Being of Middle-Grades Youth.”
Associate professor of curriculum, assessment and instruction Asli Sezen-Barrie, UMaine Career Center counselor and higher education Ph.D. student Lisa Carter, associate professor of watershed modeling Sean Smith, associate professor of nursing Deborah Saber, and professor of marine sciences Mark Wells presented their research, “Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Faculty and Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Research and Scholarship Activity,” as part of a virtual paper session on “Research on Faculty Teaching, Evaluation, and Development.”

Saturday April 23

Associate professor of educational leadership Ian Mette is co-author with colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Texas-Tyler of “A Call to Action: (Re)Imagining the Field of Educational Supervision,” presented at a paper session on “Reconceptualizing Equity, Voice, and Input in Complex Supervision Contexts.”
Assistant professor of curriculum, assessment and instruction Tammy Mills and Buchanan presented their research, “Teacher Leadership Development: The Value of Boundary-Crossing Spaces,” at a roundtable session on “The Context of Teachers’ Work.”
Biddle, lecturer in educational leadership Maria Frankland, and graduate students in educational leadership Ryan Crane and Katharine Truesdale presented their research, “Contextually Responsive Leadership in Crisis During COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Study of Superintendent Decision Making in Two States,” at a roundtable session on “Using Culturally Responsive School Leadership to Center Stakeholders and Empower Student Voice.”
Mette chaired a business meeting of the Supervision and Instructional Leadership Special Interest Group.
Mills participated in a business meeting of the Fabulous Famous Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices Special Interest Group.

Sunday April 24

Professor of higher education Elizabeth Allan and graduate student in higher education Jessica Chubbuck are co-authors with colleagues from Manhattanville College and Husson University of “Walking a Tightrope: Discursive Construction of Leadership During Turbulent Times,” presented at a paper session on “Equitable Education Systems and Organizational Leadership.”
Biddle and Dana L. Mitra of Pennsylvania State University presented their project, “Community Activism and Advocacy,” at a symposium on “Maximizing the Policy Relevance of Research for School Improvement.”
Assistant Extension professor Andrew Hudacs chaired a NAEP Studies Special Interest Group business meeting.

Monday April 25

Doctoral student in higher education Sarah Dyer presented her research, “Connecting the Dots: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Discourses from Political Student Organizations’ Tweets,” part of a roundtable session on “Examining Discourses and Responses to Critical Issues.”
Biddle was a panelist at an invited speaker session on “K–12 Education Decision Making in the Context of COVID-19,” one of the AERA Presidential Sessions.
Executive vice president for academic affairs and provost John Volin is co-author with colleagues from the University of Connecticut of “Learning Environmental Sustainability in Community Spaces Through E-Corps: The Establishment of an Epistemic Community,” presented at a poster session on “Broadening Knowledge and Ways of Knowing Through Community Engagement.”
Volin is also co-author with colleagues from the University of Connecticut of a paper, “Strengthening Community-Based Learning in Higher Education: Developing High-Leverage Practices in Environmental Service-Learning Courses,” presented at a virtual roundtable session on “Locally and Culturally Relevant Resources for Promoting Environmental Education.”
Frankland and Biddle presented their research, “Leading Through Crisis: District-Level Communication Around Mental Health and Social-Emotional Learning,” as part of a roundtable session on “Leading for Student Health and Well-Being.”
Hudacs presented his research, “Symbols for Schools: Types of School Nicknames and How They Are Formed,” at a virtual paper session on “School Community, Climate, and Culture: Pathways to Belonging.”
Assistant professor of higher education Kathleen Gillon and Ashley Stone of Southern Methodist University presented their research, “Fully Engaged: Examples of Strong Relationships Between Place and Research,” part of a roundtable session on “Reflecting on Methodologies, Ontologies, and Perspectives Toward Equity.”

Tuesday April 26

Buchanan is co-author with colleagues from the Brookings Institution and University of California Santa Cruz of “A Global Review of Current Trends in Teacher Identity Research and Practice,” presented at a virtual symposium on “Teacher Identity and the Contemporary Development of Teachers in Educational Systems Globally.”
Allan chaired a paper session on “College Student Success.”