Connecting Research to Practice: Evidence-Based Interventions to Undergraduate Teacher Education Students From Underserved Populations

• In Event: Educational Interventions in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper examines three small-scale intervention projects designed to promote academic success and professional identity development in undergraduate teacher education students from underserved populations attending three campuses of a large urban public university. All projects adopt a sociocultural perspective on student success, stressing the importance of active, scaffolded participation in learning experiences. Each project operationalized aspects of sociocultural theory and situated learning through a specific structure for supporting learning – community of practice, peer feedback, and guided written reflection. Each project compared indicators of academic success and socio-behavioral correlates of success (engagement, belonging, identity) in students who participated in the intervention vs. non-participating peers. Findings demonstrate the positive impact of these evidence-based projects on academic and socio-behavioral correlates of student success.

Authors

• Helen L. Johnson, City College of New York - CUNY

• Michelle C. Fraboni, Queens College - CUNY

• Jennifer Gilken, Borough of Manhattan Community College

• Delia Hernandez, Kingsborough Community College