Research Interests
Primary interests currently include using video technologies to increase the incidence of social engagement in children with autism; the use of citizenship skills education to promote positive social interaction; the efficacy of various programs utilizing a universal design of learning; identifying the evidence base for employing tiered models of instruction in early childhood and evaluating which models are most effective; improving teacher's performance monitoring in the classroom; determining how to increase family and practitioner empowerment and advocacy; comparing classic norm-referenced, standardized assessments with authentic assessments to determine the extent to which each accurately predicts eligibility and positively influences student outcomes; the identification of and services provided to children eligible for both special needs and gifted education; and implementation science and professional development.
Research Activities
- Assisted in collecting information about the quality of commonly used early childhood assessments; created several At-A-Glance Sheets and helped in gathering information for Close-Ups for the following:
Bagnato, SJ, Neisworth, JT, Pretti-Frontczak, K (in press). LINKing authentic assessment and early childhood intervention: Best measures for best practices (4th Edition). Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.
- Performed a preliminary pilot study evaluating whether grouping IEP objectives by domain and skill, and linking the objectives to Embedded Learning Opportunities, would increase the frequency of teacher data collection. Given that the nature of the pilot study was action research, and included observing only one classroom, results cannot currently be generalized. However, this case study indicated that grouping objectives and linking them to ELOs is a strategy that should be researched more extensively. View Poster Presentation
EXTERNAL PROJECTS
Non-funded Research
Principal Investigator, The confidence and competency of Early Intervention (EI) providers in Ohio: The effect of professional development on providers’ perceptions (Tentative title, under development)
The work of this project will be the subject of Ashley's dissertation. The study will seek to determine the extent to which early intervention (EI) providers in Ohio are confident and competent in implementing evidence-based practices with intentionality. Competence will be measured both by the practitioners as well as by their leadership and supervisors. Secondarily, the study will seek to evaluate whether the amount of previous or current professional development (PD) affects providers' perceptions of their practices. Survey instruments are in development that will consist of 10-20 questions.
Principal Investigator, Data-driven decision-making: Teachers’ experience using data to inform instruction (Tentative title, under development).
This proposal as well as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) application are complete, but the study has not yet been implemented. When the IRB application was initially submitted, the application has been held up for unknown reasons. Ashley plans to revisit, revise, and collaborate to complete this study upon completion of her dissertation.
Principal
Investigator, Identifying
strategies to improve civic engagement related to policies and issues affecting
early child special education and intervention (Tentative title, under
development).
Ashley prepared a survey study that seeks to investigate the extent to which early childhood special education (ECSE ) practitioners participate in two separate processes of policy involvement: a) grassroots and/or scaling up efforts, and b) actively shaping the implementation of policy, regulations, and/or initiatives. A secondary but equally important purpose is to examine the factors that are associated with involvement. The study will examine practitioners’ past involvement in both of these processes, perceived professional and personal needs, knowledge of current educational movements and events, as well as the size, structure, and quality of their professional social networks. Demographic information will also be collected. Findings will be used to develop an action plan for garnering increased involvement from practitioners in each of these processes.
Ashley has completed both the survey and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) application, but has tabled the project until after completion of her Doctorate. The first iteration of the survey will be used as a field test or pilot study to fine-tune the questions before launching it on a much larger scale. The field test will be completed with members of the Children’s Action Network (CAN), the advocacy arm of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), as well as the possibility of the Policy Special Interest Group (SIG). Ashley originally obtained approval from the previous executive director (ED) of DEC to use her position as national CAN coordinator to engage the CAN network in this validation process, although Ashley will know need to work with the current ED to move forward in the future.
