The following research report was written in August 2006 and describes exploratory work conducted in the Summer of 2006. The goal of this research was to determine whether Visual Thesaurus was a possible tool for providing translational resources to middle school students with learning disabilities. Continue reading “Research Report August 2006”
About NCSeT Research at EDC
Dr. Judith Zorfass and her research team at EDC are investigating the use of Visual Thesaurus to improve word knowledge and reading comprehension of social studies texts by middle school students with learning disabilities Continue reading “About NCSeT Research at EDC”
NCSeT Research Team at EDC
The NCSeT Research Team at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is comprised of the following individuals:
- Dr. Judith Zorfass, Principal Investigator and Site Research Coordinator
- Karen Clay, Research Associate
- Alise Brann, Research Associate
Navigational Resources
Navigational resources provide tools that allow the reader to move within a document or between documents. Navigational resources can include within-document links, across-document links, embedded menus, and links from other resources such as Table of Contents, Glossary, Bibliography.
Below are screen shots showing a sample of navigational resources.
Presentational Resources
Presentational resources enable the text and accompanying graphics to be presented in varying ways, hence customizable to meet the needs of individual readers. Examples of presentational resources include: font size and style, text and background color, line and page length, page layout and juxtaposition with other pages, and graphics in relationship to text.
Below are screen shots showing a sample of presentational resources.
Analyses of Existing Data Sets
NCSeT is currently supporting the analysis of two existing data sets for the purposes of answering questions related to the efficacy of specific etext supports. The following two collaborations have been established by NCSeT to enable these analyses. More details on this research are available at the NCSeT Web site by selecting the appropriate entry from the menu provided under “Research Sites”.
Doctoral Dissertations
NCSeT is currently supporting two doctoral students as they conduct individual experimental studies on the effectiveness of “supported etext”. Each study is focused on one etext support, investigating its effectiveness to improve the reading comprehension of a specific student population. The following two doctoral students are conducting individual experimental studies supported by NCSeT. More details on this research are available at the NCSeT Web site by selecting the appropriate entry from the menu provided under “Research Sites”.
Individual eText Studies
NCSeT is currently supporting three individual experimental studies on the effectiveness of “supported etext”. Each study is focused on one or more specific etext support and is working with one or more specific student population. These individual etext studies build on prior work by a participating researcher and/or take advantage of an established resource base for project implementation. NCSeT has made a one-year commitment to each site. Although not required, it is hoped that NCSeT support can be leveraged into additional funding from sources beyond those available through NCSeT. The following three research teams are conducting individual experimental studies supported by NCSeT. More details on this research are available at the NCSeT Web site by selecting the appropriate entry from the menu provided under “Research Sites.”
Research Strands
NCSeT is currently supporting seven research teams across the country as they conduct a strand of research on “supported etext”. Each team is focused on one or more specific etext support and is working with one or more specific student population. NCSeT has made a three year commitment to each research team, designed to support a strand of research that goes through three phases.
NCSeT Research Team at Fordham University
The NCSeT Research Team at Fordham University is comprised of the following individuals:
- Dr. Carol Kennedy, Principal Investigator
- Dr. Anita Batisti, Research Site Coordinator
Continue reading “NCSeT Research Team at Fordham University”