Alright here goes nothing!

I apologize this is being posted at the last minute - I have spent a lot of
time working towards finishing those surveys and the quiz - I am currently on attempt number 3 I
have been in the upper 70s both times I hope I finally got it this time!
Instead of summarizing my notes which seems silly because notes are already summaries - I will
post my notes like I usually do!
ACCESS MY NOTES/SUMMARY HERE
I followed the Think Aloud on pg. 119 below. I was tempted to read other posts in the forum before
writing my own but I made myself attempt it first. I feel like I am on the right track - I am not very
confident about the intervening variable I picked in the Hertberg-Davis study :S For the first time
doing this I felt pretty comfortable and I actually kind of enjoyed it! (Social Studies nerd) The
basketball coach I have been working with the past few years has a motto that is perfect for this class
-
You gotta be comfortable being uncomfortable!

I will look through everyone elses post as the week goes on - I am sure I will learn a lot from all of you
as I usually do!
Overview:
Hertberg-Davis

Mastropieri

Independent

Principals attitudes towards

implementation:
critical support
desire for change
belief that change was
possible
long term vision of
implementation

differentiated hands-on activities

teacher-directed instruction

Dependent

teachers willingness and ability

to differentiate

learning of middle school science

content

Intervening

effect of gifted learners in a

differentiated classroom

enjoyment of material
improved attitudes towards
science learning

Think Aloud:
Hertberg-Davis
INDEPENDENT

INTERVENING

DEPENDENT
What are the outcomes the
author seeks to explain in the
study?

the principals attitudes

towards implementation

Are there any factors that

mediate the influence
between the independent and
dependent variables in a
cause-and-effect sequence?

Does more than one factor

influence this outcome?

effect of gifted learners in a

differentiated classroom

What factors influence this

outcome?

yes - there are four factors that

influence the outcome:
1. critical support
2. desire for change
3. belief that change was
possible
4. long term vision of
implementation
Is it assessed as two or more
groups?
no
Is it a variable where the
author plans to intervene with
one group and withhold an
intervention with the other
group?
no
Is some trait or characteristic
of the participants being
studied that influences the
outcome?
the principals general
attitudes will influence the
outcome of the study in this
example

teachers willingness and

ability to differentiate
instruction

Does the author use language

about controlling for a specific
variable?
No
What type of independent?
Treatment - Control Measured
Measured

Mastropieri
INDEPENDENT
What factors influence this
outcome?
differentiated hands-on
activities
teacher-directed instruction
Does more than one factor
influence this outcome?
yes - two different factors
influence this outcome
Is it assessed as two or more
groups?
the groups are the hands-on,
differentiated groups and the
teacher-directed groups that
arent differentiated
Is it a variable where the
author plans to intervene with
one group and withhold an
intervention with the other
group?
the hands-on group is the

INTERVENING

DEPENDENT

Are there any factors that

mediate the influence
between the independent and
dependent variables in a
cause-and-effect sequence?

What are the outcomes the

author seeks to explain in the
study?

Here is the Objectives

section from Mastropieri, page
132:
The objectives of this
investigation were (a) to
determine whether
differentiated curriculum
enhancements relevant to
the study of scientific methods
could be developed for eighthgrade inclusive science classes;
(b) to implement these materials using a classwide
peer-mediated format; (c) to
determine, in a randomized
field trial, whether this
intervention would improve
classroom test scores and
high-stakes testing; and
(d) to determine whether
students enjoyed using the
materials and improved their

learning of middle school

science content

differentiated group and the

teacher-directed group is
withheld
Is some trait or characteristic
of the participants being
studied that influences the
outcome?

attitudes toward science

learning.
Only A-C deal with the
outcome (dependent variable)
of the study - This leads me to
believe that two intervening
variables in this study exist and
they are:

students with mild disabilities

enjoyment of material

Does the author use language

about controlling for a specific
variable?

improved attitudes
towards science
learning

Pg. 132, under the Design and

Participants section,
Mastropieri writes:
We selected 13 eighth-grade
science classes for this
investigation. Classes were
matched, to the extent
possible, by classroom
teachers, and then randomly
assigned to either an
experimental or a control
condition, so that each lead
teacher taught at least one
experimental and one control
classroom (one teacher taught
5 classes, 2 of which were
assigned to the experimental
condition and 3 of which were
assigned to the control
condition). Of the 13 classes, 5
classes were cotaught by a GET
and a special education teacher
(SET), and 8 classes were
taught by a single teacher (6
GET and 2 SET). A total of four
GETs and four SETs
participated as teachers in
these classes.

What type of independent?

Treatment - Control Moderating
Treatment - gives on group a
different variable to see the
impact on the outcome
(learning of middle school
science content)