A teacher engages group of young children in learning the alphabet using a tablet computer and surrounded by colorful educational tools in lively classroom environment.

Collaborating Researchers & Educators Apply Technology to Establish Evidence-Based Practices (CREATE-EBP)

PROJECT SUMMARY

In this multiple methods, community-engaged project, we leverage advancements in technology to develop an innovative approach to accelerate testing and translation of generalizable evidence-based practices (EBPs) in education.

Our goals are:

  • To develop infrastructure/processes to support use of our new, technology-mediated approach,
  • To address a problem of practice and test a generalizable EBP solution via a fully online within-subjects experiment,
  • Couple this with online communities of practice to understand and integrate teachers’ perspectives on enhancing research ↔ practice translation.

To develop and trial our approach, we are initially focusing on testing generalizable EBPs for alphabet instruction. In Phase 1a, we are soliciting input from Preschool through Grade 5 teachers about how they use technology within their classrooms for teaching and learning as well as for professional learning.

In Phase 1b, we are reviewing the literature and surveying education scholars who use technology to conduct school-based research.

In Phases 2 and 3, we will be working with a small group of prekindergarten teachers in Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025 to develop and then pilot test our technology-mediated approach. We will answer the question: Is it more beneficial to teach uppercase and lowercase letters simultaneously or sequentially? Participation is fully remote. Email EL3@osu.edu or visit https://forms.office.com/r/Btz9gXwwpM if you are interested in participating in this project or any of our other research.

After completing the pilot study, we will seek additional funding and participants to continue using the technology-mediated approach for addressing problems of practice and generalizable EBP solutions. In addition to sharing findings with the education community, we will also widely share our infrastructure/processes to afford use of the approach in future educational research.

For more information on Alphabet EBPs, see crane.osu.edu/our-work/alphabet-learning-and-instruction for some of our prior research.

A logo for the CREATE-EBP project

 – Funding –

This project is funded by the BETHA Endowment.

 – Timeline –

  • Phase 1a: Late Autumn 2024 — Early Spring 2025
  • Phase 1b: Spring 2025
  • Phase 2: Late Autumn 2025 — Spring 2026
  • Phase 3: 2026 following Phase 2

Meet the Team

Shayne Piasta

Dr. Shayne Piasta

Principal Investigator

Julia Hagge

Dr. Julia Hagge

Investigator

Alicia Bunger

Dr. Alicia Bunger

Investigator

Rebecca Dore

Dr. Rebecca Dore

Investigator

Busra Ceviren

Dr. Busra Ceviren

Investigator

Rhonda Raines

Dr. Rhonda Raines

Investigator

Natalie Day

Natalie Day

Project Coordinator & Lab Administrator

Yeqing Liu

Yeqing Liu

Doctoral Student

Sydney Wilson

Sydney Wilson

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Serena Mehta

Serena Mehta

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Maria Abdul-Masih

Maria Abdul-Mesih

Graduate Research Associate