Editorial

Peer Review for JSE Manuscripts

Charles P. Seeley

Grand Canyon University

The Leadership Center (Honduras)

Scott W. Greenberger

Grand Canyon University

Morgan McNaughton

Grand Canyon University

doi: 10.9743/JSE.2019.2.2.1

Due to the innovative nature of the Journal of Scholarly Engagement (JSE) and given the desire to limit bias in our peer review process, this editorial was written to explain best practices for peer reviewing our unconventional manuscript types. JSE is unique in the field of scholarly publishing in that it is dedicated to documenting and disseminating unconventional forms of scholarly activity (Greenberger & Mandernach, 2018). While most scholarly journals focus on the scholarship of discovery, JSE is focused on the scholarship of application and the scholarship of integration. The scholarship of application explores the application of scholarly or academic knowledge to solve human problems in the context of human situations, while the scholarship of integration brings multiple domains of knowledge together in a way that gives new insight into a problem, issue, or situation. As a result, the story being told in JSE manuscripts should be clear and compelling and the human dimension clearly discussed.

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Summer Practicum: Extending the Partnership for Pre-Service Teachers to a Local High School

Jim Mostofo

Grand Canyon University

doi: 10.9743/JSE.2019.2.2.2

Teacher educators and their students (pre-service teachers) are not always able to be involved in partnerships with local high schools and their students. This paper describes such a partnership with a local high school in which pre-service teachers from a university’s college of education completed their practicum hours over the summer in advance for their fall classes. My dual role in this partnership as a professor in the college of education and as the director of the summer partnership is discussed. This study also examined the impact of this summer practicum partnership on the pre-service teachers. My participation in the program increased my belief in local school summer partnerships and the benefits of experiential learning for the pre-service teachers as we worked through the scholarship of application (Boyer, 1997). The pre-service teachers cited their benefits in the areas of more real-life teaching experience, collaboration with their mentor-teachers, and a welcoming feeling from the local high school.

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Advancing Students’ Educational Experiences with Interdisciplinary Service-Based Learning: Impacting Special Needs

Community

Stephanie Herrick Kays

Grand Canyon University

Pamela Love

Grand Canyon University

doi: 10.9743/JSE.2019.2.2.3

The purpose of this reflective practice paper is to describe the Special Olympics Arizona MedFest partnership with Grand Canyon University (GCU) and the impact this has on athletes, students, and volunteers. MedFest events provide free physicals to Special Olympics athletes in need. By utilization of principles of service-based interdisciplinary education, undergraduate, and graduate students from GCU’s College of Nursing and Healthcare Professions, had the opportunity to utilize skills learned in the classroom to make a positive impact on the community around them. This reflective practice paper will provide insights to the MedFest event, hurdles faced, recommendations for future MedFest events, and future research to occur.

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Reflective Practice: Perceived Expectations of Parental Involvement in Underserved and Under-resourced Communities and the Development of Viable Strategies and Partnerships

Fatima Mansur

Grand Canyon University

doi: 10.9743/JSE.2019.2.2.4

This paper explores the concept of school and community partnerships and their impact on positive student outcomes. My primary focus as a reflective practitioner was to examine the role of parents in this school–community dynamic. School and community are not two separate entities but interwoven through the commitment and support of the children and families they serve. There is a need to identify strategies to assist and empower parents to become more effective learning partners. Friends of Bright Minds Community Prep (FBMCP) sought to address some of the concerns by developing a Parent Academic Coaching Empowerment (PACE) Curriculum; which utilized authentic and holistic approaches rooted in empirical research conducted by Dr. Joyce Epstein’s, involving the six types of parental involvement. It is incumbent for schools and communities (specifically through community-based organizations) to create viable partnerships with the goal of student achievement within the school setting. As a practicing scholar, there is an opportunity for ongoing inquiry, reflection, and discovery.

Keywords: community-based organizations, parent advocacy, parental involvement, school–community partnerships, parent mentoring, parent coaching

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The Importance of Social Justice Courses in Teacher Preparation Programs

Meredith Critchfield

Grand Canyon University

doi: 10.9743/JSE.2019.2.2.5

The social justice perspective is become more popular in teacher preparation programs as a response to growing diversity in schools and to the perceived inadequacies of multicultural education. This alternative to multicultural education argues that teachers should be advocates for students and their communities, helping to address inequities in schools. This project sought to explore social justice education in more depth by examining two classes of pre-service teachers at a private Christian university in the Southwest United States. Students were asked to describe their expectations and experiences with social justice curriculum in a required social justice teacher education course. The analysis of the project’s results indicates that pre-service teachers at faith institutions must be given hands-on, practical opportunities to grapple with social justice and their faith in order to begin to understand how social justice might inform their future work as teachers.  

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Comparative Gamification Practices for Information Literacy Instruction in Higher Education

Nikki Squire

Grand Canyon University

doi: 10.9743/JSE.2019.2.2.6

Due to the recent call for the need to change information literacy instruction for 21st century skills, many scholars, educators, and librarians are exploring gamification as a teaching and learning pedagogy for information literacy instruction, design, and assessment for student learning. The research literature provides an overview of various information literacy tools, teaching methods, and pedagogies suggested by scholars and educators for improving information literacy instruction and student learning. Based on results from empirical studies, to improve information literacy outcomes for undergraduate students, especially literacy gains for at-risk or underperforming students, gamification can be used as a conceptual framework for pedagogy assessment for teaching and learning.

Keywords: gamification, information literacy instruction, game-based formative assessments, instructional design

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The CDCAS Framework: Integrating the Stages of Change Model and the INCOME Framework to Inform Treatment of Individuals with a Substance Use Disorder and Disability

Terri Lucas

Grand Canyon University

doi: 10.9743/JSE.2019.2.2.7

Employment has been indicated as a contributor to positive outcomes for both people with substance use disorders and those with disabilities. However, there is a disconnect between vocational rehabilitation services and substance use treatment. This paper will present a new theoretical framework for working with individuals with both a substance use disorder and a disability. This new framework (The CDCAS Framework) integrates the Stages of Change Model for working with individuals with addictions and the INCOME framework for working with individuals with a disability to inform a new treatment modality for people with a substance use disorder and a disability.

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