Owen Lo

Research has shown that self-assessment, when applied effectively, can enhance student task performance, cultivate metacognition, and improve self-regulatory processes. In Canada, the province of British Columbia (B.C.) has recently transitioned into a redesigned curriculum where Self-Assessment of Core Competencies (SACC), later renamed Self-Reflection of Core Competencies, has been introduced as a mandatory activity for all K-12 students in the system. The current research project is a qualitative study that used in-depth interviews to examine secondary school teachers’ teaching beliefs and experiences with implementation of Self-Assessment of Core Competencies. Specifically, the present study sought to provide insights on the current state of implementation and provide information on the type of supports teachers hope to receive to better support future practice. Given the novelty of the research topic, the current study was largely exploratory and descriptive in nature. The use of qualitative methodology was deemed fitting for this emerging practice as it allowed for richer and deeper insights about teachers’ experiences. Secondary school teachers from all disciplines were recruited as Core Competencies underlie all curricular areas under B.C.’s redesigned curriculum. Results indicated that participating teachers view self-assessment as an activity that can promote more personalized learning and encourage the development of transferable skills; however, they believed that the formal implementation of SACC has not been meeting the intended goals of the practice. Furthermore, teachers in the present study reported diverse expectations when it came to supporting students through the formal reporting of SACC. Participating teachers also reported different levels of access to resources and professional training, and they wanted to see more resources and professional training directed towards supporting teachers in the implementation of SACC. Study findings suggest that teaching preparation on SACC and the practical implementation of SACC should be further evaluated to ensure teachers are adequately trained to support learners. Teachers play a crucial role in teaching students, and by addressing teacher needs, they can in turn teach students how to self-assess more effectively. Students who learn how to self-assess in a more meaningful way will likely benefit more from the practice.

View record

Radical acceleration is a unique educational tool that has been used for profoundly gifted students. Insights into formalized radical acceleration high school programs that result in early entry to university are limited in the extant literature because these programs are also limited in implementation. Partnered with the University of British Columbia, the University Transition Program (UTP) is a radical acceleration program that supports profoundly gifted students to complete a traditional five-year high school program in two years. These radical accelerands matriculate into university as young as 14-15 years old. Through surveying the UTP alumni, this study aimed to investigate the research questions: What are radical accelerands’ experiences of and retrospective reflections on radical acceleration? How has radical acceleration impacted these accelerands’ life outcomes? Results from a retrospective survey questionnaire revealed that alumni had diverse opinions surrounding their academic, socioemotional, and vocational preparedness and satisfaction as accelerands and early entrants to university. There were also indications that these experiences may differ based on prior educational history and biological sex. The findings from this study explore the holistic needs and desires of accelerands and early entrance, which serves to inform future implementation of radical acceleration in the most optimal way for students to thrive in their postsecondary years and beyond.

View record

Arts-based research (ABR) has started to become more mainstream in recent years, leading to theincreased adoption of documentaries by academics as a form of media-based research. Whiledocumentaries have intriguing potential to be utilized in research, there has been little research onhow documentaries can also be a powerful tool for disseminating research. This projectinvestigates the effectiveness, benefits, and challenges of constructing and disseminatingknowledge through a research-based documentary. Using the documentary film Superkids 2 as anexample, this study aims to explore academia’s and educators’ perception of arts-based researchand investigate any changes of perceptions of gifted education. Employing an experimentaldesign (i.e., one-shot case study), this study treated the screening of the Superkids 2 as anintervention. This study developed a survey to measure and develop a foundation forunderstanding academia’s perspective of arts-based research and examining the intervention’seffect after its implementation. Research participants included K-12 teachers, graduate students,and university researchers/lecturers/faculty members who participated in two major internationalconferences in gifted education. This study notes participants’ appreciation and desire to learnmore about arts-based research along with concerns in conducting arts-based research. Fundingand time are the main concerns about conducting arts-based research. The results contribute to theemployability of arts-based research and research-based documentaries, which can lead to moreprominent recognition of documentaries by the public. Findings also explore the changes inparticipants’ perception of gifted education.

View record