Anita Voelker

Voelker

Recent Research Presentations:

1) Keystone State Reading Association's Annual Conference

Voelker, Anita N., Christopher, K., Duncan, A., George, S., & Stokes, T.

• 2011       (October) "Vocabulary conundrum" Workshop  Presentation in Lancaster, PA: 44th Annual Keystone State Reading Association’s Conference.

Voelker, Anita N.,  Balmer, K., Higgins, M., & Deiber, M.

• 2011       (October) "Censorship: You can't say that word in school even if it is in a book!" Paper Presentation in Lancaster, PA: 44th Annual Keystone State Reading Association’s Conference.

2) Literacy Research Conference Annual Conference

Voelker, Anita N.

• 2011       (December) "Selecting children's literature: Pre-service teachers engaging in unprotected text" Paper Presentation in Jacksonsville, FL: 61st Annual Literacy Research Association Conference.

Current Projects:

1) Collaborating with Scholar intern Kathy Balmer to prepare a paper on research conducted with with students in EDUC 226: Children’s Literature.

• Thirty students joined this action research study as both participants and researchers. Students completed a pre and post survey on their self efficacy when selecting books for children and their beliefs about children’s literature. In addition each pre-service teacher facilitated, transcribed, coded, and analyzed small group literary discussions. Findings demonstrated statistically significant changes in students’ beliefs and self efficacy.  We will present literacy portraits which provide a three-dimensional view of two participants’ experiences.

2) Collaborating with Senior Alyssa Reph to analyze data from a summer research study entitled," E-books and Trade Books:  A Case Study of Six Year Olds’ Interactions with New and Old Literacy Tools". 

Recent Publications:

• Baker, L., Dreher, M. J. , Shiplet, A. K., Beall, L.C., Voelker, A. N., Garrett, A. J.,

  Schugar, H. & Finer-Elam, M. (2011).  Children’s comprehension of informational text: Reading, engaging, and learning. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 4 (1). Available http://iejee.com/index.html

• Voelker, A. N., Kutz, M., Moore, R., Nickles, K., Walters, M., & White, J. (forthcoming). Lassoing comprehension: Collaborative strategic reading meets the wild west. Pennsylvania Reads: Journal of the Keystone State Reading Association.

•  Voelker, A. N.  (2010). Will’s story. Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning 16, 124.  

• Cook, C. & Voelker, A. N. (2010). Nurturing social justice through critical literacy. The Dragon Lode, 29(1), 3-11.