- Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, School of Education and Human Development
I specialize in bilingual education (2-language instruction) and biliteracy development, particularly for Hispanic, English learners (ELs)/emergent bilinguals (EBs). My research focuses on three areas: biliteracy (STEM) discourse development in adults (teachers) and children, professional identity formation in pre-service bilingual education teachers (teacher candidates), and mentor/instructional coaching for early career teachers. Methodological articles that I have published include: (1) primers for health professionals--practitioner research (action research) and collaborative, analytical autoethnography (CAAE); (2) and a methodological quality scale (the Methodological Quality Questionnaire [MQQ]) for systematic reviews published in Sage Open, an open access journal.
Additionally, I have worked on transdisciplinary teams as an expert in issues related to second language acquisition, bilingualism, biliteracy, and teacher professional development. My ongoing collaborations with social work and health promotion researchers have produced several publications, such as evaluations of health literacy assessment instruments translated for limited English proficient (LEP) adults and comparisons of machine versus human translations. As a result, I am now looking at natural language processing (machine language) as a tool to increase content area literacy for ELs/EBs.
Currently, I am completing a research study, funded by Texas A&M Presidential Transformational Learning Grant ("Health Literacy Page-by-Page: Incorporating Graphic Novelettes into Stem Inquiry Lessons"), on the use of graphic novelettes by pre-service teachers as a STEM curricular resource.
- M.Ed. in Public School Administration, St. Thomas University - (Miami Gardens, Florida, United States)
- Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University - (College Station, Texas, United States)
- B.A. in Spanish (Literature), The University of Texas at Austin - (Austin, Texas, United States)
- M.A. in Spanish (Philology), University of Wisconsin - Madison - (Madison, Wisconsin, United States)
Academic Articles20
- Acosta, S. T., Chen, X., Goltz, H., Goodson, P., & Padron, Y. (2021). A Case Study of Novice Bilingual Education Teachers Conducting Action Research and Diffusing Teaching Innovations. Urban Education. 56(9), 1576-1607.
- Acosta, S., Garza, T., Hsu, H., Goodson, P., Padron, Y., Goltz, H. H., & Johnston, A. (2020). The Accountability Culture: a Systematic Review of High-Stakes Testing and English Learners in the United States During No Child Left Behind. 32(2), 327-352.
- Acosta, S., Garza, T., Hsu, H., & Goodson, P. (2020). Assessing Quality in Systematic Literature Reviews: A Study of Novice Rater Training. Sage Open. 10(3), 2158244020939530-215824402093953.
- Hsu, H., Lee, K., Bentley, J., & Acosta, S. (2019). Investigating the Role of School-Based Extracurricular Activity Participation in Adolescents Learning Outcomes: A Propensity Score Method. Journal of Education and Learning. 8(4), 8-8.
- Chen, X., Goodson, P., Acosta, S., Barry, A. E., & McKyer, L. E. (2018). Assessing Health Literacy Among Chinese Speakers in the U.S. with Limited English Proficiency.. HLRP Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2(2), e94-e106.
- Chen, X., Acosta, S., & Barry, A. E. (2017). Machine or Human? Evaluating the Quality of a Language Translation Mobile App for Diabetes Education Material.. JMIR Diabetes. 2(1), e13-e13.
- Gonzalez, J. E., Acosta, S., Davis, H., Pollard-Durodola, S., Saenz, L., Soares, D., Resendez, N., & Zhu, L. (2017). Latino Maternal Literacy Beliefs and Practices Mediating Socioeconomic Status and Maternal Education Effects in Predicting Child Receptive Vocabulary. Early Education and Development. 28(1), 78-95.
- Hsu, H., Lin, J., Kwok, O., Acosta, S., & Willson, V. (2017). The Impact of Intraclass Correlation on the Effectiveness of Level-Specific Fit Indices in Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling: A Monte Carlo Study.. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 77(1), 5-31.
- Chen, X., Acosta, S., & Barry, A. E. (2016). Evaluating the Accuracy of Google Translate for Diabetes Education Material.. JMIR Diabetes. 1(1), e3-e3.
- Acosta, S., Goltz, H. H., & Goodson, P. (2015). Autoethnography in action research for health education practitioners. Action Research. 13(4), 411-430.
- Hsu, H., Kwok, O., Lin, J. H., & Acosta, S. (2015). Detecting Misspecified Multilevel Structural Equation Models with Common Fit Indices: AMonte Carlo Study.. Multivariate Behavioral Research. 50(2), 197-215.
- Goltz, H. H., & Acosta, S. T. (2015). A Rare Family: Exploring Genetic Literacy in an Online Support Group. Journal of Family Strengths. 15(2),
- Chen, X., Goodson, P., & Acosta, S. (2015). Blending Health Literacy With an English as a Second Language Curriculum: A Systematic Literature Review.. Journal of Health Communication: international perspectives. 20 Suppl 2(sup2), 101-111.
- Acosta, S., & Goltz, H. H. (2014). Transforming Practices. Health Promotion Practice. 15(4), 465-470.
- Acosta, S., & Hsu, H. (2014). Shared academic values: testing a model of the association between Hong Kong parents' and adolescents' perception of the general value of science and scientific literacy. Educational Studies. 40(2), 174-195.
- Lau, H., Hsu, H., Acosta, S., & Hsu, T. (2014). Impact of participation in extra-curricular activities during college on graduate employability: an empirical study of graduates of Taiwanese business schools. Educational Studies. 40(1), 26-47.
- Acosta, S. T., & Hsu, H. (2014). Negotiating diversity: an empirical investigation into family, school and student factors influencing New Zealand adolescents' science literacy. Educational Studies. 40(1), 98-115.
- Acosta, S., & Goltz, H. H. (2011). Theory in Health Promotion Research and Practice: Thinking outside the Box. Educational Studies. 47(6), 583-588.
- Acosta, S., Liu, J., Goodson, P., Goltz, H., & Chen, T. A Collaborative and Poetic Self-Study of Transformative Learning, Professional Identity, and Teaching in Academe. Studying Teacher Education. 19(2), 225-245.
- Melo, G., Monteza, D., & Acosta, S. Navigating the shift to online learning: student experiences of inclusivity, efficiency, and study efforts in Chile. (1), 2299520.
- BEFB425 Student Teaching Besl Instructor
- BEFB470 Biling Assess & Monitoring Instructor
- BEFB472 Biling&dual Lang Method Instructor
- BEFB474 Biliteracy Biling&dual Instructor
- BEFB476 Content Area Instruction Instructor
- BESL613 Span/eng Biliteracy Instructor
- BESL618 Early Lang And Literacy Instructor
- BESL619 Second Lang Acqusition Instructor
- BESL621 Methods For Bied Research Instructor
- BESL683 Field Practicum In Instructor
