Research Interests and Expertise

Doris Luft Baker’s primary research interest is to develop and test interventions that improve the academic outcomes of English learners, particularly Spanish-speaking English learners, and native Spanish speakers using evidence-based practices and technology. Tightly connected to this interest is the development of formative assessments that can measure student academic growth, the examination of the effect of parental support on their children’s academic outcomes, and the enhancement of teacher pedagogical practices and content knowledge.

Selected Research Projects and Grants

  • Measuring the Language and Vocabulary Acquisition in Science of Latinx Students Using Speech Recognition and Automated Scoring (Project MELVA-S), Institute of Education Sciences, 2020–2024
  • Iterative Replication of Read Well in First Grade (Project IR2RW), Institute of Education Sciences, 2020–2025
  • English Learner Vocabulary Acquisition: Promoting the Vocabulary and Language Proficiency of Spanish-Speaking English Learners in Second Grade (Project ELVA), Institute of Education Sciences, 2014–2018
  • Hispanic Families Network Development and Evaluation Project, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 2014–2016
  • Early Vocabulary Intervention (Project EVI), Institute of Education Sciences, 2011–2015
  • Graphogame and MindStars Books: Global Cyber Tools for Improving Young Learner’s Reading Comprehension, Scientific Discourse and STEM Learning (Project MindStars), National Science Foundation, 2012–2013
  • Reading Interventions With Spanish-Speaking Students: Maximizing Instructional Effectiveness in English and Spanish (SETR), Institute of Education Sciences, 2007–2012

Review Boards

  • Journal of Learning Disabilities
  • Bilingual Research Journal
  • Learning Disability Quarterly
  • Journal of International Needs in Special Education
  • Principal grant reviewer for the Reading, Writing, and Language Development Panel, Institute of Education Sciences

Awards

  • Fulbright award to Chile, 2020
  • Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning Award; American Education Research Association, 2019
  • Kirk award for excellence in a research publication, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, Division of Learning Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children, 2019
  • Sam Taylor Fellowship Award, 2018
  • Research and travel fund to Finland: Science Across Virtual Institutes, National Science Foundation, 2014
  • Article of the Year Honorable Mention, School Psychology Review, 2012
  • Distinguished Dissertation Award, International Reading Association, 2008
  • Instructor of the Year Award, Department of Romance Languages, University of Oregon, 2002

Representative Publications

  • Baker, D. L., Ma, H., Polanco, P., Conry, J. M., Kamata, A., Al Otaiba, S., Ward, W., & Cole, R. (2020). Development and promise of a vocabulary intelligent tutoring system for second-grade Latinx English learners. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.1762519
  • Baker, D. L., Santoro, L., Biancarosa, G., Baker, S. K., Fien, H., & Otterstedt, J. (2020). Effects of a read aloud intervention on first grade student vocabulary, listening comprehension, and language proficiency. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10060-2
  • Baker, D. L., Ma, H., & Gallegos, E. (2019). Increasing parental knowledge through workshops on early childhood programs, home literacy, and technology use. Bilingual Research Journal, 42, 491–509. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2019.1666755
  • Baker, D. L., Basaraba, D., & Richards-Tutor, C. (Eds.). (2018). Second language acquisition: Methods, perspectives, and challenges. Nova Science.
  • Hautala, J., Baker, D. L., Keurulainen, A., Ronimus, M., Richardson, U., & Cole, R. (2018). Improving early science learning through multimedia explanations and feedback on spoken questions with a virtual tutor. Educational Technology Research and Development, 66, 403–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-017-9558-6
  • Baker, D. L., Richards-Tutor, C., Sparks, A., & Canges, R. (2018). Review of single subject research examining the effectiveness of interventions for at-risk English learners. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 33(2), 64–74. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12160
  • Baker, D. L., Basaraba, D., & Polanco, P. (2016). Connecting the present to the past: Furthering the research on bilingualism and bilingual education. Review of Research in Education (centennial volume), 40(1), 821–883. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X16660691
  • Cena, J., Baker, D. L., Kame’enui, E. J., Baker, S. K., Park, Y., & Smolkowski, K. (2013). The impact of a systematic and explicit vocabulary intervention in Spanish with Spanish-speaking English learners in first grade. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 26, 1289-1316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-012-9419-y.
  • Baker, D. L., Stoolmiller, M., Good, R. H., & Baker, S. K. (2011). Effects of reading comprehension on passage fluency in Spanish and English for second-grade English language learners. School Psychology Review, 40(3), 331–351.