The past 30 years have witnessed unprecedented social and political polarization alongside a mental health crisis, disproportionately affecting youth and further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Largely because of these pressures on teachers and students, and despite recent political backlash, social and emotional learning (SEL), has become…

Parental perception of the importance of science education and parental perceptions and use of active learning and inquiry-based practices in the context of homeschool science education represent a clear gap in the existing literature. This quantitative survey research study was designed to discover, analyze, and quantify parents' perceptions of…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perception of educators that moved away from a traditional learning environment with little movement and high academic stress through the introduction of project-based learning activities noting (a) the perception on behaviors specifically for students, ranging in age from 8 to 17…

Project-based learning is used in K-12 schools to foster student agency, engagement, autonomy, and motivation. Constructivist and motivation theories support project-based learning in the classroom. Project-based learning approaches in education use the essential standards of project-based learning to establish in-person learning or online…

Autism spectrum disorder is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. The significant increase of an autism diagnosis among children requires further evaluation of instructional approaches that are designed to meet the unique needs of students with ASD. Although research has indicated that academic performance plays a…

Research suggests that individuals learn best when they are involved in an experience through active learning (Bonwell & Eison, 1991; Michael, 2007; Seglem & Bonner, 2016). One of the current issues in education is that many learning environments are unengaging and only encourage students to take a passive role (Slavich & Zimbardo,…

MakerBuses are travelling makerspaces that deliver hands-on tools and resources to community-wide locations to foster 21st century learning and development. Often found in K-12 schools, MakerBuses provide accessible and tangible learning opportunities for all learners, even in the most underserved communities. This single, typical case study…

There is an increased interest in integrating engineering design into K-12 classrooms because it equips students to solve real-world problems. However, before students are introduced to real-world problems, K-12 teachers may need to develop inquiry pedagogies and establish a learning context that supports student problem-solving. This study…

Using a learning management system (LMS) to deliver robust content for K-12 students became an essential part of the discussion of technology's place in K-12 education when teachers were forced to teach online at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers used an LMS to deliver content in various ways and as part of different instructional…

The Learning Assistant (LA) model is a successful peer support model for increasing student learning gains, LA's content understanding, and recruitment of well-prepared K-12 science teachers. LAs are undergraduates who facilitate active learning in a classroom while simultaneously taking a course in pedagogy and working with the faculty instructor…

How students experience themselves as learners can strongly impact their lives. Teachers play a key role in structuring these learning experiences. Using a three-study format, this dissertation explores ways in which teachers use active learning practices to position students as participants in their learning. Findings point to three ways teachers…

The overall aim of this quantitative non-experimental study was to investigate the degree to which content-focused professional development, active based-learning professional development and teacher self-efficacy predict student performance in reading, within persistently low-performing schools. The need to investigate professional development in…

If blended learning in K-12 schools is to truly provide a student-centered experience, there is a need understand the interplay between teacher beliefs and practices to better support teachers tasked with blended teaching. This case study of a small blended high school answers the question, "How do teachers experience blended teaching and…

The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of globalization, foreign direct investment, and multinational corporate responsibility on the curriculum and teaching practices in Costa Rican K-12 schools. The study was also designed to understand the relationships among the Ministry of Education, Coalicion Costarricense de Iniciativas…

This qualitative study sought to understand how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Project-Based Learning (PBL) can be used to help Costa Rican students gain and participate in the global knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. The purpose was to examine the influence that globalization, foreign direct investment, and…