Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world, personally meaningful projects that allow conceptual transformation to occur within the educational process while fostering intellectual curiosity in a supportive learning environment. PBL supports students developing deep content…

The problem in this study was that despite encouragement from administrators, kindergarten through Grade 8 teachers struggled to use project-based learning (PBL) in a local school in the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS). Rooted in Kilpatrick's progressive philosophy of education and Piaget's theory of constructivism, this…

The demographic statistics for gifted programs in the United States (U.S.) reveal consistent underrepresentation for students from Cultural, Linguistic and Economically Diverse (CLED) subgroups. Despite the priority placed on addressing this imbalance through policy, funding and research, significant improvements have yet to be seen in the U.S.…

The purpose of this mixed methods action research was to implement and evaluate the use of virtual interactive notebooks with gifted students in a 4th grade social studies classroom. Specifically, this study focused on two overarching research questions: (a) how does the implementation of virtual interactive notebooks in an inquiry based,…

The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers leveraged the components of Project Based Learning (PBL) in a hybrid, remote, or in-person classroom environment to promote cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. A narrative inquiry was conducted examining three teachers' implementation of PBL with students in Grades 4, 5, and 8…

The problem investigated in this study was the decline in student achievement since the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) by the third- through sixth-grade teachers at the local elementary school. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate teachers' perceptions at the study location about their knowledge of PBL and…

This study provides a qualitative approach to the issue of student engagement with a particular focus on urban area young learners in 4th grade science classes. Each class consisted of approximately 25 students. The students were given Interactive Notebooks to see whether this intervention helped promote greater engagement with the science…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the use of active learning in classroom instruction and student achievement, and to ascertain whether this relationship is influenced by classroom discipline problems. Is it the case that the more a teacher utilizes active learning strategies in the classroom, the more her…

Studies have shown an association between argumentative discourse in science class, better understanding of science concepts, and improved academic performance. However, there is lack of research on how argumentation can increase student motivation. This mixed methods concurrent nested study uses Bandura's construct of motivation and concepts of…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine significant relationships between growth in student learning in mathematics and characteristics of effective teacher professional development and teacher demographics. The goal was to determine whether certain characteristics of professional development, as measured by the Characteristics of…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to describe the perceptions of elementary teachers from an urban school district in Southern California regarding their inquiry-based science instructional practices, assessment methods and professional development. The district's inquiry professional development called the California Mathematics and…

Limited research has been conducted on inquiry based teaching strategies on language arts and mathematics instruction. The research problem at the study site was the lack of research-based findings on the effectiveness of traditional and inquiry based teaching strategies on language arts and mathematics instruction. The purpose of this case study…

This research study explored the current state of teacher morale in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms in three low socioeconomic schools. Additional research questions addressed correlational relationships among the variables of teacher morale, student engagement, and student achievement growth as measured by the North Carolina Teacher Working…

This study evaluates the effects of an interdisciplinary standards-based school garden-based education program on student learning. The objective of the program is to help students learn to be self-directed learners, community contributors, complex thinkers, quality producers, effective communicators, and effective/ethical users of technology. For…

This study examined the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) constructed by a group of 24 pre-service elementary teacher participants as they learned about the moon's phases, inquiry learning, and use of the Internet message boards as a teaching tool as a part of their science teaching methods course. The MOON Project (More…