This study addressed the problem of understanding administrators' perceptions of Internet of Things (IoT) adoption in higher education institutions in California. IoT is widely used in many industries worldwide, but its application in higher education is not as extensive. One of the most widely used methods of understanding perception for…

The latest developments in virtual reality (VR) are gaining attention in education as they are expected to provide risk-free, hands-on learning experiences. However, the use of VR in laboratory settings is still in its early stages of adoption. Therefore, it remains unclear whether these technologies will be widely adopted to educate students in…

Research has shown that using the Internet to access information can influence memory, metacognition, and how people choose to access information in the future. The current experiment sought to expand this line of work by investigating the impact of using the Internet on creative thinking. A total of 378 participants completed a version of the…

Mixed-reality simulation (MRS) is a new and advanced technology implemented in Educator Preparation Programs (EPP) across the United States. However, more research is needed on the effectiveness of MRS in EPPs and its impact on beginning teacher candidates. This study sought to determine the effect of teacher candidates after utilizing MRS and its…

The purpose of this study is to examine whether university leaders employed effective and appropriate crisis communication strategies via internal communication channels and systems with university faculty, staff, and students in Southern California during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 crisis. This study reviews (from the perspectives of university…

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative research study was twofold. First was to examine the impact of the use of the mindfulness computer program, Inner Explorer, on math success as measured by the cumulative CAASPP scores in sixth-grade tests. The second was to determine how the use of Inner Explorer affected students'…

This study investigates the impact of video game usage on the creativity of students attending Waldorf schools. The research aims to: (1) analyze daily time spent on video games and its influence on creativity levels, (2) explore the effect of devices used for gaming, (3) identify the most popular game genres among students, and (4) assess the…

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a National Scenic Trail that extends approximately 2,653 miles from the border of California and Mexico to the border of Washington State and Canada. This study examined land management and hiker issues that day, overnight, and thru-hikers experience in California while navigating the PCT in order to inform land…

A smartphone can be defined as a handheld technology device that is a personal gateway to the world. Statistics surrounding mobile devices continue to break records every year. Currently, 95% of American teenagers own a smartphone device, and smartphone users spend on average about 5.4 hours a day on them. Smartphone ownership, use, and dependency…

We used a cluster-randomized controlled trial to examine the impacts of a technology- and game-based social-emotional program, the "Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN" ("Adventures"), on students' social skills development. Eighty-eight third-grade classrooms (N = 1645 third-grade students) across four California public school…

The primary goal of this dissertation is to contribute to a predictive model of Spanish heritage grammars by applying recent advancements in machine learning to ferret out factors and covariates that give rise to the Spanish subjunctive. Given that "[p]redictive models would entail that we have a far better understanding of the various…

This study explored the effects that social networking sites use has on the academic performance of middle school-aged students in a small district in California. It identified risks and benefits associated with social networking site use and how those affect student achievement. The study examined parental usage guidance and scrutinized…

In this report, AIR shares an exploratory analysis of how the past and present experiences of adult learners of color shape their perceptions of college and decisions they make. Existing research highlights some common motivations, strengths, and barriers for adult learners (see, e.g., Patterson, 2018); however, it does not deeply explore the full…

The problem in this study is lack of research regarding perceptions of first-year nontraditional students (FYNTSs) who are enrolled in a face-to-face community college course regarding how mobile learning in the classroom affects their emotional engagement. Understanding this provides critical insights as well as enhanced and more accessible…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to assess if and to what extent effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions were related to behavioral intention to accept an app for anticoagulation management among providers, mid-level providers and nursing staff in a Department of Public Health…