High levels of teacher self-efficacy are positively correlated with more job satisfaction, less burnout, and a greater commitment to the profession, however sources of teacher self-efficacy outside of teacher preparation programs are rarely examined. Because formal teacher preparation programs and alternative teacher certification pathways account…

Nature-based interventions (NBI) have demonstrated positive effects on a range of student outcomes, including enhanced prosocial behaviors, decreased levels of stress, and improved mood and concentration. Further, school-aged children's participation in NBIs supports students' reconnection with the natural world. Although schools represent an…

The use of credit recovery as a high school dropout prevention strategy has rapidly increased within the last twenty years. The majority of public schools within the United States of America utilize at least one form of credit recovery. Credit recovery programs include a range of instructional delivery methods and may include various curricula and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the provision of topic choice in reading material could serve to increase reading fluency for struggling readers, and if it could do so to a similar degree as the provision of tangible extrinsic rewards. An alternating treatments design was used to compare three conditions: choice of passage topic,…

This study addressed the question: Is there a relationship between teacher qualifications and school context on reported professional development (PD) outcomes? Data was collected from archived PD for state funded grants awarded in 2006 in the state of Missouri. Seven of the 14 PD programs were selected for this study. A sample of teacher…

The literature suggests that while the number of students attending virtual charter schools continues to grow in Pennsylvania, math student academic performance in 6th and 7th-grade math in students attending cyber charter schools falls well below the state average. Although it is tempting to assume that the concern of summer slide would be…

This mixed methods research investigated the relationship between student and teacher perceptions of five motivational components of instruction--appeal, challenge, choice, meaningfulness, and academic self-efficacy--and how teachers' knowledge of their students' perceptions informed their reflection on the quality of instruction. The Student…

This dissertation study concerned the lack of underrepresented minority students matriculating through the health professions pipeline. The term pipeline is "the educational avenue by which one must travel to successfully enter a profession" (Sullivan Alliance, 2004). There are a significant number of health professional pipeline…

The achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students and their traditional counterparts has continued to be a problem in education. Based on cognitive constructivist theory and enrichment theory, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between scores on a high-stakes achievement test and participation in a summer…

This research study investigated student and institutional variables associated with timely degree completion of the associate degree by community college students. Along with increased community college enrollments, time to degree has also increased. Three years (150% time or six semesters) currently stands as the community college standard for…

Although attention to the effects of child-animal interactions on children's development has increased in the last three decades, developmental psychology has not attended to the importance of the effects of animals on children's development. There is a need to consider the possible impacts of animals as significant social partners for children's…

This study investigated oral reading fluency development among Hispanic high school English-language learners. Participants included 11 males and 9 females from first-year, second-year, and third-year English language arts classes. The pre-post experimental study, which was conducted during a four-week ESL summer program, included a treatment and…

Educators have been looking for a solution to increasing yearly student achievement while at the same time ensuring that the achievement gap between students of high and low socioeconomic status does not continue to widen each year. Many studies examined show that students experience summer learning loss if not in school during the months of June…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between participation in the Summer Bridge Program, grade point averages and retention of first-year college students. Additionally, this study examined the differences in grade point averages of college students after their first semester and first-year of college with regard to their…