General chemistry is a foundational course that most STEM students are required to take at some point in their academic careers, as such, thousands of students find themselves in a chemistry classroom every year. Students come into the classroom not only from different academic backgrounds but also from a variety of social and emotional…

Students may fall behind in their academic grade-level standards. Some students may be able to adjust to follow along with grade-level content; however, what happens when a student falls two or more grade levels behind? Those students are tested and based upon the results of the assessments, they may be assigned to Response to Intervention to…

Previous research has been limited regarding the measurement of computational thinking, particularly as a learning progression in K-12. This study proposes to apply a multidimensional item response theory (IRT) model to a newly developed measure of computational thinking utilizing both selected response and open-ended polytomous items to establish…

Metadiscourse comprises the linguistic resources used by writers to organize texts, engage readers, project stances towards their texts or readers, or position themselves in relation to readers (e.g. "I suggest," "however," "for example," "perhaps," "it is clear that," "interesting").…

Students at all grade levels in the United States are experiencing significant difficulties in the area of written expression (Salahu-Din, Persky, & Miller, 2008; U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Although performance feedback is an effective evidence-based intervention for improving the writing fluency of elementary-aged students,…

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) teach mindfulness skills. Mindfulness is defined as self-regulation of attention on immediate experience combined with an open attitude towards present moment experience (Bishop et al., 2004). Current studies suggest that MBIs for youth can be conceptualized as a subset of social-emotional learning skills…

Classroom technology has become an integral part of the life of students in the 21st century. Students get to be active learners when interactive technologies are utilized in the classroom. The purpose of this research was to expand current research and perform quantitative analysis on student response system use considering relevant measures of…

Although Black women are the fastest growing degree-granting recipients of higher education, academia is still a hostile environment for this population (Bell, Berry, Leopold, & Nkomo, 2021). Employing a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design and grounded in a transformative philosophical framework and Black feminist theory, this…

This dissertation investigates the voluntary usage of clickers to answer in class multiple-choice questions in general chemistry courses and its effect on student performance. The first study explored the demographic composition of two sequential introductory level chemistry courses over six terms. No difference in voluntary usage of the clicker…

The purpose of the study was to investigate preservice teachers' (PSTs) attitudes and beliefs towards their PK-12 field trip (FT) experiences as students, their memories, influences in their lives, impact on their educational approaches and career choices, as well as how, as future teachers, they would implement FTs to their future students to…

Social and emotional competence (SEC) is critical in determining college preparedness and student outcomes. College students need more than just academic knowledge to succeed. SEC encompasses a range of skills, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These skills are…

This qualitative case study of six principals and their district-level supervisors examines how principals' self-efficacy is influenced by the feedback they receive from their supervisor, as well as the ways the experience and influence of this feedback varies by the principals' gender. The messages conveyed to principals about entering formal…

Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) functioning within schools has historically been considered in the context of educational impact. Currently, traditional models in education do not readily take into account changing ecological considerations for students, as they experience heightened population-wide academic and SEB concerns, increasing…

This study evaluated third grade students who received RTI instruction and third grade students who do not receive RTI instruction performance on the Renaissance STAR Reading® assessment and the SC READY assessment with respect to gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. This study is significant because it examined the academic performance…

Researchers are increasingly interested in the cognitive behaviors students display during tests. This interest has led researchers to look for innovative ways to collect this type of data. Due to the proliferation of computer-based assessments, process data has become popular for its ability to help show what students know, what students don't…