Gifted students' often go unchallenged in the classroom, and this lack of tailored instruction can lead to decreased motivation, which, in turn, influences underachievement, which is a significant concern since these children, theoretically, should be our highest achievers. This 4-week (i.e., eight instructional days) semi-randomized,…

Problem-solving has been playing an important role in predicting students' academic achievement, cognitive skills, and future careers. It plays an even more important role in English learners (ELs), especially those who are at-risk for math learning difficulties, because they face more severe challenges in language. As more English learners…

This qualitative research study explored the procedures and instructional practices of implementing game-based learning within a course and/or curriculum in higher education. Game-based learning is structured to integrate gameplay into a subject matter to increase a student's ability to acquire and apply knowledge to the real world. Furthermore,…

This study explored how instructional guide documents and high school engineering teachers understand the concept of mindset and the instructional practice of feedback as students engage in classroom problem-solving activities. From data analysis, several important conclusions were made. High school engineering teachers create a classroom climate…

In the spring of 2020, many colleges and universities had to move their classes online due to COVID-19. This move to the virtual environment highlighted a growing problem in higher education, being increase failure rates for online students. This study addressed two research questions: 1) To what extent does the use of short lectures and small…

The technology in the K-12 classroom has changed from being a tool that educators can utilize on an as needed basis, to a classroom necessity. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore K-12 technology directors experiences in the decision-making process of integrating technology in a K-12 education system at a district level…

Emerging adulthood, a developmental stage typically bound by the ages between 18-25 years, is a period characterized by new autonomy and decision-making responsibilities, as well as the introduction of a number of weight-related risks, including physical inactivity. Given that behavior plays a key role in the prevention of many chronic health…

First-year writing students engage information at a near constant clip through tools that are familiar to them, and most embrace their ready-access to information of all kinds. They understand and perform "research" from a wide variety of perspectives and in diverse contexts. Yet they perceive a gap between personal research, which they…

Purpose: This study examined how a single secondary school chose to interpret and implement the Response to Instruction (RtI) framework, and how teachers perceived the effectiveness of implementation. Research Method: This qualitative case study used archived data, observations, and semi-structured interviews to explore how the school interpreted…

In 2016, six of six American Nobel Prize winners in science were immigrants. The numbers of U.S. educated graduates who enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields have been on the decline, and policymakers and educators have continually sought new policies and programs to try resolve this problem with long-term…

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences of high school physics students who were solving complex, ill-structured problems, in an effort to better understand how self-regulatory behavior mediated the project experience. Consistent with Voss, Green, Post, and Penner's (1983) conception of an ill-structured problem in…

The purpose of this study was to determine how the study of number theory might affect high school students' metacognitive functioning, mathematical curiosity, and/or attitudes towards mathematics. The study utilized questionnaire and/or interview responses of seven high school students from New York City and 33 high school students from Dalian,…

This qualitative case study provided insight into college students' experiences with critical thinking and technology integration in course delivery. Adapting to changes in adding higher order thinking skills and technology into class structure, administrators may need to modify existing curriculum to incorporate concentration on 21st century…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine teachers' perceptions of motivational literacy instructional strategies for use with English as a second language learners (ESLs). Self-determination theory's basic psychological needs theory and organismic integration theory acted as the lens through which this topic was explored. A Likert-type…

Alternative education students face many interacting challenges that put them at significant risk of dropping out of school (Carver & Lewis, 2010), as well as deleterious health and psychological outcomes, and intergenerational cycles of sociopolitical disadvantage (Laird, Kienzel, Debell & Chapman, 2007). Despite the persistent national…