This study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods in investigating how a novel science curriculum, geared towards the 21st century student, affected skills and attitudes towards science for tenth grade students. The quantitative portion of the study was a quasi-experimental design since random groups were not possible. This portion of…

To explore student mathematical self-efficacy and understanding of graphical data, this dissertation examines students solving real-world problems in their neighborhood, mediated by professional urban planning technologies. As states and schools are working on the alignment of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), traditional…

Peruvian students at both the elementary and the secondary level have shown poor results in evaluations of mathematics achievement in recent years. In addition, research has found that teachers are not implementing the curriculum as expected; traditional practices of teaching are still present in classrooms. These problems have driven a school…

This study was conducted as a way to begin to fill a gap in the literature regarding young people and hobby pursuit. Through intensive exploratory research, the study sought to explicate the information behaviors of gifted young people related to their hobby pursuit. Focus groups and home visits were conducted and participants were given the…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that formed in medical school and holds students responsible for their learning as they solve a hypothetical real-world problem. Research on this instructional approach in K-12 settings is emerging, with most of the existing literature utilizing high school students and science. Few studies…

Youth civic engagement in the United States is at an all time low (Barber 1998; Galston, 2004, Owen, 2008). Youth are routinely characterized as civically apathetic, disengaged, and ignorant (Niemi & Junn, 1998; Putnam, 2000; Ravitch & Finn, 1987). Or, as Owen (2008) succinctly puts it, "young people in America have long anchored the…

Investigating students' perceptions of their classroom environment is one of the ways researchers and educators can effectively determine what factors may benefit students' learning. Student Perceptions of Classroom Quality (SPOCQ; Gentry & Owen, 2004) was used with a group of Chinese gifted and general secondary students in the study. SPOCQ…

This dissertation was comprised of three exploratory studies investigating the effects of metacognitive instructional strategies on secondary career and technical education students' problem solving performance. Recommendations for future research are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of…

As noted by researchers (Funk, Hagen, & Schimming, 1999; Squire, 2006; Williams, 2003), many youth today spend more time playing in digital worlds than reading, or watching TV or films. Though many people, parents and teachers, still take video games as mere entertainment, "gaming culture" (Sanford & Madill, 2007) and "game…

This dissertation is a qualitative study of the benefits of a student-initiated apartment theme-housing program at a small private university in the southern United States. This study used in-depth interviews to determine what benefits existed from participation in the theme-housing program, and to determine if the program was beneficial to…

"In the three decades since the 1980 publication of An Agenda for Action, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has consistently advocated a coherent prekindergarten through grade 12 mathematics curriculum focused on mathematical problem solving" (NCTM, 2009, p. xi). Despite a call for secondary mathematics students to…

The purpose of this research study was to explore the process of learning and development of problem solving skills in radiologic technologists. The researcher sought to understand the nature of difficult problems encountered in clinical practice, to identify specific learning practices leading to the development of professional expertise, and to…

This qualitative case study was designed to explore how participants in an arts-based leadership development program learned to draw on their right brain capabilities in order to develop the creative competencies required to solve complex modern-day problems in new and different ways. The rationale for this study emerges from the researcher's…

When groups engage in math problem solving in an online environment like the VMT (Virtual Math Teams) service, they can face significant challenges from troubles of individual and group understanding that emerge in their problem-solving process. We are interested in how shared understanding is interactionally constructed and accomplished in a…

There is an achievement gap and lack of participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by minority females. The number of minority females majoring in STEM related fields and earning advanced degrees in these fields has not significantly increased over the past 40 years. Previous research has evaluated the relationship between…