This single subject experimental design study used an adapted alternating treatment design to examine the effects of a synthetic phonics intervention and an analytic phonics intervention on oral reading accuracy, oral reading rate, and letter-sound correspondences among first grade students. Students who were reading at least two levels below…

Summer melt refers to applicants who showed intentions of starting college, but ultimately did not attend. The purpose of this program evaluation was to evaluate a text messaging intervention offered to community college applicants aimed at reducing summer melt of all students, but particularly first-generation students. Applicants often face…

Since Swain's (1985) Output Hypothesis, producing output in second language (L2) has been assumed to be a crucial cognitive process that promotes L2 acquisition, by actively facilitating various cognitive processes (e.g., noticing, hypothesis testing, conscious reflections of own language use, and automatization of the linguistic knowledge) (de…

As the cost of living continues to increase over time, many Americans are placing greater scrutiny on the financial choices they make. An area for such evaluation is if the outcomes of going to college continue to be worth the cost. One underrepresented group, first-generation college students (FGCS), is less likely than non-FGCS to attend and…

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 purpose of this research study was to examine differences in perceptions of spirituality outcomes between online and in-person students taking theology courses at a Christian liberal arts college in the Midwestern United States. Using a validated instrument, the Religious Education Survey (RES), 71 students were surveyed. A one sample t test…

The topic of praise and more specifically, behavior-specific praise, in special education is complex. It requires an investigation of multiple types of praise in a variety of settings and a variety of individuals with even more severe intellectual and developmental disabilities and other impairments (IDDI). Historically, in much research,…

The historical development of the EER program, from its initiative as WSU's first Ed. D., to its growth with the Ph. D. and master's program, was well documented (Irwin, 1960). The importance of the EER doctoral program was established, in terms of its role in the COE, within WSU, and in the outside business and industry communities (Ozkan, 2008).…

This quantitative study sought to determine the efficacy and mindset perceptions of current school leaders and teachers within public high schools. This study highlighted a discrepancy in efficacy and mindset among educators for each other. Firstly, school leaders feel they make a difference, but teachers do not hold the same level of belief in…

The functional neuroanatomy of language localization in dyslexia has primarily been studied in the context of reading. However, dyslexia is sometimes referred to as a "language-based learning disability," yet the functional signature of the core language comprehension network in dyslexia is far less understood. This thesis presents a…

This dissertation describes a research program focused on investigating learning strategies that could prevent individuals from showing inferior motor performance when performing under psychological pressure, a phenomenon known as "choking under pressure." Choking has been studied from the perspective of different theories. Each theory…

The purpose of this study was to determine if a gender-based learning environment fosters academic success for female students. This study was, also, meant to determine if the socioeconomic status (SES) and race of females was a predicting factor for the academic success of females enrolled in single gender learning environments in comparison to…

Family structure can influence level of risk children face and their likelihood of attending college, despite many benefits associated with higher education. The Resilience Theory suggests that protective factors mitigate risk exposure and help individuals recover from negative experiences. This study involved examining relationships between…

Underachievement in education and the exploration of its factors have been in constant interest in educational research for years. According to McFarland et al., 2017) previously conducted research has found a relationship between family risk factors and negative educational outcomes which include low academic achievement, student retention, and…

Dialects vary in their allophonic patterns, which can affect listeners' phonological and lexical representations. I explore how different exposure to dialect-specific allophonic patterns for two vowels in American English, /ae ai/, affects listeners' lexical processing behaviors across three perception tasks: perceptual similarity, priming, and…