This dissertation addresses the problem of practice of the high rate of employees in financial organizations clicking on phishing links, positioning their companies at risk of a data incident or breach. The financial sector was the most breached industry in 2022 (Schwartz, 2022) and was impacted the most by malicious phishing emails (Trellix…

COVID-19 had a significant impact on adolescents. Local governments mandated schools to cancel in-person schooling for the first time in history due to the heightened exposure to the coronavirus. The shift to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic removed students from the supportive academic and social environment of the physical school…

There has been an increasing number of students being referred to mental health services due to behavioral problems they exhibit at school. Behavioral and social concerns impede academic success for the individual child as well as their classroom peers. Many factors can contribute to challenging behaviors in early childhood students within rural…

Psychosocial competencies; such as prosocial behaviors, compliance with authority, attention regulation, independence, and emotional regulation; play a crucial role in child development. Higher levels of these competencies in childhood are linked to fewer behavior problems, while deficits in these competencies can predict future problem behaviors.…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how rural K-12 leaders in Utah describe their leadership practices. The theoretical framework was based on Robert Greenleaf's Servant Leadership Theory. This study explored three research questions pertaining to: How Rural K-12 leadership practices were described, challenges that…

The work presented in the following chapters was undertaken with the goal of understanding and improving education in organic chemistry. Initial work, described in Chapters 1 and 2, focuses on students' ability to explain and rationalize the outcomes of organic chemistry reactions. Chapter 1 explores the relationship between assessment emphasis…

This study examines whether Positive Behavior Interventions can support student performance in schools in three Southern districts. Schools today seek opportunities for interventions to support student behaviors and increase engagement. Three school districts in the southeast of the United States have been trained to implement a schoolwide…

Critical thinking is one of the most desired skills in the workplace, as it assists an individual in solving complex problems and making informed decisions, resulting in their workplace success. Argumentation is one instructional approach that provides students an opportunity to engage in higher-order thinking and improve their communication…

More than 85% of federally funded research initiatives fail to produce significant positive results (Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, 2013). Moreover, of the less than 15% that do yield positive results, none show replicability outside of their original setting (Pogrow, 2017; Kizilcec et al., 2020). Mixed results are present in even the most…

This study was an initial psychometric investigation of the Universal Behavior Screener (UBS), a nine-item screening measure developed by psychologists within the Hawai'i Department of Education (HIDOE) to identify elementary school youth at risk for social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. Data from nine teachers reporting on 230 students at…

Demonstrating proactive approaches is one of the preventive measures utilized to decrease the problem behaviors in schools (MacSuga-Gage et al., 2015; Partin et al., 2009). Focusing efforts on halting negative classroom behaviors before escalations occur instead of managing the fallout from emergencies created by problem behaviors is one way that…

Several literature reviews have indicated the effectiveness of visual schedules (VS) to increase engagement and decrease problem behavior related to transitions for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, Lequia et al. (2012) noted that VS are typically combined with multiple intervention components, making it unclear…

Over five decades of research have documented a central challenge: School leaders are confronted with a deluge of simultaneous demands. These demands have intensified in the past few decades, amidst the standards-based accountability movement and the COVID pandemic. Yet, school leaders - like all people - have limited time, energy, and effort…

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a reinforcement schedule that commonly includes the delivery of a reinforcer following an interval during which a target behavior did not occur and extinction (i.e., the reinforcer is withheld following any instances of the target behavior). Although interventions using DRO schedules can…

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore teachers' and administrators' perceptions of test score pollution deriving from COVID-19-related issues that may affect students' test scores on state-mandated standardized tests for grades six through 12 in a state along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Four research…