Student engagement and well-being are critical for academic success and overall development. This Spotlight explores strategies to create supportive and engaging learning environments that foster student motivation and well-being. From re-emphasizing the importance of play in kindergarten to leveraging the power of outdoor learning, these articles…

The presented article is devoted to interethnic tolerance development among pedagogical students at a university. Based on the works by B. Barber, J. Berry, A. G. Asmolov, M. S. Mirimanov, V. A. Lektorsky, G. U. Soldatov and other researchers, the authors clarified the goal and objectives of interethnic tolerance development among future teachers,…

There is substantive research that examines the punitive and harsh disciplinary practices in K-12 schools and the disproportionate effects on students of Color. While race has been central to this critical discourse; gender has remained secondary. Although both Black girls and boys face unique challenges in their K-12 academic environments, there…

This dissertation investigated the science identity development of first-generation college students (FGCS) within learning assistant (LA) -supported science classes. The research aimed to uncover the complex and multifaceted processes through which FGCS come to see themselves as "science people" and how various elements of the…

Background: Young people are more likely to develop into effective learners, productive adults, and engaged citizens when their learning environments afford them certain kinds of experiences. For example, students are more likely to succeed when they experience a sense of belonging in school or experience schoolwork as personally relevant.…

Considering the widespread focus on the academic achievement and social behavior of Black boys, there has been a limited focus on Black girls. Recent data from the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights show disproportionate suspension and expulsion rates for girls with Black girls suspended at higher rates (12%) than girls from other…

This study investigated the knowledge, skills, and perceptions of school psychologists regarding prenatal opioid exposure in school-aged children. The study also aimed to explore school psychologists' awareness of the effects of prenatal opioid exposure on children's academic, social, and emotional development. Utilizing a quantitative approach,…

The disparity between Asian Americans' high level degree attainment and underrepresentation in executive offices suggests that Asian American college students are achieving academically, but somewhere along the journey from college to career they are missing the connections that will transform them into global leaders. In order to prepare Asian…

The study of human rights education has emerged in recent years, but few studies have addressed students' learning processes regarding children's human rights education (CHRE). This paper conceptualises the interrelated features of these processes in school, subsumed under three conceptual levels of analysis. The first highlights the individual…

Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP; e.g., Ladson-Billings, 1995) is a set of beliefs and practices that aim to serve culturally and linguistically diverse student learners. Although a large body of work describes its tenets and permutations, and its implications for students, less work has been done to outline the myriad barriers that teachers face…

Few studies holistically examine how students experience the multiple dimensions of school climate and resilience promoting characteristics, or how these two constructs may be interrelated. This study utilised a sample of 78,550 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students in California. Roughly half of the participants were female (52%), and roughly half…

Black women have a unique process in forming their identities, because of the subordinated status of both their racial and gender identity. Black women in America have urged American society at large to understand the complexity and multidimensionality of the Black woman identity, due to issues of inequality being addressed through a single axis…

Black students have faced several challenges and inequities in higher education (Williams et al., 2020). However, their experiences were not solely defined by the barriers in their way. Therefore, this study aimed to explore asset-based approaches (Denton et al., 2020) to Black students' success, including institutional support through a sense of…

There has been a growing discourse within higher education to engage with students as partners and harness the strength of students and faculty working together. Engaging in student-faculty partnerships activities offers benefits to both students and faculty, yet there is less research on these practices within science, technology, engineering and…

Nontraditional educational settings (NES) cater to diverse student populations, including those considered at-potential or at-risk. Research on interventions and the role of helping professionals in these settings is limited. This dissertation comprises two studies aimed at elucidating interventions and support mechanisms for at-potential students…