The purpose of the study was to examine the most critical dimensions of summer enrichment programs (SEPs) for gifted students. The researchers conducted the study in Saudi Arabia with students from grades nine to 11 at a gifted summer program in a public university. The total number of students was 172 gifted students (62 female and 110 male). The…

This mixed methods research investigated the relationship between student and teacher perceptions of five motivational components of instruction--appeal, challenge, choice, meaningfulness, and academic self-efficacy--and how teachers' knowledge of their students' perceptions informed their reflection on the quality of instruction. The Student…

This dissertation study concerned the lack of underrepresented minority students matriculating through the health professions pipeline. The term pipeline is "the educational avenue by which one must travel to successfully enter a profession" (Sullivan Alliance, 2004). There are a significant number of health professional pipeline…

This study examined the relationship of family background on students' academic self-efficacy and the impact of students' self-efficacy on their career and life success expectations. The study used the national dataset of the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Based on a path…

The historical under-representation of diverse youth in environmental science education is inextricably connected to access and identity-related issues. Many diverse youth with limited previous experience to the outdoors as a source for learning and/or leisure may consider environmental science as "unthinkable." This is an ethnographic…

The achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students and their traditional counterparts has continued to be a problem in education. Based on cognitive constructivist theory and enrichment theory, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between scores on a high-stakes achievement test and participation in a summer…

As schools attempt to improve the services to struggling readers, teachers are encouraged to work collaboratively to enhance instruction. Studies are needed to examine the effects of teaming on student performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if team cohesion and/or instructional time at the Marshall University Graduate College…

The impact of summer science-enrichment programs on high-school students' science motivation and confidence was evaluated in a 7-month period following program completion. The programs took place on a college campus. The splashdown effect was defined as program-related changes the program graduates recognized in themselves that became apparent to…