This study sought to explore the implications for individuals who experienced awe while in the presence of wildlife. A conceptual framework was adapted that integrated the theory of emotional learning with experiential learning theory. In-depth interviews brought into focus the resultant learning stemming from experiences of wildlife-inspired awe.…

Laboratory exercises have created benefits in student learning. Making laboratories open ended pushes students to have an independent perspective and to think harder. An open-ended experiment is where students are given the flexibility to develop their own experiments. Outcome-based education is an educational theory that bases each part of an…

Background: Adolescents on the autism spectrum often experience challenges participating socially in inclusive education. The majority of school-based social supports focuses on social skills training, although research shows that students on the spectrum prefer activity-based social groups over social instructions. Thus, activity-based school…

This dissertation investigates work-based learning as a method to prepare students for agricultural careers through three interconnected studies. The first two studies investigate secondary education programs in the United States, while the third study explores postsecondary education in Rwanda. In Study 1, a philosophical research approach…

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects and reports on the quality and effectiveness of educational provision in England. This research explores the extent to which non-mandatory curricular outdoor learning was recognised and reported by Ofsted in their inspections of state-maintained English primary…

Service learning is a collaborative approach to teaching and learning built around reciprocal relationships between universities and community organisations. Recently, the University of Canberra established the 'Good Start in Life' (GSIL) service-learning program to address growing gaps in all domains of child development. This study explores…

A single-case research design was conducted to evaluate a reality therapy driven model of clinical supervision as an effective modality for increasing supervisee report of counseling skill use and counseling self-efficacy. Three white, female participant supervisees from the United States received reality therapy driven site supervision during…

The purpose of this report is to present summative findings from a five-year EIR early-phase project that implemented and evaluated the ENpowered program. PRG conducted a rigorous impact and implementation evaluation of the ENpowered program's effect on middle school student outcomes. The impact study utilized a quasi-experimental design to…

Educators have long recognized that students gain important skills through real-world learning, which frequently takes place outside school hours or school walls. In Boston and Providence, after-school program leaders engaged in a bold experiment to formally recognize these skills through an innovative credential called a digital badge. For two…

The United States has invested millions of dollars in STEM program initiatives; however, African Americans in STEM career fields are underrepresented. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experiences of African-American first-year college students from rural communities in a STEM program and…

Highly qualified and well-prepared transition professionals are arguably the most important piece to improve postsecondary outcomes for youth with diverse needs. A dearth of dynamic field placements for preservice teachers to connect coursework to practice has been identified as a gap in teacher training. This need could be potentially filled by…

The practice of including students with disabilities in art education has existed longer than efforts to increase access to general academic instruction. However, most teacher education programs do not offer sufficient coursework or field experiences in training pre-service art teachers to teach students with disabilities. To examine how…

The decline of biodiversity and natural habitats, and the lack of progress in society's behaviour towards conservation, has prompted research into effective educational programs. Studies have shown that positive emotions towards nature, particularly in relation to the innate human predisposition towards the natural environment, can encourage…

The Maryland Action for Drug Discovery and Pharmaceutical Research (MADDPR) Program provides hands-on lab experience and mentoring to underserved minority high school students. Over 4 years, 93 high school students and their science teachers participated in the two-week summer camp program which was led by 15 faculty from the School of Pharmacy.…

Institutions of higher education currently face serious challenges, including high costs for learners, demand for return on investment from students, and expectations from employers to produce work-ready graduates. Skills desired by employers are shifting as technology advances, putting further pressure on colleges and universities to adapt and…