In this dissertation I explore the fugitive technology practices of Black high-schoolers in a tech-rich after-school makerspace. To do so, I invoke ontologies from two cyborgs to make sense of these Black teens' practices. First, James and Costa Vargas (2012) offer the Black Cyborg-- the rebel intellectual rejecting victimization through…

Although there has been an abundance of empirical inquiry into making in recent years, interestingly, and despite growing interest in the integration of making into N-12 education, little seems to be known empirically about the ways in which teachers are implementing making and creating makerspaces in their own classrooms. Very little direct…

A qualitative phenomenological study examining the learning activities that take place at a college radio station. The research objective is to understand the social practices that make possible or hinder the construction of learning experiences at KCSS, the campus radio station at California State University, Stanislaus. Document analysis,…

In an effort to interest more students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes (STEM), more school systems have implemented maker education in the formal school setting. However, many teachers assigned to implement the maker curricula met difficulties due to their unfamiliarity with the maker mindset and lack of the…

Project Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional strategy used to aid in the improvement of student achievement by incorporating a project as the medium to collaborate and augment competency and skills. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the implementation of PBL via the use of a district-wide PBL instructional curriculum for…

This study explores how upper-grade elementary makers' spaces reveal creative thinking and critical thinking in identified and unidentified gifted students. It provides evidence that the situated learning context of makers' spaces elicit high-level motivation through constructionist practices and 21st century learning processes that leads to…

It is vital for online educators to know whether the strategies they use help students gain 21st-century skills. One skill that has been identified as important in the 21st century is creativity; however, a gap existed in the literature concerning whether online courses could help students to develop creativity. Thus, the purpose of this study was…

This descriptive and exploratory case study focused on a specific Content-Based Language Teaching (CBLT) curriculum within the context of higher education in China. The researcher investigated the rationale behind the current design and students' and teachers' perceptions about the curriculum, as well as, their perceived motivations and challenges…

This dissertation builds on and extends research on the relationship between equity-minded mathematics teaching, specifically teaching mathematics for social justice, complex instruction, and project-based learning, and students' learning and identity development. Although different in their structures and strategies, equity-minded mathematics…

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on educational change and gender in the superintendency. Superintendent tenure is influenced by the ability to facilitate and navigate the change process. Superintendent leadership and organizational change have been shown to be related to student achievement; therefore, successful…

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on educational change and gender in the superintendency. Superintendent tenure is influenced by the ability to facilitate and navigate the change process. Superintendent leadership and organizational change have been shown to be related to student achievement; therefore, successful…

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on educational change and gender in the superintendency. Superintendent tenure is influenced by the ability to facilitate and navigate the change process. Superintendent leadership and organizational change have been shown to be related to student achievement; therefore, successful…