This dissertation explores the integration of Place-Based Scientific Inquiry (PBSI) into science education through participatory design-based professional development for instructors at Sky School, an outdoor education program in southern Arizona. PBSI emphasizes student-centered, inquiry-driven, experiential learning grounded in outdoor contexts.…

This correlational study investigated how secondary educators' engagement in online learning communities relates to their tech-enhanced instructional practices, a relationship that gained importance following the COVID-19 pandemic's acceleration of educational technology adoption. Through the lens of Keller's ARCS Model of Motivation (Keller,…

This study explored the experiences of rural secondary school teachers in Namibia during emergency remote teaching (ERT) owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The TPACK framework and sociocultural theory were used. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 26 rural teachers revealed that despite the availability of technological tools…

Education plays a central role in preparing young people to engage thoughtfully in civic and community issues and to wrestle with complex dilemmas in the public domain. As a democracy, our system of governance offers multiple pathways through which people living in the country can influence how civic issues and dilemmas are addressed.…

The 21st century is an exciting time for integrating technology in schools. Technology can help educators close digital use, digital design, and accessibility gaps by allowing us to tailor educational experiences to meet every learner's needs. However, technology can feel intimidating and overwhelming to many educators. Like other kinds of…

Energy literacy has become acritical issue in recent years. The purpose of this study was to examine the contributions of epistemological beliefs to energy literacy in lower-secondary school students in Turkey. Data were collected via self-report questionnaires from 656 lower-secondary school students in the Aegean Region of Turkey. To address the…

Purpose: This chapter explores the transformation of teacher education in India to enhance student-teacher interactions within virtual learning environments (VLEs). It aims to address the challenges and opportunities posed by the digital shift in education, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and emphasizes the need for pre-service…

This study explored the experiences of seven first-year university students in Johannesburg, South Africa. Recognising storytelling as a lens to reveal identity, this study focused on student experience narratives as a tool to better understand their transition from school to university. It examined the narrated experiences of these students as a…

Background or Context: The notion of writer's block has been primarily conceived and explored as a breakdown in a cognitive writing process (Rose, 1984); yet, for many writers, confronting writer's block often involves engaging the body through sensations, feelings, movement, and action. However, these considerations have not yet impacted our…

Background: Early-grade reading proficiency is well documented as in important factor for later academic success. Researchers and educators consider the achievement of reading proficiency by the end of grade three to be crucial to future academic success and financial independence (Hein et al., 2013; La Paro & Pianta, 2000; Singh, 2013). As…

Organizational effectiveness studies within college athletics tend to focus attention on administrators at large NCAA Division I institutions. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how medium-sized public NCAA Division II athletic departments define and operationalize organizational effectiveness. More specifically, this study aims to…

This qualitative case study conducted under the informed exploration phase of design-based research explored the design process of an online teacher professional development (OTPD) prototype course for Korean language teachers to adopt a multiliteracies-based pedagogy in the K-12 context. This study is a response to the lack of research on…

Despite considerable evidence on the links between average classroom quality and children's learning, the importance of variation in quality is not well understood. We examined whether three measures of variation in observed classroom quality over the school year -- overall variation in quality, teacher-specific trends in quality, and instability…

Academics around the globe have examined the ethics of care theory and its application across various educational contexts; however, little research has focused on this approach within the adult English as an additional language (EAL) context. Additionally, educational research on digital literacies has examined the competencies necessary to be…

In contemporary society, cultivating scientific literacy among the public is imperative for informed decision-making on matters influencing general well-being. Here, we report the multifaceted activity Magnifying Minds as a collaboration between artists and scientists to enhance scientific literacy through public art. Murals as a medium for…