This paper investigated the effect of grade dropping on students' performance, engagement, and satisfaction. In three different engineering courses that were taught by the author, an optional second midterm exam was offered near the end of the semester. The optional second midterm exam covered materials that were not covered by the first midterm…

Proportional reasoning is an important type of reasoning that students need to develop and was thus chosen as the context for my research of multiple-choice (MC) items. My investigations of ways to improve the function of MC items so that they reduced guessing, better addressed higher order thinking and assessed partial knowledge, influenced my…

Assessing learning outcomes for students who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing presents ongoing challenges given the largely verbal nature of classrooms and the presentation of information. Educators should carefully consider several factors when assessing their students who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. Those factors include, but are not limited to:…

Research into the intergenerational transmission of educational advantage has long been criticized for not paying sufficient attention to genetics. This study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and administrative register data on 25000 genotyped Norwegian children and their parents. We assess and disentangle the…

Classroom management skills are evidence-based strategies used to maintain a positive and productive learning environment. Utilizing classroom management strategies has been proven effective; however, limited tools are available for assessing such skills and further assessment of the reliability and dependability of such measures is needed. The…

College admission exams have long been the determining factor in students' college acceptance as well as being used as a predictor of success in college. States across America also used college admission exams as a way to measure a school's success in multiple dimensions. This study examined the effect of placing participants in an ACT…

Can genetic screening be used to personalize education for students? Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) screen an individual's DNA for specific variations in their genome, and how said variations relate to specific traits. The variations can then be assigned a corresponding weight and summed to produce polygenic scores (PGS) for given traits.…

Universal design for learning (UDL) is an instructional design framework based on neuroscience and education research. UDL leverages digital technology to create learning environments that adapt to diverse learner needs rather than the learner having to adapt to the learning environment. Empirical studies support the use of UDL as an effective…

Cognitive scientists and psychology researchers have given growing attention to evidence of the testing effect, that is, the improvement of students' recall through memory-retrieval practice in the form of quizzes and exams. While laboratory experiments consistently show dramatic positive effects on learning through the testing effect,…

Mental health has become an issue of importance in society over the past decade. Mental health diagnoses do not discriminate and have been shown to be an area in need of attention especially for young adults. Student athletes are not immune to issues related to mental health. Balancing academics and the demands of being a collegiate student…

It was unknown the impact a middle-level agriscience program had on the eighth-grade general science course. This quantitative study was designed to investigate the relationship between student performance on agriscience state assessments and the state DeSSA Science test. It was also unknown the relationship between eighth-grade agriscience and…

Researchers often assess causal effects of educational programs or policies using educational assessment data. This dissertation explores novel methods of estimating causal effects in educational assessment data and is broken into three parts. The first part proposes a regression discontinuity design with an ordinal running variable to assess the…

Advancements in technology and computer-based testing has allowed for greater flexibility in assessing examinee knowledge on large-scale, high-stakes assessments. Through computer-based delivery, cognitive ability and skills can be effectively assessed cost-efficiently and measure domains that are difficult or even impossible to measure with…

Results from international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) garner considerable attention in the media, academia, and among policy makers. Although there is widespread recognition that ILSAs can provide useful information, there is debate about what types of comparisons are the most meaningful and what could be done to assure more sound…

Background: Research demonstrates a link between decreased cognitive function in overweight school-aged children and improved cognitive function among students with high fitness levels and children engaging in regular physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to examine whether regular PA and proper nutrition together had a significant…