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…

This exploratory qualitative study explored the phenomenon that is leadership in the learner-centered paradigm from the perspective of 16 school leaders who participated in one-to-one interviews. Of particular focus were the factors that influence a leader's decision to lead from this paradigm, what beliefs and mindsets motivate their actions,…

The Atlanta Schools Critical Education Network for Distinction (ASCEND) is an ongoing interdisciplinary coalition supporting the critical consciousness of social justice educators. ASCEND partners include: (1) activist faculty from two university departments: Middle and Secondary Education and African American Studies; (2) a justice-oriented…

Outings beyond the confines of the university classroom are still rare in Spain. They are an experiential learning practice that involve student teachers in their future professions through a reflective and critical approach. This study presents the process of designing and validating a questionnaire for ex-ante and ex post evaluations of outings.…

The present study examines the influence of drama-based pedagogy on English-speaking proficiency. This pedagogical approach immerses students in experiential learning through role-playing, improvisation, and acting-based instruction, thereby fostering engagement with authentic language use. The research investigates the role of drama-based…

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…

The principal purpose of this program evaluation was to determine how the 2010-2019 alumni of the William & Mary (W&M) D.C. Summer Institutes (DCSI) perceived their participation helped them achieve career readiness. Existing literature on experiential learning methods and practices has suggested great value in such opportunities, but less…

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…

The language that is used to refer to COVID-19 is changing to reflect how the disease evolves. One of the changes is the use of the word "endemic" to replace "pandemic," a modification that implies far reaching effects on goals for language acquisition and cultural integration, particularly in the context of study abroad. Study…

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…

Background: Hands-on activities and makerspaces have rapidly gained popularity in recent years. One of the reasons for this is that they have the potential to stimulate interest and identity development in STEM or STEAM. Taiwan has organized many technology and science competitions for students to raise their interest and creativity in the past…

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate an authentic contextual learning framework with six constructs to model the relationships among essential factors of authentic contextual learning. In particular, this framework explores the relationships across six constructs, i.e. learning by applying, healthy learning, collaborative learning,…

The purpose of this study was to explore preservice special education teachers' experiences within an instructional material development project for students with disabilities during a semester-long technology integration course. Data were collected from 61 preservice special education teachers through an open-ended questionnaire, instructional…

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a transition to flexible remote and hybrid work arrangements. This shift presents a challenge to colleges and universities as they prepare the next generation of STEM professionals in the knowledge economy. This case study of student experiential learning during the time of critical change from the Spring of…