Because of the flexibility and options online courses provide, students are increasingly enrolling in university online courses. Online learning continues to lag face-to-face learning in measures of student satisfaction and success. Although the incorporation of research-based effective practices increases student satisfaction and success, they…

As artificial intelligence (AI) plays a more prominent role in our everyday lives, it becomes increasingly important to introduce basic AI concepts to K-12 students. Currently, most K-12 AI research focuses on introducing fundamental AI concepts using pure virtual platforms like webpages or software. However, robots, as helpful and popular tools…

Procrastination is a significant problem in academia with some estimates suggesting that this occurs in as high as 70-90% of college students (Abdi Zarrin & Gracia, 2020) that manifests in numerous harmful ways including postponement of weekly reading assignments, delay in writing term papers, and inadequate preparation and beginning too late…

The purpose of this action research was to implement four close reading strategies (Aha moment, Hmm moment, B.U.R.N. strategy, and R.A.P.) and evaluate its impact on fifth grade African American male students' reading comprehension skills and their experiences with reading at Wisteria Lane Elementary. This intervention study focused on two…

It was not known if, or to what extent, there was a statistically significant difference in intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning (SRL) between degree-seeking adult learners who passed versus those who failed, were at-risk of failing, or dropped their most recent online mathematics course in the United States. The…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) put forth an aspiring call for science educators to enact instructional experiences that enable all students to participate in the real-world practices of science. To achieve this, teachers need to create classroom environments that will attract all students to science learning and support and sustain…

Pursuing postsecondary education is complicated for adult learners with children, also known as parenting adult learners (PALs). PALs must consider family expenses in addition to college expenses and make tough decisions about how to spend their time across their academic, work, and family responsibilities. Nonetheless, PALs are highly motivated,…

Men comprise the majority within science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), yet efforts to generate more inclusive environments within these disciplinary cultures often focus their attention on shifting women's behaviors. However, a limited number of formal training initiatives have demonstrated the efficacy of men allies for their women…

This dissertation tested the control-value theory of achievement emotions (CVTAE) in an instructional communication context. Based on the assumptions of CVTAE, the researcher predicted that when instructors were clearer, students would feel more confident in their abilities to perform well in their class and, in turn, experience positive…

Mississippi middle schools frequently fail to improve the intellectual capacity of students who struggle in mathematics. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative non-experimental research design was to investigate the impact of math academic interventions on rural Mississippi middle school mathematics students in grades six through…

The number of deaf and hard of hearing students served in an itinerant capacity in recent years has steadily increased. As a result, school districts have increased need for an itinerant teacher workforce that is engaged, satisfied, and committed. However, while research tells us a good deal about special educators' job satisfaction, research…

The purpose of this phenomenological narrative study was to explore why many aged-out foster youth from the Texas and Louisiana foster care system do not complete a high school diploma. The researcher conducted eight interviews with participants who had been in the foster care systems of these states for at least five years. The interviews were…

This quantitative study was conducted to examine if teacher reflective practices had an impact on student engagement, teacher-student relationships, and student engagement. Survey data were collected from 356 middle school teachers and students. Data concluded no significant relationships among the reflective practices of teachers, student…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to capture how graduates of adult high school diploma and equivalency programs in California told their story of persisting in the completion of a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. The four types of motivation regulation involved in organismic integration theory were used as the…

For the past several decades, young people in the United States have been told that they need to go to college and earn a degree in order to make a good living and be seen as successful. Many of those who decide to attend a 4-year degree program drop out and are left with debt and no credentials. There is a paucity of research on the lived…