The purpose of this exploratory study is to propose a pedagogical nexus for maker educators that is specific to making and tinkering in K-12 formal learning environments. The intent is to document the pedagogical approaches of practising teachers as they gain experience with making practices and principles. Based on the analysis of interview data…

Louisiana State University (LSU) received an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant to implement its Introduction to Computational Thinking (ICT) course from fall 2019 through spring 2023. ICT is a yearlong course that builds skills in problem solving, programming, and mathematics (algebra and geometry) and is intended to improve…

'Trauma-informed' is fast becoming a buzzword, a term being used widely across health, education, and other sectors. Online technologies are enabling an increasing number of schools to have instant access to 'expert' trauma-informed approaches, practices and research, however, the ways in which this information is being used varies greatly. This…

Environmental education (EE) is recognized as an important way to improve the environmental crisis. It seems that international and national educational assessment and accountability ideas are working against EE. By examining the perspectives of Israeli teachers, who are important change agents in society, this qualitative case study seeks to…

There currently exists worldwide concern around obesity, inactivity and sedentary school curricula. EduMove (Education through Movement) offers physically active and movement-based teaching and learning promoting cross-curricula delivery in schools. This research assessed effectiveness of mechanisms and processes underpinning the claims of…

Understanding the rate at which STEM faculty move from traditional, lecture-intensive teaching practices to more effective, student-centered practices and the institutional conditions that favor this shift are crucial for supporting faculty change. This study investigated the instructional practices of biology, chemistry, and physics faculty at…

The importance placed on student engagement strategies within higher education (HE) and the emphasis on sophisticated and expensive polices by universities has been well documented. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, the main aim of such resource intensive aims is fundamentally to attract students to their institutions. This study…

Background: In recent years, the United States has seen a resurgence in calls for mandating civics coursework across the country. For decades, scholars have identified classroom practices that help make civics courses more impactful to students' civic engagement and knowledge. As more civics courses are required of young people, one begins to…

The Mariana crow ("Corvus kubaryi"), called Åga, is critically endangered and endemic to the Mariana Island of Rota. This study developed and implemented an avian-focused environmental education curriculum and evaluated the curriculum's influence on attitudes and knowledge using social science research methods. Fifth and sixth grade…

Background: Competency-based education (CBE) has been implemented to varying degrees in the last several decades. New Hampshire has led the way in policy changes to promote its adoption. However, there has been a tension between the goals of the initiative and how teachers' beliefs inform implementation. Aims: The purpose of this study was to take…

This paper presents findings of a case-study set in one of the small schools of Maldives which was practising the concept of multigrade teaching. The aim of the study was to investigate teachers' experiences of using Differentiated Instruction (DI) in multigrade classes. It also explored the benefits as well as challenges for using DI in the…

This study explores teachers' professional learning (TPL) in the context of a school-wide implementation of Project Based Learning (PBL).Using phenomenology, we studied the narratives of two teachers engaged in the implementation. The questions driving this research are: How do teachers conceptualize their learning as professionals involved in a…

Districts across the country are planning how to invest huge influxes of one-time ESSER funds -- targeting funds toward meeting urgent academic and social-emotional recovery needs, as well as redesigning better, more equitable approaches to teaching and learning. But short-term investments are often not enough to generate meaningful long-term…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and its implications of being a curricular and pedagogical intervention in terms of narrowing the achievement gap in science education for Children of Color. In using the explanatory mixed methods design, standardized test data and one-on-one interviews were…

This dissertation is an extended prescription for the inclusion of social justice in high school biology (HSB) curricula. Chapter 1 is context: a review of social injustice (mainly racism) in the US, and the specious scientific justifications for it. Chapter 2 explores how three veteran teachers introduce social justice in HSB classes. A…