This study sought to examine the instructional practices of faculty noted for exemplary teaching to identify support systems that help students succeed. Based on attrition reports across postsecondary institutions that show approximately one-fourth of students who leave college before degree attainment, finding solutions that can help students…

In this dissertation I trace my changing practices as a teacher and a learner. I look closely at three questions that have been centrally important to my development as a high school English teacher, and I consider what it might mean for English classes to induct newcomers into the conversations, identities, and dispositions at the heart of…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to describe secondary educators' experiences in planning and implementing formative assessment in rural southern Maryland to gain an understanding of their definition and use of Assessment for Learning (AfL) in diverse classrooms. The theory guiding this study, the sociocultural learning…

Learning to program is increasingly important. Yet, it is becoming clear that most students struggle when learning to program (McCracken et al., 2001). This is leading to a divide where some people can program but many others can't. Prior research has traced poor student outcomes to their early experiences learning programming. Still, little is…

This teacher-research study explored how opportunities for multimodal project learning provided time in the classroom for ongoing conversations and inquiries that promoted student agency and growth, cultivated content and literacy learning, and inherently provided authentic assessment opportunities. This study documented the multimodal curriculum…

This dissertation examines the role of writing assessment in college composition courses, and how issues including learning aversion, access to technology, and white-language supremacy can harm our assessment practices and pedagogy. Writing assessment is one of the most important aspects of teaching and is a significant factor in shaping students'…

Paradoxes are particularly problematic in literacy as they often complicate learning. However, identifying and examining them can also tell us something about the inherent problems within social, political, and educational systems. This paper reports on an analysis of a total of 205 AJLL articles and editorials, published between 2011 and 2021.…

Dynamic biochemical processes are often difficult for students to grasp in the classroom using static images or models, or even through watching simulation videos. This is particularly true for protein-folding and enzyme catalysis, two key biochemistry concepts. The author has developed and tested two 3D, dynamic, and interactive classroom models,…

When working with multimodal Bayesian posterior distributions, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms have difficulty moving between modes, and default variational or mode-based approximate inferences will understate posterior uncertainty. And, even if the most important modes can be found, it is difficult to evaluate their relative weights in…

This dissertation is a multi-method study that investigates the concepts of culturally responsive teaching and culturally relevant pedagogy in theory, policy, and practice. It examines the roots of culturally responsive and relevant education as originally conceptualized by educational scholars Gevena Gay and Gloria Ladson-Billings. Through…

This Dissertation in Practice highlights a problem of practice within the field of Higher Education regarding the work place experiences of Black staff and administrators at Predominantly White Institutions. The dissertation seeks to understand more about the experiences of Black professional staff and administrators at Predominantly White…

Globalization and rapid changes in technology have led to a shift in the skills employers need. These changes have resulted in a gap between the skills people have and those required by industry. This exploratory case study sought to better understand the uniquely human skills employers desire and technical educators should teach in order to…

This study is a phenomenological analysis of the experiences of members of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team when an appreciative approach is taken during the IEP process in a middle school in rural New England. The specific phenomenon studied is individuals' experience when student strengths are discussed explicitly as an IEP is…

Math anxiety has been studied since the 1950s. Researchers have examined the manifestations and effects of this condition in students, teachers, parents, and other populations. Elementary teachers with math anxiety have been the focus of researchers for several decades, and findings have revealed relationships between math anxiety and teacher…

This study presents the findings of a systematic review of empirical research on the use of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and extended reality (XR) to present social skill instruction to school-age students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Forty-one articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies targeted…