Student retention and lack of encouragement are post-secondary institutional barriers that play a critical part in why African Americans are represented in small numbers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) (National Science Foundation, 2017). Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have always promoted a supportive…

The Social Work integrative Research Lab (SWiRL) provides opportunities for undergraduate students to engage meaningfully with research and allows graduate students to develop mentoring skills. We conducted a survey of alumni (N=20) to learn whether: a) alumni endorsed the benefits of participation and b) SWiRL experiences contributed to…

This longitudinal narrative inquiry explores the influences on a first-year elementary teacher's mathematics-related teacher identity, employing a community of practice lens. Identity is a complex concept. In this study, identity is viewed as socially constructed through new experiences. These social interactions can be seen as an individual…

The present study aimed to examine the effect of collaborative practices among teachers on student achievement in state-tested science courses. Using an action research model, the author planned, implemented, and evaluated the effect of teachers collaborating in PLCs in science classes in a rural school district. Prior to the study, teachers in…

The last two decades have witnessed an ongoing effort to re-design the education doctorate to prepare practitioners to conduct research as a key aspect of their practice. As part of the reform, Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) members have tried to ensure the delivery of a relevant practice-based curriculum that prepares…

This article examines leadership and practitioner professional learning (PL) across two multi-school networks. This ethnographic empirical study involved the development of research communities comprised of teacher-led research projects in collaboration with academic researchers (ourselves). We explore what the impact this type of PL and our role…

Imagined communities of practice create spaces for language learners to participate in local and global interactions as individuals and as members of global communities. However, scant research has examined imagined communities of practice in the context of English as an international language (EIL). The present study adopted a mixed-methods…

The study investigated how adolescent students in Nepal explored massive open online learning courses (MOOCs) in a self-directed learning manner. It used a qualitative approach by conducting 13 individual interviews with these youth. Findings suggest that Nepali adolescent MOOC learners are strongly motivated by natural curiosity toward learning…

Elementary-aged students likely participate in an in-school Community of Musical Practice (CoMP) in addition to CoMPs outside of school. Therefore, knowing a student's entire Landscape of Musical Practice (LoMP) can help music teachers align in-school music practices with those outside of school to support students' developing musical identities.…

The lack of participation of girls in programming robotics is well documented in the international literature on the subject. The Inspired Towards Science, Engineering and Technology (I-SET) is a community engagement project that promotes science engagement in predominantly disadvantaged communities. In this paper, we present the findings of an…

Enhancing the mathematical problem solving and conceptual understanding of Year 6 students was the goal for a team of primary teachers. For this purpose, they investigated a teaching approach involving Challenging Tasks as a Professional Learning Community. The process followed by the team is outlined, and the impact on teaching and learning is…

Faculty engagement in assessment processes is critical but remains limited, especially in public doctoral research universities. In this article, we propose an engaged assessment model that emerged from our work at a leading doctoral university. Through the engaged assessment process, faculty members are involved throughout, centering on student…

This study aimed to reveal pre-service teachers' perceptions of Distance Education Learning Environment and Community of Inquiry according to gender and their departments and also clarify the relationship among these two sets. The research was designed according to relational survey research and cross-sectional data were collected from 262…

This article explores how teachers can use the sentence stems "I notice" and "I wonder" to deepen professional conversations with colleagues, both in person and in online spaces.

We are in the age of information and communication technology (ICT), where the learning communities (i.e., learners, teachers, scholars, etc.), mainly in higher education domains, are more technology dependent. The stakeholders always handle advanced research, study and technologies, and therefore they need some authentic and updated information…