There is a lack of knowledge regarding the value and impact of career development services, particularly in Canada. The goals of this research were to better understand career development services' evaluation practices and the value of these practices from the perspectives of Canadian agencies, practitioners, policy makers, and employers. Data…

Virtual environments can resolve many practical and pedagogical challenges within higher education. Economic considerations, accessibility issues, and safety concerns can all be somewhat alleviated by creating learning activities in a virtual space. Because of the removal of real-world physical limitations like gravity, durability and scope,…

Cyberbullying on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook has had negative effects on children at school. Cyberbullying disruption during the school day adds to the complexity of maintaining school operations, safety, and academic achievement. With the advancement of technology, there is a gap in the literature on the disruption in…

The purpose of the research presented here is to identify which factors school level practitioners consider in deciding whether to retain or promote a student and to ascertain their knowledge of and training in retention research. This research illuminates the process of determining which students are promoted and which are retained, and the…

With budget cuts and the heavy emphasis placed in recent years on student achievement in language arts and mathematics, arts instruction has been greatly reduced in California elementary schools. Yet the research literature has shown arts instruction to be associated with improved literacy skills (Bransford & Schwartz, 1999). Podlozny (2002),…

The concept of cultural competency, its application, and impact on K-12 learning have not received much attention in the literature. Teachers need to understand the connection between culture and pedagogy when teaching minority and underrepresented students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine whether the skill sets in…

Despite available training in technology resources in the district under study, teachers have indicated that they lack an understanding of how to integrate technology effectively in the classroom. Through analysis of survey data, an archival technology plan document, a focus group with teachers and interviews with principals, this dissertation…

Immediacy is the closeness expressed by communicators which maybe observed in teachers as they try to engage students. Teacher immediacy may take nonverbal and verbal forms. U.S. studies have concluded that immediacy has positive effects on U.S. college students' learning. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of American faculty's…

This exploratory qualitative case study investigated rural K-8 special education teacher perceptions of their positional status as special education teachers who co-teach with their regular education peers. Four special education teachers participated in journal prompts, one-on-one interviews, and a focus group interview. The conceptual lens for…

Modern school leaders may fed uncertainty in their feelings of satisfaction given the complex and changing nature of the principalship. Reforms in administrative preparation and training programs attempt to provide professional growth experiences that address evolving administrative expectations while universities and school districts strive to…

This report summarizes evaluation results for an efficacy study of the Leveled Literacy Intervention system (LLI) implemented in Tift County Schools (TCS) in Georgia and the Enlarged City School District of Middletown (ECSDM) in New York during the 2009-2010 school year. Developed by Fountas & Pinnell (2009) and published by Heinemann, LLI is…

Focus groups were conducted with middle and high school students (N = 78) in nine urban, suburban and rural schools to examine students' perceptions regarding school-based respect. Students defined school-based respect as treating others as you would like to be treated, listening to others, honoring others' property/personal space, and refraining…

Substance use is a major cause of adolescent morbidity and mortality. By age 14, 70% of adolescents have consumed alcohol and half of 12th graders report having used marijuana. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of parent and adolescent perceptions regarding adolescent use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) to…

This longitudinal, mixed-method study explores how the financial burdens of college attendance impact student involvement and experiences throughout the first year of college. The student participants at 4 Midwestern, public universities were engaged to describe their experiences throughout their first year as they navigated a complex and…

This study examined the experiences of three primary teacher education students participating in early childhood-focused community play sessions, as well as their perceptions of early childhood and primary philosophy and pedagogy. The purpose was to explore perceived differences in primary and early childhood pre-service teacher courses, which may…