This research was based on the concern that students didn't see the need for the acquisition of science skills and knowledge perceived as important in relation to different society issues and the world of work. The aim was to determine gymnasium students perceived self-efficacy towards working life skills as well as science curriculum,…

Exclusionary and punitive school discipline policies, such as suspensions and expulsions, allow educators to remove students from the classroom for poor behavior or misconduct. However, emerging research suggests that these practices also increase the likelihood that students repeat grades, are excessively absent from school, drop out entirely…

The present dissertation in practice (DiP) proposal delineates an action research study designed to evaluate the use of problem-based learning (PBL) in an eighth-grade earth science class to assess the impact of PBL on student achievement. I have observed that students often struggle with developing an understanding of how the motions of the sun,…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children in Texas and across the United States. The theme of this issue is "Restoring Justice." Articles include: (1) Integrating the Assets…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe/summarize the perceptions of the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) for 10 educational leaders in two small rural school districts in eastern North Carolina. This study was conducted through the problem definition lens. The 10 educational leaders for this study included two…

This project describes a problem-based learning project focusing on the discovery of the level of professional development secondary school administrators receive before and after one-on-one technology implementation. Recent research findings indicate the importance of adequate professional development for school administrators and the correlation…

The purpose of this study was to explore the types of online tools and strategies used with problem-based learning. The target population for this study consisted of instructional designers who were currently working in the field and have four or more years of experience in designing problem-based curriculum using synchronous and asynchronous…

Young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at increased risk of developing persistent mental health and behavior problems. While the link between parenting behavior and the development of problem behavior is well understood in this population, there is a need for examination of key parent factors that affect parenting…

As the teaching of Turkish as a foreign language becomes widespread, teaching materials and teaching environments are diversifying and developing. While these developments continue in teaching Turkish as a foreign language, various problems are encountered in adapting and using contemporary teaching methods. From a student perspective, learning a…

This case study describes how our research team conducted the qualitative think-aloud approach (or cognitive pretesting) to obtaining cognitive validity evidence for a biology inference-making and reasoning measure for undergraduate students. The main goal of our work was to gather high-quality student think-aloud data of reasoning while they were…

This mixed methods study explores secondary students' math identities. The primary purpose of this dissertation is to examine the relationships among students' math identities, their perceived problem solving practices, and their perceived self-regulated learning strategies. This study holds implications for teachers, school administrators,…

Despite an abundance of research on interventions to improve social skills of young children with intellectual disabilities (ID), there is limited research on interventions aimed at improving social skills of adults with ID. The purpose of this single-subject study was to evaluate the outcomes of the Behavioral Opportunities for Social Skills…

This study examined how or why teachers' perspectives on the importance of infusing self-determination, including problem-solving, goal-setting, and choice-making, might help determine the benefits and use of self-determination as an instructional intervention. The self-determination theory and the causal agency theory were the theoretical…

Over the past half century, researchers and curriculum developers studying physics education have created dozens of innovative curricula and educational tools, broadly referred to as research-based instructional strategies (RBIS), to fit almost any classroom situation. However, the rate of adoption of RBIS remains relatively low. A national survey…

"Teaching STEM Literacy" is comprised of ready-made, open-ended lessons reviewed and tested by teachers, which help educators integrate STEM learning into the early childhood classroom. Lessons are linked to the Next Generation Science Standards, and encourage creative ideas for three-dimensional STEM learning that are developmentally…