This qualitative study compares four public school districts in a state to investigate how "Next Generation Science Standards"-aligned, three-dimensional science classroom teaching and learning in biology classrooms could become normal, instead of exceptional. Interview data were collected through two rounds of interviews -- one year…

Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), like other community colleges, does not require Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores or similar entrance examinations for admission. However, new college applicants must demonstrate their levels of reading, writing, and mathematics skills to determine whether they need developmental courses to prepare…

In the United States, healthcare-associated infections are one of the top 10 causes of death. With the rising costs of treating infections in the millions of dollars range, prevention is a core issue for the nursing profession. Due to the complexity of disease transmission and the persistent nature of certain microorganisms, traditional teaching…

The purpose of this study was to contextualize how the communication modes I used, and my presence shape the experiences of students within a single online course. I conducted a qualitative case study in which I collected data from three sources: in-depth qualitative interviews with nine former students of the online course GBA 300, fifteen…

Supporting students with mathematics learning difficulties (MLD) as they transition from arithmetic to algebra remains a challenge within the special education and mathematics education research communities. This dissertation includes 3 manuscripts focused on how fifth graders with MLD develop algebraic understandings related to equivalence and…

Traditional science instruction typically follows an initiation- response-evaluation format and privileges curriculum reflective of Western, male, white, middle-class values, and knowledge which sometimes tends to exclude Black and Latinx students. This qualitative instrumental case study explored how a White male seventh-grade science teacher in…

This study investigates the policy sensemaking of urban educators on the "Read by Grade Three" (RBG3) Law and their sensemaking impacts on English Learners' (ELs') learning experiences. Applying a critical cultural policy sensemaking framework, I conducted an urban district case study to highlight educators' perceptions and behaviors in…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play important roles in engineering education at the undergraduate level. Since there are lots of technological content knowledge (TCK) in engineering curriculums, the improvements of GTAs' teaching skills on TCK will help the teaching effectiveness of the curriculums. As the instructor's knowledge about…

Engagement in active learning and learning communities is important for persistence of STEM students early in their academic programs. Colleges and universities have an ongoing call to facilitate active learning techniques, yet large group, lecture-based instruction is still the prominent method of instruction. This qualitative case study examines…

Reformed Experimental Activities (REActivities) is an innovative approach to the delivery of the traditional material in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. To better understand the fidelity of implementing this pedagogy and what effects the framework of REActivities has on student-instructor interactions, an observational protocol…

Transforming curriculum by implementing Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in the college-level classroom helps students internalize the concepts of a course, improve their critical and reflective thinking skills, learn to problem-solve using questioning, and ultimately construct a better understanding of course concepts in a personally relevant way.…

Educational rounds are a collaborative systemic approach used to augment teacher instructional practices. The problem is educational rounds' affect on teachers of English learners and their academic achievement is under researched. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore teacher perceptions of their ability to provide…

The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to explore how an undergraduate educational technology course impacts preservice teachers' TPACK knowledge and how it affects the development of their technology integration repertoire. A total of 14 preservice teachers enrolled in a face-to-face section of an educational technology course in…

Occupational therapy education standards have recently changed to require students to demonstrate knowledge and use of the safe and effective application of physical agents. This change, which occurred in 2020, is more rigorous in the area of deep thermal and electrotherapeutic agents than in previous revisions. This mixed-methods convergent study…

In chemistry, building arguments and applying concept knowledge is closely linked to evaluating claims, supporting claims with evidence, and justifying the linkage of evidence to claim with reasoning. However, previous studies revealed that, when building arguments, students experience challenges either in differentiating between argument…