Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Exploring The Impacts Of Contextualized Learning In An Engineering-Specific Corequisite Precalculus Course On Student Achievement, Motivation, And Belongingness, Amy Mathis-Leonard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the design and implementation of a contextualized engineering-specific corequisite Precalculus I course and its impacts on student achievement, motivation, and sense of belonging. This study was conducted in response to decreasing national rates of mathematical readiness, the elimination of stand-alone developmental mathematics courses across multiple states and systems, and the demand for research related to effective corequisite models in mathematics coursework. The intervention created an experimental section of corequisite Precalculus I in which all the students were engineering majors who did not demonstrate readiness for a college-level precalculus course. Unit lessons incorporated engineering-specific topics and career-oriented discussions. …

Performatic Learning In Informal Education: A Mixed Methods Study Of Zine-Making As A Catalyst For Intentional Epistemic Claiming, Experiential Knowing, And Cultural Mediation In A Museum-Based Learning Environment, April Ursula Fox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Informal learning environments are powerful sites of meaning-making when learners are invited to move from observer to author. This study positions zine-making as an effective educational tool capable of promoting that transformation. The study advances a new framework—Performatic Learning—to articulate how creative, multimodal practices can support learning as becoming. Developed through foundational pilot studies and an in-depth mixed-methods investigation in a natural history museum, the framework integrates five constructs: Intentional Epistemic Claiming, Experiential Knowing, Cultural Mediation, Performatic Space, and Learning as Becoming. Across cases, zine-making emerged as a generative learning space in which participants authored knowledge, navigated uncertainty, drew on …

Ontario High School Teacher Perspectives On Failure: Bridging Policy And Practice, Dan Guadagnolo, Kelly Li, Klea Mosho, Megan Anderson, Nicole Laliberte, Fiona Rawle

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This study explores teacher perceptions of the role of failure in secondary school education. Our case study analysis, based on 23 interviews in Ontario, Canada, suggests secondary school teachers understand failure as a core element of the learning process. However, teachers do not feel they can easily use failure as a pedagogical tool. Teachers perceive Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines regarding student success to have created an institutional culture within which student failure is administratively burdensome and is framed as external to the learning process. These success narratives in government assessment guidelines have created a situation wherein teachers often feel …

An Equity-Based And Culturally Responsive Bill Of Rights For Early Childhood Students Of Color With Exceptionalities, Evette Simmons-Reed, Michelle Frazier Trotman Scott, Gloria Tardash, Mildred Boveda, Donna Y. Ford

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing disparities in early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) services for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) disabled children, exposing critical gaps in access, services and support. systemic inconsistencies in implementation, training, and funding, remain barriers limit opportunities for CLD students to benefit, despite the aims of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA). To address these inequities, this manuscript proposes an expanded and updated Culturally Responsive Equity-Based Bill of Rights for EI and ECSE. Building upon Ford and colleagues' (2018) work, this revised document extends protections to children aged zero to five, emphasizing …

Guest Editor's Introduction: Methodological Innovations For Advancing Early Childhood Educational And Psychological Research, Anthony Mangino Ph.D.

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The goal of this special issue is to provide you, the inquisitive reader and developmental scientist, with some of the methodological tools to aid in augmenting your analytic capacity.

Meeting The Moment With Ai-Employer Informed Education, Brent Terwilliger, John Faraca

Publications

As artificial intelligence transforms aviation, aerospace, and autonomy-related sectors, higher education must adapt to meet evolving workforce demands. This session shares emerging findings from a nationwide study led by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, focused on employer perceptions of AI adoption, responsible use, and workforce preparedness in domains including uncrewed systems, space systems, robotics, and advanced air mobility. Based on a structured survey and follow-up interviews, the presentation explores how organizations are using AI tools, from generative platforms to enterprise systems, and defining effective and inappropriate use in operational contexts. Participants will gain insight into critical concerns (e.g., data privacy, compliance, security, …

Taking Control Of Middle School Behavior: A Structured Approach To Classroom Management In A 7th-Grade Honors English Classroom, Hanna D. Pritchard

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This research examined a classroom management structure used at the middle school level. It aimed to analyze the teacher’s and students’ perceptions on the protocol, and to evaluate the role of structure and the perceived impact on student behavior. The framework contained a series of strategies, such as noise level charts and positive reinforcement. Research took place in a RLA classroom, observing three seventh-grade honors class periods. The study occurred over four weeks, but the implementation began at the start of school. The research analyzed a survey given to students, a series of interviews with students and the teacher, and …

Rural Appalachian Tennessee Secondary Public School Teachers' Perceptions Of Instructional Coaching, Timothy Darell Anderson

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the perceptions of secondary public school teachers in rural Appalachia, Tennessee, regarding how instructional coaching influenced their self-efficacy based on Bandura’s (1997) theory of self-efficacy. I examined teachers’ lived experiences with instructional coaching within the unique context of rural Appalachia. I collected data through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with teachers across multiple rural districts in the rural Appalachian region of Tennessee. I followed Yin’s (2018) case study approach, employing coding and thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns. My findings revealed that instructional coaching strengthened teacher self-efficacy by fostering trust, …

Enhancing K-2 Teacher Effectiveness In Reading Instruction: An Improvement Inquiry Into The Roles Of Self-Efficacy, Growth Mindset, And Evidence-Based Practices, Kellie F. Dawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the United States have increasingly adopted structured literacy initiatives in response to growing concerns about early reading outcomes and policy mandates grounded in the science of reading. Despite substantial investments in professional development, less is known about how teachers experience implementation demands within authentic classroom contexts. This improvement study examined how evidence-based professional development influenced K–2 teachers’ self-efficacy, the barriers teachers encountered during structured literacy implementation, and the supports teachers perceived as most critical for sustained instructional change within Eagle Stone School District.

Grounded in Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory and Dweck’s Mindset Theory, this qualitative study explored teachers’ …

Teaching Sex Education In Mississippi: A Qualitative Study Of School Practices And Perspectives, Kathryn E. Wildman

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the implementation of sex education policy in Mississippi, a state with persistently high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Although House Bill 999 (2011) mandates sex education in public schools, limited research has explored how this policy is enacted in practice. Drawing on qualitative interviews with high school educators, school nurses, and representatives from community-based organizations, this study investigates how sex education is delivered, how educators are prepared, and how social and institutional factors shape classroom instruction.

The findings identify four central themes: substantial variation in implementation across school districts, inconsistent and often insufficient teacher …

In Response To Children’S Literature, Fourth-Grade Students Interview A Vietnam War Veteran Through Distance Learning, Danielle L. Defauw, Gordon Bourland

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

This study explores virtual, student–author interviews fourth-grade students led with Vietnam Veteran, [VETERAN] in response to the following three picture books: Eve Bunting’s (1992) The Wall, Walter Dean Myer’s (2005) Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam, and Jeanne Walker Harvey’s (2017) Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines. The opportunity to interview a Vietnam veteran motivated students to read the picture books, craft questions for [VETERAN], and engage in the interview process. Ultimately, this article supports reader-response pedagogy to include virtual or in-person student–specialist interviews with guest speakers to motivate literacy engagement.

A Practitioner’S Perspective On Teaching Ap Comparative Government And Politics, Edgar Díaz

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

In this paper, I share my perspective and experiences as an Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government and Politics teacher during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. To engage students with the content and strengthen their literacy skills, I adopted the Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC), a pedagogical framework for scaffolded instruction, in combination with technological tools. This article includes a sample lesson plan illustrating how the TLC was implemented in an AP Comp Gov course to support students’ content understanding and their ability to express their ideas through structured, purposeful writing. My goal is to highlight practical strategies for effectively …

Walking The Map: Exploring Illinois Using Giant Traveling Maps, Irenea Walker, Kim Carthans

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

While it is common for any social studies discipline to receive limited instructional time in the elementary classroom, geography would be among the least taught (Bauml, 2023; Hinde, 2014). As a result, many students lack even the basic knowledge of geography, such as state capitals, geographical locations, and major landmarks. It is even more alarming that elementary students are unaware of the geography of their own state. National Geographic Society introduced giant floor traveling maps over a decade ago through each state’s National Geographic Alliance (2025). The gigantic floor map helps students get a sense of the map's places through …

Building Ai Literacy Through Assessment Practices In Physical Education Teacher Education, Rebekah A. Johnson

Educational Practices in Kinesiology

The classroom resource presented provides an instructional approach designed to enhance both course outcomes and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy in undergraduate physical education preservice teachers. Implemented in a full-semester, in-person Assessment in Physical Education course, the project engaged students in learning to develop effective AI prompts, critically analyze AI-generated outputs, and apply these tools to design a standards-based assessment plan. Designed for undergraduate students with foundational knowledge of assessment and pedagogy, the project incorporated scaffolded tasks, guided discussions, and structured reflections to support AI integration through experiential learning. In approximately 30 minutes per week throughout the semester, students explored how …

An Analysis Of Web-Based Languange Learning On Students Speaking Anxiety, Alfi Syahrina, Zarfina Yenti, Monalisa Monalisa

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study explores the use of Duolingo as a web-based language learning tool and its influence on students’ speaking anxiety at MTs Nurul Falah Kota Jambi. Speaking anxiety remains a significant affective barrier in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning, particularly in traditional classroom settings where students often experience communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. Employing a qualitative case study design, this research involved approximately 15 students who had used Duolingo for at least six weeks, along with one English teacher for triangulation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations and analyzed using thematic …

Nature As The Foundation: A Shift In Pedagogy, Mary Moroney-Fernandez

The Cicadian

Somewhere in the United States right now, a child is sitting beneath fluorescent lights while the world outside continues without her. This paper argues that her confinement is not accidental, but rather theoretical. Examining the divergent frameworks of Friedrich Fröbel and Jean Piaget, it traces how American public schooling absorbed a vision of learning organized around cognitive individualism while displacing Fröbel's relational vision of child and nature. Drawing on reflection, historical analysis, and research, this paper contends that lasting reform requires confronting the foundational assumptions that built the classroom in the first place.

A Critical Analysis Of The Influence Of Ideology On Education Governance In An Urban, Midwestern School District, Carl Bryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study examines how ideology operates within local education governance through a critical theoretical lens. As state and national education policies, accountability mandates, and partisan political discourse increasingly shape local school governance, this research investigates how power relations, ideological influences, and equity concerns are embedded in school board decision-making processes and public discourse. Addressing a gap in existing scholarship on ideology in education governance, the study employs a qualitative case study of an urban public school district in the Midwestern United States. Data sources include individual interviews with school board members, critical discourse analysis of school board meetings, and analysis …

Pedagogy In Context: How Private School Teachers Make Meaning Of Equity-Focused Teaching Practices, Savannah Shana Scarborough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This pedagogical ethnography examines how teachers in a private school context understand and enact Culturally Relevant Education (CRE). While CRE emphasizes cultural competence and critical consciousness, less is known about how it is interpreted within private school settings, where institutional culture and community expectations shape pedagogy. This study explores how teachers engage culturally relevant commitments and how institutional context influences those practices.

A qualitative ethnographic design was used to examine classroom practice in a South Carolina private school. Data was collected through observations, semi-structured interviews, and teacher reflections from four Upper School teachers selected through purposive sampling. Analysis combined deductive …

A Study On Community And Technical College Students' Identification Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Cynthia J. Carow Schiebe

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students could identify culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and, to what extent, in a community or technical college classroom where a set of goals and strategies had been established to guide methodology. Previous research on CRP traditionally focused on the educators’ or administrators’ interpretation of what students had learned when CRP was used as a methodology to reduce the opportunity gap. Students in classrooms where CRP was used were able to identify content that was aligned with their needs and wants, bring their own lives into the class without fear, balance their …

A.I. And Education: The Relationship Between Policy And A.I. Implementation In Louisiana K-12 Schools, Johnny R. Moore Jr

Honors Theses

This research focuses on A.I. policies in Louisiana K-12 education, trying to figure out what the best possible policies would be to ensure that students are using A.I. as a tool rather than a crutch to rely on. This goes through the history and background of technology implementation and educational policies in Louisiana. The research focuses on current A.I. policies in the state, if any, and then evaluates other states policies around the country. Teachers and administrators from around the state were surveyed on this and were also asked on their opinions on A.I. in the classroom.