Digital Commons Network^™

How Does An Advanced Educator Utilize Digital Language Teaching And Learning By Integrating Linguistic, Cultural, And Business Life Perspectives?, Hely Westerholm, Pirjo Takanen-Körperich, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

This paper explores advanced educators’ digital working capabilities in online language teaching, with a particular focus on sharing Finnish language and culture in a foreign context. Cultural and linguistic knowledge play a significant role in enhancing students’ motivation to study foreign languages. In today’s educational environment, digitalisation and globalisation exert an increasing influence on foreign language teaching and learning.

The digital learning environment has brought about a paradigm shift in foreign language didactics. Digital language learning is both challenging and holistic in nature. Continued foreign language learning is simultaneously an individual and a social process, as digital learning cultures impose …

Evaluation Of Music Education Implementation Under The Merdeka Curriculum At The Junior Secondary School Level In Tanggamus Regency, Andrean Pramudyo, Kun Setyaning Astuti

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Music education in Indonesian junior high schools often faces persistent structural challenges, particularly in regions where the implementation of Kurikulum Merdeka remains uneven and under-evaluated. This study evaluates the implementation of Music Education under Kurikulum Merdeka at state junior high schools in Tanggamus Regency, Lampung Province. Stufflebeam's (1966) CIPP evaluation model, encompassing Context, Input, Process, and Product components, was employed within a quantitative descriptive-evaluative design. Data were collected simultaneously using three instruments: a primary questionnaire and two supplementary instruments comprising structured observation sheets and documentation analysis sheets. Respondents included 6 school principals and curriculum vice-principals, 10 Music Education teachers, and …

Teaching As Testimony: Examining The Relationship Between High School Teachers’ Faith Identity And Pedagogy, Candace M. Kyles

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Teaching has long been understood within Christian theology as a vocational practice shaped by faith, moral formation, and lived discipleship. Yet within U.S. public schooling, the Separation of Church and State restricts explicit engagement with religion, often rendering educators’ faith identities invisible within school buildings and classrooms. This covertness does not eliminate the formative influence of faith; rather, it obscures how teachers’ faith identities inform their ethical reasoning, teaching practices, and pedagogical choices. When faith remains unexamined, it may operate implicitly, shaping classroom interactions without the benefit of critical reflection or institutional support.

Despite the prominence of culturally responsive pedagogy …

Reintegrating Wisdom: A Cultural-Sciences Framework For Linking Music, Faith, And Stem Education, Yoonil Auh, Minjeong Cho, Sang-Eun Hwang

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

This article proposes a theoretical model for integrating music and religious education into STEM by reframing them as cultural sciences, disciplines that generate symbolic, ethical, relational, and meaning-making forms of knowledge essential for 21st-century learning. While technocratic models of STEM emphasize quantification, efficiency, and innovation, they often marginalize the humanistic and spiritual dimensions of education that support ethical discernment, cultural literacy, and communal responsibility. Drawing on epistemic pluralism, transdisciplinary studies, educational philosophy, theology, and music pedagogy, this study outlines a four-dimensional framework, epistemic integration, transdisciplinary learning, ethical praxis, and spiritual-communal ways of knowing, that positions music and religious education not …

“I Want My Students To Be Knowledgeable About Civics”: Supporting Pre-Service Teachers Through A Civics-Focused Plc, Helena M. Sands, Daniela Kruel Digiacomo, Laura Darolia, Carly Muetterties, Stephanie Mobley

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

This study describes a semester-long, civics-focused Professional Learning Community (PLC) with five elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs). Using inductive qualitative analysis of meeting transcripts, reflections, and field notes, three themes emerged: the PLC increased PSTs' confidence in integrating civics across the curriculum, built community through shared practicum experiences, and provided resources that broadened their understanding of civic learning. Findings suggest PLCs offer a promising structure for preparing elementary PSTs to prioritize civic education in their future classrooms.

Assessing Digital Collaborative Skills Among Pre-Service Elementary Teachers: Initial Instrument Evidence And Demographic Differences, Candra Utama, Aynin Mashfufah, Esti Untari, Sofia Haratee

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Digital collaboration skills are an important competence for prospective elementary school teachers as 21^st-century learning demands the ability to use technology to work on a team, to communicate and share responsibilities, and to reflect on the learning process. This study aims to analyze evidence of the instrument initial validity, reliability, collaborative skill profile, and score differences based on the demographic characteristics of pre-service elementary teachers after participating in digital-based collaborative learning. The research uses a post-implementation evaluative quantitative approach sourced from a digital collaborative learning research design in the fourth-semester of elementary school teacher education study program at …

Beyond The Application: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study Of Independent Educational Consultants’ Roles, Practices, And College Access Outcomes, Márta Vajda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The purpose of this exploratory sequential mixed methods study was to understand how Independent Educational Consultants (IECs) define their roles and practices in supporting college-bound high school students, and to examine the extent to which those practices predicted college access outcomes. Using a qualitative-first design (QUAL → quant), Phase 1 consisted of semi-structured interviews with 23 IECs exploring role conceptualization, advising strategies, and college access disparities. Phase 2 involved the development of a survey instrument grounded in qualitative themes and mapped onto the Ecological Model for College Access. In Phase 3, the survey was administered to 181 IECs to examine …

Can Ungrading Make Sport Management Education More Practical And Engaging?, Michael A. Odio

The COSMA Journal

In this essay I take on the subject of grades in sport management education. While grades are used as a measure of success across higher education, they are an imperfect measure of achievement and learning and have major limitations in terms of student employability. The ungrading movement brings attention to the ways grades can harm learning by shifting attention away from students’ development, and instructor or peer feedback, and intrinsic motivation, while incentivizing compliance and risk-aversion. These harms directly affect what are arguably some of the most important aspects of sport management education, as when grades are the main incentive, …

Gender-Based Analysis Of Critical Thinking Skills Through The Problem-Based Learning Model Assisted By Instagram Greenpeaceid, Nabila Nirwasita Chairunnisa, Sumarmi Sumarmi, Tuti Mutia, Ilham Adenan Hidayatullah

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Environmental degradation requires students to possess critical thinking skills. However, the prevalence of conventional teaching methods is considered ineffective in honing these skills. Furthermore, gender differences that influence students’ learning styles are often not adequately accommodated. This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the impact of the Problem-Based Learning model assisted by the Instagram account Greenpeaceid on students’ critical thinking skills based on gender. The present study employs a quasi-experimental method using a posttest-only control group design implemented as a 2×2 treatment-by-level design. Data were collected via written tests and analyzed using a Two-Way ANOVA. The results of …

Ai-Resistant And Ai-Resilient Assessment In Higher Education: A Systematic Review Of Validity-Grounded Strategies, Institutional Frameworks, And Equity Implications, Asrat Genet Amnie

Publications and Research

The emergence of large language models has precipitated a fun damental disruption to higher education assessment. Conventional instruments are susceptible to AI-assisted completion, threatening construct validity across disciplines and institutional contexts. When submitted work reflects AI capability rather than student competency, the inferential chain from performance to qualifica tion is invalidated – a problem of design rather than detection. This systematic review makes two contributions. First, it theorises and grounds the distinction between AI-resistant assessment, which seeks to prevent or impede AI access through containment, and AI-resilient assessment, which assesses genuine human cogni tive performance of intrinsic educational value regardless …

Highly Confident But Slightly Uncertain: A Long Overdue Reinvention Of The School Scientific Method, Teaching - Volume 4, Stephen Demeo

Publications and Research

In Volume 4, the last book of the series, I continue the argument for greater parity between conceptual knowledge—the "what" of science—and methodological knowledge—the "how" of science—but in the context of teacher instruction. To this end, two literature reviews are presented: One on how students build confidence, specifically regarding the reliability or consistency of measurement or results, and the other on scientific uncertainty. Research studies focusing on student misconceptions are summarized and organized from the elementary to the college level. These literature reviews describe invaluable ways for teachers to improve their instruction, while providing examples of experiments that can be …

The Impact Of Alexithymia On Body Image: The Mediating Role Of Rumination Among Students At Sultan Qaboos University, Fatima Alrahbi, Mai Helmy, Amal Alhadabi

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study aimed to examine the mediating role of rumination in the relationship between the dimensions of alexithymia and body image among first-year students at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. The descriptive method was employed, and the sample consisted of 310 male and female first-year students at Sultan Qaboos University, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. The study instruments included three scales: the Body Image Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Rumination Scale. The results indicated the presence of statistically significant direct effects of the dimensions of alexithymia on rumination. The findings showed that …

The Effectiveness Of A Digital Game-Based Learning Environment In Developing Problem- Solving Skills Among Primary School Students, Ayda Abdulkareem Aleidan

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a digital learning environment based on educational games in developing problem-solving skills among female elementary school students. The digital environment was designed using educational game tools (ClassCraft, Kahoot!, Scratch) within interactive activities that consider learners’ characteristics and the requirements for developing problem-solving skills. The sample consisted of 64 fifth-grade students, divided into two groups: an experimental group (n = 31) that learned through the game-based digital environment, and a control group (n = 33) that learned through traditional instruction. An electronic game-based training program was implemented, along with an observation checklist to …

The Machiavellian Personality And Its Relationship With Research Self-Efficacy Among Graduate Students, Zuhair Abdul Hamid El-Nawajha

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The research aimed to identify the level of Machiavellian personality and research self-efficacy, as well as the correlation between them. It also sought to reveal the differences in Machiavellian personality and research self-efficacy according to the variables of gender and academic degree.The researcher used the descriptive correlational approach. The research sample consisted of 103 male and female graduate students, from universities in the Gaza Strip. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher used the Machiavellian Personality Scale, prepared by (Dahling et al., 2009), and developed the Research Self-Efficacy Scale.The results of the study showed that the level of Machiavellian personality …

The Relationship Of Psychological Resilience As A Mediating Variable Between Educational Stress And Life Satisfaction Among Secondary School Students With Hearing Impairments In Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah – Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Fozah Ali Fahad Alzemaia

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study aimed to examine the role of psychological resilience as a mediating variable between academic stress and life satisfaction among secondary school students with hearing impairments. The researcher employed a descriptive correlational approach, and data were analyzed using path analysis to identify the direct and indirect relationships among the study variables. The sample consisted of 210 male and female students aged between 16 and 19 years. The researcher used the Academic Stress Scale, the Psychological Resilience Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Scale as study instruments. The results showed a strong and statistically significant negative correlation between academic stress and …

The Degree Of Inclusion Of 21st Century Skills In The 12th Grade Geography Curriculum From The Perspective Of Teachers In The State Of Kuwait And Its Relationship To Their Teaching Performance, Huda Salem Alazmi

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The present study aimed to identify the degree of inclusion of 21st-century skills in the 12th-grade geography curriculum from the perspective of teachers in public education in the State of Kuwait, and to examine its relationship to their teaching performance. The study adopted a descriptive correlational approach. A questionnaire was used to identify the degree of inclusion of 21st-century skills in the geography curriculum, while an observation checklist was employed to assess teachers› teaching performance. The questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 327 geography teachers in secondary public schools in Kuwait. Additionally, 38 observation checklists were applied to …

Building Adaptive Leaders: Examining The Relationship Between Undergraduate Co-Curricular Leadership Roles, Change Readiness, And Leadership Self-Efficacy, Reneldo N. Randall

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The contemporary workforce is characterized by ongoing organizational change, requiring individuals to demonstrate adaptability and the capacity to lead within evolving conditions. Institutions of higher education increasingly emphasize leadership development as a mechanism for preparing students for these demands; however, limited empirical research has examined how participation in formal co-curricular undergraduate leadership roles relates to students’ readiness to engage with organizational change. This study addresses the gap by examining the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and resistance to change among undergraduate student leaders.

Guided by the Leadership Identity Development (LID) model, this quantitative study employed a non-experimental, correlational design. Data were …

Highly Confident But Slightly Uncertain: A Long Overdue Reinvention Of The School Scientific Method, Uncertainty And Error - Volume 3, Stephen Demeo

Publications and Research

Volume 3 explores the essential roles of uncertainty and error in scientific experimentation. It distinguishes between scientific error and scientific uncertainty: Scientific error refers to the difference between an experimental value and an accepted literature value, as well as the difference between data points in an x-y scatter plot and a predicted trendline. Scientific uncertainty, on the other hand, is associated with doubt arising from instrument limitations, variability within a data set, and psychological factors. Human error is set apart as mistakes or blunders, not to be conflated with scientific error.

Of utmost importance to the scientific investigator is the …

Highly Confident But Slightly Uncertain: A Long Overdue Reinvention Of The School Scientific Method, The X - Volume 1, Stephen Demeo

Publications and Research

In Volume 1, I critique the traditional School Scientific Method—an oversimplified, underdeveloped, and short, stepwise process—and argue for a more authentic, detailed, and rigorous approach to experiment-based scientific inquiry in education. I briefly explain the historical roots of the School Scientific Method, its benefits in increasing the exposure of experimental science to the masses, and its limitations in fostering more authentic scientific thinking and experimental practice.

In place of this traditional and problematic method, I introduce a graphic organizer called sciXpsy to foster both big-picture and detailed scientific thinking. The heuristic combines scientific concepts and methodology with the psychology of …

Highly Confident But Slightly Uncertain: A Long Overdue Reinvention Of The School Scientific Method, Confidence - Volume 2, Stephen Demeo

Publications and Research

Focusing on the psychology of empirical science, Volume 2 is an in-depth exploration of how students can build confidence in scientific data. Central to the text are twelve Confidence Indicators, a comprehensive set of approachable strategies and methodologies that help investigators produce, evaluate, and argue for reliable and valid empirical data. They include:

Good (and Ethical) Laboratory Practices

Repetition

Peer Replication/Review

Secondary Tests

Comparisons with Standards

Plots and Patterns

Conceptual Support

External Data Sources

Precision

Accuracy

Checking Calculations

Redesign/What-If Ideas

This volume includes numerous school science experiments that demonstrate how these indicators are applied across a wide range of educational …

Typicality Of Inferences Resulting From Limited Psychometric Models And Statistical Techniques Used: A Review Of Education Studies Published In Arab Journals (2016–2024), Mohammed A. A. Abulela, Mustafa Ali Khalaf

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study assessed the typicality of inferences in educational research published in Arab journals between 2016 and 2024 by determining the prevalence of psychometric models, the statistical techniques utilized, and the extent to which their assumptions were checked. Reviewed studies included 410 articles from eleven journals. The findings indicated that most studies relied on Cronbach’s alpha for estimating score reliability (60%) without checking its assumptions, while the use of confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory was limited. Additionally, researchers predominantly relied on face validity (expert judgment) at a rate of 55.3%, reflecting limited validation efforts for achieving the quality …

Understanding The Forest School Experience: A Conceptual Exploration Of Benefits And Barriers, Ziad F. Dabaja

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

Forest School, a form of outdoor nature-based education, has increasingly gained international attention, particularly, its educational and developmental benefits are well documented. While existing literature highlights positive outcomes for children, families, and educators, it also identifies a range of challenges that can hinder effective implementation. This paper adopts a conceptual study design and synthesizes findings from three peer-reviewed literature reviews, collectively examining 40 international studies, to develop an integrative concept map of the Forest School experience. Using a thematic synthesis, evidence from the reviewed studies was analyzed to identify overlapping and complementary themes, which were categorized into benefits, implementation challenges, …

Native American Speech-Language Pathologists: Voices And Perspectives, Lexi Woods

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: This narrative inquiry centers the lived experiences and professional voices of Native American speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with students with disabilities on tribal lands, a population that remains unheard within special education and speech-language pathology research. Grounded in Indigenous epistemologies that honor relationality, storytelling, and community accountability, this study explores how Native American SLPs navigate systemic inequities, cultural and linguistic mismatches, and institutional constraints while providing services in public, tribally controlled, and Bureau of Indian Education schools. Through in-depth narratives, the research illuminates how participants resist deficit-based approaches by reframing silence, communication styles, family engagement, and disability through culturally …

Mindfulness And Its Relationship To Cognitive Flexibility Among University Students, Nafez Ahmad Abed Bukaiei, Adnan Mahmoud Hassan Odeh

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

This study aims to examine the relation between mindfulness and cognitive flexibility among university students. It also aimed to identify the level of mindfulness and the level of cognitive flexibility based the variables of gender, grade point average, and school year level. To achieve the aims of this study, the descriptive correlational approach was adopted through the use of the mindfulness scale of Bear & Others (2006) which was translated into Arabic by Al-Buhairi et al. (2014) and the cognitive flexibility scale of Dennis & Vander Wal (2010) which was translated by the researchers. The sample group consisted of 185 …

Attendance And Academic Performance: A Comparison Of 4-Day And 5-Day School Week Schedules In Texas High Schools, Cynthia Miles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative cross-sectional comparable study examined the differences in academic performance and attendance in Texas public high school campuses between those operating on a 4-day instructional week and those operating on a 5-day instructional week. The study used a quantitative, cross-sectional comparable design. The analysis included campus-level data from the Texas Education Agency’s Texas Academic Performance Reports. The independent variable was instructional schedule—either a 4-day or a 5-day instructional week. The dependent variables included campus attendance rates and student performance on the English I and Algebra I End-of-Course (EOC) STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) assessments of ninth-grade …

Inspiring Multilingual Children To Explore The Natural World Using Nature-Based Literature, Jennifer Hill, Deborah Wheeler

Journal of English Learner Education

Nature-based learning has become more popular in the United States since COVID-19, and incorporating nature-based learning including books about the natural world aligns with children’s natural curiosity, and desire to actively explore through play. Indeed, nature-based learning has many benefits ranging from supporting child development, promoting social-emotional well-being, and creating an inclusive learning environment for multilingual students. Reading nature-based literature and providing access to nature-based literature is a holistic methodology teachers should include in their classroom. This paper highlights the benefits of nature-based learning and provides a variety of topics and resources teacher can utilize.

The Relationship Between School Connectedness And Well-Being Among Racial Minority English Language Learners: Implications For School Counselors, Laura Craven, Jonathan Ohrt, Keeland Lodato

Journal of English Learner Education

Students who feel connected to their school experience better academic performance, social competence, and mental health. English Language Learners (ELL) face unique challenges to school connectedness compared to their English-speaking peers. In this study, we explored the relationship between school connectedness and well-being for 205 racial minority ELL students. ELL students’ perceived school belonging was a significant predictor of well-being. We discuss implications for school counselors, including specific strategies for increasing ELL students’ school connectedness.

How Intelligent? Student Success, Student Engagement, And Faculty Use Of Intelligent Agents In Online Classes, Teresa P. Raczek, Anja Bernardy, Audrey E. Garcia, Ulrike Ingram, Laura Mcgrath, Snehal Shirke

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

In asynchronous online classes, consistent engagement with the course instructor helps students connect to the course and perform better. Automated Intelligent Agent (IA) emails that can be set up in a learning management system allow faculty to send targeted communications to students in the form of personalized reminders, offers of help, words of encouragement, praise, and other tailored messages. To assess the effectiveness of IAs in supporting student success, this study analyzed the use of the technology by 10 faculty across seven humanities and social science disciplines. We examined how IAs …

Navigating Your First Technical Paper In Social Sciences: Understanding Single Case Research Design, Diana Parry-Cruwys, Allen Karsina, Jacquelyn M. Macdonald

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Reading and understanding a research article utilizing single case research design (SCRD) may be a particularly challenging hurdle students face when starting graduate level coursework in the social and health sciences. This paper helps ease this challenge by describing what SCRD is and why it is important to understand when interpreting results in SCRD papers. Additionally, it will explain the various parts of a single case research design paper and what should be included in each section. To understand the results of SCRD, it is imperative that students understand experimental design. …

Overcoming Current Challenges In Higher Education Through Team Teaching, Carol Rogers Shaw, Corinne Brion, Katelyn Case

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Team teaching in online higher education courses provides an innovative approach to meeting the needs of students and enhancing the teaching experiences of instructors. In this study, two instructors collaborated to team teach a course in an online doctoral program; this article shares their experiences. A multi-method qualitative approach was utilized to explore the benefits and challenges of team teaching. Data included questionnaire responses from students, journal entries written by instructors, and interviews with program administrators. The findings offer possible solutions to common challenges in higher education today such as increasing …