Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Pluss: Adapting An Evidence-Based Reading Intervention For Multilingual Learners, Amanda K. Sanford, Christopher J. Pinkney, Sheldon Loman, Julie Esparza Brown, Theresa Just, Kendall Flori, Camila Swift, Holly Ramstead

Educator Licensure Faculty Publications and Presentations

The effects of an evidence-based literacy intervention with and without added supports to address the unique needs of multilingual learners (MLs) were assessed through an ABAB single-case withdrawal design. The dual dependent variables were reading fluency/accuracy and performance on the workbook that included spelling, vocabulary, and reading comprehension tasks. Three students (one each in second, third, and fourth grades) who qualified for English language development services and exhibited low reading performance (second and third graders) or were identified with a reading disability (fourth grader) participated. From the initial baseline phase (A1) to the final intervention phase (B2), adding supports specific …

Junior High School Students’ Understanding Of Pathogenic Microbes In The School Environment: A Cross-Grade Descriptive Study At Smp Alkhairaat 1 Palu, Feren Febrianti, I Nengah Kundera, Yulia Windarsih, Mohammad Jamhari, Mursito S. Bialangi, Abdul Ashari

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study aimed to describe students’ understanding of pathogenic microbes and compare descriptive comprehension profiles across Grades VII, VIII, and IX at SMP Alkhairaat 1 Palu. A quantitative descriptive approach was employed involving 49 students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using an essay test as the primary instrument, supported by semi-structured interviews and observations of the school environment. The essay test assessed three indicators: conceptual knowledge of pathogenic microbes, understanding of disease transmission mechanisms, and understanding of clean and healthy practices for preventing the transmission of pathogenic microbes. Test data were analyzed descriptively using mean percentage scores, while …

Learning To Learn With Ai: A Journey From Crisis To Community, Andrew S. Chen

Essays in Education

Generative AI, and the COVID-19 pandemic, transformed teaching between 2019 and 2026. This essay prioritizes trust-based "right relationships" over concerns of integrity or efficiency. It argues that AI’s primary impact is the reconfiguration of ties between educators, students, and knowledge. Ultimately, learning must remain relational and intrinsically meaningful to ensure humans remain active participants in an automated age.

Defining Teacher Envelopment: A Non-Aristotelian Approach To Meta-Practices In The Philosophy Of Teacher Education, Rob Blom

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

The late Jonathan Neufeld argued that redefining teacher development required meta-practices, yet he never defined what these meta-practices were. To define them rigorously requires grounding teacher cultivation practices within coherent structures of truth capable of withstanding philosophical scrutiny—a challenge intensified by post- truth discourse that flattens epistemological depth in secularised educational theory. This paper advances a theory of teacher envelopment to complement conventional teacher development through identifying mindfulness and discernment as foundational meta-practices grounded in non-Aristotelian systems. The framework rests on three interrelated concepts: (1) truth paradigms encompassing contemplative, articulatory, and embodied dimensions; (2) epistemological depth as extensional practices that …

Exploring Digital Media Literacy And Its Impact On Pedagogical Innovation And Creativity, Suparno Suparno, Tuty Sariwulan, Bagus Shandy Narmaditya, Ari Saptono, Saparuddin Muchtar, Muhammad Ridlo, Dingot Hamonangan Ismail

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

Enhancing teachers’ innovative work behavior is prominent in promoting educational quality. This exploratory study aims to understand the linkage between digital media literacy, creativity, and innovative work behavior among teachers in Indonesia. The data were obtained from teachers using an online self-administered survey. In addition, the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with AMOS software. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive and significant influence between digital media literacy and teachers’ innovative work behavior. Indeed, creativity can also be a predictor of innovative work behavior among teachers in Indonesia. This study also notes the connection …

An Evaluation Of Southern Nevada’S Pediatric Care Ecosystem, David Damore, Tina Quigley, Nick Fiore

Policy Briefs and Reports

In 2024, The Lincy Institute and the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation released a report prepared by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach detailing the case for a stand-alone children’s hospital in Southern Nevada. Shortly thereafter, Intermountain Health announced it would build Nevada’s first such facility in Las Vegas, expected to open in 2030. To complement the hospital’s development, The Lincy Institute undertook an independent evaluation of the regional pediatric care landscape. The analysis draws on secondary data and discussions with advocates, health system administrators, practitioners, and providers. The report examines:

• Fiscal, resource, and workforce challenges underlying Nevada’s poor population-level pediatric …

Generative Artificial Intelligence, Academic Integrity And Authentic Assessment Within An Irish University, Louise Nagle, Brigid Crowley, Laura Rafferty, Susan Horgan, Colin O'Brien

Publications

Academics need both an overarching policy on Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) use in teaching and learning, yet agency in its application across various disciplines. Clarity on the use of the technology for both students and staff is therefore a challenge and characterised by uncertainty given how its application is still unfamiliar. This research examines the organisational context in which Gen AI is being embraced and was conducted by the digital teaching support functions within an Irish university. Students and staff were surveyed (n=1,746) on various aspects of digital use within their education and workplace, including Gen AI. …

Preliminary Evidence Of Systems Thinking Skills In Gamelan-Based Ethnoscience Booklet-Integrated Collaborative Problem Solving, Ayu Nuryani Aprilia, Suciati Suciati

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

Students’ systems thinking skills (STS) can be difficult to develop when science learning provides limited opportunities to connect relationships among system components with contextual phenomena. Integrating local wisdom into learning materials, such as a gamelan-based ethnoscience booklet, may provide a meaningful context for developing these skills. This study aimed to compare students’ STS performance, adjusted for pretest scores, between a class receiving Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) instruction integrated with a gamelan-based ethnoscience booklet and a class receiving CPS instruction alone. This quantitative study employed a pretest–posttest control group design with class-level random allocation of treatment and involved 56 Grade VIII …

The Revolving Door: A Content Analysis Of Presidential Transitions At North Carolina’S Historically Black Colleges And Universities, 1865-2026, Tara Shollenberger, Romaine Boyd

Journal of Research on the College President

National reporting has framed presidential turnover at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as a leadership crisis, yet few studies examine transition patterns systematically within a defined system of institutions over time. This study presents a quantitative content analysis of 206 presidencies across all 11 North Carolina HBCUs from 1865 to 2026, constructed from institutional histories, archival records, and contemporary news sources. Using descriptive analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival estimation, we examine tenure length, the rise of interim appointments, differences by institutional control (public versus private governance), and gender patterns in modern appointments. Findings indicate that median completed tenure has collapsed …

The Cognitive Construction Of Sustainable Environmental Awareness Through Green Language Pedagogy In Second Language Acquisition, Meral Yavuz Kartal, Osman Yılmaz Kartal

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

The escalating global ecological crisis highlights the need for new approaches to sustainability education, while the cognitive role of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) remains underexplored. This study employs a critical literature review with a systematic search and qualitative thematic synthesis to develop a proposed Green Language Pedagogy (GLP) model. The review followed a four-stage screening protocol (identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion) and analyzed 50 theoretical and empirical sources published between 2014 and 2025. This analysis of the selected literature reveals a stark disparity: an estimated 85% of the reviewed environmental education research focuses on factual knowledge transfer, whereas only 15% …

Eeg-Emg Coupling And Functional Neuroplasticity In Elite Combat Athletes: Effects Of Neurofeedback Training On Corticomuscular Coherence And Performance, Alicja Markiel, Kinga Łosińska, Marcin Żak, Adam Maszczyk

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Neurofeedback training has gained attention as a neuroplasticity based intervention for athletic performance, yet pathways linking cortical oscillatory modulation to neuromuscular adaptation and strength remain poorly characterized in elite combat athletes. Objective: This study examines whether EEG neurofeedback targeting sensorimotor alpha upregulation and frontal theta/delta modulation enhances cortico-muscular coherence, neuromuscular function, and maximal strength in elite MMA athletes. Methods: Thirty elite male MMA athletes (n = 10/arm) were randomized to intensive neurofeedback (E20G, 20 sessions), abbreviated neurofeedback (E15G, 15 sessions), or sham control. EEG spectral indices, EMG parameters (RMS, MF, iEMG, onset latency), beta band CMC, and maximal strength …

Grief As A Constitutive Shadow Of Queer Joy: Reclaiming Negativity And The Ethics Of Staying For Education Research, Akira Sawata

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

In education scholarship, authors have increasingly called to center queer joy to disrupt the conventional deficit model that normally accompanies queer communities. However, in this paper, I argue that an exclusive emphasis on joy may risk instituting and normalizing a happiness duty that marginalizes negative affects and subjects. I propose queer grief not as an opposite, but as a constitutive shadow of joy. Drawing on theories of queer, trans, and crip negativity and the studies on loss, grief, and mourning, I critique the imperative to mobilize affect solely for future utility and teleological meaning. I contend that such mobilization-driven …

Failing Generations: If There Is An Obligation To Work And Study Online Where Are Digital Wellness Supports?, Louise Nagle, Colin O'Brien, Susan Horgan, Laura Rafferty, Brigid Crowley

Publications

This paper considers how staff and students within an Irish University perceive aspects of their digital health within and outside the educational environment. As this is a continuously and rapidly changing environment, the research is timely and contributes to a gap in understandings of the implication of digital interactions across university generations. In February 2026 the digital teaching support functions within Munster Technological University surveyed students (n=1489) and staff (n=257) on various aspects of digital use within and outside their education. An element of this research focused on Digital Wellness. Aspects captured by the survey include …

Exploring Theories Of Co-Creation, Mst Amina Antora

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Identifying Barriers To Reporting Concerning Behaviors In A Public Secondary School, Will Durgin

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Threat assessment is an effective school safety practice that allows schools to identify concerning behavior and intervene before it reaches a crisis. Because this process often begins with a staff member recognizing and reporting a concern, this study examined how school staff interpret concerning behavior, understand their responsibility to report it, and what can make reporting more difficult.

The study used a two-phase action research design in a small, rural public school district in western New York. The first phase used a survey built around five behavior vignettes, while the second phase consisted of staff interviews.

Staff generally agreed when …

Listening To The Society Of Yeager Scholars: An Interpretive Companion For Institutional Memory And Strategic Reflection, Brian A. Hoey

Publications of the Honors College at Marshall University

Listening to the Society of Yeager Scholars is an interpretive companion for institutional memory and strategic reflection. Rather than offering a definitive history of the Society of Yeager Scholars or prescribing its future direction, the document reads the Society as an institution with a culture—one shaped over nearly four decades through educational purposes, relationships, traditions, expectations, and changing interpretations of what the Society is and should be.

Drawing on early oral histories, Alison Gerlach’s history of the Society’s first thirteen years, contemporary accounts, institutional records, strategic-planning materials, and sustained institutional experience, the document identifies recurring ways participants have understood the …

“Whenever You Are Using Media, You Should Always Have A Purpose”: A Study Of Chinese Immigrant Mothers’ Media Practices, Xiaoning Gui, Daniel G. Krutka

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This qualitative study explores how eleven Mandarin-speaking Chinese immigrant mothers of young children in a southwestern U.S. city navigate and mediate media in their households. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings show mothers balance media’s educational affordances with concerns about health and age-appropriate content, employing gatekeeping, time limits, and purposeful sharing. Mothers described children as learners, co-learners, and cultural connectors, sometimes reversing mediation by teaching mothers about U.S. media norms. Interpreted through a lens of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy while also drawing on Confucian concepts, results underscore the need for early childhood educators to honor immigrant families’ practices while fostering …

20120918: Academic Affairs, 1984-2012, Academic Affairs

Guides to University Archives

These items include materials from the office of Academic Affairs at Marshall University from 1984-2012. Items were received in 2012 and include notable materials from Faces of Appalachia (CSEGA) Challenge Grant; Course Evaluations; Drinko and Morrow Libraries; Adjunct Faculty; New Faculty Orientation; Dept of Social Work; Academic Common Market Requests; Study Abroad; Assessment Plans; Women's Studies; and Core Curriculum Task Force. Please download the finding aid for a full list of contents.

Industry Implications Of A Scaffolded Hospitality Co-Op, Juan Mendez, Joel Reynolds

ICHRIE Research Reports

The hospitality industry faces a persistent skills gap as graduates enter the workforce with limited preparation in the adaptive, operational, and AI-enabled competencies modern employers require (Jackson, 2013; Sigala, 2018). Cooperative education offers a structured response, yet many programs default to a single internship that leaves the integration of theory and practice to chance. This report presents an undergraduate scaffolded cooperative education framework developed at a U.S. hospitality business school that sequences two foundation courses, six concurrent work-integrated courses, and a capstone digital portfolio across a two-year arc. The framework is grounded in experiential learning and scaffolding theory (Kolb, 1984; …

Visualizing Borneo Biodiversity And Dayak Cultural Heritage Through Contemporary Innovative Batik Motifs, Kristanti Kristanti

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Borneo combines exceptional biological diversity with cultural traditions that shape regional identity. This study aims to develop contemporary batik motifs based on selected biological references associated with Borneo and one Dayak cultural reference while documenting the visual transformation process as research knowledge. A practice-based research approach was employed through exploration, design development, realization, expert validation, and revision. The initial exploration included the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), black orchid (Coelogyne pandurata), ironwood (Eusideroxylon zwageri), and pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp.), while the Dayak …

Hands-On Ransomware: An Experiential Wannacry Case Study For Undergraduate Cybersecurity Education, Eli Creek Richmond, Thomas R. Devine

Military Cyber Affairs

Ransomware represents one of the most disruptive threats in the cyber landscape, yet hands-on malware analysis remains rare in undergraduate cybersecurity curricula. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an experiential learning module centered on the WannaCry ransomware case study, deployed in a senior-level course at West Virginia University. Students performed static and dynamic analysis using industry-standard tools. Pre- and post-module assessments demonstrated measurable gains in self-reported competency across seven technical dimensions. The module's competencies align directly with DoD Cyber Workforce Framework Work Role 212, Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst, supporting education-to-workforce pipeline development.

Humanity, Ai, And The Pedagogy Of Vince Gilligan’S Pluribus, J. Scarlett Kingsley

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This review discusses the tv show Pluribus as a contemporary television narrative that functions as an allegory for artificial intelligence and its implications for human meaning-making. Centering on Carol Sturka, one of thirteen individuals immune to a alien global virus that merges humanity into a cooperative “Hive Mind”, the series explores tensions between autonomy and collective well-being in a “peaceful apocalypse.” The analysis argues that the Hive Mind reflects key concerns surrounding AI, including the production of knowledge without understanding, personalization without discernment, and efficiency that bypasses the struggle through which meaning is formed. Drawing on John Searle’s distinction between …

Designing A Technology-Enhanced Curriculum For Preservice Mathematics Teachers: A Practice-Based Reflection, Alaa Karem Abd-El-Hafez

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Preparing preservice secondary mathematics teachers in a post-pandemic, AI-driven digital landscape presents unique pedagogical challenges. As a teacher educator and former secondary mathematics teacher, I aim for preservice candidates to harness technology as a vehicle for high-leverage, evidence-based teaching strategies while prioritizing software accessibility and affordability. This practice-based article details the comprehensive redesign of a technology in mathematics education course structured around five modular units and three project-based assessments. Guided by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, I articulate the rationale for tool selection, instructional design decisions, and assessment strategies. Ultimately, this course model offers higher education programs an …

A Phenomenological Study Exploring How Leaders At Acsi-Accredited Christian Schools In North And South Carolina Implement And Integrate A Biblical Worldview, Terry A. Richards Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how leaders at ACSI-accredited Christian schools in North and South Carolina experienced integrating a biblical worldview. The study examined the strategies leaders considered effective, the challenges they encountered, and the approaches they used to foster collaboration among school leaders, faculty, and families. Using in-depth interviews to explore and illuminate the experiences of nine Christian school leaders, this study analyzed participants’ accounts to identify recurring themes. The findings indicated that participants understood biblical worldview integration as an intentional, schoolwide process rather than isolated religious tasks assigned to key activities, Bible classes, or chapel services. Participants also …

Exploring The Influence Of Personalized E-Learning Tools On Critical Thinking And Literacy In Secondary English Classrooms Through Instructor Perspectives: A Holistic Case Study, Lanishia R. Berry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this holistic case study was to explore how secondary English Language Arts teachers integrated personalized e-learning tools to support reading comprehension and critical thinking in secondary English Language Arts classrooms. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky's sociocultural development theory because it supports the idea that learning and cognitive development occur through interaction and collaboration, aligning with how personalized e-learning tools are used to engage students in meaningful literacy experiences. The central research question guiding this study is: How do secondary English teachers perceive the use of personalized e-learning tools in their instruction to support reading comprehension …

Fostering Meaningful Relationships In Middle School Music Ensembles And The Impact On Student Retention, Michael Andrew Murphy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although participation in music ensembles varies from school to school in the United States, many directors struggle to retain, let alone grow, the number of members that comprise their performance ensembles. This is often the result of scheduling, time constraints, financial obligations, and understanding the needs of student engagement. The purpose of this qualitative, ethnological study is to explore the impact of fostering meaningful relationships in middle school music ensembles and what role those relationships play in the retention of students. This study also investigates how students and teachers determine the meaningfulness of their relationships, the importance of those relationships …

Enhancing Cognitive And Emotional Development In An Inclusive High School Setting: A Study Of Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Roxanne Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students with intellectual disabilities often experience cognitive deficits that limit the development of social cognition and critical thinking skills. Challenges in executive functioning, including reduced metacognitive awareness, emotional regulation, and self-regulation, further hinder their ability to plan, monitor, and adapt their thinking and behavior, creating barriers to success in inclusive educational settings. This mixed-methods pilot study examined the effects of the Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) program on the cognitive development of five high school students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in an inclusive Christian high school over one semester. Using a sequential explanatory design, quantitative data were collected via the MINDCAP …

Wayang 3d Interactive E-Book: Development And Classroom Evaluation For Javanese Traditional Drama Learning, I’In Dwi Susanti, Afendy Widayat

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Javanese traditional drama (wayang) is a key element of Indonesia's cultural heritage, yet classroom instruction remains largely text-based and low in engagement. This study developed and evaluated Wayang 3D, a cloud-based interactive e-book integrating Canva, Heyzine, and H5P to support traditional-drama learning. Using the ADDIE model, the product was validated by content and media experts and tested through a quasi-experimental nonequivalent pretest–posttest control-group design with 62 ninth-grade students. Content validity was Feasible (79.5%) and media validity Very Feasible (83.0%); teacher and student practicality ratings were also Very Feasible (85.01%). The experimental group achieved a significantly higher normalised learning gain than …

Exploring Burnout, Isolation, And Support Among Middle School Music Educators In Georgia: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Study, Jameson T. Meadows

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of middle school music educators (MSMEs) in Georgia to understand how burnout, professional isolation, support, and advocacy influence their professional experiences and sustainability. These educators navigate instructional tasks, program administration, and responsibilities beyond the classroom. 10 MSMEs, including 5 band directors, 3 orchestra directors, and 2 chorus directors, participated in virtual semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through an inductive coding process to identify patterns across participants’ experiences. 4 themes emerged from the findings: (a) relational and musical growth sustains the work, (b) burnout accumulates through role overload and personal investment, (c) discipline-specific professional …

Influences Of A Social Emotional Curriculum On Teachers’ Classroom Experiences: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Nikki Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenology was to understand the lived experiences of general education first-grade teachers in Washington State who use social-emotional curricula to mitigate negative student behaviors. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s social learning theory (SLT) as it pertains to peer-to-peer and peer-to-teacher relationships. The participants in this study were 10-15 elementary classroom teachers in Washington who will incorporate one Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) lesson per week. The teachers followed the MindUP curriculum to incorporate additional activities. The focus was on the lived experiences of first-grade teachers in Washington State who teach SEL to mitigate negative student …