Digital Commons Network^™

Windows Into Refugee Lives: Using Graphic Novels To Cultivate Empathy And Understanding Across K-12 Classrooms, Donna Fortune, Anna Kambach

Virginia English Journal

Graphic novels, like When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar

Mohamed, provides a powerful gateway for teachers to foster empathy and understanding with K12 students. This article explores how graphic novels combine visual storytelling with text to engage learners of all ages in discussions about refugee experiences. By integrating reflective activities and critical literacy strategies adaptable across grade levels, educators can use graphic novels to build cultural awareness, deepen comprehension, and inspire students to connect with global issues meaningfully. The article offers grade-specific implementation strategies that can be scaled appropriately for elementary, middle, and high school contexts.

Experiences Of Early Childhood Professionals Regarding Selective Mutism, Jessica Denise Huffman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study is that the experiences of early childhood professionals (ECPs) working with children with selective mutism are unknown. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of child development, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of ECPs working with children with selective mutism. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 12 ECPs who support children with selective mutism in several districts in southern California. Through open coding, the following themes emerged: ECPs noted (a) limited knowledge about selective mutism; (b) supporting children who have selective mutism is both enjoyable and …

School Leaders’ Perceptions Of Post-Covid-19 Recruiting And Retention Of Special Education Teachers In A Local School District, Framy Diaz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School leaders in a local school district continue to struggle keeping their special education (SPED) positions appropriately staffed. The problem was that the inability to fill these large numbers of vacancies could adversely affect the quality of services SPED students receive and impact school personnel's ability to meet legal IEP compliance requirements. Guided by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s two-way factor theories, the purpose of this qualitative study was to gain the perspectives of school and district leaders regarding difficulties in post-COVID-19 recruiting and retention of SPED teachers. A basic qualitative design was used to capture the insights of …

Developing Civic Competence With Educative Curriculum Materials Featuring A Historical Photograph Of Antarctica, Cory Callahan

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Here the author advocates for an innovative teaching approach synthesizing three research-based, instructional strategies: promoting civic competence within international and global contexts, planning with educative curriculum materials, and exploring historical photographs for higher-order thinking. He traces the crafting of an exemplary lesson through this approach and discusses its underpinning rationale. The lesson helps students and teachers think deeply about land claims and resource disputes in Antarctica while addressing a persistent value conflict throughout history: balancing national sovereignty and international law. A teacher-friendly narrative constitutes the lesson plan; however, it is not teacher-proof, as teachers are encouraged to make instructional decisions …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

The Teaching And Learning International Survey 2024: Non-Response Bias Analysis Report For Australia, Katherine Dix, Toby Carslake

OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

This report considers potential non-response bias in the 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Analysis in this report demonstrates that Australia’s ISCED 1 and ISCED 2 respondents are representative of the broader school and teacher populations, strongly supporting a ‘Fair’ rating for data quality, particularly given the high in-school principal and teacher responses rates.

Talis 2024 Australian Report: The Teaching And Learning International Survey, Tim Friedman, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Katherine Dix

OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) collects internationally comparable data on the learning environment and the working conditions of teachers and principals in schools across the world. This report outlines the results of the 2024 survey of Australian teachers under the headings of: teaching for today's world; thriving in teaching; the demands of teaching, developing teacher expertise, teacher leadership and autonomy, professional relationships in schools, and sustaining the teaching profession. Australia’s participation in TALIS 2024 was managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

Enhancing Assessment Of Early Childhood Learning And Development, Stephanie Templeton, Dan Cloney, Sandra Knowles, Ursula Schwantner

Global education monitoring

This policy brief aims to assist governments and development partners in creating and enhancing assessments of early childhood learning and development to inform the creation of evidence-based policies and practices. It draws on the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Centre's Monitoring learning in the early years: A review of early childhood assessments to support global monitoring.

Follow Me Into Math: Near-Peer Influencers Take The Stage, Aaron T. Wilson, Sergey Grigorian, Mayra Ortiz Galarza, Xiaohui Wang

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Young people like to be entertained, and to entertain others. What if students were to invest enough of their time and effort into learning topics from our mathematics courses to become experts in the eyes of their peers? In this study we positioned college students and high school students as mathematical performers on the stage in front of their nearpeers, for whom they became math influencers, developing and presenting MathShows. The paper shows readers how we positioned students on the stage, using a 7-step MathShow Design Process informed by a Neer-peer Mathematical Mentoring framework. Of import for educators, researchers and …

Engagement By Design: Belongingness, Cultural Value Orientations, And Pathways Into Emerging Technologies, Daisuke Akiba, Michael Perrone, Caterina Almendral, Rebecca Garte

Publications and Research

This theoretical article examines how belongingness, defined as the sense that one’s participation is legitimate and valued, interacts with cultural value orientations to help explain persistent disparities in U.S. technology engagement, including emerging technologies, across racial and ethnic groups. While structural barriers (e.g., racism, poverty, linguistic bias, etc.) remain essential to understanding such inequity, we argue that engagement patterns in technology also reflect how different cultural communities may define and experience belongingness in relation to digital domains. Drawing on Triandis and Gelfand’s framework, and focusing specifically on educational contexts, we propose the Belongingness through Cultural Value Alignment (BCVA) model, whereby …

Evaluation Of Pre-Hajj Multimedia Training Tools: A Case Study Of Prospective Australian Pilgrims, Kholoud M. Munshi, Mustapha Taibi Dr., Kate Richards Ms., Khushnoor Khan Mr.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Every year, millions of Muslim pilgrims gather in Makkah (Saudi Arabia) for Hajj. These pilgrims come from different parts of the world, with diverse language and cultural backgrounds. Managing such a large and diverse congregation for a successful completion of Hajj requires effective planning, which depends on two important antecedents—knowing the background information of the pilgrims and developing effective pre-Hajj training tools for dissemination of Hajj information for non-Arabic speaking pilgrims. This study evaluates the perceptions of potential Hajj pilgrims regarding community translation usability (CTX) and medium usability (MX) of two existing pre-Hajj media tools developed by Mnask Academy (Booklet …

The Current - Volume 36 Issue 3, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Comparing Massed And Distributed Course Formats: Effects On Outcomes In A Graduate Augmentative And Alternative Communication Course, Brandon Scott Eddy, Alli Sauerwein, Leah Meloy, Eric Sanders

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The effects of massed versus distributed learning have been well studied in the verbal and motor learning literature, with findings suggesting enhanced outcomes from distributing learning over time. However, some studies have found limited evidence to support enhanced outcomes from distributed learning when applied to an entire academic course. The effects of course scheduling on student learning in speech-language pathology graduate coursework have received limited attention. This study compared learning outcomes between a one-week massed format and an eight-week distributed format in an online two-credit augmentative and alternative communication graduate-level course. Learning outcomes were assessed before students enrolled, immediately after …

Applying Interprofessional Practice And Education With Slp Graduate Students: An Exploratory Study, Mariam Abdelaziz, Ye He, Mayra Hayes

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Purpose: The present study examines the impact of an interdisciplinary case-based learning experience between pre-service speech-language pathology (SLP) and pre-service teachers from the teaching English to speakers of other language (TESOL) program.

Method: Over the course of a semester, 34 SLP students built rapport, provided education, collaborated and designed an evaluation plan about a fictional client using the knowledge gained from their TESOL counterpart. This mixed-methods study utilized paired t-tests to measure the efficacy of the learning experience and one-way ANOVA as well as content analysis to identify key differences in the qualitative data across four student groups based on …

A Preliminary Survey Of Slp Students’ Language Sample Analysis Experiences, Rebecca Bawayan, Michelle H. Lenhart, Alexa Van Doren

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Purpose: Although practicing school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) report that most of their training in language sample analysis (LSA) comes during their educational program, SLP students’ experiences with LSA in their training program have not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to gather information on the LSA use, methods, and contexts in addition to perceived knowledge and skills of speech-language pathology undergraduate and graduate students.

Method: Undergraduate and graduate students studying speech-language pathology responded to an invitation to complete an online survey related to LSA knowledge and experiences.

Results: Results indicated that most students gain experience with LSA …

Final Performance Report: Boise State University Chinese Startalk Program: "A Bite Of China", Daibao Guo, Michelle Satterfield

Literacy, Language and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Boise State University (BSU) Chinese STARTALK Program was designed to meet STARTALK’s goals by providing a standards-based, thematically organized curriculum, “A Bite of China,” along with immersive, authentic language-learning experiences for secondary students. The program aimed to expand access to Chinese language education, promote intercultural competence, and support the development of language proficiency through hands-on, project-based learning.

Generative Ai In Chinese Esl Students’ Writing Processes: Stages, Methods, And Language Use, Runzhou Shan

Journal of Response to Writing

This paper explores how Chinese ESL students utilize Generative AI (Gen AI) in their writing processes, focusing on the stages of writing, specific methods of use, and language practices. The study was carried out in an English-medium instruction (EMI) environment at a Sino-American university in China. Data were collected through online surveys with 157 participants and follow-up interviews with nine students. Quantitative analysis of the survey data uncovered general patterns, while analysis of the interview data, using Polio & Freedman’s (2017) coding method to identify themes, provided detailed illustrations. Subsequent analysis indicates that students primarily engage with Gen AI in …

Visual Literacy, English Learners, And The Slider, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

The article looks at some of the ways “degrees of intensity” can be taught and practiced with visual supports such as sliders, graphs, or emojis, with a focus on English learners of all ages.

Fall 2025 Volume 11 Issue 2: Full Issue

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Creating Intergenerational Connections: A Multilevel Approach For Enriching Lives And Addressing Vital Community Issues, Matthew S. Kaplan, Nancy Z. Henkin

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This article presents an overview of intergenerational programs and practices as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and practice that fosters open communication, support, and civic engagement across generations. Numerous examples of how intergenerational programs and practices harness age diversity to improve the human condition are presented. This includes initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles, reduce social isolation and loneliness, strengthen families, enrich education and lifelong learning, enhance community quality of life, and transmit cherished cultural traditions and values. This article highlights Extension’s longstanding contributions to intergenerational programming, showcasing notable examples across program areas and exploring opportunities for deeper engagement, co-leadership, and …

Integrative Stem Approach Impact On Mathematical Acquisition And Mathematical Conceptual Understanding, Kayla Grace Eller

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigates the impact of an integrative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) approach on fourth grade students’ mathematical conceptual understanding and mathematical language acquisition. For the purposes of this research, mathematical language was defined as students’ comprehension and use of key mathematical terminology and concepts, while mathematical conceptual understanding was characterized as a comprehensive and practical grasp of mathematical ideas that goes beyond isolated facts and methods. The study was situated in the theoretical framework of situated cognition learning theory and informed by the conceptual framework of Wells PIRPSOAL model (2016), with particular attention to how …

Task Prioritization In Concurrent Speaking And Visuomotor Tasks In Younger And Older Adults, Naomi Wynn

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the ability of younger and older adults to prioritize one task over another under divided attention conditions. The speech task involved the repetition of sentences that included specific vowel targets, and the non-speech task was a visuomotor pursuit rotor task which required tracking a moving target on a computer. The participants were twenty young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 and twenty older adults above the age of 60. They performed each task on its own and both tasks concurrently, prioritizing one or the other task. Audio recordings were analyzed with software to extract …

Speech Motor Learning In Divided And Undivided Attention Conditions, Garrett Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of dual tasking on speech motor learning. Forty young adult participants (20 male, 20 female) practiced speaking nonsense words containing non-English consonant clusters. Half of the participants practiced the words while also completing a shape identification task. After practice, the two groups produced the words in a retention task both with and without the shape identification task. They returned the next day to produce the words again with and without the shape identification task. Acoustic analysis of the consonant cluster and word duration was used as an index of motor learning. Statistical analysis revealed that …

Assessing Cognitive Abilities In Students With Hearing Loss And Specific Learning Disabilities, Pooja Gupta, Corinna V. Cole, William H. Blackwell

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This literature review synthesizes approximately 30 years of research on students from kindergarten through 12th grade with hearing impairments who are suspected of having a specific learning disability (SLD). Assessing SLDs in these students presents significant challenges, particularly when evaluating cognitive abilities using the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence. This theory encompasses seven broad cognitive domains that influence academic success in reading, mathematics, and writing, including crystallized intelligence, fluid and sequential reasoning, long-term and short-term memory, visual processing, auditory processing, and processing speed. Since auditory processing is inherently affected in students with hearing impairments, this review excludes it from discussion. …

Observing Language & Literacy In Real-World Contexts: Applied Field Observation Assignment, Chanda Huston

Open Educational Resources

This assignment guides undergraduate early childhood education students through three structured observations of children’s language and literacy behaviors in authentic environments such as homes, classrooms, and community spaces. Students learn to record objective, descriptive notes; analyze communication through developmental and sociocultural lenses; and connect their interpretations to meaningful curriculum planning. The assignment emphasizes professional skills essential to early childhood educators, including documentation, theoretical application, and reflective practice, helping students deepen their understanding of how young children use language and engage with emerging literacy in everyday contexts.

Grand Valley Magazine, Vol. 25, No. 1, Fall 2025, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley Magazine

Grand Valley Magazine is a quarterly publication about Grand Valley State University produced by University Communications since 2001.

Decidiendo Lo Mejor Para Su Educación: Immigrant Latine Madres At The Intersection Of Confianza, Ideology, And The Illusion Of Choice, Emmeline Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study examined the decision-making processes of immigrant Latine caregivers selecting schools and language programs for their children classified as Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in New York City. Although policy frameworks position caregivers as central decision-makers, bilingual program access remains limited, especially in charter schools, and families must navigate language ideologies that privilege English as the safest educational pathway. Ten immigrant Latine participants, nine mothers and one grandmother, whose children attended traditional or charter elementary schools in one NYC district, shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews conducted in Spanish. Data were analyzed through iterative coding and thematic analysis …

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Culture Within An Algebra Unit: A Qualitative Action Research Study, Alesha Marie Love

Theses and Dissertations

Many barriers exist when teaching and learning mathematics. Although the mathematics curriculum is rigid and rigorous by design it is often not culturally relevant for the students engaging with the content. As a result, many students of color do not have an appropriate amount of representation to connect to a subject area that already seems exclusionary. This qualitative action research study examines the effects of introducing culturally relevant references into an Algebra unit for students of color, exploring the influence of exposure to cultural references and the minimal display of cultural and racial identities within the mathematics curriculum on students …

When The Student Becomes The Teacher: Learning-By-Teaching As A Tool For Conservation Career Development, Ana Dixon

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Dixon, A. (2025). When the Student Becomes the Teacher: Learning-by-Teaching as a Tool for Conservation Career Development

This study explored the research question: How do teaching-centered conservation career development programs influence participants’ science identity and self-efficacy? The literature review includes context on STEM and conservation careers, social cognitive career theory, science identity and self-efficacy, and learning-by-teaching. Participants in the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s High School Assistant (HSA) volunteer and conservation education internship programs were given the option to complete pre- and post-surveys surrounding their participation in their respective summer program. These surveys measured individuals’ science identity, science and environmental self-efficacy, …

Continuous Professional Development: A Case Study Of Foreign English Language Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Development In Colleges In Asia, Chance W. Phillips

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative case study investigated the experiences of college-level EFL/ESL teachers in Asia. The research sought to identify the gaps in professional development experiences influencing teachers to be better educators, meeting the needs of the English language learners in Asia. Additionally, the research identified how the professional development experiences, or lack thereof, of the college-level EFL/ESL teachers impacted their pedagogical strategies and professional practices. Despite the demand for English language education across Asia, foreign English educators often face limited institutional and administrative support, as well as unequal access to professional learning opportunities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with foreign English language …