Digital Commons Network^™

Do Voucher Students Attain Higher Levels Of Education?, Patrick Wolf, John F. Wittle, Brian Kisida

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), the first modern private school choice program in the United States, has grown from 341 students attending 7 private schools in 1990 to 27,857 students attending 126 private schools today. The MPCP has been subject to extensive study that has focused largely on student performance on standardized tests, which have found few differences in performance between MPCP students and similar students in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). This study presents new data on the college enrollment, persistence, and graduation of MPCP and MPS students who were tracked over 11 years beginning in 2006. MPCP …

Analyzing Environmental Education In Northern Mississippi And Its Impact On Student Outcomes, Vishnu S. Gadepalli

Honors Theses

This thesis examines environmental education in public high schools in northern Mississippi, investigating how educators describe its presence, delivery, and institutional support in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harm. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with high school teachers across four northern Mississippi schools, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed through iterative thematic coding under Institutional Review Board approval. Five themes emerged: opportunistic curricular integration, time and standards as overriding structural constraints, passive institutional support, student receptivity tempered by limited awareness, and significant variation across school contexts with one magnet school as a clear outlier. The study concludes that environmental education in these …

Bridging Research And Practice: A Mixed Methods Study Of Principals' Use Of Implementation Driver Strategies To Support The Adoption Of Evidence-Based Literacy Practices In Minnesota K-12 Public Schools, Jamie L. Nord

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Despite a substantial research base identifying effective reading instruction, some schools continue to struggle to translate evidence-based literacy practices into consistent classroom use. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between Minnesota K–12 public school principals’ self-reported use of implementation driver strategies and their self-reported adoption of evidence-based literacy practices, while also exploring how principals perceived implementation within their school contexts. Guided by the Implementation Drivers framework, the study included a statewide survey of 138 principals using the researcher-developed Leadership for Literacy Implementation Scale, followed by two focus groups with 10 participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive, …

Exploring The Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Organizational Support, Job Satisfaction, And Intent To Stay Among Minnesota School Nurses, Kristin K. Coudron

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

School nurses face escalating job demands driven by increasing student health complexity, chronic condition management, and expanding public health responsibilities. Often serving as the sole healthcare professional within a school or district, they work in settings characterized by high autonomy, variable organizational support, and growing concerns about job satisfaction and retention. Limited empirical research has examined how personal and organizational resources jointly relate to school nurses’ intent to remain in practice. Guided by the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) theory and the National Association of School Nurses School Nursing Practice Framework, this quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study explored relationships among emotional intelligence, …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2026-2027, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2026-2027.

Navigating Urgency And Innovation: How Pandemic-Era Leadership Frames The Evolving Role Of Ai In Educational Leadership, Patricia Virella, Alexandra J. Lamb

Department of Educational Leadership Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose: This paper examines how pandemic-era leadership lessons inform the current implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, focusing on adaptive strategies, distributed leadership, and equity-focused decision-making among US school principals during crisis-driven technological change.

Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was employed, drawing on semi-structured interviews with fifty public school principals conducted between 2020 and 2022. Data were coded and analyzed iteratively using distributed leadership theory to identify key themes related to technology integration, professional development and leadership practices in rapidly changing environments.

Findings: Adaptive, distributed leadership and proactive planning for digital equity were vital for effective crisis response and technology …

Pieces Solving A Puzzle: Emerging Roles And Cross-Field Analogies During A Distributed Epistemic Game, Jenna Matthews

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In an effort to describe why some problems can’t be solved, a character compared them to a cubic meter of platinum - a block so dense that all the people who could squeeze around it still couldn’t lift it off the ground. In the same way, these problems simply can’t have enough people gathered around and communicating about them - and so they remain unsolved.

This research looks at the first Polymath Project (2009) as an example of a distributed epistemic game to examine how groups engage with complex problems. and without a locally omniscient individual. In this setting of …

November 2026 Faculty Senate Packet, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Packets

No abstract provided.

Updated Library Publishing Curriculum Policy Module: Policy Narrative, Alexandra Marcaccio, Talea Anderson, Corinne Guimont, Esther Jackson, Michelle Wilson, Perry Collins

Library Publishing Curriculum

The Policy Module covers how library publishers develop policies that guide specific areas of their work. Policy is an area where publishing programs interface with the legal and political environment, which has seen dramatic changes since the original Policy Module was written, and these units provide the up-to-date guidance that library publishers need. The units in the updated Policy Module are:

• Accessibility by Alexandra Marcaccio
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by Talea Anderson
• Preservation by Corinne Guimont
• Publishing Ethics by Esther Jackson & Michelle Wilson
• Rights & Rights Management by Perry Collins

A Community's Next Chapter: Introducing The Journal Of Accreditation And Quality Improvement In Medical Education, Melisa Pierce, Jason Booza, Colleen Hayden

Journal of Accreditation and Quality Improvement in Medical Education

No abstract provided.

Unlocking Affixes In The Esl Community College Classroom: The Language Of Law, Science, And Technology, Patricia George-Hunter Edd

Journal of English Learner Education

Since vocabulary plays a significant role in second language acquisition, expansive vocabulary targets should be set and pursued. This paper explores the results of introducing affixes to develop vocabulary and increase motivation for beginner to intermediate-level English language learners (ELLs) pursuing academic disciplines in law, science, and technology at a New York City community college. Participants included 23 ELLs with diverse linguistic, educational, and sociocultural backgrounds enrolled in an online synchronous Integrative Language Seminar (ILS) designed to develop all areas of English language proficiency. Pre‑, post‑, delayed tests, questionnaires, and post‑intervention interviews were conducted and analyzed to establish the language …

Making The Implicit Explicit For Multilingual Learners: A Language-Based Framework For Literacy Development, Luciana C. De Oliveira

Journal of English Learner Education

Literacy is fundamentally an act of meaning-making that requires bridging micro-level linguistic choices with macro-level text structures across genres. Current literacy policies dominated by Science of Reading (SoR) mandates often overemphasize isolated, word-level foundational skills. This narrow focus creates a one-size-fits-all model that reduces reading to the level of individual words, not appropriate for multilingual learners (MLs) who require access to dense, specialized disciplinary discourse. This article proposes an intentional, language-based literacy framework designed to build high-challenge, high-support classrooms for MLs without lowering academic expectations. Integrating genre-based pedagogy through the Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC) with the mode continuum, the …

Effects Of Differentiated Physical Education Learning On Physical Fitness And Active Lifestyle Among Junior High School Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Asep Akbaruddin, Sumbara Hambali, Wahyu Saputra, Mochamad Fajar Permana

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Low levels of physical fitness and physical activity among junior high school students remain a significant concern in physical education. Differentiated instruction offers a potentially effective approach by tailoring learning activities, levels of difficulty, and instructional experiences to students’ readiness, interests, and abilities. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of differentiated physical education instruction on physical fitness and active lifestyles among junior high school students. Methods: A quantitative approach employing a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control-group design was adopted. A total of 90 junior high school students participated in the study, with 45 assigned to the experimental group and …

Intersubjectivity, Collaboration, And The Possibilities Of Dialogic Analysis, Karen Ross, Meagan Call-Cummings

The Qualitative Report

This article stems from a desire to counter monologic, or single-voiced, approaches to data analysis and to consider opportunities for a dialogic approach that offers opportunities to engage and discover nuance and complexity in the research process. Drawing on our own research experiences, we offer a discussion of three methods of dialogic analysis: Reconstructive Horizon Analysis (RHA), participatory analysis, and Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR). Locating each of these within a kind of spectrum of dialogism, we illustrate how different forms of dialogic analysis can create space for complexity, nuance, perspective-taking, and in the best case, collaborative, intersubjective meaning making. We …

Exploring Striking Moments Through Reflexive Inquiry: Case Study Of Action Learning Conversations, Mette Vinther Larsen, Sheila Mcnamee

The Qualitative Report

This paper explores how executive managers reflexively inquire into striking moments, understood as unanticipated instances that unsettle taken-for-granted assumptions, through Action Learning Conversations (ALC). ALC is a structured six-step dialogical process used at a Danish executive MBA program. Grounded in a relational-constructionist stance, the study responds to earlier empirical work showing that reflexivity could not be planned through curricular design but depends instead on relational and reflexive inquiries around unanticipated and striking moments. Using a qualitative, semi-structured case study design, the first author, who taught in the program and generated the data, traces two purposively selected cases; (1) centered on …

Cultivating Gen-Z As Cultural Heirs In The Indigenous Community Of Cireundeu, Sardin Sardin, Ade Romi Rosmia, Mohamad Hadi Ali Mutamam

The Qualitative Report

How do Indigenous leaders teach digital-native youth to value centuries-old traditions? This six-month ethnographic study examined cultural transmission in Cireundeu, an Indigenous Sundanese community in West Java, Indonesia. Existing studies often address Indigenous education and digital youth culture separately, with limited attention to leaders’ perspectives. Conducted from June to November 2024, the study drew on participant observation, interviews with 25 community members, six focus group discussions, and digital artifact analysis. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three interconnected patterns. First, leaders fostered cultural learning through graduated ceremonial participation. Second, elders practiced leader-orchestrated digital bricolage by adapting Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for cultural …

Reflexive Accounts Of Conducting Qualitative Interviews In The Mena Region, Chaima Mennai, Sana Alzahrani

The Qualitative Report

This paper provides a reflexive account of our experiences conducting qualitative research in the contexts of two Arab countries, from our perspectives as researchers trained in a Western academic context. We explore the challenges and insights gained when recruiting and interviewing participants for qualitative Ph.D. projects within what is a predominantly quantitative research culture. Drawing on Walsh’s reflexive framework, we detail the issues that emerged during the recruitment and interview processes, identifying their potentially significant implications for Ph.D. candidates and early-career researchers who were trained in the West and are choosing to conduct research in contexts where the qualitative research …

The Effectiveness Of Using Stories And Tales In Developing Conceptual Understanding And Enjoyment Of Learning Mathematics Among Third-Grade Elementary Students: A Mixed-Method Study, Mona F. Alshammari, Ibrahim A. Khalil

International Journal for Research in Education

The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of using stories and tales in developing conceptual understanding and promoting enjoyment of learning mathematics among third-grade elementary students. To achieve the research objectives, a mixed-methods experimental design was applied to a sample of 26 students, representing the experimental group, and 24 students, constituting the control group. All students were selected from the Twenty-Second Elementary School within the Sharqiyyah Educational Administration. The teacher's book was used as instructional material for the unit of "Geometric Shapes." To collect quantitative data, an achievement test was used to measure conceptual understanding, while individual interviews, focus groups, …

Affirmative Action For Women In Higher Education And Stem: A Policy Framework To Transform India’S Scientific Landscape, Dileep Verma, Pushpender Yadav, Shashikant Nishant Sharma

Journal of International Women's Studies

This brief proposes an outcomes-oriented affirmative-action framework to accelerate women’s participation and leadership across India’s higher education and STEM pipeline, aligning national priorities for a “Self-reliant India” (Atmanirbhar Bharat) with the United Nation’s SDG-5 (gender equality). Near-parity in overall HE enrolment contrasts with women’s underrepresentation in engineering/technology programmes, research roles, and senior faculty positions as revealed by the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) (Department of Science & Technology, n.d.-a; Ministry of Education, 2020; Sahay, 2022). Supernumerary seats, re-entry fellowships, and pilot programmes (e.g., KIRAN/WOS, GATI, WEST) show promise but lack scale, evaluation, and accountability linkages (Department of Science …

Principles, Frameworks And Challenges Underpinning Holistic Education In The 21st Century, Kumar Laxman

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Holistic education is an educational paradigm that is gaining increasing attention in educational circles due to it being eclectic and inclusive in nature. It attempts to embed a wholesome approach to life including spiritual and philosophical ideals in its pedagogical elements to foster a more fulsome development of the individual. In this paper, research literature is parsed through and content analysed to gain a deeper understanding of the historical and curricular underpinnings of the holistic education movement through a theoretical interpretive lens. The beginnings and evolution of the holistic education movement are examined in conjunction with the broad definitions of …

Towards The Efforts Of Research Quality Improvement In India, Prof. Mohd. Ahsan, Dr. Naushad Husain

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Education is considered the backbone of any country, and research plays an analogous role for any education system. If we intend to develop our country, we should revive our education system, and for this drive, we have to relook at and improve the academic research carried out in our higher education system in general, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in particular. Though India is excelling in the field of research in terms of quantity, the numbers are not at par with the developed countries like the US, China, Germany, the UK, Japan, etc. In the process of this quantitative …

Silence And Whispering In The L2 Pragmatics Classroom: Duoethnographic Insights From A Vietnamese Context, Duong Minh Tuan, Le Thi Diem Lan

The Qualitative Report

This article examined how silence and whispering shape participation in an L2 pragmatics course for English majors at a Vietnamese university. Using a duoethnographic approach, we, as lecturer–researchers and the sole participants in this study, engaged in written dialogic exchanges over a 12-week semester, drawing on salient classroom incidents and institutional texts as prompts. Our dialogues revisited scenes in which students were quiet or whispered in Vietnamese, and we interrogated our shifting interpretations of those moments in light of scholarship on silence, L2 pragmatics, and language policy. Four themes emerged. First, silence as calibrated participation showed how students strategically modulated …

Untold Mourning: The Epistemology Of Naming And Grieving The Loss Of Identities, Bao Diep, Verna Wong

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This paper explores the epistemology of mourning through the lens of two Asian American scholars pursuing doctoral degrees at a Midwestern university. We examine how racialization in Midwestern educational institutions reflects a broader historical and cultural distancing from Vietnamese immigrants and refugees, despite a shared geopolitical past. Employing critical collaborative autoethnography as both method and remedy, we engage in a dialogic process of uncovering and understanding our collective memories and lived experiences. This approach empowers us to confront hegemonic narratives and reclaim our identities as immigrant scholars navigating predominantly white academic spaces.

Being A Padawan And Mastering The Force: A Dissertation Quest, Papia Bawa

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the experiences of one doctoral researcher and two doctoral peers navigating mentor-mentee relationships through a literary lens, employing autoethnographic methods to capture the nuanced dynamics of guidance, expectation, and emotional labor. Data were drawn from narratives found in reflective journals, personal memos, email exchanges, text messages and conversations with four faculty mentors and two doctoral peers accumulated through the doctoral journey.  The narratives were analyzed using thematic analysis. Using vignettes and incident reports, the research highlights key turning moments in the doctoral journey that shaped perceptions of mentorship, emphasizing both the cognitive and affective dimensions of academic …

Constructing An Inferior Identity: Special Educational Needs Students Under Inclusive Education In Hong Kong, Jesse W. C. Yip, Anna H. N. Ng

The Qualitative Report

Inclusive education has been in place for approximately three decades in Hong Kong, and previous research has predominantly focused on examining its effectiveness from the perspectives of teachers, policy makers, and healthcare professionals. However, there has been limited investigation into the personal experiences of students with special educational needs (SEN) who are integrated into mainstream schools. This study employing narrative inquiry explores the identity formation of eight SEN students throughout their 20-year learning journey within Hong Kong’s inclusive education system. The results revealed that the participants developed an identity of inferiority, which encompassed three key themes: experiencing school bullying, feeling …

Interpretative Repertoires Of Resilience Among Beginning Teachers In Chile, Paula Villalobos-Vergara, Diego Palacios, Joel Alvarez Ruf, Rodrigo Vergara Ortuzar

The Qualitative Report

In this study, we analyze how beginning teachers in Chile construct meanings around resilience during their first year of professional induction, within a context of intensified teachers’ work and limited institutional support. Drawing on a socioecological perspective and Critical Discursive Psychology, we developed a qualitative design focused on interpretative repertoires. Ten beginning teachers from various subject areas, educational levels, and regions participated, with each being interviewed at two time points, six months apart. Through an abductive analysis, we identified three affective–discursive repertoires. The first construct enters the profession as a generational tension, in which innovation is associated with youth, while, …

"From An Activist Spirit And History": An Examination Of Midwest Professors Who Teach Gender Studies In The Current Political Climate, Mena Faber

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Gender studies is an interdisciplinary field spanning higher education institutions globally. Yet the experiences of scholars within specific regional contexts remain understudied. This study examines the lived personal and pedagogical experiences of gender studies and gender communication scholars in the Midwest. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ experiences, perceived pressures, and responses to the current political and academic climate. Interview questions focused on the challenges scholars face as well as the communicative practices they adopt in response to shifting attitudes toward gender studies. This research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of how scholars …

Volume Cxlvi, Number 5, October 23, 2026, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

2026-10-23 Agenda Booklet, Morehead State University. Board Of Regents.

Morehead State Board of Regents Agenda Books and Meeting Minutes

Agenda booklet for the Board of Regents meeting of October 23, 2026, which includes the meeting minutes of the Board meeting, and committee meetings, held on August 7, 2026.

Character-Value Internalization Through Tembe Nggoli Motifs And Weaving Practices In The Mbojo Weaving Community Of Wawo District, Indonesia, Imamatul Islamyah, Meisar Ashari, Irsan Kadir

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

Traditional weaving constitutes an important part of Indonesia's cultural heritage, yet its role in character-value learning remains underexplored. This study examines how character values are interpreted, experienced, and reinforced through Tembe Nggoli motifs and weaving practices within the Mbojo weaving community of Wawo District, Indonesia. Using a qualitative mini-ethnographic design, data were collected from four participants through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and documentation and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis. The findings indicate that character-related values are encountered through three interrelated dimensions: visual symbolism, embodied weaving practices, and community participation. Within the observed setting, participants associated these dimensions …