Reclaiming Instructional Leadership: Using Evidence-Based Tools And Conversations To Change Classroom Practice, Lyndsay Britt, Matthew Militello

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Instructional leadership is the most influential lever principals and supervisors have to improve teaching and learning, yet managerial demands often limit sustained classroom engagement. This qualitative participatory action research study explores how leaders can reclaim instructional leadership by embedding focused observation tools and instructional conversations into routine supervision without adding time burdens. 

Using Community Learning Exchange methodology, four teachers and a principal engaged in a 14-month community of practice at a rural Title I early college high school. Through three inquiry cycles, the study examined how evidence-based tools and data-informed dialogue shaped teaching and leadership practices.

Findings revealed two outcomes …

Becoming: Adult Learners In Graduate Education And The Pursuit Of A Meaningful Life, Tara Shollenberger

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Adult learners in graduate education represent a population defined by deliberate, purposeful choice. Unlike traditional-age students, these individuals advance within higher education while managing careers, families, and complex life responsibilities. This conceptual paper explores the espoused and enacted vision for a meaningful life held by adult learners in graduate education, with particular attention to doctoral students in professional education programs. Evidence is drawn from national enrollment and attrition data, relevant scholarship, and nearly two decades of direct practitioner observation. The paper argues that adult graduate learners are animated by a vision of becoming: a generational, relational, and deeply purposeful understanding …

Seeing The Line Move Up: Educator Perceptions Of Mastery Experiences As Drivers Of Student Engagement And Persistence In Rural Intervention Programs, Carter J. Baran

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study examined how educators in a rural secondary school district describe the influence of mastery experiences on student engagement and persistence within academic intervention programs. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 18 certified educators (six core content teachers, six elective teachers, and six administrators) and a subsequent focus group conducted in a single rural South Carolina school district, this qualitative analysis extends a larger dissertation study on teacher perceptions of dropout-prevention interventions. Using Bandura's (1986, 1997) social cognitive theory and Astin's (1984, 1999) theory of student involvement as a dual conceptual lens, findings indicate that educators consistently identified visible, incremental …

Teacher Mentoring As A National Imperative: A Multi-Paper Dissertation, Ramiro Pesina

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

This multi-paper dissertation investigates teacher mentoring as a critical intervention in human resource development designed to address the complex challenges facing the teaching profession, including high attrition rates and the need for sustained professional support. The study is organized into three connected studies: an integrative literature review on technology enhanced mentoring, a longitudinal qualitative study that devises a comprehensive mentoring model covering cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects, and a phenomenological case study in which a formally structured mentoring program in a North Texas school district is analyzed in terms of execution and outcome. Critically important findings indicate that well-crafted mentoring …

Beyond The Pail: A Holistic Approach To Early Literacy Through Executive Functioning And Motor Develepment, Christie Vantilburg

Masters Projects

Traditional reading models, such as the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope, have historically isolated reading mechanics into word recognition and language comprehension silos. While foundational, these static frameworks overlook the vital cognitive role that active self-regulation and executive functions (EFs) play in text processing. As states like Michigan roll out statutory mandates under Public Act 146 requiring comprehensive educator training on dyslexia and its secondary behavioral impacts, a critical gap remains between higher-order cognitive science and daily classroom instruction. This project addresses this gap by translating contemporary developmental neuroscience and literacy frameworks into a practical, classroom-ready curriculum …

More Than Just Blocks: Supporting Development Through Block Play In Early Childhood, Stephanie Szanter, Carrie L. Ota

Spark! Innovations in Early Childhood Education: A Research-to-Practice Journal for Educators

Block play is much more than a classroom center; it is a place where children explore ideas, solve problems, communicate, and work together in meaningful ways. This article examines how block play supports children’s social-emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development through hands-on experiences that feel natural and engaging. Using classroom examples and current research, the article highlights how block play changes over time, how teachers can thoughtfully support and extend children’s thinking, and how simple adjustments to materials and setup can deepen learning. Rather than requiring elaborate activities, strong block play environments grow from careful observation, responsiveness, and an understanding …

Diving Deeper Into Serve-And-Return Interactions: Joint Attention & Cognitive And Social Development In Infancy, Derrick Toups

Spark! Innovations in Early Childhood Education: A Research-to-Practice Journal for Educators

This article provides practical ways to support responsive and initiating joint attention in infancy which are fundamental to cognitive and social development.

Getting A Special Education: Parents, Lawyers, And The Politics Of Disability In Postwar Pennsylvania, Emma Gabriel

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

This paper explores the relationship between white parent advocates in Pennsylvania and public interest lawyers, whose litigation efforts legitimized the construction of an implicitly white disabled class in the mid-twentieth century. This analysis sheds light on the ways in which school reform became a key element in the simultaneous construction and renegotiation of intellectual disability and race in the postwar era, and foregrounded the adoption of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975.

Sang M. Lee, Unl Business Management; Goal Programming, Mark Griep, Sang M. Lee

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Dr. Sang Lee was awarded the ORCA in 1980. Sang was born in 1939 in South Korea and grew up in Seoul. He earned his bachelor’s in 1961 at Seoul National University. Next, he traveled over 7000 miles to the US to earn a master’s from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and then a somewhat shorter move to the University of Georgia in Athens, where he earned a doctorate in Business Administration and Management. From 1968 to 1976, he rose through the ranks at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg while making a splash for his “goal programming” ideas. In 1976, …

2026 Sc Teacher Exit Survey, Svetlana Dmitrieva, Brian Cartiff, Angela Starrett

Reports

Each year, SC TEACHER administers the SC Teacher Exit Survey to public PK–12 classroom teachers who are leaving teaching positions in their districts. The survey provides insight into departing teachers’ next steps, the factors that contributed to their decisions to leave, and the conditions that might encourage some educators to remain in or return to South Carolina public education.

This report summarizes results from the 2026 SC Teacher Exit Survey, focusing on teachers who left their positions at the end of the 2025–26 academic year. Findings are organized by exit type to distinguish different forms of teacher mobility, including teachers …

Leadership To Strengthen Research Culture And Foster Responsible Conduct Of Research: A Case Study, Seán Lacey, Jean Ricken, Stephen Cassidy

Publications

Objective Research performing organizations (RPOs) are increasingly expected to strengthen research culture and support the responsible conduct of research (RCR). Institutional supports are central to advancing research culture across RPOs. To inform development and evaluation of these supports, surveys were conducted within an RPO.

Method Perceptions of research culture and RCR were examined using surveys conducted in 2022 and 2024. Between surveys, accessible training and supports on good research practices were developed and deployed.

Results Awareness of research impact, authorship, and collegial support remained high (p > 0.05), with significant improvements in access to resources and reporting pathways for inappropriate research …

Petualangan Ragam Hias Nusantara: Pengembangan Game Digital Berbasis Gimkit Dengan Pendekatan Digital Game-Based Learning, Venina Nabilla Nazwa, Iriaji Iriaji

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Visual arts learning in Grade VIII at MTsN 1 Kota Malang has limited use of interactive digital media, indicating the need for a more interactive and exploratory learning medium. This study aimed to analyze learning needs, develop and evaluate the feasibility of a learning medium, and examine changes in students’ motivation and learning interest after its use. The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the 4D model: Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate. The developed product, “Petualangan Ragam Hias Nusantara,” was created using Gimkit Creative Mode with a Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) approach and map-based exploration. Expert …

From Protection To Provision, Not Participation: A Bibliometric Analysis Of Children's Digital Rights Research And Its Implications For Media Literacy Education, Author Information Removed

JMLE Submissions Open for Review

Media literacy education is widely held to have moved from a protective to a participatory paradigm. This study asks whether the children's digital rights literature that informs it has made the same move. Records were retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus (search date 31 August 2026), screened, and deduplicated, yielding 1,012 publications from 1993 to 2026. A dictionary built on the protection–provision–participation framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was applied to 4,507 keywords. Protection accounted for 40.4% of classified keywords, provision for 44.4%, and participation for 15.1%. Protection exceeded participation by 2.4 to 3.1 throughout, …

Flipbook-Based Media To Prevent Academic Burnout Among Senior High School Students In Yogyakarta, Puan Maharani Fauza, Eva Imania Eliasa, Kun Widya Nurfiani

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Academic burnout is a pressing issue that negatively affects senior high school students, yet conventional counseling services often rely on monotonous, static media that fail to engage today's digital generation. To address this urgent gap, this research aimed to develop an interactive digital Flipbook as a preventive intervention. The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) method using the ADDIE model, consisting of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation stages. Product validation was conducted by media experts and subject-matter experts, while the practicality test involved two Guidance and Counseling teachers. The effectiveness test was carried out through an experimental study …

Pre-Service Teachers' Experiences On Teaching Essay Writing To Grade 10 Learners In The Eastern Cape, Ncebazakhe Makhohlisa, Lundi Nomlala

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This paper explores pre-service teachers’ experiences in teaching essay writing to Grade 10 English First Additional Language learners. Despite the significance of essay writing for developing learners' writing skills in multilingual classrooms, writing essays remains a challenge for most English First Additional learners. The extant research has examined the challenges that learners face in essay writing. However, there is limited research examining pre-service teachers’ experiences in teaching essay writing during their teaching practice. This paper employed a qualitative research approach, and data were drawn from 30 pre-service teachers’ reflective journals based on their teaching practice experiences. Cognitive Process Theory was …

Dimensions Of Father-Love Absence As Predictors Of Psychological Well-Being: Evidence From University Students, Dody Hartanto, Mufied Fauziah, Zerlinda Aurora Saputri

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

Psychological well-being is a crucial aspect of university students' development as young adults. Father-love absence is believed to be one of the factors influencing this well-being. This study aimed to analyze the role of father-love absence as a predictor of university students' psychological well-being and to identify the contribution of each aspect of father-love absence. A quantitative approach with a descriptive correlational design was employed. A total of 318 active university students were selected through simple random sampling and completed an online questionnaire. Father-love absence was measured using an adapted scale based on Xiang and Zhou's theory, encompassing four aspects: …

Resonating Or Missing The Mark? Indigenous Students’ Perspectives On University Marketing Communications, Melissa Fong-Emmerson, Claire Lambert, Braden Hill, Maria M. Ryan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study explores the perspectives of Indigenous Australian students on the marketing and communication materials of higher education institutions, highlighting their crucial role in attracting Indigenous students and revealing a lack of authentic engagement with Indigenous voices. While outreach and enabling programs have boosted participation, a significant gap remains in research on marketing and communication strategies that resonate with Indigenous students. This is especially relevant in the context of the Universities Australia Indigenous Strategy 2022–25 and the Australian Universities Accord, which aim to enhance Indigenous participation. Drawing on three yarning sessions with 15 students, this research identifies a disconnect between …

Ai-Supported Analysis Of Jury Deliberation Impact Factors, Jennifer Siciliani Phd

Generative AI Teaching Activities

Students conduct a controlled, two-run generative AI jury simulation to examine how a single socio-legal variable affects simulated jury deliberation. They compare and manually code the AI-generated outcomes against peer-reviewed human jury research to evaluate the model’s accuracy, limitations, and potential biases.

Advancing A Familial Understanding Of International Students, Prof-Collins Ifeonu Dr

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

School Principals’ Perspectives Regarding Successful Professional Development, Kathryn L. Bauserman, Diana Quatroche, Linda E. Martin

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This descriptive study examined K–12 principals’ perspectives on providing and supporting school‑based professional development in one Midwestern state. Survey responses from 300 principals explored how they defined successful professional development, how they determined teacher learning needs, and the challenges they encountered. Findings revealed that principals valued professional development aligned with instructional improvement, yet many relied on their control of decision‑making processes. Professional development was commonly delivered by school or district personnel, funded through limited local and state resources, and typically offered in short sessions. Principals identified success through surveys, observations, and student achievement data while noting challenges related to funding, …

Precision Approaches Improve Community Health, Roger A. Rennekamp, David Buys

Journal of Extension

Recent advances in data science provide Extension practitioners with access to data sorted by zip code, census tract, or neighborhood. Such hyper-local data now allows Extension personnel to assess community needs and assets at a more granular level and focus their work on the people and communities of greatest need. In this article, we introduce an approach we refer to as precision public health. Using such a precision approach to community assessment and, ultimately, programming can save money, increase the likelihood of producing measurable results, and create more manageable workloads for county-based Extension personnel.

From Kitchen To Canon: Women And Culinary Recognition Executive Summary, Eulanda A. Sanders, Andra Harris

ICHRIE Research Reports

Despite women comprising a majority of the U.S. restaurant workforce, they remain significantly underrepresented in culinary leadership and elite recognition. Using an exploratory, descriptive design that draws on secondary data from the ACS, NRA, U.S. Census Bureau, and the James Beard Foundation, this study maps gender disparities across the culinary career pipeline. Women represent approximately 54% of the restaurant workforce but only 24.8% of chefs and head cooks, with a substantial gender wage gap persisting across the occupation (NRA, 2026; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024). Of 402 James Beard Award winners analyzed, 71.6% were male and 28.1% female. Disparities intensify at …

Impact Of Educational Strategies To Develop Professional Reasoning In Occupational Therapy Students And Therapists: A Systematic Review, Soledad Sánchez-Zamorano, María-Paz Ossandón-Pérez, Samanta Rolack-Jaramillo, Pedro Moruno-Miralles

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Professional reasoning (PR) in occupational therapy (OT) is a central theme in the health professions. Understanding how it is taught and which strategies demonstrate a measurable impact is fundamental to strengthening professional training. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the scientific evidence on the reported impact of different educational strategies for fostering PR development in OT students and practitioners. Methods: The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO. Databases and journals were searched, including studies published between 2014 and 2024. Eligible articles were quantitative or mixed-methods designs, and the risk of bias was assessed …

Use Of Simulation In Interprofessional Education In U.S. Physical Therapist Programs: A Multiple Case Study, Sarah Ross

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Interprofessional education (IPE) is a cornerstone of healthcare professional education, facilitating professions learning about and with each other. Simulation-based learning (SBL) is teaching and learning modality that is frequently used to incorporate IPE into curricula. Current research shows that physical therapist (PT) education programs are increasingly using SBL for IPE purposes. However, there is little research outlining how programs are using simulation.

Method: The data in this study were pulled from a larger qualitative study looking at how US PT programs use simulation because of the heavy emphasis on IPE. Three programs were selected from a pool of volunteers …

The Perceived Benefit Of A Degree Requirement In Emergency Medical Services Education And Success, Joseph H. Wood

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Introduction: This study sought to assess how graduates of Wallace Community College's paramedic program impacted their readiness for the NREMT Paramedic examination and entering the workforce, specifically comparing those who completed an associate degree to those who completed the certificate program. Methods: This qualitative study analyzed the perspectives of graduates from the paramedic program using a phenomenological approach. Using a purposive sampling technique, nine graduates were chosen for one-on-one interviews, and six were selected for a focus group. Results: Analysis of participant responses revealed three main themes: the perceived value of a degree, student preparedness for the NREMT exam and …

September 2026, Denise Landrum-Geyer

aCAdemicS: The Newsletter of the SWOSU College of Arts & Sciences

The more things change...

We’ve seen a lot of changes on campus over the last year. As the dust settles after all kinds of moves and transitions, now seems as good a time as any to reintroduce the aCAdemicS newsletter. This newsletter, the brainchild of Dr. Peter Grant, originally ran from 2015-2019 (check out older issues in SWOSU’s Digital Commons).

As a writer and writing teacher at heart, I cannot help but try to revive this newsletter to celebrate all things CAS and document the amazing things happening in our college. In between newsletters, you can also find SWOSU …

Designing System Coherence For Designated English Language Development, Raquel Gonzalez, Ph.D., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D., Jeimee Estrada-Miller, Britt Jung

Center on English Language Proficiency Implementation Briefs

Designing System Coherence for Designated English Language Development is the fourth and final brief in a series designed to guide state, regional, and local educational agencies in establishing equitable, high-quality comprehensive English Language Development (ELD) systems. The brief examines the organizational infrastructure, leadership, and resource alignment needed to scale and sustain high-quality designated ELD. An adapted framework of seven interconnected foundational practices guides the discussion of how educational leaders can protect instructional time, support sustained professional learning and coaching, and connect designated ELD to grade-level academic content. The brief also examines systemic coherence across three levels—state education agencies, local education …

Directing The Absent Tool: Friction Embodiment And Competency Progression In Ai Assisted Creative Learning, Daniel Suarez, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

Generative artificial intelligence complicates the relationship between successful creative production and the development of independent disciplinary judgment. Task allocation offers a practical response by identifying operations that learners should protect, perform with support, or delegate, yet the educational value of an allocation depends on conditions that change beyond a single assignment. This article extends a process-centered framework along three connected axes: absence, modality, and time. Constructivist friction describes difficulty encountered when learners must reconstruct judgments previously supplied by an available tool; its educational value depends on subsequent diagnosis, feedback, and transfer rather than difficulty alone. A spatial and embodied extension …

Generative Ai In Art And Design Education: Keeping The Human In The Creative Loop, James Hutson, Daniel Suarez

Faculty Scholarship

Research on generative artificial intelligence in education reveals a persistent divergence between successful assisted performance and the development of independent knowledge, creative judgment, and transferable skill. Studies of art and design additionally identify opportunities for iterative exploration alongside concerns about visual fixation, uncertain authorship, and dependence on generated alternatives. These findings create an instructional problem: educators need to determine which creative decisions should remain with learners, which operations can receive bounded assistance, and which activities can be delegated without bypassing the intended learning. Existing scholarship addresses these questions through research on scaffolding, human-AI collaboration, assessment, and psychological ownership, but these …

A Mixed-Method Study To Determine The Relationships Between Academic Confidence, Anxiety And Success In College Physics I At A Small Midwestern University, Jason Fenske

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-method study is to examine the effect of a variety of factors on student success in College Physics I. These factors include the transfer of knowledge from both high school physics and prerequisite mathematics courses for use in physics as well as anxiety, academic confidence, physics confidence, and methods designed to address these. The experiment occurred in a medium-sized midwestern university in two different classrooms. The results of this experiment showed that there is a direct correlation between mathematics confidence and physics confidence and therefore between these and student success. The study found that students who …