Digital Commons Network^™

How Does The Science Of Reading Approach Enhance Small Reading Group Instruction?, Destiny M. Morman

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper examined how the Science of Reading (SOR) practices enhance student success in small-group reading. Specifically, the purpose of this research is to analyze which SOR-aligned instructional practices are the most beneficial for promoting student success in small-group settings and to examine practices that may be less effective. Effective reading practices are crucial for small-group instruction (Smith et al., 2022). When instruction is strategically designed around students’ specific reading needs, educators can provide a more targeted and personalized support that may be difficult to achieve during whole-group instruction. During small-group learning, teachers can differentiate instruction by aligning lessons with …

Personal Authenticity For Engagement And Transfer In Introductory Cybersecurity Education, Daniel T. Hickey, Ronald J. Kantor

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Abstract—This conceptual/theoretical paper explores how personal authenticity might promote generative learning in introductory cybersecurity courses. Generative learning transfers confidently to future educational, professional, personal, and testing situations. This cycle of design-based research addresses the concern that more typical professionally authentic contexts (e.g., hospitals, banks, etc.) may be alien and overwhelming to many students, particularly those in introductory courses and/or from non-professional families and communities. If so, this leads to “inert” knowledge that does not transfer. Personal authenticity is rooted in expansive framing, a modern theory of learning transfer. We reframe expansive framing as personal authenticity to make it …

Paragliding The Cliff Edge: Introducing Open Mic Studies. A Creative Response To Navigating The Post-18 Landscape For Young Adults With Send., James Tarling, Charlie Robinson, Nick Hall, Sammy Shepherd

Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal

This conceptual article investigates novel ways of thinking about Open Mic Nights (OMN) – performance spaces understood as free, community arts and performance opportunities where the members of the public are welcome to perform music, poetry and comedy in front of an audience. For the purposes of this article, music-related OMN that take place in pubs or community centres are discussed.

The article is intended to be a primer for OMN studies that offers new and emerging trailheads for future research and discussion. Its central focus is how OMN may benefit the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) community with …

Fast-Track Ode: A Student-Centered, Game-Based Summer Differential Equations Course, Chamila D. Malagoda Gamage

CODEE Journal

This article describes a student-centered and game-based redesign of an Elementary Differential Equations course taught during a six-week summer session. In this compressed setting, students had to move through the standard course content quickly while still developing procedural fluency, conceptual understanding, and confidence with applications. To support these goals, the course used real-time feedback tools, collaborative problem solving, applications connected to students' fields, and mathematical games. The paper describes the course context, major activities, implementation details, and student feedback. Student responses suggest that the activities were well received and helped students stay engaged, participate regularly, prepare for exams, and see …

Eece310w Oer Syllabus, Daisuke Akiba

Open Educational Resources

This course has been designated Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) under the CUNY OER Initiative.

Information Literacy Through Open Pedagogy: What’S The Role Of Ai Tools?, Virginia Clinton-Lisell

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Student engagement in developing open educational resources (OER; openly licensed materials without fees to access) may be critically important for sustainable higher education and for developing important skills. There has been substantial debate about the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) for the sustainability of OER, but little empirical inquiry. In this quasi-experimental study in the United States, two sections of college students (N = 113) collaborated with their instructor to improve the sources cited in an OER textbook. In one section, students only used traditional library databases to find suitable sources (traditional; n = 55). In another section, students …

Monitoring Spoken Language In Infants And Toddlers Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing Using The Lena Developmental Snapshot, Monika-Maria Oster, Kimberly A. Peters

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: This retrospective analysis evaluates the Developmental Snapshot as a language monitoring tool for infants and toddlers with bilateral hearing loss who use listening and spoken language.

Method: Data were obtained from the educational and clinical records of 147 children with bilateral hearing loss. For each child, the LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) Developmental Snapshot, a standardized online language assessment that relies on parent report, had been completed at least once. When available, scores from other standardized language assessments (PLS-5, CDI, and DAYC-2) were also obtained.

Results: LENA Developmental Snapshot standard scores were characterized by high variability and mean scores in …

Embedding Transformative Social Emotional Learning Into Writing Instruction, Kristen Holsomback

Masters Projects

In order for students to succeed in writing tasks they must have social emotional competencies in self-regulation, engagement, and relationship skills. Many teachers are unprepared to teach these SEL competencies embedded in writing instruction. This project explores the need to embed Transformative SEL within writing instruction with a framework in culturally sustaining pedagogies. With a background in sociocognitive theory and sociocultural theory, this project seeks to equip teachers with the skills necessary to address students SEL competencies of: self-regulation, self-awareness, and relationship skills. Self-regulation skills comprise goal setting, self-instructions, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement. Self-awareness skills include self-efficacy and student engagement. Relationship …

``I Don't.. I Don't Remember The Answer'': A Psycholinguistics Study Of Language Processing Impairment Caused By Traumatic Brain Injury In Film ``The Vow'' (2012), Fathiya Rosyada, Emy Sudarwati, Lee Huan Yik, Putrie Rahayuningtyas

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

There is substantial evidence of an association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and language difficulties, particularly those related to cognitive impairment. Addressing an underexplored narrative perspective, this study examines the interaction between memory and language in the representation of cognitive-communication disorder (CCD) following TBI in the film The Vow (2012). Using a qualitative approach informed by Clinical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study analyzes selected dialogues to identify post-traumatic cognitive-communication difficulties reflected in language comprehension and production. The findings reveal a dissociation between relatively preserved linguistic competence and impaired communicative performance. In language comprehension, this dissociation is reflected in pragmatic misinterpretation, …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) As A Communication Pedagogy Mega-Risk, Deanna Sellnow

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

With the ever-expanding capabilities offered by artificial intelligence (AI), communication teachers, scholars, and practitioners are currently in the midst of heated debates about whether and how to use AI both in our classrooms and in our research. This essay contextualizes the debate by describing generative AI as a technological mega-risk that, if left unchecked, may manifest into a mega-crisis impacting people and planet in extraordinarily harmful ways. Consequently, I argue that it is our responsibility as instructional communication scholars, communication education teachers, and communication pedagogy experts to discover strategies for harnessing its power to manage the potential threats posed by …

The Mundanity Of Ai, David Westerman, Nicholas Bowman

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022 brought with it a reemergence of utopian and dystopian claims of the grand power of AI. Yet, AI has failed to achieve such lofty expectations and instead has trended toward far more banal, yet productive, tasks and goals. We argue that this mundanity is precisely what makes AI an important technology, and moreover, those “mundane tasks” are central to communication education. Specifically, we advocate for a decreased focus on the hyped ideas of AI that dominate popular discourse and obfuscate more reasoned analyses of AI as communication technology. A more pragmatic focus should …

From Weaponized Doubt To Educated Doubt: Critical Communication Pedagogy’S Deconstruction Of Post-Truth, David H. Kahl Jr.

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Powerful and hegemonic entities in society disseminate post-truth messages in order to gain wealth, maintain power, and increase control. Unsuspecting individuals encounter these inimical messages and often find themselves experiencing difficulty discerning fact from fiction because they are largely unprepared to deal with this type of deceitful persuasion. Specifically, unethically utilizing principles of communication pedagogy through what I deem the post-truth process of weaponizing doubt, hegemonic actors deter people from responding and taking action. Because of this, a critical communication pedagogy is needed, utilizing dialogue to prebunk and debunk the process to help people learn to develop educated doubt that …

Creating Safe(R) Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices In Higher Education, Shannon Pappas, Nolan Bowers, Lili R. Romann

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Trauma is a public health issue, with effects being increasingly harmful for adolescents. While instructors cannot control how students respond to trauma, they can work to create traumainformed teaching practices to support student learning and safety. Based on the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy, this manuscript details how safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment can be implemented in higher education communication courses. Additionally, a sixth principle, responding to the current climate, is introduced. Currently, instructors are grappling with supporting vulnerable students and answering to those in power. These practices offer insights into classroom adaptations to assist instructors in these …

Meeting Rhetorical And Relational Goals In Online Higher Education: Insights From A South African Case Study, Rentia Du Plessis, Diana Breshears, Luzelle Naudé Prof

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This qualitative study examines the degree to which synchronous and asynchronous online learning platforms both supported and constrained the achievement of rhetorical and relational goals in a resource-constrained South African higher education context. As online teaching practices persist in the post-COVID era, understanding how to design pedagogically sound online environments is increasingly important, particularly in the Global South where cost, access, and connectivity pose significant constraints. Drawing on the Rhetorical and Relational Goals Theory (RRGT; Mottet et al., 2006) and Kaufmann et al.’s (2016) online learning climate dimensions, the study analyzes undergraduate students’ perceptions of Blackboard Collaborate, PowerPoint voice-overs, WhatsApp, …

The Co-Educators Framework: An Illustrative Account Of Shared Pedagogical Practice And Inclusive Teaching In A Large-Enrollment Communication Course, Divya S, Man Luo, Jisha Jacob, Shahla Shahnaz Dyuti, Victoria Michelle Main

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Large-enrollment courses present structural challenges to inclusive and relational pedagogy, particularly when instructional labor is shared across teaching teams that include graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). This study examines inclusive teaching as a communicative and practical process enacted through co-education, the coordinated instructional work of faculty and GTAs. Using a diary-based reflexive design, four doctoral GTAs contributed teaching journals across one semester of an undergraduate Communication Theory course. Reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: collaborative course design, communication as pedagogical infrastructure, equitable assessment, and reflexive care. The study offers the Co-Educators Framework as an illustrative account of how shared, communicative pedagogical …

Exploring Power In The Classroom Through The Lens Of Relational Power, Aubree A. Herman, Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter Phd

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study explores how French and Raven’s relational power model shapes student communication in higher education. Through a survey of 530 undergraduates, the research investigates how TA age and gender, and student gender, impact student perceptions of power. Results indicate that TA gender and age impact student perceptions of referent power, but not expert power; however, expert and referent power emerged as the strongest predictors of course satisfaction and intention to take future courses, while coercive power negatively predicted both outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of expertise and interpersonal interaction in the TA–student relationship and suggest that French and …

The Development And Validation Of Gains-Id, A Guidebook For Adapting Intervention Sessions For Students With Intellectual Disability, Kayla Mccreadie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Targeted interventions can equip students with intellectual disabilities (ID) with essential academic skills that support positive post-secondary outcomes. However, the lack of interventions specifically designed for this population creates barriers to equitable education. Until more interventions are developed, educators may benefit from resources that help adapt evidence-based practices to meet the needs of students with IDD.

The first manuscript introduces GAINS-ID (Guide for Adapting INtervention Sessions for Intellectual Disabilities). Based on best practices and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the guide offers examples of adaptations to various intervention components—such as time, materials, environment, …

Exploring The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence Tools On Special Education Teachers’ Workload And Burnout In Colorado: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Rawa Suhail Abu Alsamah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, special education (SPED) teachers face complex workloads, high caseloads, and extensive documentation responsibilities, contributing significantly to burnout and retention issues. The recent integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational settings presents promising opportunities to alleviate teachers' instructional and administrative demands. To better understand the impact of AI on SPED teachers, this phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of licensed K–12 SPED teachers in Colorado who use AI tools in their professional practice. This study also examined how AI tools supported workload management, as well as their perceived impacts on burnout and intentions to remain in …

The Invisible Poet: Stories Of Higher Education Professional Staff Program Experiences Via Poetic Inquiry Through A Wellness Dimensions Framework, Freyja Hofler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well documented that burnout and low levels of employee wellness have negative effects upon employees as well as the organizations that employ them (Gallup, 2019; Maurer, 2024; Wright & Bonett, 2007). This study was a program evaluation of the C2 Initiatives program via a constructivist paradigm, responsive evaluation approach, and summative outcome evaluation. The NWI’s Six Dimensions of Wellness model was utilized as the theoretical framework of the study and arts-based research was used as the conceptual framework.

Participants were given documents from the C2 Initiatives program as a text base to create blackout poetry, a type of …

A Policy Analysis Of Higher Education Support For Foster Youth In The Colorado Child Welfare System, Krystal Robles

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This policy analysis examines how two Colorado laws, House Bill 22-1374 (Foster Care Success Act), and Senate Bill 22-008 (Higher Education Support for Foster Youth), aim to improve educational outcomes and long-term stability for youth who age out of the foster care system. Critical Policy Analysis (CPA) and Resilience Theory are used in this paper to examine how these policies address systemic inequities, promote resilience, and offer protective factors that support educational attainment. Using policy review, state policy comparison, stakeholder interviews, and community perspectives, I evaluated how the implementation, effectiveness, and limitations of these bills shape real-world impact. The findings …

A Bibliometric And Descriptive Analysis Of The Disciplinary Affiliations Of Research About Students With Disabilities In College-Level Science Education, Tongriang N. Daspan M.Ed, Aaron C. Wenger Phd, Brandy Pleasants Phd

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Despite the global emphasis on equity and the need for inclusive science education, students with disabilities (SwDs) encounter persistent barriers in college-level science learning environments. While prior research has explored isolated challenges faced by SwDs, few studies have examined how these challenges vary across science disciplines. Yet, science education research is often situated within distinct disciplinary traditions, such as biology education research or geoscience education research, known collectively as Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER). Understanding the disciplinary distribution of research on SwDs is essential to identifying gaps and fostering cross-disciplinary learning. This study maps trends and patterns in the disciplinary affiliations …

Learning Engineering Design Through Making: Affordances Of A Nonformal Tinkering Environment, Cristina Simarro, Digna Couso

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The maker movement has been increasingly adopted as a means for promoting interdisciplinary approaches to STEM learning. However, empirical evidence regarding how making supports the development of engineering design skills remains limited and inconclusive. This study provides an in-depth examination of a nonformal educational initiative grounded in tinkering, a creative and improvisational subset of making, by analyzing the tasks undertaken by primary school children in a tinkering setting. Our results confirm the capacity of tinkering activities to foster specific engineering design practices and elucidate the interrelationships between them. Furthermore, the findings highlight the potential of such approaches to facilitate the …

Healthcare Students’ Experiences Using Artificial Intelligence Simulation Tools In Clinical Simulated Laboratory Practice, Delicia S. Cousin

Student Dissertations

Artificial intelligence-driven simulation has become an important component of healthcare education by providing students with opportunities to strengthen clinical reasoning, decision-making, and technical skills in a safe learning environment. Despite its growing adoption, limited research has explored how healthcare students experience artificial intelligence-driven simulation during clinical laboratory practice. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore healthcare students’ experiences using artificial intelligence-driven simulation tools during clinical laboratory practice. Guided by Experiential Learning Theory and Transformative Learning Theory, the study examined how students interpreted, reflected upon, and learned from these experiences. Data were collected through a researcher-developed Qualtrics questionnaire …

Looking Beneath The Surface: Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Through The Caregiver’S Lens—Support, Advocacy, And Self-Care, Melissa Fredin

Master of Arts in Human Services

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure that can affect cognitive functioning, adaptive skills, communication, emotional regulation, and daily living abilities. Individuals with FASD and their caregivers often face complex challenges while navigating behavioral, educational, healthcare, human service, and criminal justice systems. Although awareness of FASD continues to increase, gaps remain in caregiver education, professional understanding, and access to coordinated, trauma-informed supports. The literature indicates that caregiver education is central to improving outcomes for individuals with FASD and is associated with stronger advocacy, more effective support strategies, greater caregiver resilience, and improved …

Emotional Intelligence Deficits And Behavioral Escalation Among Justice-Involved Populations, Aleasa M. Word

Master of Arts in Human Services

This capstone examined the relationship between deficits in emotional intelligence and behavioral escalation among justice-involved populations, who frequently demonstrated challenges with emotional regulation, impulse control, aggression, and behavioral escalation. However, many correctional interventions, including traditional anger management programming, emphasized behavioral compliance rather than the underlying emotional processing deficiencies that contributed to these behaviors. This project synthesized existing peer-reviewed literature from psychology, criminology, forensic behavioral health, and correctional rehabilitation research to examine how low levels of emotional awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and interpersonal functioning are associated with aggression, recidivism, and escalating behaviors. Findings suggested deficits in emotional intelligence were consistently associated …

The Effect Of Escape Room Simulation On The Self-Efficacy And Communication Levels Of Novice Critical Care Nurses, Lauren A. Femino, Kim Chapman, Julie A. Marshall, Shelby A. Trull, Jennifer A. Dibenedetto

The Lahey Journal

Abstract 

Introduction: Novice critical care nurses often report having low self-confidence and effective communication skills when transitioning to the ICU practice, often due to stress, limited experience, and unfamiliarity with critical care environments. These challenges can not only affect their job satisfaction and retention rates, but also pose serious risks to patient safety and outcomes. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to assess the impact of an escape room simulation on the self-efficacy and communication skills of novice critical care nurses.

Methods: An evidence-based practice (EBP) project with pre-test and post-test design was conducted to …

Preschool Teachers' Perceptions In Supporting Students Experiencing Trauma, Ann F. Gorbett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood teachers are often the first to observe behaviors that could be a result of trauma. The problem that was addressed in this study is that preschool teachers are not adequately trained to effectively address the social, emotional, and academic needs of children who have experienced trauma. Framed by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore preschool teachers’ preparedness and training needs to effectively respond to children who have experienced trauma. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 general education preschool teachers, who have at least 2 years of teaching experience. …

Integrating Character Education Into The Elementary School Curriculum: A Case Study On Enhancing Student Engagement And Moral Development, Saebyuk Hwang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how character education is integrated across academic subjects and what factors may influence its implementation by teachers and engagement by students at a private Christian elementary school in South Korea. The theory guiding this study is Kolb’s experiential learning theory as it explains how students learn and develop moral understanding through direct experience, reflection, and active engagement within real-world contexts. The central research question guiding this study is: How is character education integrated across academic subjects in a private Christian elementary school, and what factors influence its implementation by teachers …

Examining High School Special Education Teachers’ Experience Implementing Social-Emotional Curriculum In Public Schools: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Trisha Rae Dorsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study examined the experiences of high school special education teachers implementing social-emotional learning in Capitol County Public Schools, guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The study explored how professional development, teacher self-efficacy, institutional support, and perceived student outcomes influenced social-emotional learning implementation. A transcendental phenomenological design examined the shared experiences of 11 teachers using interviews, follow-up surveys, and document analysis. Three themes emerged: (a) instructional practices and social-emotional learning integration, (b) implementation experiences and challenges, and (c) perceived student outcomes. Participants identified positive teacher–student relationships, behavioral modeling, and embedded SEL instruction as essential to implementation, while professional …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Perceptions Of Teachers On Utilizing Art Therapy To Help Students With Ieps And Emotional Dysregulation, Lisa Marie Powell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to focus on the perceptions of teachers observing and implementing art therapy interventions with their students in the classroom setting. This study will aim to provide students with IEPs between the ages of 5 and 18 more support with emotional dysregulation by bringing more awareness to teachers on how to manage these concerns in their classroom using art therapy (Bosgraff et al., 2020). The study will aim to unveil the challenges of art therapy efficacy, based on teachers' perception of therapeutic art interventions for elementary through high school-level students. Through teacher observations …