Digital Commons Network^™

Counting The Days: The Impact Of Career And Advanced Coursework On Academic And Perceptual Outcomes For Eighth Grade Students Who Are At Risk Of Experiencing Adverse Educational Outcomes, Jamie Megna

All Dissertations

This study addressed limited academic achievement and limited access to meaningful learning opportunities among eighth grade students who are at risk of adverse educational outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine how implementing career-based and advanced coursework opportunities for eighth grade students who are at risk improves student engagement with relevant and meaningful learning while supporting progress in academic achievement. The study achieved this by reducing barriers to career-based and advanced coursework to expand access to these learning environments for students who are at risk.

Using a mixed-methods design, the team collected and analyzed data to monitor the …

Lesson Plans, Teacher Self-Efficacy, And Ml Achievement: A Quantitative Study Of Teachers Incorporating Language Acquisition Within Lesson Plans To Improve Multi-Lingual Learner Achievement, Patrick R. Withers

All Dissertations

South Carolina’s public schools are increasingly facing the challenge of addressing the needs of a growing number of multi-lingual (ML) learners. ML learners are increasingly marginalized in society and schools, and show lower rates of achievement within schools. Schools are faced with providing effective tier 1, universal instruction for all students, including ML learners. This quantitative study seeks to improve ML achievement through incorporation of language acquisition skills within the classroom lesson plans. It is also the goal of this study to measure teacher self-efficacy of the selected study cohort.

This study takes place in a large suburban high school …

Closing The Gap: Addressing College Readiness Inequities Through Dual Enrollment Policy And Practice Reform, Tabytha L. Walls

All Dissertations

This dissertation employed improvement science to increase college readiness at Phosphate Grove High School by expanding the dual-enrollment program. At this research site, a majority-minority, Title I high school in South Carolina, dual enrollment serves as the primary pathway towards college readiness on the state report card. College readiness at this school has been low for many years, and participation in the program has not been representative of the school's size. Many students meet the academic eligibility requirements, but students and families are unaware of the opportunities and have difficulty navigating the sign-up process.

This study aimed to address some …

Growing Our Own Garden: The Implementation Of Cross Curricular And Cross Grade Level Teacher Rounds To Increase Professional Learning Individualization And Feedback, Logan Greene

All Dissertations

Educators are constantly faced with balancing the demands of teaching and professional learning expectations from their districts. Concurrently, administrators are routinely prevented from providing adequate feedback for classroom instructional practices with observations instead focused upon generic and formulaic checks for classroom activities. This results in a gap of intentional professional learning and growth for educators.

The idea of instructional rounds sought to provide teacher-to-teacher feedback for educators to grow their practice together. The original theory focused on groups of teachers operating under a school or district goal of improvement. Instructional rounds have shown positive effects for teacher happiness and student …

Teacher Self-Efficacy And Student Engagement In Rural Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Magnet Schools: A Correlational Study Within An Improvement Science Context, Deirdre L. Appleby

All Dissertations

Teacher self-efficacy in magnet-themed integration represents a critical, district-influenceable condition shaping instructional experiences in rural Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) magnet programs. Persistent under-enrollment of Black, Latinx, and economically disadvantaged students in these settings highlights ongoing inequities in access and participation that may be influenced by upstream instructional conditions. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and situated within an improvement science framework, this study examines teacher self-efficacy as a key system-level factor associated with student engagement.

This study employs a correlational research design within an improvement science context to examine the relationship between changes in teacher self-efficacy and changes …

Technology Enhanced Math Instruction And Student Achievement, Barbara Warren

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study examines how one teacher in a large rural high school in South Carolina integrates an AI technological intervention as a supplemental tool, specifically as part of blended learning, to help increase math achievement for students in Geometry with Statistics.  Evidence-based interventions, such as technology enhanced math instruction, encompass a diverse range of tools used by teachers, including an AI-driven high-dose tutorial which is a tool that educators use to diagnose, teach, and assess targeted skills.  The key to the success of the AI tutorial is that it is programmed to use evidence-based practices (Fesler et al., 2026) …

Voices From The Classroom: A Multiple Case Study Of Early Childhood Educators Implementing Science Of Reading Curriculum With Multilingual Learners, Alecia Clamp

All Dissertations

This multiple case study examined how first-grade teachers implemented Science of Reading (SoR) aligned literacy instruction with MLs in two Title I elementary schools. As SoR-aligned curriculum and policies continue to expand across the United States, questions remain regarding how these approaches address the linguistic and literacy needs of MLs. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of SoR-aligned curriculum, the instructional adaptations they made to support MLs, and the challenges and successes they experienced during implementation.

Grounded in constructivist and sociocultural perspectives, this study employed aholistic multiple case study design situated within a mixed concurrent dominant status framework. Five first-grade teachers …

Shaping Writers, Shaping Pedagogy: Elementary Teachers’ Writing Identities And Instructional Change Within Literacy Coaching Contexts, Elizabeth T. Besch

All Dissertations

Despite the central role of writing in literacy development, many elementary teachers report limited preparation in writing instruction and uncertainty in how they understood themselves as writers. Increasingly, literacy coaching has been positioned as a form of job-embedded professional learning that supports instructional change; however, less is known about how coaching contexts shape teachers’ identities as writers and how those identities relate to instructional practice.

This qualitative multiple-case study examined how elementary teachers’ writer identities were constructed and enacted within a literacy coaching context. The study addressed the following research questions: (1) How do literacy coaching contexts, as figured worlds, …

Exploring Public Perceptions Of Genetic Risk In Substance Use Disorders, Brooke A. Goodenow

All Dissertations

This dissertation examines genetic risk perception, with specific emphasis on substance use disorders (SUDs), through a collection of three manuscripts. The dissertation examines genetic risk perception for hereditary diseases in existing literature, describes a methodological framework for capturing genetic risk perception across social media discourse, and identifies themes and emotional tone associated with genetic risk perception for SUDs across two major social media platforms (X and Reddit).

Combined, these three manuscripts expand and support previous findings about genetic risk perception and its role in shaping health beliefs and associated behaviors. The dissertation findings reveal numerous similarities in genetic risk perception …

Student Motivation In Social Studies Classes At The Public Museum High School: A Dissertation, Benjamin Kruid

All Dissertations

Students tend to behave differently in different classroom settings. Many factors contribute to the change in behavior, including motivation. Research suggests a tendency for student motivation to decrease as students move from elementary to middle to high school. However, motivation in students is not uniform and is dependent on factors like the subject, and time of day, for example. This dissertation examines student motivation in social studies classes at a public high school in Michigan using Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) as a framework for understanding motivation, and student impulsiveness as understood through the lens of Delay Discounting (DD). This research …

Charleston's Cottages: A Comprehensive Study Of Freedman's Cottages In Charleston, South Carolina, Hamzah C. Jule

All Theses

The freedman’s cottage is a distinct vernacular building type in Charleston, South Carolina. Though it is recognized for its historical significance, the freedman’s cottage remains one of the most understudied building typologies in Charleston. This thesis presents a comprehensive study of the freedman’s cottage, possible origins, chronology, material composition, geographic distribution, and architectural expressions. Identified by its architectural form – a one-story, pen-style, dwelling spanning one room wide and two rooms deep; adorned with a Charleston piazza – this vernacular architecture has decorated the Charleston landscape since. The freedman’s cottage has undergone numerous changes throughout its history, though final iterations …

Multidimensional And Burgeoning Leadership: Literacy And Multilingualism, Emily Howell, Hazel Vega, Lindsey W. Rowe, Katie M. Crook, C.C. Bates, Kavita Mittapalli, Amlan Banerjee

Publications

This design-based research study worked with 25 teachers with specialized early literacy training. Researchers investigated the impact of professional development advancing their multilingual learner (ML), literacy, and leadership capacity, addressing gaps in the research merging the fields of literacy, multilingual instruction, and leadership. Spanning two years of both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis including teacher, student, and district surveys, teacher logs, research logs, and teacher interviews, the researchers capture the iterative nature of the needs of teacher professional development to serve MLs. The researchers describe the needs of teachers for professional development, the micro modifications made to adapt …

Understanding And Preventing Sepsis In Camping, Laura Blaisdell

CompassPoint

No abstract provided.

Spring 2025 - Volume 35, Number 1, Full Issue

CompassPoint

No abstract provided.

Treatment, Recognition, And Prevention Of Communicable Conditions In The Summer Camp Setting, Matthew Labkovski

CompassPoint

No abstract provided.

Increased Access To And Training On Automated External Defibrillators For Layperson Staf, Melissa-Jo M. Nason, Jessica L. Peck, Kathryn A. Osteen

CompassPoint

No abstract provided.

Co-Designing Multimodal, Multilingual Text Sets: Centering Caregiver Choice, Katie M. Crook, Emily Howell, Lindsey W. Rowe, Hazel Vega Quesada, C. C. Bates

Publications

Early literacy instruction in the U.S. often centers monolingual, English-dominant practices that marginalize multilingual learners and their families. This qualitative design-based research study examines a family literacy initiative that engaged caregivers and teachers as co-designers of a multilingual, multimodal literacy resource bag. Using the MultiSemiotic Architecture Framework, we analyzed qualitative data to explore how collaborative text selection can advance linguistic justice in early childhood education. Findings highlight five themes that shaped intentional text selection and supported multilingual home literacy practices: content, language, cultural relevance, curricular alignment, and collaborative modifications. By centering families' cultural and linguistic resources, the project disrupted monolingual …

Rhode Island Teen Institute Remains Impactful After More Than A Decade Hiatus, Tayla Von Ash, Anusha Gupta, Michael J. Thompson, Jennifer Stevens, Terese Gregg, Sandra Del Sesto

Journal of Youth Development

Rhode Island Teen Institute (RITI) is a 5-day residential program based on the Positive Youth Development approach that exposes participants to intensive training in individual and community advocacy, decision-making, interpersonal communication, and leadership development. Results from prior iterations of RITI (2002-2009) demonstrated that the program was efficacious at improving leadership and other related skills among participants. However, unfortunately due to loss of funding, the program did not run from 2010-2023. The present study assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the 2023 implementation of RITI after more than a decade-long hiatus. The program was successfully implemented with 44 youth …

4‑H Efforts Toward Demographic Representation, 1980–2025: Next Directions (Part 2), Jeremy Elliott-Engel, Jeff Wayne Howard

Journal of Youth Development

This article builds on Part 1 of this study, a state-of-the-art review that synthesizes 45 years of scholarship (1980–2025) on 4-H’s efforts to equitably serve a demographically representative youth population (see Elliott-Engel & Howard, 2026). This article examines the findings that draw from the previously discussed 99 articles and provides the next directions for achieving a demographically representative 4-H program by synthesizing crosscutting themes from 45 years of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging scholarship. Despite meaningful progress, persistent gaps remain in participation, professional readiness, and systemlevel integration. Our review highlights the need for culturally responsive recruitment, familycentered engagement, and program …

Full Issue, Volume 21, Issue 2, Journal Of Youth Development

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Assessing Rural Homelessness: A Mixed-Methods Case Study, Matthew Lyons, Ashley Feierstein, Christy Storey, Akilah Hairston, Jonathan Jones, Jada Brown, Sarah H. Cross

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Rural homelessness represents a significant public health and human rights challenge, but research on homelessness in the United States has predominantly focused on urban settings. This case study describes a mixed-methods assessment of the prevalence, causes, and consequences of homelessness in a rural county. Through both surveys and interviews with stakeholders from multiple sectors (including both service providers and those experiencing homelessness), we built a rich picture of the scale and experiential dimensions of homelessness within the county. Here, we present our research methods, the main findings of each primary data collection arm, and the actionable conclusions drawn from the …

Rural Communities Transformed By Immigration Raids: A Community Of Capitals Perspective, Diego Thompson, Silvina Lopez Barrera

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In 2019, communities of Central Mississippi experienced large-scale immigration raids. Past studies on immigration enforcement operations show that these types of events have significant consequences. Despite this scholarly evidence, little is known about the effects of large immigration raids and local responses in rural communities. Given the ongoing initiatives to carry out mass detention and deportation of immigrants, learning more about these events and the communities affected is paramount. Based on data from semi-structured interviews, this study uses the Community Capitals Framework to examine how large immigration raids have transformed communities. Results show that the raids had negative consequences in …

Beyond The Page: Transmedia Storytelling To Promote Gedsi Among Youth, Clara Evi Candrayuli Citraningtyas, Gita Widya Laksmini Soerjoatmodjo, Isti Utami, - Supriyanto, Slamet Budiharjo

Journal of Youth Development

This article presents the results of an applied experimental study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a transmedia storytelling approach in increasing youth understanding and awareness of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) issues. The study involved 198 young people aged 17–25 years who were randomly divided into control and experimental groups, with a pre- and post-test design to measure changes in attitudes and understanding. The intervention was done to the experimental group through a series of participatory activities: transmedia storytelling modules, quizzes, participatory games, and focus group discussion. The results showed an increase in GEDSI understanding and awareness …

How Adults Can Bridge The Trust Gap With Youth, Dana Mitra, Ghadir Al Saghir, Ashley Boat, Jerusha O. Conner, Samantha Holquist

Journal of Youth Development

Research has established positive relationships and trust as cornerstones for successful youth-adult partnerships (YAPs), yet limited work addresses how to sustain struggling partnerships, particularly in low-trust environments. Using an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods design, this study first quantitatively affirmed the importance of strong teacher-student relationships as precursors for the formation of classroom YAPs (known here as Student Voice Partnerships or SVPs). Subsequent qualitative data explains that youth define these relationships through the lens of trust, actively assessing adults to determine their trustworthiness—a process aligning with concepts of discernment and calculation. Drawing on organizational trust and relational resilience frameworks, this study offers …

Afterschool Program Attendance And Academic Outcomesin A Vermont District, Hans W. Cabra Hernandez

Journal of Youth Development

Afterschool programs can bridge opportunity gaps by providing children with venues for learning and cultivating socioemotional skills. This paper examines the relationship between attendance in afterschool programs in a Vermont school district and two academic outcomes (the Scholastic Reading Inventory/SRI and the EasyCMB math test) using cross-sectional data from Spring 2018. Using multivariate regression analysis, this study found a positive association between afterschool program attendance and academic achievement on these tests. Moreover, the findings indicate the persistence of socioeconomic academic disparities. While the study’s design does not permit causal claims, the results suggest that afterschool programs are a valuable resource …

Relationships Matter: External Factors Influence High School Completion Among Black Young Adults, L. B. Simmons, Shawn Jones, Sepideh S. Soheilian, Chelsea Williams

Journal of Youth Development

To identify whether and how contextual (i.e., spiritual, educational, and cultural contexts) and relational (i.e., physical and psychological caregiving) resilience influence high school completion among Black young adults, the team conducted logistic regression and moderation analyses. The interaction between contextual resilience and relational resilience revealed that at higher levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with an increased likelihood of high school completion. Importantly, the findings also suggest that at lower levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with a decreased likelihood of high school completion among Black young adults. Themes emerging from this study highlight …

Relationships Matter: External Factors Influence High School Completion Among Black Young Adults, L. Blair Simmons, Shawn Ct Jones, Sepideh S. Soheilian, Chelsea D. Williams

Journal of Youth Development

To identify whether and how contextual (i.e., spiritual, educational, and cultural contexts) and relational (i.e., physical and psychological caregiving) resilience influence high school completion among Black young adults, the team conducted logistic regression and moderation analyses. The interaction between contextual resilience and relational resilience revealed that at higher levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with an increased likelihood of high school completion. Importantly, the findings also suggest that at lower levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with a decreased likelihood of high school completion among Black young adults. Themes emerging from this study highlight …

Fostering Developmentally Nurturant Relationships To Promote Character And Thriving: Perspectives Of Program Practitioners In Rural South Africa, Jonathan M. Tirrell, Alexa Hasse, Margaret Mackin, Elizabeth Dowling, Kirsten Olander, Roya Abbasi-Asl, Katherine Mcconnel, Thobeka Kwela, Raah Msimango, Justine Mccarthy-Martin, Tyler Howard, Angela Larkan, Richard Lerner

Journal of Youth Development

Developmentally nurturant relationships are fundamental to enabling children to thrive across contexts, including homes, schools, and communities. Such relationships are also a central feature of effective positive youth development (PYD) programming. As strengths-based PYD programs are increasingly being adopted in majority-world countries, a better understanding of how to foster and promote developmentally nurturant relationships is needed. As part of the Thanda Study of Character and Health, we interviewed 15 program practitioners about their understandings of and approaches to fostering developmentally nurturant relationships with children enrolled in Thanda programs in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Phenomenological analysis indicated that practitioners’ understanding of …

Volume 41, Issue 1, Full Issue, Journal Of Rural Social Sciences

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

4‑H Efforts Toward Demographic Representation, 1980–2025: A State‑Of‑The‑Art Review (Part 1), Jeremy Elliott-Engel, Jeff Wayne Howard

Journal of Youth Development

This state-of-the-art review synthesizes 45 years of scholarship (1980–2025) to assess how effectively the 4-H program has worked to serve a demographically representative youth population. Drawing on academic and gray literature (n=99) sources, the review traces 4-H’s evolution from its segregated land grant origins to contemporary efforts focused on access, equity, inclusion, and belonging. It documents progress in culturally responsive programming and national diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) initiatives while highlighting persistent disparities in participation and benefit distribution. The review identifies effective strategies, enduring structural barriers, and areas where research and practice remain limited, offering a comprehensive foundation for understanding 4-H’s …