Education Commons^™

Teacher Education In The Arts: A Case Study Of Constraint, Standardization, And Resistance, Terry Sefton, Danielle Sirek

Visions of Research in Music Education

In this case study, we explore one course in one Ontario initial teacher education program to examine the intersecting institutional documents and practices that regulate teaching in the arts (dance, drama, music, and visual arts). Using the feminist sociological research approach of institutional ethnography, we identify and trace institutional mechanisms that regulate teaching in the arts and how four women instructors activated or resisted those regulatory practices. Our analysis illuminated tensions between institutional policies and practices, and instructors’ efforts to maintain creativity, ambiguity, and discipline-specific experiential learning in the course. While instructors varied in their pedagogical approaches, over a seven-year …

“I Can Tell It’S Fake”: What Generation Alpha Is Telling Us About Ai And 5 Tips For Educators, Charlotte Jones-Roberts

FDLA Journal

Institutional responses to generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education have largely emphasized detection, surveillance, and academic integrity enforcement. These approaches often assume that students lack the ability to recognize AI-generated content or are predisposed to misuse it. However, emerging classroom observations and generational research suggest that members of Generation Alpha (Gen Alpha) demonstrate intuitive forms of AI literacy grounded in authenticity detection, ethical awareness, and skepticism toward low-effort outputs. Drawing on student discourse, research on authentic assessment, digital citizenship, and self-regulated learning, this conceptual analysis reframes AI pedagogy from a detection problem to a design challenge. Five recurring student …

Using Simulation-Based Learning To Develop Leadership And Professional Skills In Undergraduate Teacher Preparation, Jia Borror Ed.D.

FDLA Journal

Simulation-based activities can be a formative learning approach for teacher preparation programs and enhance teacher readiness. These activities provide preservice teachers with opportunities to build the necessary knowledge and skills related to classroom management in a structured and safe environment. This article assesses the benefits and challenges of incorporating Mursion, a mixed-reality simulation platform, as a tool in undergraduate teacher preparation programs. The use of Mursion aligns with Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (Morris, 2020) and includes concrete experiences for preservice teachers that they can reflect upon and adjust as needed. Simulation experience supports leadership development, as well as communication, emotional …

Comparative Analysis Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Implications For Active Learning And Assessment At Various Curricular Levels Of Stem And Health Sciences In Developed Versus Underprivileged Countries, Vinay Munlapudi, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

Today’s all-pervasive emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of its role in education, especially for occupational disciplines in health sciences and STEM. AI has reshaped student learning and instructors’ navigation of the evolving, post coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) global academic landscape. This study aimed at encapsulating evidence-based AI implications for student-centered, active learning and assessment at various curricular levels of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and health sciences education in developed versus underprivileged or less developed countries. An extensive, scoping review of 65 recent, scholarly publications was conducted over six months through diverse search engines (PubMed, Google …

From Courseroom To Competency: Are Ai-Reliant Graduates Truly Prepared?, Rebecca J. Armstrong, David Hart Jr

FDLA Journal

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a form of technology that has become a significant component in all our lives, especially those of students and instructors. AI serves as an automated, robotic entity that simulates human learning; it is able to rely on basic input to generate outlines and ideas for papers meant to satisfy any academic requirement and is seen as a helpful addition to the modern classroom. However, instead of relying on AI to enhance critical analysis and ethical reasoning, this artificial language model is frequently used to complete entire academic projects with little input on the part of the …

Implications For Digital Leadership In Higher Education In The Dominican Republic / A Bibliometric Approach, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr.

FDLA Journal

Abstract This work involves the use of bibliometric techniques to evaluate the metadata of the literature on digital leadership published during the last decade (2015-2025), with documents relevant to the analysis from our campus, the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, and specifically from the School of Languages, our area of teaching and research activity. A research database on digital leadership in higher education in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) was established, both in the Dominican Republic and in other countries. Bibliometric techniques allow us to summarize descriptive trends, uncover underlying intellectual and academic structures, and identify …

Addressing The Absence Of Formal Curriculum In Dual Language Immersion Program, Janet Roque

FDLA Journal

This strategic research project (SRP) was designed to provide a comprehensive, actionable solution to the critical challenge of inconsistent instruction resulting from the absence of a formal, aligned curriculum within the district’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program. This gap had previously led to instructional variability, disparate student outcomes, and increased teacher frustration due to a lack of shared resources and pedagogical direction. The project’s central objective was to develop, implement, and evaluate a vertically and horizontally aligned DLI curriculum framework designed to ensure instructional fidelity, promote sustained academic achievement, and guarantee equitable opportunities for biliteracy development across all participating grade …

Implications For Digital Leadership In Higher Education In The Dominican Republic / A Bibliometric Approach, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr.

FDLA Journal

Abstract This work involves the use of bibliometric techniques to evaluate the metadata of the literature on digital leadership published during the last decade (2015-2025), with documents relevant to the analysis from our campus, the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, and specifically from the School of Languages, our area of teaching and research activity. A research database on digital leadership in higher education in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) was established, both in the Dominican Republic and in other countries. Bibliometric techniques allow us to summarize descriptive trends, uncover underlying intellectual and academic structures, and identify …

A Strategic Perspective Examining The Misconceptions Surrounding Alternative Certification Programs, Sacorya Ferguson

FDLA Journal

This strategic research project was designed to provide insight into the misconceptions associated with alternative certification programs. The researcher investigates specific problems within an organization or other setting. Within this organization, the researcher holds many roles, including ELAR teacher, ESL teacher, and LPAC chair. George Washington Carver 6th Grade STEM Learning Center is a transitional campus in Lancaster, Texas with two consecutive years of low performance on state exams, placing the organization at risk of state intervention. A SWOT analysis of the organization analyzed the internal and external factors affecting the organization. Upon completion of the SWOT analysis, the problem …

The Role Of Trauma-Informed Care In Supporting At-Risk Students In Alternative Education, Jar'mel D. Taylor Dr.

Transformations

Students with traumatic experiences commonly fail to meet educational goals and control their emotions while also losing their involvement in classes. Standard trauma-informed care practices remain absent from numerous alternative educational institutions, which leaves their teaching community without adequate support to help traumatized students effectively. The application of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) strategies toward student outcomes requires investigation to develop effective educational approaches that enhance school success. The researcher used qualitative exploratory case study methodology to study TIC practices in alternative education for Black and Brown adolescent students (aged 12–18) in Washington, D.C. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group with 16 …

Sociology Of Mind Trap In Nepal, Makar Bahadur Sarki

Transformations

Nepali society is multilingual, culturally and ethnically diverse. It holds great potential for development and thought. However, the existing mental traps in society are creating obstacles to fulfilling those potentials. Mental entrapment is a problem in which people follow someone's words with complete faith, just like someone who runs after a crow without touching their own ears after hearing that it has ears. This forces people to live in illusion. This leads to individuals mistrusting their own abilities and pushing society towards inaction. This situation is not only due to individual thinking, but is the combined result of social structural …

Parks Coble, Jr., Unl History; Chinese Nationalists & Business, Chinese-Japanese Relations, Mark A. Griep, Parks M. Coble Jr.

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Dr. Parks Coble, Jr. was awarded the ORCA in 2005. He was born in Waterloo, South Carolina in 1946 but he grew up in Columbia. He earned his bachelor’s in history at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Next, he traveled 740 miles northwest to earn his doctorate at the University of Illinois in Champaign. In 1976, he became an assistant professor of history at the University of Nebraska, where he quickly rose through the ranks. His early work focused on the relationship between Chinese business elites and leaders of the Chinese National Government movement during a very interesting …

Preparing Inclusive Educators: The Impact Of Fieldwork Experience On Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge, Skills, And Confidence In Working With Students With Disabilities, Adrian Jung

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This study examined preservice teachers’ confidence in working with students with disabilities across Elementary (n = 44), Secondary (n = 43), and Special Education (n = 52) programs. Using a quantitative pretest–posttest survey design, participants completed an adapted version of the Special Needs Confidence Scale before and after student teaching. Descriptive statistics and Tukey post hoc analyses were conducted. Results indicated overall increases in confidence following fieldwork, with Special Education preservice teachers reporting consistently higher confidence than Elementary and Secondary peers. Findings highlight the role of targeted preparation and field-based experiences in supporting inclusive teaching readiness.

Student Teachers Are Watching: What Are They Seeing?, Sarah J. Kaka, Taylor M. Kessner

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article examines the apprenticeship of observation that shapes preservice social studies teachers during clinical placements. Grounded in Lortie’s apprenticeship of observation and Bourdieu’s habitus, we draw on classroom observations collected by student teachers across several states. Findings suggest that cooperating teachers most often modeled traditional, teacher-centered instruction, including lecture and textbook-based work, while offering fewer examples of inquiry, discussion, or primary-source analysis. We argue that these everyday observations shape preservice teachers’ professional dispositions and that teacher educators, cooperating teachers, and field personnel should more intentionally provide access to ambitious, student-centered social studies practice.

Rethinking Teacher Education Programs: (Mis)Understanding Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Among Teacher Candidates, Shirley M. Sommers

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article draws from a study conducted on pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher education program. The study examines students’ understanding and misunderstanding of what constitutes culturally responsive teaching. This is a mixed methods study. A Likert-type survey and qualitative questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey data, and a thematic coding method was used for analysis of qualitative data. The results of the study show that pre-service teachers are aware and knowledgeable of the term culturally responsive teaching as the term is widely used in the teacher education program in which they were …

Slang In Tiktok Videos: A Study Of Linguistics And Its Implications On Bipa Informal Vocabulary Learning, Rahma Indri Cahya Havilah, Nuny Sulistiany Idris, Ida Widia

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Mastery of informal vocabulary is one of the main challenges for Indonesian as a Foreign Language (BIPA) learners, since slang on social media. Unfortunately, contextual and relevant teaching materials that cover slang for BIPA learners are limited. This study aims to identify the linguistic forms of slang language in TikTok videos, analyze their usage, and examine their implications for informal vocabulary learning in BIPA. The present study is descriptive-analytical with a linguistic approach, including phonological, morphological, pragmatic, and semantic analyses. Data were collected through observation and documentation of TikTok videos. This study reveals two particular linguistic forms, namely phonological and …

Innovation And Control In Curriculum Reform: An Autobiographical Inquiry From A Seoul Future Innovation School, Sunyoung Kim

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This autobiographical inquiry examines the lived experience of a teacher–researcher navigating curriculum reform within a centralized education system during her first year at a Seoul Future Innovation School. The study explores how policy ideals of curriculum autonomy, innovation, and student-centered learning encounter institutional realities of documentation, compliance, and performative accountability. Drawing on reflective journals and narrative reconstruction, the analysis identifies four tensions shaping reform enactment: the gap between reform discourse and school culture, the symbolic labeling of innovation, technocentric expectations that narrow curricular legitimacy, and the emotional labor of navigating stakeholder demands. The study illustrates how institutional conditions both constrain …

Conceptual Framework Of Professional Learning Communities For Cambodian Upper Secondary School Teachers, Ousa Chao, Mam Chansean, Vira Neau

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This paper explores the challenges of teacher professional development within Cambodian public upper secondary schools, driven by low teacher qualifications, resource gaps, and cultural barriers. Using an integrative literature review and qualitative document analysis, this paper synthesizes 58 sources, including official Cambodian regulatory frameworks, global evaluations, and empirical studies. By synthesizing local policy with international PLC models from Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, this study reveals a substantial gap between national policy goals and local school conditions. To bridge this divide, the article presents a contextually adapted four-pillar conceptual framework alongside actionable strategies to support effective PLC implementation across Cambodian …

Supporting Students’ Self-Efficacy And Motivation In The Mathematics Classroom, Audrie H. Cox

Masters Projects

This project examines the role of mathematics self-efficacy in supporting student motivation, engagement, and achievement in secondary mathematics classrooms. Through a review of current research, the project identifies instructional practices that strengthen students' confidence in their mathematical abilities, including formative assessments, meaningful feedback, supportive teacher-student relationships, and opportunities for productive struggle. Drawing on these findings, a professional development workshop session was developed to equip secondary mathematics teachers with practical, research-based strategies that promote positive mathematics self-efficacy and improve overall classroom instruction. By translating research into actionable teaching practices, this project aims to support more confident, motivated, and successful mathematics learners.

Focus Daily: Jase Special Issue On Hip-Hop, Disability, And The Continuing Evolution Of Arts-Based Pedagogy In Special Education (Side B), Jonte C. Taylor

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Hip-hop has long served as an educational tradition, emerging from the Bronx as a cultural response to systemic inequities that fostered identity, critical consciousness, creativity, and community through its core elements of emceeing, DJing, breaking, graffiti, and knowledge of self. In this second special hip-hop issue of the Journal of the Arts in Special Education (JASE) and building on the initial 2025 JASE special issue, this collection advances hip-hop pedagogy beyond an engagement strategy by positioning it as a culturally inclusive framework that supports academic achievement, identity affirmation, and meaningful participation for students with disabilities. The contributing scholars explore how …

A Poetic Call For And A Reflection And Commentary On Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, And Compassion, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Finding a published poem I had written as a teenager, titled “The Heavens Weep.” this article uses that poem as the basis for a commentary that reflects on the state of the world today (2026),  As a commentary, the article uses the poetic and metaphoric words in the poem as a relevant "reality check" for what is still going on today.  In essence, the commentary is about a call for Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, and Compassion, or what I call Archetypal Energies, Higher Vibrational Energies that operate deep within our individual and collective psyches to creatively urge us to "see" …

The Impact Of Mentoring: Professional Growth, Reflection, And Retention In Secondary Science Education, Summer M. Landreth

All Dissertations

Teacher attrition threatens the stability of the U.S. education system, with science teachers experiencing particularly high turnover rates. While research has primarily focused on early-career teachers, less is known about the factors influencing mid-career and veteran science teachers’ decisions to remain in or leave the profession. This study explored mentoring student teachers as a potentially transformative experience for cooperating teachers, offering opportunities for professional development, identity development, and enhanced retention. Guided by Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, the study examined how mentoring may function as a productive experience that prompts critical reflection, revitalizes pedagogy, and reconnects teachers with their professional purpose. …

Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Development Of Science Self-Efficacy Among Students With Learning Disabilities, Aria Hadley-Hulet

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Students with learning disabilities are often overlooked in efforts to broaden participation in STEM. This multi-paper dissertation investigates science self-efficacy among this population through the lenses of the social model of disability and self-efficacy theory. An integrative review reveals consistently lower academic self-efficacy among students with learning disabilities and a lack of research examining their science self-efficacy specifically. Quantitative analysis of national data shows lower science self-efficacy overall, yet no differences among students enrolled in advanced science courses. A mixed-methods study further demonstrates that in inclusive school environments characterized by asset-based teacher beliefs and normalized accommodations, science self-efficacy differences disappear. …

Faculty Perspectives On Career And Technical Education Programming For Prison And Other At-Risk Populations: Implications Of A Human Centered Design Focus, Taija R. Jackson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study was to examine the perceptions of career and technical education (CTE) faculty regarding their familiarity with human-centered design (HCD), perceptions of the value and worth as a framework for program and curriculum design and willingness to teach in correctional education settings. The survey was administered to postsecondary CTE employed at public community and technical colleges in Utah and Colorado (N = 37). Participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment condition, in which they viewed a six-minute-long video vignette illustrating HCD in practice, or a control condition without exposure to the …

Bridging The Gap: A Qualitative Case Study Of Pre-K Teachers' Literacy Professional Development Needs In The Context Of Georgia's Early Literacy Act (Hb 538), Deborah Lissimore

Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how school-based pre-K teachers in Georgia perceived their literacy professional development needs within the context of the Georgia Early Literacy Act, House Bill 538, and to examine the role of teacher leadership in supporting their professional learning. Although the Act established evidence-based literacy requirements and professional learning expectations for kindergarten through third grade educators, comparable supports for school-based pre-K teachers were not clearly defined. Participants included five certified pre-K teachers employed in a Georgia public school district. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and researcher field notes, with member …

Of Writing, Community And Transformation: Lessons Learned From A Faculty Developer, María Lucía Guerrero Farías

GHEA21 Publications

No abstract provided.

"I Feel Really Jazzed Up": Using Lesson Study To Improve Teacher Morale In A Rural High School, Caitlin Blackwell

All Dissertations

Providing teachers with relevant professional development that uses current research is essential for school success; however, many schools struggle to implement professional development that teachers find beneficial. This study examined how providing on-going teacher-led professional development impacted teacher morale through the implementation of Lesson Study, a cyclical framework for professional development. Using improvement science tools, it was hypothesized that participation in Lesson Study would improve teacher morale by utilizing teacher autonomy and efficacy; however, the study found that collaboration was the driver for improving morale while supporting teacher autonomy and efficacy. Data collected in this study indicated that teacher morale …

Editorial Review Board Vol. 65 Issue 2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Discussion Of Text Revisited: Encouraging Chatting In The Classroom, Melissa Jessup, Ruth E. Jefferson Dr.

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Discussion of text in language and literacy instruction has historically been studied with small samples of learners. The study described in this article investigated the relationship between instructional practices associated with discussion of text (chatting about it) and the reading achievement of several subgroups. A large sample of readers (N = 148,800) from the National Assessment of Educational Progress was the subject of the study. Several subgroups, including students with disabilities and students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (students experiencing poverty), were statistically disaggregated; subgroup data and results of analyses are discussed. Suggestions for classroom application are included.

Empowering Future Educators: How Service-Learning Shapes Teacher Candidate Self-Efficacy And Understanding Of Book Access, Nancy F. Hulan, Morgan S. Major

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Literacy rates are historically low in areas where access to books is limited. Thus, students with limited exposure to books prior to school pose a unique challenge to teachers, who often feel unprepared to teach students from underserved populations. To help remedy this, teacher candidates need preparation that builds their abilities to provide both access to books and quality literacy instruction for students who live in poverty. The study described in this article investigated the impact of literacy-related community engagement on teacher candidates’ self-efficacy, their understanding of book access, and their perceptions of teachers’ roles in providing book access. Participants …