Education Commons^™

Instructional Systems Design In Lesson Planning For Substance Use Treatment Groups: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Study, Michelle Robin Gould

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored lesson planning for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment groups, investigating the presence of components from the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) instructional systems design (ISD) process in routine facilitator lesson planning practices. Using an exploratory mixed-methods convergent parallel design, data were collected via an online survey featuring closed- and open-ended questions regarding self-reported planning activities and perceived effectiveness. Quantitative analysis confirmed that SUD facilitators perform tasks associated with all five ADDIE phases. Qualitative findings showed that facilitators perceive themselves as effective planners despite logistical and organizational constraints. However, facilitators do not appear to conceptually link instructional …

El Liderazgo Escolar En La Reconstrucción Educativa: Estrategias Para Mitigar El Impacto De Desastres Naturales En Escuelas Secundarias, Marisol Pardo Morales

Theses and Dissertations

Los terremotos ocurridos en Puerto Rico en enero de 2020 tuvieron un efecto devastador sobre el sistema educativo, particularmente en el municipio de Guánica, donde la destrucción de escuelas secundarias interrumpió la continuidad del aprendizaje y generó un marcado rezago académico. Este contexto crítico reveló la necesidad de explorar el papel del liderazgo escolar en la mitigación de las consecuencias de los desastres naturales sobre el rendimiento y la motivación estudiantil. El propósito de esta disertación aplicada fue analizar cómo las prácticas de liderazgo ejercidas por directores escolares influyen en la recuperación educativa de estudiantes en escuelas secundarias con ofrecimiento …

The Implementation Of Small Group Direct Instruction For Reading Domains Of Second- Grade Students, Tarmeka Smith-Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation explored how implementing small-group direct instruction in an elementary school setting affected the reading performance of second-grade students. The study examined how organized small-group direct instruction can elevate students’ reading achievement in phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Over a six week instructional period, a mixed-methods research design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data.

Pretest and posttest students’ reading assessments were collected using quantitative data, while teachers' weekly reflections and surveys were collected using qualitative data. A total of 30 students identified as struggling readers, and three second-grade teachers who implemented small-group direct instruction participated in …

The Role Of International Student Office Directors In Facilitating The Transitional Adjustment Of International Students In U.S Higher Education, Agnes Afi Yigah

Masters Theses

This qualitative study explored how International Student Office Directors facilitate the transitional adjustment of international students in U.S. higher education institutions. Guided by Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (1981) and Schlossberg’s Mattering and Marginality Theory (1989), this study examined the challenges international students face, the support strategies implemented by International Student Office Directors, and the institutional factors influencing student adjustment and well-being. International students experience challenges related to housing and logistical adjustment, financial and immigration-related stressors, academic system adjustment and self-advocacy, and social integration and emotional adjustment. Proactive and holistic support approaches, including pre-arrival communication, orientation programs, academic support, emotional support, and …

2026 Iapc Residential Summer Course Flyer, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Documentation

No abstract provided.

2026 Iapc Residential Summer Course Schedule, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Documentation

No abstract provided.

Not My Girl (2014) By Christy Jordan-Fenton And Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Picture Books

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries American and Canadian government agencies and Christian churches established Indian residential schools where hundreds of thousands of children were “reeducated” in English and Christianity. They were not allowed to use their native languages or given names, to practice their religions, or to communicate with their siblings or parents. They were made to work in crop fields, kitchens, laundries, and industrial workshops. Many were physically and sexually abused. Many never saw their families again. The nine picture books reviewed here are accounts of survivors of residential schools from eight different Indigenous nations. In addition to …

2026 Iapc Residential Summer Course Roster, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Documentation

This year we had seven IAPC staff members, six participants (from Japan, the Philippines, Turkey, and the US), and four visitors from Hawai'i.

Navigating Mental Wellness: A Peer-Led Journey Into Adult Services, Kristin G. Haberek

DSW Capstone Projects

Students with severe emotional disturbances (SED) occupy one of the most underserved intersections in American education and mental health care. As they age out of children’s services, they face abrupt service discontinuation, disrupted therapeutic relationships, and adult systems ill-equipped to meet their needs. These vulnerabilities, including heightened risks of crisis, hospitalization, homelessness, and justice involvement, constitute a central practice problem. This capstone addresses these transitions across three scholarly products: a systematic literature review, a theoretical concept paper, and a practical application paper, tracing a unified arc from diagnosing structural failures to proposing an evidence-informed, equity-oriented clinical response. Synthesizing key findings …

Using Author's Craft In Writing Instruction For Preservice Teachers In The Age Of Ai, Stephen Winton

The Utah English Journal

Use of artificial intelligence (AI) for writing has increased, but it may limit writers’ creativity. Author’s craft instruction is one way to support teaching writers to make purposeful choices. This article reviews literature on the use of AI for writing in university courses and author’s craft instruction. Then, it offers an example of introducing author’s craft instruction in a methods course on writing for preservice teachers. It discusses ways utilizing author’s craft might support future teachers of writing in the age of AI.

Teaching Matters: What Students Value In Writing Classrooms, Kirsten W. Burningham, Amy Williams

The Utah English Journal

As teachers of first-year writing at Brigham Young University, we eagerly welcome young writers to our campus. While we know that moving from high school to college marks a significant change for students, we intentionally look for connections between these two sites of writing to understand the continuity of students’ writing beliefs, assumptions, concerns, and confidence, or lack thereof. Because we know that writing development requires practice, time, and effort (Adler-Kassner & Wardle, 2015), we view high school and college as adjoining spaces for writing practice.

We Need New Books, Liz Thackeray Nelson, Mandy Luszeck

The Utah English Journal

It’s College Day for incoming freshmen, and several English Department faculty and prospective students gather together for lunch to discuss English Department culture, tips for student success, and any other questions students have. Partway through, one freshman student asks what our favorite classical works are. My mind draws a blank, and I (Mandy) keep my mouth shut. It has been years since I have engaged in classic works. Or picked one up for that matter. I know the handful I taught in high school fairly well—To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby (so much Gatsby), The Crucible. …

Book Review: Big Jim And The White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined, Michael Handy

The Utah English Journal

Upon first opening this beautiful book, I regretted that my district may never approve it for my classroom. Policy in my school district prohibits classroom use of texts that use racial slurs. An initial author’s note uses a specific racial slur numerous times, repeating it throughout the book—always stricken when a character says it, but still appearing in scenery. This is a shame, because Big Jim and the White Boy is magnificent.

Teachers Teaching Teachers: Sharing The Genius Already In Our Classrooms, Joseph Wierderhold, Whitney Lindsey Sorensen

The Utah English Journal

The purpose of this article is to share two simple—but revolutionary—truths that have shaped us and our classrooms:

1. Teachers who write make better writing teachers (and happier people)

2. Teachers make the best teachers of other teachers (that means you)

2026 Merc Annual Report, David Naff

MERC Publications

This is the annual report of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) at Virginia Commonwealth University for the 2025-2026 academic year. It includes vignettes depicting MERC activities in the past year that align with each of its five principles: research, relevance, rigor, multiple perspectives, and impact. It concludes with a discussion of MERC's commitment moving forward.

Ai Policy In Virginia Public Schools: A Comparative Analysis, Jesse Senechal, Jamelle Simmons, Jonathan D. Becker, Melissa Ware, Michael Broda, Kindy Anderson, Eric Byers, Kiana Bradford, Thea Racelis, Meleah Ellison

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy review explores policy implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in Virginia public schools. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 teaching and learning. The report has two parts:

1. A review of the AI policy landscape around PK-12 education
2. Virginia AI policy analysis

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

Complete Issue, Christopher Tremblay, Patrick J. O'Connor Phd, Laura Owen, Diana Camilo, Moya Malcolm

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.

Ai In Pk-12 Education: Implications For Teaching And Learning, David Naff, Meleah Ellison, Casey Bailey, Tzu-Wei Wang, Kiana Bradford

MERC Publications

This research and policy review from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) explores the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for teaching and learning in public PK-12 education. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 policy. The report explores two questions:

1. How is AI shaping teaching and instructional practice?
2. How is AI shaping student learning and development?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

The State Of The State: Teacher Edition, Rena Lesué

The Utah English Journal

Mr. Cox clears his throat.

Do we have someone who can take the minutes?

Mrs. Weber? Please?

She tap-taps some papers into order

and pauses to peer down at

a dirty sketch on the surface

of the student desk she occupies.

One hand snakes into her canvas tote

and retrieves a hanky.

She spits into it and smudges

the drawing

into a grotesque

fingerprint.

Book Review: All The Noise At Once, Shalece Garff

The Utah English Journal

All the Noise at Once depicts the life of two incredibly close brothers. The eldest is the star quarterback and is being headhunted by universities across the nation (Brandon), while the other is living with autism and difficulties that come with it (Aiden). Unfortunately, many of the activities that he and his brother are involved in (school and football) are almost always crowded and filled with commotion, which sometimes leads Aiden to experience meltdowns when he is overstimulated with touch and noise. Being seen as different puts him on the outs with the other football players, who regard him as …

The Future Of The English Class Essay: Reimagining Multimodal Composition In The Chatgpt Era, Taylor Rose-Dougherty, Christy Goldsmith

The Utah English Journal

As English teacher educators, we are on the frontlines of navigating the technological elephant in the 2025 writing classroom: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that can produce pages of text in mere seconds. English teachers’ philosophies on GenAI are as diverse as their preferred novels or their favorite poets. But, as the two dozen publications in major English education journals1 in the past two years suggest, what is at stake is not the end of high school English (Herman, 2022), but the opportunity to give it a makeover (Herman, 2023) by reimagining what writing experiences …

Building Classroom Community With Picturebooks, Deborah Dean

The Utah English Journal

I started my first teaching job in January, after my 7th- and 8th-grade students had had a series of substitute teachers for the entire first semester of the school year. It was rough. An administrative problem that took months to resolve left these students feeling as if no one cared about them. And the series of subs, as well-meaning as they might have been, had not had long-term connections to ensure that these students learned or even paid attention. I tried a lot of ways to get and keep students engaged in those first weeks. A lot. But the first …

Incorporating Texts With People With Disabilities Amidst Scripted Curricula, Kayleigh Kearsley

The Utah English Journal

As I prepare for student teaching this spring, the topic on my and my peers’ minds is scripted curriculum. For emerging teachers, it can be intimidating to determine how to balance the best teaching practices developed in coursework with scripted curriculum, while simultaneously fostering an authentic learning community within my classroom walls. With the rise of scripted curriculum across the state and nation (Kang, 2016), this is becoming an increasingly complex situation to navigate. These curricular resources affect teacher choice, requiring educators to become that much more intentional with the choices they make. An important way to ensure we are …

Teaching Students To Write For The Future By Writing For The Present, Amber Jensen, Meridith Reed

The Utah English Journal

“When you get to eighth grade, you’ll need to know how to write a topic sentence.”

“The five-paragraph essay will prepare you to write in high school.”

“College professors expect you to accurately cite your sources in MLA format.”

“When you graduate from college, you need to be able to write a professional email.”

Perhaps you heard messages like these from your writing teachers as you moved through middle school, high school, college, and into your careers. We certainly did. And perhaps, like we have, you have been a writing teacher in a middle school, high school, or college classroom …

Challenging The Stereotypical Latina In Elizabeth Acevedo's Clap When You Land And The Poet X, Victoria Olsen Yates

The Utah English Journal

Book banning has become a trigger phrase in the United States, and schools have become book-banning hubs. In the 2023–2024 school year, PEN America recorded 10,046 book bans. Among the most commonly banned books, 44% included people of color (BIPOC) and 39% included LGBTQ+ individuals (Meehan, Baêta, Markham, & Magnusson, 2024). Banning books harms marginalized youth because they will not see themselves in literature, causing them to have a distorted view of the world. Rudine Sims Bishop (1990) explains this further in her idea that books can serve as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Bishop illustrates how books can …

After All, Megan Russell

The Utah English Journal

After all the voices of the day have quieted down,

I think.

After all the pencils have been lost, some sharpened

to nubs, others scattered through the hall,

I wonder.

After all the paper has been crumpled and used up,

I ponder.

Student Centered Approaches To Analyzing Engagement And Discourse, Kamil Hankour

Theses and Dissertations

Student engagement and participation in classroom discourse are widely recognized as powerful predictors of meaningful science learning, yet students’ own perspectives on the factors that shape their engagement and participation are currently underexamined. Prior research has established strong links between engagement, discourse and outcomes such as academic achievement (Bae & DeBusk-Lane, 2019; Fredricks et al., 2004; Sedova et al., 2019), but less is known about how students understand and interpret their experiences across individual, group-level and classroom contexts, particularly within historically marginalized populations (Cook-Sather, 2013; Schaefer et al., 2024). This three paper dissertation advances a line of inquiry integrating a …

From Cultural Binaries To Coexistence: A Graphic Autoethnography Of Individualism And Collectivism In An International Context, Shahad Alsubaie

Theses and Dissertations

This arts-based autoethnographic study investigates individualism and collectivism, specifically through my study-abroad experience traveling from Saudi Arabia to the United States. Through arts-based reflective practice, I depicted the diasporic experience of being ontoepistemologically collectivistic while navigating a primarily individualistic society. I use the medium of a graphic memoir to illustrate and develop frameworks of confluence that embrace the two distinct cultural orientations simultaneously. This arts-based self-study not only contributes to the body of transnational scholarship but also serves as a reference for international students, researchers, and educators to use arts-based subgenres and data analysis methods to gain better insights into …

Dodgeballs And Dragons: Gamified Live Theatre In The Service Of Community Betterment, Teddy Mcpherson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis qualifies and documents a new genre of interdisciplinary, interactive theatre called Dodgeballs and Dragons. It covers a brief history of Dungeons and Dragons and Theatre of the Oppressed (the two foundational works for the new genre) as well as previous uses of D&D as a form of theatrical entertainment. After establishing the precedence used to create this product, the rest of the thesis breaks down how to write, lead, and play these shows on a regular basis. The document culminates in collected data providing concrete evidence for the future of the form and its many applications.

Perception Of Bsn Nursing Students On Theory-Practice Gap, Emmalyn G. Siclare

Honors College Theses

Nursing students obtain valuable experience and are greatly influenced by their clinical experience in nursing school. The continuity and translation of lecture content learned in nursing school to the clinical part of nursing school is known as the theory-practice gap, and it is a vital part of nursing students’ education that is suffering. A perceivable theory-practice gap has a profound effect on students’ readiness for entering the nursing profession. This study examines how the theory-practice gap is understood by Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, and solutions for how it can be remedied. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to …