Education Commons^™

Growing An Inquiry Practice: A Case Study Of Teacher Change In Social Studies Classrooms, Alicia Michelle Saccomanno

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This exploratory case study examines how a group of social studies teachers refined their inquiry-based instructional practices over a school year. Research questions included: 1. How do teachers grow their use of questions, tasks, and sources? 2. What obstacles do teachers face when implementing inquiry? How do they work to overcome those obstacles? 3. How do teachers learn to trust the inquiry process, trust themselves to implement it, and trust their students to collaborate, deliberate, and produce meaningful work? This study examined teachers' design and instructional choices as well as their responses to student outcomes …

Examining How Well High School Geometry Students Learn Concepts Of Three-Dimensional Figures Using A Project-Based Instructional Strategy, Lenora A. Mcgrath

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This paper examines how well the introduction of an integrated approach, namely, Project-based Instruction (PBI), which uses real-world contexts to investigate problems, leads to improved academic performance and student motivation in a 9^th Grade Geometry class studying three-dimensional figures and their properties. The experimental group worked through the researcher-designed unit that included mini-lessons, six benchmark lessons, and the design and creation of a final product to address the driving question of the unit. The comparison group experienced a normative teaching strategy designed by the classroom teacher. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was chosen for the proposed study to …

Factors Impacting The Educational Environment Of A Phd Student After Experiencing Intimate Partner Abuse: An Autoethnography, Cadie B. Hall

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This autoethnography examines the impact of intimate partner violence on the educational outcomes of a PhD student. Through a qualitative study of personal narratives and media and document analysis, this research explores the challenges faced by a survivor of assault during an online graduate program, including physical and mental well-being, academic performance, the impact of social support structures, and responses from the University of Kentucky. By integrating lived experiences with existing literature, the study identifies gaps in university policies and offers recommendations for creating more supportive educational environments for online graduate students who have endured intimate partner violence. This work …

The Curious Case Of The Law Review Editor: A Study Of Higher Education's Peculiarly Powerful Students, David R. Wright

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Many law students in their second or third year enroll in student-led, high-impact co-curricular programs such as law journals, moot court teams, and trial competition teams. Law journals particularly demand significant portions of students’ time and energy, especially for students holding Editor-in-Chief positions on a journal. Much has been written about law journals as institutions or about their utility in modern legal education; but little is known about the actual expectations and experiences of the students leading them. Few, if any, studies exist examining the student experience in law journal leadership. How student editors spend their time running their journal …

Recipient Experiences Of Donor-Funded College Scholarships: “I Don't Know What You Want To Know About Me. I Don't Know What I Know About You.”, Teresa Waddle Gotthardt

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This qualitative study explores the experience of receiving donor-funded scholarship support facilitated through a higher education institution, especially when the recipient has interacted with the donor of the funding. This recipient-and-donor-interaction is common at American post-secondary institutions in the form of written thank you notes and attendance at donor recognition events. This research addressed the following questions: How do donor-funded scholarship recipients experience this funding? How do donor-funded scholarship recipients experience interaction with the donor of the scholarship? These questions were explored through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 recent alumni from five private universities and colleges who received donor-funded scholarships …

Social Control And Inclusive Freedom: An Embedded Single Case Study Of Campus Expression At A Southern Public University, Christopher J. Ciarcia

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This study examines how staff at a Southern public university experienced and interpreted their participation in the institution’s Open Expression Support Team (OEST), a campus initiative designed to maintain an educational environment where students feel free to engage in freedom of speech and expression without fear of intimidation or coercion. Using an embedded single-case study design, the research draws on interviews, documents, and observations to explore the OEST’s role in supporting inclusive freedom (Ben-Porath, 2017), which emphasizes the balance of free expression and inclusion in higher education.

Findings reveal that the OEST functions as a mechanism of social control, employing …

“Always Looking Over Your Shoulder”: College Students' Experiences With Codes Of Conduct At Evangelical Colleges & Universities, Kayla B. Powell

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This qualitative research study investigated the experiences of college students enrolled at evangelical institutions that are affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) and require students to follow an extensive code of conduct. These codes extend beyond academic expectations and mandate behavior in all aspects of daily life. Students who fail to comply are subject to a range of punishments as severe as expulsion. Sixteen traditional-aged undergraduate students from across the U.S. participated in semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using thematic analysis. Students described varied personal convictions regarding the rules; some earnestly strove to obey their campus …

Investigating The Psychometric Properties Of A Set Of Local Stem Literacy Instruments In Rasch Model, Lijun Shen

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This study investigates the psychometric features of the See Blue STEM literacy inventories (SBSTEMs, including the elementary version SB-E and the middle school version SB-M) to determine their validity in measuring STEM literacy. Using data from elementary and middle school students participating in the See Blue STEM camp in 2019 and 2021-22, this research employed the Rasch Partial Credit Model (PCM) to analyze item-level performance and identify DIF items across various demographic subgroups (race, gender, free-lunch status, and potential first-generation status) and camp delivery modes (online versus in-person). Results indicated that both the elementary (SB-E) and middle school (SB-M) versions …

“Hard To Rememeber, Then Hard To Forget:” A Qualitative Exploration Into The Attitudes And Lived Experiences Of Black People With Black Names, Destin L. Mizelle

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Naming practices within the Black American community are vibrant and deeply rooted in cultural traditions and shared values. Much like other ethnic groups, these names tell stories, reflect heritage, and connect individuals to their community, making each choice meaningful and significant. However, due to the systemic effects of anti-Blackness, Black Americans often have a complex relationship with their names. While previous research has primarily utilized quantitative methodologies focusing on the negative associations and consequences of having a Black name, this study aims to amplify the voices of Black people who possess Black names. Using reflexive thematic analysis, this qualitative study …

From Ads To Enrollment: Understanding How Targeted Marketing Affects College Choice, John W. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the perceived impact of targeted marketing on college choice. Research on college choice is an established area of scholarship that explores the variables that are at work when a student chooses to attend a college or university. Given that the enrollment landscape for higher education continues to be competitive, colleges and universities are doing what they can to “stand out” among the competition in a crowded marketing and advertising space. And, as technology improves, segmenting and personalizing marketing to reach the right students at the right time is becoming more commonplace …

Competent Readers’ Online Multimodal Reading Strategies Use, Hyoju Ahn

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

As reading spaces evolve, it is imperative to identify and describe the strategies and skills used in constructing meaning. I examined online multimodal reading strategies, those used in constructing meaning from multimodal information sources (e.g., images, audio, written words) on the Internet. Participants read online multimodal texts from a laptop screen and provided verbal reports as they read to learn a scientific topic. Through verbal protocol analysis, I cataloged and described their multimodal reading comprehension strategies. Complementing retrospective interviews, reader-computer interaction videos, and written pre- and post-knowledge reports accounted for how they read strategically. Strategies were coded to provide insights …

Understanding High School Students’ Identities In Stem Through Video Elicitation, Andrea N. Perrin

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Understanding how high school students develop their STEM identities is essential for creating inclusive and engaging learning environments that foster persistence in STEM fields. This qualitative study explores the experiences of high school seniors in an engineering capstone course within a diverse Midwestern high school, utilizing video elicitation as the primary research method. Through video interviews, transcript reviews, and thumbnail selections, students provided firsthand insights into their evolving STEM identities, sense of belonging, and the factors influencing their persistence in engineering.

Findings reveal that social interactions, autonomy in learning, hands-on experiences, and real-world applications of engineering concepts shape students' STEM …

Examining The Professional Noticing Skills, Attitudes Toward Mathematics, And Elementary Math Content Knowledge Of Preservice Elementary School Teachers Through The Noticing Numeracy Now Intervention, Johnathan T. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Abstract: This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of the Noticing Numeracy Now intervention, an intervention focused on professional noticing of children’s conceptual development in whole number and arithmetic reasoning, on preservice elementary teachers’ professional noticing skills, attitudes toward mathematics, and elementary math content knowledge. This study was based off of a previous study and intervention created by Molly Fisher, Jonathan Thomas, Edna Schack, Cindy Jong and Janet Tassell. This study used a video-based professional noticing module, consisting of four lessons, situated in the pedagogies of practice framework. Within this study, 10 students (all preservice elementary teachers) at Kentucky State University …

Black Women, Bold Science: Navigating Race, Gender, And Identity In Science, Mia L. Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

This research study examines the challenges Black women encounter when in predominantly white, male academic and professional science settings, where they experience dual discrimination because of their race and gender. These biases perpetuate the negative stereotype that Black women are less competent than white men. This mixed methods study examines how Black women navigate their race, gender, and science identities within predominantly white institutions through their doctoral programs and professional science careers. The study implements Critical Race Mixed Methodology to combine survey data for a wide reach with interview data for detailed exploration. The study involved eight Black women science …

The Little Book Of Joy: Tiny Ways To Infuse Delight Into Teaching And Learning, Eugene Korsunskiy

Dartmouth Scholarship

We do our best work when we're having fun. And the world needs our best work, so we owe it to the universe to bring joy into what we do.

As teachers, we know that a joyful learning environment helps students thrive. We know that fun is an important catalyst of-not a distraction from-the rigorous work of teaching and learning.

A growing body of research supports this intuition, showing that joy helps with focus, creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, perseverance in the face of challenges, and much more. By inducing the release of "happy hormones" (endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin), activities and …

University Studies First-Year Inquiry Student Success Pilot Year 1 Report 2024 - 2025, Sarah Dougher, Lindsey Wilkinson, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

During the 24-25 academic year, fourteen University Studies First-year Inquiry courses participated in a pilot supported by the Office of Student Success that embeds student support resources into course work, activities, and curricula. This is an effort to connect students more directly to support services they may need to be successful at PSU, to increase their sense of belonging, and ultimately increase their completion of FRINQ. The Pilot is being evaluated based on academic outcomes, PSU resource use, and measures of efficacy and belonging. For Information about our evaluation methods and data sources, please see the full report and the …

A Profile Of Sophomore Inquiry Students Fall 2025, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

In order to better understand the students who enroll in Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses and begin to identify areas where they may need support, University Studies (UNST) began collecting and compiling data on these students. This report presents a profile of SINQ students from Fall 2025. It presents an overview of all students enrolled in SINQ during Fall 2025 and then summarizes information from the Prior Learning Survey. It is organized around three areas that contribute to student success: academic preparation and concern; financial and physical wellbeing; and connectedness to campus.

“We Are The Future Of This Community”: Exploring Belonging And Rural Healthcare Practice Intent In A High School Medical Sciences Club: A Case Study Of Rural Youth Identity, Purpose, And Place, Sydney Ann Lyons

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rural communities across the United States are facing critical healthcare workforce shortages, threatening access to quality care for underserved populations. Health career pathway programs offer a promising solution: a “grow our own” strategy to inspire local youth to pursue healthcare careers. However, little research has explored the role of belonging, identity development, and place-connection in strengthening these programs' outcomes. This case study investigates how participation in the Medical Sciences Club at Del Norte High School— located in rural Northern California— shapes students’, personal growth, career purpose, and rural healthcare practice intent. Through interviews with students, educators, and parents, I found …

Language, People, Classrooms, World: Blending Disparate Theories For United Language Education Practices, Masatoshi Sato, Steven L. Thorne, Marije Michel, Theodora Alexopoulou, John Hellermann

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

With a forward‐looking and problem‐solving mindset, this article aims to combine theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence from different schools of thought in the field of second language (L2) learning and teaching—namely, instructed second language acquisition, generative linguistics, and an ecological perspective that includes multiple frameworks. Acknowledging numerous fundamental differences in our theoretical and methodological perspectives on how to conduct research, we are united on two fronts: First, we believe that researchers with differing theoretical commitments can and should work together to advance L2 research. Second, differing theoretical beliefs are potentially of limited relevance to those who will implement our pedagogical …

Evading A Post-Truth World: Rorty’S Foundationless Philosophy For An Acculturating Education, Madhu Narayanan

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

A challenge for educators is how to teach in a “post-truth” world. Lies, fake news, and a gleeful disregard for facts – what I collectively term mis/information – all seem to undermine the very project of education. The pragmatism of Richard Rorty holds promise to address such issues. I first argue that Rorty’s philosophy of education is of limited use, whereas his broader thoughts on a philosophy without foundations are more relevant. I then suggest that a way forward is to evade the fight against post-truth dynamics altogether. An insistence on rational objectivity and foundational truth are at the root …

Who Belongs And Why It Matters: Belonging At An Oregon Elementary School, Kelly Smith

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

Student sense of belonging is at the foundation of student outcomes with impacts reaching far beyond the walls of the elementary school classroom. This study investigates factors that shape students’ sense of belonging at an Oregon elementary school where Youth Truth survey data over the past three years have revealed a lack of sense of belonging amongst students. Correlates to the low sense of student belonging were identified via a root cause analysis process with students, staff and families. As a result of the root cause analysis, a theory of improvement was developed with input from students, staff and families. …

Rising From The Ashes: Reading Impacts And The Effects Of Recovery Educational Services Following A Major Natural Disaster, Tiffanie Lousia Lambert

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

This Improvement Science Dissertation examined solutions to improving literacy outcomes for students in an elementary school that experienced a wildfire during the pandemic. School data revealed lagging reading growth among students displaced by the wildfire despite educational recovery efforts. A root cause analysis to understand students' limited reading recovery led to more global concerns about school-wide literacy programming and the limited use of evidence- based approaches. School-wide data revealed that fewer than 30% of students in the school met literacy benchmarks since the wildfire. Though the fires disproportionally impacted low-income neighborhoods with higher representation of English Learners and students receiving …

Beyond Traditional Education: Graduation Rates At An Alternative High School, Kayla Dawn Marie Crook

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

The study addressed the problem of practice of improving on-time graduation rates for students in alternative education settings. Traditional educational systems often fail to meet the unique needs of students in alternative education programs, which could lead to increased barriers towards on-time graduation. Based on improvement science principles, this research utilized Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to systematically test and refine prioritized change ideas to mitigate these barriers with the goal of increasing graduation rates at the focus school. These change ideas included improving social emotional learning through teacher coaching, personalizing attendance calls, and developing individualized student success plans. Through rapid iterative …

Growing Together: Strategies For Attracting And Retaining Community-Reflective Early Learning Professionals, Tonya Jo Coker

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

The recruitment and retention of a diverse early learning workforce remains a critical challenge in special education. This study explores the multifaceted issues of workforce shortages, turnover rates, and the disparity between the demographics of educators and students in the Department of Early Learning within an education service district in Oregon. Through a detailed analysis of historical and current data, this study identifies systemic challenges contributing to the difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified staff, especially those who are representative of the communities they serve. Using improvement science as a methodological framework, the study tested change ideas focused on recruitment, …

Rising Tides Lift All Boats: Significant Disproportionate Identification Of Latine Students In The Eligibility Category Of Specific Learning Disability, Erica Gordon

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

The study explored the complex problem of practice (POP) of significant disproportionate identification of Latine multilingual learner (ML) students in the special education eligibility category of specific learning disability (SLD). The study employed improvement science as its methodological framework. Integral partners and a leadership team from a rural Oregon district reviewed the literature and used a root cause analysis to identify six causes behind these outcomes. Iterative plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles test with concise data collection, enabling real-time adjustments and improvements within the improvement cycle was used to implement two change ideas. These prioritized change ideas resulted in the implementation of …

Addressing Disparities Among Latine Students In Special Education, Jesabel Jannette Centeno

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

This study used Improvement Science to understand and address the overrepresentation of Latine students identified with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in elementary school settings. It highlighted the processes and systems that impacted Latine students' educational opportunities and services--emphasizing the need for culturally and linguistically aligned instructional practices. The study was set in a suburban school district in the Pacific Northwest, where many Latine students received special education services. It investigated the root causes of SLD over-identification among these students. It suggested that enhancing educational outcomes required a focused effort to reduce over- and under-identification in special education. The document now …

The Effectiveness Of Teaching With Interactive Infographic In Acquiring Scientific Concepts And Developing Visual Thinking In Science Among Fourth-Grade Students, Manal K. S. Al-Hattali, Wafaa M. M. Abd-El-Aal, Sameh S. Ismail

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of teaching with interactive infographic in acquiring scientific concepts and developing visual thinking skills in science among fourth grade students in the Sultanate of Oman. The study followed the quasi-experimental design based on the design of the treatment and control groups. The study sample consisted of (60) male and female students, and the sample was distributed in two different schools. The results of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant difference at the level of significance (α ≤ 0.05) between the mean scores of the treatment group and the control …

Challenges Facing Electronic Educational Supervision As Seen By Educational Supervisors In The State Of Palestine And Ways To Address Them In Light Of Some Variables, Wafa K. Abu Znaid, Nabil J. Jondi

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study aimed to identify the challenges facing the application of electronic educational supervision as seen by educational supervisors in the State of Palestine and ways to address them in light of some variables. The study used the descriptive approach through qualitative and quantitative tools, namely the interview and questionnaire, where the quantitative approach was relied upon to measure the challenges facing electronic supervision by developing a questionnaire tool to measure those challenges, which included four areas: organizational challenges, technical challenges, material challenges, and human challenges. The questionnaire was applied to a simple random sample of (45) male and female …

2025 Suffolk University Commencement Program, Law School, Suffolk University

Suffolk University Commencements

Suffolk University commencement programs detail the location, date, order of exercises, academic honors, speakers, administration, graduates, and other related information.

Strategies To Support Students With Adhd During Self-Selected Reading: An Evaluation Of Token Economy And Self-Monitoring, Tora Henson

Dissertations

Students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often face challenges with attention and executive functioning, making it difficult to stay on task during self-selected reading (SSR). These difficulties can hinder academic progress. While research highlights the need for effective strategies to improve on-task behavior, limited studies have focused specifically on self-monitoring and token-economy interventions during SSR. This study investigated the impact of self-monitoring and token-economy strategies on the on-task behavior of students with ADHD during SSR. It aimed to answer the following questions: How do token economy systems and self-monitoring strategies impact on-task behavior for students with ADHD during self-selected reading? …