Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Feasibility Of A Peer-Facilitated Video-Based Mental Health And Substance Use Service-Learning Program, Mara Carmina A. Tamayo, King Filart, Maria Regina Hechanova

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study examined the feasibility of implementing a peer-facilitated mental health and substance use video-based program delivered by psychology students as part of service learning. The program was delivered on-site and online. Findings reveal improvements in knowledge, attitudes, refusal self-efficacy, and adaptive coping among on-site participants. However, there was no effect on online participants given many implementation challenges. Recommendations include delivering the program on-site, strengthening training for facilitators, increasing program duration, and shortening the videos.

Service Learning As A Mode To Deliver Course Learning Outcomes In A Research-Based Exercise Science College Course, Jennifer Lape Kaiser, Madison Skaggs

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The following case study presents an approach to teaching research courses in undergraduate exercise science programs. Research courses are commonly required in the curriculum for this degree. Service learning (SL) is an effective way to promote student learning outcomes (SLOs) by providing hands-on experience for the students, and should be considered in exercise science research courses. Quantitative and qualitative survey results from students over two semesters of SL in an exercise science course are presented.

Incorporating Community-Engaged Pedagogy In Online Classes: Benefits, Challenges, And Strong Practices, Emmy Price, Margaret Thomas-Evans

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community-engagement in virtual classrooms comes with unique benefits and challenges. Between 2018-2021, technical writing e-service-learning students from Indiana University East (Richmond, Indiana) raised a total of $149,239 through grant writing projects. This e-servicelearning project gave students real-world experiences and opportunity to connect with local organizations, prompting one student to choose grant writing as a career. Many students were able to successfully obtain funding for their chosen nonprofits, giving students a sense of social responsibility.

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 58 Summer 2025), Elizabeth Joyce Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

Magazine created by and about the WKU Center for Gifted Studies.

Extracting From The Extracurriculum: Using Extracurricular Composition Practices To Bring Purpose, Voice, And Engagement Back To The English Classroom, Grace N. Ellis

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores how principles and practices from extracurricular literacy spaces and the extracurriculum as a whole can inform and revitalize the secondary English classroom. In response to growing student disengagement, apathy, and disconnection, particularly within highly standardized and product-focused classrooms, this argument investigates how programs such as the Nebraska Writers Collective’s All Writes Reserved program and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Young Writer Camp model authentic engagement, identity exploration and development, and rhetorical agency through creative, student-centered writing practices. Drawing from composition theory, educational research, and experiential data from Nebraska-based writing initiatives, the thesis argues that incorporating choice, safe-risk taking, …

Illuminating Two Secondary Schoolteachers’ Praxes On A ‘Terrain Of Freedom:’ Lessons For Teacher Education, Paul Tarc, Nicholas Ng-A-Fook, Tasha Ausman, Catherine James

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper attunes to the stated focus of this special issue—teacher subjectivities on a terrain of freedom—to consider the qualities, possibilities and limits of teachers’ praxes and development upon this ‘terrain.’ In response to the call, we explore three critical questions: 1) Where does the teacher’s freedom lie amidst required protocols and standardization?; 2) Can teachers transcend how they have been conceived and conditioned?; and 3) How can teachers engage in transformative development? Through a "poetics of teaching," inspired by Hansen (2004), we frame teaching as a curricular and pedagogical art form that melds interdisciplinary, intellectual, aesthetic, and …

Pinterest Can Help Teachers Cook A Casserole, But What About Lgbtqia+ Affirming Lesson Plans For Students Of Color?, Denise Villarrial Nealon

Deliberately Queer Journal

We have learned to be crafty homemakers, small space decorators, and even teachers through the eye-catching appeal of sites like Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT). The accessibility and ease of searching for a preset lesson saves time, and in a society where teachers are paid far less than what they are worth and asked to work longer hours than they are paid for, this makes sense. Using the theoretical frameworks of CRT, QueerCrit, and CRP, along with the concepts of intersectionality, can build learning tools for new teachers to disrupt previous exclusionary practices that prevent LGBTQIA+ students of Color …

The Squandering Of Critical Thinking In Our Schools And What We Can Do About It, Nick Pocius

Essays in Education

In the face of increasing disinformation, reduced student engagement, and rigid educational structures, this article critiques the current U.S. public school system’s failure to cultivate critical thinking in students. Drawing from over two decades of classroom experience, the author argues that the systemic emphasis on standardized testing, prescribed curricula, and diminished access to arts and physical education have contributed to a decline in curiosity and creative inquiry. Furthermore, the omnipresence of smartphones and social media has robbed students of the boredom that often sparks critical thought. The article proposes several pragmatic solutions, including banning phones during school hours, reintroducing recess …

أثر استخدام بيئة تعلم إلكترونية تكيفية قائمة على الذكاء الاصطناعي في تنمية مهارات التفكير العليا في مادة الكيمياء لدى طلبة المرحلة الثانوية, Ruwaida Abu Shoshah, Hala J. Abualnadi

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف البحث إلى استقصاء أثر استخدام بيئة تعلُّم إلكترونية تكيُّفيّة قائمة على الذكاء الاصطناعي في تنمية مهارات التفكير العليا في مادة الكيمياء لدى طلبة الصف الحادي عشر، وتكونت عينة الدراسة من (60) طالبة من الصف الحادي عشر في العاصمة عمان، تم تقسيمهم إلى مجموعتين، تجريبية وضابطة، تم اختيار افراد العينة بالطريقة القصدية، ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة تم الاعتماد على المنهج شبه التجريبي، وتم إعداد اختبار لقياس مستويات مهارات التفكير العليا في مادة الكيمياء، بعد التحقق من صدقه وثباته ومعاملات الصعوبة والتمييز للفقرات، وقد أظهرت نتائج الدراسة وجود فرق في الأداء البعدي بين المجموعتين في اختبار مهارات التفكير العليا، حيث بلغت قيمة …

Social Media And The Effect On Student Engagement, Lara Mcelveen

Dissertations

The purpose of my study was to determine the impact of social media on student engagement and behaviors in high school classrooms. The overarching research question that guided my study was: What is the impact of social media on student engagement? I used a mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative data to research my topic. I collected the data using surveys of two stakeholder groups in the study: young adults and educators. The survey results showed that both educators and young adults perceived a decline in class engagement and the rise of behavior in the classroom from social media …

Constructing Portraits Of Elementary Teachers Of Ethnic Studies: Examining The Narratives Of Anti-Racist Educators In An Era Of Common Core Curriculum And Instruction, Jennifer S. Manglicmot

Dissertations

The emergence of policies requiring ethnic studies courses in California’s secondary and higher education institutions amplified calls for anti-racist pedagogy and content in all K-12 grade levels. Currently, little empirical research exists on how ethnic studies is taught in elementary school classrooms. This absence is significant because instruction in these settings tend to focus heavily on meeting state content standards (i.e. Common Core), frameworks which have been critiqued as ignoring communities of Color epistemologies and promoting color-evasive ideologies, among other concerns. Through interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis, this qualitative multiple-case study explored how anti-racist and ethnic studies pedagogies are …

A Teacher, A Supervisor, An Undefined Self, Alexa Muse

The Qualitative Report

This article follows the experiences and reflections of an American high school English teacher while evolving a single tenth grade memoir and grammar unit into a published student-led research project over the span of 3 years. As a partner piece, this article supplements my students’ published project, titled “A Teacher, a Tutor, a Friend,” that explores ChatGPT and student perspectives through a thematic discourse analysis under the framework of Figured Worlds (Holland et al., 1998); as their teacher-turned-supervisor, I found that preparing 10th grade students—now called the Lexington Student Research and Publication Collaborative—to grapple with such complex material was a …

Imagination: Bridging The Intended, Delivered, And Received Curricula, Vicki Boley Dr., Paul A. Michalec Dr.

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This paper explores the transformative potential of imagination in higher education, particularly its capacity to bridge the intended, delivered, and received curricula. Through a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with graduate students, the research highlights how imagination fosters holistic, socially just, and humanizing educational experiences that transcend traditional instructional boundaries, encouraging student ownership and creative engagement in the higher education classroom and beyond.

How We Show Up Matters: Transformative Adult Social Emotional Learning To Build Equity-Centered Schools, Samantha L. Rummage-Massey

Dissertations

Transformative Social Emotional Learning (tSEL) expands traditional SEL by integrating equity and social justice to cultivate student development and as a framework for educator growth and systemic change in education (Jagers et al., 2019). Unlike traditional SEL, which primarily targets students, tSEL emphasizes educators’ role in disrupting inequitable practices, making it a powerful tool for reimagining schools as justice-oriented spaces. This qualitative case study explores how tSEL professional development influences educators’ sense of identity, agency, and belonging, along with their reflections on systemic inequities and application of Critical Pedagogy (Freire, 1970) in personal and professional contexts. Data collection included semi-structured …

Beyond The Exam Score: An Examination Of The Kenyan Education System, Its Reforms, Inefficiencies, And Impact On Individuals And Society At Large, Olivia M. Pederson

Honors Projects

In Kenya, secondary education plays a decisive role in shaping students’ university and career opportunities as well as their social mobility. The national exam, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), acts as a key gateway to higher education and employment. The quality and accessibility of education for Kenyan youth, however, has been impacted by systemic inefficiencies ranging from underfunding and disparities in resource allocation to an exam-centric curriculum. This study takes a qualitative approach, using both purposive and convenience sampling to gather data through a questionnaire sent to university students and adults that have graduated from a Kenyan secondary school. …

The Art Of Building Belonging Through Student Voice And Choice: Liberating Learning And Creating Community In Catholic Schools, Rich Hill

Doctoral Dissertations

This is a study of students’ voices, choices, and experiences. Its purpose is to examine the barriers and opportunities for building belonging in Catholic schools. The research is a contribution to the positive work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging currently taking place in various Catholic school contexts. It is also a response to specific issues that continue to permeate students’ curricular experience, such as the silencing of voice, the lack of choice, untapped educational agency, and the exclusion of their authentic identities. The study is designed to learn directly from students’ own lived experiences, their testimonies, and their artwork. …

The Role Of School Leadership In Promoting And Supporting Cultural Diversity And Inclusion In The Classroom: A Grounded Theory Approach, Matuor Dot Alier

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study addresses the pressing issue of how school leadership influences the promotion and support of cultural diversity and inclusion within classrooms. Despite growing demographic diversity in educational settings, many schools fail to adequately prioritize cultural inclusion, leading to inequities in educational opportunities, social isolation, and discrimination for students from diverse backgrounds. School leaders are uniquely positioned to create inclusive environments, yet there remains limited research on how they implement and sustain effective diversity practices. This qualitative study explores the experiences and strategies of school leaders who have successfully fostered inclusive educational environments. Grounded in a constructivist paradigm and employing …

Elevating Education: Leveling Up Individual Learning Plans, Maximum Mgrdich-Ararat Sirabian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This three-article dissertation investigated the effectiveness, implementation quality, and automation of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in promoting college and career readiness. Article 1 analyzed High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 data and found that ILPs did not significantly guide course alignment. Article 2 examined ILP implementation across Nevada high schools, revealing inconsistent quality, limited standardization, and few culturally responsive practices. These findings informed the creation of a new high-quality ILP framework. Article 3 employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design to assess an automated ILP prototype based on this framework. Participants in the automated group reported significantly higher scores in …

Individual Differences Matter: Examining The Relationship Between Transfer Students’ Identity And Social Presence In Online Learning, Le Quanda L. Boldin-Cole

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigates the relationship between transfer students’ perceptions of identity and their social presence within online learning environments, addressing a gap in research on this underexplored population. Drawing on Erikson's (1968) psychosocial development theory and Marcia's (1966) identity status model, the study explores how identity formation influences both the perception and manifestation of social presence in the online learning environment. A sequential explanatory design (Creswell & Poth, 2025) was employed, combining quantitative data from a web-based survey on identity status and social presence perceptions, followed by content analysis of students' discussion posts to examine social presence indicators. The findings …

Musical Language And Communication: Students Connect Music Streams To Literacy, Mathematics, Science, And Movement, Kelly Collier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation discusses how music and literacy claim many of the same skills, ways music may be used as a motivational tool to help promote strategies for skill development, and how teachers working in teams have the innovation to generate strategic learning. By combining music symbolism with the literacy curriculum, one can create a set of elementary school lessons that integrate musical melody with the facets of literacy, mathematics, science, and movement to formulate beneficial opportunities for student engagement and learning. Students cultivate learning by using the elements of rhythmic literacy, such as identifying beat values in conjunction with their …

Joy In Lifelong Learning: An Introduction To Planning For Learning Disabilities In Museum Education, Elaine L. Davis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

For over a century, the role of museums as learning institutions has been considered alongside that of schools. However, special education practices are rarely adapted for museum education, requiring educators in museum contexts to undertake extra work to accommodate those with learning disabilities. This thesis used Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Textual Analysis to review pedagogical white papers and academic research on museum programs aimed at neurodivergent audiences. The findings were used to create a professional development guide for museum educators at a range of different types of museums.

Integrating Positive Psychology And Spirituality To Foster Meaning And Well-Being In Older Adults, Crystal Morris

Adultspan Journal

This perspective article explores the integration of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) and spirituality in therapy to foster meaning and well-being in older adults. It highlights exercises such as the positive introduction, positive legacy, character strengths, mindfulness, mindful-based yoga, and a manifestation prayer journaling. The interventions presented are tools to support older adults that may experience depression, difficult life transitions, and the search for renewed meaning. Therapists who integrate PPIs and spirituality into therapy can promote a holistic, non-pathological approach to treatment.

Elevating Educators: The Role Of Sponsorship In Fostering Teacher Engagement, Recognition, And Retention, Justin Mitchell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Teacher burnout and attrition have become pressing concerns in education, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The demands on educators have increased, yet systemic supports have often remained stagnant, leading to disengagement and decreased participation in extracurricular activities. This study examined the role of teacher sponsorship of extracurricular activities in fostering teacher engagement, recognition, and retention within a rural Title I middle school. Using an improvement science framework, this research explored how teachers’ involvement in extracurricular activities impacts their connection to the school community and whether targeted interventions such as professional learning communities and recognition initiatives can enhance teacher participation and …

The Digital Incorporated Worker Narrative: A Mixed Methods Study Of Digital Capital, Work Selection, And Outcomes In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Tracie King

Dissertations

Digital technology permeates society and industry, making digital-ready workers necessary for firms of all sizes as a firm seeks competitiveness in the market (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; de Ruyter et al., 2018; Gorski et al., 2022; Karaboğa, 2023; Kim et al., 2017; Qureshi Zia, 2019). Firms seeking digital-ready workers face a complex digital divide that creates a worker shortage (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; Karaboğa, 2023; Qureshi Zia, 2019). This study aims to describe workers' work selection, work experience, and outcomes in a complex digital society.

Most digital divide research focuses on the individuals excluded from owning, accessing, and having skills …

A Pipeline To Prison Or A Pathway To Promise? The Inequities Fueling The School To Prison Pipeline, Ranishia Lachelle Bailey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This systematic review proposal would investigate the school-to-prison pipeline and examine the role of pedagogical interventions in mitigating youth involvement in the justice system. By analyzing existing literature, this proposal would study and explore how school system biases, educational frameworks, and systemic factors contribute to the perpetuation of this pipeline, with a specific focus on how educational policies and disciplinary practices impact at-risk youth. The review aims to identify effective interventions that can disrupt this cycle, including restorative justice practices, trauma-informed education, positive behavioral interventions, and culturally responsive teaching. A comprehensive search strategy should be employed across various academic databases, …

Ethnic Studies Pedagogy: Professional Development And Its Relevance To Student Achievement, Gabriel A. Orosco Dr.

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As Ethnic Studies becomes a graduation requirement across all public schools in California, the importance of Ethnic Studies professional development cannot be understated. This is a tumultuous time in our world today. Multiple world conflicts are happening today, and many governments are facing challenges to their very existence. Ethnic Studies programs and classes challenge dominant narratives and close the opportunity gaps for historically marginalized communities.

This study examines the impact of Ethnic Studies (ES) professional development on student achievement within California’s public high schools, where ES has been mandated as a graduation requirement through Assembly Bill 101. The research emphasizes …

Am I Woke Enough To Serve In Healthcare: A Secondary Analysis Of Pre-Health Students’ Personal And Professional Growth By Engaging In Cultural Competency Assessments, Harolynn Williams

All Dissertations

Healthcare providers must be equipped to serve an increasingly diverse population, yet cultural competence remains underemphasized in undergraduate pre-health education. This study explored how embedded cultural competency training influences undergraduate pre-health students’ perceptions of personal and professional growth. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the research incorporated intercultural assessments, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and the Global Competence Certificate (GCC), along with qualitative reflections from students enrolled in three versions of a cultural competence course: a year-long course, a semester-long course, and a short-term study abroad immersion six-week course. Findings revealed that students demonstrated measurable growth in cultural awareness, knowledge, communication, …

"I Never Really Saw Anybody That Looked Like Me In A Book": A Positioning Theory Analysis Of Preservice Teachers' Critical Reflections., Melissa Lee Zipper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand how preservice teachers develop their criticality within a semester long undergraduate course focused on children’s literature. This study addresses a well-documented practical knowledge gap in education research: although preservice teachers claim to understand the importance of a culturally relevant and sustaining curriculum, they do not know how to effectuate that curriculum when it comes to their future classrooms. Using Positioning Theory as a theoretical lens and an analytical tool, the study explores how preservice teachers position themselves in relation to developing their criticality through participation in a course curriculum purposefully …

The Global Classroom: A Phenomenological Study Of International Student Experiences In A Reimagined Intercultural Communication Course, Crystal Bock Thiessen

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the experiences of multilingual international student participants who took part in a semester-long intercultural communication course that was purposefully designed and implemented with half enrollment each of domestic and international students at a Midwestern American university. Despite university efforts towards internationalization, they often fall short of the meaningful engagement needed truly promote intercultural and mutual understanding. International and domestic students share classroom and other spaces on campus, yet they remain overwhelmingly disconnected from one another. Using phenomenology and Baker’s (2011) model of Intercultural Awareness, this study analyzed the international students’ experience in this course to learn more …

How A Garden Hoe Changed My Literacy Life: A Story Of Teaching, Coaching, And Becoming, Kelsey J. Walker

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

In this dissertation, I explore how personal practical experiences teaching reading intervention impacted my own understanding of the role of a secondary literacy coach. Drawing on the concepts of dialogism and adult learning theory, I leveraged learning conversations to grow my own body of knowledge. The methodology of this study was done using narrative inquiry and autoethnography. This methodological blend allowed me to closely study myself as the primary participant with a unique positionality as a scholarly practitioner. I unpack the complexities, contradictions, and tensions of my lived experience through stories and vignettes set in a rural midwestern public school …