Educational Psychology Commons^™

Book Review: Exploring Student Loneliness In Higher Education: A Discursive Psychology Approach, Patrick Leung

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Book Review: Exploring Student Loneliness in Higher Education: A Discursive Psychology Approach

The Effectiveness Of 3d Printing Project-Based Learning In Developing Future Skills And Academic Passion Among 10th Grade Students In Physics, Asma Abdullah Alshabnuti, Salim Khamis Al Harmali, Sulaiman Mohammed Al-Balushi

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of 3D Printing Project-based Learning in developing future skills, according to the Omani Future Skills Framework, and academic passion among 10th-grade students in physics in the Sultanate of Oman. A quasi-experimental research design was used, with a control and experimental group. The sample consisted of (114) male and female students. The Study instruments were the Future Skills Classroom Observation and the Academic Passion Scale, to gather data. Findings showed statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental group in most of future skills, except in flexibility and adaptation skill. The effect size of …

The Effectiveness Of Employing Artificial Intelligence Applications In Developing Technological Creativity For Students Of The Higher Basic Stage In Palestine, Mahmoud Mohammed Fouad Barghout, Ahmed Mohammed Abu Olba

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The research aimed to discover the effectiveness of implementing artificial intelligence applications in developing technological creativity for students of the higher basic stage in Palestine, the researchers used the Quasi-experimental design, and the researchers programmed and designed artificial intelligence applications for the unit (remote sensing and control) from the technology book for the eighth grade. The researchers prepared the research tool (technological creativity test). It was applied to the research sample, which consisted of eighth grade students at Saad bin Abi Waqas Basic School (B), affiliated to the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education, where their number reached (72) …

Factors That Impact K-6th Grade Teachers’ Sense Of Self-Efficacy: A Mixed Methods Study, Becky A. Eckburg

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Although there have been efforts to narrow the "achievement gap," research shows that the academic achievement levels of students in low socioeconomic school settings are likely to be significantly lower than the academic achievement levels of students in higher socioeconomic school settings (Babayiğit et al., 2021; Rahman et al., 2024). Studies also show that teachers have a significant impact on their students' growth, no matter what their academic setting may be (Petek & Pope, 2023), and that collective teacher self-efficacy is a significant factor in positive student achievement (Hattie, 2008). If targeted professional development could support teachers' self-efficacy, student achievement …

Using Culturally Familiar Readings In A Predominantly Latinx Middle School To Bolster Self-Efficacy, Heather M. Kelley Ph.D., Morgan Adams, Meagan Chisholm, Kate Warner

Georgia Educational Researcher

Twenty-eight seventh graders from a predominantly Latinx middle school participated in an instructional intervention involving both a culturally familiar and unfamiliar reading task. Immediately after reading, students joined focus groups to discuss their experiences. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a discourse analysis framework. The analysis revealed that students based their reading self-efficacy on three key factors: their ability to relate to the text, their interest in the story, and the perceived difficulty of the task. The findings suggest that implementing culturally sustaining pedagogy—through the use of culturally relevant texts—can enhance reading self-efficacy and support academic achievement for …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Anxiety And Depression Symptoms Among Medical Students: The Role Of Student Debt Burden, Foroozan Afsharchi, Joshua F. Edwards, Kailash S. Ram, Jingru Huang, Valicia Hale, Ismail El Moudden

Department of Family and Community Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

This cross-sectional study examined whether anxiety and depression symptoms decrease as medical students progress through training (suggesting adjustment disorder) or persist (suggesting chronic conditions), while identifying associated risk factors, including student debt burden and treatment effectiveness.

Methods

We surveyed medical students (years 1-4) at VHS-ODU using a sociodemographic questionnaire and validated screening instruments (GAD-7 for anxiety and PHQ-9 for depression) via RedCap from September to November 2024.

Results

Among 126 students, Scores were higher in Years 2-3 than in Years 1 and 4, but differences by year were not significant (GAD-7 p=0.055; PHQ-9 p=0.352). Students with a prior mental-health …

An Examination Of The Impact Of School Context And Socioeconomic Status On Agency And Creative Productivity In Gifted High School Students, Elizabeth Bronson

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigated gifted high school students’ perception of the agency afforded them within school settings, and the relationship between these perceptions and their creative productivity. A sample of 140 students was drawn from a population of 966 identified gifted high school students. These students were contacted via their parents and asked to complete the Agentic Engagement Scale (AES) questionnaire which provided gifted high school students’ perceptions of the agency afforded at school. No significant differences in perceived agency were found across demographic variables, including socioeconomic status and school type. Of the respondents, 10 students were …

Investigating The Impact Of School Leaders’ Leadership Style And Teachers’ Intrinsic Motivation For Improved Science Instruction In Elementary Schools, Leila M. Greene

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

A report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, determined that 69% of U.S. elementary teachers are not prepared to teach science, especially in the areas of earth/space and physical sciences. As a result, some elementary teachers avoid teaching science. School administrators play a key role in providing a supportive environment to inspire and motivate elementary science teachers. For this reason, the study utilized the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), to examine three types of school leadership styles (Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-Faire) and how they impact the intrinsic motivation for elementary science teachers in three areas including autonomy, competency, and …

Policy Into Practice: Exploring School Counselors' And School Psychologists' Knowledge And Sensemaking Towards The Application Of Alternative Gifted Identification Criteria For Lower Socioeconomic Students, Brittany E. Hague

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Persistent underrepresentation of students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds in Gifted education reflects long-standing structural inequities embedded in identification policies and practices. In response, many Florida school districts have adopted equity-oriented identification reforms, including universal screening, local norms, and multiple-measure approaches. However, policy equity does not automatically translate into equitable outcomes; rather, it is mediated through the interpretive work of school-based practitioners. Guided by Sensemaking Theory, this convergent mixed-methods study examines how school counselors and school psychologists construct meaning around alternative Gifted identification criteria and how their beliefs, professional judgment, and organizational contexts shape implementation. The study explores how …

Exploring The Temporal Dynamics Of Gaming-The-System And Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors Within A Game-Based Learning Environment, Cameron E. Marano

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Consistently monitoring and regulating cognitive and metacognitive skills during learning is difficult. As a result, game-based learning environments (GBLEs) have been designed to provide richer learning experiences. They foster self-regulated learning (SRL) skills and offer a way to study learners' interactions within complex environments. Although SRL in GBLEs has been widely studied, large gaps remain. For example, it is unclear how improper or maladaptive regulation in GBLEs signals gaming-the-system, in which learners manipulate features to avoid authentic learning. This phenomenon is widely studied in intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs). Limited research has examined how and when both gaming-the-system and SRL behaviors …

Exploring Job Stressors And Burnout Among Core Faculty In Entry-Level Physical Therapist Education Programs: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study, Jj Ferguson, Adam Fritsch, Jodi L. Young

Health Professions Education

Purpose This study explored burnout among core faculty in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs, identifying its most prevalent aspects and key organizational correlations. Methods A convergent parallel mixed-methods design integrated quantitative data from the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Educators Survey and the Areas of Worklife Survey with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews. Data were collected concurrently, analyzed independently, and merged during interpretation. Quantitative analyses used multiple linear regression, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Results Eighty-one faculty completed the survey and 20 participated in interviews. Emotional exhaustion emerged as the most prevalent burnout dimension, with 51.9% reporting moderate to high levels. …

Children's Peer Selection In Stem: The Influence Of Gender, Ethnicity, And Disability, Meagan Girard, Kim P. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study examined how children’s peer selection in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) may be influenced by gender, ethnicity, and physical disability. Sixty-four children (ages 6-12) from elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario completed three tasks: a simulated peer selection task, an attribution of ability task, and a stereotype belief questionnaire. In the peer selection task, participants were repeatedly asked to select one peer from a set of AI-generated photographs showing children who differed by gender (male, female), ethnicity (White, Black, East Asian), and physical disability status (able-bodied user vs. nondisabled). The Peer Selection Task was based on the …

Is Prosocial Behavior A Unique Correlate Of Academic Success In Emerging Adulthood?, Jacqueline Di Biase

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Prior developmental research has frequently linked prosocial behavior to stronger academic functioning during childhood and adolescence (Cruz et al., 2024; Gerbino et al., 2018; Oberle et al., 2022), yet its relevance to academic success in emerging adulthood remains unclear. Guided by a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework, the present study sought to address gaps in emerging adulthood research by examining the academic relevance of prosocial behavior while accounting for influential developmental assets and testing its independent contribution to academic achievement. Undergraduate students (N = 501) completed a cross-sectional self-report survey assessing prosocial behavior, self-control, dutifulness, sociability, and cumulative grade …

Participatory Approaches To Understanding Collaborative, Child-Initiated Play: Children's Agency, Social Negotiation, And Identity Construction On The Playground, Angela Eckhoff

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Children's play in schools is often tightly controlled, shaped by adult beliefs and concerns about safety and appropriateness. Play in school settings can reflect expected school norms and follow rules set by adults, but free play also allows for rough, risky, mischievous, and subversive actions. This research, guided by an affordance framework, examines spontaneous, child-initiated outdoor free play to understand how children navigate and reinterpret the boundaries of play. Using critical naturalistic inquiry and participatory methods, the study data includes children's videography that captures dynamic interactions and shifts in agency among peers, go along interviews that track boundary negotiations in …

Teachers' Perspectives On Inclusive Education For Children With Special Needs, Abakah Francis, Ava-Gay Annakaye Morgan, Emmanuel Ogheneovo Sodje, Francis Dugbartey, Gabriel Lagbel, Okezie Chika Chibundu

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Inclusive education is widely recognized as a key approach to ensuring equitable access to quality education for children with special needs, requiring teachers to possess adequate knowledge, skills, and supportive resources. In the Nigerian context, particularly in private schools, gaps in teacher training, limited resources, and insufficient institutional support continue to hinder the effective implementation of inclusive education practices. This study investigates teachers' perspectives on inclusive education for children with special needs in Nigerian private schools. The primary purpose is to assess teachers' understanding of inclusive education, their familiarity with effective teaching strategies, and their preparedness to implement inclusive practices. …

The Psychometric Evaluation Of An Instructional Student Survey: A Measure Of Social Cognitive Learning In Educational Classrooms, Brielle A. Baker

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the psychometric evaluation of the 4 Habits Student Survey (4HSS), a student-perception instrument designed to measure four constructs central to The BERC Group’s Four Habits of Powerful Teaching and Learning framework: emotional regulation, selective attention, elaborative rehearsal, and symbolic reasoning. Grounded in social cognitive theory and supported by constructivist learning theory, the study set out to evaluate the internal structure, reliability, and validity of the 4HSS using archival data from Grades 6–8 students in Hawai‘i public schools. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the hypothesized four-factor model. None of the tested CFA models met the …