Secondary Education Commons^™

Teacher Experience And Perception Of Feedback Literacy In The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Carla B. Mills

Dissertations

Writing instruction in schools remains a significant area of concern even after decades of awareness that students are not performing at proficient levels upon high-school graduation. This phenomenographic case study investigated teacher feedback literacy at the secondary level through interviews with teachers of writing-intensive International Baccalaureate Diploma Program courses and document analysis. Areas of feedback literacy strength included teacher awareness of designing positive class environments, attending to the socio-emotional needs of their learners, extensive use of both rubrics and exemplars, and frequent provision of verbal feedback. Document analysis revealed the presence of explicit instruction in written feedback, rubric use, and …

Black Women Science Teachers’ Contextual Knowledge Shapes Technology Integration To Support Culturally Responsive Teaching In Secondary Science Classrooms, Ashley M. Thomas

Dissertations

The number of Black and Brown high school students entering college to study science and technology majors is declining. Because they encounter shared intersectional experiences in the science and technology fields, Black women have a unique connection with their students that builds on teaching practices grounded in culturally responsive teaching (CRT). The mixed methods study was bounded to one school district that had a CRT initiative and provided training to its teachers. The study used a pre-validated survey regarding the perceptions of CRT in a technology-supported learning environment and identified the tools and practices Black female science teachers (BFSTs) use …

Perceptions Of Family Involvement And Its Influence On High School Attendance: Voices Of Families And Mathematics Teachers, Amber Phillips

Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism continues to be a growing concern in high schools, particularly in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Although family involvement has been widely studied in elementary and middle schools, less is known about how families and mathematics teachers experience school-based family involvement at the high school level. This qualitative case study explored those perspectives at a rural high school in Northwest Georgia. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with five families and five upper-level mathematics teachers, and a focus group was conducted with eight mathematics teachers. Interview and focus group transcripts were analyzed using structural and focused coding to …

Teaching Difficult Histories: An Exploratory Case Study Of Teacher Experiences And Student Demonstrations Of Historical Empathy In A Cdf Freedom School, Michael T. Miller

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored two research questions: What did CDF Freedom School teachers experience while teaching elementary and middle school students how to learn history with a critical lens? How did CDF Freedom School students’ work demonstrate historical empathy and perspective-taking? Using secondary data collected by Dr. Johari Harris from the Summer 2023 CDF Freedom School in Charlottesville, VA, a thematic analysis was conducted of exit interviews from four teachers, classroom observation data from one teacher, and writing samples from students in grades 3-8 in response to materials from the Educating for Democracy curriculum. Themes were created from teacher …

Constructing Female High School Students’ Stem Self-Efficacy: The Role Of High School Stem Research Experiences, Hyunjin Son

Dissertations

In the U.S., nearly a quarter of the workforce is employed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations. However, the STEM workforce lacks diversity, limiting perspectives to address real-world problems facing society. While many factors influence decisions to pursue STEM majors in college and enter the STEM workforce, one factor commonly associated with performance and persistence in STEM is STEM self-efficacy. Independent research experiences have been shown to increase conceptual understanding and confidence in STEM, leading to STEM degrees and careers. As high school co-curricular STEM research opportunities become more common, the effects of such experiences on students’ STEM …

Textbook Publishing For Secondary And Higher Education, Sherry Roberts, Lucy Matthews

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Defining My Country: An Appalachian Educator’S Autoethnography Of Linguistic Erasure And Ai, Kimberly B. Wright

Dissertations

When students use AI writing tools to revise their work, the algorithms often erase the cultural and linguistic markers that constitute their authentic voice. This erasure operates through the same mechanisms that linguistic justice scholars have documented for decades: a dominant language ideology that frames non-dominant expression as deficient and “corrects” it into standardized prose. As a first-generation Appalachian educator who spent years suppressing her own voice to succeed in academic spaces, I recognize this pattern from the inside. Using autoethnography as a methodology, this study examines how my journey from voice erasure to reclamation informs my pedagogy to help …

Examining Mathematics Teachers' Competencies For Facilitating Collaborative Learning In High School Settings, Tessy J. Pereira

Dissertations

Collaborative Learning (CL) – an instructional approach in which students work interdependently in groups to achieve shared academic goals through mutual engagement – has gained remarkable attention in high school mathematics classrooms; yet research examining the pedagogical competencies teachers need to effectively plan, implement, and reflect on CL remains limited. Pedagogical competencies, as defined by Kaendler et al. (2015), refer to the observable teaching behaviors that support student collaboration throughout an instructional cycle. This case study examined how seven high school mathematics teachers demonstrated five competencies – planning, monitoring, supporting, consolidating, and reflecting – using the Implementing Collaborative Learning in …

A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers Who Use Oral Reading To Foster Student Reading Fluency And Engagement, Donyetta Grimes

Dissertations

The National Reading Panel (2000) recommends oral reading instruction as a means to improve overall reading fluency and reading comprehension. Oral reading fluency is a necessary foundational skill, and students who have not mastered it by the end of third grade, when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn, become struggling adolescent readers (Ming, 2018). Furthermore, there is a lack of research on reading fluency past the primary grades (Makebo et al., 2022). Additionally, research gaps exist when considering teachers’ actual practices during reading instruction (O’Sullivan et al., 2009). This gap is particularly concerning considering that teachers …

Restorying The Reader: Adolescent Narratives Of Identity, Context, And Motivation, Jennifer R. Gardner

Dissertations

This present study examined how adolescents narrate their reading experiences and what those narratives reveal about reading identity, motivation, and engagement. This study responds to a persistent problem in literacy education: adolescent reading is often framed through disengagement or reduced to isolated constructs, while students’ lived reading experiences across school, home, digital, linguistic, and social contexts remain underexamined. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, Intersectionality, and Reader Response Theory, this study centers on adolescent voices and treats these participants’ stories as the primary avenue of understanding how they experience and interpret their reading lives and selves. Data were collected through narrative interviews, …

Chilling Or Galvanizing: Perceptions Of Controversial Issues In The Social Studies Classroom, Patrick Leahy

Dissertations

This study explores social studies teachers' perceptions of the use of controversial issues in their content and classrooms. Through a case study approach, it explores the decision-making process of social studies teachers in Georgia, contextualized by the current political environment, including the enactment of divisive concepts laws such as Georgia’s HB 1084, the Protect Students First Act, and increasing scrutiny over what is taught in public schools. Findings reveal that while the literature and advocates critical of divisive concepts laws tend to argue that these laws have a chilling effect on the discussion of controversial issues, the reality is more …

The In-Between: Poetic Counter-Narratives Reimaging The Canon, Yisheika Lawrence

Dissertations

This qualitative, arts-based study examined how tenth grade students in a rural early college Multicultural Literature course engaged with and reinterpreted canonical texts through poetic counter-narratives. Grounded in culturally responsive pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris & Alim, 2017), and poetic inquiry (Faulkner, 2019), the study explored how students from marginalized backgrounds used poetry to articulate identity, resist erasure, and construct belonging within an academic context that often privileges dominant cultural narratives.

Data sources included 22 student poems, five semi-structured interviews, four end-of-unit reflections, and researcher memos. Analysis used a triangulated approach: qualitative coding in ATLAS.ti, computational text analysis …

Student Engagement In High School Mathematics Blended Learning Classrooms, Therese A. Rinehart

Dissertations

Engagement is a student’s interest, participation, and motivation in the learning process and is a cornerstone of success in the classroom. The COVID-19 Pandemic overturned the traditional classroom, making the task of fostering engagement nearly impossible. Although pandemic-related research has largely focused on mental health and academic achievement, less attention has been given to instructional models promoting engagement in remote learning environments. Self-directed learning (SDL) is one model offering students digital autonomy and access to teachers and peers. This study examined the longitudinal data of student perceptions of their engagement through the COVID-19 Pandemic at an alternative high school and …

How Secondary Online Teachers Perceive And Implement Executive Function Strategies In Online Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study, Erin M. Hall

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored how secondary online teachers perceive and implement executive function (EF) strategies in fully asynchronous online learning environment. Grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and the Unity and Diversity Model of Executive Function, the study examined how instructional practices support cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control. Data were collected through interviews, a focus group, and artifacts submitted by eleven secondary online teachers. Using iterative thematic analysis, four key findings emerged: (1) teachers used intentional scaffolding strategies- such as modeling, pacing tools, and checklists to support EF development; (2) they emphasized shifting cognitive responsibility …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Teaching And Learning In High School Social Studies Curricula In Georgia: A Case Study, Sharon Ann Mcmeans-Lukiri

Dissertations

Despite increasing diversity within Georgia’s high school student population, it remains unclear to what extent social studies teachers incorporate Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) in the planning and implementation of their instruction. Recent research indicates that many educators continue to struggle with developing effective instructional practices that meet the learning needs of students from vulnerable communities (Liasidou & Symeou, 2018). Students from these communities often experience lower academic achievement (Ladson-Billings, 2009), and when the curriculum fails to reflect or respond to their cultural backgrounds, they are more likely to disengage from school (Ladson-Billings, 2009). This gap between students’ cultural needs and …

Teacher Perceptions Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In High School Social Studies Classrooms: An Ethnographic Case Study, Sheronda L. Hardy

Dissertations

Historically, scholarly research regarding the education of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) has been written through a deficit lens. Research that acknowledges positive learning experiences and outcomes is limited. This qualitative ethnographic case study aims to contribute to the growing body of social studies literature that offers insights into the need for asset-based pedagogies, such as Gloria Ladson-Billings' Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), as well as the impact that this framework has on BIPOC student populations. By exploring the perceptions of high school social studies teachers regarding CRP, teacher preparation programs, and professional development, this study of five teacher …

Shifting Instructional Planning Practices: Exploring High School Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions Of Integrating The Do The Math Protocol Into Collaborative Instructional Planning, Lillian M. Gordon

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the perceptions of high school mathematics teachers regarding the implementation of the Do the Math protocol during collaborative instructional planning. This study investigates how the use of a structured planning tool can support professional growth and instructional improvement. Over five weeks, participants engaged with the protocol to collaboratively plan instruction. Data was collected through interviews, observation of collaborative instructional planning sessions, and analysis of instructional artifacts. Findings revealed two major themes. First, the protocol contributed to building content and pedagogical knowledge by deepening teachers’ understanding of math standards, promoting intentional collaboration, and encouraging the sharing …

The Effectiveness Of Scenario-Based Cybersecurity Day Camps In Southern Rural Appalachia, Anna P. Rodgers-Stine, Tania Williams

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

As the emphasis on cybersecurity instruction in the K12 environment continues to expand, furthering access to cybersecurity education is paramount across the United States. While designated cybersecurity courses are not available in many schools, the implementation of cybersecurity camps may help to bridge the gap and increase student interest in and awareness of cybersecurity as a field. From 2021 through 2024, cybersecurity day camps were held in a region in rural southern Appalachia with the goal of increasing student interest and access to cybersecurity topics. Through the creation and implementation of these camps, it was found that scenario-based cybersecurity day …

Student Engagement In Ela Choice-Based Core Curriculum: A Case Study Of The Dramatic Writing For Film, Television, And Theater Course, Brian Thomas Clements

Dissertations

This paper describes a case study examining student feelings towards engagement in choice-based core ELA courses and teacher feelings towards student engagement specifically within the Dramatic Writing for Film, Television, and Theater course offered in the state of Georgia. The context of this study focuses on the impact that student agency, choice, and voice have on student engagement from their own perspective and how Invitational Education Theory connects to this impact and the course itself. The case study examines the course, its students, and teachers in two schools in a large, suburban metro Atlanta school district. Through interviews and observations, …

Using Sustained Silent Reading In The Secondary English Language Arts Classroom To Increase Reading Engagement, Hannah S. Burwell

Dissertations

Reading scores have dropped precipitously over the past twenty years, and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers are looking for in-school academic interventions to mitigate this decline. This descriptive case study explored classroom experiences and student engagement with reading in a choice-based Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) program in a high school. The study examines student experiences through Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT). EVT suggests that a student’s engagement with reading will increase when they find the task valuable and believe success is achievable. The study explores how providing students with the independence to select their reading materials influences their experience in class and …

Perspectives On Using Multimedia In Social Studies For Student Engagement In Marginalized Youth: A Case Study, Dorrian Swinger

Dissertations

Abstract

Marginalized youth are currently facing an academic crisis in schools. Research has shown that marginalized youth are statistically more likely to drop out of school and not graduate from high school (defined as the academic crisis in this study). One reason for these high drop-out rates is disengagement in what is taught and how content is delivered in school. When students cannot relate or connect to their studies, it causes disengagement and uninterest in school. The disengagement can lead to a lack of academic success, which creates negative motivation to drop out of school. The more marginalized youth are …

The Impact Of Flipped Classroom With Active Learning Model Of Instruction In Teaching Stoichiometry In Chemistry Among Black And Brown Students, Lawrence Femi Akintokun

Dissertations

Students pursuing professions in STEM sometimes encounter difficulties in General Chemistry, a semester-long foundational subject. A fundamental subject in this course is stoichiometry, which pertains to the mathematical connections between elements and compounds in chemical processes. This fundamental notion is essential for comprehending advanced chemistry subjects, although it may provide challenges for students because of its dependence on algorithms and prior knowledge. Research has predominantly concentrated on the conceptualization of stoichiometry through models endorsed by educators, rather than on student involvement. This project sought to investigate the interactions of Black and Brown students with essential stoichiometry ideas in General Chemistry …

We Speak Life Into Their Language: Black Educators’ Approaches To Linguistic Justice In Urban Secondary Ela Classrooms, Lakeisha A. Davis

Dissertations

This study explores how Black educators navigate linguistic justice, deficit thinking, and stereotypes in urban secondary English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, it examines how teachers affirm Black Language (BL) while balancing the demands of White Mainstream English (WME) in academic spaces. Findings reveal that although educators employ culturally affirming strategies, they face challenges from restrictive language policies and standardized assessments. To counteract these barriers, they adopt negotiation practices that support students’ linguistic and cultural identities. From these findings, the study proposes Dynamic Linguistic Uplift (DLU)—a new theoretical framework that illustrates how Black educators sustain BL …

Opening Access To Advanced Placement English, Tabitha J. Evans

Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine the growth trend in enrollment into AP over Honors English courses in secondary students across six high schools in the same school district over the past eight years and to determine how that enrollment impacted exam performance. Both a student survey and district demographic and exam performance data was pulled across the six high schools for all AP English Language and Composition (AP Language) and AP English Literature and Composition (AP Literature) courses over the course of time under study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze trends in enrollment growth, AP scores, …

How New Mathematics Teachers Develop Teacher-Student Relational Pedagogy, Dustin Kinser

Dissertations

This study investigated the support structures implemented with new mathematics teachers to help them build relational pedagogy with their students to determine their effectiveness. The literature review examines topical research, gaps in literature and theoretical frameworks to justify the study. The case study investigated new math teachers and their processes of building positive teacher-student relationships using the support structures that they were taught on their way to becoming a teacher. Math teachers were interviewed to find any common themes across the study and find out what is truly working or not working so that the process can be improved. Another …

The Urgency Of Instituting Systemic Cybersecurity Curriculum Within Stem At Secondary Educational Levels In Preparation For Postsecondary Institutions., Robert Spencer

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Over the last 20 years, many secondary institutions have made advances developing curriculum defined as “STEM (Science, Engineering and Mathematics)” in order to ensure secondary students are eligible to apply as well excel in technology degree programs at the college and university levels. Although various initiatives exist, there are studies however, which allude to a great possibility that there will be a lack of cybersecurity professionals filling present day and anticipated future positions. Despite a large number of federal and educational enhancements there is need for additional research regarding instituting overall systemic processes and curriculum which supports secondary student transition …

Domino Effect: A Case Study On The Impact Of Education Legislation On The Emotions, Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, And Retention Of English Language Arts Teachers In A Rural Middle School, Melinda Palmer

Dissertations

This multiple case study uses the appraisal theory of emotions to examine how Georgia education legislation, the Georgia Parents’ Bill of Rights and Senate Bill 226, impacted the emotional experiences, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction of ELA teachers in a rural middle school. This study also examines how this legislation impacted the retention of ELA teachers at the site school. The study highlights the experiences of 3 veteran teachers who were teaching ELA during the year immediately following the passage of the legislation. The findings indicate that the subsequent procedural changes initiated unpleasant emotional experiences: anger associated with the loss of …

Exploring School Teachers' Cyber Security Awareness, Experiences, And Practices In The Digital Age, R Ravichandran, Sonam Singh, P Sasikala

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study investigates the awareness and practices of cyber security among school teachers, exploring their understanding of cyber threats, online behaviours, and response mechanisms to cyber incidents. A structured questionnaire was administered to gather data on demographic information, cyber security training, online practices, and experiences with cybercrime. The findings reveal varying levels of awareness among teachers, with many reporting limited knowledge of prevalent cyber threats such as phishing and identity theft. Despite the increasing reliance on digital tools for teaching, a significant number of respondents indicated a lack of formal training in cyber security. The study highlights the necessity for …

More Than Just A Grade: Factors Influencing Secondary Students’ Engagement With Digital Feedback, Mandy Prior

Dissertations

The increasing use of technology in secondary education has shifted teacher feedback practices to digital environments. While digital feedback offers many promising affordances, the factors that influence how students engage with and use digital feedback are not well understood. Previous research indicates that digital feedback poses unique challenges for engagement. New paradigm feedback models seek to identify processes and actions that promote feedback engagement. However, these models require further study in digital and pre-higher education contexts. This qualitative single-case study investigated the factors influencing secondary students' engagement with digital feedback. Data included 24 student interviews conducted across four grade levels …

Impact Of Disciplinary Literacy Pedagogy On Student Historical Content Learning: A Mixed Methods Research Study, Jeffrey Mayr

Dissertations

This study sought to assess if a disciplinary literacy (DL) teaching intervention could increase student historical content learning. The purpose of this study was to help make recommendations for usage of DL teaching strategies in the future. DL is a new and promising teaching strategy that has a multitude of research-backed benefits. However, DL adoption has been hampered by a lack of clarity on if DL can improve student content learning and test scores. This study used mixed methods methodology. Quantitative assessment was utilized for a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design to assess the impact of a two-week DL teaching …