In recent years, gamification gained widespread adoption in education aiming to increase students' positive experiences (e.g., motivation, engagement, and flow state). However, the results of using gamification in education are still contradictory, challenging the community to comprehend the influence of individual factors on learners' experiences…

Starting from the observation that teachers treat boys and girls differently, this study investigated the variety in the magnitude of the difference in teacher-perceived teachability of boys and girls and its determinants. The study responded two research questions: (1) Does the extent of the difference in teacher-perceived teachability of boys…

Universal screening is an essential practice in any multi-tiered system of support, but without understanding the demographic makeup of students in studies that inform current practices, the effectiveness in which instruments and screening approaches work best for students of demographically diverse backgrounds cannot be assessed. In this…

Pulling from a sample of students from rural backgrounds (n = 1847), multilevel modeling was used to explore how the academic campus climate can predict sense of belonging for rural students. Findings offer insights into how certain perceptions, behaviors, and institutional characteristics may influence sense of belonging. For instance, higher…

Adult learners make up a significant portion of college and university students in the United States, but awareness and data around this population and their challenges, particularly for students enrolled in online programs, are lacking. Practitioners and others in the ecosystem also lack research into the experiences of adult students…

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) experienced a resurgence in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this work, we studied participants in an astrobiology MOOC offered on Coursera since April 2019. Using a modified version of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II, we examined the primary motivational factors of the participants, how those…

The state of Maryland has recognized the potential for registered apprenticeships both to provide a path to better-paying careers that do not require college degrees and to help employers meet their needs for employees with specialized skills. This report explores opportunities for and challenges to expanding apprenticeship in Maryland and…

Recent changes to federal career and technical education (CTE) policy have emphasized the importance of closing access and success gaps in postsecondary CTE among "special" student populations including low-income students, racially minoritized students, students with disabilities, and student groups historically underrepresented in…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education has rapidly expanded, transforming the landscape of community colleges. This paper explores how different online learning modalities impact student success in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), one of the largest and most diverse systems in the United States. With the purpose of…

Noncognitive constructs such as self-efficacy, social awareness, and academic engagement are widely acknowledged as critical components of human capital, but systematic data collection on such skills in school systems is complicated by conceptual ambiguities, measurement challenges and resource constraints. This study addresses this issue by…