This dissertation examines students' social-emotional experience with knowledge building pedagogy from the lenses of grit and growth mindset. The goal of this dissertation is to understand how interest, perseverance of effort and growth mindset oriented feedback engage students social emotionally in knowledge building to sustain and deepen their…

Excessive plate waste is generated in elementary school cafeterias. Adapting nutrition promotion strategies to target waste reduction and encouraging mindful and sustainable eating (MSE) are possible strategies to encourage students to reduce waste during school lunch. "Farm to Tray, Tray to Farm" is a 16-week intervention that aims to…

Early adolescence is a time of increased stress and risk for poorer psychosocial functioning, but few studies have explored the relationship between stress and psychosocial functioning in the context of teacher-student relationships during early adolescence. This study used a two-wave longitudinal design to investigate the unique and interactive…

Early adolescence is a time of increased stress and risk for poorer psychosocial functioning, but few studies have explored the relationship between stress and psychosocial functioning in the context of teacher-student relationships during early adolescence. This study used a two-wave longitudinal design to investigate the unique and interactive…

This research applied current thinking in the fields of positive education, positive youth development, and global education to a culturally-relevant, social-emotional learning curriculum. The Kenya Education Empowerment Project (KEEP) curriculum facilitated social-emotional learning through dialogically-based classroom lessons and opportunities…

Character education programming is gaining popularity in America's schools as a way to raise an intelligent and caring generation of students. However, many schools fail to allocate time, money, and resources to such initiatives. The present study examined the impact of an ethical sensitivity intervention in a religiously affiliated independent…

Organized afterschool activities present great potential to support individuals' positive development. Despite the general findings on the positive role of organized afterschool activities on individual development, existing studies have been limited in multiple ways. They have often focused on the quantity of participation or the amount of time…

This study examined whether mentoring influenced children's self-concept, anxiety, depression, and relationships with parents and peers over an 18-month period. We examined 31 mentored children (50% female) and a comparison group of 22 nonmentored children (50% female) at the beginning of a mentoring program in the fall of the fourth-grade year…