In their nascent stages, charter schools formed under competing ideologies. In academic circles, charter schools were envisioned as pedagogical laboratories that would allow for educator- and community-driven school improvement. In other circles, charter schools emerged as a free-market reform driven by accountability, choice, and growth. Amid the…

This study examines homeroom teachers' motivation and morality in their classroom-level leadership in China. Data are drawn from questionnaires completed by 137 junior middle school homeroom teachers from Tianjin city, and semi-structured interviews with 10 of them. The participating homeroom teachers saw themselves as having high levels of both…

This mixed-methods study is an exploration of fifth and sixth grade students' interactions with an online game called "Quandary," a comic-book-esque game aimed at stimulating ethical decision-making. Building on the domain-based moral education framework, researchers designed and implemented a short-term intervention in three classrooms…

The purpose of this study was to explore character education related to the perceptions and sense of efficacy of selected central Mississippi private and public elementary and middle school teachers. This research questioned 140 elementary (1st through 4th grades) and middle school (5th through 8th grades) teachers using the Character Education…

Environmental and sustainability education cannot disconnect itself from politics. In order to achieve sustainable societies, we need approaches that educate students capable of coping with the political complexities of environmental issues in a civic environmental context. This study proposes a pluralistic environmental citizenship approach based…

The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to understand how 9th grade honors and general education language arts students made course enrollment decisions through the lens of the Expectancy-Value (E-V) theory. A survey was administered to 9th grade students (N = 118) attending a public high school with the overall mean score…

Outdoor environmental education programs frequently aim to influence participants' environmental values and behaviors. Published studies have frequently documented their success in doing so. However, few studies have examined the characteristics of programs in relation to accomplishing those goals. Using characteristics identified as important in…

Utilizing an inquiry-learning space (ILS) via the Go-Lab platform, we investigated students' technology acceptance, knowledge integration [KI] process, and learning outcomes of both the high-achiever KI student and low-achiever KI student. This study aimed to understand how students engage in knowledge integration tasks using an inquiry-learning…

Supporting student wellbeing in schools is increasingly becoming a global priority. However, research and initiatives primarily focus on general wellbeing rather than subject-specific experiences. Given the pervasive levels of mathematics anxiety, negative attitudes, and disengagement in mathematics education, we argue for a more contextualised…

This study examines how one teacher supported low-achieving students' self-regulated learning (SRL) in the context of a secondary mathematics class. The teacher's scaffolding provided students with multiple opportunities to use feedback and adapt learning and study strategies. Data compared pre- and post-measures of metacognitive skills,…

The purpose of this three-year study was to examine middle school female and male students' attitudes about science in four different categories before and after being with PhD science graduate students, "resident scientists," in their classrooms every week. The study was based upon a National Science Foundation (NSF) program called…

Friendships can provide a critical buffer against stress for youth, but the extent to which they serve this role depends on whether they provide resources that youth value most. These valued provisions may differ for girls and boys and across stages of development. This study examined whether gender differences in friendship values intensify…

The purpose of this research study is to understand teacher experiences throughout their second year of engagement in the Virginia Tech Partnering with Educators and Engineers in Rural Schools partnership. This partnership is an assets-based community partnership in a rural environment between middle school teachers, regional industry, and…

The study examines beginning teachers' and pre-service teachers' motivation to teach in China. Data are drawn from questionnaires completed by 107 beginning teachers (full-time teachers with fewer than six years' working experience) and 122 pre-service teachers, and semi-structured interviews with 19 of them. The respondents all emphasised social…

Utilizing data from the 2009 IEA International Civic and Citizenship Study Asian Regional Module, this secondary analysis explores the relationship between traditional Asian values and democratic citizenship. Findings identify two dimensions of Asian values: Asian civic values and obedience to authority. Among South Korean students, Asian civic…