The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how science students described their experiences of collaboration in a virtual learning environment at a community college in the Midwestern United States between 2020 - 2022. The literature review indicated the need to understand how science students described their experience of…

Technology has become an integral part of the teaching and learning process in the current educational landscape, revolutionizing students' learning experiences in alternative and traditional educational settings. However, despite having access to various tech tools that support student learning, an achievement gap still exists, and many students…

This dissertation is an invitation into our beloved biology classroom. Weaving hermeneutic phenomenology and critical participatory teacher action research, this study investigated self as teacher and two cohorts of student participants in a high school biology experience utilizing an 'Aina Aloha praxis. Articulating my ongoing 'Aina Aloha praxis,…

The process of unpacking educational standards is one method elementary teachers can use to analyze the science standards they are required to teach in the classroom. However, it is not the only method for teachers to familiarize themselves with the science standards. The goal of this study was to determine if receiving formal training in…

A qualitative multiple-case study explored the perceptions of science teachers, administrators, and specialists on instructional strategies used in urban STEM schools to decrease the science achievement gap among African American students. The problem addressed in this study was the science achievement gap for African American students in urban…

Though job opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) continue to expand in the United States, people on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) while in school are continually disadvantaged in future STEM-based career possibilities. Studies have shown that students on IEPs are far less likely to major in a STEM degree…

A major goal of science education is to produce students who are scientifically literate, meaning that students can not only understand scientific texts, but also use scientific information to make informed decisions related to scientific issues. Unfortunately, students in the United States have below proficient science ability, meaning the…

This study addressed the problem of whether elementary school teachers are consistently implementing the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards in their pedagogical practices of teaching science. It was evident that half of all teachers in the United States do not consistently implement technology into their…

While it is well established that pedagogies purposefully linking subject matter to students' cultural contexts and prior knowledge can help students learn subject matter, little is known about practices for so doing in undergraduate biology courses enrolling substantial numbers of racially, culturally, and otherwise diverse students. This study…

Gamification is a teaching strategy often praised for its effectiveness in the classroom. The problem was the lack of information regarding teachers' perceptions regarding gamification in high school Advanced Placement (AP) computer science courses. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of computer science teachers…

This study tested the hypothesis that exploratory learning, with and without analogous problems, would improve students' ability to make connections between conceptually-related topics. In this randomized experiment, undergraduates in introductory physics (N = 171) studied a new topic under three different instructional conditions. Order and type…

Validated conceptual multiple-choice surveys administered before and after instruction in relevant concepts can be useful tools to gauge the effectiveness of curricula and pedagogical strategies. Here we discuss the use of four different validated surveys to investigate student understanding: The Energy and Momentum Conceptual Survey (EMCS), the…

Tennessee school instructional leaders experienced a teacher shortage and relied upon alternatively licensed second career teachers to fill vacant teaching positions, especially in math and science. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive study was to understand alternatively licensed math and science second career teachers' perceptions of…

With little to no literature found exploring dual enrollment/dual credit (DE/DC) offerings in Career Technical Education (CTE) and Health Science core courses/programs this study provides an examination of the perceived driving forces behind the recent expansion of DE/DC into CTE and Health Sciences. The development of a deeper understanding…

How does leadership emerge and develop among university STEM faculty working to adopt evidence-based teaching practices? This qualitative case study examines academic departments as sites for instructional change, viewing leadership as an emergent property of the relationships within a social system. The researcher adopted a dual lens of McElroy…