Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to revolutionize the way we learn and educate, enhancing and supplementing the traditional learning experience by providing new ways to interact with information and people. However, its full potential in education has yet to be fully realized, as work in this space requires resolving cutting-edge technical…

This dissertation examined how recent graduates from an animal science program described the role of experiential learning on their educational success in eastern Tennessee. The goal of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how recent graduates describe the role of experiential learning on their educational success by answering the…

Early-career educators' professional learning experiences are critical to the development of their professional identities and retention. Relationships with others, applicability to one's role and reflection are key to these individuals' success long-term. This qualitative study sought to explore the dynamics of retention as a result of…

Agricultural education is critical in addressing complex problems around food and agriculture systems. One such method for educating citizens about agriculture is postsecondary agricultural education programming. Specifically, experiential learning is widely used at the post-secondary level to achieve powerful, goal-oriented, academic learning.…

Professional advocacy is central to the counselor's professional identity and is essential for counselors to maintain the privilege of serving clients. Despite CACREP requirements for programs to provide training in professional advocacy, counseling students may need more training in this area. This quantitative study examined professional…

This dissertation investigates how collective process-oriented documentation tools, combined with Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, can enhance knowledge construction in hands-on, open-ended learning environments, such as makerspaces. Through a three-year design-based research, the study developed and tested a collective documentation…

The problem was the decline in executive functioning skills of Grade 5 students in a consolidated independent school district in suburban Austin, Texas since the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this qualitative critical instance case study was to better understand the perceptions of teachers regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the executive…

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…

Many mathematics teachers, at one time or another, have exclaimed that "I really didn't understand mathematics, until I had to teach it." Secondary mathematics teachers' knowledge, both subject matter and pedagogical content, plays an important role in their teaching of the subject. Teacher education programs are, therefore, designed to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived level of importance of and competence of Georgia's SBAE teachers when working with Students with Disabilities in the classroom and Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs). The participants in this study were high school agricultural education teachers in the state of Georgia. This study…

First-generation college students are concentrated at community colleges, and nearly half of those students who identify as being first-generation come from a low-income background. This qualitative study utilized a conceptual framework to explore understand how LI-FG (low-income, first-generation) community college students, particularly students…

This study investigates the impact reflection has on the exemplary leadership development of college student-athletes by employing a randomized, alternative-treatments design experimental strategy in order to examine the relationship between reflection and leadership development among 101 student-athletes at an NCAA Division III, faith-based…