The field of adult learning theory, or how adults learn, has exploded in recent years yielding increased knowledge and awareness of how adults learn. While preachers do have a wide variety of ages in their congregations, most of the people they preach to are adults. This dissertation looks at preaching and adult learning theory and what the…

Collaboration is an underused teaching strategy despite its benefits and the call for curriculums worldwide to increase its use. To aid in discovering why the strategy is underused, more information was needed about the implementation of collaboration in the mathematics classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate mathematics teachers'…

Academic integrity among college students continues to be a problem at colleges and universities. This is particularly important for journalism students where ethical issues in the profession are critical, especially in an era of "fake news" and distrust in the media. While most journalism students study professional ethics, they do not…

A growing number of schools are adopting social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to address students' social, emotional, and academic needs. The proliferation of school-based SEL programs has spurred more research to investigate the ways in which educators enact SEL in schools. However, very few studies have considered the role school leaders…

In this study, a sequential exploratory design was applied to inquire about the ontological aspects of coaching and its role in the state of Washington early learning Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) - Early Achievers. Researchers in the past have demonstrated positive child level outcomes of instructional coaching and professional…

The creation of new knowledge in the form of scientific models is a cornerstone of the process of science. In physics laboratory instruction, students are very often stuck in a confirmatory mindset; they have been conditioned to believe that the role of experimentation in the classroom and in the world is to verify known facts. This mindset is…

This mixed methods study examined the factors influencing students' decisions to choose traditional high school courses over the College in the High School (CiHS) option. The study involved a school personnel survey and interviews with students from diverse high school settings in the state of Washington to provide a comprehensive understanding of…

The University of Washington's Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher well-being hybrid and online courses for both pre-service and in-service teachers uses stress coping strategies to foster resilience, self- value, and confidence in ECE teachers. The present study employed a mixed-method research approach to investigate three questions…

Rooted in Chicana/Latina feminism and interdisciplinary frameworks, this dissertation uses autoethnographic (Behar, 1996), participatory (Baquedano-Lopez, 2021; Irizarry & Brown, 2014), and art-based research (Leavy, 2015; Delgado Bernal, Burciaga & Flores Carmona, 2012) to document Mexicana/Latina campesinas' education in agriculture in…

The problem addressed by this study was that educators struggle with knowing which authentic literacy instructional practices and strategies were effective for improving student engagement and achievement levels in the middle grades. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to examine the instructional strategies related…

Alternative schools are vital spaces for students who are not successful in traditional schools. The knowledge of social and emotional learning (SEL) and the impact it has on students who attend alternative schools specifically is limited. The problem addressed by this study was the lack of success that explicit SEL programs have in meeting the…

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to explore the effects of the use of gamification on students' motivation and engagement in the college environment. The study drew from three theoretical principles: Self-determination theory, new literacy studies, and behaviorism. The study was conducted at Washington State University on two English…

The purpose of this study was to explore the social validity of the STEAM Trunk Math study- a virtual professional development intervention approach for early learning educators. The aim of the intervention was to increase the knowledge, skills, and comfort level regarding the use of math in early learning settings. A quasi-experimental…

In response to the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the changing health care needs of the 21st century, the Institute of Medicine recommended that 80% of the registered nursing (RN) workforce should have their baccalaureate degree or higher by the year 2020. The College of Nursing at Washington State University (WSU) offers an accredited, online…

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented evolving challenges for educational leaders. This study will explore the crisis management practices of PK-12 public school superintendents. Specifically, the team will consider effective resilience-building practices as a means for leaders to manage a prolonged crisis. A comparative case study was conducted to…