This study presents six teacher participants through a narrative inquiry that examined their teaching using inquiry-based instruction infused in global perspectives at various school settings from the following parts of the world: Malaysia, Wyoming, Maine, South Korea, Austria, and Lebanon. This study involved all six participants to share their…

This retrospective quasi-experimental design research compared student achievement of students in two active learning environments. One is referred to as Student Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-Down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP), and the other is referred to as traditional classroom environments. Student final course grades of physics…

This dissertation is about designing learning environments that foreground students' epistemic agency as they "do science" in a science classroom. I build on the prior work that combines two important strands in learning sciences - agent-based modeling of complex systems and constructionism to design learning environments. I call such…

This study investigates the instructional practices of a chemistry professor during an immersion summer program, with a focus on employing multimodal discourse within a studio-based learning environment. For this study, multimodal discourse includes natural language, gestures, mathematical expressions, symbolic visual representations, and manual…

Differentiated instruction has emerged as a research-based approach to teaching that meets the diverse needs of students based upon learner readiness, interests, and learning profile, grounded in the socio-cultural, multiple intelligences, and brain-based learning theories. The purpose of this basic qualitative inquiry was to explore teachers'…

This study explores, through a single case qualitative study, how one school successfully leveraged academic conversation as a schoolwide instructional practice to foster rigorous learning opportunities for all learners. Furthermore, it explores the professional learning leveraged to support teachers and their professional growth in order to…

Innovations in undergraduate education have increased the prevalence of active learning courses, online education, and student engagement in the high-impact practice of undergraduate research, however it is unknown whether students with disabilities are able to engage in these innovative learning environments to the same extent that they are able…

Using a learning management system (LMS) to deliver robust content for K-12 students became an essential part of the discussion of technology's place in K-12 education when teachers were forced to teach online at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers used an LMS to deliver content in various ways and as part of different instructional…

Active learning, a constructivist approach to learning, can be an effective pedagogical tool. As active learning becomes more ubiquitous and begins to replace some lecture-style content delivery, the built environment should also change. A design case study, "a description of a real artifact or experience that has been intentionally…

Competency-based education (CBE) has become well-accepted as a powerful way to personalize learning. Today's advanced technologies have enhanced CBE even further. Practitioners in the field are seeking means to take advantage of technology to increase CBE's effectiveness and efficiency, especially for adult learners. Microlearning and digital open…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of project-based learning on the scale scores of 11th grade students on Arkansas' 11th Grade End of Course Literacy exam and to determine the cost effectiveness of project-based learning by determining the return on investment and productivity of a project-based learning model. I compared the…

There has been much discussion over which environment most effectively provides optimum support and motivates student learning. It was discovered through the review of research literature that traditional face-to-face, a combination of face-to-face and online (blended), and solely online learning each provides a learning environment that appeals…

Integrated STEM education comprises an exploration of the interconnections between science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to reflect on how each discipline operates within real world contexts. Students benefit from the integrated STEM approach because it values students' real-life experiences and hands-on applications that…

This qualitative case study asked the participants to reflect on their own learning experiences as a result of the instructional practices employed by the instructor to create an improved learning environment for students. The research investigated student perceptions of their learning via classmates' produced tutorials and how viewing the…

The purpose of this exploratory survey study was to investigate the role of motivational beliefs and perceptions of school conditions in K-12 teachers' implementation of PBL following their completion of introductory PBL training. Specifically, this study examined how much of the variance in the extent of PBL implementation was explained by…