In this dissertation, I will interrogate existing and explore new possibilities for healing in a school governed by anti-Blackness. "Self-care," "social emotional learning" (SEL), "trauma-informed care," "restorative practices," and "mindfulness" are frequently used terms in the recent discourse…

Belief in psychological misconceptions, especially those regarding brain function and learning (i.e., neuromyths), hinders students' decision-making and learning. This necessitates conceptual change. Using an experimental design, this dissertation examined whether a utility value instructional induction (UVII) facilitated conceptual change.…

This study explores the math identities and teaching practices of six female educators in Los Angeles. Through in-depth interviews, the study finds that math identity is a complex intersection of multiple identities, representation is important for encouraging female students to pursue STEM fields, and the Common Core standards provide a valuable…

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions of grading policies and practices. A phenomenological study was pursued as the method allows for a deeper, more meaningful investigation into the lived experiences of subjects. In this case, a sample of secondary teachers working for a district that has recently adopted a mastery-based…

This case study seeks to examine the exit-decisions of "invested leavers," teachers who have taught for five or more years and then left the profession for reasons other than retirement. As traditional studies of teacher attrition tend to focus on new teachers, (teachers in their first five years of teaching), their findings may not help…

Despite research suggesting the importance of centering students and focusing on deep conceptual understandings, direct instruction and step-by-step procedures remain common in mathematics classrooms nationwide. For this self-study, I embarked on a year of striving to change how I taught. I documented that process through a reflective journal, and…

Trauma-informed practices have become a buzzword within the field of education. This extended literature review and doctoral work project aim to bridge the gap between general knowledge of trauma-informed practices and an in-depth understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on elementary-aged children through the lens of…

The prevalence of issues adversely affecting people's mental health has become a growing concern in Canada. Unfortunately, only one in four young people affected with mental health problems receives professional help (Sawyer et al., 2000). However, Gallagher and Lopez (2009) found that being hopeful is favourably associated with the growth of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the social and cultural instructional process on independent reading. In addition, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the administrator-teacher relationship on educational practices in a lab site classroom. Using an action research design, data was collected through…

Within the framework of hope defined by Snyder et al. (1991) as being comprised of agency and pathways thinking in the context of goal achievement, this study investigated the potential of faculty hopeful teaching practices to positively influence college student hope and success. Hope functions in student success frameworks as a factor that…

This study seeks to advance and expand research on college student success. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, the study investigates the contribution of psychosocial variables above and beyond traditional achievement and demographic measures to predicting first-semester college grade point average (GPA). It also investigates if…

My research explores some of the challenges involved in coming to think critically about the ways in which injustices of the past play themselves out in the present in social justice teacher education. I examine obstacles involved in coming to understand how each and everyone of us is (albeit in different ways) complicit in ongoing social and…