The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to understand how current and former early childhood and elementary school teachers and administrators at a multiple intelligence (MI) school in St. Louis, Missouri, viewed the feasibility and impact of applying MI theory in lesson planning and their perceptions of the assistance of educational…

This dissertation examines the affective qualities of non-player character motion in a Virtual Reality (VR) cognitive training game, their impact on players' core affective experiences, game performance, and cognitive training outcomes. How do the movements of game characters in a VR environment affect players' experienced emotions, gameplay…

Executive functions (EF) are important cognitive processing skills required for planning, reasoning, problem solving and self-monitoring. It is vital to various aspects of human development from behavioral, social-emotional to academic. There is an increasing interest in identifying and developing cognitive skills training interventions. Results…

The proliferation of digital educational applications (apps) has revolutionized the pedagogical landscape for students and instructors, both within and beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. Educational apps offer a variety of features that can help students learn more effectively, including personalized instruction and real-time feedback.…

Many specialists have put out a call to action for more specialized training in L2 pronunciation pedagogy, as many language educators are ill-equipped to meet the instructional demands that pronunciation teaching requires (Foote et al., 2011; Henderson et al., 2015; Murphy, 2014, 2017). While language teacher professional development has started…

Although pronunciation instruction (PI) has started to gain prominence in second language teacher professional development (PD) research (e.g. Nguyen & Newton, 2021), relatively less attention has been given to PD programs in an online format. Adopting a Sociocultural Theoretical (SCT) perspective, this dissertation explored the role of an…

Law enforcement officers can come into conflict with suspects when they need to act fast under time pressure. Improving such a decision-making skill is a challenge in a police academy. Academies can train future officers in correct psychomotor responses to attacks by a suspect. However, the ability to anticipate such attacks, and thereby make more…

There is a gap in student learning that can be addressed by increased and more efficient use of technology of many forms in education. Benefits are plenty, but barriers to implementation sometimes thwart efforts of schools attempting to include more technology in instructional settings. Using theoretical frameworks of diffusion theory,…

The current study examined how components of reflective practice interplay with children's music-making and sharing processes. This study employed a qualitative approach with 11 children who played classroom instruments and researcher-designed computer programs ("Build MyTune I" and "Build MyTune II") while attending music…

This research explored online graduate students' preferences using the Constructivist Internet-Based Learning Environment Survey (CILES) and how everyday learner attributes affected their preferences. The purpose of this study was to identify graduate students' preferences for various types of learning in order to aid designers with aligning…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe how digital immigrant teachers perceive the influence of social media on the affective and cognitive development of students at three high schools in Alabama. As the prevalence of social technologies is increasing, educators must understand how it is affecting students in…

The purpose of this study was to determine if online reflections through social networking affect students' sense of community and levels of perceived conceptual learning in Algebra I courses. Social constructivism, connectivism, and computer-mediated communication in relation to reflective practices form the theoretical and practical framework…

The rise of interactive technologies provides a chance to expand children's informal learning opportunities in a new direction, with the potential to support children's physical, social, and cognitive development. As emergent literacy skills are extremely important in establishing literacy trajectories upon school entry, technologies that foster…

Within the paradigm of Sociocultural Theory, and using Activity Theory as a data-gathering and management tool, this microgenetic case study examined the processes--the growth, change, and development--engaged in by student-teachers in a foreign language education program as they worked together to complete an activity. The activity involved…

As distance learning evolved, course designers and teachers quickly recognized the value of integrating online features into the classroom. The result was blended learning, a combination of online and face-to-face components. This complex and dynamic new form of education has raised many questions about the role of computer-mediated communication…