The present study explores the psychometric properties of Prime Time's Youth Engagement Survey (PT-YES) and the relationships among the survey items. Prime Time Palm Beach County, Inc. developed PT-YES, which contains 30 Likert scale questions designed to measure youth engagement during out-of-school time (OST) activities with community partners.…

As technology continues to permeate all aspects of modern society, it is critical for PK-12 students to participate in computer science (CS) learning opportunities that prepare them to navigate and leverage technology in their future careers. However, research consistently shows that Black, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, and Native American students,…

School climate is increasingly recognized by scholars and policymakers as a crucial factor associated with students' educational experiences. Hence, practitioners endeavor to equitably measure and improve school climate to promote favorable student academic and behavior outcomes. Unfortunately, school climate research is fragmented, and a…

There are two important premises at the core of the American democracy: inclusion and dissent. Focusing on the premise of democratic dissent, the overarching goal of this study is understanding how colleges may encourage desirable civic outcomes. This dissertation is proceeds in an alternative format, containing three distinct manuscripts. Chapter…

The relationship between a teacher and a student is directly related to both teacher and student satisfaction and success. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable Teacher--Student Relational Efficacy Scale (TSRES)--an instrument to provide measurable and research-based reflective opportunity to identify and potentially…

In this dissertation, I complete three studies to evaluate potential reactions to target role congruity, especially gender role congruity, through an examination of Student Evaluations of Instructors (SEIs). Target role congruity refers to assessments an observer makes of whether or not the various roles a target person fills "fit" with…

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of acquiescence on both positively and negatively worded questions, both when unidimensionality was assumed and when it was not. To accomplish this, undergraduate student responses to a previously validated survey of student engagement were used to compare several models of acquiescence, using a…

Measurement invariance is crucial for making valid comparisons across different groups (Kline, 2016; Vandenberg, 2002). To address the challenges associated with invariance testing such as large sample size requirements, the complexity of the model, etc., applied researchers have incorporated parcels. Parcels have been shown to alleviate skewness,…

Religious support has consistently been linked with better psychological functioning. The Multi-Faith Religious Support Scale (MFRSS; Bjorck & Maslim, 2011) is one measure used to assess such support, but to date, no one has assessed denominational differences using this scale. I compared Catholics and Protestants in this study regarding the…

Every student comes into each classroom with a unique mathematical identity. Mathematical identity consists of the stories about a person's confidence, beliefs, and persistence with mathematics as told by her/himself or by others (Gweshe & Brodie, 2019). Identity is not fixed (Dweck & Yeager, 2019; Wenger, 1998) and is dynamic within a…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of teacher characteristics and school demographics in teachers' perceptions of children's cognitive abilities. Most researchers find that teachers' personal characteristics are not related to their perceptions of their children's cognitive abilities. In a 2011 study, Douglas Ready and…

There is limited recognition of self-determination concept in the Middle Eastern culture. Subsequently, there are no adapted measures of self-determination for Arabic adolescents with intellectual disability, learning disability, and multiple disabilities (intellectual disability and physical impairment). The purpose of this study was to examine…

The teacher's role as evangelizer in a Catholic elementary school is important since most classroom teachers are expected to teach the content of the Catholic faith and every teacher, Catholic or non-Catholic, is encouraged to share their faith with the students. This study explored the relationship among teachers' perceptions of their role as…

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to compare Chinese and American students' inclined level of critical thinking using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) (Insight Assessment, 2013). The literature of Paul and Elder (1996, 2000, 2005, 2010), Facione and Facione (1992, 1996) and Brookfield (2005, 2010,…

This study evaluated a model of parent involvement in secondary special education and transition planning and identified motivators affecting a parent's decision to become involved. Survey data were collected from a national sample of 300 parents of transition-age youth with disabilities. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis indicated the…