This dissertation was conducted to explore the influence of architectural design on educators' and students' behavior and perception about their learning. The study began with four principal questions, concerning a new academic building at the University of Kansas. However, the inquiry process took me to different directions. The questions focused…

MCL unclearly defined for the teachers asked to implement it in the classroom. This study sought to determine how teacher's implement MCL through the data collection of a mind map, which instructional components teachers used, the ideas that MCL has advanced and the idea that MCL made sense of. This qualitative case study analyzed six teacher's…

This capstone is an exploration of an online learning environment for teachers to receive professional learning at any time, anywhere. The focus of this capstone was to design a series of self-paced, asynchronous learning courses to help teachers implement one-to-one Chromebooks in the Fayette County Public School District. Additionally, the…

The purpose of this study was to explore the need for an individualized curriculum within special education for students living with autism spectrum disorder. Previously conducted research disclosed a need for further research to understand the differentiation of curriculum for students living with autism spectrum disorder. The research question…

Studies in the current research paradigm follow a pattern of pre-exhibit activities, in-exhibit monitoring and post-exhibit test to evaluate learning and program effectiveness in museums. These efforts helped identify some important factors correlative to learning, but little is known about how exhibits are designed in a way that space, materials…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of Early College High School (ECHS) adjunct instructors teaching dual enrollment courses in a southern region school district. Through interviews with ten ECHS adjunct instructors, the researcher examined the factors contributing to their success, their professional…

For many educators and their students, homework is part of standard school practice. Homework as an exercise is not nearly as important as its intended purpose. The common intent for assigning homework is for students to practice recently obtained skills and knowledge as well as expanding individual understanding. Unfortunately, changes in…

This qualitative, phenomenological study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts lesson design for teachers at a school district in southeast Texas. As generative AI becomes more integrated into education, this research investigates how AI tools influence teachers' abilities to create dynamic, differentiated, and effective lesson plans.…

Despite years of educational reform, many students do not perform on grade level, and all graduates are not prepared to succeed in college. As a result, there has been a renewed interest in personalized learning. This qualitative case study explored the thinking and decision-making processes of teachers who implement personalized learning for…

This study examined the classroom management and/or training that influenced the implementation of flexible grouping in upper elementary classrooms. The goal of the study was to identify classroom management strategies that would enable upper elementary teachers to effectively implement flexible grouping as a method of differentiated instruction.…

Professional learning continues to be one of the most widely used methods for raising student achievement and teacher development, yet school districts continue to use antiquated models that often dismiss the core features needed to be effective (Desimone, 2009). These core features include being content focused, active learning opportunities,…

This mixed-methods study involved implementation of virtual field trip (VFT) projects in an online undergraduate foreign language (FL) course, with a close focus on four student participants' use of VFTs over four weeks. Participants explored an Italian city using desktop virtual reality; narrated their experiences, and created an annotated…

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…

Learner variability exists in every classroom, can present itself in many forms, and applies to all students. There has been a positive shift in practitioners acknowledging the need for differentiated instructional practice for students' academic and behavioral learning needs. However, there is still little insight into how to successfully…

The aim of this action research study is to determine how differentiated mathematics stations effect student learning. The research question that guided this study is as follows: How does the implementation of differentiated instruction using math stations impact individual student learning progression on the SLO posttest, unit pretest and post…