Genius Hour, also known as 20% Time, was coined by Daniel Pink (2009) and is an inquiry-based approach to business and learning grounded in autonomy and intrinsic motivation, ultimately, encouraging critical, creative thinking and problem-solving (Juliani, 2016).The review of related literature examined a specific type of inquiry-based learning…

Teacher educators broadly agree upon the need to prepare teachers who, as lifelong learners, are poised to meet the perpetually changing demands of teaching. One widely cited approach to addressing this need is to promote the development of an inquiry stance among teacher candidates by engaging them in the cyclical process of practitioner…

This dissertation explores the integration of Place-Based Scientific Inquiry (PBSI) into science education through participatory design-based professional development for instructors at Sky School, an outdoor education program in southern Arizona. PBSI emphasizes student-centered, inquiry-driven, experiential learning grounded in outdoor contexts.…

This qualitative, instrumental case study examined how a mentor inquiry community can serve as a space for mentors to articulate their knowledge and what about the inquiry community, its characteristics, might harm or help that development. Using Design-Based Research as the methodology, a mentor inquiry community, composed of three…

Children in schools are experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress (Muris et al., 1998), which has a critical impact on a child's ability to learn (Hammond, 2015).According to MindfulSchools.org, there is a clear link between an emotionally positive classroom climate and academic achievement. As a school leader, during an unprecedented time of…

The rapid shift to online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) across the globe. Educators faced an unprecedented shift from traditional to online classrooms. This basic interpretive study aimed to understand the experiences and perspectives of community college faculty in a public university system…

New York City public schools, serving nearly one million students, are some of the most segregated in the nation. The Bronx, one of the poorest school districts in New York City, serving students who are 83% Black or Hispanic, has been plagued by persistent racial disproportionalities. Top-down change efforts have consistently failed. Improvement…

This qualitative research study used narrative inquiry to explore the professional development experiences needed for assistant principals aspiring to the principalship as perceived by seven principals who lead effective Title I schools. Five research questions guided the investigation of professional development opportunities that principals of…

Prevalent new paradigms are emphasizing the need for more powerful learning opportunities that meet the needs of 21st century learners. One way to change education to better meet the needs of the 21st century is to reimagine school architecture. The purpose of this research was to study the ways practitioner inquiry can serve as a mechanism for…

Teacher collaboration is essential for the improvement of student achievement and teacher performance. Classrooms comprise a variety of learners with individual learning needs that must be met for effective learning to take place. In the past, teachers have taught in isolation without the assistance of collaboration. A professional learning…

In this naturalistic inquiry, I explore a professional development program which provided Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) graduate coursework from a university in Northeast Kansas to in-service teachers in Southwest Kansas through distance learning. Data sources included interviews, participant observation, and document and…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand the novice principals' experiences in the principalship and the support they received from their district to make recommendations for principal mentorship programs. The study reported on qualitative interview methods with three novice principals and two mentors to determine essential…

This study set out to examine how interactions between a mathematics instructional coach and a teacher influence teacher pedagogical content knowledge, instructional practices, and a classroom culture of mathematical inquiry (CCMI). The research literature on mathematics instructional coaching was limited, but showed promise in supporting…

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of educational leadership on student participation in the National Program of Science and Technology Fairs (Programa Nacional de Ferias de Ciencia y Tecnologia [PRONAFECYT]) in the primary schools of Costa Rica. The study identified the role that governmental, community, and school site…

Appreciative advising is an innovative academic advising method based on the organizational development theory of appreciative inquiry. This approach emphasizes student strengths through a collaborative relationship between advisor and student using open-ended questions and focusing on positive potential. This study addressed the local problem of…