Over 30 states have adopted the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) as a component of their program quality assessment systems, but the use of ECERS-R on such a large scale has raised important questions about implementation. One of the most pressing question centers upon decisions users must make between two scoring…

This study explores a new comprehensive framework for understanding elements of validity, specifically for performance assessments that are administered within specific and dynamic contexts. The adoption of edTPA is a good empirical case for examining the concept of consequential validity because this assessment has been implemented at the state…

Metacognition helps control cognitions through the actions and interactions of metacognitive knowledge, experiences, and strategies. Since 1979, metacognition has been extensively studied and found to be an effective tool for learning. In reading, metacognition is associated with improved vocabulary, reading awareness, strategies, comprehension,…

The purpose of this study is to assess issues that arise in the context of epistemological claims in narrative educational research by means of narrative analysis and epistemological evaluation. The research questions which guided the study were: 1) To what extent is epistemology considered by narrative educational researchers?; 2) What issues do…

Syntactic (i.e., grammatical) complexity refers to the range and the degree of sophistication of the forms that appear in language production (Ortega, 2003). This concept has long been regarded as an important construct of language proficiency and has been actively investigated in the field of second language (L2) writing. Syntactic complexity is…

In this research, I set out to elucidate the relationships that might exist between students' conceptual understanding upon which they draw in their proof activity. I explore these relationships using data from individual interviews with three students from a junior-level Modern Algebra course. Each phase of analysis was iterative, consisting of…

The purpose of this research project was to conduct an exploratory analysis of the 2016 Mississippi Statewide Accountability System (MSAS), which is the model by which all public schools in Mississippi are assessed, rated, and ranked, in an attempt to assess whether or not the system is an effective policy tool, especially in relation to the goals…

Crisis management is a critical issue facing higher education. Higher education leaders and campus safety advocates agree that the Virginia Tech massacre changed perceptions and approaches to campus safety at colleges and universities nationally. In the University of North Carolina System, it was the two murders of University of North Carolina at…

It is widely accepted by the field of mathematics education that proof and reasoning should be integrated into students' mathematical experiences across all grades and across a breadth of content areas. However, studies have shown that both secondary students and teachers have encountered difficulties with learning and teaching geometry proofs. By…

This study examines the internationalization process of an urban research university in the Midwest in order to understand how the process approach of internationalization (De Wit, 2002) frames the university's international planning and activities and makes an impact on their effectiveness. De Wit's (2002) internationalization circle was employed…

Every student deserves to be educated by teachers who are culturally proficient to ensure their needs are being met within inclusive school systems. This calls for educator preparation programs to ensure teacher candidates are culturally proficient. However, this is a pedagogical shift in isolated, rural settings due to the challenges rural…

The North Carolina Occupational Course of Study (NCOCS) program is an alternative diploma track with a vocational focus toward post school employment to assist students who would not otherwise graduate with a standard course of study. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the local causes of low post-school employment…

A curriculum vitae (CV) is probably the most important first piece of information for an employer to evaluate for job applications (Cole et al. 2007). The CV may lead to an interview for the position advertised. Therefore, writing a good CV is extremely essential and it is a valuable life skill to have. However, there have been debates as to the…

More than five million children in the United States have a parent suffering from a severe mental illness and these children have specific experiences and needs, particularly in school. Children of mentally ill parents are at greater risk of being neglected and of developing psychological, social, emotional, and behavioral problems. They often…

The question of who is ready to serve as a help-giver reflects an unresolved question in the research on parents of children with disabilities. There is little consensus as to whether or not there are regular, predictable phases of adaptation to a child's disability. The purpose of this research was to develop a measure of readiness to be trained…