This qualitative, multiple case study provided comprehensive descriptions of the conceptual difficulties and learning experiences of in-service teachers as they improved their ability to effectively model fraction division with pictorial diagrams. Video data were collected on eight teachers as they individually progressed through a professional…

The purpose of this study was to explore nursing faculty experiences in creating and using short videos to engage prelicensure nursing students. Short videos are an innovative teaching strategy to help engage learners by decreasing cognitive workload and increasing knowledge retention. Learner engagement in prelicensure nursing education is…

Embodied cognition posits that physical interactions with the environment play a crucial role in learning, including complex, abstract concepts in STEM disciplines. This is relevant for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) learners who often utilize sign language, which is a naturally embodied, visuospatial mode of communication. My dissertation…

My dissertation examines undergraduates' online learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic through three distinct studies. The primary goal of my dissertation is to shed light on crucial aspects of social cognitive learning theories and learning experience design (LXD) applied in distance learning. These studies, using an LXD approach…

Education reflects the realities of the times and should evolve as circumstances change. As technological innovations (e.g., computers, mobile devices, Internet connectivity, and video conferencing) continue to saturate daily life, the inclusion of technology into United Stated educational curricula has gained increased attention. In music…

This phenomenological study explored fourth-grade students' perspectives on the barriers and successes they experienced in flexible blended learning. Focus group interviews were conducted to gain insight into the students' motivation, perceived barriers, possible changes, and their own skills and characteristics for success. Thematic analysis was…

Research indicates that online education is becoming a more prominent platform for higher education. Using a constructivist pedagogical lens, this qualitative phenomenological study was designed to explore students' learning experiences within an online masters program. The study examined the extent to which effective engagement was facilitated by…

The focus of this study was to explore how select practices and approaches with a self-transcendent orientation delivered in STEM-oriented summer learning programs serving middle-school aged youth were related to both (a) in-the-moment experiences that over time are believed to be related to possible continued engagement and interest in STEM and…

The main purpose of this research study was to fill gaps in existing research on the comparative forms and qualities of learning that emerge from formal professional development and from more self-directed teacher teams. This research study also described the extent to which both align to recommendations for professional learning and the extent…

This research is to explore and understand participants' experience using YouTube to learn a foreign language. YouTube and learning has become more and more popular in the recent years. The finding of this research will be adding more understanding to the emerging body of knowledge of YouTube phenomenon. In this research, there are three…

This quantitative research project analyzed the application of instructional communication tools and techniques used by community college students to determine how they perceive communication in their online classes. Online students from a community college participated in this study by completing an electronic survey. Data analysis revealed that…

The purpose of this study was to better understand how an online, multimedia case study method influenced students' motivation, performance, and perceptions of science in collegiate level biology classes. It utilized a mix-methods design including data from pre- and post-test, student surveys, and focus group interviews to answer one primary…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the actions of online language learners from an activity theoretical perspective. It also attempted to explain how the students' learning outcomes evolved from their online learning experiences. This explanation placed an emphasis on the learners' previous experiences, defining their activity…

This dissertation examines the academic and social goals that three second-grade English language learners in a U.S. urban school bring to their blog-mediated academic writing practices, and the interrelated nature of those goals. This study aims to bridge the dichotomy between approaches to studying computer-mediated language and literacy…