This non-experimental, correlational, quantitative study sought to identify possible relationships between educators' beliefs in neuromyths - misconceptions or misunderstandings about how people learn - and the frequency in which instructional practices are used in the classroom. The prevalence and pervasiveness of neuromyth beliefs are well…

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational-predictive study was to understand if and to what extent the demographic variables Age, Gender, and Years of Experience individually or combined predict Belief in Neurological Myths among higher education faculty in the United States. The approach utilized is grounded in the ongoing study of belief…

My dissertation seeks to explore opportunities for disruptions--moments of learning in (digitally) networked spaces that seek to challenge, subvert, and reimagine our worlds. Drawing primarily on sociocultural theories of literacy and learning, I explore the ways that learning, mediated by digital technologies, takes place in formal and informal…

Despite the promise of equal education opportunities for all students in the nation, the achievement/opportunity gap between English language learners (ELLs) and their non-ELLs peers persists. Time, effort, and resources of all kids have been invested in educational reforms to improve these students' outcomes without success (Darling-Hammond,…

Prior research has established preservice literacy teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning are often misguided and/or overly-simplistic, yet limited work has examined in what ways their in-the-moment teaching decisions align or misalign with what they believe. This qualitative study used deductive analysis methods to: (1) Identify three…

This three-article dissertation explores Learning by Evaluating (LbE), an educational approach that enhances student learning through the process of assessing and providing feedback on peer work. Leveraging principles of comparative judgement, students evaluate pairs of exemplars side-by-side to determine which is better and provide a rational for…

In recent decades, open, online learning environments have become progressively more popular and well-funded. An integral aspect of this open learning movement is the transition of a substantial amount of control of the learning process from designers and instructors to the users engaging with the environment. With heavy investments coming from…

With the expansion of higher education and the growth of online course offerings in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a critical need to support faculty in developing the necessary skills to teach effectively online. The purpose of this qualitative, single-case study was to examine the nature of the discourse in which faculty members engaged within a…

This dissertation examines the thesis that implicit learning plays a role in learning about scientific phenomena, and subsequently, in conceptual change. Decades of research in learning science demonstrate that a primary challenge of science education is overcoming prior, naive knowledge of natural phenomena in order to gain scientific…

With the national trend to link student achievement results with teacher evaluation ratings, it is critical for teachers to examine and interpret children's assessment results collaboratively. This study explored how the clinical interview process can be integrated into a professional learning experience to support teachers in identifying…

The problem addressed in this study focused on the need for more qualitative data on student learning in religious education. The purpose of this collective case study was to discover how BYU-Idaho religion students learn best and to better understand what factors positively and negatively influence their learning. Twelve individual students…

This case study focuses on the impact of historical film on 20 high school students using document surveys, group, and personal interviews. The study examined the impact that two films had on students' historical understanding, the students' awareness of this impact, and their use of the tools of historical inquiry. The results indicated film…

Evolution is a central underlying concept to a significant number of discourses in civilized society, but the complexity of understanding basic tenets of this important theory is just now coming to light. Knowledge about evolution is constructed from both formal and "free-choice" opportunities, like television. Nature programs are commonly…