This dissertation investigated whether specific music training components of pitch and rhythm had a differential effect on early literacy skills of phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and concept of word awareness. In addition, this study examined associations between musical aptitude and early literacy skills. The central element of this…

A neurological disorder, along with several behavioral issues, may be to blame for a child's subpar performance in the academic journey (such as anxiety, depression, learning disorders, and irritability). These symptoms can be used to diagnose children with ASD, and supervised machine learning models can help differentiate between ASD traits and…

Nurse educators are faced with many challenges while preparing students to safely enter clinical practice. Due to technological advances in the health care field and student demographic changes, educators have been looking for alternative methods to traditional lecture format to meet the needs of current learners. Using the framework of Adult…

Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis et al., 1989), this research examines the variables of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as predictors of video creation usage after software training. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the technology adoption process, the study also employed the Learning Adoption Trajectory…

The purpose of the current investigation is to analyze extant research examining the impact of play therapy on the development of language skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As rates of ASD diagnoses continue to increase, families and educators are faced with making critical decisions regarding the selection and…

A state-wide Individual Student Alternative Education Plan (ISAEP) seeks to assist high school (HS) students at risk of not graduating in completing HS credentials. The problem was that there was no formal state-wide process for monitoring the program to understand its impact. The purpose of this quantitative exploratory study was to determine…

The purpose of the retrospective quantitative cohort regression study was to identify predictors of success on the Next Generation National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NGN-NCLEX-RN) and determine if changes are needed in the nursing program curriculum. Nurse educators and nursing administration are responsible for aligning…

Nursing educators are challenged to find strategies that will develop critical thinking and clinical judgment abilities in students. As technology has advanced, the use of virtual simulation platforms has increased in use in nursing courses. This study examined the effect of a pilot virtual simulation intervention on critical thinking and clinical…

This quantitative, correlational study investigated the predictive relationship between servant leadership characteristics of Servant TRIO SSS advisors and first-generation students' college adjustment and semester persistence. A total of 310 first-generation students in TRIO SSS programs within the United States participated in the study.…

This quantitative, ordinal logistic regression study aimed to explore the relationship between the implementation of personalized learning and special education students' progress measures on STAAR. Another purpose was to determine if teachers' perceptions of implementation, using Olofson's survey, can predict the growth on STAAR. The conceptual…

In the past the turnover rate among teachers had been relatively high, the attention of researchers shifted to factors culminating the high turnover rate among teachers. It was not known to what extent, if any, the predictor variables of mentoring modality and length of employment explained the variance in the criterion variable, teacher turnover…

For school districts to adequately prepare students with disabilities for successful post-graduation life, it is essential to understand if various variables predict postsecondary outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between gender, race/ethnicity, participation in career technical education (CTE) programs, diploma…

This was a mixed method, Action Research study addressing the foundational research question: What can Education Forward Academy (EFA) (pseudonym) do to improve equity in the College Credit Plus (CCP) Program (also known as Dual Enrollment or Dual Credit)? To answer this question, both quantitative and qualitative sub-questions were explored. The…

This nonexperimental, longitudinal panel study was designed to test the predictive capacity of a grit intervention within a first-year seminar course that targeted academically underprepared students at a Mississippi community college. Extant pre- and post-grit scores for developmental students enrolled in the first-year seminar were analyzed for…

The growth of reading and cognitive skills is crucial for children's development. This study examined the utility of incorporating a cognitive framework for reading in intervention design among struggling readers receiving National Institute for Learning Development (NILD) Educational Therapy® over a 3- to 5-year period. Evidence from this…