The purpose of this quantitative retrospective study was to understand the impact of prior exposure to sexual health education on middle and high school students' sexual health knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions. The study analyzed a secondary dataset that included pre- and posttest results collected for program evaluation purposes by a…

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly being used for education and training, raising questions about how to assess the degree to which people feel competent learning through VR. In 2022, Saville and colleagues developed the Virtual Reality Learning Self-Efficacy Scale (VRLSE). The current experiment builds on their work. VR can be used for a wide…

The phenomenological study explored perceptions of the principal's self-efficacy on teacher retention in hard-to-staff schools in southeast Texas. The participants in this study consisted of eight participants, who are principals with at least 3 years of experience and are Texas residents. Using a phenomenological approach, individual interviews…

This narrative inquiry study explored how emerging elementary educators perceived their understanding of mathematics learning and teaching as they became elementary educators. The study considered how past experiences influenced emerging educators' frames of reference as they began to teach elementary mathematics. Methods consisted of individual…

The use of the audio medium (e.g., audiobooks and podcasts) is proliferating in everyday and educational contexts. Yet, research investigating text processing in audio compared to the more commonly used print medium is limited in scope. Specifically, the research so far has majorly focused on younger learners or English language learners,…

Historically, teachers have been primarily focused on fostering the academic success and progress of their students. Over the years, the role of a teacher has evolved to also encompass meeting the behavioral and social-emotional needs of their students as well. Students with difficulties in these areas are often at-risk for struggling academically…

Teachers can be a source of support and connection for children and adolescents, especially during difficult times such as experiencing the death of a loved one. The current study set to gather insight into the experiences of teachers (N=166) who have supported their students through such a difficult life experience and through a worldwide…

The current study aimed to contribute to the literature by implementing an intervention that examines the effects of explicit metacognitive strategy training and prompts embedded within a Game-Based Learning Environment (GBLE), "Missions with Monty," on metacognitive monitoring accuracy, game performance, and science knowledge of…

Over the past 20 years, the field of computer science has experienced a growth in student interest. Despite this increase in participation rates, longstanding gender gaps persist in computer science. Recent research has examined a wide variety of individual factors (e.g., self-efficacy, sense of belonging, etc.) that impact student interest and…

Teachers' values, beliefs, and self-confidence are critical components of decisions educators make every day. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between secondary science teachers' epistemology and self-efficacy on science instructional practices and conceptualization of student research experiences rooted in the Next…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine factors that influence occupational therapy doctoral students' self-efficacy for the Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE). Six doctoral students enrolled in an entry-level occupational therapy doctoral program at a private university were recruited to participate. Students completed a four-item…

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between common classroom help-seeking determinants (achievement goals, self-efficacy, prior knowledge, gender, and help-seeking perceptions) and help-seeking behaviors online (hint use percentage, latency of help seeking, answer attempt percentage, feedback level percentage, and seeking help…

Students attending schools in poor and historically marginalized communities lack access to curricula that combines both relevant science content and investigative practices--components the National Research Council (2012) has identified as necessary for effective learning. This lack of curricular access is also problematic in that it: (1)…

Diverse learners' self-efficacy learning experience in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is an area of research that needs further analysis. This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study aimed to respond to that need and concentrates on the experience of adult Hispanic learners. Self-efficacy theory provided the lens to explore the…

This dissertation is about the stories of African American male undergraduate students who have experienced success in mathematics. Bandura's (1997) social cognitive theory and Tillman's (2000) culturally sensitive research approach which promotes qualitative methods, recognizes ethnicity, and positions culture as central to the research were…