The literature review reveals a gap in secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers' perception of students' moral intelligence (MI). While many character education studies examine the student perspective, this study contributes to the limited research on secondary ELA teachers' perceptions of students' moral intelligence and how it can be…

Teachers today feel pressure to maximize student engagement and learning. With an increased focus on student scores on end of grade test measures and their association with school performance grades, educators are forced to consider how to yield results. Limiting the disruptions and distractions throughout the school day shifts the focus to…

Student misconduct continues to trouble institutions, negatively affecting institutional mission fulfillment. Although student codes of conduct and related processes exist to establish standards and address behavioral concerns, little research has proactively explored what characteristics impact student moral behavior intentions and understanding,…

Bullying, a complex phenomenon impacting virtually every school, can be damaging both in the short term and long term (Nansel et al., 2001; Solomontos-Kountouri et al., 2017; Wolke et al., 2013). About 20% of students aged 12 to 18 years old report having experienced bullying while 20-25% of college students report having experienced bullying…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a predictive relationship between the number of years a student is enrolled in an elementary school with a campus-wide character education program (CWCEP) and their academic achievement, attendance, and behavior during their high school years. This study examined whether students enrolled in…

This study provides a glimpse into psychological factors some of the 100,000 student-athletes who leave collegiate sport each year may face and adds to current understandings of ways to best serve collegiate student-athletes prior to their departure from collegiate sport. Drawing from the theories of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and The…

Instructors can play an important role in students' transitions to college by explaining academic expectations and offering support. Yet, less is known about college instructors' beliefs about "what" students should do and why. In addition, students' beliefs and experiences regarding what students should do to succeed may not align with…

Problem: Research (Demirel et al., 2016; Guerrero-Dib et. al., 2020) has shown the development of moral reasoning begins at a young age and schools can play in integral role in students' development of moral principles. Yet, students of all ages engage in academic dishonesty (Stephens & Wangaard, 2013; Stoesz & Yudintseva, 2018; Tyler,…

The purpose of the current study was to determine how students identified as Emotionally Disturbed (ED) with severe internalizing concerns who receive special education services are placed in different school districts throughout the country. Examining the variance in how this population is placed in different parts of the country is of…

Greek life is an activity that is part of student involvement on a college or university campus. Student involvement allows students to increase their knowledge outside of the classroom through interaction with their peers and faculty, which will hopefully lead to graduation. The creation of Greek life engaged students in activities outside of the…

There are several theoretical models and approaches to define the leadership identity development of college students, however, none of these models adequately frame the specific leadership identity development of collegiate student athletes. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to develop a leadership model to address this gap by…

Attrition is a major cause of the teacher shortage, threatening the educational future of America's youth. Teachers' decisions to leave are based on motivation/demotivation, school climate, and students' attitudes and behaviors; however, the relationships among these factors require further study. The purpose of this quantitative, predictive…

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools impacting over 60 million students worldwide. Previous researchers identified positive social interactions and relationships as critical for a child's healthy development. Unfortunately, when children experience trauma such as the interruption of face-to-face learning, coping behaviors…

Trauma-informed practices are gaining momentum in educational settings. This growth is in part due to the knowledge we are learning about childhood trauma and how it impacts children well into adulthood. The more we know about the impact of childhood trauma, the more crucial it is for schools to utilize trauma-informed practices. The purpose of…

This design-based research study examines the pedagogical role of social, digital annotation (SDA) in teaching reading as rhetorical invention, particularly the kind of invention necessary for thoughtful democratic participation in the contemporary discursive era, often described as troubled. In this dissertation study, I deployed a…