The purpose of this study was to compare growth in student achievement of students in a classroom where the assessment for learning process was either absent from or present in a teacher's practices, and to gather the teacher's and students' perceptions of the benefits and barriers related to growth in student achievement when the…

The overarching aim of this mixed methods study was to explore the online experiences of students with disabilities, with particular focus on students' use of assistive technologies, mobile media and self-efficacy. Using a multifaceted an integrative approach, this study considered a framework of universal design, Scherer's Matching Person and…

Similar to its neighboring countries of China, South Korea, and Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (also known as North Korea) has made English a compulsory subject for middle school to university level students, and teacher training programs based on the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach have also been…

Within the context of a nationwide shortage of teachers of color, stable enrollment of Native American students, and increasing enrollments of Hispanic students, the purpose of this study was to examine self-reported stress among Native American, Hispanic, and Caucasian K-5 teachers. This was a mixed-methods study, with both quantitative and…

The educational landscape of higher education is shifting to include more online education courses. This shift has produced successes and struggles for instructors and undergraduates. The purpose of this study was to explore child development instructors' and undergraduates' perspectives and experiences in online education through the…

The use of Blended Learning (BL) in higher education has increased significantly during the past decade. This dissertation investigates the use of BL with ESL writing students in an intensive English program. The purpose was to investigate how to prepare ESL teachers to create a productive BL environment for their ESL writing students. This…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a formative program evaluation of a school district's multisensory reading initiative. The mixed methods study involved semi-structured interviews, online survey, focus groups, document review, and analysis of extant special education student reading achievement data. Participants included elementary…

The primary determinant of student achievement is the quality of the classroom teacher. Some teachers are naturally talented, but the majority of teachers become effective through classroom experience. Unfortunately, the teaching profession experiences a high rate of turnover; many teachers leave before reaching the peak of their effectiveness. If…

The ability to express meaning in prose is a foundational skill in our society. Given the importance of being a competent writer, concern with the quality of writing instruction is a recurring theme among American educators (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Gilbert & Graham, 2010; National Commission on Writing, 2003, 2004, 2006). Research shows…

The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to describe the impact the SLS courses had on the retention and success rates of students who were taking developmental English courses at FSCJ-Kent Campus, (b) to explain how students taking developmental English felt the SLS courses impacted them, and (c) to find out what elements of the SLS program…

The way in which education is taught is forever changing. Therefore, a new method in which content is delivered is a central component in examining areas for improvement. In this paper, participatory action research (PAR) was used to investigate authentic tasks in the inclusive tenth and eleventh grade classroom. The purpose of this study was to…

Previous research has indicated that there is no relationship between traditional homework completion and academic achievement among elementary grade students. Yet, elementary school teachers continue to utilize this practice. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between nontraditional, differentiated reading…

This study utilized data gleaned from on-line surveys of primary level teachers and elementary school principals to understand what principals need to know and be able to do to support teachers in their instruction of reading for English Language Learners (ELLs). A review of five areas of literature provided a theoretical foundation for this…

This study reviews the state of professional development (PD) for teachers of beginning readers in Florida's rural schools. Teachers of beginning readers need to have a deep understanding of language, of how the reading process develops, and of effective pedagogy in early literacy. Few teachers begin their careers with sufficient knowledge and…

Workforce development represents a central priority in a comprehensive effort to create wealth, industry thickening, and broad-based prosperity. From the onset of the Great Recession in 2007, the Sacramento Region experienced anemic economic growth and remained behind the nation in job creation. Contextualized in the aftermath of the economic…