Sparse information exists on how elementary teachers might use reflective journaling as a tool for professional development (PD) to enhance their teaching methods. The problem is that even though elementary teachers have access to a variety of PD opportunities, these opportunities are often insufficient for meeting individual teachers' needs to…

Many universities are transitioning to more flexible work environments beyond the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the attitudes and experiences of higher education administrative staff related to flexwork and to improve the change leadership self-efficacy of female leaders tasked…

Outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have failed to meet the standards of educators and educational researchers. For several decades, such students have had worse academic and postsecondary outcomes than any other student population. This has led to emphasis on implementation of evidence-based practices to combat the…

Interpersonal skills, which are variously called soft skills, employability skills, people skills, and noncognitive skills, are critically important in personal, academic, and workplace settings. This descriptive case study explored how individuals from underserved communities described the use of reflective learning journals in an interpersonal…

This quantitative, multiple time-series, correlational and quasi-experimental study examined the impact gratitude journaling had on the subjective happiness of high school students. In total, 85 student participants were stratified by grade and course before being assigned to a control group (n = 27) or treatment group the treatment group (n =…

The problem for this qualitative study was how educators experience professional development using podcast listening combined with independent jot journals and collegial discussions. The research questions aimed to discover whether teachers would accept or reject this professional development as well as potential lesson plan designs or…

This action research study explored the challenge of evoking wonder among fourth graders within one Catholic School, using an integrative STEM educational approach. Cognitive constructivism, social constructivism, and situated learning theory guided this qualitative case study. Twenty-one students learned about the Fibonacci sequence and Golden…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of global health educators and their students on the use of critical reflective journaling as a pedagogical tool to promote cultural humility in learners. Rooted in critical qualitative research methodology, this study is framed by transformative learning theory, conceptual understandings…

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how HESA graduate students? conceptions of critical consciousness transform and evolve during a diversity course and the pedagogical practices that foster consciousness-raising. Each of the twelve participants completed two semi-structured interviews and three journal prompts. Using a case study…

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to examine the impact of the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) on student engagement in the CHEM 100 course at Rider University. The action research study was conducted during the fall semester of 2022 with seven participants. The QFT protocol was taught separately from classroom instruction.…

Because writing is complex and draws upon so many psychological and cognitive processes, learning to write is even more challenging for students with disabilities than it is for typically developing students. Nonetheless, writing research in the field of education and special education lags behind that of many other academic subjects. The body of…

The purpose of this study is to examine how teachers can employ listening practices to gain a heightened understanding of not only what their students understand and how they are thinking about mathematics, but also as a way for teachers to build their own conceptual understanding of mathematics by reflecting on the different approaches their…

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of foreign language anxiety or xenoglossophobia, for college students enrolled in foreign language courses at The Southern University. The topic was guided by Krashen's theory of second language acquisition, as it relates to many aspects of the actual…

The operations within universities have become increasingly complex and challenging for various reasons. Notably, some of those challenges have been combated by developing talent within the organization. Although many professional development opportunities abound at Arizona State University and within the ASU Foundation, the options for developing…

This dissertation explores contemplative practices such as mindfulness, meditation, compassionate listening, and journaling as a means to self-awareness, self-compassion, and empathy for self and others. Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) and social justice classrooms and pedagogy include difficult conversations on social justice topics such as…