There has been a particular emphasis on the ways that an individual's concept of self and their own perceived academic competence is influenced by their socio and external environment (Bandura, 1999; Baumeister, 1999). However, existing research has provided little to no focus on how these internalized beliefs of self, and perceived academic…

In the mid-1960s, educational lawmakers began passing and implementing plans to raise the achievement of all students across the United States. In these early years of education mandates, the federal government became more involved in public education. Education lawmakers began to focus on struggling learners and how teachers could support those…

Research suggests that kindergarten attenders benefit from the time spent learning basic academic and social skills. Skills students learn in kindergarten lead to skills taught in first grade and school readiness; however, many children do not attend kindergarten. The problem under study was that records indicate that many students do not attend…

This study investigates primary teachers' and elementary principals' perspectives on alternatives to the traditional model of student progression in school and whether these options may improve the acquisition of skills needed for advancing into upper grades. Primary mastery of basic skills is essential to learning; however, with rigorous federal…

Information literacy is widely understood to be a critical component of the educational experience of secondary school students and prepares them for success in school and in life. Information literacy is the ability to acquire, manage, and evaluate information flows, with an emphasis on determining what information is appropriate for a given…

The problem to be addressed is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the graduating class of 2020 in a rural South Georgia community. This qualitative study explores the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic had on student mental wellbeing, relationships, education, and post-secondary decisions. The study is framed by the rural environment where the…

Pressures associated with accountability testing have resulted in a narrowing of both the curriculum and pedagogy that does not meet the needs of high ability learners. This study proposed that either a different measurement (an above-level computer adaptive assessment) or a different model (Tobit model) should be used to more accurately…

Over two-thirds of youth participate in a structured sport, making it a vital context in which transactional relations with cognitive development can occur. Yet, little is known about how these constructs inform one another across childhood. Most previous studies have focused on health benefits of sport participation, or on demographic and family…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore educators' descriptions of gifted learners' academic abilities and gifted behaviors (above average abilities, task commitment, creativity, and gifted behaviors in the classrooms) when completing academic tasks in the Western and Midwestern regions of the United States. The study's…

School readiness includes a range of competencies and is influenced by both parental beliefs and teacher perceptions. Despite its significance, only a small number of states have an established definition of school readiness, which raises questions about how well stakeholder understandings align and the effectiveness of parental activities in…

This qualitative case study employs pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) as a framework for exploring secondary history teachers' conceptions of historical violence in relation to curriculum, pedagogy, and their objectives for students. Participants first describe how they define the term "historical violence," but the study turns on the…

Educators should be aware of efficient instructional strategies for students labeled as gifted to influence academic achievement and social-emotional growth positively. The problem was that a gap exists between achievement and the academic and social-emotional abilities of elementary students labeled as gifted. The purpose of this study is to…

Individuals with a growth mindset believe they have the ability to learn (Dweck, 2006). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the shared lived experiences connected to growth mindset, self-efficacy, and grit in a population of undergraduate students at a private women's university in the Midwest who participate…

Teachers consider many different kinds of factors in determining student grades. They use a mix of achievement and non-achievement factors in grading decisions, to the criticism of educational measurement experts (Brookhart, 1991; Brookhart, 1993; Frary et al., 1993; Popham, 2009). The factors that influence this decision making are particularly…

High-needs urban educators often evaluate students based on lower grade level standards and less rigorous curricula that result in a lack of student self-efficacy and engagement. The problem is that students in mathematics experience transformative feelings of negative self-efficacy that lead to a lack of student engagement and achievement. The…