Theories of college student and adult intellectual development have shown that learning to interpret, evaluate, and construct knowledge evolves in a developmentally predictable fashion, and have offered explanations for the difficulties some students face when asked to make their own decisions (Baxter Magolda, 1992; Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger,…

In this mixed-methods study we identify situations that impact students' decisions to withdraw from a course and examine their affective reasoning and attitudes toward course withdrawal. Exploring students' decision-making processes through the lens of self-authorship, we show that students frequently seek information from people with whom they…

This study on leadership for second order change and improved student achievement represents interview and observational research with 62 leaders at the district and school levels in 10 states. Seven consistent leader action themes emerged across all participants regardless of demographics of the school, demographics of the leader, or position…

This mixed-methods study explored the influence and applicability of the Perry Scheme to students from mainland China studying in the U.S. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the intellectual and ethical development of students from mainland China enrolled in a U.S graduate engineering program using the Perry Scheme of…

This study analyzed the instructional practices of more versus less effective U.S. History teachers identified by a multiple regression model. Using surveys, observations, and focus-group interviews, the study found that the most effective teachers had a more complete package of rigor, relevance, and relationship strategies than less effective…

This study of high school students argues that American high school classes continue to be unsuccessful and boring to students because they artificially separate intellectual achievement and social development of adolescents. To understand how students view their high school priorities and the role of their experiences in the transition from…

The purpose of this research was to determine to what extent young lower class Negro children's actual achievements in the middle class school setting are influenced by maternal behavior and attitudes. Ninety Negro children, from 53 to 66 months of age, plus their mothers, were selected as the research sample. Interviews were conducted with the…