The purpose of this quantitative correlational-predictive study was to determine if and to what extent there is a relationship between facets of trait mindfulness and perceived attention control among college students in Southern California. The study was formulated based on the multi-faceted mindfulness model and the Attention Control Theory. The…

Virtual Reality (VR) has been found useful to improve engagement and retention level of students, for some topics, compared to traditional learning tools such as books, and videos. However, a student could still get distracted and disengaged due to a variety of factors including stress, mind-wandering, unwanted noise, external alerts, and internal…

Educators today face challenges beyond the scope of College Preparation Programs, with problems never before experienced. To study an opportunity for reducing burnout and support teachers will be beneficial for our educational community and student achievement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of…

Learning in a multimedia environment puts many demands on a learner's limited working memory, but this can become even more demanding as the level of distraction increases in a lesson. What has not been investigated much in previous literature is whether higher levels of distraction in lessons are more harmful to some learners than others. This…

The rapid proliferation of online learning in higher education has accentuated the need for a deeper understanding of attentional distractions that affect learners. This study explored how doctoral students experience and manage attentional distractions in asynchronous online learning environments. Drawing on the Community of Inquiry framework,…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effectiveness of matching college students' personality types and learning preferences. The study gathered data from student personality types, college classroom environments, and learning preferences. Personality types were assessed through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality…

We live in a fast-paced world with daily stimulation like family problems, social media influences, technology, and personal belongings, just to name a few. The kinds of information easily available due to technological advances create endless distractions and require accelerated focused attention. Due to a lack of investment in learning how to…

University students' smartphone usage in academic settings is commonplace. In this dissertation, I aim to explore different sides of smartphone usage among university students to address the gap in prior research and reach more accurate findings. I utilized various research methodologies to examine the research objective. I started by observing…

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study is to determine the impact of prerequisite course type on student final quantitative research methods final grade after controlling for mathematics anxiety, statistics anxiety, and task presentation/performance. The additional purpose is to determine if there are significant…

This study explored the impact of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) on focus, engagement, and time-on-task learning behaviors among 8- to 10-year-old students. Grounded in Csikszentmihalyi's Theory of Flow, the study utilized a quantitative experimental design to compare DGBL experiences with alternative instructional strategies through learner…

The problem is that online learners in universities experience mind-wandering while viewing video lectures because of low rates of engagement, leading to a loss of focus. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how interactive online activities that relate directly to a lecture can mitigate the problem faced by online university…

Over a century of research on K-12 public school principal time use (PTU) illustrates that principals spend time on professional tasks beyond the instructional hours of their school days. Similarly, a century of research on the division of household labor suggests that women spend more time on household labor than men daily. However, no prior PTU…

Nature-based interventions (NBI) have demonstrated positive effects on a range of student outcomes, including enhanced prosocial behaviors, decreased levels of stress, and improved mood and concentration. Further, school-aged children's participation in NBIs supports students' reconnection with the natural world. Although schools represent an…

Gaps exist in research on the effectiveness of preventive programs and strategies to address anxiety among children, placing the burden on educational leaders and teachers. The problem is anxiety poses a threat to the academic performance of first through fifth grade students. Cognitive learning theory and attentional control theory provided a…

The systems underlying incremental sentence comprehension are, in general, highly successful -- comprehenders typically understand sentences of their native language quickly and accurately. The occasional failure of the system to deliver an appropriate representation of a sentence is therefore potentially illuminating. There are many ways the…