Games-based learning involves instruction with realistic game experiences (Cicchino, 2015). This action research study explored game-based learning as fifth grade mathematics students completed a brief unit on ordered pairs utilizing game-based lessons. Attitude and achievement data were collected mainly by surveys, content tests, student…

Adult education is grounded in responding to the needs of others, and the field places emphasis on adult learning theories such as transformative learning and experiential learning. Service learning is an educational approach that balances formal instruction and direction with the opportunity for adult learners to serve in the community as a…

This study examined the attitudes, preparation, and comfort of early childhood administrators in working with gay and lesbian (GL) parented families and the use of GL inclusive practices within centers. Data were gathered from 203 participants in the state of North Carolina using an online survey. Overall, administrators held a positive attitude…

Despite the ethnicity of an individual college student, a majority of college students do not partake in the recommended amount of exercise according to the American College Health Association (2013). Therefore, both the obesity and overweight rates with college students were reported as 29% in 2000 and 32.5% in 2009 (ACHA, 2010). The purpose of…

We conducted a theory-based analysis of the underlying structure of the Tripod student perception survey instrument using the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) database (N = 1,049 middle school math class sections; N = 25,423 students). Multilevel item factor analyses suggested that an alternative bifactor structure best fit the Tripod items,…

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of female high school students toward PE in selected North Carolina schools. The high schools were conveniently selected to include the Northeast Piedmont urban region of North Carolina. Participants consisted of 102 female students aged 14 to 18 years old who were enrolled in ninth to 12th…

In spite of policy bans and recommendations against spit tobacco (ST) use, baseball athletes have demonstrated ST prevalence rates ranging from 34% to 50% in high school, 42% in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and 50% in the professional ranks. To evaluate enforcement of ST bans, high school baseball coaches in North Carolina…

The role of culture in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been too often neglected in research. The present study evaluated the implications of cultural factors for ASD screening and diagnosis by examining the parenting perceptions and diagnostic experiences of Latina and White mothers of children with ASD. The children of Latina mothers were…

This study examined a linkage program between a secondary school and a community college in Ontario, Canada. The study sought to identify (a) appropriate success criteria to evaluate a high school-community college program and (b) the attributes that promote or ensure a program's sustainability. Though initially successful, the investigated…

Using an iterative design along with multiple methodological approaches and a large representative sample, this study presents reliability, validity, and fairness evidence for two surveys measuring student attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and math (S-STEM) and interest in STEM careers for (a) 4th- through 5th-grade students…

Since the 1980s, scholars have suggested that environmental education (EE) has a "definitional problem" represented by a multiplicity of perspectives that have critically impacted its discourse, practices, and outcomes. This study sought to investigate how North American EE practitioners from backgrounds ranging from formal and…

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to compare the effects of gender on the perceptions that members of the boards of trustees of community colleges have of community college presidents. This study was guided by two research questions; the first one comparing the participants' perceptions of the male and female leader with the…

This article outlines an innovative approach to the instruction of foreign languages: a term-long role-playing game in the style of tabletop role-playing games such as "Dungeons & Dragons." Students adopt personas, avatars, or "player characters" and take them through adventures, exploration, puzzles, and fights with…

Medical education reform is underway, but the optimal course for change has yet to be seen. While planning for the redesign of a renal physiology course at the Duke School of Medicine, the authors used a Q-sort survey to assess students' attitudes and learning preferences to inform curricular change. The authors invited first-year medical students…

The purpose of this research was to examine how teacher disposition affects student academic performance through the validity and reliability of a quantitative inventory instrument: The Teacher Dispositions Index [TDI] that measures the dispositions of effective teachers specified by the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium.