Class sizes in the United States had been a topic of discussion throughout history. There had been mixed results on whether class sizes influenced student achievement or not. In the qualitative single-embedded case study, nine teachers were interviewed and given an open-ended questionnaire to determine if class sizes influenced student…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges students face in academic writing as well as explore the possible causes of their writing challenges which could be based on their socio-cultural background. The primary research design is a hermeneutical phenomenological study which describes and interprets lived experience. There are…

Instructors make many decisions all the time directly impacting students. They commonly make choices around how their students will actively engage in their own learning. A widely used engagement practice is to invite students to voluntarily participate by having them ask or answer questions in small- and large-enrollment science classrooms.…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) accountability era mandated that teachers accommodate students with varying backgrounds and skill levels. As additional mandates are being placed on educators a growing number of these professionals are assuming teacher-leader roles in order to keep up with the constantly changing demands of their increased…

This program evaluation of the Early Intervention Program reduced class-size model was used to provide evidence about the quality of implementation and how the model was used to increase reading achievement for students. This study used a mixed-methods approach to analyze student achievement data and teacher perception data. The qualitative data…

The purpose of this correlational study is to determine the nature of the relationship between school and demographic factors and student achievement using data from the individual schools reported by a school district in Northern Texas. Answers to the following questions were sought: Do the teacher demographic factors (years of experience,…

This dissertation closely examines the model of a suburban northern Delaware alternative program. The researcher determined how well this program successfully prepared 52 scholars to successfully transition forward into a comprehensive school. Each student in the study was removed from the comprehensive school and enrolled into the alternative…

When instructing very large groups of students in science, it can be difficult to engage all students in the content and measure their understanding. A major unaddressed challenge in science instruction is how specifically to design and implement strategies that engender active learning particularly in high-enrollment undergraduate courses. Active…

Adult learners who pursue undergraduate degrees online are an understudied group who have characteristics that separate them from traditional younger students or graduate students who might be the same age. These characteristics could give them a different experience in online courses. Do adult learners experience instructor presence in a way that…

The achievement gap is a topic that has plagued the education research field for a long time. This persistent quandary is often rooted in disparities along racial, socioeconomic, and other demographic lines, such as geographical location. This study focuses on the achievement gap within the context of the Mississippi Delta. This rural region of…

This study explored the impact of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) on reading test scores as measured by the Mississippi Academics Assessment Program (MAAP) for students in grades 3-5. The research problem is centered on the potential disconnect between traditional teaching methods and the developmental needs of students, which…

This applied dissertation examined the use of technological tools in formative assessment activities. These phenomena have left teachers searching for timely methods to perform formative assessment or assessment for learning activities. The problem addressed by this study was that standardized testing, large class size, and increasing distance…

This study intended to investigate the perceptions of faculty of color to understand why they chose to teach in independent schools. For this research, faculty of color is defined as participants who self-identify as African American, Latinx, and Asian/Middle Eastern, representing an underrepresented minority group within the school. Beyond the…

Class size has long been a concern among education stakeholders. Although assumptions about the value of smaller class sizes abound, existing research does not offer clear conclusions about the effects of class size on learning. With respect to instruction, researchers have principally focused on differences in teachers' practice or the enacted…

This study examined the effect of small class size intervention on student outcomes using reading achievement scores as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), a standardized, norm-referenced test, while controlling for independent variables inclusive of students' gender, race, socioeconomic status (SES), and environment. This…