This qualitative multiple-case study examined the experiences of exploratory students and the support provided by university resources and academic advising throughout their transition and major exploration. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with the five exploratory students who entered the university in the Fall of 2021.…

The rationale behind the present study consisted of evidence reported to date for Galbraith et al.'s (1999, 2018, 2023) dual-process model of writing, suggesting that not only do writers engage in knowledge transformation, but in the development of new knowledge. An additional aspect of Galbraith et al.'s (2023) work is their proposal and…

The purpose of this multi-method single-case study was to examine the application of Joseph Campbell's Heroic Journey model as a means of professional identity creation in the life of Walt Disney. Walt Disney was an entrepreneur, cartoonist, filmmaker, inventor, studio head, and family man whose career stretched through the first half of the 20th…

Broad exploration is often the best way to solve complex problems because the best solution might not come to mind first. Consequently, creative thinking, like simulated annealing, begins with a "hot" exploratory phase of broad solution search and gradually "cools" to exploitation and narrowing the search space. In solving…

This dissertation investigates an overarching research question: how can recognition-type incentives, such as gamification and peer gifting, motivate users' knowledge seeking and contributions in e-learning and online Q&A (question and answer) communities? To address this question, I conducted three studies. In Chapter 2, I examine how social…

Although a great deal of research has been conducted examining the relationship of domain knowledge or creative potential and creative achievement, there is still a lack of research on more comprehensive understanding on how much each of potential factors is related to individual's creative achievement. The current studies aimed to investigate…

Research has established the importance of play-based experiences for young children's development and learning. Yet, facing the mounting pressure of accountability and standardized testing, some educators have turned to didactic methods of instruction. Guided play (Weisberg et al., 2016) provides a middle ground between play and instruction for…

Recent years have seen efforts to increase STEM education in schools that the United States has not witnessed since the Cold War (Dean, 2005). One way in which schools have attempted to meet this goal is the inclusion of makerspaces (sometimes referred to as STEM labs, STEAM labs, innovation centers). Their goal is to shirk "traditional"…

The current study examined the impact of experiencing either a guided play or direct instruction learning environment on causal learning, curiosity, and divergent thinking. Forty-three children (age 4- to 6-years) participated in an online experiment in which they completed a causal learning task in either guided play or direct instruction…

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory that explains the process of self-authorship development of college students in China. Little research exists that explicitly explores the integrated development of college students in China and influences on that development from the educational environment. Despite the extensive…

Executive function (EF) predicts children's academic achievement; however, less is known about the relation between EF and the actual learning process. Furthermore, more research is needed to better understand how different aspects of the learning environment interact with EF to influence learning. The current dissertation includes two studies to…

This dissertation chronicled a multifaceted study utilizing the Historical, Philosophical, Societal and a Takeaway (HPST) Framework, an organizational tool used for document analysis. Utilizing a case study format, this research unpacked how a charter school teacher used HPST within her own ninth grade Advanced Placement World History class. As a…

Science laboratories provided the ideal venue for promoting rigorous content-based courses and for encouraging the collaborative nature of scientific methodology. The descriptive comparative research study measured the psychosocial and physical aspects of the laboratory learning environment using the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory…

The National Research Council's "Framework for K-12 Science Education" (2011) presents a new vision for science education that calls for the integration of the three dimensions of science learning: science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. Unlike previous conceptions of science learning that…

In this holistic, descriptive, single-case study, the interactions of secondary literacy teachers who participated in the weekly #2ndaryELA Twitter chat were examined to explore the nature of online, self-selected, voluntary professional learning. Archived tweets from 17 chats occurring from July through November 2016, Twitter profile information,…