Although higher education institutions may be described as forward-thinking in areas such as research, their teaching practices are often perceived as lacking in innovation. This disjunction has led educators, researchers, and policymakers to question the role and implementation of change in higher education contexts and the factors that affect…

This qualitative practice-based study explores the efficacy of reformed-based science teaching approaches in fostering meaningful student engagement within elementary science classrooms, framed within the science-as-practice paradigm. Utilizing three theoretical frameworks, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Ambitious Science…

It is estimated that K-12 public school districts spend approximately nine percent of their annual operating budgets on professional development to enhance the practice of teachers, yet research has found that this significant resource for training does not always yield sustained changes in instructional practices. This phenomenological…

This study assesses the role a teacher-led social studies group played in the evolution of three teachers' professional biographies over the course of seven years. It uses a conceptual framework based on Priestley, Biesta and Robinson's (2015) theory of teacher agency to explore the ecological relationships between professional biography, the…

In this participatory action research (PAR) study, I sought to understand how teachers implemented equitable and culturally responsive academic discourse to support African American students during mathematics instruction. Working with a group of teachers in a co-practitioner researcher (CPR) group, I examined to how teachers effectively planned…

This study examined faculty experiences and perceptions regarding online education during the COVID-19 global health crisis. An online survey was assessed for content validity using a team of faculty experts in online teaching and learning. It was administered to a convenience sample of faculty at a Midwestern university. Of the 963 faculty who…

The research for this dissertation is presented in manuscript format with an introduction, an in-depth outline of three manuscripts related to this study, and a conclusion that follows. As design-based research serving as the foundation to this work, the first manuscript used networked inquiry to uncover what teachers need in order to transform…

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the impact of the rapid shift to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic on a community college. This study focused on examining the attitudes of the faculty towards online teaching and their teaching practices. Additionally, the study aimed to understand the impact of the rapid shift to…

This longitudinal historical study examines the evolution of instructional delivery models in not-for-profit four-year higher education institutions over two decades, focusing on understanding the adaptations made in response to changing student demands. Utilizing data from publicly available resources and a study of both public and private…

There have been many innovations targeting literacy teaching and learning in small countries such as Jamaica, but changes to literacy teaching practices are rarely sustained beyond the life of the initial projects. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers' rationale for changes to literacy teaching practices that were and were not…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) demand that science educators shift from traditional to NGSS teaching and learning. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the change process of shifting from traditional one-dimensional teaching to NGSS three-dimensional teaching and learning. A survey was sent to all science…

This multiple-bounded case study explored charter-school music teacher practitioners' (MTPs') and instructional leaders' (ILs') perceptions of professional development (PD) in four charter management organizations (CMOs). The purpose was to provide a rich description of these practitioners' professional development, with the goal of spurring…

In 2020, the world was affected by a highly transmissible new influenza A virus called the coronavirus (COVID-19) (CDC, 2020). Due to social distancing restrictions, academic nurse educators (ANE) needed to suspend traditional teaching and clinical methods to decrease the potential for disease transmission (Wyatt et al., 2021). ANEs turned to…

This research has examined the perspectives of college professors in providing online instruction in higher education. The professors were randomly selected from a four-year university in an urban community in the Midwest. They were of various ages, backgrounds, and different years of experience. They provided answers to questions about providing…

COVID-19 presented educators with a quick transition to virtual teaching. The problem was that secondary teachers in southwest Florida had to overcome obstacles, including preparedness, to teach successfully using different modalities during the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research on this topic is important because teachers' perceptions will…