The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) is an agency of the Ministry of Education and Youth in Jamaica responsible for early childhood development. It has been proposed that Early Childhood Practitioners (ECPs) should engage in more child friendly and age-appropriate teaching practices. This is especially critical as they use the Jamaica Early…

This three-article dissertation examined the key aspects and outcomes of a Formative and Alternative Assessment Methodology (FAAM) implemented at a Colombian university during COVID-19. The first study explored, through in-depth interviews, participants' experiences with the FAAM, which included assessment principles, strategies, resources, and…

Students in higher education require the skills and knowledge to creatively solve some of the pressing social, economic, and environmental issues confronting humanity. In 2015, the United Nations and its member states developed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address complex global issues and systemic barriers to achieving sustainable…

This study examined the performance gap of principals' leadership influence on teachers' capacity to enact a 21st century skill curriculum at Singapore School of the Future (SFS). The purpose of this study was to apply the gap analysis problem solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) to identify root causes of the knowledge, motivation and…

With the complexity and contradictions associated with conceptualizing learner-centered (LC) education, teachers need support to transform their teaching into LC. Teachers who are expected to teach using teacher-centered practices, like teachers in India, also need this support; however, little is known about these teachers' LC knowledge,…

Since 2008, the Ministry of Education in Grenada, where this study took place, started curriculum reform with the implementation of the HighScope curriculum in preschools. The problem is that many teachers faced challenges implementing the HighScope curriculum. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of early…

If we want mathematics education to be valuable to everybody, including those who do not pursue mathematics-related careers, we need to use mathematics as a training ground for certain ways of thinking. This dissertation focuses on one aspect of mathematical thinking, namely theory building. It has three parts -- unpacking what constitutes theory…

The problem investigated was many junior high teachers do not consistently implement technology-based gamification (TBG) within class activities despite evidence showing it as a useful learning tool for student engagement. This study aimed to explore why junior high teachers do not consistently implement TBG and identify the barriers and potential…

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IBPYP) curriculum for students ages 3-12 is implemented using inquiry-based learning. There is a lack of understanding about primary international teachers' perspectives about their implementation of inquiry-based learning in this setting. The purpose and research question of this basic…

This dissertation study investigated the implementation and perception of special education at international schools in Cairo, Egypt. Of particular interest was the implementation and perception of national government disability policy and the special education policies of the individual international schools in this study. Additionally, this…

Professional development is key to helping teachers create engaging and relevant classroom experiences, especially in early childhood education where young children are beginning to build knowledge, skills, and attitudes for life. This qualitative study used a constructivist theoretical framework to understand early childhood practitioners'…

Research on science-education reform affirms the importance of taking into consideration teachers' pedagogical beliefs in relation to the constructivist perspective to ensure successful implementation of a reform-oriented curriculum. In addition, prominent studies pinpoint the need for teachers to have sufficient pedagogical content knowledge…

In 1989, Liberia entered into a Civil War that was devastating to the population, which has not recovered since. The country's infrastructure was significantly destroyed. Eighty percent of schools were non-functional. The illiteracy rate was at 80% in 2017. The teacher population at the primary and secondary levels was 26,000, but, 65% of them had…

Most efforts to improve school settings and increase student learning assume adequately trained and knowledgeable teachers with the personal capacity and professional support to effectively implement new programs. This is unlikely to be true in under-resourced communities where teachers face a range of personal and professional barriers to…

In 2001, the Korean government launched a new English language education policy called "the 7th national curriculum," in an attempt to meet the growing public demand for improved communication skills in English. With this policy in mind, the aim of this dissertation is to examine the ways in which the mandatory English language…