Purpose: Drawing from self-determination theory, this exploratory mixed-methods study investigated the motivation and involvement of school staff regarding Dubai 30 × 30, an annual event for all Dubai residents, including schools, where the aim is to be physically active for 30 min each day for 1 month. Method: A convenience sample of 18 physical…

We examined relations among select components of the 4-H Thriving Model, focusing on youth sparks and four presumed determinants: program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and dosage. Based on our results and results of previous studies, we propose a formal theory of youth program sparks. Three hundred fifty-six Texas…

The field of open education and research on the topic has notably expanded since the introduction of the term 20 years ago. Given these developments, a framework to structure research inquiry is necessary to ground and organize findings in open education. We propose the SCOPE framework for open education research: social justice, cost, outcomes,…

This study was intended to analyze the effect of multiple initiations on beliefs about cervical cancer, health responsibility, and screening participation. In total, 134 women aged 40-55 years, who were at risk of cervical cancer and had never had a Pap smear before, were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 67) and control (n = 67) groups.…

Transitioning adult education students to post-secondary programs and community college requires deliberate intervention and support services. This dissertation study was part of a larger action research study aimed at increasing transitions to college for non-traditional adult students by providing support and resources to adult education…

The two studies presented here examine the effects of teachers' enhanced sense of meaning at work (SOM) on their burnout and engagement. In the first study, 41 teachers in two Arab schools were randomly assigned to a meaning-induction group--in which they were prompted daily to acknowledge meaningful incidents at work for 2 weeks or to a control…

Although adult siblings often fulfill caregiving roles for their brothers and sisters with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and report needing support, little intervention research has been conducted with adult siblings of individuals with IDD. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the preliminary outcomes of a leadership…

This dissertation in practice focused on the use of Motivational Interviewing in the school environment between school staff and families. More specifically, this program evaluation sought to see if the use of Motivational Interviewing by school staff could improve parent participation rates in student attendance improvement conferences (SAICs).…

Based on the HTML5 video element, WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) and MySQL, we developed a Rich Media Platform for Table Tennis learning (RMPTTL). This platform can support online motion analysis. Meanwhile, social agents (peers, coaches and parents) can leave comments to influence players' participation motivation. A mixed experimental design was…

This mixed-methods study examined how ten- to twelve-year-old children experienced and made sense of their growing climate change awareness through an after-school program that used participatory methods to facilitate children's informed climate change action. The fifteen-week program combined hands-on educational activities with digital…

This article examines the participation, engagement, alliance, and social validity of home-Base--a parent management intervention developed specifically to address parent engagement of elementary-level students. The intervention infuses motivational interviewing (MI) into its implementation procedures and trains behavioral coaches to use this…

Background/Context: There is currently a dearth of research on Asian American civic engagement broadly, and the scholarship on Asian American youth is even more limited. The lack of research contributes to opacity in understanding how Asian Americans fit into the civic landscape. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This study…

The study purpose was to examine whether adolescents who participated in organized physical activity (PA) programs differed from nonparticipants in motivation, social support, and self-efficacy related to PA; PA (min/hr); and sedentary screen time behavior. Thirty-nine 5th-7th grade adolescents participated in organized PA programs; 41 did not.…

In the summer of 2017, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and its partners at AT&T set out on an ambitious data collection and research project intended to capture the perceptions, beliefs, and activities of American adults about the topic of youth mentoring. One core objective of this first-of-its-kind project is the focus of this…

There has been a steady increase in the number of studies investigating educational robotics and its impact on academic and social skills of young learners. Educational robots are used both in and out of school environments to enhance K-12 students' interest, engagement, and academic achievement in various fields of STEM education. Some prior…