The popularity of digital badges has been accelerated in recent years. Advocates of digital badges suggest their use may improve students' motivation and achievement, but existing empirical studies have failed to show consistent results. Furthermore, to date, no meta-analysis has been conducted on the topic of digital badges. Given this gap, the…

Approximately 7% of all U. S. K-12 schools have received the United States Department of Education's (USDOE) National Blue Ribbon (NBR). Information was needed about how leaders prepare their schools to earn this award. This study was focused on the leadership practices of school principals honored with the award between 2005 and 2021 to learn…

M-DCPS had 21,354 graduates in the 2022-2023 academic year. Ninety two percent of students achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students opted for an international curriculum pathway, with 846 (4%) attaining an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma, and 436 (2%) obtaining an International Baccalaureate (IB)…

M-DCPS had 20,833 graduates in the 2021-2022 academic year as of June 2022. Most students, 89%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students chose an alternative curriculum where 857 (4%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 454 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. An…

The study of mental health among gifted and accelerated learners has continued to evolve since the publication of a chapter focused on their subjective well-being. This article provides an updated review of mental health research focusing on gifted learners, specifically through understanding flourishing is routed in their experiences of positive…

Vividly, it is not an overstatement to say that football is the most prominent sport in the recent world. The present study is about the impact of athletic scholarship on football achievement motivation of university students. Athletic type of scholarship helps students to discover, improve and exhibit their football talent and skills. It makes…

Literature has examined teacher leadership (TL) roles, definitions, applications in schools, and, most recently, its presence in high-performing public schools, like the US National Blue Ribbon Schools (NBRS). This study featured principal and teacher leader interviews (n = 20) from NBRS recognized during the pandemic (2020 and 2021), alongside…

Gamification is increasingly applied in contexts where personal performance is of importance. However, the psychological nature of their relation has not been thoroughly examined. The authors investigated how achievement-based gamification impacts attitudinal engagement and performance across 6 university courses. The authors created challenges…

Academic motivation enables students to face challenges in their studies and is important for student performance. Academic self-concept refers to students' perceptions of their competencies and ability to learn. The goal of the study was to evaluate academic motivation and self-concept of undergraduate optometry students. We used a mixed methods…

The extent to which students identify with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (i.e. STEM identity) is crucial in influencing them to pursue STEM-related careers after compulsory education. Given the predictive power of this construct, this study explores Thai students' STEM identities by focussing on three components (i.e. interest,…

Empirical evidence on the effectiveness of performance-based rewards for teachers is primarily based on the evaluation of monetary reward schemes. We present results from a randomized evaluation of a teacher and principal incentive programme in India that offered a non-pecuniary recognition reward based on students' test scores on standardized…

M-DCPS had 21,638 graduates in the 2020-2021 academic year. Most students, 92%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students chose an alternative curriculum where 854 (4%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 447 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. An additional 384 (2%)…

Background: Historical research shows that influencing student motivation is a factor in achieving academic success. The use of a competency-based educational (CBE) model provides a challenge in recognition of students who exceed the competency requirements of a given task or written paper. This study provides the opportunity to see if providing…

In studying the performance of academic systems, one often tries to find out--by inspecting some well-defined parameters--how specific changes in the legal system influence the volume and quality of desired outputs, such as publications, patents, or alumni. This mechanistic approach neglects the fact that the main actors in this spectacle are not…

The case study contained within this dissertation is a part of the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). The aim of this project has been to examine successful school principalship in Alabama through in-depth analysis of qualitative interview data. The primary focus of the study is the nature of school…