This dissertation is a collection of three papers. The first is a conceptual paper, followed by two data analysis papers. All three papers examine the connection between structural equation models and regression models, and how one may better learn, research and apply structural equation models when structural equation models are thought of as…

Student success is often treated as an observed variable, or something that you can measure directly with a single instrument. Single course outcomes such as final course grade or learning gain on an assessment have become synonymous with success in undergraduate science education research. Continually relying on these narrow course outcomes to…

Every student comes into each classroom with a unique mathematical identity. Mathematical identity consists of the stories about a person's confidence, beliefs, and persistence with mathematics as told by her/himself or by others (Gweshe & Brodie, 2019). Identity is not fixed (Dweck & Yeager, 2019; Wenger, 1998) and is dynamic within a…

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of acquiescence on both positively and negatively worded questions, both when unidimensionality was assumed and when it was not. To accomplish this, undergraduate student responses to a previously validated survey of student engagement were used to compare several models of acquiescence, using a…

The use of face-to-face and virtual teams has become a popular method of instruction in higher education. The popularity of working in teams has increased because effective teams are associated with positive learning outcomes. However, as students have different values and backgrounds, communication issues or conflict among team members may occur.…

The purposes of this study were to investigate the structural relationships among the factors that affect online learners' satisfaction with the learning experience, and to develop a structural model that explains online learners' satisfaction. For these purposes, a research model was developed based on the principles of social cognitive theory…

With increasingly diverse formal education settings around the globe, teachers' ability to differentiate curriculum is essential to meet the needs of students with varied cultural, socioeconomic, racial, and linguistic backgrounds. Teachers' curricular autonomy is a prerequisite to diversify curriculum. Guided by sociocultural approaches to agency…

School finance scholars have called for the alignment of accountability policies with state finance formulae to allocate resources toward student learning goals (Adams, 2008; Ryan, 2008; Superfine, 2009; Verstegen, 2002). With the presence of accountability policies that focus on improving students' academic achievement, state finance systems must…

Despite the fact that international students face challenges at the United States (U.S.) universities and colleges, little research exits on these student's sense of belonging. This study investigates the factors of sense of belonging for international students and provides insights on factors like academic adjustment, homesickness, peer…

The primary goal of this dissertation is to develop and provide preliminary validation for a new measure of culturally responsive practice. This instrument, which is called the Culturally Responsive Practice Scale (CRPS), includes items that reflect ways that teachers teach multicultural students in their classrooms. To accomplish the goal, three…

Information security is a complex issue, which is very critical for success of modern businesses. It can be implemented with the help of well-tested global standards and best practices. However, it has been studied that the human aspects of information security compliance pose significant challenge to its practitioners. There has been significant…

Researchers have assumed that social cognitive factors play significant roles in the career development of transition youth and young adults with disabilities and those without disabilities. However, research on the influence of the career decision-making process as a primary causal agent in one's psychosocial outcomes such as perceived level of…

This dissertation sought to produce and empirically test a theoretical model for the literacy construct of print concepts that would take into account the unique affordances of digital picture books for emergent readers. The author used an exploratory study of twenty randomly selected digital story applications to identify print conventions, text…

Evaluating the psychometric properties of a newly developed instrument is critical to understanding how well an instrument measures what it intends to measure, and ensuring proposed use and interpretation of questionnaire scores are valid. The current study uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques to examine the factorial structure and…

THE PROBLEM. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to assess the relationship between different Cloud service levels of effective business innovation for SMEs. In addition, the new knowledge gained from the benefits of Cloud adoption with knowledge sharing would enhance the decision making process for businesses to consider the…