This mixed methods study focused on adolescents who rejected conventional singular racial/ethnic categorization by selecting multiple race/ethnicities or writing descriptions of "Other" racial/ethnic identities in response to a survey item asking them to identify their race/ethnicity. Written responses reflected eight distinct categories…

Dual-enrollment programs have been proposed as a useful way to ease students' transition from high school to community college. Several studies have shown that dual enrollment produces positive effects for students, but less is known about the mechanisms these programs use to support student success. Symbolic interactionism suggests that clarity…

The effects of undergraduate research participation are well documented, but less is known about students' pathways into undergraduate research participation. This mixed-methods study explored the role of an International Baccalaureate research project in students' development of research self-efficacy in high school, and how this development…

Purpose: Previous research has demonstrated that television has the potential to influence youth behaviors, but little evidence exists on how television depicts physical activity (PA), an important public health priority for youth. This mixed-methods study investigated depictions of television characters' participation in PA in the top 25 favorite…

Nontraditional students returning to college have many outside stressors that potentially prohibit academic success including full-time jobs, home life (children, spouses, and bills), and lack of time or understanding of college assignments. An explanatory mixed methods study was conducted for the purpose of determining if and for how long the…

The school climate is outlined in literature as one of the most important within school factors required for effective teaching in learning. As leaders in any organisations are assigned the role of ensuring sound climates for work, head teachers also have the task of creating and maintaining an environment conducive for effective academic work…

Students' views about teaching, learning, and school experiences are important considerations in education. The purpose of this study was to examine students' perceptions of teachers who create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments. To achieve this, a survey was conducted with 360 students to capture students' views on their…

Introduction: This study explores the social experiences in high school of students with visual impairments. Methods: Experience sampling methodology was used to examine (a) how socially included students with visual impairments feel, (b) the internal qualities of their activities, and (c) the factors that influence a sense of inclusion. Twelve…

Purpose is a concept receiving increasing attention in the developmental sciences. Making sense of your place in the world and finding meaning--a process fundamental to purpose--support positive development in adolescence and beyond. Using traditional ethnographic strategies, this article examines the development of purpose among a small group of…

In pursuance of analyzing attendance at Midwest High School (a pseudonym), the researcher examined the attendance program's effect on the junior class. The goal of the researched attendance program was to find what worked in the program, what needed to be changed, and how effective was the program. In order to evaluate the program, the researcher…

Students' motivational and affective responses to mathematics are related to their academic performance. This mixed methods study involved survey results from 394 middle and high school high ability students. Data revealed that students believed success was possible, and that the usefulness and enjoyment of mathematics precipitated high…

There is a general recognition that learning of foreign languages is in decline in Australia. This paper uses the social constructivist theory as a conceptual framework to report on a project where university language students supported their high school peers in the learning of their specialist language in New South Wales, Australia. The project…

This study explored personal agency and motivation of students enrolled in Linked Learning Pathways across low, mid-low, mid-high, and high poverty school settings. Specifically, the study examined student personal agency beliefs, goal setting practices, and student emotional connectedness. The researcher aimed to examine student perceptions of…

This paper expands the scope of typical quantitative studies on mathematics self-efficacy by including a short ethnography of the students' daily classroom experiences. It attempts to provide a "thicker description" and a context in which these beliefs could be interpreted. Using both qualitative and quantitative sets of data, it is…

This study explores the use of language learning apps as a didactic tool for vocabulary building in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. It was developed through a mixed-methods approach, with a concurrent design in order to collect, analyze and validate qualitative and quantitative data. Although there was controversy on the use of…