This dissertation is a multi-method study that engaged youth in a digital learning ecology called Literacy Scholars for Justice and focused on critical aesthetic textual interpretation. I employ a queer methodology as the dissertation study's overarching methodological framework. I collected data in a virtual learning ecology during a two-year…

The project director sought to equip a select group of college students from Shades Mountain Baptist Church (SMBC) in Birmingham, AL to increase their Great Commission awareness and participation. The project director addressed a very significant need in his ministry context. He helped college students meaningfully connect their desire for purpose…

Summer camps are a common youth development setting in North America; however, youth from low-income backgrounds often cannot attend because of financial barriers. Subsequently, although a robust camp literature exists, little is known about the lasting benefits for youth from low-income backgrounds. Even less is known about how these outcomes may…

A learning experience designed for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) should integrate the Science & Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) with science content. Such "three-dimensional learning" engages students in the epistemic components of the scientific process. Whether the Practices and CCCs are used…

Although they commonly are associated with recreation, summer camps for children can be seen as educational arenas that both supplement and challenge school education. Summer camps provide education in a broad sense of "bildung." The article aims at describing what is experienced in summer camps and proposes various theoretical frames…

Since the adoption by NASPAA of universal competencies, there have been calls in this, as well as other, journals for a renewed focus on law-related courses in MPA and MPP curricula. There appears to have been a decline in the number of accredited programs offering such courses, even though the legitimacy of public administration depends in large…

Educational Robotics (ER) is an upcoming trend in education. It has been introduced in classrooms to improve the learning environment. It provides opportunities for young learners by promoting knowledge-building activities. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education is viewed as a catalyst to ensure a successful future in…

Effective transitions to kindergarten engage families and ease children into new environments. Countdown to Kindergarten (CTK), a program in a southeastern U.S. state that serves more than 1,000 children each year and is grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, partners kindergarten teachers and families to facilitate effective…

This guest perspective argues that converting in-person summer pre-college program participants into matriculated, degree-seeking undergraduate students at that same institution is a multi-step process that involves: 1) strategic pre-college program recruitment, 2) a curated and well-rounded summer pre-college experience that is both academically…

The current education system is failing our children. Yet the system shifts the blame as well as the search for possible solutions to teachers and learners, avoiding responsibility for its role in the existing oppressive structures. In turn, it fails to address the needs of a vastly diverse student population. This article looks at the development…

Student learning outside the formal classroom is inextricably linked to informal learning environments. In many countries, most activities that employ informal learning prioritize the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and have shown a positive impact on increasing students' interest, self-efficacy,…

We developed a framework for characterizing an institution's quantitative skills/reasoning support ecosystem to consider how various activities contribute to student success in areas connected to students' quantitative preparation. Through discussions with faculty and staff stakeholders at eight selective small liberal arts colleges, we…

Free-recall paradigms have greatly influenced our understanding of memory. The majority of this research involves laboratory-based events (e.g., word lists) that are studied and tested within minutes. This literature shows that adults recall events in a temporally organized way, with successive responses often coming from neighboring list…

The average daily amount of physical activity (PA) expended by children in summer camp is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the trends in PA and sedentary behavior in school-aged summer campers during an outdoor adventure summer camp. Participants were a convenience sample of school-aged children (N = 183; 102 males and 81…

The Arizona Geographic Alliance has addressed out-of-field geography teaching for three decades by training organisational leaders (called Teacher Consultants or TCs) who become advocates for geographic literacy in their districts and schools. The core recruitment tool has been an annual Alliance Summer Geography Institute (ASGI). Here, we ask the…