The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of the social emotional learning program, Second Step®, on students' social emotional competency scores and academic achievement using three elementary schools. This study also evaluated teacher perceptions of Second Step® and the observed impact of Second Step® implementation on…

This study explored the experiences and contributions of South Asian Americans actively engaged in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the realm of higher education. The research question that framed this study was: What are the lived experiences of South Asian American DEI educators in higher education? Supporting…

This study explored how a poverty simulation experience influenced educators' social empathy levels and educational practices. More specifically, twenty-nine educators' levels of social empathy were measured using the Social Empathy Index (Segal, Wagaman, & Gerdes, 2012) in a pre/posttest design. Influences on educational practices were…

The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for students, teachers, and parents. Teacher well-being was already identified as problematic, and the pandemic intensified many teachers' stresses. This quantitative study used survey research methods to investigate whether resilience characteristics (i.e., purpose, perseverance, self-reliance, equanimity, or…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare mental health and stress in K-5 teachers at a Southeast Texas elementary school based on gender, years of experience, and race. It was guided by the following research questions: How does the relationship between gender among male and female elementary teachers relate to stress assessment…

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between teacher efficacy and enthusiasm using a mixed methods approach. Efficacy as a construct was explored, along with understanding both the positive and negative drivers of that construct. The research was conducted to understand the following: the reliability and construct validity…

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the demands of the already challenging teaching profession. This study sought to investigate if correlations existed among the perceptions of teachers' regarding job satisfaction, principal leadership behaviors and school climate using pre- and post-surveys. Survey data was collected from a target…

This doctoral dissertation investigates the differences in perceptions of school climate among in-school stakeholders. The study focuses on how the participant's role within the school and gender impact their perceptions of school climate. Surveys were administered to students and teachers in a high school setting, with quantitative analysis…

This quantitative study explored the self-efficacy beliefs and responsibility beliefs of 281 teachers from 30 schools in West Tennessee according to how they were trained. The Teacher Responsibility Survey was utilized to collect data and determine whether statistically significant differences existed in the self-efficacy and responsibility…

Learning effective science writing is an important component of becoming a scientist, but it can also be difficult to master. Even though the lab report has a long history in science education, there are still lingering issues that impact life science instructors and students. This dissertation is a coherent body of three interrelated research…

The purpose of this quantitative associative-correlational study was to determine if there is a correlation between teacher job satisfaction and distributed leadership and if that relationship is shared or different between genders. Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Gronn's (2002) and Spillane's et al. (2004) theories on distributed leadership…

This non-experimental quantitative research study examined K-12 rural Alabama teachers' perceptions of teacher leadership, focusing on the four factors of the Teacher Leadership Inventory and the potential differences in perceptions based on teachers' gender, educational degree, years of experience, and job position. I used a survey research…

The purpose of this study was to determine how various security measures affect performance in two South Carolina middle schools, one high-performing, and one low-performing. This research study determined educators' attitudes toward safety in one high-performing and low-performing school in the low country area of South Carolina. There were five…

We know that women are underrepresented in math-intensive fields despite marginal gender differences in mathematical performance. Some researchers believe that societal factors contribute to this problem and have called for more nuanced methodologies to examine why underrepresentation and gender stereotypes about math continue to persist. The…

Due to the required amount of time, financial resources, and the potential effects of the evaluation on teacher performance and student learning outcomes, teacher perceptions and experiences with the Georgia TKES need to be examined. This quantitative non-experimental design study aimed to examine the perceptions and experiences of teachers with…