Recent studies have indicated that gamification, the process of using game-like elements in nongame situations, increases student engagement and comprehension. The problem was that little is known about the extent to which digital elements of gamification are being used to help engage students in high school classes in Alaska. The purpose of this…

Culture-based mathematics learning (C-bMLI) has emerged as a promising approach to improving students' mathematical skills, yet previous research presents inconsistent findings regarding its efficacy compared to conventional methods. To address this gap, a meta-analytic study is needed to consolidate and present the latest insights regarding the…

Indigenous Alaska Native first-generation college students bring a wealth of knowledge and skills yet struggle in Western institutions. The problem is that many Alaskan postsecondary faculty continue to design courses based on Western academic instructional practices instead of culturally responsive strategies when teaching Indigenous Alaska…

This DIP is a qualitative study to describe how Alaska Native and African American parents understand the achievement gap as well as their suggestions or solutions for reducing and ending the gap. Seventeen parents were interviewed, from both Alaska Native and African American descent. These interviews took place over the phone due to the current…

The Dena'ina language is a well-documented Northern Dene Alaska Native language in south-central Alaska. The Dena'ina language is on the brink of going to sleep. The Dena'ina community strongly desires for the Dena'ina language to once again thrive in the community. Language-use within the community is a contributing factor to the health of the…

Educator's perceptions and use of a state-mandated kindergarten entry assessment (KEA), the Alaska Developmental Profile (ADP), were investigated using a mixed-methods approach with 233 educators representing 23 districts in the state of Alaska. Educators reported inconsistencies in the administration, implementation, perceptions, and use of the…

This study was completed in two phases, the first of which employed systematic literature analysis of collegiate instructional use of web conferencing followed by a case study of a multi-campus collaborative course utilizing web conferencing. Results provide implications for collegiate educators seeking to employ web conferencing for synchronous…

Place-based education (PBE) is a situated, context-rich, transdisciplinary teaching and learning modality distinguished by its unequivocal relationship to place, which is any locality that people have imbued with meanings and personal attachments through actual or vicarious experiences. As an observational and historical science, geoscience is…

This five-part playbook was created to provide practical, proven methods to improve the reading outcomes of all learners in Alaska. It defines and provides clear, step-by-step evidence-based strategies for five elements of reading instruction: (1) phonological awareness; (2) phonics; (3) fluency; (4) vocabulary; and (5) comprehension. When…

Situated learning experiences such as research apprenticeships can help connect girls to the sciences, ultimately helping to achieve gender equity in the science workforce. The material resources available in research apprenticeships--such as research equipment, field gear, etc.--may be particularly consequential for building identification with…

Indigenous methodologies for guiding, advising, and educating children have been in place since time immemorial. Those well-honed approaches to education were built to support whole and healthy individual development while also establishing a lifelong awareness and reverence for community, connection, kinship, and reciprocity. In Western cultures,…

In this article we will describe a continuum of development towards knowledge generation and networked learning which emerges as practising teachers participate in a connectivist experience offered through an open online class (OOC) learning design. We believe that this design offers an opportunity to provide authentic professional development and…

This unlikely cast of characters, by working collaboratively in a trusting learning community, was able to identify an approach to teaching rational numbers through measuring from the everyday practices of Yup'ik Eskimo and other elders. "The beginning of everything," as named by a Yup'ik elder, provided deep insights into how practical…

This article contributes to the ongoing dialogue regarding what it means to engage young children as active researchers in Early Childhood Environmental Education (ECEE) and Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS). Drawing from a participatory and phenomenological framework, this paper considers the advantages, challenges, and…

This dissertation in teacher leadership represents original, independent research that investigated bilingual language instruction of an indigenous Alaskan group of students. Ethnographic research using qualitative and quantitative data was applied to develop an understanding of correlations between the value of English and Yup'ik language and…