Required gateway courses in higher education present ongoing challenges to student persistence, retention, and degree completion. Adaptive learning technology (ALT) offers personalized support and generates learning analytics that can inform faculty teaching and course design practices. This qualitative case study examined faculty experiences with…

The widespread digital gap significantly impacts educational achievements and fair access to resources, particularly in rural areas with limited technology and high-speed internet. This study explores strategies used by school administrators in five rural Southeast school districts to bridge the digital divide and overcome obstacles. Through…

The integration of student-centered learning (SCL) practices in higher education, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, is essential for addressing persistent challenges such as high failure rates among underrepresented groups. Institutions of Higher Education are increasingly emphasizing evidence-based,…

This Action Research study investigated adult (i.e., teachers and parents) use of picture books with children as tools to support the exploration of their individual cultures and ethnicities. Participants in Cycle 1 consisted of educators (i.e., teachers, administrators, and librarians). Data was collected through interviews, lesson plans, and…

Artificial intelligence (AI), utilizing machine learning techniques to 'learn' from data, as humans learn from experiences, has the promise to perform various cognitive tasks, such as learning, thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making, which usually demands human cognition. In recent decades, the remarkable advancements in AI have led to its…

This dissertation explores the dynamics of a formal classroom and an informal nature-based learning environment, focusing on their impact on student subjectification and knowledge authority. The study, conducted with a cohort of 27 fifth-grade students and their teacher, employs a comparative case study methodology to analyze how teaching…

The demand for virtual learning environments in K-12 educational systems has grown exponentially in the past twenty years. The need for model K-12 learning environments became evident when the Covid-19 global pandemic caused an unparalleled closure to in-person learning environments that sent traditional school settings on a tailspin trying to…

The lived experiences of both students and teachers impact the classroom environment and there is undoubtedly a cultural influence on these experiences. As role models and leaders of the classroom, teachers have a duty to increase awareness of their own cultures as well as the cultures of their students. This study focuses on teacher perceptions…

The problem addressed by this study was that educators struggle with knowing which authentic literacy instructional practices and strategies were effective for improving student engagement and achievement levels in the middle grades. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to examine the instructional strategies related…

This applied dissertation was designed to enhance the use of behavioral skills training to teach staff members a discrete trial training (DTT) procedure in a setting with a low trainer-to-staff ratio. Although effective, the rehearsal and feedback components of behavioral skills training can be time consuming and require more time with an expert…

Effective collaboration and the development of collective efficacy are understood to have considerable influence on students' learning, with research showing that the presence of collective efficacy among educators is the strategy with the most potential to positively affect student achievement. Yet this strategy is rarely found implemented in…

The MLIS curriculum gap and nonteaching academic librarian's teaching identity development comprise the problem under investigation. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis was to examine the meaning of nonteaching academic librarians' experiences in north and northcentral Florida with information literacy (IL) instruction, and…

This creative nonfiction dissertation study sought to describe the process by which three self-identified White teachers--who are engaged in structural initiatives in their schools, districts and/or communities for racial equity--transitioned from colorblindness to understanding white supremacy and structural racism. The following overarching…

This dissertation investigates how early career teachers' orientations of students and their mathematical activity, as surfaced their experience in a simulation, can reveal when their well-intentioned decisions might negatively impact traditionally underserved students. Three early career teachers engaged in two online simulations where they could…

This dissertation study was designed in response to the focus in schools on test scores and accountability, which has increasingly impacted students' experiences in schools as well as art education curriculum and pedagogy. In this study, I responded to and aimed to disrupt the neoliberal culture of public schools in my high school art classroom by…