Teachers' questioning is a key practice that influences student learning, yet not all teachers' questioning is equally effective, and fine-grained analyses uncovering the details of teachers' questioning are scarce. My study investigated the types of questions asked by three in-service elementary school math teachers, the associated levels of…

Mathematics education researchers suggest that providing the opportunity to struggle with important mathematics (SOS) is a necessary component of lessons in order for students to conceptually understand mathematics. There are many ways to promote and support SOS, yet very few lessons demonstrate SOS in today's middle grades classrooms. This study…

Due to the ever-increasing leveraging of technology in learning and human performance, multimedia e-learning continues to see rapid adoption as an instructional method for both business and formal education environments. Cognitive load theory (CLT) and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) provide prescriptive strategies to optimize…

This dissertation investigates the interplay between the implicit knowledge that learners have of a nonnative language and their processing of that language, examining two types of relative clauses (RCs) in English: gapped RCs (e.g., "the man that they hired") and resumptive RCs (e.g., *"the man that they hired him").…

American society's increase in ethnic textures, interracial tension, immigrants, religion, gender, disability, ability, and students who speak languages other than English as their first language prolongs the pedagogical challenges teachers encounter in the classroom due to diversity. This study explored the experiences of secondary social studies…

This dissertation introduces a comprehensive framework aimed at reshaping applied cybersecurity education to significantly ease the learning curve, at scale, through three synergistic innovations. These methods address the daunting educational barriers in cybersecurity, enabling learners at all levels to understand complex security concepts more…

The issue of low math performance, particularly in schools serving historically marginalized communities, requires immediate attention. Despite implementing various interventions, including leadership changes, curriculum updates, and hiring consultants, student achievement in math has remained stagnant at Ida B. Wells Academy (Wells). This case…

It may sound strange, but in today's mathematics classroom, teachers are encouraged to have students struggle. This struggle, however, is not what might come to mind upon first hearing the word. The struggle I refer to here is what researchers have termed "productive struggle," which is present when students must persevere in solving…

An experimental study was conducted to examine the effects of shared book reading and video viewing on preschoolers' vocabulary and knowledge acquisition in informational text. The study included 60 preschool children who were randomly assigned to three experimental groups --shared book reading group, video viewing group, and shared book reading…

Novice programmers need well-designed instruction and assessment informed by research and critical perspectives to conquer the historical challenges associated with completing introductory computer programming courses successfully. These issues include high dropout and failure rates, the struggle to acquire and retain basic programming knowledge,…

Organic chemistry is a class well known to be difficult and necessary for many careers in the sciences, and as a result, has garnered interest in researching ways to improve student learning and comprehension. One potential way involves using eye tracking techniques to understand how students visually examine questions. Organic chemistry involves…

Chemistry is considered a difficult subject by most students. Its difficulty lies in Chemistry's complex and abstract nature. This highly abstract nature requires constant interplay and coordination between the macroscopic, particulate, and symbolic representations. Experts can successfully navigate the various representations without overloading…

Pilot training and certification have largely remained the same since the Practical Test Standards (PTS) were issued more than twenty years ago by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Within the last several years, the general aviation training sector has acquired the capability to collect and analyze digital data from certain training…

Although there is consensus on the relevance of the feedback given to student teachers, few instances in the literature have addressed this topic. Even less is said about feedback to mathematics lesson plans and how to characterize it. Lesson plans are artifacts that help establish a link between theory and practice, relate to a broader sense of…

A well-run introductory CS1 course is essential for all students within CS education. CS1 is necessary to keep students in the major and important to attract non-majors to the CS field. Unfortunately, there are many well-known issues that most CS1 courses have in common: high drop rates, low retention, high student stress, student struggle,…