This dissertation explores the institutionalization of sustainability studies within undergraduate programs in the United States, investigating its implications for interdisciplinary structure, faculty expertise, and curriculum focus. It specifically examines how sustainability studies differentiates itself from the established field of…

The aim of this study was to taxonomically analyze the Spring and Summer 2022 Lifeway Bible Studies for Life curriculum for adults. The focus of the study was to determine whether the curriculum successfully engages learners across various learning dimensions, fostering a more holistic and impactful experience, the inquiry is significant not only…

Spatial reasoning skills are a great predictor of students' Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) achievement and attainment. However, researchers have mainly viewed spatial reasoning skills as an internal cognitive process that is measured through the administration of psychometric testing and laboratory experiments. Further,…

Conceptual approaches to contemporary physics topics pose many learning challenges. One factor influencing knowledge integration is a student's epistemological framing. Epistemic frames provide a context within which a particular situation is perceived, interpreted, and judged. The utility of an epistemic frame is context dependent, and the…

This study examined how algebra teachers plan curriculum units when they actively design their curriculum. I used a case study (Yin, 2013) of five experienced high school mathematics teachers who came from school districts of varying sizes across the nation. More specifically, I analyzed the teachers' unit planning processes and products by…

This autoethnography explored my experiences in designing a nature-based literacy unit in Hawai'i. Whereas a small body of research highlights a positive relationship between nature-based experiences and literacy outcomes, there is minimal research on the planning process. I wanted to understand the experience of planning for nature-based literacy…

This convergent parallel mixed methods study explored barriers to teaching disability and accessibility awareness in the early elementary classroom and assessed the impact of an instructional video on educators' current perceptions and future teaching practices. Through one-on-one, semi-structured interviews on Zoom and a pretest, intervention,…

The Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards propose that students learn concepts and practices related to engineering as well as science. Currently the research surrounding how engineering practices through engineering design are implemented in the life sciences such as high school biology is limited. To…

Infographics are part of daily life because of the rise of digital media and technology, as learners now encounter a barrage of images carefully designed to convey data and information through social media. But what happens in the classroom when young learners first encounter this expressive genre? This case study examined a unit of instruction on…

The purpose of my study was to determine the effectiveness of using dynamic geometry software while exploring the properties of quadrilaterals. Dynamic geometry software can be effective if used properly in the exploration process as students construct their own knowledge through constructivism. Students were given the Van Hiele Test as a pretest…

Statistical association is a key facet of statistical literacy: claims based on relationships between variables or ideas rooted in data are found everywhere in media and discourse. A key development in introductory statistics curricula is the use of simulation-based inference, which has shown positive outcomes for students, especially in regards…

The purpose of this study is to understand the thoughts of teachers on the Amistad Integrated Units and the influence of the culturally relevant units on Black female students. The researcher identified if culturally relevant pedagogy influenced teacher instructional practices and the classroom academic experiences of Black female students. The…

Professional development programs aim to make long-lasting change to teacher practice. However, these programs are often short-lived due to limited personnel, cost, and time constraints. Using an actor-oriented approach, this study aimed to understand how teachers transfer their learning from a professional development program focused on…

Over the last decade, the demands on secondary science teachers have shifted to encompass a new range of objectives. Science teachers need support in their efforts to be responsive as they navigate shifting demands in the teaching profession: new state standards, an ever-diversifying student body, and a drive to integrate social justice into…

As the need for critical media literacy practices in classrooms increases, it is important to investigate students' experiences with a variety of media texts, specifically when analyzed from a critical media literacy stance. Critical media literacy creates spaces for students to question, challenge, and analyze the role of media texts in promoting…