Since the Fall 2009 semester, low academic performance and disengaged students have been regularly observed in the General Education Core's first-year psychology class. Because examination scores have been consistently low and student engagement has been declining, this researcher sought an alternative approach that would better meet the…

In spite of the tremendous growth and an option which allows greater flexibility for students to pursue a higher education, certain barriers contribute to higher attrition rates and lower student performance in fully online courses. Poor or inefficient technology skills, a lack of student readiness, and misaligned course expectations are barriers…

The Appalachian Land Ownership Study was a participatory action research project in one of our nation's poorest regions suffering from absenteeism, poverty, powerlessness, and improper taxation. In discovering who owned the region's land, the participants sought to organize against the social, economic and environmental injustices imposed on the…

This qualitative, appreciative inquiry study was an examination of bystander intervention as related to sexual assault in the military. The purpose of the study was to examine how military personnel and Department of Defense civilian employees reflecting diverse backgrounds perceived the effectiveness of bystander intervention training and sexual…

As public education seeks to address the needs of a globalized, 21st Century workplace, curriculum and instructional methodologies increasingly require classroom technology integration, infusion of critical thinking skills and information and media skills over rote memorization of facts. In order to retrain teachers in the new instructional…

The role of the parent in a child's reading development requires consistent communication with educators about the child's individual needs and progress. National concern for declining reading scores throughout the country begins in the early childhood educational setting. This study, designed as an action research, explored one-way and two-way…

In this action research study, the desired outcome was to develop, implement, and sustain a system of personalized mentoring developed through teacher collaboration. The research question the study answered was: How will the systemic implementation of a personalized student-mentoring environment impact teacher collaboration? The research…

This pre-experimental, participatory action research study investigated the impact of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training on participants' perceived confidence and willingness to initiate CPR. Parents of seventh and eighth grade students were surveyed. Parent participants were asked to watch the American Heart Association's Family and…

This was a collaborative action research study by lead staff, researchers and parents at the Pen Green Centre for Children and their Families in England. The study focuses on the factors enabling access to children's services by nine parents from challenging family contexts. The critical questions were: What enabled some parents to overcome…

Recent criticisms of the Educational Doctorate (Ed.D.) have challenged faculty members to create or reform such programs. In response to these concerns, faculty members at a particular institution designed and implemented a new Ed.D. program focused on leadership and innovation. We conducted this action research study in order to examine the…

De-contextualized professional development is the common route taken by school districts to addresses pedagogical skills and address change within an educational organization. Research suggests that the current process of professional development activities is limited if not ineffective. Research shows that another model of professional…

The main interest is the relationship between social scientific research and societal practice, with specific attention on action research and cultural-historical research. To provide a productive way to engage with these research traditions, a historically-grounded, superordinate perspective is formulated that places practice in the centre. This…

This paper describes a social partnership model based on the living lab concept to promote the professional development of educators through formal and informal capacity-building initiatives. The aim is to have a broader impact on society through community outreach educational initiatives. A Living Lab is an environment for user-centered…

This article documents the process of collaboratively developing lesson hook e-resources for science teachers to establish a community of inquiry and to strengthen the pedagogy of science teaching. The authors aim to illustrate how the development and application of strategic hooks can bridge situational interest and personal interest so that…

Mathematics is a key to all scientific subjects. Learning mathematics requires cognitive and meta-cognitive effort. Many students suffer from mathematics anxiety that very often leads to physiological symptoms. Self-efficacy is defined as people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that affect their lives.…