This study investigated the intersection of literacy instruction and high school science teaching in response to low proficiency levels in these areas and interest in pursuing STEM careers among U.S. high school students. Participants reported using close reading practices combined with inquiry-based science instruction to enhance students'…

By implementing carefully selected children's literature into the current reading curriculum, teachers can help students develop into civic-minded citizens who are willing and able to take meaningful action. Much has been written about the need to link learning and culture in our literacy classrooms (Banks, 1995; Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 1995,…

Teachers' participation in diverse professional development initiatives is crucial for personal and professional advancement. This study focused on exploring the perspectives of public-school teachers in their pursuit of professional development. A case study was conducted through purposive sampling, utilizing a semi-structured interview to gather…

Games are a powerful tool for learning, offering unique benefits for student engagement, particularly when addressing complex or challenging topics. The general public's understanding of how vaccines are made is limited and the general public is unaware of the comprehensive research, development, and safety measures that are inherent in vaccine…

Science education policies and standards have called for educators to teach students about the Nature of Science (NOS) and engage them in Culturally Relevant Science Teaching (CRST), which requires critical shifts away from traditional science teaching. As such, teachers are being asked to possess or take up conceptions of science that challenge…

Introduction: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into higher education ushers in a new era of teaching and learning possibilities for both educators and students. Statement of the Problem: These technologies not only offer unparalleled opportunities for personalized learning and instructional support, but also introduce challenges…

This paper seeks to make visible the legacy and endurance of Christian normativity in current global higher education policy and practice trends by making the links between the present day manifestations of these policies/practices and their Christian origins explicit, and by describing alternatives to presumably universal ideas. Global higher…

The examination of a PhD thesis marks an important stage in the PhD student journey. Here, the student's research, thinking and writing are assessed by experts in their field. Yet, in the early stages of candidature, students often do not know what is expected of their thesis, nor what examiners will scrutinise and comment on. However, what…

This paper presents an autoethnographic, narrative analysis through self-reflection of my own personal transition from doctoral student to doctoral supervisor. An evaluation of the importance of the PhD in South Africa, the role of doctoral supervisors, and characteristics of good supervisors was undertaken; against which my personal experience…

While updating standards is done from time to time to reflect a changing world, content within them is ripe for ideological contestation as it reflects the official curriculum that schools follow; in the case of Social Studies education, standards hold the potential to impact students' understandings of civics and citizenship. Ambiguity…

The dominance of technology over various aspects of life has changed the digital natives' style of learning too. There, however, exists no comprehensive educational-based instruction on how to work with this generation of learners in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). The purpose of this study -- therefore - is to develop and validate…

Standards-based grading is an alternative grading method with many claimed benefits. This paper reports on quantitative studies investigating several of these oft-made anecdotal claims, such as reducing students' test anxiety and fostering a growth mindset. We found that standards-based grading did reduce students' test anxiety; moreover, the…

Purpose: The main objective of the present research is to depict the experience of challenges and opportunities for virtual accreditation peer review team (PRT) visits. COVID-19 has changed higher education delivery. Higher education accreditation and PRT visits have become online. The lockdown forced schools and accreditation agencies to cancel…

Higher education institutions are increasingly relying on learning analytics to collect voluminous amounts of data ostensibly to inform student learning interventions. The use of learning analytics, however, can result in a tension between the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) principles of autonomy and…

The epistemic components of science are included in instruction through the three-dimensional learning of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Students use the Science & Engineering Practices to engage the Disciplinary Core Ideas through the perspective of the Crosscutting Concepts. The NGSS focus on the epistemic aspects that all…