This study explores the potential of ChatGPT as a virtual tutor to facilitate self-directed learning (SDL) among adult learners in asynchronous online contexts. Although SDL has been identified as a critical skill, factors such as the lack of skills to find resources and the absence of a supportive learning environment could impede adult learners'…

To promote psychological literacy (PL) in our bachelor psychology teaching, over recent years we have implemented various modifications to our curriculum at the Utrecht University psychology bachelor program, with a focus on the societal application of psychology knowledge. To support psychology programs around the world in integrating PL in their…

Kindergarten is emphasized as a critical first entry into the education system, as politicians and pundits believe kindergartners' success can lead to later academic achievement. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of kindergarten school readiness data should consider how it is measured and how that affects learning. Using the Early Childhood…

In this paper I study how school desegregation by race following "Brown v. Board of Education" affected White individuals' racial attitudes and politics in adulthood. I use geocoded nationwide data from the General Social Survey and difference-in-differences to identify causal impacts. Integration significantly reduced White individuals'…

Climate change, which has become one of the most important problems of our age, has increased its impact in recent years. The aim of this study is to determine the views of students taking social studies and science courses in secondary school about global climate change, the factors that cause global climate change, and how to intervene in global…

This dissertation explores the use of Podcasts and Podcasting in secondary social studies classrooms through via narrative inquiry. This study aims to understand how educators use these technologies in their classrooms to facilitate student learning by focusing two specific domains of the TPACK model by Kohler and Mishra (2009): Technological…

The increasing demand for a computationally trained workforce that reflects Latinx population growth in America has encouraged institutions to revisit exclusionary practices and develop initiatives that support Latinx undergraduate student persistence in Computer Science (CS). CS is necessary not only to keep pace with the rapid change in…

This qualitative case study explored the pivotal role of staff development teachers (SDTs) as instructional leaders and their impact on teacher professional growth within elementary schools. While ample research has illuminated the essential components of effective professional development, there remains a gap in understanding the intricate…

Background: Mission US is a series of interactive first-person role-playing history games and curricular materials that address a critical problem: students lack fundamental knowledge of our nation's history. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2018), only 13% of Grade 8 students were proficient on the…

Almost 90 percent of social studies curriculum standards do not mention American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) history after 1900, and 27 states do not mention AI/AN peoples in their K-12 curricula at all. AI/AN content and contributions are even less prevalent in English language arts standards, with most states not yet meaningfully…

Undergraduate learning in online higher education has progressively increased in the United States, becoming a dominant choice of education after the COVID-19 global pandemic and contributing to the higher enrollment of diverse students. Higher learning institutions have attempted to address multicultural growth by developing instructors' cultural…

Although the enactment of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was over 50 years ago, students with disabilities continue to experience discriminatory bias and stigma in their day-to-day experiences that can negatively impact their academic progress (Charmatz, 2021). The use of accommodations in a post-secondary environment is designed to remove…

Institutional Members of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) are increasingly offering graduate programs. A decade ago, in 2013-2014, only 45 percent were classified as Carnegie Masters or Doctoral. In 2023-2024, 55 percent fall in these categories. To better understand how independent colleges build, support, and sustain graduate programs…

Systems of higher education have been founded in formal grading structures for several decades. However, recent data has shown that traditional letter grades may not be effective for true student learning and engagement. Pedagogical data shows traditional grading formats are not always effective in evaluating learning. Ungrading is a system of…

Procrastination is a prevalent issue among university students and leads to long-term negative impacts on academic performance as well as mental health and quality of life. This paper investigated StudyTracker, a self-tracking digital application (app) that we developed for university students to use to track their study sessions. The app provided…