The Community of Inquiry framework has been used in numerous studies, with over 1800 citations to date (Google Scholar, January 2018). These studies mostly involve the study of a single discipline and rarely examine disciplinary differences as a potential factor in student outcomes. To address the research gap this study examined the differences…

Studies indicate that as many as one-third of localities in the United States elect their leaders on partisan ballots. This would seem to violate the reformist idea that local government ought to be as insulated as possible from party politics. State and local governments continue to mandate changes to how citizens shall elect their local…

"Ambitious Science Teaching" outlines a powerful framework for science teaching to ensure that instruction is rigorous and equitable for students from all backgrounds. The practices presented in the book are being used in schools and districts that seek to improve science teaching at scale, and a wide range of science subjects and grade…

Recent charter school enrollment trends suggest that many parents are choosing to enroll students in charter schools instead of traditional public schools, even though data indicate public school achievement is equal to or above charter schools. Guided by Rogers and Maslow's humanistic theory, the purpose of the study was to examine reasons why…

The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to understand third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers' experiences with academic parental involvement at denied-accreditation elementary schools. Parent involvement refers to two-way communication between parents and teachers. Denied accreditation refers to schools scoring below 70% on…

The relationship between university sponsored student's athletics and academic achievement has been an evolving trend of discussion both at the high school and college level. However, a dearth of literature illustrates this relationship at the college level. This study investigated the importance of college athletics and whether participation in…

Makerspaces are a nascent, yet growing phenomenon that has not yet been the subject of extensive academic research. The question of why female participation in makerspaces is significantly lower than that of their male counterparts remains largely unaddressed. This study uses a phenomenological approach to examine the experiences of women as…

College students are faced with adjustment as they enter the new and unfamiliar environment. Strategies of adaptation are developed, some of which are positive and some less positive. Student-athletes have an additional role of maintaining academic eligibility while simultaneously participating at a high level of competition. This study explores…

Federal policy limits the number of students that a state may assess with an alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) to no more than 1% of all students in the grades assessed in a state. The AA-AAS is intended only for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. This Brief addresses important…

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) programs, built on the theories of andragogy, experiential learning, and transformative learning, are posited as a way for students to pursue college credit for their previous professional, personal, and volunteer experiences--via certifications, corporate and military training, non-credit coursework, exams, and…

The 2016 presidential election campaign and its aftermath have underscored worrisome trends in the present state of our democracy: the extreme polarization of the electorate, the dismissal of people with opposing views, and the widespread acceptance and circulation of one-sided and factually erroneous information. Only a small proportion of those…

This study sought to explore the experience of participating in a bridge program, specifically the construct of sense of belonging. The study examined the extent to which participating in a bridge program can impact students' sense of belonging as well as, if there is an impact, what aspects of the bridge program--academic, social, and…

This research explores the benefits of co-creation of the curriculum, which is seen as one form of student-staff partnership in learning and teaching in which each partner has a voice and a stake in curriculum development. This qualitative research analyses participants' perceptions of co-creation of the curriculum in the Scottish higher-education…

We address the notion that different student grouping configurations in the classroom may provide different sets of opportunities for English learners (ELs) -- students whose home language is not English (the language of instruction in the U.S.) -- to both learn science and develop a second language through different forms of social interaction.…

The COVID-19 pandemic widened existing educational inequities for Black and Latino students, students who are English learners, and students with disabilities. Research shows that family engagement has a positive impact on student outcomes; therefore, forging connections between schools and families as enrollment rebounds will be especially…