The purpose of the qualitative descriptive study was to explore how co-teachers in one Southern California school district described their process to plan and implement instructional strategies to meet the academic needs of diverse learners in inclusive classrooms in urban secondary schools. The general population of interest for this study…

The problem addressed by this study was the teacher resistance to new technology integration into the instructional practices of veteran K-12 teachers. Understanding their reasons for resistance may provide educational leaders and administrators with a better understanding of motivating or training veteran teachers. Teachers may demonstrate…

This qualitative study utilized narrative inquiry to examine the experiences of disability service professionals working with students with significant cognitive disabilities in college-level courses. Through 10 semi-structured interviews with disability service professionals within the Florida College System, the following four meta themes…

Despite some of the greatest gains in history in terms of high school graduation rates, standardized tests, and college entrance exams, the American education system struggles to effectively educate its neediest and most underserved students, including those in poverty, English language learners, and students of color (DuFour, 2015). Current and…

Schools currently face a great deal of accountability to ensure students with disabilities are meeting rigorous achievement standards and develop the skills needed to be independent and successful upon graduation. Despite this expectation a large achievement gap between students with disabilities and their peers persists. To address these gaps,…

This study sought to identify the support needed by returning baby boomers to succeed in online master's programs at a Midwest institution. Tinto's (1975, 1987, 1993) theory on social and academic integration, Kember's (1989) model of dropout distance education, Bean and Metzner's (1985) student attrition model, and Park's (2007) model for adult…

A qualitative multiple case-study was conducted to explore the perceptions of special educators on access and application of evidence-based-practices (EBPs) to enhance play skills of students with developmental disabilities in early childhood classrooms. The problem addressed by the study relates to the gap between research and practice. A wide…

The purpose of this basic qualitative research study was to investigate the leadership style that student affairs leaders practiced and whether or not the leadership style contributed to the support of the programming and resources for undergraduate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT+) students at public, four-year institutions. The…

Nontraditional student-parents compose approximately one-quarter of the student body on college and university campuses. Student-parents face unique challenges, have unique needs, and graduate at lower rates than other nontraditional students. Yet many campuses, like the local study site, focus support on traditional students. The purpose of this…

This dissertation consists of both quantitative and qualitative studies. The quantitative study utilized the 2017 public use data set from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (n = 16,383). The purpose of this study was to describe female first-generation doctoral students who have successfully completed PhDs in STEM fields through analysis of…

Students with disabilities are educated in general physical education classes with their same aged peers more now than ever before (Governmental Accountability Office [GAO], 2010), yet little is known about how those with orthopedic impairments experience these integrated classes. Additionally, while a plethora of strategies are described as…

It is well documented that children who identify as a sexual minority or as gender-non-conforming are at an increased likelihood to experience adverse events and risk factors that can make it difficult to function in the community, home, and school environments. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning, intersex, or asexual (LGBTQIA+)…

The California 4-H Science Leadership Team conducted a statewide assessment to evaluate the needs of county-based 4-H programs related to the key areas of the 4-H Science Initiative: program development and design, professional development, curricula, evaluation, partnerships, and fund development. The use of multiple qualitative data sources…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to address how virtual learning environments (VLEs) can be designed to include the needs of learners with multiple disabilities. Specifically, it employs AI to show how specific learning materials from a huge repository of learning materials can be recommended to learners with various disabilities. This is…

The purpose of this study was to explore the application of learning contracts in the process of preparing to take the AT BOC exam. The goal of this study was to investigate best practices to assist students in being successful when taking the BOC certification examination. Self-directed learning in medicine was an important skill in the…