Citizen science is a key approach in scientific research that involves crowdsourced data collection for environmental monitoring and conservation. Participants in citizen science can gain scientific knowledge, change their pro-environmental attitude and behavior. Taiwan Roadkill Observation Network (TaiRON) was founded in 2011 and has a community…

Postdoctoral scholars encounter challenges as they navigate the gap between graduate school and employment positions, one of which includes the challenge of work-family conflict and balance. We used structural equation modeling to test goal endorsement as a possible cultural moderator of the indirect relationship between work demand and…

This quantitative, correlational study explored the relationship between teacher retention and teachers' perception of high school learning and the social-physical environment along the "I-95 Corridor of Shame." Two regression analyses were conducted using a dataset of 68 observations taken from 17 "I-95 Corridor of Shame" high…

Principal leadership is at the core of successful school turnaround. This qualitative study explored principals' perceptions of the success or failure of turnaround methods in their New York City charter school communities. Principal leadership of low-performing schools is one of the most important elements of turnaround success (Stronge & Xu,…

This qualitative study investigates the discursive construction of Santomean identity grounded in the migratory experience of youths who moved to Portugal to pursue their studies. It is based on semistructured interviews with young Santomeans living in Central Portugal. Santomeans typically identify as both native speakers of Portuguese and Black…

Living with a pet is related to a host of socioemotional health benefits for children, yet few studies have examined the mechanisms that drive the relations between pet ownership and positive socioemotional outcomes. The current study examined one of the ways that pets may change the environment through which children learn and whether childhood…

On March 28, 2022, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1557 "The Parental Rights in Education" bill into law, taking effect July 1, 2022. As written, the bill: (a) prohibits discussion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, and all other terms and concepts related to sexuality and gender (LGBTQ+)…

This dissertation examines the relationship between the physical isolation of online graduate students and their self-efficacy, motivation, and help-seeking. The theoretical frameworks underpinning the study were Knowles's adult learning theory and Zimmerman's self-regulation theory. While there have been studies about student isolation in online…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the relationship between teacher's perceptions of school climate and student achievement of middle school students. Two hundred twenty middle school teachers, from a large urban school district located in the Southwestern region of the US, participated in the "New Jersey School Climate…

City Colleges of Chicago undergo policy changes. In 2010, a reform sought to install accountability and transition City Colleges of Chicago into compliance with government funding requests through Reinvention. Reinvention, in the public view, was hailed as a necessity for a system that could not sustain on its own. It used a shock-system…

This study examines a professional development program designed to improve prosocial behavior, any voluntary behavior intended to help others and promote harmonious relationships in students, by providing teachers with research-based strategies that support the implementation of prosocial education in the classroom (Bergin, 2018). The professional…

Trauma is not a new term or concept, however, the integration of trauma-informed practices within the school setting has been a recent focus for many districts across the nation. School systems no longer focus solely on academics. Schools are charged with developing the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional competencies of students to help…

One purpose of higher education is to prepare students to participate in a democratic society. This mission is particularly relevant today as the institutions of democracy and the ideas that underpin them are in recession. Despite this, evidence shows that higher education is not achieving its stated goal of fostering civic engagement. The…

There is a serious problem worldwide as a result of the continuing decline in teacher retention rates. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States fell short of the required teaching staff; this decrease perpetuated the national special education teacher shortage. The COVID-19 pandemic brought education to the forefront of many homes and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the root cause of the increased rate of employee turnover at a higher educational institution and how to retain their current employees. The importance of this study was to help the educational institution reduce their employee turnover so they do not continue to struggle to find new talent to replace…