In the development of early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy, it is important to understand parents' decision-making in terms of both preferences and pragmatic constraints. Traditional data collection techniques such as self-reported surveys can elucidate parental preferences, however, these may differ from their actual decisions. In our…

This phenomenological study explores the shared experience of undecided community college students' indecision towards major and career choice using guided questions. The research explores the three categories of undecided student, while further dissecting the categories into subtypes or stages which displays the depth of the undecided student…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the experiences of a principal's perceptions with teacher organizations when dismissing an underperforming teacher. There is a lack of data showing what barriers might influence a principal when having to make this kind of decision. The historical aspect of teacher organizations…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how the social and academic integration of first-time college students from a midwestern university influenced their decision to return to college. This qualitative descriptive study explored two research questions: RQ1: How do first-time college students describe their role of…

IRB insiders (author's term) refers to the individuals within IRBs who make regulatory determinations on research. The term also includes individuals who have the authority to make decisions around how the IRB operates (e.g., associate director or director). This study sought to understand the lived experiences of IRB insiders who review primarily…

Allowing students to make choices (e.g., on the reading materials to read for an assignment) can contribute to creating learning environments that promote critical thinking, and intrinsic motivation among students. Given this potential that choice has to enhance instruction, it is reasonable to examine its potential as a contributor to enhanced…

The purpose of this study was to gather expert instructional designers' descriptions of their decision-making processes and procedures while designing and developing formative game-based activities for online courses in workplace environments. The question addressed by the study is "How do instructional designers describe their…

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are important techniques because they synthesize results from multiple primary studies on a similar topic. To influence policy, practice, and research, however, synthesis researchers must translate the results for various audiences. Ideally, the translation drives future research agendas, informs policymaking,…

Background/Context: Methodological background: Meta-analysis typically depends on the assumption that true effects follow the normal distribution. While assuming normality of effect "estimates" is often supported by a central limit theorem, normality for the distribution of interventions' "true" effects is a computational…

This study explored the impact of military education benefits on influencing how service members, while enlisted, navigated their higher education journeys. Iloh's model of college-going decisions was an integral theoretical framework in the implementation of this qualitative case study. The case study aimed to capture the narratives of the…

The assumption that losses loom larger than gains is widely used to explain many behavioral phenomena in judgment and decision-making. It is also generally accepted that loss aversion is a stable, traitlike individual difference characterizing people's sensitivity to gains and losses. This interpretation was recently challenged by Walasek and…

The purpose of this study was to explore the academic researcher decision-making processes related to participant compensation. Compensation for research participants is a complex issue nested within human subjects research, involving potential ethical pitfalls, such as undue influence and coercion. Regulations require researchers possess…

The vocational education and training (VET) information landscape is complex. The multitude of training providers, the diverse range of courses available, varying fees, and differences among providers can present a daunting environment for students. Prior studies have identified several key influences on student choice of training provider, such…

The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has been reviewing state report cards for the past seven years. They continue to examine the landscape of state report cards because they believe states must increase transparency and build trust by sharing information. But after many years, it was time to look at state report cards with fresh eyes. In addition to…

Bibliotherapy is a technique that invites children to see themselves in the characters of carefully selected children's literature with the intention of making connections, building empathy, developing social skills, processing difficult situations, and more. The purpose of this article is to explore the intersections of bibliotherapy, social and…