This applied dissertation was an inquiry into the phenomenon of cheating among students who take their classes online. There is a common perception that cheating is rampant in online classes and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the accreditation association in the South, implemented policies, which mandate stricter monitoring of…

Many classroom teachers across the United States struggle to teach English language learners (ELLs) effectively, despite professional development in ELL strategies. This national problem is reflected in a rural middle school, the focus of this study. To address the academic needs of low-performing ELLs, the professional development model,…

This study examined the success of five elementary schools in their implementation of the 2011 New Jersey Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying law (NJ HIB law). It also explored stakeholders' perceptions of school climate since the law went into effect. Fourth and fifth grade parents, students, teachers, and counselors in the district's five…

Teachers in urban schools are often criticized for their inability to improve achievement of their students. Underachievement is especially a concern for low-income Black and Latino boys. Single-sex schools have opened to support them, but limited data is available to evaluate their effectiveness and little is known about the teaching practices…

Purpose: This study assessed mothers' opinions about the feasibility and acceptability of using the ActiGraph GT3X+, Actiheart, and activPAL3 with their 2- to 3-year-old children, as well as with themselves and their husbands/partners, for an 8-day period. Method: Six focus groups were run with Pakistani and White British mothers ("n" =…

Public engagement plays an important role in the contemporary UK academy, and is promoted through initiatives such as Beacons of Public Engagement and research grant "Pathways to Impact". Relatively little is known, however, about academic experiences of such engagement activities. This study focuses on one staff group, contract…

In this qualitative research study, we sought to understand teachers' conceptions of integrated mathematics. The participants were teachers in the first year of implementation of a state-mandated, high school integrated mathematics curriculum. The primary data sources for this study included focus group and individual interviews. Through our…

Findings from a study on academic integrity at Australian universities challenge the presumption that postgraduate research students have prior knowledge of academic integrity. A review of online academic integrity policy in 39 Australian universities found that one in five policies had no mention of higher degree by research (HDR) students.…

Many engineering undergraduates begin third-level education with significant deficiencies in their core mathematical skills. Every year, in the Dublin Institute of Technology, a diagnostic test is given to incoming first-year students, consistently revealing problems in basic mathematics. It is difficult to motivate students to address these…

Our study explored the professional characteristics and contexts of school-based environmental education (EE) leaders within elementary and secondary schools. Using complementary mixed-methods (surveys and focus groups) we detail the characteristics of EE leaders in these schools. Our analyses revealed that these leaders were predominantly…

This study was conducted to explore elementary school teachers' uses of reading disabilities research. A modified version of Knott and Wildavsky's (1980) knowledge utilization framework underpinned the investigation. Teachers completed a questionnaire and participated in focus groups which elicited their reported uses of reading…

Manuals offering advice to new parents on the topic of infant feeding have recently begun to attend to the possible implications of pro-breast-feeding discourses for mothers' subjective experiences, particularly with respect to guilt. In this article, we present a discursive analysis of focus groups with 35 Australian mothers in which we examine…

Experimentation with alcohol and sexuality is a normative aspect of adolescent development. Yet, both present distinct risks to adolescent females and are especially problematic when they intersect. Although youth are often cautioned about the dangers associated with having sex and using alcohol, popular entertainment media frequently depict the…

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of secondary school counselors who develop and lead groups. The study explored participants' perceptions and their motivations for leading groups. Findings from data analysis revealed four major themes. Unappreciated and Dismissed describes the way participants felt in response to the…

Design is increasingly being recognised as a key source of competitive advantage in the innovation economy of many countries. The key objective of this research was to understand the contribution by design graduates to creative industries innovative activities. Primary research was conducted to understand barriers and limitations of graduate…