As school districts consider transitioning from a traditional five-day school week to a four-day school week, administrators and school boards seek information about the four-day school week to assist in making the best decision possible. This collective case study was undertaken to examine the perceptions of administrators, school counselors, and…

The current study explored relations between non-cognitive traits (Grit, Learning Orientation, Performance Orientation), reading skill, and performance across three experiments conducted in the context of two intelligent tutoring systems, iSTART and Writing Pal. Results showed that learning outcomes (comprehension score, holistic essay score) were…

This dissertation examined the relationship between scores on the Effective Leader strand of the 5Essentials Survey for elementary school principals in the suburban collar counties around Chicago and student achievement on state assessments in Illinois, using longitudinal data from 2013 to 2015. This study selected only those schools which gave…

Male college students' attrition has been a concern for higher education for 3 decades. This study focused on why young male college students leave postsecondary education before graduating. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences former male college students that led to their decision to leave a community college in the…

Research on characteristics of students who persistence in college is extensive, but the literature on student persistence in educator preparation programs (EPP) is almost non-existent. We examined the relationship between student demographic characteristics and persistence to two major milestones at or near the end of the EPP. Using logistic…

This qualitative case study investigated how classroom interactions between instructors-students and students-students influenced Hispanic persistence in a Hispanic-serving community college in New Mexico. It was not known how Hispanic students perceived classroom interactions as well as how students perceived its influence on their persistence in…

Latino boys and young men often carry the debt of violence into different spaces. This invisible trauma manifests into disruptive behaviors in schools. It is well documented that violence in urban communities and schools has received significant attention from researchers, but little attention has been paid to Latino male youth as individuals and…

This study examined the motivations of female student-athletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics at two-year institutions. Utilizing a qualitative grounded theory approach, this study investigated four focus groups, constructed of female student-athletes from three different two-year institutions located in the Upper Midwest region of…

This applied dissertation was aimed to provide updated information in regards to new teacher's adjustment factors in a small international school setting in Thailand. With the rapid increase in international schools in Thailand, the demand for quality education and instructions has also increased due to competition between schools. Retaining good…

This comparative quantitative study explored differences in and predictors of adjunct instructors, administrators, and faculty's affective, continuance, and normative commitment to multi-campus community colleges. Extraneous independent factors included time worked at the college, highest level of education, and age. Attribute independent factors…

Growing evidence indicates that trusting relationships between mentors and teachers is crucial for effective mentoring. In diverse communities, where the mentor's culture is distinctly different from that of the teachers, it is more difficult to form a trusting relationship because of different cultural norms, values, and beliefs (Johnson-Baily…

Identifying struggling students in real-time provides a virtual learning environment with an opportunity to intervene meaningfully with supports aimed at improving student learning and engagement. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of quit prediction modeling in students playing a learning game called Physics Playground. From the…

In school districts across the United States, it has become increasingly difficult to recruit and retain STEM teachers. This is due, in part, to the limited number of candidates in teacher preparation school compared to other disciplines, as well as greater opportunities for STEM teachers in other employment sectors when compared to teachers in…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effect of in-state resident tuition (ISRT) by the Maryland DREAM Act on student outcomes (awarded associate degrees, earned certificates, and retention) of undocumented immigrant students at a Maryland community college. Specifically, the study examined whether there were differences in…

Fall-to-fall retention and persistence are important early indicators for students working toward degrees and certificates. Data examined by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicated that the overall rate for students who began at a community college in fall 2016 and persisted the next fall (enrolled in the same college or…