This is the Phase I report for a needs assessment and accompanying study sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education which was conducted during the 2010 calendar year. This report seeks to determine the importance of nine essential elements to being classified as a school in need of improvement. 61 schools are involved in this study…

Background: Most policy doctrines promote the use of scientific inquiry in the K-12 classroom, but good inquiry is hard to implement, particularly for schools with fiscal and safety constraints and for teachers struggling with understanding how to do so. Purpose: In this paper, we present the design of a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE)…

Several studies have demonstrated that games have been effectively used as an instructional strategy to motivate and engage students. This paper presents the use of the process of game development as an instructional strategy to promote higher order thinking skills. An analysis of the various aspects of game development including graphics,…

We assess students' appreciation and use of various tools designed to extend effective learning beyond the classroom. For a given tool, results vary depending upon the overall pedagogical approach of the course.

Background: Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) has increased the offering of online courses for its students. The drive toward online instruction has been championed by school management, but feedback from faculty and students has not been measured. Purpose: To investigate the influence of Rogers' five attributes of innovation diffusion on the…

This action research project report examined all forms of bullying behaviors and ways to reduce those behaviors. The project included 63 students from both a high school health class and a 6th and 7th grade middle school homeroom. The research was conducted from September 17, 2007 through December 14, 2007. In the specified locations, female to…

This paper discusses the importance of the direct relationship between instructor discourse and learner discourse in the online learning environment during mandatory online discussions. It provides meaningful insights toward pedagogical theory and corresponding instructional practices associated with these two factors: (a) the extent of instructor…

Online education has become a central element of the discourse on higher education. There seems to be an overall drive toward online learning given the mounting need for flexibility in scheduling and the daily emergence of communication technologies and capabilities. Online education is presented as a means of conveying instruction to an extensive…

Undergraduates at a historically Black university completed the 1997 N'COBRA Reparations Survey. N'COBRA stands for the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America. Five domains of reparations are covered: education, economic development, personal reparations (i.e., payments to individuals), political prisoners, and African-U.S.…

A graduate level course in library and information science was revised from face-to-face instruction to a blended learning model utilizing on site, interactive television, and online classes. This study investigates three related questions: (1) Will students provide detailed feedback if given the opportunity to complete an anonymous survey? (2)…

Background: Latino youth experience disproportionate rates of mental health problems including suicide and depression. Better understanding of underlying risk and protective factors on the part of school-based health professionals, teachers, and health care providers in their lives is warranted. The aims of this secondary analysis of 2004…

Access and equity for all students in California colleges and universities is a high priority of the California Postsecondary Education Commission. Over the past year, CPEC staff have reviewed research, collected data, convened an advisory committee, and hosted a panel of experts, students, and advocates on the issues faced by lesbian, gay,…

Afterschool programs offer an important avenue for enhancing educational opportunities. Federal, state, and local educational authorities increasingly see them as environments to improve attitudes toward school, achievement, and academic performance (Fashola, 2002; Hollister, 2003) with higher levels of student participation and engagement in…

This study was designed to establish the efficacy of Teaching SMART (Teaching Science, Mathematics and Relevant Technologies); a science professional development program for teachers with students in grades 3 through 5. Teaching SMART promotes scientific inquiry and emphasizes the importance of equity, empowerment, exploration, and fun in the…

Integration of subjects is something elementary teachers must do to insure required objectives are covered. Science-based Reader's Theatre is one way to weave reading into science. This study examined the roles of frequency, attitudes, and Multiple Intelligence modalities surrounding Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre. This study used…