This thesis explores the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in two challenging scenarios -- autism therapy, and network-constrained, remote collaboration. In the first half of this thesis, we highlight the design and implementation of CustomAR and Augmented Playgrounds -- two applications that leverage the visualization and contextual abilities of AR…

Two challenges facing contemporary higher education are the record increase of racial and cultural diversity on U.S. college and university campuses and an escalation in incidences where administrators, faculty, and students "fail to act" in culturally appropriate ways toward an increasingly diverse student body (Davis & Harris,…

Much research has been done on LGBT students in relation to campus climate and academic achievement, which suggested that a positive campus climate may positively influence students' academic success. However, no research has yet been done to understand the value of campus climate, student levels of depression anxiety and stress, and student level…

This project is part of the American School District Panel (ASDP), a research partnership between the RAND Corporation and the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College (CRPE). This report concludes research on five school systems to reveal the academic, social, and political challenges…

Most autism research has been conducted in high-income countries, with participants typically from White, upper-middle-income families. Given the disparities experienced by autistic individuals living in underserved communities globally, there is a critical need for research to include individuals from culturally, linguistically,…

Given the COVID-19 pandemic's disproportionate impact on Hispanic individuals in the United States, research examining modifiable psychosocial correlates of COVID-19 preventive behaviors in this population is warranted. Prior research highlights health literacy and health consciousness as integral for the establishment of health-promoting…

This study examined family cohesion and conflict as moderators of associations between discrimination stress and adaptation stress and psychological distress among Latinx youth. Participants included 199 Latinx adolescents (M[subscript age] = 13.68). Seventy nine percent were immigrants and 73% had family origins in Mexico. Discrimination stress…

This study used administrative data to compare the socio-demographics, health conditions, and health service use of autistic adults with adults with and without other developmental disabilities, after matching for age and sex. Autistic women and men were more likely to have a wide range of physical and mental health conditions compared to adults…

Purpose: School improvement planning has been a central part of school improvement initiatives for decades. Evidence suggests, however, that traditional planning processes are regularly superficial. In the USA, some principals have begun developing short-cycle planning designed to encourage school leadership teams and staff to develop, monitor and…

Background: From a range of perspectives, scholars have demonstrated the value of school-based health centers (SBHCs) in recent decades, but few studies have examined the logistics of establishing SBHCs. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 hospital and 6 school employees involved in a network of SBHCs. After common themes…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), the number of college students enrolled in at least one online course was approximately 11 million during the 2021-2022 school year. Knowing that institutes of higher education (IHEs) are responsible for teaching students who are primarily online learners, special education teacher…

In this concluding article of an "American Annals of the Deaf" Special Issue, we draw on Vygotsky's "Fundamentals of Defectology" to argue that the essence of deaf pedagogy is not centered on constructing deaf students' hearing abilities but on a biosocial orientation that considers the whole multimodal child with unfettered…

This study tested the effectiveness of Promoting First Relationships® (PFR), a preventive intervention program aimed at fostering positive caregiver-child relationships in Native families living on a rural reservation. Participants were 162 primary caregivers (96% Native; 93% female) and their Native toddlers (10-31 months old; 50% female).…

This article describes outcomes from the Erasmus + project botSTEM, involving a theoretical framework for Science, Technology, Engineering & Technology (STEM) and robotics and teaching activities for preschool teachers and teachers educating children 4-8 years old. Spanish and Swedish preschool teachers' self-efficacy and views of teaching…

This mixed-methods study explored 30 EFL teachers' perceptions of online student response systems (OSRSs) in emergency remote teaching settings. Data were collected using a survey addressing components related to the acceptance and use of OSRSs and semi-structured interviews. Survey findings revealed that OSRS components are regarded as helpful…