The Small Scale Food Production for Cultural Preservation and Economic Inclusion project is a critical social participatory action research project that utilizes critical pedagogies to facilitate spaces of learning and research where power differentials are both recognized and dismantled. The process of consciousness raising those results is an…

Global crises continue to shape the higher education landscape by posing challenges at every step of the educational process. From pedagogical delivery to experience design to undergraduate student research, pandemics, unrest, war, and environmental disasters have given us many imperatives to pivot and adapt. While the COVID-19 pandemic brought…

This dissertation uses an anti-deficit perspective to explore the academic experiences of Black men who have completed their bachelor's degrees at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Despite the reality that only 34% of Black men achieve their undergraduate degrees within six years, this study shifts the narrative from focusing on obstacles…

For my dissertation requirement, I conducted two research projects, collaborating with my dissertation advisor on both projects. In my first project, I employed a phenomenology methodology to investigate how teachers' professional needs, practices, and motivations align with the goals of the professional learning community to enhance teacher…

A diverse democracy brings together people whose differences include partisan leanings, life experiences, histories, religious beliefs, racial identities, and sexual orientations to address common problems and build a shared future. Social studies educators can help prepare youth to pursue this goal by advancing core commitments to respectful and…

Parents want to work with their children's teachers to help them succeed in school. "What Brain Research Says about Student Learning" provides parents and teachers the most recent findings in brain research and learning theory in a very approachable way. The reader will see how the child's brain develops, learns, remembers, and creates…

The crisis facing American democracy and the challenges plaguing the U.S. higher education system are two sides of the same coin. Higher education is an engine for economic mobility. Median annual earnings increase with education: Individuals who hold bachelor's degrees earn 44 percent more than those who hold associate degrees and 63 percent more…

This study examined the development of self-efficacy among third-grade girls in a low-achieving school setting. Self-efficacy is defined as an individual's belief in their capabilities to attain desired outcomes, as described by Schillinger et al. (2021). This belief plays a significant role in influencing academic performance, social…

This study investigated the dynamics of complex interactions within inquiry-based (IB) discussions by visualizing patterns using social network analysis. Researchers explored network measures when learners participated in inquiry-based discussions with Practical Inquiry Model (PIM) and non-PIM questions while playing the weekly moderator's role.…

With the rapidly expanding availability of online courses, concerns have been raised about student engagement and connection within the online environment. Using an experimental design, we examined the effects of video camera, microphone (audio), and chat box communication on students' experiences of social presence, peer rapport, motivation,…

This article considers the opportunities for learning and inclusive dimensions of role-play based on the reading and interpretation of a canonical text, drawing on a case study involving student-teachers. This exploration of role and learning through drama builds on the foundational work of Bolton and Heathcote. Focusing on students' particular…

The Research-based Developmentally Informed (REDI) program enriched Head Start classrooms with teacher-delivered curriculum components designed to enhance child social-emotional learning and language-literacy skills. Parents received information about the program via backpack express, including weekly handouts about program topics and three DVDs…

Finding ways to move knowledge-to-impact is a key priority for research funding agencies, universities, and academics. However, academic engagement with the broader community is not without tensions and challenges, including arriving at mutual benefit and relevance, and addressing power dynamics and often incompatible communication practices. This…

This study aimed to examine the relationships between the screen time of children with special needs and of their parents with their home participation, occupational performance, and parent-child relationships according to sex and diagnosis. Parents of 150 children with special needs (age range, 4 to 6 years) such as autism spectrum disorder,…

Scholars' engagement with digital social networks is complex, warranting a comprehensive understanding of their use and participation. Current research has not yet grasped the motivators, gratification, and challenges that academics encounter across multiple digital social networks. With this in mind, this study surveyed scholars who purposely…