The threat of an active shooter is something early childhood educators need to prepare for, but a literature review regarding active shooter drills indicated a gap in the research focused on the perceptions the early childhood educators. Using a conceptual lens based on developmentally appropriate practice and the developmental theories of Piaget…

Research Focus: The purpose of this study was to determine effectiveness of goal setting protocol procedures implemented by three school districts on teacher evaluation scores using the Texas Teacher Effectiveness Evaluation System (T-TESS). It determined which school's teacher evaluation ratings increased and the effect goal setting had on the…

Enrollment in Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) classes in the U.S. has increased substantially in recent decades. Given the importance of CSL teacher education in relation to the sustained development of CSL education in the U.S., previous studies have explored the issue both at the college level (Gong, Hu, & Lai, 2018; Lin, Huang, &…

Study abroad has been seen as a pathway to global competencies that will prepare students to be citizens of a global and interconnected world. Intrapersonal development is a dimension of global perspective important to consider as it reflects individuals' perceptions, awareness, respect, and acceptance of their own identity as well as others who…

The Numeracy Centre at the University of Cape Town has taught a one-semester quantitative literacy course for social sciences students since 1999. This study aims to provide an example for how the design of such a course can be assessed for alignment with quantitative reasoning goals. We propose a framework of learning outcomes for the course and…

Although Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has been recognized as important for success in the 21st century (AAAS, 1989; Bryan et al., 2016; Bybee, 2013; Bybee, 2018; CoSTEM & NSTC, 2018; Moore et al., 2016; Murphy, 2011; United States Department of Education, 2016), elementary and middle school educators are…

Educators serving students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) serve a population that is heterogeneous. Deaf education teacher preparation programs cannot address all of the knowledge and skills deaf educators will need to be effective teachers. Yet DHH-specific professional development (PD) is limited and often difficult to locate. The purpose…

Thriving at work is a psychological construct associated with being well and doing well in the workplace and is operationalized as a composite score of vitality and learning. The problem addressed by this study was the growing concern that a composite score for thriving at work does not account for how the sub-components of vitality and learning…

Rape myths are cultural narratives that are deeply entrenched in societal beliefs about sexual assault (Lonsway & Fitzgerald, 1995). Rape myths with female victims typically suggest the victim "asked for it" while rape myths regarding the sexual assault of men typically deny the existence of male rape. Furthermore, male rape myths…

Clinical judgment is defined as an understanding and interpretation regarding patient's needs, health problems or concerns (Tanner, 2006). There are four interrelated processes in Tanner's model that consist of noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting (Tanner, 2006). Because clinical judgment is extremely complex and encompasses many…

Schools should be the place to cultivate and model a just society. Teacher candidates must be equipped with the ability to recognize, critique, and oppose any practices, policies, or structures that perpetuate the social and economic inequalities that currently exist. Yet the culturally responsive teaching strategies increasingly adopted by…

Stress and burnout can affect an individual's life in physiological and psychological ways. The problem addressed in this study was the excessive amount of stress counselors and teachers experience and the lack of available professional training and training in practices such as mindfulness. The purpose of this study was to design and conduct a…

Possessing leadership skills has beneficial effects on youth and their life trajectories, making leadership training through effective programming a critical aspect of youth development. This study addressed the deficiency of leadership traits and characteristics in at-risk youth that are necessary for their social, academic, and future success.…

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the effects of fiscal policy rules for funding higher education on macroeconomic concerns. Alternative government funding policies impact an endogenous household decision over post-secondary higher education and subsequently, economic output, growth, and income distribution. The link between human…

The purpose of this study was to determine the existence of a relationship between online professional development and English language arts (ELA) teachers' instructional practices. Professional development is commonly utilized to develop teachers' pedagogy, but in-person sessions do not meet all teachers' needs. "Mixed methods" research…