School choice is a tool used to fight inequality and is important to consider how students are assigned to schools. The essays in this dissertation study mechanisms designed to improve and understand students' attendance at schools. Chapter 1 examines the inequality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to schools switching to a hybrid…

Programme development is a process that involves a systematic process that requires focus on the students' achievement and outcomes. To create an outcomes-based education programme, the university has to prepare its academicians with knowledge and skills that can help the academicians to design and develop an outcomes-based students-centered…

This article intends to investigate the consistency between a few popular generative AI robots in the evaluation of massive open online course (MOOC) platforms. The four robots experimented with in the study were Claude+, GPT-4, Sage, and Dragonfly, which were tasked with awarding rating scores to the eight major dimensions, namely (1)…

Becoming critical thinkers and collaborative learners is important for today's students as they develop the skills needed for success in the 21st century (National Research Council, 2012; Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2019). One instructional strategy used to develop critical-thinking skills through collaboration is Socratic seminar. A…

A child's early language environment, and their parents' active engagement during parent-child interactions play a vital role in facilitating the development of complex social reinforcers and the growth of their verbal behavior. Using a verbal behavioral approach, this study aimed to measure the statistical significance of changes in the quality…

Amid persistent rises in college tuition over the past several years, financial aid policy has marched steadily toward goals of making college more affordable and removing economic barriers to attendance. Promises of "free college" often target low- and middle-income students, and likely have a particular influence on: (a) students who…

The policy perspective provides an overview of literature and country approaches in an area where there is presently limited comparative information on national and system-wide approaches. The insights presented will be of interest to many OECD countries and beyond, as they consider ways to monitor and assess the social emotional skills which are…

For decades, scholars have studied how individuals are shaped by experiential learning. Dozens of learning models have been developed to better understand how experiential learners acquire new knowledge and skills. In a higher education setting, many students "learn by doing" through internships. As one of Kuh's high-impact practices,…

There is a problem in the state of Michigan's evaluation system regarding the training received by those conducting classroom teacher observations. A performance gap between teachers and students and provides training solutions for classroom observers was identified. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of…

Experiencing education as an English learner (EL) is challenging and can result in lower persistence and graduation rates for ELs in community colleges. The overall three-year graduation rate in the United States for two-year institutions is low, but graduation rates are even lower for EL learners. One way to support EL students is through an…

The purpose of the Action Research study was to improve the understanding of how quality student-teacher relationships can impact the engagement and learning of students in order to increase their performance in the classroom. Participants and data collected in Cycle One consisted of public school teachers, psychologists, and administrators who…

Students in Master of Business Administration programs enroll in this type of degree program intending to develop or learn skills ranging from financial modeling to crafting and communicating a new business proposal. Associated with a career switch or progression, frequently MBA students arrive in their new, post-graduation roles with a skill gap…

It is well documented in literature that student teachers must become self-regulated learners to be effective teachers. As self-regulated learners, teachers can pass these vital skills to their students. The aim of this study is to determine if my self-regulated learning awareness and development (SRLAD) intervention which focuses on teaching…

Struggle is a behavior that is often perceived in a negative light in education. Students respond to struggle by avoiding them. Likewise, educators respond by removing obstacles (e.g., heavily scaffolded instruction) or providing assistance prematurely. The ability and opportunity to engage in struggle, specifically productive struggle, is…

Little music therapy research has been published on therapeutic presence (TP). This study explored the inclusion of TP in music therapy education. Participants were eight credentialed music therapists who identified as music therapy educators and/or clinical supervisors. They attended one of two focus groups and were asked to submit a 1-minute…