This study aimed to identify profiles of achievement goal orientations and transitions between these profiles among adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 1268 adolescents (51.7% females; M[subscript age] = 14.87; SD[subscript age] = 0.39) participated in four waves of data…

This study investigated the relationships among achievement goals, self-efficacy beliefs, and engagement in science during COVID-19. Distance education was launched due to COVID-19, and there is a need to examine these relations in the online science learning context. Participants were 448 students between 5th and 8th graders receiving distance…

COVID-19 disrupted schools across the country. Students and teachers were asked to work together virtually. During this virtual experience the students at Frederick County Middle School struggled to complete learning activities independently. An improvement science approach was used to investigate this problem. Through the improvement science…

This dissertation studies several key issues related to teacher turnover, mentorship, and discrimination. The first chapter examines the impact of misbehaving students on the likelihood of novice teachers leaving their positions within the first five years. Utilizing data from North Carolina between 2007 and 2015, the study employs quasi-random…

Science teachers in many countries were required to shift from face-to-face (F2F) instruction to distance learning (DL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the aim of helping science teachers learn how to support their students in negotiating such shifts in the future, we used an online motivation survey based on achievement goal theory to…

Students with disabilities experience pronounced inequities in the education system, which have been compounded by risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study sought to understand the experiences of students with disabilities and the strengths that facilitated their wellbeing during this period of adversity. In summer 2020,…

This report presents findings of the implementation of Communities in Schools (CIS) Success Coaches within five Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) middle schools during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. End-of-year outcomes, including attendance rates and English language arts and mathematics grades, are examined and compared between the…