Middle school students love to talk in multiple social settings, but talking in science can be a different situation. With the shift required in teaching the Next Generation Science Standards, students are tasked with making sense of phenomena often much different than a traditional science classroom. Traditional Science classrooms are one that…

This study examined the impact of Personalization for Academic and Social Emotional Learning (PASL), a school based social emotional reform implemented in the Broward County Florida Public Schools. Taking advantage of a phased roll out of PASL, we analyzed data collected during the first implementation year (2017-18) and compared 205 9th grade…

This dissertation examines students' social-emotional experience with knowledge building pedagogy from the lenses of grit and growth mindset. The goal of this dissertation is to understand how interest, perseverance of effort and growth mindset oriented feedback engage students social emotionally in knowledge building to sustain and deepen their…

Digital learning technologies have grown increasingly important in physics education, partly enforced through the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, digital technologies allowed for continued teaching and learning of students even when schools were closed. While research in psychology and educational technology has yielded many insights into…

The purpose of the case study was to understand the use of technology, particularly AI, for public middle school teachers in Michigan for critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. The theory that guided this study was the constructivist theory. The constructivist learning theory involves people learning from their experiences…

During the school closures associated with COVID-19, researchers found student engagement decreased, partially due to the concurrent increase in the number of adolescents diagnosed with problematic internet use and internet addiction. At the time of this study, there was limited research related to student engagement after students returned to…

As virtual learning gains traction as a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face instruction for middle school students, it is important to ensure the effectiveness of these learning environments, including incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies. This qualitative study explored the influence of SEL pedagogy on student…

Not all 8th-grade students have an outspoken passion for reading; however, most of them do like choices. This action research study establishes a correlation between offering choices in the English Language Arts classroom and increased affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. The participants for this research were an 8th-grade class at a…

Background: The unequal learning outcomes and achievement gaps in language and literacy, particularly affecting poor and working-class children in South African schools, are longstanding issues. These disparities were highlighted once again in the poor literacy results of PIRLS 2021, indicating systemic challenges within the education system.…

Existing measures of belonging in schools do not explicitly elevate the contextual and cultural insights of the educators and students they were designed to assess. Our study addresses this shortcoming through the co-creation of an Opportunities to Belong survey measure for urban middle schoolers. The tool was developed in partnership with…

The problem addressed through this study was the inconsistent implementation of RTI2 in the mathematics classes for special education (SPED) upper elementary (i.e., Grades 3-5) students at a Southwestern, urban Tennessee school district (SUTSD). Students in SPED have low mathematics proficiency. Researchers have demonstrated that RTI2 is a process…

This study sought to investigate how students access and how teachers foster creativity in the curriculum and find solutions to student and teacher disengagement with creative alternatives to traditional assignments and assessments at a public school in the Northeast of the United States. The inability of many public school teachers to properly…

More than a buzzword, teacher burnout captures the zeitgeist of the last few years as schools grapple with the challenges of education in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world. Garwood sounds an alarm and issues a call to action to address teacher burnout given its implications on students in general and, more specifically, on its implications for the…

"Mathematics Teaching On Target" is a guidebook for improving mathematics teaching, based on the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) Framework and its five dimensions -- The Mathematics, Cognitive Demand, Equitable Access, Agency, Ownership, and Identity, and Formative Assessment. You'll be guided to refine your classroom activities…

Background: Students need to practice their hands-on skills when they are young to develop confidence for their future careers. Nowadays, iSTEAM (integrated science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) contests provide opportunities for participants to experience meaningful and challenging hands-on tasks that may foster learning, and to…