In this study, we examined gender and sexuality representation in language and math textbooks for Dutch secondary education. We analyzed all male and female characters in 13 language textbooks (N = 7,347) and 12 math textbooks (N = 4,591). Our results confirmed our expectations based on the theory of the hidden curriculum: female characters were…

Most states claim academic rigor and career readiness as goals for all their students. But as school systems continue tracking students into higher or lower levels of academic coursework and into career and technical courses that lack rigorous, real-world assignments, they reflect an apparent underlying belief that their students' abilities are…

Research has shown that youth and their communities benefit from civics education, with its aim to prepare citizens for democracy. However, civics education for adolescents in the United States is not equitable, and determining how to best measure aspects of civic development in younger adolescents is a challenge. In this qualitative study, we…

Within the five chapters of this dissertation, the overall theme was to examine student goal setting when engaged in the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) in inclusive, secondary, academic content, general education classrooms over multiple years. Chapter 1 provides an overview of self-determination, goal setting, and the…

Novice teachers must gain significant knowledge and skills on the job (Baumgarter et al., 2018), but the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic created an environment for education's newest teachers that no one could have predicted (Dvir & Schatz-Oppenheimer, 2020; Kaden, 2020; Mecham et al., 2021). A review of the literature identified a…

The author began a project - the Technology Reflection Project - in May of 2019. As the last few weeks of tests and projects approached, her students needed to focus on academics and finish strong. As summer approached, she wanted to reduce her screen time, get outside, connect with her family, and form good habits. The author though, "Why…

We explored how various contextual resources accumulated over multiple years operated together to facilitate a team of high school teachers' sustained and agentive learning after a 4-year research-practice partnership (RPP) grant concluded. Specifically, we examined constellations of resources that promoted the co-evolution of the teachers'…

The present research aimed to explore actions, views, and emotions in relation to teachers' goal orientations and the reflection of goal orientations on their teaching practices. The study also aimed to compare whether there were differences among teachers' practices based on their goal orientations. A case study design was adopted and 10 teachers…

We examined the relationships between teachers' communication styles and students' perceptions of the classroom goal structure. Within the context of high school health classes focused on teaching about HIV/STD/pregnancy prevention, we surveyed 456 students about their teachers' immediacy behaviors, efforts to make course content relevant, and…

We describe the conceptual framework and practitioner-based study outcomes of a school-based substance use prevention intervention focused on strengthening student commitment to their personal vision. This study found increases related to goal clarity and identification of a mentor following the intervention. We suggest implications for future…

High school students in accelerated curricula tend to report higher level of perceived stress compared to general education students, but often receive limited school support (Conger et al., 2021). This study explored student experiences of a targeted intervention using Motivational Interviewing (Motivation, Assessment, and Planning; MAP) compared…

This study contributes to applied and theoretical research for schools and districts by exploring data-based evidence of the relationships between the COVID-19 pandemic and student engagement with school. The paper features trend data on student orientation to school assessed via the multi-dimensional Student Orientation to School Questionnaire…

Youth who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming (TGNC) are at greater risk than their peers for mental health concerns. School staff knowledge and training on supporting the mental health of these students may have a significant effect on this population. To better understand where school staff are provided such training, we conducted a…

Netflix series "Sex Education" is popular with young people in a way school-based programmes rarely are. Analyzing the first three seasons, this paper explores "what" and "how" educative content is offered and how young people are addressed as sexual subjects. It is argued that "Sex Education" radically…

This article reports on the development and validation of the Instrumental Practice Goal Realization Inventory (IPGRI) designed to assess the process of self-directed study, beginning with setting the intention to practice and ending with the evaluation of one's performance. This new tool is based on the theoretical model of action phases. The…