This study examines teacher professional development as part of the required K-12 continuous school improvement process. Through semi-structured, open-ended interviews and data (school improvement plans, PD agendas), this qualitative case drew from organizational theory to identify and describe information to better understand the role teacher…

Standards-based grading (SBG) is a grading system in which each student is given a set of grades, each reflecting their proficiency in relation to a specific skill. The present study examined K-12 teachers' implementation of SBG practices in a small, suburban Midwestern school district, as well as their perceptions of and confidence in…

It is widely accepted that concept maps are a meaningful learning tool. Even so, the use of concept mapping as a meaningful learning tool is probably less common than the use of concept mapping as an assessment tool. In first place, the easiest thing to with a student's concept map is to apply a rubric and give it a grade. And second, teachers…

Socially engaged engineering provides for student learning of the design, analysis, and practices of engineering as well as the ways that engineering is situated in sociocultural contexts. This paper provides a conceptual framework regarding socially engaged engineering for K-8 educators, researchers, and curriculum designers. The framework…

The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to shift from traditional face-to-face instruction to online learning, presenting unprecedented challenges for math teachers. This study aimed to explore the barriers that math teachers face when teaching math online. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 62 math teachers…

The goal of this mixed methods study was to examine educator and student perceptions of the implementation of social-emotional learning (SEL) and the RULER (i.e., recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating) approach in a Catholic school. The study investigated the perceptions of teachers, staff, and students about the…

Educational action research, a participatory research method, has garnered widespread attention in scholarship. Previous studies of the intentions and experiences of action researchers have indicated a need for a deeper understanding of within-school action research programs. However, conversations about the utility of educational research have…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify leadership qualities and practices that nurture relationships in school settings. The central question framing this study was: "What leadership tools and traits foster effective relationships in rural school communities?" I conducted semi-structured interviews in a small Northwestern…

Sustainability education is crucial in helping students deal with current health and environmental challenges through dietary choices. This study aims to provide an understanding of how the teachers surveyed (n = 416, 85% women; 58% teaching natural sciences) view the importance of the following interrelated issues for sustainability: (1) the…

In this study, the aim is to examine the perceptions of gifted students toward STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Art-Mathematics) disciplines. The phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research method designs, was used in the study. The study group of the research consists of 47 gifted students studying in the science and art center in…

In the teaching of natural science, field trips are a means of bringing students directly into contact with the biological and geological aspects of the environment. The present study explored French students' views of fieldwork and the relationships they establish with the natural environment as a result. We analyzed the responses of 293 primary…

This interpretive phenomenological study examined the skills 0 to 3 year teachers in a North Texas PK-12 school district believed were skills they needed for online teaching. The 10 participants for this study all preferred she/her pronouns identifying as female; 6 received certification through a traditional undergraduate program with 4…

Classroom engagement is an excellent indicator of students' learning, grades, achievement, test scores, retention, and graduation. However, classroom engagement is heavily dependent on teacher-student interactions. Teachers' role in engaging students in the lesson learned is critical. Using a free and convenient tool, such as teachers' humor, can…

The problem addressed in this qualitative descriptive design was many K-12 teachers did not have adequate training necessary for effective instruction in online learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of training in online instruction for K-12 teachers provided by school districts. The Technological Pedagogical Content…

This study employs social network analysis (SNA) to identify influential individuals and their communication patterns within Chinese schools in Wenzhou. The research also aims to reveal communication and advice-seeking patterns that significantly impact the overall distributed leadership structure and practices within the schools. The study…