This study addressed the problem of identifying challenges and expectations when a school transitions from traditional education to personalized learning. The single case study used semi-structured interviews to discover the experiences and thoughts of ten teachers and staff members from a rural high school that transitioned. The school was in its…

A new paradigm of music teaching and learning has emerged in secondary schools in the United States. Music educators are taking advantage of innovations in digital technologies by organizing courses in which students learn about and demonstrate music concepts through music technology. Despite the growth of such classes, technology-based music…

This descriptive, qualitative case study investigated how three high school teachers in non-STEM subject areas developed integrated STEM (iSTEM) pedagogies for conventional classroom lessons in a high-technology makerspace. The school in focus adopted a STEM teaching policy that required all teachers to implement iSTEM teaching in the school's…

This qualitative, improvement science, autoethnographic case study aims to examine a unique perspective on rural research through the lens of place-conscious leadership. With an identified problem of inequity in advanced-level course offerings, which resulted in lost student opportunities and student attrition to neighboring schools, the…

This dissertation detailed the ways by which stakeholder interactions affected interdisciplinary curriculum development in the novel field of esports at Mideast State University. Due to the prevalence of esports in higher education, the sudden popularity of the esports field, and the role of esports in an already overloaded curriculum space, this…

This project examined the adoption of cybersecurity into computing programs within liberal arts programs and whether the rate constitutes an innovative program. The research questions focused on the lived experience existing faculty members have had with the cybersecurity curriculum within liberal arts computing programs. Liberal arts general…

Recent studies suggest that preservice music teacher educators (MTEs) had more experience in assessment preparation at the graduate level than during their undergraduate experience. Although music standards and assessments emphasize providing information about student learning, research investigating what assessment strategies music faculty are…

The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic forced 168 million educators and students to suspend face-to-face classroom instruction worldwide. The unprecedented disruption tested healthcare systems and accentuated the growing crisis in nursing resources, which are critical for battling the virus. The need for nurses fostered a herculean effort of nurse…

This dissertation explores the perceptions and understandings of K-6 general education teachers regarding their role in intentionally developing students' emotional competencies. This research builds upon that which establishes the vitality of developed emotional competencies by including the perceptions of teachers who have been tasked with…

The initiative to implement multiple pathways to graduation aims to increase high school graduation rates. Where these opportunities may be present, there are specific actions district leaders can take to support the implementation of multiple pathways to graduation. Through correlational quantitative research, this study provided the opportunity…

The purpose of this study was to understand special education (SPED) teachers' creativity as they integrated new technologies to teach autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) learners during the coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdowns of schools in the U.S. The theoretical orientation was the componential theory of creativity (CTC), which identifies components…

This qualitative, phenomenological study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts lesson design for teachers at a school district in southeast Texas. As generative AI becomes more integrated into education, this research investigates how AI tools influence teachers' abilities to create dynamic, differentiated, and effective lesson plans.…

This dissertation follows a three-article format. The unifying theme for all three articles are the ways in which instructors face the challenges of facilitating access to course knowledge for undergraduate students enrolled in online introductory statistics courses. Each of the three articles are interrelated by the unifying theme but contributes…

Current literature on nursing education indicates curriculum design mandates that meet recommendations from the nursing legislature and accreditation bodies. Innovative curricula designs in nursing education are aimed towards resolving content saturation issues associated with traditional systems-based curricula while improving quality in pedagogy…

STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons and activities as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling STEM literacy (Tsupros, Kohler and…