Women, especially Black and Latina women, are marginalized in physics, including in high school classrooms. Recognition is one of the ways women and girls experience marginalization in physics. This dissertation is comprised of three distinct but related studies examining how students experience recognition in an AP Physics 1 classroom. The first…

This dissertation investigated the academic performance of immigrant high school students in urban settings, focusing specifically on mathematics. Drawing on Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Zea and colleagues' acculturation framework, the study explored the complex interplay between sources of self-efficacy, acculturation dimensions, and other…

Research on self-efficacy and how it is developed in K-12 educational spaces has primarily focused on traditional classroom spaces and activities. Little research has focused on self-efficacy development in the context of outdoor experiential learning. Through this study, I use focus groups, in-depth interviewing, and on-line journal prompts to…

This convergent mixed-methods study aimed to evaluate the mentorships in a high school with well-established student mentorship opportunities. Examining the characteristics and role of mentorships for students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers determined how mentorships impact STEM career decisions.…

The purpose of this quantitative retrospective study was to understand the impact of prior exposure to sexual health education on middle and high school students' sexual health knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions. The study analyzed a secondary dataset that included pre- and posttest results collected for program evaluation purposes by a…

Dual Credit, also known as dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment, has been offered at colleges and universities since the 1970s (Kim & Bragg, 2008). Dual credit programs allow students to take college-level courses while still in high school and receive both college and high school credit for successful completion of the courses. While much…

Students and workers require self-regulated learning (SRL) skills to meet the demands of the 21st century. These learners need to be actively engaged in learning by creating successful strategies for themselves directed toward specific goals. Many students, however, are not currently actively engaged in their learning and are thus ill-prepared for…

Students entering high school often bring misconceptions about the nature of science and experimentation with them from middle school. Many also bring a belief that they are not a "science kid" and, therefore, cannot be a strong student in Biology. This belief can lead to a lack of self-efficacy and of student agency in the classroom.…

This qualitative action research study sought to explore and enhance the academic self-efficacy of Black and Hispanic students in urban high schools. The study aimed to uncover the factors contributing to low academic self-efficacy among Black and Hispanic STEM students and develop an actionable plan to address these issues. In Cycle 1, high…

This qualitative research study adopted an ethnographic approach with a realistic design to conduct this inquiry. This method was used because the inquiry focused on the documentation and interpretation of students' beliefs and experiences with the SBA within a school culture. The inquiry also entailed exploring whether their self-efficacy was in…

The purpose of this research was to investigate factors that influence academic achievement in high school. This study gathered data directly from high school students themselves. This research study utilized a mixed-methods design by blending quantitative analysis from survey data and qualitative analysis from in-depth interviews. The data…

The purpose of this case study was to examine how a high school's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program affects student development of their personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment by fusing the perspectives of the school administrators, JROTC instructors, and school guidance counselors for a more holistic view. The…

Many students lack the comprehension skills required to navigate high school and the world (Turner, 2019). This qualitative narrative analysis study examined how the background of Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators' shaped their educational experiences when embedding literacy in the CTE curriculum. The researcher interviewed ten CTE…

High school students' chemistry self-efficacy (CSE) and scientific identity (SI) are not well understood in the high school chemistry classroom. The purpose of this research was to quantitatively investigate the interaction between gender and giftedness on students' CSE and SI in a suburban high school chemistry classroom, with and without…

Postsecondary enrollment rates in the United States have grown tremendously; however, completion rates have not significantly changed over the last 20 years. Studies have found that International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) participants have higher postsecondary completion rates than their counterparts. The purpose of this qualitative…