The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how teachers who teach 6th, 7th, or 8th grade English language arts in a virtual charter school environment describe the gamification process to support student engagement in the classroom. The overarching research question was: How do teachers who teach 6th, 7th, or 8th grade…

This study explored the literacy engagement of Hispanic rising seventh grade adolescents during a summer literacy program. Using a participatory social justice mixed methods design (Creswell & Plano-Clark, 2018), students' voices were used to design and refine an instructional model proposed to increase their level of engagement in literacy…

This study examined the impact of sense of belonging on student engagement in math and science classrooms at an all-girls middle school. The sample was comprised of 129 seventh and eighth-grade students in three math classrooms and three science classrooms in an independent, urban all-girls middle and high school. My research design applied…

Within the secondary level of education covering students in grades 6-12, reading comprehension continues to be an area of concern for traditional public-school educators. Because students lack the foundations of reading upon entering middle and high school, on average across the United States, many students struggle to meet high school graduation…

Recent policies and programs in science education underscore a need to address "opportunity gaps" for students who are parts of minoritized social, cultural, or racial/ethnic groups. In order to implement professional learning for teachers to assist them in effectively supporting all students, it is critical to understand the classroom…

Research supports the finding that middle school students prefer hands-on activities to reading and writing to learn new information. However, disciplinary literacy, the reading and writing in science class, is an integral part of inquiry-based science instruction and a necessary complement to hands-on instruction to build student understanding.…

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has unique factors that can engage students in the learning process. It has been shown that incorporating DGBL into mathematics can help bridge the learning gap, differentiate instruction, and engage students (Yang et al., 2018; Hulse et al., 2019; Chen et al., 2012; Naik, 2017). This study examined how students'…

The shift to online learning management systems such as Canvas seemed to assume students would become more independent and self-regulated, yet little research has been conducted in this area, especially with school-age students. This study examined the ways middle school students engaged with an online learning management system (LMS) and their…

Despite the racial/ethnic diversity of the United States, a significant difference remains between the standardized achievement scores of White students and Black students, most commonly known as the achievement gap or the opportunity gap. Although it is recognized that the opportunity gap is rooted in structural racism, scholars have examined…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the perceptions of the sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade teachers in Tuscaloosa City Schools about technology-enhanced practices and student engagement as a result of the "Digital Transformation Initiative." The Pre-service Teacher's Knowledge of Teaching and Technology TPACK…

Professional development training is a crucial aspect of educational institutions worldwide, but its role in shaping and enhancing school culture is not always well-defined. This study explores the effects of professional development training on student-to-staff connections, students' sense of security, and their perception of safety within a…

Motivation and engagement are often barriers to literacy for adolescent readers. Traditionally, the graphic novel has been seen as easy to read and a resource that only has value for students with language difficulties or learning challenges. This qualitative case study investigated how middle school readers' ability to make meaning contributed to…

In this study, a comparative analysis was conducted to explore how students' learning outcomes were potentially influenced by student engagement during different modes of instruction. The study compared the final mean grade point averages (GPAs) of a sample (N = 600) of middle school students during in-person, online, and hybrid modes of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the perceptions of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers in Tuscaloosa City Schools in relation to technology-enhanced practices and student engagement as a result of the "Digital Transformation Initiative". The Pre-service Teacher's Knowledge of Teaching and Technology TPACK…

The purpose of the quantitative correlational study was to examine how educators utilize instructional strategies that align with how the brain learns in private middle schools for students with diagnosed learning differences (neurodiverse schools) and schools for students without diagnosed learning differences (neurotypical schools). The study…