Historically, students who are identified with a learning disability have struggled with the acquisition of new material. Co-teaching is a model of instruction in which a certified special education teacher works alongside a content teacher to deliver instruction within an inclusion classroom. This research project used a qualitative methodology…

This quasi-experimental, quantitative study was completed to determine if a Modern Classroom approach to teaching had a significant relationship with student self-reported efficacy measures and end-of-course test data when compared to classrooms taught with traditional instructional methods as well as if there was a difference in results for…

This three-manuscript dissertation used a rapid PDSA to improve teacher efficacy concerning designing and teaching an unleveled 9th grade science class. Leveling and tracking can lead to inequitable outcomes and experiences for minoritized students. However, designing and implementing effective heterogeneous, unleveled classes that meet the needs…

Feedback from teachers is critical for student academic success, but is all feedback created equal? Within this critical participatory action research study, a teacher and her students in ninth-grade English language arts (ELA) classes in a suburban high school endeavored to transform their mindsets and practices related to giving, receiving, and…

The problem was the impacts of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum on Chinese teachers' self-efficacy and student-centered learning practices were unknown. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine the impacts of the International Baccalaureate curriculum on Chinese teachers' reports of self-efficacy and…

The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate the implementation of an adaptive web-based learning environment to personalize geometry instruction and practice for high school students at a private school in North Carolina. This study was guided by the following three research questions: How and to what extent does implementing…

In this study, I explored how (a) a team-based instructional method rather than a one-teacher-one-classroom, traditional teaching model and (b) an inquiry-based learning approach affected teachers attitudes and self-efficacy for teaching and students attitudes, self-efficacy, engagement, and connections to school. The study was conducted within…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

To maintain its dominance as a leader in STEM, as well as to disrupt persistent economic and social inequalities, the United States must invest in Black and Hispanic students who are among the largest subgroups who have been historically underrepresented in STEM spaces. Research has shown that science self-efficacy facilitates students' interest,…

Students growing up in rural communities are situated in contexts characterized by poor economic conditions, largely ineffective K-12 educational policies, few postsecondary opportunities, underresourced schools, and limited networks to provide social and cultural capital. As a result, students in rural contexts are underrepresented in…

The purpose of this mixed methods case study was threefold: (a) to describe 7th through 12th grade science teachers' efficacy beliefs, perceptions of support, and concerns about using inquiry-based instruction and examine how they are related to one another, (b) to explore how teachers reporting different levels of concerns demonstrate levels of…

This dissertation is a case study of a school district in the Pacific Northwest that developed three-year high school science curricula using a Physics First course sequence (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), with the crosscutting concept "Patterns" as the central theme of the courses. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships of teacher efficacy and student influence to teacher behaviors within the classroom among mid-Atlantic high school teachers. The population studied consisted of secondary teachers who instructed multiple subject areas within grades 9 through 12. A survey was conducted to collect…