The topic of praise and more specifically, behavior-specific praise, in special education is complex. It requires an investigation of multiple types of praise in a variety of settings and a variety of individuals with even more severe intellectual and developmental disabilities and other impairments (IDDI). Historically, in much research,…

Oppressive social systems are structures and institutions within society that systematically and unjustly restrict the rights, opportunities, and overall well-being of certain groups (Bonilla-Silva, 1997; Feagin, 2013). The current program of research aims to investigate how oppressive social systems impact individuals and explore strategies to…

This dissertation describes a program of research encompassing three studies that focused on examining the effects of enhanced expectancies and perceptions of success on motor learning. OPTIMAL theory (Wulf & Lewthwaite, 2016) proposes that practice manipulations that enhance a learner's expectations for future successful outcomes lead to…

I conducted a set of four studies to catalogue and examine course elements, including active learning strategies and evidence-based teaching practices, and their influence on student experiences and performance in college biology classes. In the first study, I defined the term "active learning" and catalogued the 300[plus] strategies…

This multimethod study utilizes methods of grounded qualitative meta-analysis and transdisciplinary textual analysis to examine the extent to which the phenomenon of student spiritual formation at Christian higher education institutions reflects the growing body of literature on human development from the field of affective social neurobiology.…

This study examined the relationship of Problem-based Learning (PBL) and medical students' attitudinal behavior and academic outcomes. The analyses of 14 independent, primary studies conducted between 2003-2016, on 4,981 medical students across various medical schools were included in the study. The data were examined using a meta-analysis…

This study investigated the direct impact of team cohesiveness and student-athletes' perceptions of coaching behavior/leadership functions on the success of NCAA Division I Women's basketball, based on the teams' win/loss records. The research collection was quantitative in nature. Statistical design and analysis provided justification for the use…

The first year of college is unique and important for many reasons that warrant focused research. Students are often solely responsible for making many academic decisions for the first time as well as living relatively, independently away from home. One apparent consequence of these challenges is that this is the peak time for dropping out of…

Many scholars have noted the dismal persistence rates of Black male students in community colleges, as well as their poor academic success outcomes. This study sought to further the literature on academic success by exploring student perspectives in one southwestern community college. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of…