This study employed quantitative methods to analyze survey results related to the epistemic beliefs and classroom practices of economics educators. Studying economics has positive benefits at the individual, family, and social levels, but analysis of learning outcomes suggests that economics education needs to increase student engagement and…

This dissertation focused on the outcome of elementary science teachers' learning in theories and practices of epistemic tools in professional workshops over the course of two years, starting in the summer of 2019. Study one focuses on teachers' understanding of language as an epistemic tool. The data were teachers' written responses to a…

Teacher engagement in evidence-based practice has been a concern of the K-5 educational community for many years, with studies finding teachers' engagement with research may be growing, but is still not consistent. Epistemic beliefs are becoming a popular topic in the study of the learning process with a limited number of qualitative studies…

This study examined the lived experiences of K-12 DACAmented Latine educators in Northern California through a Chicana/Latina feminist epistemological lens and utilized "testimonios" as a methodological qualitative tool. Grounded in LatCrit and UndocuCrit, the purpose of this study was to center the voices and lived experiences of Latine…

This dissertation examined the relationship between elementary school science teachers' epistemic orientation and classroom learning environment type--generative or replicative--they established for science knowledge development. Drawing on the theory of epistemological development and understanding, the influence of teacher epistemic beliefs on…

This study explored the role of secondary Mathematics teachers' characteristics and multi-dimensional beliefs in integrating technology into teaching practice (i.e., mode of technology use). The research design employed is the convergent mixed method. The quantitative strand employed an electronic survey with 83 respondents. It has one primary…

How instructors teach argumentation and research skills influences students' epistemic development and performance on critical thinking tasks. Therefore, it was necessary to explore the existing beliefs, values, and knowledge of university instructors to inform future research, faculty support, and curriculum development on how to support these…

Recent efforts to help teachers improve have centered on teacher evaluation. This qualitative dissertation explored how eight teachers from one middle school described and understood improving their practice Additionally, this study used purposeful developmental sampling to explore how, if at all, participants' way of knowing (meaning their…

This grounded theory, constant comparative method study provides a Critical Race Institutional Logics Perspective account of Latina teacher sensemaking of distance learning. Distance learning--while not a particularly new school initiative, school reform effort, or organizational change--brought forth an organizational change that unmasked racist…

This study explores how high school and college history instructors' perspectives of experiential learning opportunities and high-impact practices influence their epistemic beliefs as history teachers. The research considers educators' pedagogical practices to align inquiry and historical thinking with experiential learning opportunities and…

Students diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD) are eligible for special education services and benefit from advances in medical research that have extended the life expectancy of this population; however, there is a dearth of research on medical professionals' and PK-12 educators' awareness epistemological beliefs about pediatric sickle cell…

The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore what happened when preschool teachers engaged in multimodal meaning making around notions of literacy through visual art making. Eight participant preschool teachers attended 3 six-hour long multimodal workshops designed around social semiotic theory of multimodal communication…

Teachers' values, beliefs, and self-confidence are critical components of decisions educators make every day. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between secondary science teachers' epistemology and self-efficacy on science instructional practices and conceptualization of student research experiences rooted in the Next…

Despite a lack of empirical research on the effectiveness of administrative technologies in higher education (Anderson, Banker, & Ravindran, 2003; Selwyn, 2011), universities have pursued these technologies, or enterprise solutions, at an aggressive pace. Spending more than six billion dollars per year on enterprise solutions, higher education…

With school populations across the country becoming increasingly representative of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, new considerations must be made to promote equitable and engaged science learning for all students (National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, & Institute of Medicine [NAEEM], 2011).…