Teachers' beliefs and attitudes are important for understanding and improving teacher effectiveness. This study focuses on the extent to which teachers hold constructivist beliefs and the role such beliefs may play in creating a student centered instruction, focused on students´ interests and motivations. Using a mix of quantitative and…

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to better understand the lived experiences of students enrolled in the Boyker-Anoroc Bridge Program. The Bridge Program was designed to increase the persistence of underrepresented minority (URM) graduate students in STEM doctoral programs. The participants in the study recounted their…

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to better understand the lived experiences of students enrolled in the Boyker-Anoroc Bridge Program. The Bridge Program was designed to increase the persistence of underrepresented minority (URM) graduate students in STEM doctoral programs. The participants in the study recounted their…

The first courses freshman university students typically enroll in are the introductory science and math, courses that bridge from and build upon their prior educational experiences. These introductory courses often have large enrollment lectures coupled with supplemental sessions to teach using traditional educational practices, which may operate…

Block scheduling has been touted as a reform effort for American schools (Trump, 1959; Zepeda & Mayers, 2006). Block scheduling allows teachers to use the additional class time to vary the activities in the classroom and move away from the lecture model and affords teachers the opportunity to utilize more student-centered activities to engage…

Carl Jung introduced using creative expression (active imagination (AI)) to connect with contents of ourselves of which we are not aware (the unconscious mind). AI is a powerful technique in psychology and education. Approaches in American education are proving inadequate in several ways. This study applied AI to mathematics classrooms by…

This quantitative study surveyed both the faculty and international undergraduate non-native English speaking (NNES) undergraduate students to see what they perceived as being useful to the students' learning. This research was done at Kansas State University (K-State), which is Midwestern land grant university. The research consisted of two…

The purpose of this study was to examine how to best develop and enhance critical and analytical thinking skills amongst college students enrolled in history and/or social studies courses. Through traditional, lecture style instruction, as well as a cooperative and collaborative learning pedagogy known as Reacting to the Past, this study was…

This collective dissertation contains the efforts of a group of curious, committed, and creative educators on the hunt for high-impact instructional approaches that empower and emancipate learners. Although each study within the dissertation is anchored in its own setting--and those settings represent a diverse collection of learning sites--a…

This collective dissertation contains the efforts of a group of curious, committed, and creative educators on the hunt for high-impact instructional approaches that empower and emancipate learners. Although each study within the dissertation is anchored in its own setting--and those settings represent a diverse collection of learning sites--a…

This collective dissertation contains the efforts of a group of curious, committed, and creative educators on the hunt for high-impact instructional approaches that empower and emancipate learners. Although each study within the dissertation is anchored in its own setting--and those settings represent a diverse collection of learning sites--a…

This collective dissertation contains the efforts of a group of curious, committed, and creative educators on the hunt for high-impact instructional approaches that empower and emancipate learners. Although each study within the dissertation is anchored in its own setting--and those settings represent a diverse collection of learning sites--a…

Background: Less than two decades into the 21st century, U.S. medical schools are experiencing substantial curricular reform affecting multiple aspects of teaching and learning. The pace of change is rapid when compared to that of the previous century. Little changed in medical education for 100 years after Abraham Flexner's 1910 recommendations…

While there are a variety of teaching methods that may or may not be successful, this study focused on a student led, autonomous classroom environment--where autonomy is defined as offering students several choices and much control of a classroom. The researcher addressed how this learning environment supported the idea of demonstrating care in…

The effects of education can shape a multitude of elements throughout our society from poverty to technology. Elementary school students come into a classroom under the influence of what they have learned at home and out in the community. Because of so many different conditions that children live among, their knowledge is varied, and their rates…