African American males are failing to graduate high school and attend college at an alarming rate. There are a number of explanations for this disturbing pattern of inequity including excessive placement into Special Education programs, underrepresentation in gifted and advanced placement programs, subjective use of discipline policies, and…

Many high schools are encouraging teachers to enhance the level of student engagement by having teachers interact more productively with students. Effective questioning, efficient use of wait time, use of high-quality examples, a clear goal, equitable distribution, and a balance of open and closed questions correlate with higher levels of student…

Scope and method of study: Using Mary Douglas' (1982) Grid and Group Typology, the purpose of this case study was to explain the distinctive patterns of student engagement, communication and community in the culture of four online courses. The participants were four online instructors and four of their students who completed online courses at…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the perceptions of school membership, risk factors, and school outcomes among a sample of alternative school students. The study subjects were 48 7th-9th graders who were at high risk for school failure because of their serious and chronic behavioral and academic problems. All…

Using a theoretical framework of the Teacher Expectancy Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and Critical Race Theory, this research includes a quantitative methodology with respect to the perceptions of elementary students regarding teacher-student relationship factors that impact academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine if…

This integrated methods study used a sequential explanatory design to explore the culturally relevant teaching beliefs of successful emergent literacy Head Start teachers of urban African American boys living in poverty. The study utilized emergent literacy gain scores as a measure of success, a survey of culturally relevant teaching beliefs to…

Student success in online learning is strongly affected by the learner's social presence. There is evidence that not all students benefit from the online learning environment, as it limits social interaction between the students. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Twitter, a social network application, on online class…

Some professors are expected to remain competitive research scholars, as well as teach, particularly in research-intensive universities. It has been argued that some professors spend too much time on research to obtain institutional incentives or promotion, and not enough time on teaching. Consequently, some adjuncts assume the responsibility for…

Learning English as a foreign language (EFL), a highly valued skill in the Chilean marketplace, is an arduous and complex personal endeavor requiring high student motivation. Reflecting this challenge is the heightened anxiety among EFL students, whose work has been associated with historically meager results. Blended learning, the fusion of…

As Walker, Golde, Jones, Bueschel, and Hutchings (2008) state, research is "the sine qua non of the doctorate" (p. 4). Therefore, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to conduct research is a key priority in doctoral education. Blended instruction is a promising, yet so far seldom used model for supporting doctoral students' learning…

Mathematics curricula reform has been a continuous process in school systems throughout the United States for the past several decades. As school districts continue to face the challenges set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act, it is now more critical than ever before to measure the impact of curricula being utilized in today's schools. This…

The present study investigates whether three types of instruction (Focus on Meaning, Focus on FormS and Focus on Form instruction) have differential effects on the acquisition of the Spanish present subjunctive in complement/noun clauses. It seeks to establish whether "dictogloss", one of the proactive Focus on Form techniques, enhances the…

As the body of research on the experiences of African American males in higher education continues to grow, additional research is needed on the impact of two-year college attendance on African American male students (Flowers, 2006). Since the two-year college system is the "primary portal" to higher education for a number of African…

This quasi-experimental study uses mixed methodologies to examine learning engagement on a social studies unit test based on primary and secondary sources (a "document-based question", or DBQ), to determine whether the use of film in a DBQ changes the nature of historical inquiry. The study was conducted in two Grade 7 classes taught by the same…

College and career readiness offers a distinct purpose to the high school experience. This experience must provide a variety of options with a clear focus on fruitful opportunities for success. Meaningful citizenship in any learning community demands that all students participate in a pathway of sequenced, practical, related classes and achieve…