This study examines the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with labels of Learning Disability (LD) in their English, Math, and Social Studies classes. The conceptualization of LD as a biological pathology in the dominant special education discourse has contributed to normative perceptions and reductionistic…

The college sophomore has long been characterized as the "middle child" of the college experience. The limited focus by researchers on the college sophomore has become of increasing concern for the academic community given sophomore retention rates which are often not as high as desired. The study examined the degree to which social alienation,…

Current educational initiatives encourage the use of authentic learning environments to realistically prepare students for jobs in a constantly changing world. Many students of the Millennial generation may be social media savvy. However, what can be said about learning conditions and student readiness for active, reflective and collaborative…

This study examined the differences in engagement among entering African American male students at two community colleges in the State of Texas. Three research questions provided the foundation for this study: (1) Is there a significant difference in the engagement levels among first-year male community college students by age group, (2) From the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a full semester of wellness instruction on student perceptions, choices and self-reported behavioral outcomes as measured by eight factors associated with student success. A mixed-method study design was employed. The pre-test/post-test design was used for the quantitative portion of the…

Over the past several years, educational leaders and researchers have tried to find the causes for high school dropout. Studies have shown that both demographic and student factors have contributed to placing a student at risk for dropping out of high school. Most of the studies, however, have been conducted in urban or suburban settings.…

According to generational theorists, the interests and experiences of incoming students have fluctuated over time, with Millennial students being more engaged and accomplished than their predecessors. This project explored data from 1974-2007 to determine the actual trends in engagement and accomplishments for three generations of students. Over…

Problem behaviors early in the preschool year have been negatively linked to a variety of school readiness outcomes, including language, literacy and mathematics, both at the end of preschool and later on as children transition to elementary school. In order to inform preschool intervention efforts, the current study extends this research by…

Research in higher education over the past several decades has extensively examined the extent to which various aspects of the college environment affect student persistence (Astin, 1962, 1993; Bean, 1980; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Tinto, 1975, 1988, 1993). Furthermore, researchers have noted the importance of the residential living…

This study assesses the influence of student values on long-term self-regulatory decisions defined in terms of a tendency to procrastinate and how these values, indirectly through procrastination, but also directly, affect important motivational, affective, social and behavioral academic outcomes of first quarter freshmen. Results of a structural…

Preparing high school students for work in a global economy means that high schools must reinforce personal and social responsibility inside and outside of school and simultaneously seek opportunities for students to engage in educational activities that are relevant in a changing world. This study assessed administrators' perceptions of the…

The purpose of this study was to explore how critical pedagogy, culturally relevant curriculum, and student centered instruction impacted student engagement in reading for struggling high school readers, including first- and second-generation immigrants. The researcher/practitioner (r/p) chose to highlight Latinas in the study to understand the…

This study assessed the effects of a modified version of Check & Connect, a comprehensive student engagement intervention, on the attendance, behavior, and academic performance of secondary African American females with violent and aggressive behavior problems. In addition, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) was used to assess cognitive…

The transition to middle school places many adolescents at risk for negative adjustment, especially poor and underserved ethnic minority students. In this cross-sectional study, I explored the role of student-perceived mismatch in the transition to a school with an early-college model, using a sample of predominantly African American and Latino…

The problem addressed in this study was that little was known about the impact on student academic achievement, when grouped by learning style, in a multiple intelligence based science curriculum. The larger problem was that many students were frequently unengaged and, consequently, low achieving in their science courses. This quantitative study…