Asynchronous online learning is well documented with adults, but fewer studies of effectiveness have emphasized elementary education learning environments. This study investigated student achievement on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test for fifth grade students who had participated in synchronous and asynchronous courses…

The purpose of the case study was to explore the effects of a mentor-coach initiative among second, third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in an urban junior-secondary school in Antigua and Barbuda. The case study design was appropriate, mainly qualitative, but supported by quantitative data collection methods. Twelve participants shared in two…

This paper is a qualitative case study of a Korean first grade child. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of a first grade Korean child's oral language interactions with teachers, parents, peers, and community members and to examine how a child's oral language impacts his literacy learning in English. The data were…

This dissertation is an examination of the state of the liberal arts curriculum in community colleges in three geographic regions of the United States. From a constructivist paradigm and using globalization theory as a theoretical framework, this multiple case study examined faculty work life and administrative processes related to curriculum…

Research consistently has indicated that academic achievement outcomes for most minority students, and for students from economically impoverished backgrounds, are marginal as compared with the achievement of their Asian and Caucasian classmates and of individuals with higher socio-economic status (STS). Academic engagement has been linked to…

This qualitative research study examined the "lived experiences" of learning identity during work transitions among three women (ages 35 to 55) who were not previously married. The research question was how do particular mid-life women who engage in a work transition re-construct the meaning of (or make sense of) their identity? Primary research…

This study was designed to explore the experiences of Black women who attended predominantly White nursing schools. A phenomenological design was used to investigate eight nurses who persisted through to graduation from their nursing programs in the 21st century. The study examined persistence through the lens of academic involvement, alienation,…

Latinos are graduating from high school at very low rates and they have one of the lowest college-going and completion rates in this country. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) was born out of a need to help low-income minority students in the academic middle gain a challenging college-preparatory education and earn admission to…

Effective school leaders work to assist students and staff alike in feeling safe within the school environment. Educators need to feel safe in order to successfully carry out their professional responsibilities. Historically and presently, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) educators have felt unsafe in school settings, even though…

African-American students in K-12 education experience pervasive disparities in academic outcomes across all areas of the schooling experience. Though racial disparities in education have been widely acknowledged, research must move beyond critiques of individual and student factors to analyze the educational structures and practices that create…

There is a need to increase the number of baccalaureate prepared registered nurses to safely meet the complex healthcare needs of citizens of the United States. Since there is no research on the characteristics of registered nurse students persisting in baccalaureate education, this quantitative descriptive case study was designed to identify the…

The purpose of this mixed method, Case Study research was to explore the teacher's perceptions, efficacy, and belief systems. The researcher using a primary survey and a collection of secondary extant data endeavored to uncover the teachers' responses for efficacy, beliefs and perceptions of student achievement. The Effective Schools (Edmonds,…

Researchers have demonstrated that students who had a strong sense of school belonging exhibited greater academic motivation and performance (E. Anderman, 2002; Faircloth & Hamm, 2005), had fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties (Furrer & Skinner, 2003; McMahon, Singh, Garner, & Benhorin; 2004), and were less likely to dropout of…

Student retention is a topic at the forefront for all post secondary education institutions. Supporting students in their studies, providing the resources to empower them to complete their education is a critical component in the quality and success of colleges. It is also a fiscal concern for colleges. While first year programs abound, community…

The purpose of the study was to determine if the constructs of teaching presence and the sense of community function as predictors of perceived student learning in an online course. Each participating online student completed an online survey comprised of an informed consent, an item regarding their perception of learning (Richmond et al., 1987),…