This qualitative phenomenological design study explored the parental role in special education advocacy and support of early childhood learning needs of pre-K to 2nd grade elementary students receiving special education services, based on parental perceptions of whether they have adequate know-how and resources to advocate and support the early…

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand how elementary students perceived their learning and engagement in a remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five students elected to join the study with parental permission, ranging in grades 3rd-5th. Interviews were conducted on Zoom with the students as well as their…

The strategies employed by adult online graduate learners to balance multiple role stressors are the focus of this study. A basic qualitative research design was chosen because it allowed the research to explore the experiences of participants; its key characteristics include being rooted in social sciences, defining a process or phenomenon,…

Home is a vital setting for children learning in the context of everyday routines of family life. As technological developments create new opportunities for children to make use of domestic spaces and materials, families must reconfigure their homes, learning, and busy schedules. This dissertation examines ethnographically how families are…

This research examined if or to what extent there was a relationship between maternal home-based involvement, based on the Family Involvement Questionnaire-Elementary from a mother's perspective, and fifth and sixth-grade students' reading and mathematical achievement scores as measured by STAR reading and math in the state of California. The…

The problem addressed was that academic achievement gaps existed for low socioeconomic status (SES) family special education students among special education students in United States schools. This problem was important because it negatively affected equity in education as low SES community special education students lagged behind more affluent…

Robots have shown great promise in being effective tutors for both children and adults. For instance, they have been shown to be successful in math tutoring for children, interruptions training for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and assisting the elderly while exercising. Yet, despite the great potential of tutoring robots, most studies…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover effective parental styles that have led to successful outcomes for community college Black males, a population that has historically fared badly and whose plight has shown limited academic success. Despite pervasive negative perceptions in society and historical references, such as low college…

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the factors of resilience that educators could replicate to increase the number of socio-economically disadvantaged students that successfully complete high school and continue to become successful adults. An examination of the factors that socio-economically disadvantaged individuals attribute to…

The main goal of the present work was to introduce a new conceptual framework for quantifying and classifying the environment by imposing a structure for sequencing contextual influences that echoes the study of genes. According to Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model of Human Development (BMHD), children's developmental outcomes are the result of…

Over the past two decades, U.S. states have widely adopted early literacy policies. These policies have shown short-term success in enhancing K-3 literacy skills. However, the reasons behind their widespread adoption and the factors driving their success are poorly understood. This three-paper dissertation focuses on Michigan's Read by Grade Three…

Usage-based theories of language development underscore the importance of children using language to learn language. Few investigations have applied usage-based theories to dual language learners (DLLs), who comprise a growing share of children attending early education programs in the U.S. Three studies were carried out to investigate the role of…

The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore parents' perceptions of the use of mobile devices as tools for learning for their children in special education settings. Research literature on mobile-device use in special education indicates that little is known regarding parents' perception of mlearning. While studies provided…

The problem investigated in this study was decreasing annual reading proficiency among students in intermediate elementary grades (Grades 3-5). Deficiencies in reading proficiency can negatively impact overall student achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate intermediate elementary teachers' perceptions of their instructional…

Minority languages in diglossic situations with a majority language face the danger of eventual loss of vitality. The first sign of this is when child language acquisition begins to erode. This dissertation investigates the intergenerational transmission of the Isan language, spoken in the Northeastern region of Thailand. While the Isan community…