This mixed methods study investigates the effect of cultural and sociolinguistic textures of talk on authentic discussion patterns and whether reading comprehension and inferencing are affected in an online booktalk environment with adolescents. The research will also investigate the contextual features of the classroom community to be studied to…

A lack of horizontal and vertical alignment of the English language arts (ELA) curriculum exists at Lakeside High School (LHS) (pseudonym). This problem was revealed by the diverse interpretations of the ELA state standards by teachers, driven by the wide-range of teachers' beliefs about ELA instruction. Failure to establish an effective culture…

This qualitative study analyzes the effects that RENEW, a person-centered goal planning model, has on students with disabilities that are in an alternative school setting. Students in sixth through twelfth grade participated in this study to determine if RENEW can affect students' awareness of post-secondary options and assist with post-high…

The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of gender and ELL Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in a teacher-created mathematics benchmark test in one public charter school district in Northeast Georgia. DIF occurs when an item behaves differently in different subgroups, rather than measuring a test taker's true ability. The geometry…

The purpose of this mixed methods case study was threefold: (a) to describe 7th through 12th grade science teachers' efficacy beliefs, perceptions of support, and concerns about using inquiry-based instruction and examine how they are related to one another, (b) to explore how teachers reporting different levels of concerns demonstrate levels of…

The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers are currently providing screencast video feedback for students as a means of formative assessment while they develop digital content. If this approach was already in place, the benefits of the practice were explored to support existing research on the method. If they did not use the…

The demographics of the U.S. are changing. By 2050, projections suggest that non-Hispanic Whites will no longer make up the majority of the population, and students of color should outnumber White students in schools by 2025. It is thus timely and necessary to examine youth's ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development--the meaning individuals…

Many students struggle with decoding and implementing feedback given to them on writing assignments. Researchers and instructors have used various technologies and strategies to improve students' uptake of feedback given on written assignments, one of which is a form of video feedback called screencasting. Research has been conducted on students'…

Many researchers have argued that proving is essential to doing and knowing mathematics because it is the basis of mathematical understanding (Cirillo & Herbst, 2012; Hanna & Jahnke, 1996). However, research studies conducted on students' performance with constructing proofs has found that the majority of high school geometry students are…

This quantitative research project identifies if a performance gap exists between student performance and student expected performance on the last two administrations of the FCAT 2.0 in Reading and the first two administrations of the FSA ELA for 9th and 10th grade students using descriptive statistics to identify the mean and distribution of the…

This narrative qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of using Twitter as an effective professional learning tool for public school secondary-level teachers in Missouri. In addition, the researcher sought to find the perceptions of teachers who used Twitter for professional use, what they found to be valuable in developing a…

In this study I explore the construction of algebraic structure sense through engaging students in task sequences designed to elicit the development of competencies related to this understanding. The primary task-design principle employed in this study is strategic variation, in which certain components of items within task sequences vary while…

In recent years, technology integration and innovation have been an intriguing topic that educators discuss frequently when trying to make connections between student engagement and student learning. Many institutions have begun incorporating their own Bring Your Own Device programs, which allow students to utilize their personal mobile technology…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the motivation and amotivation to read of 9th-12th grade adolescents in a large semi-urban high school in southwestern North Carolina. The principal theory guiding this study is Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991, 1994, 2000) as it explicates three universal human needs…

With a steady increase of virtual learning courses taught throughout K-12 education, limited empirical research exists to allow educational leaders and policy makers the ability to accurately identify student demographic characteristics that correlate to the acquisition of virtual course credit (Barbour, 2009). The purpose of this quantitative…