The aim of this qualitative action research study was to explore what happens when first-generation college students engage with Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) as a form of humanizing research experience that can serve as an alternative to traditional research experiences for first-generation college students. It also investigated…

This research study explored the development of a teacher-researcher identity and investigated the pedagogy of two teachers who completed an action research course. I sought to investigate the development of a teacher-researcher identity in connection to the utilization of critical responsiveness in order to address the stifling of teacher agency…

Background: The Dogwood Mountain School System (DMSS) faces the challenge of trying to address the apparent drop-off of female student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and increase female student interest and engagement in STEM. Purpose: The purpose of this action research study was to understand how individual…

The present dissertation in practice (DiP) proposal delineates an action research study designed to evaluate the use of problem-based learning (PBL) in an eighth-grade earth science class to assess the impact of PBL on student achievement. I have observed that students often struggle with developing an understanding of how the motions of the sun,…

Laws such as the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (NCLB) and the "Every Student Succeeds Act" have shaped the landscape of education in many ways, including how professional development is structured. As a result, professional development has become increasingly limited to "training" teachers to carry out top-down…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the social and cultural instructional process on independent reading. In addition, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the administrator-teacher relationship on educational practices in a lab site classroom. Using an action research design, data was collected through…

Our current education system depends exclusively on standardization, accountability, and test scores, which often limits the learning within the classroom. This type of curriculum does not include children as contributors, their lived cultural experiences, or their voices and cultural diversity. The intent of this dissertation was to connect…

The public education system in the U.S. has been under assault with the latest neoliberal education reforms. Those reforms are characterized by their antidemocratic and homogenizing assessment system, which reinforces a banking model of education. Such model goes against teachers and teaching, linguistic and cultural diversity and bilingual…

This study used action research to help improve technology use in teachers' classrooms through the use of information gained from research of technology use in the classroom. The teachers were asked to be responsible for development and implementation of their own learning through the use of personal professional development. Throughout the study…

The Appalachian Land Ownership Study was a participatory action research project in one of our nation's poorest regions suffering from absenteeism, poverty, powerlessness, and improper taxation. In discovering who owned the region's land, the participants sought to organize against the social, economic and environmental injustices imposed on the…

Professional development is best when embedded in one's practice and linked directly to the classroom. Opportunities for teachers to identify specific areas of concern in their classroom and problem solve solutions via action research promotes a culture of inquiry. This culture of inquiry is enhanced when teams of teachers collaborate and share…

Writing is an essential tool for creating meaningful communication and as such it must be taught beginning in elementary school. Although in the past 100 years writing has become more common in our everyday lives, methods of teaching writing and teacher education have not kept pace with changes (National Commission on Writing, 2003). As a result,…

I conducted a two-year case study of a cohort of two middle school mainstream teachers, one a mathematics and science teacher and the other a language arts teacher, and one elementary teacher involved in the LSciMAct ("Transforming Literacy, Math and Science Through Participatory Action Research") professional development project. The…

In a world of complex problems, where public funding is decreasing and demand for public services is increasing, public entities are turning to collaborative networks to find solutions. This dissertation explores the development of one such network in Collin County, Texas. The researcher presents a case study describing and analyzing the…

Our nation's public schools have been given the task of preparing our students for success in college as well as future careers. Determining how to best prepare future teachers is not an easy task, and the current state of public education has had an impact on what it takes to be a successful teacher. Involving pre-service career and…