Innovative learning environments are increasingly built and implemented in schools, but are not necessarily being used according to designers' intentions. The goal of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of the innovative learning spaces they were charged with using and to determine if they were being used effectively and as designed. The…

Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) do not receive additional training on the physiological, emotional, mental, and physical effects of music on the body or how to improve and increase its use in occupational therapy (OT) practice. Additionally, the specific effects of the use of music within OT practice have not been fully explored. This…

The growing number of U.S. engineering jobs signifies a need for more students to pursue engineering degrees. To increase access to engineering education, in 2015, Texas A&M University established Engineering Academies (EA) in cooperation with selected community colleges. The problem addressed in this study was a lack of knowledge about why…

Children, including those who are deaf, become aware of and learn about their environments through playing and social and cultural interactions. For most deaf children, preschool classrooms are optimal spaces for these interactions to occur, but only if they can fully engage with this environment. We discuss the need for and constituent aspects of…

In this report, drawing on the spring 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey, the authors examine teachers' awareness of and responses to limitations on how they can address race- or gender-related topics in their instruction. Teachers experienced limitations that infringed on their instructional autonomy, which included their choice of…

Although an open classroom climate for discussion has been demonstrated to benefit students' civic outcomes, individual differences in its effectiveness have not been fully investigated. In this study, we hypothesized that the positive effects of an open classroom climate for discussion would be moderated by positive teacher-student relationships.…

The main purpose in the study was to determine the knowledge and needs of pre-school teachers related to gifted children and the enrichment model. The study employs one of the qualitative research methods. The study group of the current research is comprised of 30 pre-school teachers selected by using the snowball sampling method from different…

This study examined teachers' current knowledge on trauma and trauma-informed practices. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to identify whether teachers and staff within the school setting feel confident in being able to work with immigrant and refugee children and whether teachers would benefit from having training on trauma and…

This research explored the experiences of primary school principals in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) regarding the implementation of positive discipline in their schools. The primary focus of the study was to understand how principals experienced the process of implementing positive discipline. Data were collected from interviews with a…

How does STEM knowledge learned in school change students' brains? Using fMRI, we presented photographs of real-world structures to engineering students with classroom-based knowledge and hands-on lab experience, examining how their brain activity differentiated them from their "novice" peers not pursuing engineering degrees. A…

Relationships between students and teachers are a critical protective factor for all students, especially for Black, Indigenous, and youth of color (BIYOC). Critical racial consciousness is the ability to recognize and resist racism. This study explores how teacher critical racial consciousness contributes to shaping learning environments, how…

A teacher cannot teach what they do not know. Previous studies have demonstrated that increasing teachers' content knowledge (common content knowledge [CCK] and specialized content knowledge [SCK]) enhances teachers' teaching effectiveness, which in turn results in better student learning. In the limited curricular space available in physical…

This paper brings together two studies, conducted independently in two different countries, Turkey and Australia, both focusing on supporting early years teachers to research and strengthen their own practice in relation to play-based pedagogies. It reports on the professional learning programmes that were implemented to improve understanding…

Self-advocacy is linked to the success and retention of students with disabilities in college. Self-advocacy is defined as communicating individual wants, needs, and rights to determine and pursue required accommodations. While self-advocacy is linked to academic success, little is known about how students with disabilities in science, technology,…

The formation of chemistry identities among students is closely linked to the norms and practices prevalent in their chemistry learning environments. However, these norms may not be equally accessible or aligned with formal assessment criteria, leading to disparities for students in cultivating a positive chemistry identity. This study…