This applied dissertation was designed to determine if cooperative learning strategies increased student engagement in a virtual elementary classroom. The purposes of this study were (a) to determine whether the implementation of cooperative learning strategies increased student engagement and (b) to explore student perceptions of engagement. In…

Student success is closely related to student engagement and literacy instruction, which can positively or negatively impact a student. It has been documented that children motivated to read have a strong sense of reading efficacy and academic competence (Wigfield et al., 2015). This research study addressed the skills needed by literacy…

Teachers are responsible for providing opportunities to use learning strategies in the classroom. The students' engagement shows an observable reflection of the educator's teaching practice. This qualitative case study highlights teachers' perceptions of student engagement in the urban elementary classroom. The research questions asked about…

Boredom in the classroom setting is slowly becoming an epidemic in education, particularly within elementary grade levels (Nett et al., 2010). Most teachers understand that not all students learn the same way and that the same teaching style does not work for all students. When boredom is experienced, students may react very differently--some…

The goal of glocalization in education is to enhance learning outcomes by fusing local and global concepts. Glocalization emphasizes the importance of the global perspective while also acknowledging the differences within contexts, calling for the utilization of local knowledge. The purpose of this record of study is to identify the level of…

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based careers have increased exponentially in the last couple of decades. However, STEM interests and career pursuits have declined, creating a divide. Experts have looked to STEM education to bridge the gap. This systematic literature review examines the influence of STEM on elementary student…

Interventions are common tools used by school psychologists for the benefit of students and teachers. Tootling is an intervention that combines the idea of tattling and "tooting your own horn," and promotes peer-monitoring of prosocial behaviors instead of antisocial or disruptive behaviors (Skinner, Cashwell, & Skinner, 2000). This…

Parental engagement in schools is critical to students' success. The problem is parents' lack of engagement in their children's educations may have devastating effects on students' academic and social development. Despite the availability of digital communication platforms and applications, students lack consistency in teacher and parent…

The study presents insight into the self-efficacy of students scoring below proficiency on their state-mandated assessments when participating in various teaching pedagogies. Self-efficacy is often lacking among students scoring below proficiency due to burnout or a lack of desire to excel from not engaging in academic success (Usher et al.,…

Technology is utilized in everyday life. As such, teachers can employ educational robots and technology to assist in growing skills in collaboration, communication, computational thinking, and problem-solving. Educational robots also appear to increase engagement and motivation in students to participate in lessons. This study employed…

School systems across America are faced with the challenge to engage all students in the academic learning process and increase academic achievement. More specifically, teachers often have difficulty engaging Black male students. Throughout the years, several studies have been conducted to examine factors influencing academic achievement. Using a…

This action research study explored the challenge of evoking wonder among fourth graders within one Catholic School, using an integrative STEM educational approach. Cognitive constructivism, social constructivism, and situated learning theory guided this qualitative case study. Twenty-one students learned about the Fibonacci sequence and Golden…

This dissertation investigates the issue of gender stratification within engineering and other STEM-related fields. The dissertation is divided into three articles that address different aspects of the problem and propose potential solutions. Article 1 explores the persistent gender imbalance within STEM fields, particularly in engineering and…

This study tests the effects of performing daily kind acts over a 4-week period on upper elementary students' subjective well-being (happiness) and academic engagement. It also tests the correlation between increases in both measures. Upper elementary students often experience a decrease in academic engagement due to increased difficulty and…

There has been an increase in the mental health concerns of students of all ages over the past several years. Specifically, since COVID-19, the social and emotional needs of students at the elementary school level have become drastically more evident. This qualitative action research study aimed to understand teachers' implementation of Morning…