At-risk behaviours, including substance abuse, suicidal ideation and delinquency, are prevalent amongst teenage youth in high-school settings. Focusing on the academic and emotional needs of their students encourages teachers to have thoughtful interactions and be continually aware of the problems of their students. Evidence-based interventions,…

The current study explored Mozambican adolescents' perspectives of the process of academic procrastination, focusing on three key aspects: Type of tasks where youth usually procrastinate, antecedents, and the perceived consequences. Twenty-four adolescents from a pool of 300 (11th and 12th graders) reported high levels of procrastination and were…

Contemporary global economic contexts are shaped by a neo-liberal paradigm of hyper-individualism and meritocracy strongly influencing national policies in education and welfare. As social safety nets diminish, citizens are expected to be more personally accountable. This creates challenges for the poor and marginalised who are positionally…

This study uses a mixed method sequential exploratory design to examine motivational and contextual influences on boys' and girls' engagement in math and science, paying particular attention to similarities and differences in the patterns by gender. First, interviews were conducted with 38 middle and high school students who varied in their level…

According to the United States Department of Education, approximately 1.2 million students drop out of high school every year, and of those public high school students who enter college, nearly half require remedial courses, and fewer than half ever graduate college. There have been multiple research studies conducted on the importance of student…

Onwuegbuzie and colleagues proposed the Instrument Development and Construct Validation (IDCV) process as a mixed methods framework for creating and validating measures. Examples applying IDCV are lacking. We provide an illustrative case integrating the Rasch model and cognitive interviews applied to the development of the Transformative…

This article illustrates how critical multimodal literacy practices engage secondary students to further explore differences and similarities between past and present instances of discrimination within a process drama, where students and teachers explore a topic through unscripted role-play. Data from a classroom-based ethnography are drawn on to…

Twice-exceptional students are characterized by the almost paradoxical combination of giftedness accompanied by learning difficulties that hinder their ability to reach their potential in a traditional academic setting. This qualitative study examined the experiences of three twice-exceptional students during transfer to a New Zealand high school.…

The purpose of the study was to explore how a group of at-risk youth in a South Florida alternative high school experienced a freehand visual arts drawing lesson as a learning portal to the teaching of the basic principles of geometry. These young people were completely devoid of interest in and failed to understand basic geometrical concepts.…

Efforts to identify K-12 online instructional best practices and standards have been limited because they largely ignored students' voice--the primary stakeholder in any educational context. In this case study, we conducted 20 interviews among 10 students enrolled in a cyber charter high school. Qualitative analysis of interviews found that…

This study draws on Martha Nussbaum's (2000) account of the nature of human well-being in order to explore the role of animals in formal education settings. Nussbaum's capabilities approach identifies the ability "to have concern for and live with other animals, plants and the environment" (p. 80) as a necessary component for well-being.…

This paper reports on research undertaken in a middle-class Australian school. The focus of the research was on the relationship between gender and students' engagement with high school chemistry. Achievement data from many OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] countries suggest that middle-class girls are achieving equally…

This study examines how school structures and policies shape school culture to ultimately influence student success in one urban high school. We develop a model that explains how caring and personalized connections between students and teachers, coupled with a focus on academic press and support, interact with teacher efficacy to influence student…

The mathematics classroom learning environment is often evaluated using numeric scores collected on standardized assessments. Research examining mathematics classroom environments and teacher practices has focused on ways to improve scores on these assessments. In contrast, this study centered on exploring teacher perspectives on creating…

The use of blended learning is fast becoming a practice used in public schools to address 21st century learning challenges. However, despite the growing use of instructional delivery models that blend online learning platforms with traditional instruction in brick and mortar classrooms, little is known about teachers' experiences with the…