Culturally responsive student-teacher relationships are critical to the academic success and social-emotional learning (SEL) outcomes of students of color and/or students from low-income backgrounds. Yet, little is known about how students' perceptions of their schools' culturally responsive environment are related to the quality of…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds that chose to pursue a career in STEM at STEM High School. For the purposes of this study, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds were generally defined as students that qualify for the free and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of student perceptions of the classroom motivational climate on engagement and academic achievement in secondary STEM courses. Additionally, the mediating effect of students' ease of the course perceptions on the relationship between engagement and academic achievement was assessed. By better…

This essay aims to advance the debate on the conceptualization of interdisciplinarity in mathematics education by presenting the idea of the border as a dynamic semiotic cross-cultural space. We refer to three theories, that originate in different research fields and use specific languages: De Luca Picione and Valsiner's idea of the border as a…

Motivation to learn is a necessary factor to benefit education. However, only some students are motivated to learn. Some students are extrinsically motivated through physical rewards or prizes, which are temporary. Other students are intrinsically motivated through different factors such as curiosity, recognition, competence, and relatedness,…

This dissertation investigates the complex phenomenon of high school dropouts and the social factors that contributed to them making that decision. The research included interviewing six high school dropouts, whose ages ranged from 35-45, all of whom were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Each interview was conducted in…

Local volunteer opportunities hold the potential for university students to develop as leaders and engaged members of the academic community, but students taking prescribed (sometimes termed developmental education) courses may be overlooked as candidates for these kinds of opportunities. Taking an anti-deficit stance, university faculty may…

This study aimed to test three homework models defined in different cultures on Turkish high school students. HLM analyses were conducted on data collected from 1,229 high school students, considering 19 student-level and 7 grade-level variables. The dependent variables of the study were academic achievement and homework completion. The findings…

This study aims to explore motivation factors that contribute to learning among young adult learners in selected schools in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia. Four focus group discussions had been conducted to collect the data via a semi-structured interview. The selection of participants in the interview was based on learners who experienced the…

As online learning and teaching are becoming an educational trend, online students' engagement will directly impact the learning and teaching effects and outcomes. A scientific application of gamification in online learning, teaching, and online course design will improve online learners' learning experience and help build a better virtual…

The purpose of this case study was to examine how a high school's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program affects student development of their personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment by fusing the perspectives of the school administrators, JROTC instructors, and school guidance counselors for a more holistic view. The…

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the role of emotional and motivational intelligence in educational settings. Studies have shown that these factors can significantly impact students' academic performance. However, little attention has been given to the influence of emotional and motivational intelligence on writing…

K-12 schools in Ohio are partially evaluated on their ability to successfully graduate students with their four-year cohort. Educators have been tasked with improving graduation rates. This study examined one urban high school to understand and provide insights to increase its graduation rate. This school recently received a poor score from the…

Hope is a malleable cognitive-motivational skill that helps students identify personal goals and construct routes to achieve them. Hope is sustained through engaging contexts and supportive relationships. We examined cognitive school engagement, teacher support, and peer support during high school (297 students; 9th-11th grade; 45% female; 52%…

The present study advances a model of critical civic motivation grounded in expectancy-value theory and highlights diverse manifestations of motivation among marginalized adolescents. The participants were 447 high school youth (85.0% Latinx; 62.9% low-income). Two complementary methodological approaches were employed to examine civic motivation,…