Lack of access to books has a lasting effect on children. The home literacy environment of a child impacts their emergent literacy skills, and later the level of literacy with which the child enters kindergarten. Children from lower socio-economic environments are more likely to enter kindergarten behind their peers due to factors such as: less…

The first chapter analyzes how Premier League games in London impact demand for the city's bike-sharing system. Bike-sharing systems affect mode choice for within-city transportation. Using bike rental data from Transport for London, this chapter exploits the plausibly-exogenous timing of Premier League games to identify how proximity to stadiums…

This action research study explored crucial components of play-based learning through a researcher created survey and through an analysis of six elementary and six secondary teacher participant responses. The study also investigated maker education through analysis of a portion of survey results from fourteen university students through a study…

The Virtual Maker Workshop Series was designed to explore how participants' conceptions of learning might change through the course of a professional development experience in a makerspace. Grounded in research on teacher professional development and the use of makerspaces in education, the 15-hour workshop series engaged five multidisciplinary…

This qualitative research explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on makerspaces in the United States which were subject to public health guidelines and challenged with limited/no access to facilities. This multi-case study examined two public library makerspaces, and addressed these research questions: (1) How did the pandemic affect…

It was not known how rural teachers and principals describe the principal's influence on the school's knowledge sharing culture and teachers' willingness to exchange knowledge. Although no singular model of effective leadership or distinct set of organizational conditions and structures promote teacher knowledge sharing, common structures and…

As science teachers gain increasing access to resources through an ever-expanding resource system, the study of how science teachers decide which resources to use and how to use them becomes increasingly important and complex. When science teachers exercise agency to select and adapt resources in alignment with their context, teaching and learning…

This ethnographic study explores the ways that third grade children "story" in school through an expanded writers' workshop enhanced with making and filmmaking. This immersive maker literacies workshop will examine how children use a makerspace to imagine, create, play, and share their own "made" characters and create films to…

This study examines knowledge-sharing practices within a community of practice (CoP) through a case study of the Fresh Produce and Floral Council (FPFC). The study sought to investigate how the FPFC promoted agricultural knowledge and expertise, impacted its members' social relationships and knowledge-sharing practices, communicated clear roles…

Makerspaces are settings in which learning occurs through creating projects of personal interest with a range of technology. Through the exploration, inquiry, and teamwork inherent within making, learners strengthen their skills in creativity, collaboration, and perseverance. Certain groups have been marginalized and underrepresented in…

This study was an exploration of the connections between knowledge-sharing, organizational culture, and meeting organizational objectives with the purpose of exploring potential barriers that impede a knowledge-sharing culture and hinder the accomplishment of the mission, vision, and goals. The problem addressed was the lack of a knowledge-sharing…

Student veterans may encounter educational barriers that can impact transitions to college. This research focused on veteran transitions to college during onboarding. Onboarding is beneficial in a higher education setting and, when properly deployed, can help ease transitions. This study involved the development, implementation, and assessment of…

In 2014 the White House held a Maker Faire and began a new obsession for American public schools: makerspaces. This capstone begins with an in-depth discussion about the history of American makerspaces and discusses many of the predominant makerspace best practices and the groups that have researched them. The capstone seeks to create a…

The problem addressed in this qualitative case study was the ineffective use of book distribution program materials due to low self-efficacy of caregivers hinders the implementation of early literacy skills at home. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore caregivers' self-efficacy while implementing book distribution…

Over the past decade, makerspaces have increased in popularity all over the globe (Lou & Peek, 2016) and their addition continues to be a popular trend in the K-12 educational space. In the K-12 environment, the decision to implement a makerspace frequently consists of finding, repurposing, or building a suitable space, and outfitting it with…