While group work in undergraduate science education tends to have overall benefit, less is known about the specific peer-peer dynamics that optimize learning during group interaction. The current study used peer ratings and self-reported data from 436 students enrolled in team-based undergraduate science courses (biology or chemistry) to determine…

The purpose of this action research study was to investigate by using a PBL design if giving student more ownership in classroom cellphone policies has positive outcomes. This study looked at not only the behavioral aspect of classroom cellphone usage, but also the impacts of using a PBL design on student engagement, ownership, and knowledge…

The recent novel coronavirus pandemic led to global changes in higher education as universities transitioned to online learning to slow the spread of the virus. In the United States, this transition occurred during the spring of 2020, and the compulsory shift to online learning led to frustrations from students and instructors alike. I studied…

Online discussion board activities have traditionally been a primary method of providing student-to-student interaction, especially in asynchronous online classes. This study examines the impact of an alternate online discussion tool on student participation in online discussion assignments. Three identical discussion assignments were examined…

In this report, a comprehensive description is given of how an Austin Independent School District (AISD) 2nd-grade teacher, Mrs. Theresa Wood, integrated a drama-based Creative Teaching strategy into her guided reading lesson. This Creative Teaching strategy, called hot seating, involves students interviewing characters from the story they have…

Practitioners, researchers, and policymakers are interested in the potential of Career and Technical Education (CTE) to improve student outcomes by increasing students' affective engagement - their feelings of belonging at school and valuing what they are learning. Little research has studied the relationship between the breadth of participation…

In a study exploring how organizational identification impacted college retention and performance outcomes at a university in the United States, we found the mere act of taking the survey emerged as an unexpectedly strong result. Using propensity score matching, we found that those who took the voluntary survey during the first week of school were…

This study considers and evaluates the implementation of two strategies to improve student engagement with assessment -- the provision of exemplars in conjunction with rubrics, and student co-construction of rubrics -- as, respectively, a supplement and an alternative to teacher-designed rubrics. It follows our 2016 finding that teacher-designed…

This qualitative narrative research investigated successful cases of international students who actively verbally participate and speak up during academic or coursework discussions in the classrooms. More specifically, the aim of this narrative inquiry was to capture the lived and living experiences of English language learners (ELLs) navigating…

The purpose of this qualitative study rooted in the theory of planned behaviour (TpB) was to investigate South Korean physical education (PE) teachers' and female secondary school students' beliefs about girls' physical activity (PA) participation. Particular focus was given to the curricular and pedagogical factors influencing their engagement.…

TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) training programmes in Vietnam often emphasise the significant alignment of academic knowledge with practical classroom methods. However, an intricate yet underexplored topic is understanding the dynamic engagement of student teachers in those programmes to investigate the complexities of…

What will happen if students cannot go to school and can rely on online learning? This study aimed to examine whether students' basic learning needs could be met when teaching and learning can only be conducted through online mode. According to Ormrod (2011), the four basic learning needs are arousal, autonomy, relatedness and competence, which…

Music and the arts are of growing interest in promoting success in school and psychological development of young people in general. However, there are few studies focused on the relationship between music and, more specifically on school engagement of vulnerable students. Thus, this exploratory study aims to understand the perceived impact of…

Student engagement is a critical feature to the teaching and learning dynamic that takes place in the classroom. Technology is often used as a means for increasing student engagement, and Student Response Technology (SRT), where students use handheld clickers to respond during classroom instruction, is one form of technology used to do this. The…

This study examined relations between student engagement and drug use using data obtained from the statewide biennial California Healthy Kids Survey. Latent variable modeling with confirmatory factor analysis indicated four conceptually distinct and psychometrically sound factors capturing academic motivation, school connectedness, caring…