Student engagement is an important component in the classroom to enhance student outcomes. Student engagement helps a teacher not only with classroom management, but with the understanding of content by the student. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers' experiences of student-centered classrooms. Data were collected…

This study explores the impact of providing dedicated time and professional learning focused on cross-curricular lesson planning on teacher efficacy and pedagogy. Grounded in Bandura's theory of Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) and guided by Root-Bernstein and Root-Bernstein's concepts of interdisciplinary problem-solving, this research aimed to…

This dissertation examines the key challenges faced by collegiate aviation faculty members as they transitioned from in-person coursework to emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of semi-structured interviews profiled four collegiate aviation faculty members' experiences with the…

Student-centered teaching (SCT) has been the dominant education philosophy in the U.S. K-12 education. However, the definition and practice of SCT have been rooted in western education contexts. Since students in U.S. schools become more and more diverse, it remains unclear how SCT works for diverse learners. This research delved into the…

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs within the life and physical sciences will grow by 8% between 2020 and 2030; therefore, it is imperative that students receive an engaging, rigorous, and comprehensive science education. Many urban and minority students have been denied this opportunity as evidenced by their poor performance on…

This paper explores the intersection of U.S. graduate music student experiences and mental health. A literature review discussing nineteenth-century mechanist piano pedagogy practices, Carl Seashore's Measures of Musical Talent, the impact of neoliberal capitalism on students, and an overview of current U.S. studies on university music student…

Knowledge development, application, and refinement are essential parts of students' reading. One way to observe how students use their knowledge as they read is through talk. Studies routinely indicate that though reading is a social endeavor, teachers spend most of the allotted instructional time talking or using discourse patterns that do not…

Instructional strategies are essential to reform initiatives in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The problem was higher education instructors in STEM disciplines continue to use siloed and teacher-centered strategies in courses even though integrated and student-centered approaches are more effective in engaging…

This dissertation is a two-part study comparing U.S. and Chinese teachers' beliefs and noticing patterns. The overarching question for this study is: "How does culture influence what mathematics teachers believe and notice?" This project seeks to investigate this central assumption: there are distinctly "Western" and "East…

While evidence suggests PBL teachers' roles support higher student learning outcomes, there was a general lack of data that explores how PBL teachers describe their roles in teaching (Kaplan & Garner, 2017; Leng et al., 2018). The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how high school teachers, who used project-based…

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine how, and to what degree learning methods (student-centered or instructor-centered) and gender independently or interactively made a difference in adult student achievement. The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Third Edition (WIAT-III) was utilized to measure…

Education, a system that has remained largely unchanged for over 150 years, is facing a critical juncture. The traditional way of teaching, often referred to as the "grammar of schooling," is widely seen as outdated and ineffective in meeting the diverse needs of today's students. Educators and policymakers have a growing consensus that…

This qualitative multiple case study explored Saudi World Language English instructional approaches from a Positioning Theory perspective, focusing on empowering learner agency in tertiary-level education in Saudi Arabia. Using a combination of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, researcher journals, and analysis of classroom…

The nationwide decline in mathematics achievement has prompted curriculum leaders to search for a research-based framework with proven results. Implementing John Hattie's Visible Learning practices in a school district in upstate South Carolina significantly improved overall mastery of mathematics. This approach empowered teachers and students,…

Discussion is a vital component of the scientific process and dialogic learning opportunities support student learning gains and scientific epistemic learning. Discussions can improve connections between concepts and support student engagement which can increase retention in STEM programs. It has also been reported that a correlation exists…