This instrumental mixed methods case study investigated Grades 3-5 classroom teachers' perceptions of teaching for creativity and the effects of a researcher-developed, one-day, online professional development creativity module intervention within a suburban school district in south-central Pennsylvania. Creativity has been identified as a…

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) did not allow elementary aged students to receive the vaccination for COVID-19 (which will be referred to as the pandemic) until the Spring of 2021. This created two environments: the face-to-face learning environment and the virtual learning environment. Teachers were thrown into a situation in which they had…

The utilization of technology in the elementary classroom is becoming increasingly vital in a global society. Teaching during the Coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on all educators. As a result of the crisis, instructors worldwide had to quickly adapt and shift to a new way of teaching both remotely and in person. Educators were asked…

This dissertation consists of three papers. In each paper, I leverage a different quantitative method to study a downstream effect of technology on educational outcomes. In the first paper, I study the impact of an online math learning program on 3rd through 5th grade math achievement in Louisiana. Employing Zearn Math usage metrics and…

The main problem faced by English teachers in the current English as a Second Language (ESL) writing classroom was a lack of strategies to support the process of teaching and learning writing that would help to enhance the content quality of pupils' writing performance. Additionally, primary pupils were found to face difficulties with getting…

Learners' foundational math skills obtained in the elementary grades profoundly impact their preparation for learning math in the upper grades. However, there is a deficiency in the foundational math skills necessary to be proficient in math and equivalent with their peers at grade level (Burton, 2018). In the elementary classrooms of kindergarten…

The purpose of this design-based research study was to provide a holistic perspective on the pedagogical and contextual factors of interactive mobile technology on English learners and investigate the theoretical potential of audio-video software interventions for second language acquisition. Specifically, the study explored current virtual…

During a time when students are accessing instruction virtually because of COVID-19, reflecting on the sixth of the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP 6) is a vital step for educators to take. Although the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (NGA Center and CCSSO 2010) identifies SMP 6 as Attend to precision, associated expertise…

This paper describes the development of the BE COOL! learning environment that gives all children, gifted and non-gifted, the opportunity to learn at a level matching their specific needs and abilities within the social context of regular education. BE COOL! uses the ability-adjusted jigsaw method, in which children of varying ability levels work…

The COVID-19 pandemic began in the late months of 2019, and by the spring of 2020, to limit transmission of the virus, schools across the globe closed and transitioned to emergency online teaching. While the move to online teaching and learning was inevitable, many learners, especially in rural and remote areas, found that online schooling had…

Math underachievement is of grave concern with 42% of 4th grade and 36% of 8th grade students achieving at a proficient or advanced level in mathematics, and schools are continually searching for interventions to implement with struggling students. The problem addressed in this study is recently an elementary school purchased access to…

This paper presents a methodological discussion of the potential and challenges of involving mobile eye tracking technology in studies of knowledge generation and learning in a science centre context. The methodological exploration is based on eye-tracking studies of audience interaction and knowledge generation in the technology-enhanced health…

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of the context-aware ubiquitous learning (u-learning) approach versus traditional instruction on students' ability to answer questions that required different cognitive skills, using the framework of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, including knowledge, comprehension, application,…

With the advancement of new technologies, this author has in 2010 started to engineer an online learning environment for investigating the nature and development of spatial abilities, and the teaching and learning of geometry. This paper documents how this new digital learning environment can afford the opportunity to integrate the learning about…

This paper reports an initial study on investigating inquiry-based learning in science in an upper primary class guided by an inquiry-based learning model in a seamless learning environment. Two questions are addressed: (1) how students advanced their domain knowledge?; and (2) how students developed their inquiry skills? One teacher and 27…