The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology has implemented reforms in Japan to promote language education through technology. Blended language learning is a way to fulfill the mandate set in these reforms. Combining the benefits of online and face-to-face learning leads to increased engagement in the target language.…

Federal and state mandates requiring accountability for the achievement of all students--including those with disabilities--coupled with tight budgetary restraints has led to the steady rise in the employment of paraprofessionals in P-12 educational settings. The emergence of the paraprofessional system has led to several challenges. While several…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to follow 1 principal's journey to assist the district in its reconfiguration goals, and help the school change through deep examination of district personnel's and parents' perceptions of the change process. This was done by acknowledging distinctions and differences between junior…

The purpose of this research study was to explore the effects of metacognitive strategies on academic achievement, metacognitive awareness, and satisfaction in an undergraduate online education course. It was hypothesized that the use of metacognitive strategies would improve the students' academic achievement, metacognitive awareness, and…

At San Joaquin Valley College, a culture of cultivating student learning through assessment was created in response to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges-Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges requirements for Fall 2012. In General Education, promoting and developing this culture has been more difficult with faculty…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the lived experiences of primary classroom teachers participating in collaborative data-driven decision making. Hermeneutic phenomenology served as the theoretical framework. Data were collected by conducting interviews with thirteen classroom teachers who taught in grades kindergarten through…

There is extant literature regarding teacher professional development; however, there is limited research in the area of "high-quality" teacher professional development practices which are advocated for at the government and district levels based on Learning Forward's (formerly National Staff Development Council--NSDC) guidelines…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of the picture plus discussion (PPD) intervention on the comprehension abilities of high school students with moderate intellectual disability when read a variety of expository texts aloud. A multiple probe single subject design was employed to measure the effect of the intervention across three…

The purpose of this study is to identify the critical events and support systems that have contributed to the attainment of an academic doctorate by Hispanics and to discern the similarities that existed in their parental educational level, socioeconomic status, and cultural background. The study will furthermore seek to identify major obstacles…

Personal Health Records (PHRs) allow patients to access and in some cases manage their own health records. Their potential benefits include access to health information, enhanced asynchronous communication between patients and clinicians, and convenience of online appointment scheduling and prescription refills. Potential barriers to PHR use…

The reading achievement of African American males might be impacted by a host of variables. This study was undertaken to determine if there was a difference in the culturally responsive characteristics present in the learning environment of a middle school and the reading achievement of middle school African American males. The purpose of this…

Underachieving gifted students, described by Gowan (1955) as "one of the greatest social wastes in our culture," are a challenge to educational stakeholders and a loss to society. Gifted children, who are often identified at an early age, possess unique talents and abilities that set them apart from their peers. Young gifted children are…

In a large, urban, high school district, secondary English-learning students are not achieving at the same rates as other identified subgroups on state and local standardized tests. This gap compounds economic and social inequities in the region. A solution to the problem is important to educators and policy makers in providing an equitable…

At one high school, the goal for nonproficient reading students was to score at or above the 50th percentile to meet adequate yearly progress objectives. In 2010, the performance levels of nonproficient reading students tested with the state reading test in Grades 9 and 10 declined from the 47th to the 46th percentile. The purpose of this research…

This qualitative study explored community college student development during a study abroad program. The main research question was: How do community college students perceive the impact of participation in a study abroad program on their personal development? In addition, there were seven follow-up questions generated to understand students'…