By employing qualitative methods, this study sought to determine the perceptions three fifth grade science teachers held about using the arts to complement science teaching in an economically distressed county in rural Appalachia and the perceived roles the arts and sciences play in the lives of those living in rural Appalachia. Each case was…

Higher education is becoming increasingly internationalized, and a significant aspect of the internationalization of higher education is student mobility. A relatively new feature in international student mobility is the offer of English taught programs. Wachter and Maiworm (2008) define English taught programs as "programmes taught in English in…

Despite decades of research on what learning actions are associated with effective learners (Palincsar and Brown, 1984; Atkinson, et al., 2000), the literature has not fully addressed how to cue those actions (particularly within the realm of physics). Recent reforms that integrate incorrect solutions suggest a possible avenue to reach those…

The dissertation presents a theory of semantics and pragmatics for both language and vision. I focus on sentences including proper names, descriptions, and attitude report verbs, and on the Necker cube. I propose the Open Instruction Theory (OIT), according to which the linguistic meaning of a sentence and the semantic contribution of visual…

The purpose of this thesis is to improve our understanding of sensemaking process as a basis for building better systems to assist sensemaking. Sensemaking is the task of creating an understanding of a problem or task so that further actions may be taken in an informed manner. Sensemaking is a pre-requisite for many other tasks such as decision…

A traditional learning methodology known as self-directed learning (SDL) is used in this study as a foundation to design a learning management system that can help college students improve their abilities to self-manage and monitor their overall learning activities and performances. Such capabilities have been shown in past research as being…

Previous research suggests that self-regulation interventions are effective in improving students' self-regulatory skill and school performance in a wide variety of educational domains. Inspired by social cognitive theory (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1997) and goal setting theory (Locke & Latham, 1990), I designed, implemented, and examined the beneficial…

Gender inequality in engineering persists in spite of women reaching parity in college enrollments and degrees granted. To date, no analyses of educational sex segregation have comprehensively examined segregation within one discipline. To move beyond traditional methods of studying the long-standing stratification by field of study in higher…

Community colleges are an integral part of the American higher education system, providing open access to postsecondary education to all who have the ability to benefit. These institutions, however, often suffer from negative perceptions regarding their effectiveness and quality of instruction. Community colleges can address these perceptions by…

African American women are at the center of the discussion on health disparities, specifically disparities regarding HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Though there has been substantial research examining sexual risk behavior among low income African American women, little has been done to understand sexual behavior…

Research suggests that the inability to complete high school graduation requirements can result in barriers that are detrimental to the success of individuals, stability of families, and the overall progress of the state and nation. The Graduation Coach Initiative was employed as a strategy for addressing chronically low graduation rates in…

Most existing homeschool research focuses on one of two concerns: the efficacy of home education and the socialization of the homeschooled student. The purpose of this study was to examine how the beliefs, values, and worldviews of homeschooled students were affected by their experiences at the post-secondary level, specifically in the…

The main purpose of the study was to investigate how individuals with a stated interest in American history described their interest. Understanding interest and the factors influencing interest development in a particular content is important as personal interest has been described as "having a critical role in the learning and development of both…

The transition to college is considered to be a stressful time. Nearly all first year students experience loneliness, but many also experience stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts (Compas, Wagner, Slavia, & Vannatta, 1986; Nicpon, Huser, Blanks, Sollenberger, Befort, & Robinson Kurpius, 2006-2007;…

The purpose of this study was to identify leadership skills desired in effective principals as valued by public school superintendents. The population of this study was superintendents in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York (N=121). The study employed quantitative data analysis procedures. Superintendents were asked to respond to 30 items on…