Background: This case study examined the consequences of a literacy initiative designed to improve writing instruction for a high school under pressure to increase standardised test scores or face government oversight. Realities of underperforming schools, such as interruptions to instructional time, a focus on formulaic essay writing and…

Simulations, which are very powerful educational tools on their own, enable concretization of abstract concepts and help students research the variables related to the subject matter of the simulation. Simulations provide powerful modelling environments that include the interaction processes of physics concepts, bring active participation of…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has put many schools under a lot of pressure to meet its high demands. In this quantitative study, the effects that the NCLB act has had on students' opportunity to learn (OTL) and Subject Level Success (SS) from 2004 to 2012 in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade math coursework (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and…

We present an example of a novel, model-based approach to instruction in which learners constructed a representation of a specific phenomenon, evaluated their representation, and then revised it, via an abstraction process, to construct a model. The example took place in high school in the context of solution chemistry. The aim of the instruction…

This research study assesses the levels of attitude and motivation that tenth-grade students manifest during English Language classroom activities. The study follows the Self Determination Theory to analyze these students' levels of attitude and motivation in the classroom activities proposed by an English Language teacher at a public school in…

Utilizing facial recognition technology, the current study has attempted to predict the likelihood of student conceptual change with decision tree models based on the facial micro-expression states (FMES) students exhibited when they experience conceptual conflict. While conceptual change through conceptual conflicts in science education is a…

Background: To identify contextually-relevant strategies for reducing and eventually eliminating addiction, it is imperative to engage stakeholders that are most affected by drug abuse but typically left out of the conversation, such as adolescents. Aim: The aim of this study was to collaborate with 45 adolescent stakeholders participating in a…

A concern with formal and epistemological access to schools can neglect the importance of access to the informal school and the friendships and sense of belonging that this implies. Despite the challenges of "voice" research, listening to what young people have to say about their experiences of, and attitudes towards social inclusion and…

There are growing concerns over young people's mental health, the academic pressures they face, and the association between school-related stress and health. Given this, alongside the known benefits of physical activity for psychological health, the need for school-based interventions with a physical activity focus seems justified. This paper…

When writing instructors use form (essay form) based upon state testing standards on the state rubric to guide students in writing, they may be teaching form to limit higher level thinking content (Albertson, 2004). Instructors may not feel confident enough in their teaching of writing for high-stakes' testing; therefore, they may instruct…

US majority (European-American) and minority (African-American, Latin-American, Asian-American) children were interviewed regarding race-based and non-race based reasons for exclusion in interracial peer contexts (N = 685), evenly divided by gender at 9, 12, and 15 years of age (4th, 7th, and 10th grades) attending 13 US public schools. All…

The action research project report was created to remedy a lack of multicultural literature within the regular level sophomore English class and to assist regular level sophomore students' connection to their reading. The teacher-researcher also examined her students' own ethnic backgrounds, cultures, religions, economic status, gender, and/or…

In today's school systems, students of color, particularly in urban settings, represent the majority student populations (Lewis, Hancock, James, & Larke, in press). Interestingly, the educators--teachers and administrators--that comprise these settings are predominately White, and, in turn, the students of color commonly face pressures that…