The purpose of this Action Research Study was to examine the lived experiences of interim administrators at a private university in New York and determine how they made sense of unexpected appointments resulting from crisis scenarios including those caused by leadership departures and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key to the investigation…

Professional development is ubiquitous in education, with over 90% of teachers engaging in professional development activities, yet often with limited perceived impact on their practice. This dissertation situates itself at the critical juncture of professional development quality and teacher self-efficacy, investigating the transformative…

With social-emotional learning's (SEL) significant impact on academic, emotional, behavioral, social, and lifelong success, it is necessary to ensure its continued adoption, implementation, and effectiveness within schools. While SEL is at its highest levels of awareness and implementation, it still faces significant barriers to effectiveness.…

Professional standards of practice for Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) urge them to enhance institutional functions while leveraging education to build institutional capacity, but CDOs experience varying outcomes in their work. The current literature is limited with respect to how CDOs facilitate diversity learning and development experiences for…

This dissertation explored the experiences of 16 undergraduate students across four cohorts who chose to begin college by participating in a first-year experience program abroad in London, England. Through the use of individual interviews and participant observation, this study sought to understand what influenced students' decision making to…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research was to describe classroom management strategies inclusive teachers employed to create an environment that fosters students' learning and social development in inclusive classrooms. This study explored the experiences of inclusive educators in the classrooms, intending to gain perspective on how…

This basic interpretive study explored teacher and principal perceptions of reform and accountability and how these perceptions influenced leadership for school-based teacher development and learning. Complexity leadership theory served as the theoretical lens for the study and provided a holistic view of how reform and accountability served as…

Performance support solutions integrate steps, procedures, information, and advice and make them available to learners at the moment of need in the flow of their day-to-day work. These types of solutions were introduced in the early 1990s but have not had significant traction in organizations despite many espoused benefits. This study examined…

Carefully constructed professional development supports learning. Integration of Universal Design for Learning and Social-Emotional Learning into professional development supports comprehension and encourages generalization. This study sought to understand educators' perceptions following a five-part webinar series on the connections between…

This phenomenological study explored how art museum educators and administrators in art museums in the Netherlands and Belgium perceive technology enhanced learning. The participants consisted of 14 museum educators. Interviews from this study were recorded and transcribed for further identification of themes within the data. A general conclusion…

The world of work is changing, and soft skills like critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and collaboration are essential for professional and personal success. With the increase in online enrollment, institutions can improve online learning to promote the development of soft skills. There has been a lack of articulated methods or…

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lessons learned by educational leaders and teachers in the social emotional development of K-12 students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Twelve K-12 leaders and teachers in varying in age and demographics participated in interviews, a focus group, and artifact…

The aim of this dissertation is to determine the professional readiness of instructional designers as they develop and implement online course elements that support student self-regulated learning development. The increasing popularity of online education amongst college students has created a rift between faculty and students. Faculty at this…

This Mixed-Method Action Research study aimed to implement an extended Project-Based Learning professional development series with middle school science teachers. The professional development series took place during the teachers' Communities of Practice, offering them high-quality support, active participation, and content-specific conversations.…

Although nature-based learning (NBL) contributes to the development of students, its inclusion in elementary schools is inconsistent. Researchers have established the benefits of nature to learning and child development, yet there is a gap in the literature on elementary administrators' perspectives of and experiences with NBL. The purpose of this…