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This research explores the relationship between the identity of an English department in a secondary school and the individual teachers within that unit, and the ways in which the departmental identity interacts with that of the individual identity. Although there is increasing pressure on all schools to perform within the competitive realm of league tables, schools' reactions to these pressures vary. It is these variances and their effects on the cultural identities of English teachers and departments which the research investigates through case studies of three schools in the south of England. These case studies offer differing perspectives drawn from teachers with varied experience as teachers of English. To facilitate an understanding of the process by which the departments interact with the individual identities, the qualitative data tools of semi-structured interviews, observations and documentary analysis were used. These tools provided data that illustrated both the department view and the individual view of identity. Data was thematically analysed, initially through inductive coding where commonalities emerged. These commonalities were then synthesised to form a coding framework which was applied to deductive coding of the same data and across the data of the departments in two other schools. Findings suggest English teachers are diverse in their understanding of the role of an English teacher and the purpose of English teaching. Secondly, the construction of an English teacher's identity is shaped by their past experiences, interactions with others and government and school wide policies and practices. The data indicated there are numerous external factors that influence the context in which teachers operate which can affect the individual's identity. Finally, the study intimated that the culture of an English department is affected by external influences. The ways the department managed these varied due to the internal cultures of cooperation and a shared vision on the one hand and the top down imposition on the other. In both cases the departments' responses impacted upon the identity of that individual.

Holocaust education has expanded in its purpose and status between 1987 and 2018, reflecting increasing practices and rituals of remembrance in Holocaust memory. Whilst changes in policy, museums, memorials, cultural productions and school textbooks have all been examined by Holocaust scholars, the practice of Holocaust education in classrooms has avoided scrutiny in memory studies and history of education despite becoming a primary place of memory transmission. This thesis considers the role of the secondary school history teacher, as a consumer, producer and mediator of Holocaust memories. It argues teachers do not simply present the 'official' textbook narrative of history to school pupils, but construct a historical memory based on their beliefs about the purpose of history education, the needs of society and the needs of their pupils. Their lessons and pedagogies are informed and challenged by the cultural memory of the Holocaust, memories of their own family histories of the Second World War, and also current affairs and politics. Accordingly, their mnemonic nexus articulates the dynamics of collective memory. Using oral semi-structured 'life history' interviews with history teachers, this thesis explores the mnemonic influences on individual teachers' understanding of the Holocaust in four localities across England and France. Combined with a review of professional teaching magazines and journals, and local newspapers, this thesis charts the trajectory of Holocaust education across Aix-en-Provence, Leeds/Bradford, Lincolnshire and Marseille. By doing so, it looks for moments when family memory enriched or subverted dominant narratives of the Holocaust, as well as the relationship between Holocaust education and other 'difficult histories' of genocide and empire. As teachers engage emotionally with the Holocaust, this thesis argues that teachers also aimed to produce emotion in classrooms as a tool to shape 'future citizens' and to develop local, national and European identities.

Central to the transitional justice agenda is a society's attempt "to come to terms with a legacy of largescale past abuses" (United Nations, 2004, emphasis added). While there has been extensive scholarship on how students learn history in post-conflict societies, there has been almost no attention given to how students learn about historical legacies. The scholarly silence on post-conflict legacies is reflected in history curricula. The South African history curriculum - a focus of this study - deals extensively with large-scale past abuses, but does not require students to reflect on whether these past abuses have lasting effects. This dissertation focuses on how young South Africans learn to construct legacies of historical injustices in the context of their history classrooms. It draws on nine months of ethnographic research in four Grade 9 history classrooms in Cape Town, each with a different racial composition. Every history class over three terms was observed, and teachers and students from each class were interviewed multiple times over the course of the year. The research makes several important contributions to the field of history education and transitional justice. The first contribution is the theoretical framing of historical legacies as social constructs which are shaped by and give meaning to the present. This challenges both transitional justice scholarship which portrays legacies as "self-evident" (Stoler, 2016), and history education research which considers "legacy thinking" as an historical thinking skill (Foster et al, 2008). The socio-cultural approach to legacy construction - which this study pioneers - opens up an exciting new intersection of study. By adopting an ethnographic methodology, this study contributes a new approach to researching how historical legacies are constructed and negotiated among young people in different classroom spaces. Wittenberg's (Wittenberg, 2015) conceptualization of "causal legacies" provides an important framework for the analysis of ethnographic data. The study pays particular attention to the factors that mediate the construction of historical legacies - such as racial identity - and how these shape the ways in which students learn to develop explanations for contemporary society, and their own "historical identity" (Rüsen, 2014, p. 68). Lastly, this dissertation contains detailed portraits of how historical legacies are negotiated, contested, and constructed in the Grade 9 South African history classroom. It suggests that there is great diversity in how apartheid legacies are constructed, even if the "historical facts" are largely consistent. Students in some classes, for example, learn about the horrors of apartheid, but also learn that those past abuses have no influence on their lives or contemporary society. These data furthermore demonstrate that history classrooms can have a strong influence on how students construct legacies. By exploring the contradictory ways in which students learn to construct apartheid legacies, we are in a stronger position to understand why transitional justice in South Africa continues to be so divisive.

Wellbeing is a popular term in education policy and practice in the Western world. In contrast the term is almost nonexistent in the policy documents in Pakistan but is nevertheless implicated in the process of learning. Equally, while the discourses that construct the conceptualisation of wellbeing in the Western world have been closely examined, the various definitions that the term may inhabit in Pakistan have not been explored. Accordingly, the focus for this study is to explore the understandings of wellbeing held by children and teachers in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Conceptually, the study approaches child wellbeing from a social justice perspective that is grounded in Martha Nussbaum's (2011) Capabilities Approach. Through individual and group interviews with teachers, and focus groups with children in four secondary schools in the province, the research reveals the four discourses that construct the conceptualisation of wellbeing in the provincial culture called the Pashtun culture: the discourse of economics; the discourse of education; the discourse of social order; and the discourse culture/religion. By using thematic discourse analysis as a tool, the study identifies the representations of wellbeing that are accepted as 'commonsense'. Three key findings of this study are: wellbeing appears in a range of familiar forms to any individual, (i.e. wellbeing is a protean construct); wellbeing in the Pashtun culture is bound up in the culturally/religiously appropriate ways of being and doing, and is largely communal in nature (i.e. wellbeing is an examined life); and the understanding of wellbeing is partially unique even when constructed by the shared script of the four discourses (i.e. wellbeing is partially discourse-free). Using Nussbaum's concept of human dignity as the prism, the thesis foregrounds the ways in which the four discourses could be revised through education policy and practice, offering valuable insights into potential reforms.

The focus of this research is what constitutes school ethos for a purposive sample of seven final year students in a Scottish secondary school. A review of existing literature on the topic of school ethos highlighted the importance that policy makers and practitioners in Scotland afford to the notion of a positive school ethos. Yet knowledge of the topic remains limited with only a narrow range of approaches to researching school ethos evident within the literature reviewed. This study begins by considering the ideas of the early twentieth century philosophies of Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) and Edith Stein (1891 – 1942). In their ideas about the human person and human relationships the conceptual tools: thrownness; beingwith; care (acts of solicitude); mood; and temporality are identified to investigate school ethos from a different perspective. The hermeneutic phenomenological tradition particularly Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s (1908 – 1961) notion of embodiment and Hans George Gadamer’s (1900 – 2002) ideas of: conversation; fusion of horizons; and the hermeneutic circle provide both the methodology and method to investigate the phenomenon that presents itself as school ethos from the student perspective. Data on the students’ lived experience of secondary school were collected by conversational interview and are presented as participant stories with each story organised around the same five explicative themes. The analysis of the data found that there was little evidence of the school’s declared ethos entering the lifeworld of the participants, rather school ethos is experienced for them as moods which surface from acts of solicitude. Although the small-scale nature of the study precludes wider generalisations from the findings the study highlights issues that may be useful to policy makers and practitioners. In particular, it suggests there is a need to pay greater attention to understanding the lifeworlds of students, to the lived experience of school ethos and on seeking further clarification around what constitutes positive acts of solicitude within the context of school.

The objectives of this work are to: - Explore the concept of adolescent vulnerability; - Establish easily administered, reliable means of early identification of the most vulnerable; and - Suggest some school level interventions. This research focuses on adolescents in a socially deprived area. The thesis contains two parts: Part I explores the theoretical contexts, examining the social, educational and moral climate, and concludes that potential vulnerability is not being identified early enough in young people's lives for effective interventions to be implemented. The phenomenon and experience of adolescence is explored from a variety of perspectives, and various definitions of adolescence examined. The broad range of experience representing both typical and atypical adolescence is considered. A range of socio-economic factors and psychometric measures are reviewed for potential use as early indicators of vulnerability. The four screening measures chosen from the range reviewed are social deprivation, selfesteem, locus of control (LoC) and coping strategies. Social deprivation indicators establish background levels of life chances and prospects. Selfesteem is used to identify the most vulnerable; locus of control adds information about the nature of their vulnerability, and coping strategies informs potential practical interventions. Part 2 focuses on practical research. The prospects of the subject population are explored using a range of indicators, including the social and educational alienation and dysfunction of its young adolescents. Six hypotheses are defined and the selected psychometric tools piloted and administered on all of Year 7 of the subject school. Pupils are identified as either vulnerable or not identifiably vulnerable. Case studies using semi-structured interviews are conducted, adding a qualitative, experiential dimension to the statistical, psychometric findings. Based on this research conclusions are drawn which have academic application and directly inform practical interventions which, if implemented in early adolescence, would potentially alleviate the identified vulnerability.

This dissertation explored the cost and value of 1:1 computing programs in high schools in Texas. The study examines whether the total cost of ownership of these programs can be justified by the student testing gains and graduation rates. It investigates whether student learning outcomes show a definable correlation between positive gains and the implementation of 1:1 computing programs. The study also explores whether there is a measurable return on investment of 1:1 programs based on testing gains and graduation rates. The research used the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness exam scores to validate assumptions and test the hypothesis. The study found no clear link between the addition of 1:1 computing programs and the realms of student success. While there is marginal improvement in student outcomes, there is only circumstantial evidence that laptops and devices are the catalysts for the change. The dissertation also found that the total cost of ownership (TCO) is a significant portion of the district's spending, costing millions of dollars, and that the financial disclosure and budget information data was either missing, incomplete, or over-generalized, causing an issue for assessing program effectiveness or ROI. Despite this lack of transparency, there is a slight positive ROI trend based on the data reviewed during the observation period.

The decision to undertake this research was a pragmatic response to the debates which followed the introduction of a new innovative secondary education system in Ghana. This paper will investigate the said innovation during its formation since 1974, inception from 1987 and, in respect of field research, aspects of its operation from 1998 to 2000. The innovation was designed as a complex package offering an integrated approach to change educational values, orientation and learning outcomes. The changes subsumed in each aspect of the innovation have far-reaching implications for the entire education system. One element, the vocationalised curriculum, caused immediate concern at the time of implementation because of pre-existing evidence of similar attempts made previously in Ghana and other countries which yielded unsatisfactory results. This concern was increased by the complexity of subsequent changes in the examination system and in the new structure of Junior Secondary Schooling (JSS). Furthermore, there were mixed opinions regarding a new emphasis on the individual learner as the focus of school activities augmented by the introduction of guidance and counselling. The primary aim of the research was to monitor the implementation processes in as many aspects as possible. This was done in order to see what benefits might be gained, and what lessons in order to continue the innovation. In order to conduct this assessment it was necessary to examine critically the characteristics of each element of the reform and their implications, using a variety of research methods to generate relevant data. This approach yielded a substantial amount of original evidence on the dynamics of educational change. While this evaluation specifically helps to deepen understanding of the said innovation, it also makes a contribution to the literature on educational innovation in developing countries. The particular theoretical framework used to direct analysis of the processes is derived from the IAC evaluation model developed by Havelock and Huberman (1977) and is used in their study of educational innovations in the developing countries. The theory proposes that a large and complex problem requires a sophisticated level of competency to handle it. An innovative situation requires an efficient system in order to muster the relevant level of IAC factors as were required. This paper explores and extends the IAC model by incorporating the new research regarding the Ghanaian educational innovation. In this new dimension, the Ghanaian model has tended to display far more interactive and cohesive characteristics than in the original Havelock and Huberman study, thus making the measure for success relatively more complex. There is overwhelming evidence to show that by the end of its second cycle in December 1999, none of the JSS innovation components had been in any way implemented. In all respects, the level of systemic competency was far below what was demanded by the innovation. When placed in the framework of the IAC theoretical model, analysis of the conclusive empirical findings provides key recommendations for future innovative educational projects. Crucial coordinating factors must be considered and necessarily established to ensure that strategies are put in place which strengthen the infrastructure. This coordinating initiative should encompass internal and external logistics coordination for resource persons and materials, while simultaneously linking the organizational management of the project with key administrative, political, and social interest groups.

Although students have more opportunities than ever before to participate in advanced academic programs while in high school, it is unclear whether this has affected their ability to succeed in college. To determine what impact the students' experiences in Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit coursework had on their level of college and career readiness (CCR), students were asked to recall what factors influenced their ability to succeed in postsecondary education and describe what information is most beneficial for students as they select their academic pathways. This phenomenological qualitative study gathered data from students that had recently graduated from two high schools in a rapidly growing, suburban school district. Participants in the study reported that the most common benefits from advanced academic programs included more challenging expectations and learning how to navigate the various logistics of postsecondary education. By examining these students' perspectives, the findings from this study may positively influence policy and practice by increasing the likelihood that students are adequately prepared for college and have the ability to succeed at the collegiate level. Continued examination of student experiences in postsecondary education is imperative for improving CCR and may provide more insight into what factors inhibit student success after they graduate. Data collected from a more inclusive sample of participants or perhaps longitudinal data following a cohort through the transition from high school to college could help ensure that educators are able to adequately prepare students for life beyond high school.

Secondary English as a Second Language (ESL) students commonly face obstacles that put them at greater risk for learning gaps in computer assisted learning (CAL). These obstacles include but are not limited to computer attitudes, computer self-efficacy, digital empathy, and connectivity gaps. Student attitudes towards computers as learning devices play an important role in reducing learning loss. This study intended to identify the underlying causes of ESL learning gaps in CAL by studying students' attitudes toward computers as learning tools. The study used a mixed method approach by collecting self-reported data from the Computer Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ) to compare ESL students verse native English-speaking students' computer attitudes. Three hundred sixty-nine secondary students successfully completed the CAQ for the purpose of this study. Of the eight subscales, four produced statistically significant findings. These include Computer Enjoyment (J), Empathy (E), Computer Anxiety (CA), and School Enjoyment (SC). Demographic factors were also analyzed which found that female ESL students have higher levels of empathy compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, 9th grade students reported better study habits and an increased perception of computer importance. Each of the subscale findings along with demographic factors, and qualitative results showed that ESL students are at a significant disadvantage when comparing computer attitudes to native English-speaking students.

This phenomenological study explored and described the lived experiences of high school biology teachers from a school district in one of the states in the USA concerning the use of online platforms in online biology teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study interviewed teachers to evaluate the teacher experiences, challenges, and opportunities that online platforms presented in biology instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also analyzed students' perspectives based on the teachers' responses and district data obtained from the student engagement survey administered to all high school students at the school district every year. The findings of the study indicate that students experienced issues such as lack of engagement, unsuitable home environment to support learning, and poor attendance due to minimal monitoring when learning shifted to fully online. Teacher-related factors included inadequate preparedness to use technology to enhance teaching, limited content delivery, and increased teacher collaboration. In conclusion, the study recommends that school districts sufficiently prepare teachers to improve adaptability to different teaching and learning models, emphasizing the use of diverse educational technologies. Future studies should conduct quantitative or mixed studies to establish the extent and degree to which such factors as poor learner engagement contributed to less than satisfactory outcomes in summative and formative assessments.

Special education in the public-school setting is designed to support students with disabilities by providing them specially designed instruction to meet their unique needs. This cannot be achieved without special education teachers who undergo specialized training to enable students with a disability to reach their maximum potential. Special education teachers' job duties differ greatly from that of a general education teacher, and they require specialized supports from their administrators. This qualitative study was designed for three purposes: (a) to understand the current teacher evaluation system along with the state and local policies from which the evaluation system is created; (b) to define the unique roles and responsibilities of the special education teacher that the current evaluation process may be failing to identify; and (c) to give special education teachers a voice to describe their experiences with the current teacher evaluation system. A document review of the current Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) evaluation rubric and of current state and local teacher evaluation policies preceded focus groups of high school special education teachers from three special education settings: inclusion, self-contained, and resource. Findings showed that teachers across all three settings agreed that T-TESS is not a true reflection of their job and was not created with diversity in mind, thereby failing students with disabilities. When evaluating the T-TESS rubric, only two out of the 16 dimensions uses language that acknowledges diverse learners in the teacher performance grading standards while no dimension mentions working with students with disabilities. This indicates that across all areas of T-TESS, even the most distinguished teacher is not being evaluated on their ability to work and support students with disabilities.

At a time where technology is easily accessible, emotions are high, and students are dealing with more and more as they earn a basic education, in-person and cyberbullying add to students' stress. As 21st century students have easy access to technology, adolescents have multiple ways to encounter bullying and cyberbullying. The purpose of this study was three-fold: (a) to identify the relationship between bullying and cyberbullying and student engagement; (b) to identify the impact of school culture and climate on the incidences of bullying and cyberbullying; and (c) to identify how the integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills into the curriculum could mitigate the negative effects of bullying and cyberbullying. The five SEL core competencies are self-regulation, self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. In this mixed methods study, district discipline data, a culture and climate survey, and focus groups were utilized to examine how each SEL competency impacted classroom engagement and school climate and culture and mitigated any negative effects of bullying and cyberbullying. Findings showed that a positive school culture and SEL can increase student engagement. In addition, SEL was shown to improve classroom engagement as well as mitigate the negative effects of bullying and cyberbullying among the studied participants.

This study focuses on a Facebook group utilized by secondary English teachers during the initial crisis period of COVID 19, defined as March 2020-June 2020. During this period, teacher participants used this Facebook group as a community of practice to re-envision pedagogy, using social media as a third space in which to have discussions with other teachers, either to seek help or to share resources. After a qualitative content analysis of 630 initial posts, 14,500 comments, and 13,539 reactions, three themes were determined. Teachers used the Facebook group to re-envision pedagogy by discussing texts and related activities, teachers sought strategies for lessons to implement during a pandemic; by offering a forum for discussion about ethical considerations of social justice and school responsibility, the teachers sought a space to talk openly about how to respond to current events; and by serving as a space for solidarity and support among fellow English teachers, the teachers supported each other through change.

National and state-based assessments have been a common practice for the past several decades. These assessments often come with high-stake consequences for students and schools, which tends towards the creation of a test-centric environment where educators prioritize test-based instruction to prepare students to be successful on those assessments. The over-arching purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how mandated high-stakes testing influences educators specifically within a complex system by first seeking to identify ways educators at different levels within the system—the classroom, campus, and district levels—perceive these testing influences. This study is based on complexity theory with a particular focus on complex adaptive systems (CAS) and frameworks from human systems dynamics (HSD), which helped to identify key tensions within a complex learning ecology. This study used thematic analysis of interview data from the classroom, campus, and district levels. Analysis also included mapping the emergent themes and patterns onto a CAS model for each level. Findings revealed a tension between a complicated, linear approach and a complex approach to curricular and instructional decisions that is moving those decisions ever closer to standardization. This study includes implications and recommendations for balancing these tensions for a healthy, complex learning ecology.

Researchers have reported that a variety of socio-cultural interventions can be used to increase positive attitudes toward reading for secondary students. A socially constructed reading intervention could add learning growth for a reluctant reading population. This study examines whether secondary students experience a measurable increase in positive attitudes toward reading after engaging in modeling and mentoring sessions with a much younger student and whether there is a perceivable difference in the secondary students' attitude following this mentoring activity. A variation of the one-way ANOVA, the Mann-Whitney U test, was completed to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between these groups of students after participating in the reading intervention plan. It was determined that a small increase was found in one of the domains. The measurement survey is divided into four measured components that align with Albert Bandura's model for self- efficacy. The results from this study indicated growth in only one of the measures, however, some of the outcomes in the other measures suggested potential growth in attitudes with a relaxation of these necessary experimental strictures. A limitation of this research was the change from face-to-face tutoring completed by the secondary student with elementary students in an afterschool program to the secondary student tutoring a younger member of their family who would be contactable during the stay-at-home orders in spring, 2021. The changes to the original experiment design were to accommodate for subject safety during the current worldwide pandemic of COVID-19.

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the impact of a long-term, 5E inquiry-based professional development on content and pedagogical knowledge in eighth-grade science teachers in Texas. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected via university designed reflective prompts, science content pretests and post-tests, and a classroom observation instrument. Results showed the professional development had a statistically significant impact on teachers' content knowledge in earth science, less significant impact in content knowledge in physical science and that teachers' levels of inquiry-based practice were in the early stages. The teachers' reflections of the professional development's impact indicated self-identified growth in their content knowledge and an impact on their understanding of inquiry-based classroom instructional practice. The findings suggest inquiry-based professional development has an impact on teachers' content and pedagogical knowledge, specifically regarding conveying content effectively, concept interconnection, lesson design, and teachers' opportunities to experience inquiry-based learning themselves before implementing it in their classrooms. The study's implications for further research include examinations of professional learning opportunities at local district and campus levels to identify and incorporate science teachers' existing levels of content and inquiry-based pedagogical knowledge and provide opportunities for practice to incorporate the pedagogy in classrooms.

Secondary students with specific learning disabilities often have challenges with academic engagement and performance within the general education setting. Opportunity to respond strategies, such as student response systems, have shown promise in supporting academic engagement for students without disabilities. However, there are few studies examining the relationship between student response systems and academic engagement for older students with specific learning disabilities. The purpose of this study was to pilot the use of Google classroom as a student response system on academic participation and disruptive behavior for high school students with specific learning disability. While the study began as a multiple baseline across participants single-subject research design, the design was changed due to school closures as a result of COVID-19. A high-school student with specific learning disability participated in a study using an AB non-experimental design. The student response system resulted in an abrupt change in academic participation for the participant. The student and teacher perceived the intervention to be effective and appropriate for increasing participation and decreasing disruptive behavior. This study contributes to a limited body of research on student response systems for secondary students with specific learning disabilities.

Using an exploratory case study approach, this study examined the school leadership factors that contribute to building Latinx student social capital as well as the best practices for creating a more equitable AP program. Through this qualitative study, the organizational and leadership factors of the AP program at Stripes High School (pseudonym) were examined, and how these factors contributed toward closing the opportunity gap. This study used semi-structured interviews with district and campus leaders and an AP teachers focus group to determine leadership beliefs and actions that were successful in building an accessible and equitable advanced academics program for Latinx students, as well as an AP student focus group to triangulate the findings. The results of this study showed Latinx students, already lacking social capital, also face many barriers of different forms: systemic, structural and cultural in their educational opportunities for AP courses and exams. The case study campus overcame these barriers and increased equity by allowing Latinx students more access to AP courses and exams through district- and campus-level administrators working to remove barriers and hire and support the most capable and socially aware AP teachers who aim to grow and nurture the students who they serve. Based on the results from this study, there are two major recommendations for school leaders to consider in their effort to close the opportunity gap for Latinx students in AP coursework. These recommendations include offering open access to all students and hiring and training teachers who understand and value equity. While this study uncovered many factors at Stripes HS that collectively served to provide an equitable AP program for Latinx students, these recommendations were the highest leverage ones.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and determine the predictive power of individual and a combination of different indicators that are used to determine college readiness. For this study a logistic regression analysis was conducted due to the dichotomous nature of the dependent variable. The dependent variable for the study was the earning of a post-secondary credential. The independent variables included high school diploma type, Advanced Placement course taken, Advanced Placement test performance, SAT performance, ACT performance, a multidimensional index made up of all the variables, and high school GPA. The study found that high school GPA had the strongest odds ratio, Exp(B), for the participants earning a post-secondary credential (Exp(B) = 6.597), followed by diploma type (Exp(B) = 6.316), taking an Advanced Placement course (Exp(B) = 4.368), earning at least one qualifying Advanced Placement test score (Exp(B) = 3.846), a multidimensional index (Exp(B) = 2.318), ACT score (Exp(B) = 1.161) and SAT score (Exp(B) = 1.003). Future analysis is needed by using live data of student's college performance, stratifying the data to account for differences in post-secondary performance by different racial and socio-economic groups, and studying the effects of the State of Texas' chosen college readiness variables.

This case study investigated the phenomenon of the black white test score gap by seeking to determine if there was a difference in the academic performance of African American students and their White peers. The determination of student academic performance was made using scores from second semester Algebra II classes at two high schools in the Tucson Unified School District. The data covered three academic years and was analyzed via SPSS (independent samples t-test, ANOVA, and a pairwise analysis) and content analysis for qualitative analysis. Findings revealed that there was no variance in the scores of African Americans and their White peers attending an affluent school; however African Americans attending a low-income school scored lower than all groups that were compared in this study.

Disciplinary literacy is an approach to literacy in the content areas that helps students develop thinking and literacy skills that mimic experts in the field. The goal of this study was to explore the instructional practices of history teachers who have been nominated as exemplary and the role of disciplinary literacy in their instructional practices. Exemplary teachers were defined as those with strong content knowledge, experience teaching, and recognition for their teaching. This study used a qualitative multiple-case study research design. Data collection included interviews and classroom observations with nine participants across four school districts. Thematic data analysis was used as the method of analyzing data. In the cross-case synthesis portion of analysis, one of the strongest beliefs expressed by the participants was that teachers need to work to make history relevant for students. The observed teaching practices of exemplary teachers showed that exemplary teachers create strong classroom communities that focus on inquiry, discussion, and student-led learning opportunities. The findings from this study suggest that teachers need to have strong content knowledge (an in-depth knowledge of historical events) and discipline knowledge (understanding of how historians read, write, think, and discuss in their field) in order to build the pedagogical content knowledge (understanding of how to facilitate student growth in both content knowledge and discipline knowledge) needed to be able to facilitate a student-led classroom that engages in inquiry and disciplinary literacy skills.

Research shows that students who take advanced mathematics courses perform better on measures of college readiness than students who take less rigorous courses. However, no clear effect has been shown on requiring all students to take more advanced courses. This study examined whether increases in the number and level of mathematics courses required for high school graduation have resulted in increased levels of college aspirations and preparedness. Specifically, twenty years of data from a rural school district in Texas were analyzed to determine whether the impact on college entrance exam-taking and performance differed by the mathematics requirements in effect for each class. Logistic and linear regression modeling revealed no statistically significant effect of higher requirements. And while overall results by gender and race mirrored previous research, with males tending to have higher scores than females and White students tending to score higher than African-American and Latinx students, the increased requirements were not associated with any mitigation in these inequities.

Across the United States, African American males face barriers to securing a quality education. Barriers such as educational gatekeeping, and low identification, have caused African American males' enrollment in advanced placement courses to be at a rate lower than all other ethnicity and gender populations. A qualitative approach to research was used to explore how and in what ways district and school leaders created or hindered equitable advanced academic program opportunities for African American males. Through the lens of critical social theory, individual face-to-face interviews with district/campus educators and a focus group interview with African American male students, the lived experiences of participants within the advanced placement program were brought to the fore. Three questions guided the study: 1) How do district and school policies and practices create equitable advanced academic program opportunities for African American males; 2) How and in what ways do district and school leaders create or hinder equitable advanced academic program opportunities for African American males; and 3) What conditions have supported or hindered African American males in their ability to enroll and succeed in advanced academic courses. Findings revealed four themes to creating equity for African American males within the advanced placement program which included, the need to cultivate the advanced placement program, identify academic shortcomings, support the needs of students, and address invisible African American males. The research demonstrated that African American males can, and will, thrive in the most challenging of academic settings when provided with proper supports.

This study examined student academic optimism in four diverse North Texas school districts. This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to analyze results of an online administration of the survey, and Latinx student responses to a focus group protocol derived from the survey. Quantitative results indicate the individual scales making up the construct align with previous research results. The three scales were found to be strongly and significantly correlated, indicating the potential for validation. Qualitative results indicate Latinx students' perceptions of their academic careers align with four themes. Latinx students are keenly aware of their teachers as a person, their school as a community, the intrusion of the outside world, and students as agents. Qualitative results support the importance of the three components of the construct, student trust in teachers, student academic press, and student identification with school. As a new source of data, combined with existing metrics of instructional effectiveness, student academic optimism could increase the ability of decision makers to improve the overall efficacy of school systems especially when addressing the persistent opportunity gaps for Latinx and other students of color.

The relatively new utilization of learning management system (LMS) facilitated blended learning in secondary public schools has grown in popularity, but there is a void in research at this level. Teachers learned how to use the LMS features and honed their blended learning design skills through their own experiences, and in observation of their students' experiences. In this study, the knowledge teachers built and the decisions they made while designing blended learning were explored. In this mixed-methods study, the quantitative and qualitative results aligned, indicating that teachers design courses using a variety of components, often in different ways. Six themes emerged. The relationships between themes were used to create a theoretical visual of the factors impacting secondary teachers' decisions in the design of LMS-facilitated blended learning. Teacher design decisions were focused on the impact their choices would have on students. Variation in course design was purposely used by teachers to differentiate for students individually; however, variation was also the result of design challenges blocking teachers from a specific design choice. The implications for practice primarily focus on removing the design challenges. The results of this study add to other foundational studies to begin to fill the research gap in the area of LMS-facilitated blended learning design in secondary schools.

This study examined how in-service teachers transformed professionally and personally as a result of participation in the International Teacher to Teacher Exchange Program (ITTTE). Six teachers, 3 from the U.S. and 3 from Guatemala, were paired. Each pair spent a total of 8 weeks together, in each other's countries, over the course of 2 years. The pairs reciprocated home stays, school engagement, and cultural learning in three cohorts; 2012-2014, 2014-2016, 2016-2018. In 2018, each participant engaged in a structured interview tailored to the ten meaning phases of Mezirow's transformative learning theory (TLT). The data were analyzed deductively, through the application of the ten meaning phases of transformation. The data were also analyzed inductively to determine additional themes of transformation. The deductive findings revealed 5 out of 6 participants experienced full transformative learning. All 3 Guatemalan teachers transformed professionally with new understandings of mathematics pedagogy. Two U.S. teachers transformed personally, one by learning how to be a more caring teacher and the other by overcoming shyness to engage as a relational teacher. The third U.S. teacher adopted the point of view that speaking a second language had value. The inductive analysis revealed emerged themes of learning, language, relationships, and program affecting others as evident in transformed frames of reference, habits of mind and points of view. Due to the range of participation years, latent effects were noted. The ITTTE was shown to influence transformation in teachers' personal and professional development. TLT was effective in revealing participant transformation within the ITTTE.

The purpose of this study was to examine if the implementation of a technology-based music class in public high schools in the northeastern United States had any significant impact on the overall music department enrollment and on enrollment in traditional performance ensemble courses, such as band and chorus, as they are the courses most offered in high schools in the United States. The two phases of the study included identifying eligible schools and collecting data from schools. A six-year history of music department and school enrollment data was collected from participating schools (n = 12). Individual music classes in each school were categorized as Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Technology-based, or Other Music Classes. Results found a statistically significant increase in overall Music Department enrollment and no statistically significant change in enrollment in Band or Chorus after the implementation of a technology-based music class. Reductions in enrollment did occur in Other Music classes. No significant change to the number of teachers in music departments was found. This study suggests that implementing a technology-based music classes may help increase overall music department enrollment without negatively impacting enrollment in traditional performance ensembles and may not necessitate funding for additional faculty.

The purpose of this quantitative secondary data analysis was to examine the effect of family, school, and community context on high schools whose students participate in financial aid preparation services. Data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 were analyzed to answer the two research questions using Perna's conceptual model of college enrollment behaviors that explores how students gain and utilize information about financial aid and college prices. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the extent of high school participation in financial aid services. The results indicated a varying degree of these interventions being offered at high schools ranging from 22% to 52%. Schools sending students reminders of FAFSA deadlines (52%) and disseminating flyers/pamphlets on financial aid (50%) were the only two interventions that had a slight majority of schools participating. Multiple regression was used to determine if a relationship existed between the outcome variable (participation in financial aid preparation services) and several family context and school context predictor variables for eight financial aid interventions. Results revealed school context variables as the best predictors of the outcome variable. Counselor caseload and school control were the most effective in predicting high school participation in the eight financial aid preparation services, though these greatly differed according to the type of intervention. Findings provide potential implications for research and practice, including highlighting ways in which K-12 and higher education can coordinate.

The role of transition providers' knowledge of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in secondary transition can only be understood in the context of the dismal post-secondary outcomes of students with disabilities (SWD) and the need for bridging the research-to-practice gap among secondary transition practitioners. A sample of 1,163 Texas Employment Designees (TEDs) were surveyed about their knowledge of secondary transition EBPs. The study examined the psychometric properties and theoretical factor structure fit of a modified version of the Mazzotti and Plotner's Use of Secondary Transition EBPs survey and identified significant effects of TEDs' characteristics on their capacity for implementing secondary transition EBPs (F(9, 110) = 2.16, p = 0.03). Psychometric validation of the instrument indicated overall reliability and internal consistency of the modified instrument in measuring both knowledge and use of EBPs in support and direct provision of transition services (Cronbach's alpha of 0.99). Principal components analysis (PCA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) returned a simple one-factor structure. A composite score was developed for the single factor of "capacity", and a subsequent analysis was conducted to determine a relationship between the demographic factors and the overall capacity scores of respondents (n = 198). Study limitations and need for further research are discussed.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationships between job satisfaction, work engagement, and turnover intention of health science teachers in the state of Texas. The healthcare profession is one of the largest growing occupations in the U.S. nationwide. The job growth outlook for healthcare professionals is projected to be on average 34% between 2014 and 2024. Despite the growing healthcare job categories, there is a shortage of healthcare professionals in the U.S. This study addressed the shortage of health science teachers in secondary education. Considering the importance of healthcare, especially with an aging U.S. population, it is critical to study the impact of work engagement and job satisfaction on teacher intent to leave the health science teaching profession. Through a correlational survey research design it was found that job satisfaction and work engagement are negatively related to turnover intention. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that job satisfaction accounted for 39.6% of the variation in turnover intention. Findings also showed that work engagement did not moderate the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. Implications for research and practice are discussed and conclusions are provided.

A gap exists in education research in the area of online readiness for secondary courses. In the current study, I examined the use of an online readiness assessment to inform students and educators of the necessary skills, aptitudes, and propensities needed for secondary course completion. In this research study, the perceptions of 17 secondary students in a North Texas public school were examined. Using a three-phase design, qualitative demographic surveys, focus groups, and open-ended end-of-course success questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed the Revised McVay Online Readiness Assessment beneficial for providing students with information regarding skills needed for their online course success. Students were interested in how prior online experience influences online readiness and successful completion as well as the influence prior expectations of online learning had on online success. In addition, the study revealed the importance of student readiness relating to more specific self-regulatory skills including time-management, metacognitive self-monitoring, and task-strategies. The study results also revealed students found importance in knowing their comfort with online communication. K-12 school system and curriculum leaders may consider and take action to ensure effective curriculum and programs are implemented to achieve the desired results of student online course completion as well as providing students with necessary skills, such as comfort in online communication, and self-regulation specific to time-management, metacognitive self-monitoring, and task-strategies. The study results suggest an online readiness assessment would prove even more useful with the inclusion of such specific skills.

Using ethnographic research in the form of an outcomes assessment, this project aims to unpack and evaluate the experiences of students and significance of the key concepts shared during the Live Algoma-Improvement Science course/and associated projects during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years. Through the use of evaluative techniques such as interviews, focus groups, and a survey, I endeavor to both strengthen and inform the work Live Algoma is doing and highlight to the community and other stakeholders the valuable impact of this initiative on the students. As part of the Improvement Science course, students from the Algoma School District were trained on key concepts such as failing forward, PDSA, and ways of being to empower them to better handle individual project management, life challenges, and goal setting. While this project was expansive in overall scope, this outcome evaluation sought to understand the retention and internalization by program participants of key concepts imparted from the Improvement Science course and related projects. The findings provide strategic and targeted insights into the success of the course and opportunities for refinements in future Improvement Science courses and school and community projects with Live Algoma and the Algoma School District.

As increasing emphasis is being placed on student college and career readiness, instructional approaches seek to develop content and skill proficiency. I gathered student perspectives on teacher expectations and instructional opportunities in core content classes in order to determine if expectation bias influences college readiness preparation in the classroom. Student academic self-concept and college readiness were examined alongside beliefs about teacher expectations and instructional opportunities in a conceptual framework for student perceptions. In this qualitative study, I utilized four focus groups of high school students from two cohorts to analyze perceptions across students from mostly on-level core classes and those from mostly advanced core classes. Findings showed students held high expectations of their own current and future performance, as well as perceived teachers generally hold high expectations, though this was shown through the development of relational capacity rather than instructional opportunities to develop college readiness skills or connect to students' future ambitions. The results of the study provide insight to educators seeking to create stronger connections for students between current educational experiences and future postsecondary opportunities.

The U.S. Marshallese population is one of the fastest growing Pacific Islander populations in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify how U.S. Marshallese students could be empowered and engaged in their learning through clearly identified indicators that educators could apply within their classrooms and schools. The indicators have been established on a historical, cultural, and linked perceptions of student learning as identified by U.S. Marshallese students and teachers. Pacific Islanders consisted of a variety of populations with varying cultures and ethnic diversity. This study has been conducted using a postpositivism worldview, Marshallese migration is not a limited phenomenon of displacement, but a migratory change that must be embraced by communities and educators. Educators must understand how to empower and engage U.S. Marshallese students in their learning. This study was designed utilizing an interpretative descriptive naturalistic ethnography qualitative research design with middle school students and teachers to gather qualitative data from U.S. Marshallese students that will lead to a contextual understanding of empowering and engaging U.S. Marshallese students in their learning. The findings of this qualitative research study can be applied by educators to empower and engage U.S. Marshallese students in their learning on a daily basis in schools and classrooms. Culture understanding, positive relationship building, and the design of culturally connected intrinsically student motivated learning activities is the foundation and critical component of empowering and engaging U.S. Marshallese students in school and classrooms for improved student learning.

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which alternative schools add value to the college readiness of their students, as well as to measure the capacity of alternative school students to successfully complete dual credit courses while enrolled at the alternative school. This mixed methods study utilized an exploratory approach with a descriptive research design to explore the extent to which alternative schools produce college-ready students. The Texas Success Initiative Assessment was used to measure participants' academic readiness levels in mathematics, reading, and writing. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to provide their own perspectives on their college readiness levels through a student survey and semi-structured face-to-face interview. The results of this study reveal that the college readiness levels of alternative high school students varied across academic areas. Of the tested participants, 41.1% were college ready in reading, 52.1% in writing, and 16.7% in mathematics. Additionally, the findings reveal that dual credit course participation was not a viable option because of course prerequisites and the amount of time needed to complete dual credit courses. Results of this study expand on the literature to provide a better understanding of the effectiveness of alternative school programs, the college readiness levels of alternative high school students, and the capacity of alternative high school students to successfully complete college coursework while in high school.

The purpose of this study was to identify the status and challenges of online distance education programs in post-secondary institutions in Ghana. This study was a replication of a similar study conducted in Kenya in 2009, at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University. This present study was conducted with an online survey using Google survey assessment. The survey requested responses from six post-secondary institutions in Ghana. Out of a total of 450 projected student responses, 309 responses were received with a 69% participation rate. A total of 14 responses were received for instructors out of a projected 30 resulting in 47% participation rate. And for administrators, 8 responses were received out of a projected 12 resulting in a 67% participation rate. Overall the study revealed that Ghana post-secondary institutions have established and incorporated online distance education into their programs, offering both online and blended courses. Some of these institutions established regional centers across the country and incorporated foreign instructors into their programs. The survey also revealed that students were satisfied with the overall online distance education program in their institutions which included the level of instruction, feedback and evaluation. However, there were still challenges revealed from the study that included the high cost of education, frequent power outages, school stoppages as a result of instructor strikes and the need to restructure courses to include projects.

A gap exists in education research in the area of district support for campus-based professional learning communities (PLCs). The current study was an examination of practitioner perceptions of district structures and practices that support the development and sustainability of PLCs in public high schools. I examined the perceptions of 341 teachers, campus administrators, and district administrators in a suburban North Texas public school district with three comprehensive high schools. Using a sequential mixed-method design, quantitative data from an electronic survey and qualitative data from face-to-face interviews were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed a generally positive view of central office support among the participants, including consistent ratings from each high school, each campus-level position, each content area, and each level of experience in the district. There was some misalignment of perceptions between campus-level and district-level staff. The study also uncovered a set of best and worst district practices, the six PLC strengtheners and six PLC inhibitors, which were synthesized into a set of recommendations and guidelines for district support for high school PLCs. From participant feedback, I concluded district support is needed and desired by high school practitioners and there are specific district practices and structures that are most effective. While the study results provide a practical set of recommendations for school districts for supporting high school PLC efforts, expanded research is necessary to confirm transferability to school districts of diverse sizes, locations, and demographics.

Employing the research approach known as portraiture, this study investigated the varying ways in which three secondary English language arts teachers at a visual and performing arts high school conceptualized and designed multimodal literacy learning. Also studied were the ways in which their students responded to these designs; and in keeping with portraiture, attention went to the changes in the researcher's own understandings. This multi-case study and cross-case analysis built on prior multimodal literacy research in secondary education, but unlike previous studies, gave major attention to how teachers' conceptualization of multimodality and their own roles related to the designs that they produced. Since the school emphasized arts as well as academics, particular attention went to teachers' conceptions of, and designs for, arts-related multimodalities. Data for the portraits came from observations, teacher and student interviews, artifacts, and a researcher journal. Recursive analysis focused on repetitive refrains, resonant metaphors, and emergent themes, which provided data for "painting" the teachers' portraits in prose. Findings show the connections among teachers' beliefs, values, and the multimodal designs, which included images, movement, sound, classroom displays, and room arrangements. The three teachers took dramatically different approaches to multimodal designs as they created their productions of English language arts. Differences across teachers were related to their conceptions of multimodal design (i.e., for social activism, for expression, for edification) and to their conceptions of their roles as multimodal literacy designers (i.e., challenger, facilitator, channel). Students' responses to, and participation in, the multimodal activities also varied across classroom and teacher. The concluding discussion addresses the relation of arts integration to multimodal literacy education, the value of students' transmodal activity, and connections between multimodality and portraiture. The study illustrates the potential of portraiture for studies of multimodality as well as the potential of using multiple modes to "paint" portraits. Lawrence-Lightfoot, S., & Davis, J. H. (1997). The art and science of portraiture. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

This quantitative study examined seventh-grade reading scores to determine the extent to which certain demographic variables (race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status) explain and MAP reading scores predict reading scores on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) in a selected northeast Texas public school. Standardized assessments only compare the relative performance of an individual student to other groups of students using scaled scores, which can vary from year to year and from state to state. With the advent of computer adaptive testing, this study provides information on the predictive validity of benchmark assessments. Specifically, this study looked for predictive evidence that indicates how accurately test data can predict criterion scores. Findings revealed, through a multiple regression analysis, that the fall MAP Rasch Unit (RIT) scores predicted the STAAR scale scores. Using SPSS version 22, the data were entered and analyzed in a multiple regression model to determine the presence of a statistical trend or lack thereof. Demographic data and MAP scores were entered into the regression model to examine the predictive validity of the MAP assessment in determining student performance on the STAAR seventh-grade state-mandated reading assessment. The statistical analysis revealed that MAP RIT scores explain a significant variance related to seventh-grade STAAR reading scale scores. There is a vital need for tools that improve a student's academic development and MAP assessments have been found to predict performance on state-mandated assessments.

A growing body of work has emerged regarding the responsibilities required of district leaders in establishing plans that initiate and create conditions for sustainability of continuous improvement achieved through a systemic reform structure such as professional learning communities. However, limited research exists in respect to sustaining cultures of continuous improvement in rapid growth districts. Rapid growth districts can be described as school systems, which construct and open multiple campuses annually. The underlying premise of this study considered how humans interact with one another within a rapidly changing professional organization. Change theory, professional capital, organizational learning theory, and system reform emerge as the conceptual framework in this study of district support of professional learning communities. Data collection for this qualitative descriptive case study included interviewing six K-12 principals, administering the PLCA-DS survey to 247 K-12 staff members, and document review. Recognition of the importance of the PLC framework, building capacity, development of collaborative culture, and issues resulting from constant change due to rapid growth were the four themes generated by the participants to support continuous improvement in a rapid growth district. The four themes combined with the components of the conceptual framework outline how district leaders in a rapidly changing environment cultivate a process leading to system-wide improvement.

The use of mathematics manipulatives for the elementary grades is well-studied, but little research exists on their value for teaching calculus students. This project studied the role of physical manipulatives on student learning in two high school calculus classes. It explored the effect of two lessons taught with manipulatives, and compared two lessons on the same topic, one taught in the traditional way and the other incorporating the use of manipulatives. In evaluating the teaching method and process for the four lessons, quantitative measures involved statistical testing of mean pretest and posttest scores. Qualitative factors considered student feedback on a questionnaire, and the evaluation of the experience by the instructor. Overall, this research found that physical manipulatives improved student understanding and the students reported a positive experience with the visual and hands-on approach of the research study lessons. It is suggested that manipulatives be included among other good teaching practices in calculus, especially in classes taught at the regular and honors level.

The world is becoming a global place in which science, technology, engineering and mathematics hold a key to a successful future. To help secure this future it is important to engage students early with relevant curriculum that sparks interest and success in STEM fields. However, education reform occurs slowly, so this paper looked at a potential paradigm that can help to bring about change in a middle school environment that harnesses the long standing strengths of learning and education with the integration of technology to create changes in the pedagogy of learners and teachers. The study implemented a transmedia STEM book and evaluated the impact it had on student perceptions of STEM, school attitude, academic achievement, and preferred activity types, providing an example vehicle for change that can be adopted over time. The main findings showed that students who used a 3-Dimensional printer had higher math achievement and a more positive perception of math.

This study compares ICT policy and curriculum and assessment practices between Australian and Vietnamese secondary schools, and investigates differences between these two school systems. Document analyses and case studies were used to examine the key differences in ICT curriculum and policy and assessment practices between Australian and Vietnamese secondary schools. The document analyses focused on the intended ICT policy and curriculum and assessment, as presented in official documents in both countries. Using a case study approach for in-depth examination, two secondary schools were selected (one from Yenbai province, Vietnam and one from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia). Two principals and three teachers were interviewed. Classroom teaching and assessment practices were observed, and principals and teachers‟ views were obtained through semi-structured interviews and extensive discussions. Findings from the two case studies were compared with the findings from the document analysis. This study explored and analysed differences in ICT teaching, learning, assessment, and achievement between Vietnamese and Australian secondary students. It was found that that Australian ICT school curricula and assessment differed markedly from the Vietnamese system. Student ICT achievement in these Australian and Vietnamese schools could not only be attributed to higher standards of intended ICT curricula and assessment, or teacher knowledge or classroom practices. These differences are better explained by economic and cultural factors, ICT policies and their degrees of implementation, and extra ICT curricula. In order to bridge the gap and implement adequate ICT curricula and policies, rigorous professional training in teaching and assessment is essential for both Australian and Vietnamese teachers. In order to improve Australian students‟ ICT achievement, achievement motivation must be addressed. Many challenging aspects were found in ICT policies and classrooms in the Vietnamese educational system that calls for immediate change and improvement. In order to implement reforms in Vietnamese education, the impact of cultural influence must be considered more seriously. In particular, this study highlights the need to integrate case study with large-scale study in international comparative studies.

This study is about the availability and utilisation of educational technology by Arabic language teachers in secondary schools in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There is a paucity of empirical evidence about the supply of educational technology in secondary schools, and little knowledge at present about whether the technology that is available is in fact being utilised. As such, this thesis aims to provide knowledge that will improve understanding of the current usage of technology, as well as obstacles to its use by secondary school teachers. This study is geographically focused on Riyadh because it is Saudi Arabia’s most populous city. It focuses on male secondary school teachers because sex segregation in Saudi Arabia made the investigation of female teachers difficult. It attends to Arabic language teachers because this cohort of teachers has been studied little in the literature. Two types of methodology – qualitative and quantitative – were used in the investigation of educational technology utilisation in secondary schools of Riyadh among Arabic language teachers. The quantitative methodology involved using an extensive questionnaire administered to 100 Arabic language teachers drawn from 40 secondary schools in Riyadh. The qualitative methodology involved interviews conducted with eight respondents to the questionnaire. The key original findings of the research were that modern educational technology was available in schools to a greater extent than much old technology, however, was not matched by utilisation in the classroom. It was found that teachers used modern technology in their personal lives more so than in their professional lives. Findings indicate that teachers were motivated by several external factors in their potential utilisation patterns and have the desire to utilise modern educational technologies in schools, but they were encountered by many barriers such as lack of coordination, lack of training, lack of technical support and unsuitable modern educational technologies infrastructure in the schools. Generally, this study provides new information that is necessary for better assessment how to integrate modern educational technology into secondary schools of Riyadh.

In the contemporary world, every sphere of life has been revolutionised by science. As such, science understanding is an increasingly precious resource throughout the world (Aschbacher, Li, and Roth, 2010). Further, as science knowledge is contestable, continuously subject to revision, refinement, and extension (Ferrari, 2011), the dissemination and digestion of new scientific knowledge is very important. Despite the widely recognised need for better science education, the numbers of students pursuing science continue to decline internationally, and the percentage of school students studying science is particularly low (Hannover and Kessels, 2004; Birrell, Edwards, Dobson, and Smith, 2005). Alarmingly, in Australia, the number of Year 12 students studying any science subject has plummeted from 94 per cent to just over 50 per cent in the past 20 years, and according to the available data enrolments are still falling (McDougall, 2011). This has resulted in a lack of qualified people for employment in science-related jobs. This in turn threatens our ability to continue to build an innovative economy that is competitive internationally. Past research has shown that the decline in science enrolments is related to many interrelated factors, such as: students’ academic abilities, teaching methods, the absence of motivation to study science, and a lack of interest in science subjects (Hassan and Treagust, 2003). Students’ self-concepts, motivation, and aspirations could also be related to the decline in the number of students seeking to pursue science. However, there is a dearth of research investigating relations among students’ science self-concepts, motivation, aspirations, and achievement in different science domains. The present investigation aims to address this gap in the literature by investigating the relations among the multi-dimensional facets of secondary students’ science self-concepts, motivation, aspirations, and achievement. Given the advantages of a mixed-methods approach (Buber, Gadner, and Richards, 2004) this research comprises three inter-related synergistic studies. Study 1 aims to develop a psychometrically sound tool to measure secondary students’ science self-concepts, motivation, and aspirations in biology, chemistry, earth and environmental methodology to explicate students’ and teachers’ views, practices, and personal experiences, to identify the barriers to undertaking science for secondary students and to provide rich insights into the relations of secondary students’ science self-concepts and motivation with their aspirations and achievement. Study 3 will detect additional issues that may not necessarily be identifiable from the quantitative findings of Study 2. The psychometric properties of the newly developed instrument demonstrated that students’ science self-concepts were domain specific, while science motivation and science aspirations were not. Students’ self-concepts in general science, chemistry, and physics were stronger for males than females. Students’ self-concepts in general science and biology became stronger for students in higher years of secondary schooling. Students’ science motivation did not vary across gender and year levels. Though students’ science aspirations did not vary across gender, they became stronger with age. In general, students’ science self-concepts and science motivation were positively related to science aspirations and science achievement. Specifically, students’ year level, biology self-concept, and physics self concept predicted their science and career aspirations. Biology self-concept predicted teacher ratings of students’ achievement, and students’ general science self-concepts predicted their achievement according to students’ ratings. Students’ year level and intrinsic motivation in science were predictors of their science aspirations, and intrinsic motivation was a greater significant predictor of students’ achievement, according to student ratings. Based upon students’ and teachers’ perceptions, the identified barriers to promoting science in schools were: the difficulty of the subject matter, lack of student interest, the large amount of subject content, lack of perceived relevance of the subject matter to day-to-day life, ineffective teacher characteristics, lack of aspirations to pursue science as a career, inadequate teaching methods, lack of adequate teacher training, lack of proper policies to reward science teachers, and inadequate support for science from the media. Overall, the results from this study provide a greater understanding of the relations of secondary students’ science self-concepts and motivation with aspirations and achievement in different science domains across gender and age levels. Hence, this research makes a valuable contribution to the literature by providing new insight. The findings will be useful for science educators in planning and developing science curriculum and policies with regard to student self-concepts and motivation. Equally, science teachers may find implications for classroom practices, for the planning and conducting of science lessons, for conveying scientific concepts and principles to students more effectively, and in considering the need to generate enthusiasm about the subject in young science students. Thus, the findings may offer the necessary strategies to assist in reducing the decline of students’ enrolments in science through efficacious attention to student self-concepts and motivation. The newly developed instrument provides a new opportunity for future research to confidently interrogate the psychosocial issues central to science education and promotion.

The exploratory case study reported in this thesis investigated organisational changes occurring in Senior Learning (Years 10-12) in Queensland through the introduction of vocational education and training in order to develop a better understanding of hub-and-spoke mode of organising inter-school links with industry. The main research question is: What does this exploratory case study reveal about the 'hub-and- spoke' mode of organising groups of Secondary School around particular by industries, specifically in terms of Government policies, school curricula, teacher professional learning, school communications and student outcomes? The contributory research questions concern the strategies Government policies use to drive organisational changes in Senior School through VETiS; what public representations of Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) schools' curricula say about the offering of VETiS-related courses and/or activities; the initiatives and investment of the QMEA schools and their teachers' involvement in professional learning; what is the variety of public communications QMEA schools engage in about VETiS and the QMEA; and what changes have occurred in students' choices in their immediate post-school destinations from 2008 through 2009 to 2010. This thesis contributes important new knowledge about organisational changes with respect to planning a curriculum that is responsive to diverse needs of students, school timetabling, the venues for education and teacher professional learning, an area that is highly under-represented in the research literature. This makes this research significant and important. Based on the analysis of the evidence, this thesis draws seven key findings in the final Chapter, which also recaps, emphasises and rounds off the main aspects of this study. First, the hub-and-spoke mode of Secondary School organisation is a potentially effective strategy for re-organising groups of schools to support workintegrated education and training so as to enhance successful and smooth post-school transitions for young adults. Second, although Governments' policies say little about the motives, principles and strategies for such an innovative organisational mode, the lack of adequate funding is an important issue in driving organisational changes in Senior Schools through VETiS. Third, although some QMEA schools provided their students with various VETiS courses, programs and activities in their school curricula producing varied results, going to university was not the dominant outcome. Fourth, most of schools' initiatives for professional learning focused on academic learning or training. However, teachers' involvement in teacher professional learning is not in direct proportion to the QMEA schools' initiatives and investment in it. Fifth, although all the seven QMEA schools that were studied in-depth are engaged in providing information about VETiS and/or the QMEA for purposes of public communication, there exist differences in both variety and amount. Sixth, while several changes have occurred in students' choices of immediate post-school destinations, no one was found to be decisive. Lastly, historical issues about vocational education continue to exist in the current debates concerning academic versus vocational schooling, reflecting the continuing relatively low social status of vocational education.

This participatory case study investigated an alternative education program for students considered at risk of dropping out of school in Prince Edward Island. The case study sought to reveal how the program changed students' experience of school, the different teaching practices used by the program teachers, and the elements of this program that could be applied to other programs in public education. The study followed a small group of at-risk students participating in the tier one cohort of an alternative education program in a Prince Edward Island high school. The study also presents data from the cohort teachers, resource teacher, youth worker, and principal of this program. This study took a constructivist theoretical frame and data were gathered in the following ways: personal observations; student focus groups; staff focus group; individual interviews with the principal and youth worker; and one teacher's diary. Data analysis followed Patton's (2002) first cut, the constant comparison method, and the theory of convergence. The findings of this study supported the continuation and improvement of the cohort program. Recommendations for improvement included continuation of the breakfast and lunch programs; assignment of cohort teachers before other placements; continuation of resource support in afternoon classes; an increase professional development opportunities for teachers; development and implementation of meaningful, current, real-world curriculum for students; implementation of a employment placement; addition of a personal development course; and development of supports for working students.

Until graduation coaches were added to all Georgia high schools for the 2006-2007 school year, the state of Georgia had one of the lowest graduation rates in the United States. After the high school graduation coaches were found to be successful in decreasing the dropout rate, coaches were added at the middle school level beginning in the 2008-2009 school year. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the middle school graduation coach on the attendance and the math and reading CRCT scores of the at-risk student. A control group of at-risk students that did not receive treatment was compared to the experimental group that received treatment from the middle school graduation coach during the 2008-2009 school year. The pretest and posttest math and reading CRCT scores and attendance were analyzed using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine if the middle school graduation coach had a significant effect on the at-risk students. The hypotheses that the graduation coach would have an effect on the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade at-risk students' attendance and math and reading CRCT scores were rejected because the ANCOVA found that any significant increases or decreases were not due to the effect of the middle school graduation coach. Analysis of gender was completed using a paired t-test and found significant increases in the math and reading CRCT scores of males in the experimental group and the reading CRCT scores of females in the control group.