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Struggling math students often have difficulty developing a sense of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation to learn math, which has been found to predict future math achievement (Pitsia et al., 2017). Conventional methods of math instruction and assessment may provoke elevated levels of math anxiety for many students, which has been found to negatively impact math achievement (Wu et al., 2012). Numerous studies have examined the applications of using digital-game based learning or instruction with educational video games to foster improved learning outcomes, a strategy which has been shown by metanalytic research to significantly improve K-12 students' motivation in mathematics (Fadda et al., 2022). Minecraft Education, released in 2016 by Microsoft, is a serious educational game, or a virtual immersive three-dimensional environment used for directed educational purposes. This educational software is a modification of the globally popular multiplatform video game Minecraft, the third-best-selling video game in history (Thompson, 2016). While Minecraft Education could be an invaluable tool for enhancing intrinsic motivation to learn and to address many students' unique learning needs, there is limited quantitative research demonstrating the program's effectiveness for addressing specific skill deficits in academic domains. The present study sought to address several of the current limitations in empirical research by utilizing a quantitative quasi-experimental group design methodology to assess the effectiveness of Minecraft-based instruction for improving student achievement in math, specifically geometric measurement of volume of rectangular prisms (Common Core Math Standards, 5.MD.C.3, 5.MD.C.4, and 5.MD.C.5). This research also explored the use of Minecraft as an academic assessment tool. In addition to analyzing the convergent validity of Minecraft math assessments and pen-and-paper quizzes addressing the same common core math standards, the researchers administered questionnaires to investigate whether game-based assessment would be found to reduce students' testing anxiety compared to conventional pen-and-paper assessments. The study was conducted in the afterschool setting during the LearningWorks AfterSchool Program (LWAS), which offers free STEM programming instruction to students performing below grade level. Instructional and problem-solving strategies utilized in the intervention were aligned with the Universal Design for Learning Framework to maximize student engagement and accessibility of learning activities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The problem addressed in this study was that teachers underestimate the benefits of technology usage in grade nine Algebra mathematics classrooms. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to examine how the use of a supplemental digital mathematics tool affected achievement scores among grade nine Algebra mathematics students over time. The quasi-experimental pretest/posttest model was used to investigate the connection between the independent variable-technology integration of a supplemental digital mathematics tool-and the dependent variable-student mathematics achievement. The participants in the study were from one of the high schools within the intended school district in central North Carolina. A convenience and purposive sampling were used to select the 54 participants. The use of IXL as the intervention was used instead of direct instruction to teach and monitor student progress towards understanding of Common Core standards. Prior to the six-week intervention, students were administered a 20-question paper version pretest to form a baseline score and a 20-question paper version posttest and the conclusion of the intervention. A paired samples t-test was conducted to determine what, if any, statistically significant differences existed in mathematics achievement scores in Common Core grade nine students using a supplemental digital mathematics tool over time. There was not a statistically significant difference between mean scores (p > 0.05) of the LEAP 2025 pretest and posttest therefore the null hypothesis was accepted. It is suggested that future research focus on two items: the relationship between technology and academic achievement in mathematics and to extend this study to explore the relationship between supplemental digital mathematics tools and students' mathematics acquisition in elementary and middle grades as this study was limited to ninth grade students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This dissertation consists of three papers. In each paper, I leverage a different quantitative method to study a downstream effect of technology on educational outcomes. In the first paper, I study the impact of an online math learning program on 3rd through 5th grade math achievement in Louisiana. Employing Zearn Math usage metrics and administrative data from the Louisiana Department of Education, I find that grade-levels that programmatically used Zearn Math scored, on average, about 0.03 standard deviation units higher on Louisiana's statewide math assessment. A placebo test using English language arts scores and several robustness checks suggest this may be an underestimate of the true effect. The findings offer timely information on curricular decision-making as pandemic-related school closures have led to a twentyfold increase in public school spending on Zearn-related materials between July 2019 and July 2021 and its presence continues to expand across the nation. The second paper, co-authored with Mary Laski, synthesizes previous theories explaining declines in teacher quality and expands on the current literature by incorporating a useful comparison group: the nursing workforce. We document historical trends in skill level, average and relative wages, wage dispersion, unionization rates, and quantity, and find important divergences in the teaching and nursing professions that cannot be explained by previous theories. We posit two new theories that align with our documented trends: technological innovation and occupational differentiation in nursing. We argue that trends in the nursing profession indicate that declines in teaching quality were (and are) not inevitable. The third paper examines the impact of instructional format and tutors on student outcomes in the context of an early literacy tutoring initiative. It presents the first within-program experimental evidence comparing the impact of in-person versus remote tutoring. Overall, we do not find statistically significant differences in students' literacy outcomes between in-person and remote tutoring. However, substantial variation in student learning outcomes was attributable to differences across tutors, with the overall tutor effect estimated to be larger than that of instructional format. Additionally, students receiving in-person tutoring exhibited higher attendance rates and tutors reported closer relationships with their in-person students. These results suggest that while differences between in-person and remote tutoring may exist, the benefits of having a proficient tutor far outweigh these disparities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As technology use in sub-Saharan Africa has grown more prevalent, economic opportunities have become more available and plentiful (World Bank, 2024). Policymakers agree that economic development requires an educated workforce (Anna Valero, 2021). They acknowledge that proper workforce development places education at the center of talent generation (Radcliffe, 2023). While the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to unwind in the background on a global scale, this research attempts to intervene on the local, regional, and national levels in Uganda. Uganda experienced the most prolonged interruption of schooling in the world due to the pandemic. Between 2020 and 2021, roughly 15 million learners missed school, and about 30 percent might never return (Kwasi, 2023). Posing a more immediate economic fallout, "About 548,000 teachers [in Uganda] either took pay cuts or lost their jobs" (Kwasi, 2023). Social scientists are now beginning to understand precisely how these prolonged interruptions to Ugandan schooling have affected the country's society and economy over the longer term. This paper represents just one humble step in widening our understanding of the possibilities and pitfalls of technology interventions to right the course of development within the education sector in Uganda. Teachers remain at the center of change in the education sector, and those who can effectively use technology have been proven to facilitate instruction better (Costley, 2014). However, even in schools with an abundant supply of computers, institutions, and personnel require more than the readily available hardware to close the education gap or improve teaching and learning processes (Kibirige, 2023). This paper deals with how to leverage technology within Uganda's education sector. The subject deserves further attention. Technology could significantly enhance and expand students' education opportunities in Uganda. The study used mixed methods aligned with a Participant PAR (PAR) methodology and gathered qualitative data from a focus group, multiple surveys, an online content forum, and many one-on-one interviews. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This dissertation comprises three cross-disciplinary essays on information systems, marketing, and financial outcomes research for nonprofit service organizations. In our first essay, we explore service quality impacts on the constructs of positive and negative word of mouth, developing and validating a new measurement scale, testing it empirically, and finding support for our hypotheses that the quality of the digital services experience has a significant impact on positive and negative word of mouth. In a new branch of service-oriented word-of-mouth research, we find the opinion of the unrestricted use of generative artificial intelligence also affects positive word-of-mouth. In essays two and three, we examine online reputation, exploring how internet footprint and reputational constructs of prominence and perceived quality impact operational revenue and philanthropic donations. In both essays, we find a significant impact of online reputation on strategic financial outcomes for nonprofit service organizations. Our research uses a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate our hypothesized relationships comprehensively. This approach allows us to explore these relationships in both explanatory and confirmatory manners, enabling us to evaluate new variables and relationships while also exploring potential emergent impacts. We aim for a robust analysis that intentionally seeks completeness, expansion, and triangulation in assessing the effects of our hypothesized relationships on our dependent variables. By integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches, we enhance our empirical statistical findings with a deeper understanding of the underlying causal mechanisms, which provides evidence of consistent patterns that facilitate robust and non-accidental generalizations. Essay One: From Experiences to Advocacy: Exploring Service Quality and Word-of-Mouth Recommendation for Nonprofit Service Sector Organizations. Service quality excellence may lead to a competitive advantage for nonprofit services firms. This study examines nonprofit higher education services and their impact on driving positive and negative word-of-mouth recommendations. We develop and validate a new scale to test the relationship between service quality and positive and negative word of mouth. Importantly, we test positive and negative word of mouth as separate constructs, as neither a mirror image of one another nor mutually exclusive. Additionally, this research stakeholder opinion of unrestricted generative artificial intelligence in higher education. Through empirical analysis, we confirm our hypothesized relationships, finding digital service quality positively and significantly impacts both positive and negative word of mouth. This research explores student opinion on emerging broad student, faculty, and administration use of generative artificial intelligence and is, at the time of writing, the only academic paper that considers generative artificial intelligence use as a significant driving factor in positive and negative WoM sharing. Finally, we present a validated instrument and theoretical framework to study digital service quality and WoM in any service industry, not just higher education. Essay Two: "Exploring Financial Resilience in the Nonprofit Service Sector During Times of Crisis: The Role of Online Reputation." Online reputation is an important intangible asset that nonprofit services firms can leverage to increase demand and drive revenue. During disruptive times of crisis, online reputation alone may not be enough to sustain financial performance; however, it may afford protection, and serve as a buffer to negative financial impacts. First, our research empirically tests and finds support for new online reputation variables and internet signaling antecedents as they impact financial performance. Second, our study explores these relationships and their financial impact during the global COVID-19 pandemic, finding online reputation alone was not enough to protect from financial loss due to the pandemic. We also find nonprofits with stronger online reputations financially fared better than those with lesser online reputations, providing evidence a strong online reputation may afford financial protection and can be leveraged to minimize financial loss. Finally, to better understand the underlying mechanisms at work in our constructs and explore phenomena identified in our empirical analysis, we use semi-structured expert interviews and thematic coding to gather and analyze qualitative response data, resulting in insight, justifications, and boundaries for our reputational relationships. Essay Three: Inspiring Generosity: The Influence of Online Reputation on Philanthropic Giving for Nonprofit Service Sector Organizations During Times of Crisis. Furthering our research into online reputation, we explore how online reputation impacts philanthropic giving for nonprofit service organizations. In a cross-disciplinary exploration of information systems and broadened marketing, our research examines the constructs of online reputation and how it impacts charitable giving to U.S.-based higher education institutions before and after the onset of the COVID-19 global health crisis. Through quantitative analysis, we find a significant positive impact on the strategic financial outcome of donations using new quality- and awareness-signaling antecedent internet footprint variables, and reputational prominence and perceived quality variables. Through qualitative analysis, we explore the underlying mechanisms of our empirical relationships, using expert case studies to understand how online reputation positively impacts strategic financial outcomes, both during times of normal operations and crisis. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the use of and the attitude towards smartphone technology for in school and remote learning by urban high school students to reduce digital inequalities. High school students use smartphone technology in today's society as an integral part of their lives. Yet the majority of the large school districts in the United States ban the use of students' mobile phones in schools. Furthermore, while policy makers, school district personnel, and school administrators each year negotiate the school's technology budget, technology use agreements, network maintenance, and which Internet application tools to adopt, almost all students are bringing into schools an advanced computing technology device that imposes no additional cost to the school, the district, or the state. More consistently than pencils, papers or even textbooks, students bring their smartphones into schools every day. But rather than enhancing ways to incorporate students' smartphone technology into the school's curriculum and instructions, school districts around the country have developed policies and procedures to prohibit or strictly monitor their use in the schools. This research project was conducted from a Culturally Responsive Computing (CRC) theoretical framework using the culturally responsive teaching lens to examine technology use, technology education, and technology accessibility from students' perspectives. The study involved a quantitative design methodology using an online web survey which explored students' use and attitudes in three areas: usefulness of smartphones for school, students' beliefs and understanding of smartphone policies in school, and how smartphones for student enables connections. In addition, three open-response questions within the survey were analyzed using qualitative design coding methodology to identify emerging themes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

In the dynamic landscape of fashion, the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence technology (GAI) stands as a transformative force. Fashion professionals and students must adapt to this technological shift, recognizing AI's pivotal role in enhancing product development. This paper explores the incorporation of GAI into fashion curricula to equip students with essential skills for use in the industry. Drawing upon the United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study investigates various factors influencing students' perceptions of GAI, including its utility, ease of use, and potential career benefits. Employing a mixed-methods approach within targeted fashion education courses, the research evaluates students' experiences with GAI tools for text and image generation, looking at individual and team learning scenarios. Findings shed light on educational strategies to navigate GAI adoption in fashion product development, ensuring students' preparedness for the evolving technological landscape of the industry. Furthermore, this study delves into the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and fashion, examining the ethical considerations accompanying the adoption of GAI into fashion education to prepare students for use within their future careers. As the fashion sector has historically embraced technological innovations, the integration of GAI promises transformative potential but also raises ethical concerns reminiscent of past advancements. Through a mixed-methods approach, the research investigates how an ethical intervention impacts students' perspectives on GAI's use in fashion, identifying key ethical concerns influencing their perceptions of use for future careers. The study uncovers nuanced shifts in student views toward text-based and image-based GAI tools after partaking in an educational ethics intervention, underscoring the necessity of ethical education to navigate the complex landscape of AI technology in fashion. These findings offer insights to inform pedagogical strategies and prepare students for ethical engagement in the rapidly evolving fashion industry. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Scientific literacy is an increasingly important skill for today and tomorrow's citizens. Encapsulated in the definition of being scientifically literate, one must be knowledgeable about science and technology in context and be able to interpret and communicate the information well. Introductory science courses, like general chemistry, are key learning environments to promote scientific literacy by engaging students in context-based learning activities as these classrooms are taken by a diverse array of students. Educators must however consider how to integrate such activities with finesse as to not perpetuate misconceptions of science. This dissertation consists of a series of studies examining contextual-based chemistry learning through a communication lens in three ways. The first project compares how chemistry is portrayed in news media and the fundamental concepts are aligned with the introductory college level chemistry curriculum objectives. An assessment of potential contextual connections was made for educators' use. The second project studies how students make connections to and learn about chemistry in context through their writing via soundboards. Through coding the soundboards and finalized student papers, students found the task of communicating chemistry in an essay format proved to be challenging yet engaging. Students who participated in the soundboards were able to meet the multi-pronged goals of the writing prompt. However, scaling the interactive guidance is not feasible in large lecture classrooms. Thus, the third project focuses on the development, implementation, and analysis of a curated chatbot, a communication aid built to provide personalized, instantaneous, instructor-approved information for the writing assignment. The analyses of the log processes showcased the variety of ways students sought help using the tool. The curated chatbot has promise to extend to other classroom use case, such as deconstructing a course syllabus and interactive pre-laboratory preparation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]