Proponents of K-12 online learning claim that it can provide more equitable learning opportunities by offering access to courses that might not otherwise be available to students, and by providing personalized learning experiences. Despite the growth of online learning in K-12 public schools, very little is known about what constitutes good online teaching. The purpose of this interpretivist investigation was to learn about some of the ways in which culturally responsive teaching can occur online. This study focused on the practices of four full-time online high school teachers. Using the methods of grounded theory research, I analyzed data generated through observations of online courses, interviews with teachers, and teacher-written narratives in order to learn how four instructors practiced culturally responsive online pedagogy in one state-supported online program. Results indicated that the teachers engaged in frequent and ongoing dialogue with their students. The teachers used multiple strategies to get to know their students, to build class community, to adapt instruction to students’ learning needs and preferences, and to make learning relevant. Teachers also discussed contextual factors (e.g., program structure and student enrollment) that impacted their practice. However, some characteristics of culturally responsive pedagogy, including infusing students’ cultures into the curriculum and helping students to challenge power and hegemony, did not emerge. A discussion of these results includes potential implications for educational leaders at the state, district, and program levels, as well as recommendations for future research on culturally responsive online pedagogy (CROP).

This study sought to explore if training significantly increased community workers' perceived level of confidence and their ability to provide services to returning military personnel in two locations. To measure community workers' perceived level of confidence, participants N = 143 (n = 63 Norfolk, VA) and (n= 80 Fayetteville, NC) responded to an instrument containing 40 items. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the study variables. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the reliability of means between the groups from 2011 to 2012 (i.e., pre-intervention to post-intervention). A Bonferroni Correction was applied to control the familywise error rate. A one-tailed p-value for each analysis was used based on the hypothesis that the intervention produced greater agreement with each item. Means for each item and range of ratings for each item were also calculated. To examine community workers' ability to provide improved service to veterans, qualitative data from (n=81) participants were analyzed. Comments were transcribed and grouped into clusters, then the data were themed and categorized according to participants' reported change in the way they thought about themselves as community service workers. Themes related to the study of confidence for better service to veterans were included in the results. The results of the hypothesis were that overall statistically significant improvement was found for individuals who actively work with military personnel in Fayetteville, NC. Results for the Norfolk, VA site demonstrated statistically significant improvement in confidence on 7 survey questions, but statistical significance was not found overall. Overall practical significance for the community provider setting in both cities was surmised from the results. Results of the data analysis for the research question indicated participants were applying knowledge acquired to their work with reintegrating veterans and their families. The study and the resulting information can inform instructional designers, instructors, course developers, and the research community. Opportunities for future research are briefly discussed.

Higher education courses are increasingly moving online while educational approaches are concurrently shifting their focus toward student-centered approaches to learning. These approaches promote critical thinking by asking students to solve a range of ill-structured problems that exist in the real world. Researchers have found that student-centered online learning environments require students to have self-regulated learning skills, including metacognitive skills to regulate their own learning processes. Much of the research suggests that externally supporting students while they are learning online, either directly or indirectly, helps them to succeed academically. However, few empirical studies have investigated what levels of support are most effective for promoting students' self-regulated learning behaviors. Additionally, these studies reported conflicting results – some found maximum support to be most effective while others found no significant difference. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of different levels of support for self-regulated learning during a complex learning activity to solve an ill-structured problem-solving situation in an online learning environment. In addition, the role of students' self-efficacy on their academic achievement was examined. A total of 101 undergraduate students from three international studies courses offered at a large urban Southeastern public university in the United States participated in the study. The students were randomly assigned to treatment (minimum support, maximum support) and control groups. Students' academic achievement scores were measured using a conceptual knowledge test created by the professor teaching the courses. O'Neil's (1997) Trait Self-Regulation Questionnaire measured students' self-efficacy. Analysis of Co-Variance (ANCOVA) was conducted to analyze the data. The ANCOVA results indicated significant improvement of the academic achievement of the minimum support group versus both the maximum support and control groups. Additionally, self-efficacy as a co-variable did not significantly impact students' achievement scores in any of the groups. The overall results indicated that it is important to consider the level of self-regulated learning support when designing online learning environments promoting students' critical thinking skills. Promoting students' self-regulated learning skills is vital when designing online higher education courses.

Despite the advancements and availability of computers and digital technologies in today's schools and colleges, too many graduating K-8 teachers enter the teaching profession without the skills, knowledge, and experience to use technology as a teaching and learning tool. These issues directly affect whether teachers use technology in their schools. Too often preservice teachers lack the basic computer skills they need before they can use technology as a teaching and learning tool. Preservice teachers also need learning opportunities such as educational technology classes, faculty who model and demonstrate technology, and field placement schools with supervising teachers who use and encourage teaching with technology. Furthermore, preservice teachers need opportunities to acquire hands-on experience using hardware or software. A survey developed for this study collected demographic information about the participants and included sections about their technology skill levels, learning opportunities, and specific technologies preservice teachers used or did not use when student teaching. The survey was administered after the preservice teachers completed their student teaching requirements for a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. This study suggests that preservice teachers lack the skills, knowledge, and experience they need to use technology as a teaching, learning, and administrative tool. The findings suggest that preservice teachers are low-level users of technology for educational purposes. Even though this generation of students uses digital technologies more than other generations, their technology use centers around communication, convenience, and entertainment. Many preservice teachers only use technology for educational purposes when it is required of them, and then only at the most basic levels. Several recommendations were developed from this study. Require teacher education candidates to take and pass a computer competency skills exam. Provide a compulsory digital technology course devoted to educational issues concerning teaching and learning. Require faculty to teach and model technology in technology rich classrooms and during preservice teachers’ methods classes. Require supervising teachers to use and model technology for student teachers during their student teaching experience. Require education students to have and use personal laptop computers during their professional, methods, and student teaching placements.

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This is a case of technological change as it took place in Jefferson Middle School over eight years. It is a study of how a school moved from the abstract level of visioning and planning to the concrete level of action and implementation. Through interviews, historical documents, and reflection a story is told using a building trade metaphor of how the work environment, governance, and learning evolved under the leadership of a new principal as an instructional technology plan was implemented. A lens metaphor was used to view culture, change process, leadership, and reform and frame the guiding questions and conclusions. The culture was transformed by empowering staff members to act and involving them in decision making. A change in the use of instructional technology occurred because staff members shared ideas; participated in visioning, planning, and training; and used the services of an "outside expert". Leadership roles such as "supporter," "innovator," and "expert" were dispersed among staff members. The staff was involved in building level reform as they identified and solved problems. This case may be helpful to practitioners implementing change. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study is to identify the perceptions of selected high school principals regarding their use of technology and technology related professional development. The design of the study is based on the phenomenological study approach in which the lived experiences of a small number of people is investigated (Rossman & Rallis, 2003). This study used a qualitative methodology in which the researcher conducted interviews of nine current high school principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Using the qualitative method of interviewing allowed the individuals to completely describe their personal feelings and beliefs towards technology professional development. Personal responses tend to provide increased detail and reasoning for practices and experiences, and provides a way for researchers to understand the meaning of the participant's behavior (Seidman, 2006). Investigating the technology use and the technology related professional development of selected high school principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia provides further insight into the technology needs of current high school principals as well as the technology related professional development that makes their jobs more efficient. Six findings were identified from this research study, including: (a) participating high school principals use technology on average twenty three to twenty-six hours per week, including the weekends; (b) participating high school principals use technology for administrative uses such as staying in communication with the school community, and analyzing data in order to review student attendance and performance on standardized assessments; (c) participating high school principals use technology for instructional uses such as modeling instructional technology to the faculty and staff and being familiar with the same instructional technology that is being used in the classroom (d) participating high school principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia receive technology related training if it is the same technology that is being used in the classrooms of their respective buildings; (e) participating high school principals feel it was important to participate in some type of technology related professional development; and (f) participating high school principals feel that technology related professional development was necessary in order to have a better understanding of financing technology, learning about hardware and software, and relaying the importance of staying "current" in technology. This study contains several implications for future educational leaders. The implications are that school and division leaders should recognize the importance of (a) including in the job description the expectation that high school principals use technology; (b) providing professional development for using technology to review instructional data, and maintain contact with the school community; (c) providing professional development for instructional technology so that principals will be considered the instructional technology leaders for their respective buildings; (d) high school principals having knowledge of the instructional technology that is being used within classrooms, and be able to model it for the faculty and school community; (e) high school principals participating in technology related professional development in order to complete their administrative and instructional responsibilities; and (f) developing technology professional development plans that describe the financial responsibility of technology within a school, and provide specific details on the importance of the selection of hardware and software. / Ed. D.

This report describes the design, development, and evaluation of the Simple Linear Regression Lesson (SLRL), a web-based lesson that uses visual strategies to teach graduate students the principles of simple linear regression. The report includes a literature review on the use of graphics, animations, and data-driven animations in statistics pedagogy and instruction in general. The literature review also summarizes the pertinent instructional design and development theories that informed the creation of the lesson. Following the literature review is a description the SLRL and the methodologies used to develop it. The evaluation section of the report details the methods used during the formative and summative evaluation stages, including results from a small-group implementation of the SLRL. The report concludes with a review of the product's strengths and weaknesses and the process' strengths and weaknesses.