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Our society is becoming more and more digital and the outbreak of COVID-19 has stressed this process even more. Thus, the need for online teaching and learning has increased and many new advancements in technology have been made. These advancements have enabled the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and recent years have consequently witnessed increased attention to the use of AI for educational experiences, not least in K-12 schools. However, today little is known about how students perceive AI-based teaching which makes this area interesting to explore further. This study investigated childrens’ perception and learning experience of videos of a human-looking AI instructor, in comparison to videos of a human instructor. If there would appear to be no negative effects on childrens’ learning experience of an AI instructor, this could be used as a basis for developing the growing field of online education applications for children. The study has undertaken a case study approach. Data were collected through user tests and interviews with six children. The respondents were given video instructions by an AI generated instructor and a human instructor in order to evaluate how their perceived learning experience differs between these two. Primary findings indicate that the respondents notice only small differences between the two instructors. However, the answers from the respondents were very diverse, indicating that some respondents preferred the AI instructor while some preferred the human instructor. A lot of interesting findings, such as that children do not seem to be very observant with small malfunctions, are being discussed, indicating that children's learning experience might at least not be negatively affected by an human-looking AI instructor instead of a human instructor. / Vårt samhälle blir allt mer digitaliserat och utbrottet av COVID-19 har påskyndat denna utveckling ännu mer. Således har behovet av onlineundervisning ökat, och likaså har många nya framsteg inom tekniken gjorts. Dessa framsteg har sedan möjliggjort användningen av artificiell intelligens (AI), och följaktligen har man på senare år sett en ökad uppmärksamhet kring användningen av AI inom utbildning, särskilt i grundskolor. Idag är det dock relativt outforskat hur elever uppfattar AI-baserad undervisning vilket gör detta område intressant att utforska vidare I denna studie undersöks barns uppfattning och lärandeupplevelse av videor med en AI-instruktör med mänskligt utseende i jämförelse med videor med en riktig mänsklig instruktör. Om det inte verkar finnas några negativa effekter på barns lärandeupplevelse av en AI-instruktör kan detta användas som en grund för att utveckla det växande området för onlineutbildning applikationer för barn. Studien genomfördes genom en fallstudie. Data samlades in genom användartester och intervjuer med sex barn. Respondenterna fick videoinstruktioner av en AI-genererad instruktör och en mänsklig instruktör för att utvärdera hur deras upplevda lärandeupplevelse skiljer sig mellan dessa två. Resultatet visade på att deltagarna märkte även små skillnader mellan de två instruktörerna. Svaren från deltagarna varierade dock mycket och antyder att vissa deltagare föredrog AI-instruktören medan andra föredrog mänskliga instruktören. Många intressanta insikter diskuteras i denna studie, t.ex., att barn tenderar att inte vara så observanta på små felfunktioner, vilket indikerar på att barns lärandeupplevelse åtminstone inte verkar påverkas negativt av en AI-instruktör med mänskligt utseende istället för en människa.

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation includes three manuscripts that explore the construct of teacher-readiness for integration of computational thinking (CT) skills in their teaching. The first manuscript is a retrospective observational study that builds a binomial regression model to predict teachers’ competence in CT procedural skills using factors such as number of professional development trainings taken, time since last training, subject taught, educational background, teaching experience, and whether they currently teach CT. This study provides insights for professional development providers to better design CT trainings. Some of these insights are then incorporated in the second study which is a design case of an online gamified professional development for K-12 teachers. The second paper provides design precedents for professional development providers of CT for better CT integration in K-12 education. The third study is a phenomenological multiple case study that investigates teachers’ CT self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and goal relevance beliefs towards CT. It captures teachers’ understanding of what CT is and what its value is to the subjects that they teach. Together, the three studies holistically understand teacher readiness for integration of CT through teachers’ own perspective and provide key insights into how they can be better prepared for this change.</p>

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation explores the integration of Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) into formal K-12 curriculum through a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach. The overarching purpose is to develop a NGSS-aligned quantum-infused science curriculum unit for middle school students, aiming to enhance student understanding and engagement in quantum randomness. The study emphasizes the sequential introduction of concepts (from radioactive decay to quantum computing), interdisciplinary inquiry-based learning, and alignment of content and assessment strategies by leveraging Learning Progressions (LPs) and Hypothetical Learning Trajectories (LTs). Methods employed in this DBR study included iterative design processes, teacher feedback, and teaching experiments with 10 participant in-service middle school science teachers as well as quantitative assessment and evaluation of students’ learning and engagement data. Also, it is aimed to focus on professional development for teachers, incorporating NGSS and the Framework as the foundational guidelines. Findings highlighted the importance of teacher feedback in refining educational strategies, the challenges of teaching advanced quantum concepts at the middle school level, and the benefits of using classical physics as a gateway to introduce quantum concepts. This study is also manifestation of a structured teaching-learning pathway, guided by validation and hypothetical LPs, to support students' progression of understanding towards more sophisticated knowledge in QISE. Implications included the potential for enhancing coordination and sequencing of QISE teaching at the K-12 level, contributing to the cultivation of a diverse and quantum-savvy workforce. This DBR study hoped to set a foundation for future research endeavors, emphasizing the need for comprehensive teacher training in K-12 QISE education and the transformative power of education in fostering deeper comprehension and engagement with complex subjects.</p>

Data shows that there is an overall dearth of Asian Americans in the role of the principalship in K-12 public schools. According to the Department of Education (2019), Asian Americans made up 5% of the national student population, but less than two percent of all K-12 public school principals identified as Asian. This mixed methods study is designed to provide insight into why there is an underrepresentation of Asian Americans in roles of the principalship in K-12 public schools. Through the theoretical framework, Asian Critical Race Theory, the aim of this dissertation study is to a) examine the factors that may hinder or encourage Asian Americans from embarking on the journey towards the principalship and b) make recommendations and observations on how to break through the existing barriers that may inhibit Asian Americans from pursuing the role. The dissertation studied 92 principals and assistant principals in K-12 public schools and utilized a quantitative methodology with a questionnaire and a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and field notes as data sources. Findings indicate that it is still difficult to be viewed as a competent, Asian American principal. Additionally, women experienced an added layer of challenges related to their gender; and first- and second-generation participants experienced greater difficulty in navigating the system. The findings hope to be the catalyst for promoting more Asian American principals in ways that their voices and stories may be heard. Moreover, this emancipatory research can serve as a liberating experience and contribute to the greater Asian American community, specifically our students. As we continue to make strides towards a more equitable and diverse society, we must prioritize our efforts to truly diversify our educational systems, which include understanding biases and breaking through the bamboo ceiling.

This qualitative study used narrative inquiry interviews of a purposeful sample of three rural Appalachian women educational leaders in the South Central Appalachian region to determine how their sociocultural backgrounds or Appalachian identity structures influenced their leadership practices in K-12 educational settings. Using the metaphor of quilting, my research study considered the storied narratives of rural Appalachian women educational leaders as patches for a quilt, taking each story and sewing them together to see what commonalities and complexities exist that guide leadership in educational settings. The research questions for this study were grounded in the participants' narratives and explored the following two concepts: 1. How might storied experiences or sociocultural influences impact the leadership and decision-making of rural Appalachian women educational leaders? 2. How does the intersection of Appalachian identities and gender influence rural Appalachian women educational leaders in their leadership practice and decision-making? Participants were asked a series of questions in a narrative interview session, followed by follow-up questions asked via email to further their narrative interview responses. Common themes included the importance of relationships and the community, their educational experiences, leadership aspirations, and the challenges these Appalachian women leaders encountered in pursuing their leadership roles. Evidence from the study supported that their sociocultural backgrounds and Appalachian identities influenced rural Appalachian women educational leaders in how they lead in their schools. Like threads running throughout the quilt, the findings suggest that the Appalachian women educational leaders interviewed for this study have common experiences from their sociocultural backgrounds that influence how they lead. The findings from this study provided a foundation to further this research into how sociocultural backgrounds and other identity structures are carried with educational leaders and created a need for reflection on these backgrounds to help shape leaders into effective practitioners in their settings. / Doctor of Education / This qualitative study used narrative inquiry to document and analyze the stories of rural Appalachian women educational leaders regarding how their sociocultural backgrounds or Appalachian identities influence their leadership practices in K-12 educational leadership roles. The research questions that guide this study include: (1) Do storied experiences or sociocultural influences impact the leadership and decision-making of rural Appalachian women educational leaders? (2) How does the intersection of Appalachian identities and gender influence rural Appalachian women educational leaders in their leadership practice and decision-making? Through the data collected in this study, the researcher seeks to uncover patterns and themes in the stories and narratives of rural Appalachian women educational leaders, shedding light on how cultural identities influence leadership praxis in K-12 educational settings.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Robert J. Shoop / Lobbying and lobbyists have been a part of the national policymaking landscape since the inception of this country. In addition, lobbying and lobbyists play a similar role in the policymaking in every state in the Union. Recent and past media reports of dishonest politicians in Washington, D.C. who have accepted expensive gifts from powerful and unscrupulous lobbyists do little to cause the general public, including legislators in Kansas, to trust those individuals whose role includes being a source of information legislators can access when making decisions about issues. The purpose of this study was to discover the nature of the influence on Kansas K-12 education policy that each type of registered education lobbyist had from 1995 – 2006. The influence lobbyists have had on Kansas K-12 education policy was identified through interviews with each type of registered education lobbyist and with legislators who have served as the chief leadership of the Kansas House Education Committee, as well as through an analysis of documents related to bills the Committee considered from 1995 – 2006. A qualitative method of inquiry, in the form of a case study, was selected by the researcher as the methodology around which to structure the research. The focus of this case study was to learn how lobbyists influenced the decisions made by members of the Kansas House Education Committee from 1995 – 2006. The study identifies the significant education issues of the Committee as determined by an expert panel of educators, the strategies registered lobbyists indicated they used in their attempt to influence legislators’ decisions, and the information sources which were perceived to influence the positions lobbyists and legislators took on education policy. As a case study, the research is “based on one person’s encounter with a complex case” (Creswell, p. 187); and includes analysis of the data; a discussion of the implications of the understandings drawn from the analysis of data, and suggestions for future research.

Public K-12 education is a large enterprise in the United States. Through local, state and federal sources, the U.S. allocated over $610 billion to K-12 public education in 2009 (NCES). Not only is the commitment of public funds for education substantial, the provision of K-12 education is primarily administered by the government in non-market settings through local school districts. It is this institutional environment that generates the impetus for evaluating how those in education make choices in the absence of markets. Like traditional markets, non-market solutions often fail because the incentives facing individuals and agencies elicit choices which produce outcomes that are divergent from those which could be considered Pareto optimal. Examining these incentives and the resulting choices allows researchers to identify unintended consequences of policy and better inform policy design and reform. This dissertation endeavors to identify some of these incentives and to empirically examine their effects on the choices made by teachers and administrators. Chapter two recognizes that teaching effectiveness may motivate teacher choice into relatively more rigorous professional development. The empirical results suggest that teachers with a past history of relative ineffectiveness are selecting into the professional development program examined. The subsequent effectiveness of the in-service training is mixed. High stakes testing and school accountability are an increasing part of our K-12 education system. Chapter three acknowledges it is plausible that administrators may choose to place more students into class rooms of more effective teachers to maximize school performance. However, because of tenure and salary constraints they may choose to place fewer students into the class rooms of more effective teachers to reward their performance. Results overall indicate that more effective teachers have larger classes. Chapter four examines school district budget uncertainty and its relation to contingency funds. The institutional ambiguity of the definition of contingency funds allows a significant amount of choice for administrators to determine fund size and use. This chapter finds that administrators may be less sensitive to budget uncertainty and more responsive to the desire for budget fungibility. This dissertation concludes by addressing implications and future research.