Public education in the United States has experienced an increase in distance-learning (DL) opportunities. Because research has focused on student achievement in post-secondary DL programs, little is known about secondary students' experiences. The purpose of the current study was to explore DL applicability within secondary education. Specific research questions addressed by the concurrent mixed methods nested study included examining students' opinions and experiences in a secondary DL course and determining whether individual learning styles were addressed. Structured interviews, group discussions, and a survey were used to gather data over 2 months from 14 students in grades 9 through 12 participating in a state wide Alabama DL program. Surveys were used to assess and match DL activities to Gardner's 8 learning styles. Interviews and discussions explored students' opinions about activities and components and perceptions of their academic achievement. Quantitative data indicated that students reported some activities related to all learning styles with the greatest coverage observed for linguistic methods. Qualitative data were open and axial coded within each research question and the coded data was analyzed to define common DL practices used to meet specific styles and emergent themes related to student perceptions. Triangulation of results showed DL students felt successful based on their participation in a spectrum of activities including interactive video, e-mail, online discussion boards and tutoring sessions, and self-directed learning. The study contributes to positive social change by documenting a variety of strategies employed to successfully engage secondary DL students who present a variety learning styles and challenges related to DL curricular content and modes of delivery.

Effective teaching strategies that improve the development of phonemic awareness are important to ensure students are fluent readers by third grade. The use of handheld devices to improve phonemic awareness with kindergarten students may be such a strategy, but no research exists that evaluates the use of these devices. This study explored the effectiveness of Bee-Bot handheld devices in kindergarten classrooms to teach phonemic awareness. A 4-month sequential mixed-methods study was conducted in four classrooms: two that used Bee-Bot handheld devices in phonemic awareness lessons and two that never used the devices. The score gain (Fall 2009 to Winter 2010) for initial sound fluency (ISF) on the DIBELS assessment was analyzed for between-group effects using ANCOVA, controlling for Fall 2009 letter naming fluency (LNF) scores. No significant difference was found between ISF scores of students using the Bee-Bots and those not using them. Interviews of the 4 classroom teachers determined their perceptions of the ways handheld devices supported phonemic awareness. Interviews were coded for (a) assessments, (b) engagement, (c) strategies, (d) social growth and (e) technology standards. Teachers reported that students using Bee-Bot handheld devices remained on task longer, increased motivation, developed leadership skills, and students enjoyed learning with the devices. Findings suggest that handheld devices used to enhance phonemic awareness in kindergarten may offer an engaging way to enhance social skills while providing technology integration. This study contributes to social change by improving teacher knowledge of technology-assisted strategies for social and literacy skills among less advantaged populations.

In a school district, teachers and administrators found that students lacked the academic technology immersion necessary to ensure their technological preparation for the 21st century. Professional development was offered to prepare teachers to integrate 21st century technology into their instruction; however, teachers were not fully implementing technology. Administrators and stakeholders have indicated concern. The purpose of this study was to explore whether professional development was effective in increasing teachers' capacity to integrate student-directed technology into instruction. The study, guided by Prensky's transformation and Siemen's connectiveness theories, indicated that technology immersion was necessary within schools. The overarching research questions explored the extent to which technology-based professional development experiences have most directly affected the integration of technology into the classroom. The research design was a qualitative explorative study comparing archival teacher learning logs of 15 teachers from 5 high schools with 2 questionnaires. The narrative findings from the learning logs were cross-checked through triangulation with the percentage data from a Likert-type scale and questionnaire to determine accuracy and reliability. Data indicated that professional development increased technology integration in a moderate way, whereas comprehensive integration will better prepare students for the future. The purpose of the white paper report was to encourage stakeholders to collaboratively discuss the needs of teachers and review strategies to meet the 21st century technology skills of students. Implications for social change are that high school stakeholders who read this white paper may be prompted to discuss options to equip students to use 21st century skills to address personal, local, and world issues.

Culture tends to be misplaced as a secondary instructional goal in most foreign language classrooms. Although research has suggested that a strong link exists between language and culture, the problem resides in how best to teach culture in the classroom. While this problem impacts all learners, it may affect high school students more because they are entering a multilingual and multicultural world through higher education, study abroad, and employment. Based on Moran's conceptual framework of culture, this study addressed a gap in the literature by examining the effects of 2 innovative technologies, wikis and eBoards, and their potential to improve high school Spanish students' cultural proficiency. The research questions examined whether or not there is a difference in level of cultural proficiency between those students using wikis and those using eBoards. In addition, this study observed whether differences exist in satisfaction levels for students learning about Spanish culture via eBoards and wikis. The research method was a quasi-experimental quantitative design that involved approximately 150 Spanish 3 students at a suburban high school. Three instruments were used to gather the data: a demographic survey, a pre- and posttest instrument, and an attitudinal survey. Independent t tests and an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in gains in student cultural proficiency. However, the attitudinal survey results indicated that there were statistically significant differences in student levels of satisfaction between the 2 groups in favor of students using wikis. These results provide classroom-based evidence of the use of collaborative instructional technology to teach culture in the Spanish classroom and, more importantly, to further student understanding of the interconnected global society of the 21st century.

Social learning plays a critical role in cognitive apprenticeship, community of practice, and knowledge production theories. Gunawardena's interaction analysis model, which provides a means of evaluating discourse for social construction of knowledge, is comprised of five phases: (a) sharing and comparing, (b) disagreement, (c) negotiation and co-construction of new knowledge, (d) testing of knew knowledge, and (e) use or phrasing of new knowledge. There is a paucity of research that has empirically explored social construction of knowledge, especially in an extended semiformal asynchronous graduate learning experience. This study explored two research questions: whether social construction of knowledge took place, and if so, how such construction occurred. The study used data from two quarters of a five-quarter graduate level, asynchronous research laboratory allowing students in psychology programs to work on a faculty research project. This study was a qualitative secondary data analysis of 1,739 postings by 17 students and one instructor. The original transcripts were converted to a database for coding using the interaction analysis model. Numerous uses of phase II, disagreement, and above demonstrated that social construction of knowledge occurred and provided a method of understanding how such construction took place. Students socially constructed knowledge by expressing disagreement or dissonance and then worked together to synthesize new knowledge. As a critical component of situated learning, understanding social construction of knowledge provides impetus for pedagogical improvements for increased learning. This in turn can provide students with necessary knowledge and new ideas to apply toward positive social change in their communities.

The rapid growth of online learning fueled by technologies including course management systems (CMS) has transformed the traditional educational landscape. Little research shows why faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been slow to adopt this new teaching paradigm. This quantitative, nonexperimental study utilized Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory as the theoretical base. Research questions explored faculty perceptions of the CMS's attributes (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability) and organizational support (policies, procedures, and norms) in order to predict adopter status. The study used a convenience sample of 137 full-time faculty from 3 public and 2 private HBCUs in the southeastern U.S. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The findings provided evidence that faculty in different adopter categories have varying characteristics and needs related to adoption and use of the CMS. Predictors for innovators were compatibility and complexity; for early adopters, relative advantage, complexity, and observability; and for early majority adopters, the predictor was complexity. For late majority adopters, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability were predictors; and predictive attributes for laggards were relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and organizational support. Several individual factors were significant for each adopter category. The findings may be used to promote positive social change by providing a means for administrators and faculty development staff to predict adopter levels in order to develop initiatives that address differences in adopter needs, thereby facilitating adoption of the CMS and online learning.

The rapid rise of technology, which has become embedded in all facets of 21st century society during the past decade, has fostered a corresponding rise in its misuse. Digital citizenship abuse, a relatively new phenomenon of this electronic age, is a rapidly growing global problem. Parents, schools, and society play roles in supporting appropriate online behavior. Schools must take the lead role to assess and address digital citizenship issues. This ex post facto study investigated the online actions of students in a medium-sized K-12 school district and explored possible causal relationships between online misbehavior and student grade and gender based on data collected from state and district surveys. Kohlberg's theory of moral development, Perkins and Berkowitz's social norms theory, and Bandura's social cognitive theory provided the study's theoretical base. Hypotheses were tested using independent-measures t values, a single-factor, independent-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the chi-square test for independence. With respect to the four components of online student behavior---personal safety, digital citizenship, parental involvement, and cyberbullying---analyses determined that there are significant differences between grade level and gender. As the grade level increased, personal safety risks, digital citizenship abuse, and cyberbullying increased, while parental involvement decreased. Males had significantly more personal safety and digital citizenship issues than females but no significant gender difference for parental involvement. Implications for positive social change include raising awareness of local digital citizenship issues with parents, staff, and students, and ultimately mitigating and preventing student online risky behavior.

This qualitative study explored the quality of technology associated with interactive video (ITV) classes in distance education programs and the resulting satisfaction of the instructors teaching this format. The participants were full time instructors of a rural community college that used the ITV format. Community college ITV instructors are knowledgeable about the ITV technology and are in need of research that explores the satisfaction of that technology. Distance education theory, social constructivism, individual and collaborative learning, and technology formed the foundation for the research. Grounded theory was used to generate a theory about the perceptions of the instructors. Data collected included surveys, interviews, and observations of the interviews. Data were analyzed using theoretical sampling, constant comparison, open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Analysis indicated that instructors' perceived greater satisfaction teaching in an ITV environment when the structure of the class was optimum for the course, the audio/visual technology worked effectively, the Web-enhanced component of the course ran smoothly, IT was available, quality training was offered, and transactional distance was perceived as minimal. This grounded theory provides positive social change for other educators and administrators who teach ITV by guiding their efforts to use ITV course delivery systems in ways that ensure the fulfillment of needs for both instructors and their students.

College faculty members are often inadequately prepared to use technology in their classrooms. They often learn technology without institutional support, and without understanding technology's impact on student learning. As a result of these shortcomings, the use of technology in the college classroom is often not systematic or focused on improving learning. This study used a conceptual framework based on Wenger's learning community or community of practice idea. This study examined a Midwestern university where faculty made only limited use of classroom technology and did not demonstrate contemporary approaches to student learning. The study set out to determine the impact of technology-based faculty learning communities on student engagement. Five university faculty members served as research participants; all agreed to form a learning community and participate in a series of interviews that examined the impact of technology integration and the role of learning communities on adopting technology. Interview data were analyzed using an emergent and exploratory approach where themes and trends were identified through direct observation and examination of interview transcripts. One of the emergent themes was that increased faculty technology use depends primarily on positive prior experiences with technology. Another theme was that students' self-reported technology competency does not accurately reflect classroom uses, which may have a significant impact on educational technology integration strategies. The study's findings provide guidelines for a best practice model of faculty professional development to improve and enhance classroom learning with educational technology.

Institutions of higher learning have been tracking student course-drop rates as a measure of student success along with faculty performance data. However, there is a lack of understanding as to how faculty performance data influences drop rates. The purpose of this study was to determine whether faculty knowledge of performance data creates a difference in drop rates. This study combined theories of performance measurement, decision support, self-determination theory (SDT), and personal decision making (PDM) as a conceptual foundation that linked faculty knowledge to student success. The specific research question addressed if data can be used to assist faculty efforts in reducing student attrition. This experimental longitudinal study tested the effect of faculty knowledge of personal performance measures on student course-drop rates. A sample of 32 subjects from a major university were randomly selected and assigned to equivalent-groups that included an experimental group, which received performance feedback and instruction, and an uninformed control group. Paired sample t-tests indicated a significant 32.8% reduction in student attrition for faculty in the experimental group, compared to a 10.3% increase in attrition observed for the control group faculty. Results suggest that providing faculty access to performance data via a decision support system will result in a reduction of student course drop rates. The key social value for this study is to provide a blueprint in collecting, structuring, and disseminating data that assist faculty and institutions in addressing student persistence. Students who persist in their courses have a greater potential of completing their studies and thus gaining access to better paying careers, higher levels of self-esteem, and an overall improved quality of life.