<p>Underachievement in gifted students is a problem often overlooked in the school system; up to 50% of gifted students achieve below their potential abilities (Morisano & Shore, 2010). However, gifted students are not considered at-risk and do not always receive educational experiences aimed to meet their needs (Ritchotte, Matthews, & Flowers, 2014). The risk of gifted underachievement is a problem for educators and a loss to society (Ritchotte et al., 2014; Steenbergen-Hu & Olszewski-Kubilius, 2016). In this quantitative study, survey responses from gifted achievers and underachievers were analyzed to determine differences in educational experiences and attitudes toward school and learning. Additionally, data from teachers were analyzed to determine if they perceive themselves as properly trained to meet the affective and academic needs of gifted students. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to understand whether the perceived value of educational experiences and attitudes toward school and learning differed among achieving and underachieving gifted students. The test showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Frequency distribution indicated the mode of responses to the teacher surveys. While some teachers use effective strategies in their classrooms to meet the needs of gifted students, other do not. Most teachers admitted to having limited training in gifted education. With lack of specialized teacher training and underachievement of the nation?s brightest students, a problem exists which needs to be addressed by educational systems to provide appropriate educational experiences to students with the potential for successful futures to benefit society.

<p> Competency-based education (CBE), a learning model focused on demonstrated proficiency in well-defined competencies rather than on the amount of time students spend in the classroom, influenced niche higher education markets in the United States for decades. However, the lack of a consensus definition limited CBE&rsquo;s widespread acceptance by the traditional academic community. In the early 21st century, concerns about accessibility and affordability led to renewed interest in and experimentation with CBE models in higher education. Despite this resurgence of interest, defining CBE as a concept remained problematic and underscored the need to clarify the conceptual use and understanding of CBE. Settings for the research included the ERIC online library, resource libraries of three national CBE initiatives, and official policymaker websites. Rodgers&rsquo; evolutionary approach to concept analysis, emphasizing the evolution of concepts, shaped the research design of this qualitative study. Documents published in 1973&ndash;1983 and 2005&ndash;2015, 2 eras of intense postsecondary CBE experimentation, comprised the purposive sample. Using the described method, CBE characteristics were categorized in stakeholder and temporal contexts and common characteristics identified. Although this study confirmed a lack of consensus definition, it also revealed three characteristics fundamental to CBE. At its&rsquo; core, CBE is a learning model with (a) explicitly stated competencies; (b) progression determined by demonstrated performance; and (c) an individualized instruction framework well suited to mature learners with life and work experience beyond school. These core characteristics support an adaptable framework providing a foundation for CBE&rsquo;s enduring presence in the higher education landscape of the United States in the 20th and 21st centuries.</p><p>

While there has been much discussion of cognitive processes underlying effective scientific teaching, less is known about the response nature of assessments targeting processes of scientific reasoning specific to biology content. This study used multiple-choice (m-c) and short-answer essay student responses to evaluate progress in high-order reasoning skills. In a pilot investigation of student responses on a non-content-based test of scientific thinking, it was found that some students showed a pre-post gain on the m-c test version while showing no gain on a short-answer essay version of the same questions. This result led to a subsequent research project focused on differences between alternate versions of tests of scientific reasoning. Using m-c and written responses from biology tests targeted toward the skills of (1) reasoning with a model and (2) designing controlled experiments, test score frequencies, factor analysis, and regression models were analyzed to explore test format differences. Understanding the format differences in tests is important for the development of practical ways to identify student gains in scientific reasoning. The overall results suggested test format differences. Factor analysis revealed three interpretable factors—m-c format, genetics content, and model-based reasoning. Frequency distributions on the m-c and open explanation portions of the hybrid items revealed that many students answered the m-c portion of an item correctly but gave inadequate explanations. In other instances students answered the m-c portion incorrectly yet demonstrated sufficient explanation or answered the m-c correctly and also provided poor explanations. When trying to fit test score predictors for non-associated student measures—VSAT, MSAT, high school grade point average, or final course grade—the test scores accounted for close to zero percent of the variance. Overall, these results point to the importance of using multiple methods of testing and of further research and development in the area of assessment of scientific reasoning.

<p> There is limited literature regarding how higher education leaders influence and shape curriculum do for graduate students. The question is how the curriculum is influenced by higher education leaders. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to discover how those in leadership positions in higher education influence and shape curriculum for business school graduate students. Examining the influence higher education leaders have on curriculum design will provide information to universities to evaluate their current processes and may help universities continue to improve program quality. An exploratory qualitative descriptive approach was taken for this study. Qualitative data was collected via eight interviews with those involved in curriculum design. Specifically, participants for this study were those in leadership positions (administrators, deans, associate deans, and senior faculty) in the masters of business administration (MBA) program at a selected university in the Northeast region of the United States. The data from the interview transcripts were analyzed to discover how those in leadership positions in higher education influence and shape curriculum for business school graduate students. The four major themes identified in this study were flexibility, streamlining, continuous improvement, and innovation. The study revealed that factors such as flexibility, communication (internal and external), adaptability, and technology all contribute to robustness of the graduate business curriculum and are a reflection of how those in leadership positions influence the curriculum. The findings from the study revealed similar views regarding participants&rsquo; experiences about their role in influencing and shaping the curriculum, challenges faced, and common experiences among several participants. The study revealed that the participants reported positive feedback on their level of participation with the curriculum design process. The practical implications that may result from the proposed research may explain the current leadership structures, both formal and informal, within department of business. Results of the study may also have the potential to inform the development of future curriculum design efforts to enable current and future department faculty and chairs to influence curriculum design as effectively as possible.</p>

<p> As school leaders continue to attempt to integrate technology into today&rsquo;s classrooms, 1:1 laptop initiatives are becoming increasingly more prevalent and certainly more affordable than ever before. School leaders must be able to justify the expenditure by the direct impact the integration of the laptops make on classroom instruction and learning. Preparing and supporting teachers to teach and facilitate learning with these new technological tools is a necessity that cannot be overlooked in ensuring the success of 1:1 laptop initiatives. This study examined the impact of various professional development preparatory factors on the instructional change that occurred immediately after implementation of a 1:1 laptop initiative within three high schools. Significant differences were observed between the teachers&rsquo; perceived value of different types of professional development activities, including learning to use hardware, software, content management and instructional delivery platforms, as well as learning to integrate technology into instruction. Significant changes were also observed in each of 11 different instructional activities when comparing teacher practice pre-1:1 laptop initiative implementation and during implementation. Correlations between the amount of time teachers had access to their own laptops prior to the 1:1 implementation and the change in frequency of use of the instructional activities indicated limited significant results, as did the correlations between the length of professional development preparation designed to prepare teachers for the 1:1 laptop initiative and the change in frequency of use of the 11 instructional activities. The final correlations between the teachers&rsquo; perceived value of the four professional development activities and the change in frequency of use of the 11 instructional activities also yielded limited significant results.</p>

<p> Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, or STEM, is an area that is currently growing in popularity with educators (Becker &amp; Park, 2011). A qualitative study consisting of interviews was conducted and data were gathered from three leaders in professional STEM organizations, four principals from elementary STEM schools, and six teachers from elementary STEM schools to gain their perceptions of elementary STEM schools in Missouri. The perceptions of leaders in professional STEM organizations regarding STEM education were consistently all positive, and each leader was a proponent of STEM education at the elementary level. The perceptions of principals and teachers were also similar in response to interview questions. Both principals and teachers reported STEM education has the ability to increase student engagement and student achievement. The principals provided information that showed a shift in teacher attitude toward STEM from hesitant to giving full support. The teachers offered answers to the interview questions that showed favor and support for continuing professional development in regards to STEM education. Results and conclusions from this study may assist schools in deciding if STEM education should be integrated within their curriculum.</p>

<p> Grit, defined as the tendency to pursue long-term goals with sustained zeal and hard work, was shown to predict achievement in academic, vocational, and avocational domains. In 2009, Duckworth and Quinn found that grit predicted student effectiveness in school and the concept of grit was largely unrelated to talent. Grit provided incremental predictive validity for achievement outcomes, particularly in settings of high challenge. From the combination of persistence, self-control, and more broadly, conscientiousness, emerges the concept of grit. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to compare the relative grittiness of students from two different high school settings. The first of these was a non-traditional technical high school. The second was a traditional suburban high school. One hundred students from each high schools took the Grit-S survey to determine their level of grit. It was found that students attending the non-traditional high school and students attending the traditional high school had no statistically different level of grit. However, students from the non-traditional technical high school had an observably higher level of self-reported grit. Teachers and administrators were interviewed to determine their perceptions about grit. Qualitative analysis of their responses rendered three commonalities. The first theme was a definition of grit rooted in persistence and self-motivation. The second theme was the need for adults to model grit for the benefit of their students. The third theme was a lack of difference between the genders in perceived grit or academic prospects. </p><p> This dissertation expanded on the research of Grit and Student Performance as it relates to students who attend a non-traditional technical high school and students who attend a traditional high school. There was a lack of previous research comparing these two distinct types of high schools. After the data was gathered and analyzed no significant differences were found. This dissertation provides ideas for future research and its results may possibly change attitudes about students in both high school settings.</p>

<p> Nursing programs have embraced distance learning in their curricula, but discussion is ongoing about course assignments and grading criteria to increase examination scores in nursing distance learning courses. Because course examinations are a predictor of success on the postgraduate licensing examination (NCLEX-RN), the purpose of this study was to determine whether differences existed in student examination scores between nursing distance learning courses with and without points aligned to assignments. The theoretical framework was Knowles&rsquo;s theory of andragogy, which highlights adults&rsquo; motivation and self-direction to succeed. The quantitative causal comparative study included a convenience sample of 164 students to compare archival data of 4 examination scores between 2 nursing distance-learning courses. Data analysis included an independent-groups one-tailed <i> t</i> test. No significant differences were found between the 2 courses, suggesting that students do not achieve higher examination scores with course points aligned with course assignments. Nursing administrators and faculty in nursing programs with a distance learning component will benefit from the findings of this study. Findings may be used to draft, revise, and implement assignment criteria and point alignment for nursing distance learning courses. Social change will occur when nursing distance learning faculty use problem-solving and critical thinking assignments, including case studies, discussion boards, group assignments, concept mapping and NCLEX-RN style testing in each nursing distance learning course. Because point alignment to course assignments do not significantly improve examination scores, implementation of problem-solving and critical thinking assignments is necessary to promote student learning and examination success.</p>

<p> Student engagement is a prominent indicator of a student&rsquo;s academic success (Harbour, Evanovich, Sweigart, &amp; Hughes, 2015). Leavy (2015) continued the engagement dialogue by stating the arts can be highly engaging and a high-yield strategy leading to academic success. Research has been conducted on arts integration, but little research specifically aligns arts integration with student engagement (Mason, Thormann, &amp; Steedly, 2004). Further, there is a lack of depth within arts-integration research on all of the &ldquo;arts&rdquo; (including music, visual arts, drama, and dance) (Mason et al., 2004). In this qualitative study, student engagement was viewed from teachers&rsquo; perspectives within one urban elementary school which focuses on arts integration. Seven teachers were interviewed and 10 observations were conducted in various classrooms at the same arts-integrated elementary school. Commonalities among teacher perceptions from those interviewed were identified from the analysis of data. Participants agreed arts integration was a teaching strategy students appreciated and preferred. Additionally, participants reported they enjoyed teaching in an arts-integrated setting; however, interview data revealed teachers at the school site did not have collaborative planning. Teachers in an arts-integrated school must collaborate on lesson planning to effectively create an integrated, collaborative plan (Riley, 2012). The findings from this study may help teachers and school leaders identify the components of student engagement in an arts-integrated classroom within the elementary setting.</p>

<p> The researcher conducted a study focused on the suspension/expulsion and graduation rates of Missouri public high school special education students. The goal was to determine if these areas of focus influenced one another. Analysis occurred through the use of secondary data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education within the following school years: 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015. Additionally, public school personnel received online surveys via SurveyMonkey.</p><p> The four hypotheses targeted the following: a difference between public high school special education students and graduation rates, the number of students with disabilities suspended/expelled, the graduation rates of non-suspended/expelled special education students, and the suspension/expulsion rates of special education students compared to general education students. Analysis revealed during all three school years studied, differences existed. This was especially important for hypothesis three which was about the graduation rates of non-suspended/expelled special education students to suspended/expelled special education students. Results proved to be significantly different. </p><p> School personnel responded to four research survey questions. The first and second survey questions focused on the perceptions of staff and the suspension/expulsion rates of public high school students with and without disabilities. Survey question three asked staff who worked with students with disabilities what their viewpoints were about their graduation rates. The fourth survey question requested that public school employees write about interventions for high school special education students that would be more successful than suspension/expulsion. The last survey question asked public school personnel what the necessary supports were in order to be successful when working with special education students. The results revealed a range of staff perceptions. Staff responses included minimal concerns on the research topics to desiring the research topics become a major area of focus. </p><p> As an outcome of all results, the researcher suggested conducting additional data analyses, both quantitative and qualitative, distributing surveys during a different or extended time period, and adding interviews to the process. The researcher believed additional information would provide greater insights on suspension/expulsion and graduation rates and help public school employees determine ways to decrease one, while increasing the other.</p>