High school writing teacher self-efficacy has suffered because the workload and emotional energy of grading papers is arduous, and despite their efforts to provide formative written feedback, many teachers believe students ignore or misunderstand it. Although audio feedback holds promise for improving the clarity of instructor feedback and the self-efficacy of writing instructors in higher education, its usefulness for improving high school teacher self-efficacy has remained unexplored. This multiple case study investigated how high school teachers believed Kaizena, a digital audio feedback technology, influenced their writing instruction and self-efficacy. Participants, who were drawn from the global Kaizena user base, included a user group of 3 United States teachers and a user group of 3 international teachers to determine how both groups used Kaizena and whether differences in use occurred in either environment. Data sources included individual teacher interviews, participant journals, and artifacts such as teacher-created writing assignments and rubrics. Data analysis included both single case and cross case analyses. Single case analysis included coding and categorizing of interview and participant journal data and content analysis of artifacts. Cross case analysis included identifying emerging themes and discrepant data. Results indicated that all 6 teachers both believed they gave more high quality, personalized feedback to students in less time with the audio feature of Kaizena than with written feedback and did, in fact, provide documents confirming this higher quality. As a result, using Kaizena positively influenced their self-efficacy. This study contributes to positive social change by providing insights into a feedback tool that could improve high school writing instruction.

The purpose of this case study was to explore faculty attitudes toward online learning in a Lebanese Higher Education Institution (HEI). The research problem addressed the disinterest among faculty at the Arts, Sciences, and Technology University of Lebanon (AUL) in enhancing learning using online technology. The research questions for this study explored the attitudes of the faculty toward applying online learning and the extent of the faculty readiness to adopt this technological change. A qualitative case study design was used that employed multiple sources of information including semi-structured interviews and existing literature. The target population was AUL faculty including full-time instructors and administration (n = 25). Data analysis was guided by the lens of Kanter's theoretical approach, which focused on the ADKAR model for adopting change in faculty's awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. Key findings indicated negative faculty impressions concerning online learning authority over technology use, culture, and changes such as increased enrollment and different teaching styles. Despite these findings, opportunity for the adoption of online learning was identified. Faculty indicated positive elements, such as the competitive advantage to be the first online institution in the Lebanese Market and higher student enrollment. These results may encourage AUL's faculty to adopt online learning and to follow the educational development steps taken worldwide. This study contributes to social change by expanding the ability of AUL and Lebanese students to compete globally.

Millions of dollars have been spent to acquire educational computing tools, and many education, government, and business leaders believe that investing in these computing tools will improve teaching and learning. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether charter school educators face technological barriers hindering them from incorporating technology into their classrooms. If they experienced self-efficacy issues integrating technology in their classrooms and if they believed their students were technologically prepared as 21st century professionals. A 5-point Likert scale survey, validated by a pilot study, was completed by 61 charter high school teachers. Their responses were analyzed, scores from the individual mean responses were used to calculate the total mean; and a parametric t test used to determine if the null or alternative hypothesis could be rejected. The theoretical foundation for this study was Cubans' and Brickners' first- and second-order barriers to change. In one charter school stratum, teachers experienced barriers integrating technology into their classes, while teachers in the other charter school strata did not. There was statistical significance in teachers' beliefs about their skills integrating technology into their classes and their students being technologically prepared as 21st century professionals. The results of this research could lead to positive social change by providing valuable information to help charter school administrators identify teachers who are experiencing barriers and how they can improve teacher's professional development integrating technology into their classrooms.

Earning a General Educational Development (GED) credential can have positive results in a student's life including higher wages and better job opportunities. The 2014 version of the GED exam changed the format from a paper-based test to a computer-based test. This change coincided with a 35% decline in the pass rate indicating not all students are prepared to pass the new computer-based test (CBT). The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the influence of a candidate's race and reason for taking the exam on the pass or fail outcome of the new computer-based GED exam. The study used Vroom's expectancy theory as the theoretical framework. The guiding question was to examine the relationship between a candidate's motivation and pass or fail outcome of the CBT. This study used a quantitative approach to analyze available archival data from The Technical College System of Georgia in 2014 and 2015. Two chi-square analyses were conducted on data from 21,641 participants using candidate's race, reason for taking the exam, and GED pass or fail outcome. Results suggested that individually, both a candidate's race and reason for taking the test have a statistically significant effect on the participant's pass or fail outcome. Results from this study may help GED educators and students better understand factors that can influence student success. Integrating career development orientations and remedial computer based technology classes into the GED preparation process were recommended. Implications for positive social change include the potential to increase student motivation, improve the preparedness of both students and educators and subsequently increase the number of people who pass the GED exam.

Numerous studies have been published on the efficacy of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) at the U.S. secondary and postsecondary school levels to increase student access to technology. However, there is a lack of data on the efficacy of a BYOD AUP to increase elementary student technology access. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to determine if a BYOD AUP at the U.S. K-5 level would increase students' access to technology as necessitated by the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This study was grounded in social transmission and transformative theories. The phenomenon of a northwest suburban elementary school BYOD implementation was examined by documenting the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, lived experiences, and practices of administrators and teachers. This study used interview and classroom observation of a purposive selection of 3 elementary educators, the principal, and superintendent. Coding of data according to key words lead to analysis according to nodes and themes. Triangulation of multiple data sources and member checking helped to establish the credibility of data. Study findings documented increased access to technology for elementary students, best practices and steps to implementation. Study recommendations for elementary educators and administrators considering BYOD include consensus building, AUP, technology infrastructure, communications, professional development, classroom management, and lesson design to inform the field on elementary BYOD. Study findings facilitate social change by providing BYOD implementation recommendations, increasing elementary student access to technology at a reduced cost to districts and schools.

Researchers have shown that vocabulary development is a challenge for English Language Learners (ELLs) as they are less prepared to use contextual and linguistic clues to decode unfamiliar vocabulary. Beginning in the upper elementary grades, reading in content areas becomes lengthier and more complex. Technology-supported vocabulary instruction to teach social studies to ELLs is a relatively new concept in the 5th grade classroom. The purpose of this comparative study was to assess the vocabulary and reading comprehension outcomes of ELLs in the content area of 5th grade social studies when taught using technology-supported versus traditional textbook instruction. Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning provided the theoretical foundation for the study. A quasi-­experimental approach with a nonequivalent pretest and posttest comparison group design was used. All 99 5th grade ELL students at an elementary school in the southeastern United States served as the study sample. Pre-existing classroom groups were taught using technology-supported or traditional textbook instruction. Instructional groups' vocabulary test scores were compared using ANCOVA with pretest social studies vocabulary scores serving as the covariate. Results revealed that 5th grade ELL students in the technology-supported instruction group scored significantly higher on the social studies vocabulary posttest as compared to the traditional textbook instruction group. The findings of this study suggest that technology-supported instruction in social studies is an effective teaching approach for ELL students at the 5th grade level. This study could be used to guide future research in the areas of ELL language acquisition, content area learning and comprehension, and equitable instruction for all students.

Ethics and compliance training of sales managers in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry showed little evidence that eLearning interventions developed to address employees' (a) awareness of unethical sales practices, (b) ability to judge a selling practice as unethical, and (c) intentions to speak up about unethical sales practices have had the desired effects. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an entertainment-education video to an eLearning course, to improve ethical issue awareness, ethical judgment, and speaking-up behaviors in the pharmaceutical sales profession. Social cognitive theory and the extended elaboration likelihood model provided a theoretical framework for studying the effects of entertainment-education. The primary research question was, if entertainment-education programs can be used as an effective methodology to improve ethical decision-making and increase intentions to speak up, compared to a narrative-style eLearning course. In this quantitative study, 64 sales professionals from a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company were randomly assigned to either an entertainment-education video or an eLearning group to compare the effects of intervention format on ethical issue awareness, ethical judgment, and intentions to speak up, measured using two ethical scenarios and surveys. Although both treatments had a significant effect on behavioral intentions to speak up, there was only a moderate difference between the two groups t(62) = 2.20, p = .032 when participants observed a patient safety issue. Results from this study may impact social change by providing compliance managers with evidence to evaluate the use of entertainment-education strategies to increase sales representatives' intentions to speak-up when they observe behaviors that may put patient safety at risk.

The St. Louis School District (SLSD) provided its students with a virtual education program (VEP) but abandoned it following a cut in federal funding, omitting an alternative pathway for students to complete their education. The problem addressed in this study was the effect of technology and management's decision to discontinue the VEP. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine management's role and the effect of the technology in discontinuing the VEP. Dewey's theory of education and Koskela and Howell's theory of management established the theoretical foundation for the study. A purposeful sampling selection approach was used to recruit 8 administrator and teacher participants who were knowledgeable about the VEP and who worked in their respective districts. An interview questionnaire was created and used to collect data. The data were processed and analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. The results revealed that technology was not a problem for the 3 school districts, but the SLSD did not prioritize the VEP in its budget. The results of this study might help other institutions keep their online program intact in the event a similar situation occurs. The implications for social change could be that securing a VEP could contribute in producing more well-educated citizens to work in higher-level jobs, drive business development, and contribute to community development in society.

Researchers have determined that field experience is crucial in education preparation programs, yet little information is available about field experience within online early childhood education (ECE) programs. Educators who work in online ECE programs need to understand how to facilitate field experience effectively. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to understand the processes, procedures, and experiences of instructors who facilitate preservice teachers' field experience in online ECE programs. A constructivist framework was used to examine facilitation practices. Nine instructors from online ECE programs in the United States participated in 2 semistructured interviews that lasted approximately 1 hour each. A combination of a priori and open coding was used to support inductive analysis. Themes included communication, mentoring, collaboration, parity between online and live facilitation of field experiences, roadblocks, innovations, assessment, and reflection. Participants reported that a constructivist approach was crucial for online facilitation. Four key findings included an intentionality of design for parity between online and live facilitation, active engagement in responding to facilitation challenges, embedded constructivism in curriculum design, and a necessity for online options despite preference for live field supervision. Social change implications for ECE instructors include sharing of best practices to improve facilitation of field experience in online ECE programs and acknowledgement of need for research focused on quality of field experience. Enhancing the quality of field experiences could better prepare teachers, which would benefit young children in ECE classrooms.

Novice teachers do not have sufficient opportunities to troubleshoot real-world teaching situations prior to having their own classrooms. Antiquated professional development (PD) models lack the collaboration element that provides authentic application of concepts. This qualitative case study was conducted to fill a gap in research on novice teachers' voluntary participation in an online community of practice. The study explored how the situated learning in this virtual community addressed the cognitive and social needs of early career teachers as they made the theory to practice connections. The community of practice framework and the social learning theories supported socialization as essential in early career teachers' growth. Research questions in the study examined five teachers' beliefs about collaboration- in promoting community engagement, the influence of voluntary participation on the quality of teacher engagement, and teachers' perceptions of the use of Web 2.0 technology to build community. A priori codes were created using the theoretical frame and research questions to guide the analysis of audio, transcriptions, observations, and other coded artifacts to find themes and patterns promoting internal validity. Findings revealed teachers' belief in collaboration impacted their level of engagement virtually. While voluntary participation motivates teacher participation, it does not guarantee high quality engagement without accountability. Since attrition is a continual threat to the teaching workforce, study results validate recommending the use of virtual resources to facilitate CoPs to remedy the mentoring and coaching void for early career teachers. Also, innovative use of Web 2.0 tools should be used to expose new teachers to diverse experiences that bridge theory to practice gaps and encourage teacher leadership, which promotes retention.