Teachers’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Students’ Academic Performance in Online Courses: A Case Study

The problem at the center of this study was the fact that full-time virtual students often showed less learning gains than their traditional counterparts. The purpose of the study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of internal and external factors influencing students’ academic achievement in online courses. The central research question was: what factors do teachers perceive as a significant impact on online students’ success? A qualitative method with a case study design was adopted. Data were collected through individual teacher interviews and a focus group discussion in southeastern region of the United States. The results showed five significant themes: student motivation/drive in academics, teacher support for online students, communication between stakeholders for student success, parent support of the student, and home life of the student. The implication of this study highlights the need for all stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual coursework and redesign course framework to meet the needs of students. The recommendation for further research includes expanding the scope of the study to understand online learning’s impact on other student populations, including student populations across the United States, along with countries around the world

Balancing Religious Liberty and Anti-Discrimination Interests in the Public Employment Context: The Impact of Masterpiece Cakeshop and American Legion

At the heart of national debate in recent years is the balance between religious liberty and anti-discrimination interests. The Supreme Court’s recent Free Speech and Establishment Clause decisions in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 138 S. Ct. 1719 (2018) and American Legion v. American Humanist Association, 139 S. Ct. 2067 (2019) push the pendulum in this debate towards greater protection of religious liberties, and signal the Court’s preference for context-specific tests for how the Establishment Clause will interact with the broader range of interests protected by the Free Exercise Clause. These cases are especially significant in the public employment context, where government employers must consider whether requested accommodations violate the Establishment Clause. This Article explores and analyzes the dichotomy of paradigms that has led Supreme Court jurisprudence to its current path, including the Court signaling its preference for context-specific Establishment Clause tests. This Article then proposes a context-specific test for public employment law that balances the magnitude and likelihood of third-party harm, substantiality of burden to religious liberty, and availability or prevalence of secular accommodations. This test seeks to establish an equitable balance between protection of religious liberties and anti-discrimination interests. It does so by providing room for factual inquiry and context-specific value judgments, while still allowing for a workable framework and sufficiently predictable results

Reader’s Theater: A Quasi-Experimental Study for Secondary Students

A quasi-experimental quantitative study using a pretest-posttest design examined the effects of Reader’s Theater to eighth graders fluency and comprehension development. The study used 50 eighth grade students with 25 students making up the control group and 25 students making up the experimental group. Reader’s Theater was used as an intervention with the experimental group for 30 minutes a day for 6 weeks while the control group used regular instructional methods including summarizing, questioning, and text-dependent questions. Data were gathered using a fluency passage from Easy CBM and a 20-question comprehension passage from Easy CBM. Most students showed improvement in their fluency and comprehension scores after the study. Data suggested that Reader’s Theater is effective in increasing both variables among students within the intervention group. The gains between the experimental group and the control group based on posttest data showed a significant difference. Results from this study indicated the effectiveness of using Reader’s Theater at the secondary grade level to increase both fluency and comprehension scores. This study was unique in that it uses a primary grade level intervention such as Reader’s Theater with eighth grade students to suggest a way to bridge reading gaps in secondary students

The Stories of Middle School Science Teachers’ Teaching Evolution: A Narrative Inquiry

Avoidance of the theory of evolution occurs in science classrooms due to levels of dissonance from challenges that persist in the United States from conflicting worldviews and a lack of support regarding the topic of evolution. The purpose of this qualitative study with a narrative inquiry design was to explore the stories of science teachers teaching evolution in middle schools. This study adopted a qualitative method with a narrative inquiry design. Participants were 10 public middle school science teachers with at least 10 years of science teaching experience in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the Pacific Northwest. The central research question of this study was: What are the stories of science teachers teaching evolution in middle schools? The results disclosed eight major themes: (a) intrinsic motivation from science authors, childhood interests, and family members; (b) microevolution as a common teaching approach to teach evolution; (c) macroevolution as an uncommon teaching approach for teaching evolution; (d) hominins as an uncommon teaching approach for teaching evolution; (e) external challenges of religious conflict among students, colleagues, and parents; (f) internal challenges with colleagues and students; (g) support from administrators and colleagues; and (h) need for support by administrators and colleagues. The findings showed a need for teacher training courses and professional development opportunities. Recommendations for future research are included