In the current globalizing society, teachers are provided opportunities to move across their national borders to seek learning, professional development, and working opportunities. Technology-related professional development is particularly valued for teachers' sojourn to the technology intensive cultures. This qualitative cross-case study explored the K-12 Chinese language teachers' changes of teachers' application and perspective toward educational technology in cross-cultural teaching context through the lens of transformative learning theory. The qualitative data is collected from the interviews with 20 teacher participants in the four stages of cross-cultural sojourning: pre-departure, currently sojourning, post-sojourn, and immigrated. A qualitative cross-case analysis is conducted to compare the characteristics of teachers in different cases, and developed the complete process of the cross-cultural technology adoption and perspective. Factors contributed to the changes are also identified. Five issues related to the process are discussed. Implications and future directions were also included.

Leadership theories have evolved since their inception and leadership development should also evolve in response to the changing needs of their organizations. There is a gap in the literature on the functionality of the various 360-feedback platforms that are mentioned in literature which makes it difficult to understand what reporting functionality is available in existing systems. The goal of this study was to examine participants' views of a newly developed Adaptive Learning 360-feedback (AL360) treatment platform for leadership development with a focus on self-directed learning for improved accountability. Participants were asked to share their learning development experience in the areas of person, process, and context with suggestions for improvement and how did this development compare to any other leadership development that they had experienced in the past. The AL360 platform was built by applying the research findings of scholars in the areas of leadership, 360-feedback leadership development and educational technologies. The treatment was applied in a business setting for all levels of leadership development. The case study identified creation of leadership of self-awareness and accountability for development without significant intervention of an executive coach. The research findings also list improvement opportunities, limitations, and future considerations.

The purpose of this non-positivistic mixed-methods study is to examine parental attitudes towards the use of computer and video games in their child’s classroom and to investigate how the sociocultural contexts in which parents live affect those attitudes. The research was conducted using a mixed-methods triangulation design, including both quantitative and qualitative techniques. First, the study tried to identify which groups of parents were better positioned to accept and support digital game-based learning and which groups were less likely to have a positive attitude toward integrating digital games into the classroom. This study tried to determine if socioeconomic status, age, education level, and/or cultural background could serve as a predictor of parental attitudes toward digital game-based learning. Second, the study tried to recognize how social and cultural contexts in which parents live affect their attitudes toward digital games in the classroom. Many researchers agree that parents play an important role in students’ and eventually, educators’ attitudes toward gaming. It has been argued that if parents accept a certain non-traditional (digital) learning tool, then their children would most likely have a similar attitude toward it. Parents might be the support system that educators need in order to ensure that students are …

This study investigates the effectiveness of an inquiry-based learning curriculum for middle school students with learning and/or attentional disabilities (LD and/or ADHD). The main questions asked were: To what extent can an inquiry-based learning curriculum focused on digital responsibility impact: (1) well-being; (2) smartphone usage; and (3) smartphone awareness among adolescents with LD and/or ADHD? Fifty middle school participants with LD and/or ADHD were divided into two groups, an experimental group and a control group. Findings showed a significant increase both in positive affect and in awareness of personal smartphone usage for experimental, but not control, participants, suggesting that inquiry-based learning may be an effective approach for teaching digital responsibility to students with LD and/or ADHD. Other findings indicated that social connectivity is a high priority for today's adolescents. Additional insights and implications are discussed.

This mixed methods study examined teacher attitudes towards technology and their relationship to the integration of technology in technology-rich learning environments.

This dissertation presents the essence of the experience of instructional designers and instructors who have used alternate reality games (ARGs) and transmedia storytelling (TS) for teaching and learning. The use of game-like narratives, such as ARGs and TS, is slowly increasing. However, we know little about the lived experiences of those who have implemented such transmedia experiences in formal or informal learning. The data consists of written transcripts from interviews with 11 co-researchers in the United States and Europe. Phenomenology was the guiding methodology. The study begins by reviewing storytelling and the use of games in learning, leading up to exploring the tradition of using ARGs and TS in learning contexts. The analysis was one of reduction leading to codes, summary stories, themes, and the essence of the experience. Co-researchers used many techniques to enlighten their learners including problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, encouragement, disruption, and connection-making. When successful, connection-making facilitates learner agency development by providing learners with the power to act by their own initiative. Action came through the communicated narratives and games that closely tied to real-world problems. In the context of these efforts, this study's co-researchers emerged as educational life-world learning-coaches, "sensei", who were each using strategies and …

The purpose of the present qualitative multiple case study was to identify and describe sustainability efforts and the perceptions of sustainability managers of selected higher education institutions (HEIs) in Texas. Through a Qualtrics survey and semi-structured interviews, sustainability managers shared their experiences regarding the implementation of sustainable initiatives on their campuses. The present study identified four broad themes including Organizational and Leadership Challenges and the Impact They Can Have on Sustainability, Facilities Challenges and Their Impact on Sustainability, Issues with Full Buy-In on the Part of Stakeholders, and Sustainability Personnel Knowledge and Experience. The results of the present study are considered, and recommendations are provided to help researchers identify challenges to implementing sustainability initiatives on HEI campuses.

Online learning is no longer considered novel within higher education. It has emerged as an accepted distinct channel and environment for instructional engagement. There is a notable deficit of works and theoretical constructs specifically addressing the identification and differentiation of online learner types and examining them as a distinct system within the learning environment. Learning effectiveness within an online instructional environment is affected by the individual student engaged in the instruction. The instructional experience of the learner is determined by their individual perceptions of and reactions to both internal and external factors. Therefore, it is critical to address the online learner holistically as a stand-alone systemic dimension of the online learning environment to truly understand their differentiating behaviors, motives, characteristics, and dynamics. The study classified and articulated the distinctive types of learners engaged in online instruction within the higher education context based on the key dynamics, factors, and influencers of the individual in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the individuals engaged in learning. Additionally, the study generated a new theoretical model, the taxonomy of online learner types (TOLT) to provide unique insights into the different types of learners and serve as an essential step towards developing awareness …

The objective of this study was to locate and describe the learning affordances used within research studies on instructional design. Allowing an instructional designer to see what was used and how applicable it might be for future design would assist with better course creation. Current and past literature supported the importance of this concept after examination of how course creation has evolved within the field of instructional design. Further, the findings elucidated how to help the field evolve in the future by expanding knowledge about learning affordances and providing the broadest set of conceptual definitions by the academics working in the field to include them in their research and instructional designs.