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Exploring Parental Perspectives of Learning Loss and Growth in Reading in Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Settings

This phenomenological research seeks to advance understanding of parental perspectives involving learning loss and learning gain before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, parents and caregivers experienced first-hand the expectations and requirements of academic instruction as they took on supportive roles assisting teachers while their children participated in virtual learning due to school closures. With parents having a first-hand view of academic and instructional expectations along with successes and challenges their children faced, the implications of parent experiences create new opportunities not previously explored as their voices are vital toward strengthening home-school relationships, a pertinent component facilitating student academic success. The central research questions follow: How would you define the term “learning loss” in education? How did children experience learning loss or gain in reading achievement during COVID-19 (2019-2020/Virtual Learning)? How did children experience loss or gain in reading achievement during the 2023-2024 school year? How do parents perceive the current instruction for their students during the 2024-2025 school year? These questions were designed to reveal parent understanding and perceptions of learning loss and learning gain in reading achievement experienced by their children. These voices serve to support educators and provide opportunities to engage in continual conversations, thus finding innovative methods to inform parents, setting the stage for building cohesive networks to work collaboratively, and further promoting family and community engagement strategies to support students in a postpandemic setting.

Recruitment and Retention: How Do We Attract and Keep Qualified Teachers in Urban K-12 Schools?

This qualitative study explored the recruitment and retention of degreed, qualified, and quality teachers in urban K-12 school districts in Virginia, with a focus on the Hampton Roads region. As the demand for educators increases and the teaching workforce continues to decline, urban schools face mounting challenges in maintaining a stable, well-prepared teaching staff. Using semistructured interviews with five district-level educational leaders, this study sought to uncover the processes, barriers, and strategies surrounding teacher recruitment and retention in urban settings. The study was grounded in transformational leadership theory and guided by the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, offering a dual lens to examine leadership practices that influence teacher workforce sustainability. Thematic analysis revealed recurring challenges, including inadequate compensation, teacher burnout, high turnover, and limited professional development support. Findings also highlighted the importance of mentorship, autonomy, administrative support, and inclusive hiring practices. Participants emphasized that strategic, relationship-centered leadership and targeted support for early-career teachers were critical to long-term retention. Additionally, the study shed light on the role of district culture, collaborative planning, and work–life balance in fostering teacher satisfaction. These findings contribute valuable insights for educational leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders aiming to address persistent teacher shortages in high-needs districts. By identifying both systemic barriers and promising practices, this study offers practical recommendations to improve teacher recruitment and retention efforts in urban schools, ultimately promoting greater equity and educational success for underserved student populations.

Exploring the Barriers of Addressing Student Mental Health in Nonpublic Schools: A Phenomenological Analysis

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the barriers to addressing student mental health needs of pre-K through eighth grade in nonpublic-school settings. The student addressed the research questions: What practices are nonpublic school educators using to support students with mental health challenges? What processes exist in a nonpublic-school setting to support students with mental health challenges? What barriers exist in nonpublic-school settings that impact the ability to respond to students’ mental health challenges effectively? What professional development training would benefit nonpublic-school educators in their efforts to support the mental health of students? This exploration provided a guide for understanding practices and processes for strengthening comprehensive mental health support in nonpublic-school settings. Five educators, including four teachers and one principal, participated in the study. The analysis of semistructured interviews revealed the participants’ experiences in their school settings addressing the mental health needs of their students. This study aimed to add to the body of knowledge on the practices and processes that support effective mental health service provision, barriers that impact meeting the student’s needs, and guidance for professional development needs of educators. The major themes revealed based on the data from this study included a need to focus on holistic and individualized support, collaborative and structured processes, resource and systemic challenges, and the need for professional development. The findings of this qualitative study provided important insights into the barriers nonpublic schools encounter in addressing student mental health needs and the steps necessary to overcome those barriers.

The Case for Teacher Autonomy: An Examination of Perceptions and Curriculum Decision-Making Roles Among K-5 Educators and Administrators

Teacher autonomy is an important component in curriculum decision making, especially regarding effectively planning instruction to support students’ individualized lesson plans and student outcomes. Researchers have investigated valuable insights as to the benefits and obstacles affecting true implementation of teacher autonomy in various academic settings. However, this study attempted to provide more study among K-5 teachers and administrators’ perceptions as to the impact of teacher autonomy on curriculum decision making. This study offers a phenomenological approach with semistructured interviews and thematic analysis to uncover these perceptions and offers suggestions for future research, practice, policy, and theoretical implications. The findings of the study support and promote the need for greater teacher autonomy and involvement of teachers among relevant stakeholders in improving curriculum decision making to enhance all student learning and outcomes.

Educator Efficacy and the Enneagram: Increasing Self-Awareness to Improve Educator Perceived Capability in the Classroom

The roles and responsibilities of educators in the United States abound. Recent studies have purported educators’ self-efficacy impacts their relationships with students (Thornberg et al., 2020), and those relationships can predict student engagement, future development, and a general positive attitude toward school (Ansari et al., 2020). There is little debate among researchers and academic leaders on the importance of educator–student relationships and the influence educators’ self-efficacy possesses in deepening meaningful relationships with students. The deficit in the research surrounding educator efficacy is how educators can develop or improve their perceived abilities in their work. Guided by Bandura’s (1977b) social cognitive theory and organized to spawn future studies, this qualitative dissertation aimed to fill that gap by introducing educators to the Enneagram, a personality typing system, as a way of building their own self-awareness, which some consider a key factor in self-efficacy (Purwanto, 2022; Veiga-Diaz, 2023). This study presented the basic elements of the Enneagram from a qualified Enneagram coach to eight volunteer participants in Texas through two small group sessions and several surveys. These encounters were hosted by the coach and researcher with the intent to explore the impact that developing self-awareness can have on educators’ efficacy in their professional role. Three major findings emerged from this phenomenological study: (a) the Enneagram is a valuable tool to improve educators’ perceived capability in their roles; (b) self-awareness was positively impacted because of the Enneagram; and (c) participants experienced improvements in their social awareness, which was unexpected. Implications specifically for young educators who reported a minor decrease in their self-awareness were noted as well. Further study options include providing professional development resources to generalized, experienced educators; prolonged study opportunities for focus groups; and including more participants who are representative of the education field.

Keywords: educator efficacy, self-awareness, self-efficacy, Enneagram

Investigating the Influence of Appreciative Advising on Motivation, Goal Setting, and Academic Performance in Upper-Division Undergraduate Business Education

Upper-division college business students (juniors and seniors) face unique challenges as they prepare to graduate and transition into graduate school, internships, or careers. Successfully navigating these decisions often requires effective guidance from institutional advising programs. In addition to navigating these issues, sustaining motivation and setting academic goals remain crucial to achieving their desired academic performance. Despite the expansion of advising services for lower-division students (first-year and sophomore), research gaps remain in specialized advising for upper-division business students (juniors and seniors), particularly in applying the appreciative advising model (AAM). This study addresses these gaps by examining the effects of the AAM, a strengths-based advising approach, on upper-division business students’ motivation, goal setting, and academic achievement. It also explores the perspectives of academic advisors who work with these students. Grounded in a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, this qualitative study utilized student surveys and semistructured interviews to gather insights from students and advisors. Twelve themes and three subthemes were explored. Critical findings include advisors and students having favorable impressions of the model. Most students viewed themselves as intrinsically motivated, and advisors frequently applied the latter phases of the model in the junior and senior years, using its earlier phases when necessary to support student needs. The study showed that when applied effectively, the model can enhance student motivation, assist with goal setting, and promote academic achievement. The model’s effectiveness hinges on personalized support, highlighting the critical roles of advising strategies and student care.

In the Pursuit of Equality: Navigating the Challenges in Sports Leadership

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of female sports leaders regarding three critical challenges: wage disparities, media coverage inequities, and stereotypes affecting career advancement. Through in-depth interviews with 10 female sports administrators across professional, collegiate, and amateur levels in Virginia, the research identified 12 interconnected themes. Findings revealed that economic disparities and gender stereotypes create significant psychological and career consequences for women in sports leadership, while media representation directly impacts visibility and opportunities. Despite progress since Title IX’s implementation, participants described persistent systemic barriers requiring coordinated multistakeholder interventions. The study concluded that meaningful change demands comprehensive approaches addressing both structural and cultural dimensions simultaneously, including increased female representation in decision-making positions, equitable compensation practices, and balanced media coverage. The research contributed valuable insights for sports organizations, media outlets, policymakers, and corporate sponsors seeking to advance gender equity in sports leadership through evidence-based strategies that challenge historical patterns of exclusion and create pathways for female advancement.

The Impact of Mindfulness Breathing With Biofeedback on Academic Performance

Schools continue to explore strategies for improving academic performance, while teachers navigate the challenges of technology and student distraction in their efforts to engage students in effective instruction. Mindfulness breathing is one promising strategy that can calm and focus the brain, preparing it to engage well in learning (Aksoy & Gresham, 2020; Berger et al., 2022; Porges & Porges, 1995; Royer et al., 2025; White et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to interpolate data from research conducted by Inner Armor and their college partner. The researcher considered the impact of mindfulness breathing with biofeedback on academic performance. Undergraduate college students participated in an 8-week training program on breathing while receiving biofeedback to refine the process diaphragmatically. Students used the training at least 4 days per week. The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement third edition reading fluency subtest assessed academic performance before and after the training. An analysis of covariance demonstrated no statistically significant difference in academic performance growth between students who used the training and those in the control group. The study did not meet the assumption of homogeneity of regressions, leading the researcher to consider a Type II error. Although the study met Creswell and Guetterman’s (2015) requirements for the number of participants, the results could be considered inconclusive; more participants are needed to show a statistical difference accurately.

Keywords: diaphragmatic breathing, biofeedback, academic performance

Oral Motor Exercises to Improve the Speech of Adolescents With Down Syndrome: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Perspectives of Speech-Language Pathologists

Communication difficulties are a significant challenge for individuals with Down syndrome (DS), often stemming from deviations in facial structure and oral motor function that impact speech intelligibility. While oral motor exercises (OME) are sometimes used to address these issues, their efficacy remains controversial, particularly for children with DS, whose unique anatomical and physiological characteristics complicate speech production. Guided by constructivist grounded theory, this study aims to investigate the current practices employed by speech-language pathologists (SLP) to address speech production and oral motor deficits in individuals with DS, and to examine SLPs’ beliefs and attitudes regarding oral sensory and motor impairments and corresponding interventions within this population. Semistructured interviews revealed varying opinions among SLPs, with some viewing OMEs as beneficial for enhancing muscle strength, coordination, and speech intelligibility, while others expressed skepticism about their effectiveness due to the limited empirical evidence linking OMEs to functional speech improvements. External factors, including parental expectations, institutional policies, and time constraints, also influence the use of OMEs in therapy. Participants emphasized the importance of individualized, evidence-based approaches that integrate OMEs with other interventions to optimize outcomes. By highlighting SLPs’ experiences and decision-making processes, this study underscores the need for further research to establish clear, evidence-based guidelines for OMEs and encourages dialogue to refine clinical practices for supporting children with DS in achieving their communication goals.

Montessori Preschool Teachers’ Perceived Efficacy and Experience in Teaching and Modeling Emotion Regulation: An Exploratory Method Study

This exploratory qualitative study examined the importance of the role of Montessori preschool teachers’ (MPTs’) perceived efficacy and their methods of teaching and modeling emotion regulation to young learners aged 3 to 6. Rooted in Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory and Gross’s (1998) emotion regulation theory, this research aimed to understand how MPTs perceive their role in teaching emotions and the specific ways they model regulation skills. The study employed an in-depth exploratory design to examine MPTs’ perceptions of their role in teaching emotions and to determine their methods of regulating emotions during interactions with multi-age preschoolers. The research methodology included 24 open-ended interview survey questionnaires for qualitative data collection. These questionnaires gave insights into two research questions that addressed the teaching perceived efficacy and experience in teaching and modeling emotion regulations to young learners. Analyzing the collected data revealed four significant themes woven into the interpretation of the findings: (a) reflective practice, (b) supportive learning environment, (c) interactive practice, and (d) emotional guide. The results revealed that reflective practice through observations and experiences gave teachers the confidence to understand and respond to students’ emotional needs. The study’s results contributed to comprehending self-efficacy and regulating emotions within Montessori early childhood education. The findings imply that reflecting on observations is key to effectively teaching and modeling regulation to Montessori multi-age preschoolers.