Middle school students in Nova Scotia, Canada, are perceived to have low self-efficacy for achieving learning outcomes. While strong self-efficacy beliefs, developed through effective curricula, have been linked to improved academic performance, there is a need for formal evaluation of such curricula. The purpose of this study was to investigate a 10-week afterschool mentorship curriculum that has never been evaluated. The aim of the curriculum is to strengthen self-efficacy beliefs via relationship building exercises, public speaking training, and character education. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, which states that treatment influences can alter the strength of self-efficacy, informed the conceptual framework. Evaluation questions explored apparent changes in the self-efficacy of the students from the perspective of seven adult caregivers and the program’s instructor. Interview data were triangulated with quantitative descriptive statistics on the self-efficacy scores of 10 middle school students before and after program participation using the Children’s Hope Scale. Comparison of pre- and posttest scores did not show remarkable differences in self-efficacy beliefs of the students. However, analysis of interview data revealed that children’s self-efficacy beliefs grew, the largest increase being in those described as reserved at the beginning of the program. This study promotes positive social change through an increased understanding that can inform efforts to increase self-efficacy in middle school students.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the instructional practices of elementary English language learner (ELL) teachers and how those practices are perceived by the teachers to be aligned with improved ELL academic performance. The study is grounded in Ladson-Billings’ theory of culturally relevant pedagogy, which holds that student academic achievement and cultural identity should be affirmed. The research questions focused on exploring instructional practices used by teachers to support ELL learning and the teachers’ perceptions of how their practices are aligned with improved ELL academic performance. The qualitative descriptive study was limited to three elementary schools in an Eastern school district. We analyzed data from lesson plans and semistructured interviews with nine general education teachers who taught in an elementary school in the geographical area. Using a priori, open, and axial coding, we analyzed data from lesson plans and semi-structured interviews with nine elementary school general education teachers who taught in a school in the geographical area. The findings demonstrated that positive strategies for cooperative learning and varied instructional practices were in use, but there is a need to build culturally appropriate and collaborative relationships with teachers of speakers of other languages and create a welcoming learning atmosphere for ELLs. A policy recommendation paper was developed to improve ELL pedagogy in content classes. Improved instruction for ELLs will contribute to positive social change by increasing ELL students’ academic achievement.

African American male third graders in U.S Title I schools frequently fail to read on grade level. However, in three Title I schools in East Texas, this demographic demonstrated exceptionally high reading ability. This explanatory case study investigated the instructional strategies and practices linked to high reading achievement for these students. The study is grounded in Ladson-Billings’s theory of culturally relevant pedagogy and supported by Vygotsky’s theory of social and cognitive constructivism. The research questions were used to examine the instructional strategies and practices used on each campus that may have resulted in such high reading achievement. This study engenders a deeper understanding of effective instructional reading strategies and practices for African American boys at the elementary level.

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Financial reporting complexity costs money. The process of developing and promulgating financial reporting standards is costly. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the International Accounting Standards staff spend time, expertise, and funds writing detailed financial reporting standards. Reporting companies spend money studying and applying these financial reporting standards. Investors, financial analysts, and creditors, while knowledgeable in financial accounting, spend time and resources interpreting and analyzing the resulting financial reports. While there are a number of factors that contribute to the complexity in financial reporting, the level of reading complexity, or readability, is an essential element of a clear, easy-to-understand accounting standard.