It is essential that all students who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have the motivational supports to persist in their STEM career trajectories. "STEM role models," or successful individuals in STEM, can be powerful tools to motivate college students towards STEM careers, particularly if students…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the ways in which LGBTQ+ students at the University of Miami make meaning of their shared experiences in the LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program that the university offers, in order to explore ways in which higher education institutions might consider better supporting this key group of students.…

This phenomenological qualitative study addressed the problem of high attrition of Black students from nursing programs, which has remained consistent for many years. Black students have consistently had a higher rate of attrition from nursing programs than their White counterparts over the years. Utilizing the theory of integration, critical race…

Higher education institutions' success relies on student retention and graduation rates, especially among underrepresented minority (URM) groups, where persistent disparities exist. This dissertation focuses on URM Division I student-athletes, often overlooked despite their significant influence within universities. Notably, academic success gaps…

The present qualitative study aimed to investigate how school garden-based science pedagogy improves students' attitudes toward science learning, particularly in under-resourced urban school districts. The findings of this study suggest that the implementation of school garden-based science pedagogy can positively impact elementary students'…

Caring is a core-concept in the nursing profession, but the nature of the academia influences how caring is demonstrated in the faculty-student relationship making this a complex topic. Faculty are called upon to serve in a variety of roles, some of which may cause contention with nursing students. The purpose of this study was to understand gaps…

Many of today's young black males are in a state of crisis. Generational cycles of hopelessness, poverty, violence, incarceration, and illiteracy prevails among many. Their lack of academic achievement when compared to their white counterparts remains a major topic of discussion in America. Exclusive Black Male Leadership Development Institutes…

This study was designed to explore, record, explain and describe the lived experiences of African American male students engaged in mentorship programs for post-secondary education. This study takes an exploratory phenomenological approach to research and is conducted at a mentorship program site. The following research questions guided this study…

With the number of underprepared, at-risk students entering college, many institutions have developed initiatives to help support student success. Previous research has shown that peer mentoring has been used to support student success, but there is limited research on the mentoring experience from the peer mentors' perspective. The purpose of the…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African American male Upward Bound participants to determine their identity status and to document their perceptions of Upward Bound's influence on their academic outcomes. This study examined the experiences of eight African American male Upward Bound participants at…

Care is an essential need for human beings, especially students who spend extensive time at school. The goal of this study is to qualitatively explore Saudi university students' perceptions of teacher care in the US. Fourteen male and female Saudi students at a large Midwestern US university were interviewed. This study offers a literature review…

While the numbers of African American and Latinx students have increased in higher education over the last several decades, African Americans and Latinx students experience college different from their peers. A specific area where African American and Latinx students experience college in distinct ways is around their co-curricular involvement and…

Using Dornyei's (2005) L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) and Kubanyiova's (2007, 2009) model of 'possible language teacher selves' as main theoretical frameworks, this multiple case study explored four language teaching assistants' developmental patterns with regards to their ideal language teacher selves over a two-year period. It also examined…

The development of empathy in the healthcare setting is integral to high-quality patient care as empathy provides the ability to connect with patients to gain a better understanding of their emotions and experiences. Empathetic education is a component of medical education and nursing education; however, it is not a required curricular component…

African American women represent 19% of the 2.1 million living female veterans. They are the largest minority group among veteran women; however, little is known about the challenges that they face when they transition to a postsecondary learning environment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand better how this cohort of…