This study explores learners' sense of community in the linguistics department at a Christian university in Western Canada. Since sense of community is an important factor in students' satisfaction, retention, and learning, it is important for educators to know how to support their students' feelings of community. Theological research on Christian…

In this dissertation, I seek to understand whether and how values affirmation could have an impact on the academic performance and psychological well-being of deaf students in secondary deaf schools in Nepal. In Paper 1, I reported findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the impact of values affirmation on the academic performance and…

International students in a Japanese university struggled with issues of loneliness, lack of belonging, and feelings of not mattering. These issues inhibited their ability to form friendships with domestic students. This study sought to investigate causes and find actionable solutions to international student social networking issues. Participants…

Large number of existing studies employ acculturation as the framework to explore Chinese international students (CIS), which recently have been criticized from post-colonial perspectives (Spencer-Oatey et al., 2007; Tierney, 1999; Yao, 2015). With Gen Z Chinese international students step into American higher institutions, this study aims to…

Although researchers have shown interest in international students regarding their academic performance and on-campus lives since the 1990s, their off-campus lives have received less attention. After a period of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are resuming social activities and connections, and international students are…

School culture affects all facets of teaching and learning. Starting from individual international teachers' perspectives and their accounts relating to school culture, new insights and perspectives on the problem of practice were gained. The research focused on answering the questions: What are teachers' experiences of school culture in…

This action research investigated Chinese international students' motivational/demotivational factors and their perspectives on Virginia Tech's non-mandatory events. The theoretical framework guided the research questions, literature reviews, and data design collection/analysis process. The self-determination theory provided the primary…

Limited research exists about leadership styles and influences of elementary private school principals in Dubai, who identify as transformational leaders. Insights from this study can inform further research into school leadership in the Arab world, as well as how best to share leadership experiences among elementary private school principals…

With globalization and migration of people and ideas becoming an increasing reality around the world, the needs of immigrant families and students is vital for countries to consider, particularly within their educational systems. This is true especially in the Nordic countries, where the national discourse of equality and egalitarianism are…

According to the American Immigration Council (2021), 14 percent of the United States population is foreign-born. Immigrants have enriched American culture and enhanced our influence in the world. People feel a need to belong and have an inherent desire for deep, lasting, and meaningful connections (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Research suggests…

Short-term, faculty-led education abroad programs are steadily becoming the leading experience for students to actively participate in an educational, overseas experience. As the number of these programs increase, so do the concerns for addressing safety within groups in a foreign country. This research identified student development theories…

With the rapid increase in the amount of online learning opportunities available has come with it an increase in challenges concerning how to support effective teaching and learning in online learning spaces. Through two research studies, this dissertation explores two challenges in the field of online teaching and learning: community development…