This arts-based narrative research was an inquiry into how embodied dialogic spaces can provide access to dance learning reflections by students after graduating from a pre-professional dance program (DanceWorks, Berlin, and Palucca University, Dresden, in Germany, and Duncan Center, Prague, in the Czech Republic). Dialogic spaces, a term used by…

In this dissertation, I investigate the learning of inclusive mathematics teaching as a process of mathematics teacher identity development. Current research on teacher learning in teacher education often uses situated perspectives that have contributed knowledge about the ways that contexts impact preservice teachers' learning of beliefs and…

The heightened use of "safe space" in educational settings has been the subject of polarizing contemporary controversy and protested by conservative and progressive camps alike, raising concerns about whether "safe space" remains an educationally viable concept. In response to claims that safety is conflated with…

This critical autoethnographic dissertation delves into the personal journey of a Black female counselor and mother, whose path meanders through the complex terrain of education, leading her to a profound transition into the realm of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) leadership. Drawing from memories, emotions, and ongoing…

This study explores the transformative and healing experiences of doctoral students enrolled in the first fully online Indigenous Health Ph.D. program at the University of North Dakota. The research aims to understand the unique experiences and supports influencing the success of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in this program. The…

In the present era of inclusion, special schools increasingly serve as spaces for the delivery of supplementary education and rehabilitation services for mainstreamed disabled children. A history of segregation and institutionalization weigh heavily on the sector, prompting many special educators to advocate for students' continued mainstreaming…

This qualitative case study explored the development of equity consciousness in multiple subject preservice teachers following completion of a hybrid teacher preparation program at San Francisco State University. The study used a two-interview protocol to explore beliefs and attitudes pre- and post-teacher preparation. A conceptual framework…

Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an explicitly stated goal of many mathematics departments across the country, and addressing ongoing disparities in outcomes and experiences within undergraduate mathematics is a shared responsibility among undergraduate mathematics community members. Despite the prevalence of ideological,…

This dissertation explored how middle school Social Studies educators utilize their self-agency to support students' cultural narrative identity citizenship at various societal levels--community, state, national, and global. Through a qualitative method employing narrative inquiry design, the study investigated the experiences and insights of…

This dissertation, "A Need to Teach Differently: Storied Experiences of Transformative Educators in Nigerian Special Education," explored the narratives of educators who have significantly impacted the special education landscape in Nigeria. The study aimed to highlight the motivations, challenges, and transformative practices of these…

There is a purported shortage of employable labor in the tech workforce, yet Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC) in urban centers struggle to find and sustain roles in "high-tech." The tech ecosystem is a CIS-gendered, white male heterosexual space that perpetuates and "ideal worker norm" (Kachchaf et al., 2015), which…

As globalized industries evolve, leaders of today and tomorrow will need multifaceted skills for multilayered engagement in an international environment. One method to develop competencies built for a global setting is study abroad, where U.S. colleges embed students in a travel context beyond classroom walls and borders. Study abroad is made up…

Hegemonic institutions continue to promote the importance of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives (DIB). However, the persons in power creating these initiatives are often White men and women (Bischel and McChesney, 2017), that do not understand the complexity of the lived experience of Black, Brown, and African American people within…

This phenomenological study explored the lived experience of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) among multinational enterprise employees (MNE) in the homogenous Republic of Armenia. Addressing a literature gap in non-Western perspectives, the research emphasized the importance of local context in crafting effective EDI interventions for this…

Despite policy efforts over the last few decades to address racial disparities in education, often in the form of educator professional development, racism still manifests in educator practice, and Whiteness is often centered in the very processes designed to address exclusion. While research exists critiquing how systemic racism and Whiteness are…