Community engagement and service-learning programs have become staples in the curricula of colleges across the United States. While the intentions behind many of these programs are altruistic, they can often unwittingly replicate oppressive power dynamics with the communities they seek to serve. This dissertation explored how feminist community…

Passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) in 2008 expanded access to postsecondary opportunities for individuals with I/DD by establishing Comprehensive Transition Programs (CTP) for which federal financial aid can be used. Postsecondary enrollment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) has increased…

Professional advocacy is central to the counselor's professional identity and is essential for counselors to maintain the privilege of serving clients. Despite CACREP requirements for programs to provide training in professional advocacy, counseling students may need more training in this area. This quantitative study examined professional…

College can be a trying and difficult time for many students, and some experience increased levels of stress and mental health challenges during college. Finding opportunities that increase students' flourishing may assist with offsetting the stress of college. Flourishing is defined as having self-perceived success in supportive relationships,…

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'…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of some low-income and first-generation students of color who participated in and graduated from the UB program. This qualitative study utilized the narrative inquiry research method to understand the lived experiences of seven former Upward Bound students. Program…

Higher education institutions are facing a major challenge in retaining 1st-year college students and engaging them in meaningful activities and programs to promote their sense of belonging (Strayhorn, 2012; Astin, 1993). Though a few belonging intervention practices have been studied (Perrell, 2018; Peck, 2011), there is a lack of understanding…

Hong Kong is in need of adequately trained educators and educational leaders to meet the needs of children who live there. The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has been trying to meet those needs by offering a curriculum that goes beyond teaching content and subject knowledge by incorporating service learning opportunities. Service…

In higher education, numerous experiential learning programs are offered to enhance students' learning, including international travel programs, immersion programs, internship programs, and service-learning programs. Although students participating in these programs are each higher education institution's number one stakeholders, rarely are they…

Ample evidence suggests that environmental problems, and their impacts to present and future generations, require our utmost attention. Education within schools "and" communities play critical roles in shaping the perceptions and relationships people have to their natural and social environments. However, few studies have examined the…

This study examined the relationship between mentor characteristics, beliefs about youth, relational communication skills, and the closeness of the mentoring relationship. To evaluate the effect of youth mentoring on college students participating in an academic service learning experience, it is important to examine positive mentoring outcomes…