This dissertation investigated Howard University College of Medicine's medical students' perceptions concerning the factors that will influence their intended choices of specialty. The medical school is located in the Baltimore-Washington, DC Metropolitan region, which is suitable for investigation because it ranks second nationally in terms of…

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an intervention-based, character education program that is being implemented in many schools nation-wide. It is important to know the extent to which PBIS reflects the principles of an effective character education program because PBIS is a widely used behavior modification character education…

Addictive disorders are a public health crisis that affects our society by draining our workforce, health care, judicial, education, and law enforcement, resources. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to social influence--for better and for worse--and addiction. Through social media, today's youth experience a whole new way of communicating.…

At the intersection of scholarly literature on education psychology and early childhood education, documentation of pre-service teachers (PSTs) epistemic thinking can serve to clarify and guide how instructional practice is interpreted. This exploratory case study fills a critical gap in the field of epistemology by providing a profile of PSTs…

The challenges of Big Data (BD) and Big Data Analytics (BDA) have attracted disproportionately less attention than the overwhelmingly espoused benefits and game-changing promises. While many studies have examined BD challenges across multiple industry verticals, very few have focused on the challenges of implementing BDA solutions. Fewer of these…

The current societal pressures regarding religious liberty and institutional sustainability for Christian higher education in America call for rhetorical leadership from presidents of Christian colleges and universities. This study provides a biblically rooted and theoretically sound, multifaceted approach using sociorhetorical criticism and…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the continuous improvement of the leadership program on the outcome of graduate students. The study compared the SLLA Praxis scores obtained prior to the redesign of the 31 leadership competencies of the leadership program to the data retrieved after the program design. The practices of the…

In post-disaster and post-conflict societies, critical threshold events trigger or intensify diaspora mobilization and engagement in their homelands. Taking the 2010 earthquake as a "critical event" that has transformed the course of Haitian society, this study builds on existing research on diaspora influence on homeland development by…

Significant emphasis is currently placed on STEM education as a vehicle to encourage American youth to enter science, technology, engineering, and math-related professions. Gifted students are a natural resource of future innovators for these fields; however gifted programs are largely overlooked for program support. Since 1973, the Virginia…

Recent research supports the benefit of students' construction of relevance through writing about the connection of content to their life. However, most such research defines relevance narrowly as utility value--perceived instrumentality of the content to the student's career goals. Furthermore, the scope of phenomenological and conceptual…

Because the field of educational development (also known as faculty development, academic development, and staff development) is relatively new, very little is known about the competencies required for those who work in the field. Additionally, there are no formal pathways or means of formal preparation for educational developers. This study…

This study was initiated to explore the decline in the demonstration of moral and ethical behavior among young people in many public school settings. Media reports of verbal and physical aggression, bullying, and defiance of adults in authority have been reported in some of the larger urban school districts. Several research studies have provided…

The purpose of this retrospective, explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to determine the impact of an inclusive educational setting on the behavioral, social, and emotional growth and development of students with various disabilities. Many aspects of a student's educational experiences can be affected by a proper placement in an…

This dissertation investigated the effects of the intervention of the Just One Mentoring Program on student persistence in completing their career programs. The population for this study consisted of a heterogeneous group of students enrolled in the Just One Mentoring Program during summer 2003 through fall 2006 at a community college located in…

This qualitative study explored elementary assistant principals' perspectives on their role and responsibilities. Online interview questions, focus group interviews and review of documents were the source of data for this study. The study produced seven emergent themes: School Operational Management, Daily Discipline Management, Teacher Support…