Calls for increased involvement in science outreach have come from scientists (Alberts, 2018; Friedman, 2008), from professional organizations (Jayaratne et al., 2003; Lee, 2018; Toolin, 2004) and from funding agencies (Broadening Participation, 2008; Catsambis, 1995) to increase students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and…

California Community College campuses are struggling to enroll Latinx students. As identified through the literature, most Latinx students navigate the college enrollment process with little to no guidance and seek support in navigating it. Using Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth framework, I investigate how Rose Grace College's Familias…

The academic achievement gap has been present in the United States since the start of public education. Different factors have been noted as key contributors to the achievement gap, including the lack of parent involvement. This study investigates the impact that parental involvement has on student achievement, with specific focus on how a parent…

How can researchers and practitioners meaningfully engage the public in matters of environmental stewardship and landscape conservation? Traditional approaches to answering this question have erroneously relied upon the assumption that the simple combination of knowledge and awareness of environmental challenges will motivate desirable behavior…

This study's purpose was to explore science engagement and in/equity through science educators' narratives of servant leadership at both the K-12 and higher education levels in the United States. The research question was: "How have participants become and led others to become engaged in science?" I took an arts-based approach using…

The purpose of the qualitative social constructionist study was to explore the factors that enhance or impede parental involvement of Spanish-speaking Latino parents on both English Language Learners (ELL) and Former English Language Learners (f-ELL) in a Small City School District. According to Krogstad et. al. (2023), the United States Latino…

This study was designed to acquire the knowledge on whether inviting elementary school parents to participate in a hands-on, minds-on workshop on standards-based math instruction had any effect on their perceptions of the math instruction their child received in school and in their level of involvement when supporting their child at home in math.…

Over the past 30 years there has been a call for higher education to reprioritize the civic purposes of the university (Campus Compact, 2012). Community-based teaching and research have emerged as key academic strategies to enhance the student experience and increase the civic mission of higher education (Erlich, 2000; Eyler & Giles, 1999;…

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of programs that target first-generation college students, often low-income or minority students, for recruitment to college or that aim to improve campus participation and retention among these populations. Such programs simultaneously address themselves toward academic performance and the conditions of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate and understand the experiences of participants who become champions and succeed in adopting healthy lifestyles. The setting was a health and nutrition educational program at University of Minnesota Extension. The main research questions were: How do participants in the Community Health Education Program…

Researchers and policy makers have established that family involvement is related to student academic performance. Family participation at a school in a southern state in the United States was declining after the third grade level, and educators at the school needed more information to address this problem. Self-efficacy and ecological theories of…

Millions of adults volunteer as research participants annually at research institutions across the nation. This research explored the attitudes, beliefs, and norms of rurally situated, adult research participants at a large research university. This systematic exploration of research participant experiences gathered information to inform the…

Among ethnic groups in California, Latinos continue to have the lowest high school graduation rates and the lowest college completion rates. This study focused on understanding the role parents can play and ways schools and educators can support immigrant Latino parents to improve these rates. Framed with a "funds of knowledge" approach…

There are champions of sustainable causes and initiatives within higher education; their actions are numerous and diverse as are the employment positions these champions hold on their respective campuses. This dissertation utilizes qualitative research methods inclusive of semistructured in-depth interviews to formulate case studies that are then…

In the United States, less than 30% of African American males between the ages of 18 and 24 are enrolled in a 4-year university. More African American females are enrolled in colleges than their male counterparts. Focusing on the positive aspects of some African American males' educational experiences, this research was conducted to learn how some…