Education is one of the most important professions in our society, instilling knowledge of our past and securing our future. As educational leaders leave the profession, there is a growing demand for qualified educational leaders to fill the vacancies created. The quantitative research study aimed to determine if a correlation existed between…

This study explores the perceptions of employed MBA students regarding the value of optional micro-credentials and their impact on skill enhancement, career advancement, and personal growth. Utilizing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the research involved semi-structured virtual interviews with 15 participants, complemented by…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how young adult participants, who completed the Inspire-High School Program offered through a parochial school, describe the influences that their internal and external environments had on their ability to complete the program in the southern United States. This study used…

Today's youth have lives dramatically different from the past and face an unpredictable future and challenging job market, thus being entrepreneurial is increasingly more important to cultivate (Ford, 2015). I aim to understand the state and development of being entrepreneurial and its implications for broadly educating young people, as one…

Title 1 middle schools have always faced unique challenges. Students belonging to families with low socio-economic status and financial stress have to overcome various barriers before they are academically successful and ready for college, career, and life. The COVID-19 pandemic forced students to engage in education outside of traditional school…

This study explored how associate deans in Illinois community colleges understand and practice culturally responsive leadership (CRL) in their institutions. The conceptual framework for this study is composed of the Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) model in the K-12 system first proposed by Khalifa et al. (2016) and the Applied…

This dissertation examines students' social-emotional experience with knowledge building pedagogy from the lenses of grit and growth mindset. The goal of this dissertation is to understand how interest, perseverance of effort and growth mindset oriented feedback engage students social emotionally in knowledge building to sustain and deepen their…

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), as an emerging educational innovation in the field of online education, successfully garnered attention from the academic community since 2012. Studies in MOOCs primarily focused on learner experiences and insights, context and impact as well as design. Little attention was placed on MOOC instructors. This…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify which skillsets a successful teacher possesses to help students positively work through behavioral situations rather than immediately exit the student from the classroom. The common themes could allow school leaders to reflect, develop, or improve current strategies for helping teachers develop…

Scientific literacy is vital for 21st century citizens to have the skills to make informed decisions based on sound science, and seeing oneself as a science person is important for citizens to feel capable of making such decisions based on science. Science educators are in the best position to encourage these attributes in their students. In…

Children in under-resourced schools are often subjected to a "pedagogy of poverty," in which their school days consist primarily of independently completing worksheets and preparing for assessments. By contrast, children in more affluent schools often experience engaging, hands-on learning opportunities. This discrepancy is identified as…

News Media Literacy addresses the specific literacy skills needed to effectively engage with news, which has a unique influence on participatory democracy and informed citizenship. A news media literate individual has the skills to understand and evaluate critical sources of information and the confidence to engage in democratic processes such as…

There has been growing concern regarding youth participation in martial arts programs (Vertonghen & Theeboom, 2013). Previous studies have revealed contradictory findings of youth martial arts programs related to a potential increasing physical aggression and violent behaviors as a negative side of youth martial arts practice (Endresen &…

Using data from a statewide couple relationship education (CRE) program efficacy study, this implementation science study considered whether and how classmates influence gains from CRE exposure. We pursued a theoretically and empirically supported model to explore whether class climate, indicated by classmate characteristics, influenced change in…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore, understand, and document former students' perceptions of the vocationally focused theater training they received at a 2-year community college and to discover how that training helped them meet their goals and expectations for careers in the theater. Listening to individual stories of theater…