In the world of Division I intercollegiate athletics, much remains to be understood about self-identified lesbian student-athletes' experiences, educational practices, and conditions that promote their development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the academic and sport experiences of self-identified lesbian Division I…

The 1st-year retention rate of the Structured Education Program (SEP) is 90%, yet the 6-year graduation rate of SEP students is 29%. The gap between SEP 1st-year retention and graduation rates is the problem that this study addressed. The low graduation rate of SEP students is an important issue because graduation rates are used to measure the…

Nursing students have regularly experienced high levels of clinical testing anxiety. Previous research, conducted in face-to-face nursing programs, revealed high-stakes clinical testing, particularly the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), was consistently rated as the most anxiety producing component within nursing education. A gap…

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate and understand gender diverse individuals' retrospective accounts of their experiences of school and to interpret these experiences under the influence of deconstruction. A second purpose is to use these experiences to inform a model of gender-inclusive education. In this qualitative study,…

The college preparedness of first-year, first-semester, undergraduate students was researched and analyzed in this study. The research entailed a purposeful selection of 10 first-year, first-semester, undergraduate student participants that transitioned into a four-year public university, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), from a Nevada…

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to provide insight as to the experiences of Latino/a students at community colleges preparing to transfer as compared with those from Latino/a students who had already transferred. The Latino/a population is one of the fastest growing minority populations in the United States yet despite the growth…

In higher music education, there remains a tendency toward instruction that places the teacher at the center and keeps the role of students as recipients of knowledge bestowed upon them by the instructor. And while there are innovations in education that challenge this paradigm, the research on these innovative techniques, particularly in higher…

Examining the Experiences of Latinx STEM Baccalaureates is a qualitative research study of Latinx who graduated with a bachelor's degree in an area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The purpose of this dissertation was to learn about the experiences of Latinx who have attained a STEM degree at a four-year university. This study…

According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (1996), "... learning cannot occur in college classrooms divorced from schools" (p. 31). University coursework that is paired with carefully coordinated field experiences as well as being supported by university faculty that are skilled in helping the teacher candidate…

This study explores how first-year students experience, perceive, and make sense of institutional culture in higher education during the transition from high school to college. Examining institutional culture during the first year remains relevant because nearly 25% of all students who depart higher education do so within their first year (Nalbone…

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine online learner self-efficacy in terms of instructional strategies and course supports. Prior studies have focused primarily on factors within learners (e.g., motivation, satisfaction, achievement). The current study, with a foundation in adult learning theory, bridged the gap between…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand the literature on Division III student-athletes by examining their integration into the social and academic systems at one institution located in northeastern United States. This study examined participants' experiences within institutional social and academic systems designed for…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to better understand the lived experiences of students with learning disabilities who have transitioned to postsecondary education in Alberta, Canada and the meaning students attribute to those experiences. A semi-structured interview format with open-ended questions was used to explore…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and to tell the stories of low socioeconomic status (SES) men in college who persisted beyond the halfway point of college at a Midwestern metropolitan university. Prior research suggested men from low socioeconomic status backgrounds matriculated and persisted in college at the lowest…

Developmental education courses are typically defined as courses offered at postsecondary institutions below college level instruction. More than 60% of community college students are deemed non-college ready and required to enroll in non-credit bearing developmental education courses. Research shows that developmental education can be either a…