The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological research study is to understand which factors influence the academic persistence of Native American students in higher education. In 2019, it was reported only 16% of those college students who identified as American Indian/Alaska Native attained a bachelor's degree or higher and in 2023, that…

This qualitative study explores the strategies employed by selected principals in rural Alaska who have demonstrated success in retaining teachers above the state's retention rate. Guided by the research question, "What do selected principals do that supports or contributes to successful teacher retention in their rural-remote areas?"…

This quantitative study was designed to understand the relationship between the variables of student attendance, educator experience and turnover, and student achievement at the Molly Hootch schools in rural Alaska in an effort to understand the current state of achievement according to data from 2002-2019 collected from the Alaska Department of…

This qualitative study examined the experiences of ten American Indian/Alaska Native transfer students attending a four-year land grant research institution. It used semi-structured interviews utilizing a narrative inquiry when telling their story. The theoretical frameworks used in the study were the Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit) and…

Indigenous Peoples (Native American, American Indian, and Alaska Native) have experienced high rates of violence and victimization since colonization -- which continues to present day. However, little is known regarding the victimization experiences of Indigenous college students. Furthermore, universities are struggling to recruit and retain…

This phenomenological study explored the perspectives of American Indian/Alaska Native students who had all graduated from the same Northeast-Nebraska public school located on a federally recognized Indian reservation and completed at least a four-year degree. To that end, the central research question addressed by this dissertation is, "Why…

The goals of this research are twofold: (1) This research explores decision making and college experiences of Alaska Native undergraduates pursuing degrees in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields; and (2) this research, using participant observation explores the Indigenous metaphor of "the trail" to frame…

Many working understandings of giftedness exist within dominating Western frameworks, gatekeeping gifted education from students who do not "fit" inside such frameworks (Owens et al., 2018; Rinn et al., 2020; Sternberg et al., 2021). As a result, K-12 Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students are underrepresented in…

Prior to this study, it was not known how American Indian (AI) post-secondary students have understood/responded to racial microaggressions they have experienced that doubted their ability to be academically successful. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how AI post-secondary students have understood and responded to…

This dissertation explores the alignment between local school principals' values and ideas about what should be taught in their public schools and the values of the local Yup'ik communities in which those principals serve. A review of scholarly literature served as a basis for identifying Yup'ik values and a survey which measured principals'…

American-Indian and Alaska Native students attending Midwestern Regional University (MRU) are experiencing graduation rates lower than the national average. This dissertation in practice attempts to solve this real-world problem by providing a voice for the indigenous students at MRU so that services and policies can be adjusted to increase the…

Indigenous Alaska Native first-generation college students bring a wealth of knowledge and skills yet struggle in Western institutions. The problem is that many Alaskan postsecondary faculty continue to design courses based on Western academic instructional practices instead of culturally responsive strategies when teaching Indigenous Alaska…

Elitnaurilleq Piciryaramtenek Qanemcitgun: A Participatory Teacher Action Research study (Teaching Our Way of Life Through Stories) is participatory action research involving four Yugtun immersion teachers investigating first and second grade Yugtun reading and language instruction through lesson study. Lesson study involves a group of educators…

This DIP is a qualitative study to describe how Alaska Native and African American parents understand the achievement gap as well as their suggestions or solutions for reducing and ending the gap. Seventeen parents were interviewed, from both Alaska Native and African American descent. These interviews took place over the phone due to the current…

In the US. Indigenous youth in particular have poorer health and educational outcomes than any other culturally diverse group face racial violence, are historicized and dehumanized creating a litany of health and educational related problems in a time that is critical to identity development. While resources are dedicated to addressing disparate…