This multiple-case study examines the perceptions of Hispanic female faculty on disorienting dilemmas and how they have impacted the development of their critical transformative consciousness and pedagogical practices in higher education. Particularly, it explores two research questions: (1) What are Hispanic female faculty members' perceptions of…

This study examined transformative sustainability learning (TSL) by determining the occurrence of perspective transformation (PT) regarding sustainability in sustainability-focused courses offered at a public university. 131 students in two upper-division general education courses with a sustainability-focused course designation were included in…

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine if, and to extent, there is a statistically significant difference between pre and posttest critical thinking scores of U.S. Navy Operations Specialist A-school participants in an adaptive technology training environment and those in the traditional learning environment.…

Teacher education has made strides towards preparing preservice teachers with ambitious visions and teaching practices through the use of core practices, specifically the Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) framework (e.g. Kang & Windschitl, 2018). However, there is an argument in the field about whether the AST framework can support…

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a shift in education that necessitated that teachers adapt how they educate and communicate with their students. Previous researchers examined general education teachers' experiences transitioning to online teaching but did not establish how alternative teachers and the at-risk students they taught were affected. The…

This dissertation explored how middle school Social Studies educators utilize their self-agency to support students' cultural narrative identity citizenship at various societal levels--community, state, national, and global. Through a qualitative method employing narrative inquiry design, the study investigated the experiences and insights of…

My study addresses how experiences within the role of a resident assistant (RA) may be related to need for cognition, a measure describing an individual's capacity and desire to engage in effortful thinking. To investigate this relationship, I used a pretest and posttest survey methodology. This methodology allowed me to determine if RAs…

There is existing literature which supports the academic use of critical thinking skills integrated into instructional pedagogy in higher education and its benefits to academic and social development. However, developing the skills, such as those that increase religious tolerance, is mostly absent from scholarly research despite the noted…

This study investigated whether spiritual learning impacts the lives of adult learners in martial arts educational programs. The impact of spirituality has been claimed as a meaningful connection; however, it is not currently known how spiritual learning impacts the lives and experiences of adult learners with these programs. Spiritual learning…

There is a paucity of occupational therapy literature related to the professional development process that occurs when students participate in immersive, international servant leadership experiences in developing countries. A scarcity of literature exists on how such culturally rich experiences can influence the development of the participating…

Recently there has been a call to disrupt the continuous cycle of (re)production from within university-based programs through the development of transformative approaches rooted in the cultural norms of traditionally marginalized populations. This study aimed to explore how one such approach, critical hip-hop pedagogy (CHHP), manifests within the…

The State of New Jersey's inmate population totals almost 22,000 men and women. Nearly 53% of released inmates are re-arrested while 31.1% return to prison within 3 years. The stigma of being an ex-convict has multiple effects for former prisoners who seek to fully participate in society, and inmates re-entering society find their convictions can…

As a high percentage of substance use counselors are in recovery, using adult learning methods such as constructivism and transformational learning are needed to neutralize any preestablished views of treatment modalities that may exist, as well as combat any possible issues of countertransference. Teaching critical thinking leads to student…

Critical thinking (CT) in the new nursing graduate continues to be a topic of concern in the academic and acute care settings. While research studies have analyzed critical thinking skills (CTS) at the beginning and end of nursing programs, few have focused on early program evaluation of CT. In this non-experimental, explanatory, quantitative…

The ability to function effectively in a dynamic, culturally diverse healthcare environment requires both critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2008) recognizes the importance of humanities in the baccalaureate nursing curriculum. This quasi-experimental, nonrandomized…