Traditionally, in our globally diverse and intertwined society, study abroad has served as a valuable, enriching, and life-changing aspect of college and university offerings and opportunities for students. Today, the lives of post-study abroad students will be defined by the ways they make sense of unexpected major events surrounding the…

Historically, there has been more research available regarding how study abroad students experience culture shock versus how they experience reverse culture shock upon returning home. However, research has shown that reverse culture shock can often be more difficult to navigate than the initial culture shock students experience. By reason of that…

The United States still faces difficulties with its teacher shortage and consistently depends on international educators for assistance. The Philippines played a vital role in providing American educators. Regrettably, this method resulted in unexpected problems. Unfamiliarity with American society hindered Filipino immigrant teachers. As a result…

There is little research on the experiences of international teachers recruited to work in urban schools in America. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore Caribbean international teachers' experiences during and after recruitment to teach in New York City public schools. Homans's social exchange theory provided the…

This research explores the ways that instructional designers and those with similar responsibilities at higher education institutions interpret and negotiate the concept of belonging in their learning designs. This qualitative study utilizes practitioner inquiry and speculative design activities as a way to evoke discussion about how participants…

This dissertation research investigates the experiences of international student-athletes competing in NCAA Division I schools in the Southeastern United States. The study explores the challenges and successes these athletes encounter as they navigate academic and athletic pursuits in a new environment. The purpose of this dissertation research…

In this dissertation, I examined the experiences of QuestBridge Scholars attending three different elite universities that enroll more students from the top income quintile than from the lowest three income quintiles combined. The universities attended by participants in this study are among the few that are both need-blind and that fully meet…

The driving theme for this research was cultural discontinuity as experienced in the American academic institutions. Cultural discontinuity is understood as a way in which the cultural practices and values of students' home culture affect the academic achievements of the students usually, resulting in low academic accomplishments. This phenomenon…

The purpose of this study is to identify non-cognitive attributes learned from enlisted military service that can guide student-veterans to success in higher education. Community colleges are showing poor completion rates for all the efforts toward student success and completion. Non-traditional students persist to completion and student success…

Western science largely controls what is learned, funded, studied, and published, yet few scientists are aware of the particular ontological, epistemological, and axiological assumptions that form the foundation of the Western scientific worldview. Western science is not universal, acultural, or objective, and only the privilege and power of…

This dissertation investigates the influence of racialization on the attrition rates of African American male students in predominantly white institutions (PWIs). The study examines whether these students experience cultural shock or face more profound systemic challenges. The research explores how African American men navigate and perceive their…

Study abroad is an increasingly popular component of higher education, thought to promote global citizenship ideals, including the cultural and linguistic competence needed to succeed in a globalized world. While much research has focused on student learning outcomes, scholars have discovered that simply living and studying abroad is not a…

This narrative inquiry study explored the stories of six self-identified Latinas or Hispanic women who work as educational developers in postsecondary institutions. The study sought to understand the simultaneity of multiple social identities as experienced by the participants. Simultaneity is defined as a dynamic framework from critical feminist…

This dissertation explores the reintegration of military Veterans into the civilian population and factors that influence their return through higher education after the 2008 changes to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. Student Veterans bring to campus nontraditional student characteristics plus Veteran culture that include unique strengths and challenges…

As more countries import western curriculums, there is a concern that western curriculum offers an individual cultural approach that fails to reach Saudi Arabian students from collective cultures. With expectations for performing academic work unfamiliar to Saudi Arabian students, many students may resort to academic dishonesty to avoid failure.…