This dissertation consists of three studies exploring factors affecting whether, when and how students engage in sense making in science disciplines, and the epistemological components of instruction that impact their engagement. Each study is grounded in science education reform efforts, including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS),…

Women's leadership across the globe is often underscored by the dominance of male leadership across time. However, women leaders have made great strides in national leadership and public policy, including access and equity to higher education by underserved, underrepresented, and under-resourced populations within their respective countries. This…

In higher education, with the change in demographics and the growing diversity of the minority student population, one of the key concerns is the inequitable educational outcomes for historically underserved and underrepresented minority students (Bensimon, 2005). Over the next few decades, minority students will make up a large and significant…

Access to higher education is a key determinant of lifetime earnings in the U.S. Since the 1960s, selective public universities have admitted students mostly on the basis of standardized test scores and other measures of academic preparation. In this dissertation, I employ quasi-experimental and structural research designs to investigate the…