Graduate student persistence and retention is a major concern for educators, universities, and governments. The national attrition rates within US doctoral programs range between 50-70%. However, research data indicates a 50% increase in the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) doctoral programs and…

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that affect youth value of mindful living, namely, selected demographic variables, awareness of mental events, awareness of physical sensations, and nonjudgment of emotional experience. This quantitative study utilized a paper and pencil survey method to address the study objective. Study…

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, early intervention (EI) practitioners experienced an unexpected shift to providing tele-intervention services to support children and families using virtual platforms. Because this shift occurred across the field, it is important to understand the perspectives of those who experienced it under exceptional…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the significance of incorporating diverse lived experiences and identities through culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in promoting sustainability, cultural diversity and the integration of various perspectives and worldviews rooted in identity and lived experience in sustainability education at…

The purpose of this research was to investigate the individual experiences teachers, staff and administration at a secondary school in Pennsylvania have with implementing an MTSS framework with fidelity to successfully engage all students. Carroll's Theoretical Framework of Implementation Fidelity (2007) was used in this case study to help frame…

This qualitative research study explores the challenges encountered by five African American women who serve as high-ranking higher education administrators at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) in Pennsylvania as well as how they contend with these challenges. This study also uses an Intersectionality lens to explore the intersectionality of…

Narrative case studies have shown that, when people are involved in an evaluation of a program they are part of, it can change how they experience the program. This study used a quasi-experiment to test this proposition empirically in the context a participatory action research curriculum called Youth as Researchers. Half of all Youth as…

Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) are school clubs for LGBTQ+ youth and peer allies to support one another. This eight-week weekly diary study considered whether a youth's positive and negative affect during a given week could be predicted by experiences in their most recently attended GSA meeting. Ninety-nine GSA members (M[subscript age] =…

Since 2000, school-based mentoring programs have become a popular intervention for students who are struggling in school. The goals of school-based mentoring programs target the reduction of office visits and tardiness, while working to increase grades and social development. Past research includes recommendations for more qualitative examinations…

Less than 24 hours after police murdered George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protesters organized in several cities to demand that their elected officials defund their police and redirect this funding to better healthcare, schools, public transportation, affordable housing, and food security. Eventually, these protesters came together in rural…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of the mid-level female community college administrators in Pennsylvania, as well as explore the career pathways, aspirations, challenges, and opportunities for mid-level female community college administrators in Pennsylvania. For years, the focus of many…

Children's multiple interests intersect with their participation in informal learning practices in dynamic ways. Using a theoretical framework illustrating interest as a multifaceted construct that has different forms and a range of scope and durability, this study investigates how children's situational interests and individual interests are…

High school graduates who opt for labor-based unionized positions, versus matriculating, are typically viewed as unable to matriculate, less intelligent and a myriad of other less desirable qualities. Current literature fails to showcase the decision-making experiences of unionized men who did not matriculate. There is also a gap regarding…

The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed-method study was to discover the factors that lead to a school board hiring a non-traditional superintendent qualified through a Commission Qualification Letter over a superintendent qualified through a traditional Letter of Eligibility in Pennsylvania. The researcher used surveys and interviews to…

This qualitative research study focused on examining the lived experiences and defining moments of K-12 school principals that have contributed to their authentic leadership development, along with how they foster authenticity in their daily lives through the use of self- awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and an internal…