Many people are unaware of the challenges associated with a special needs child being part of the family unit. Special-needs children require additional support and resources to meet their unique needs, which can have significant implications for the entire family. Current research through self-reported study (N = 51) findings under statistical…

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of Black/ African American women aspiring, serving, or having previously served in the role of Superintendent of Schools in the State of Texas. Additionally, the study investigated the perceived barriers and challenges that impacted the participant's ascent to the superintendency, and…

The emphasis on testing within the curriculum in high schools in the United States has led to fewer opportunities for students to participate in elective courses. Federal and state testing mandates have contributed to the trend of students taking higher-level courses such as Advanced Placement (AP) and College in the High School (CHS) at the…

This study reviewed the college decision of non-first generation Latinx students from the Rio Grande Valley border region. While there is a vast amount of literature on first generation students, there is a gap in literature for non-first generation students overall, with a larger gap for those non-first generation students that may be Latinx from…

In this study, I investigated how information technology (IT) professionals learn/acquire soft skills. Little is understood about how IT professionals describe and apply the soft skills that they consider necessary for their own employability. Exploring how IT professionals describe and apply soft skills is important to their future work and…

Significant research regarding longevity existed for many professions. However, very little research was conducted on longevity for small college athletic coaches. This case study sought to identify barriers that affected athletic coaches who served at small colleges in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Participants in this study were…

College students experience a lot of stress during their academic career. Chronic stress can lead to an elevated risk of depression. Untreated depression in college students can lead to negative impacts on the student's academic performance and reduce the student's quality of life (Deng et al., 2022). Positive social support has been shown to…

Women with children are one of the growing student sub-populations in higher education. However, the support student mothers receive in colleges and universities has been historically unreliable and their experiences in college have not been studied in depth. This is especially true for student mothers from minoritized backgrounds with differing…

Post-pandemic data demonstrate that there has been an increase in student mental health and behavioral needs, and these changes have a significant effect on the culture and climate of schools. School administrators have traditionally relied on suspension to address challenging behaviors, yet this approach has not been shown to be effective. While…

Being a first-generation Hispanic student: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of first-generation Hispanic students in higher education from the Southwest region. Tara Yosso's community cultural wealth was used as a theoretical framework in this study. Emergent themes included family, resources, external family, culture, language, and…

Research often overlooks the cultural significance of outdoor spaces for Black communities and their interactions with nature. Because of this prevalent oversight, there is a lack of emphasis on successful examples of how nature interactions have positively impacted Black children. This research study counteracted deficit models in environmental…

The objective of this research was to explore the underlying reasons for the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in higher education in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Women's leadership is more prevalent in developed countries, while it is significantly lacking in developing countries. The KP province of…

There has been a concentrated effort to increase access to college for students of color. The purpose of this research study was designed to investigate the influences of family on the experiences of college students of color. Earlier research studies incorporated many components that contributed to student success, but needed to examine the…

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is a matriarchal tribe located in Escambia County, Alabama. Poarch Creek women are an integral part of the Tribe and serve in various leadership positions within the organization. Poarch women are members of Alabama's only federally recognized Native American Tribe and their educational experiences are largely…

This dissertation explored the role mentors play in female students' selection of a college for undergraduate education. Domestic and international female students enrolled full-time at a University in the Southeastern United States were engaged in a focus group setting to understand how mentors influence the college choice process. While research…