Equity and inclusion have consistently been problematic within the field of outdoor and environmental education. Despite numerous positive benefits associated with programming, current trends highlight discrepancies in the affordance of those outcomes. The present dissertation explores equity within the curriculum in outdoor and environmental…

The scholarly study of punk is a growing interdisciplinary field. Within that already specialized group, research into punk pedagogy is emerging as a vital component of punk scholarship. However, no study in punk pedagogy has narrowed its scope to any one influential punk band to determine what constitutes its punk pedagogy. This dissertation…

The hidden curriculum has been theorized and researched as imposing messaging that students learn but are not explicitly taught. However, few studies considered the hidden curriculum as an integrated and embodied function of students' lived experiences, or students' role in their encounters with the hidden curriculum. This study investigated how…

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) remains a pivotal document for ensuring educational equity for students with disabilities in public education (Bateman, 2017). This qualitative interview study investigated how an IEP team supporting a student with extensive support needs navigated the decision-making process during annual IEP…

The Flexner Report (1910) established the assessment that provided the standards of medical education. Although the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has updated standards to increase the diversity of medical students throughout the years, the percentage of Black medical students identifying as women has not increased as expected.…

The low graduation rate of African American students is currently a problem. African American students are being enrolled in predominantly white institutions (PWIs) of higher education but are not graduating at the same pace as their counterparts. It is important for higher education institutions to learn more about their student population and…

This research seeks to answer the question of why sociologists teach at community colleges, how they view their choices and how they view the discipline of sociology. I theorize that contrary to community college teaching being a "fall back" position, many sociologists actively seek those positions deliberately to enact social justice…

This study explores the potential existence of an implicit, hidden curriculum in basic law enforcement training that may impact students' values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. The hidden curriculum refers to what students learn from their school environment, teacher and peer relationships, and the education system. If such a curriculum…

Students' racial identity is informed by their school environment. The process of school racial socialization involves the transmission of stated and unstated beliefs, values, and stereotypes regarding one's racial identity within the academic setting. Instructors, faculty, staff, administrators, and leadership all play a role in the racial…

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the creation of Homeplace between Black women who recently graduated from high school and their former high school counselors who were also Black women. Additionally, this study strove to examine the perceived benefits of experiencing Homeplace in the relationship with their former…

Higher education organizations, like the rest of the United States workforce, faces an ever-changing world to which they must adapt. Organizations are recognizing that their workforce ideologies are also changing because their employees consist of multiple generations working together. These multiple generations do not necessarily always agree on…

Recent literature and think tank organizations alike point to the notion that the master's degree is the new bachelor's degree. Additionally, universities are experiencing an increase in first-generation college student enrollment as well as graduate student enrollment. This growth in both student populations raises the question: What happens when…

The purpose of this research is to better understand how academic researchers in STEM fields identify and access postdoctoral positions, transition into postdoctoral roles, and access training, development opportunities, and networks once they are at their postdoctoral institution. Furthermore, this study aims to describe how aspects of identity…

The research explores Black and Latinx recent high school graduates' perceptions of their high school English classes and the value they placed on their experiences and their futures. This study aims to amplify the voices of students who have been dismissed from academic research on issues concerning student voice by providing recent graduates an…

The research explores Black and Latinx recent high school graduates' perceptions of their high school English classes and the value they placed on their experiences and their futures. This study aims to amplify the voices of students who have been dismissed from academic research on issues concerning student voice by providing recent graduates an…