This phenomenological qualitative study addressed "The Experience of Being Gifted and Talented From the Perspective of Adolescents." The literature review supported the idea that there are many facets to an individual's experience of self and their place within different groups. Factors like identity development, social and emotional…

The purpose of this intrinsic qualitative case study was to understand the meaning-making experiences and experienced-based decision making that occur among middle school girls while playing the tabletop role playing game Dungeons & Dragons through the online videoconferencing platform zoom. table-top games have been played in some form for…

The current study investigated the perspective of principals related to the influence of professional development on their self-efficacy and professional growth. A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted involving 14 school administrators from 10 different states with vary experience from 2 years to 17 years in an administrative…

Collegiate men are overrepresented in student conduct systems across the higher education landscape as they are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors when compared with their female counterparts (Laker & Davis, 2011). There is a strong correlation between these high-risk behaviors and the ideology of toxic masculinity (Wagner, 2015).…

I was a person who identified as culturally Deaf but at the same time had progressive vision loss. I embraced my Deaf identity, but I did not embrace any inkling of identifying myself as a DeafBlind person considering the stigma associated with it. Due to that stigma, the journey of identifying as a DeafBlind person is difficult mentally,…

This study examined the transfer student capital-building experiences of nine students who transferred to the research site from other 4-year institutions. A narrative qualitative approach was used to guide the development of the study. Each participant was interviewed twice, using a semi-structured interview protocol to capture participants'…

Social group disparities persist in who chooses to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education. Goal congruity theory has highlighted how perceptions of other-oriented opportunities in STEM can spur interest among underrepresented students. The present work extends this framework by considering how…

The real-world problem concerning the question of leadership preparedness of international students attending private, Jesuit Catholic universities was studied using a constructivist narrative inquiry method. From the rich stories of five participants, six experiential themes emerged from the data analysis done by hand coding. The themes were…

Asian Americans have long been targeted and blamed for problems in social, political, and educational realms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this racial bigotry contributed to hostile environments for Asian American college students. While previous research has discussed the negative impacts of racism on this population, my study explores how Asian…

This action research looked at the low comfort levels among young people when engaging in conversations about social inequities. Additionally, this research investigated the development of youth voice, agency, and engagement from youth who were involved in creating an online resource library surrounding these topics. The research consisted of 2…

This thesis was written to gain a better understanding of the barriers and beneficial resources as perceived by service providers of students with an emotional disturbance. This study approaches the literature with a focus on human development. Gaps in the research consist of various theories by groundbreaking theorists that have paved the way for…

Over the past decade the concept of taking a gap year has become mainstream in the US. This idea of delaying enrollment, or taking a break from college, before beginning a bachelor's degree, has gained popularity, especially as the cost of attendance in higher education has soared and the burden of paying for it has been placed on the student as…

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of social media, specifically Twitter, as a way for women in higher education to connect with one another. Seven women who developed a specific hashtag were interviewed in a semi-structured initial process followed by a reflective follow up. These interviews were transcribed, coded, and sent to the…

This qualitative narrative study aimed to explore the impact of the tutor-student relationship on students' perceptions of belonging in community colleges. This study employed a qualitative narrative approach to understand a distinct phenomenon: the influence of the student-tutor relationship on the sense of belonging among community college…

This exploratory, mixed-method study examines the role of identity-based student organizations in supporting sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) spectrum minority students in higher education. Through convenience sampling, 44 participants were surveyed. Open coding revealed four key themes influencing student engagement: community…