Rising youth suicide rates in the last several years have become an increasingly critical issue both nationwide and within the state of Utah. In a World Health Organization (2019) suicide report, it was found that an estimated 62,118 youths between the ages of 10 and 19 completed suicide in 2016, making suicide the second leading cause of death…

This study examines the relationships between peer victimization, peer relations and depression among adolescents, with a focus on the moderating roles of peer rejection, peer acceptance and reciprocal friendships on the association between peer victimization and depression. A sample of 605 adolescents (average age 13.5 years) completed measures…

In recent years, social status has been re-conceptualized as a unique and dynamic social identity that shapes motivational processes, guiding pursuits of status-related goals. Therefore, social status is not a static social positioning, but instead a developing construct that informs cognitions and behaviors, particularly during status…

Bullying is a social phenomenon that involves more participants than the bully and the victim. Since the identification of other bullying participant behaviors, endeavors have been made to explore what inclines a person to defend a victim of bullying. With the social cognitive theory in mind, the current study examined whether students' level of…

Current economic and social realities of higher education have placed increasing emphasis on using Teaching Assistants (TAs) in the classroom. However, missing from the discussion is how prepared these TAs are for the rigors of teaching and the effects of the increasing emphasis on their education and the education of their future students. To…

Self-reported positive effects of peer mentoring for mentors and mentees have included enhanced academic performance, greater sense of belonging, and retention, among other widely accepted benefits of the intervention. However, minimal quantitative or mixed methods research has focused on mentoring staff who design, implement, and therefore…

This study investigates integrating social media into secondary school curriculum and its impact on interaction between peers as well as students and their instructor. In doing so, the study highlights different platforms that educators use, how they integrated it within their classroom, and if it increased or decreased collaboration and…

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the social construct of masculinity on the fraternity members' experiences with accountability. This study focused on the methods fraternities used to hold their members accountable, how the members' behavior changes, and the impact masculinity had on accountability methods. This study is…

This dissertation applied an extended version of Cropanzano et al.'s (2017) theoretical framework, integrating affective events theory with leader-member exchange theory, incorporating leadership self-efficacy and workplace satisfaction. It investigated challenges of peer supervisory relationships among eight head resident advisors at a small…

The demographics of people attending higher education institutions are changing as more women enroll and complete their studies. Initially not designed to educate women, and certainly not Black women, institutions of higher education do not show interest in exploring ways in which they could make their campuses more inclusive to Black women.…

Principals are leaving their schools at an alarming rate each year, and this turnover can have detrimental effects on school culture and student achievement. The aim of this study was to improve principal job satisfaction, in an effort to increase retention in the position at Vision Schools where there have been 14 principals in eight years for…

Research shows that sojourning L2 learners are often eager to speak with their native-speaker peers, but they may not realize how these interactions differ from their experiences in the L2 classroom. Using the Communication Accommodation Theory (Giles & Ogay, 2007) as a guiding principle, this mixed-method study aims to, at two different time…

This qualitative case study was designed to collect and analyze the perceptions of youth who experienced foster care regarding their campus involvement experiences at Missouri higher education institutions. This study is designed to understand this population's experiences and evaluate their challenges and successes as they navigate the…

Good mentoring has many positive effects for new employees, but for extension professionals with promotion eligibility, mentoring through the first promotion opportunity can be pivotal. This case study analyzed the mentoring experiences and perceptions of the NTT promotion process of 13 extension professionals at one institution who are eligible…

Students with complex communication needs (CCN) do not have the same access to social opportunities as their typical peers (Chung et al., 2012; Raghavendra et al., 2012; Schoger, 2006). Without such opportunities, students with CCN fall behind their classmates in building friendships and obtaining peer acceptance (Bossaert et al., 2015;…