The purpose of this study was to explore how veterans of color learned positive coping strategies to endure the challenges experienced during their transition from active duty. There has been limited research examining the veterans' of color experiences during their transition from active duty military. The research questions focused on how…

The purpose of this autoethnography is to take readers through the experiences of one biracial woman, me, as she tries to define her biracial identity and ontology from childhood through adulthood, traversing a racist, majoritarian world. From an early age, I have often wondered from where my identity came. I wondered how I became me, what…

Public community colleges must adapt to ever-changing student populations to increase student retention and completion levels. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how community college students described their academic experiences and social interactions in a coordinated studies learning community at an urban community…

The purpose of the dissertation study was to increase understanding of the social experiences of students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are at increased risk of being involved in the bullying dynamic and experiencing greater social difficulties relative to their typically developing peers (Farmer et al., 2015; Rose & Gage,…

Low financial literacy is a growing problem in young adults, which has effects throughout adulthood (Amagir et al., 2018). Record low personal savings rates, a shift toward increased personal responsibility for retirement, and increasing student loan balances put financial decision-making demands on young adults that have lifelong impacts (Lusardi…

Social educational robotics literature indicates robots have entered the education domain with positive benefits for the learner. A key question remains: what is the lived experience of student interaction with social educational robots in the education environment? This study employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology to investigate the…

This qualitative study delved into the lived experiences of individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Specifically, the study investigated encounters with racial microaggressions among BIPOC counselor education faculty and doctoral students through a qualitative research approach. The research question was,…

The research focused on the experiences of high-achieving African American college students in honors programs at Mid-Atlantic Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a phenomenological study. There have been few studies on the experience of African American honors students at HBCUs; however, there is more research about this…

This study explored sense of belonging among undergraduate international students participating in an honors program at a predominantly white, public research institution in the Midwest. Twelve students participated in semi-structured interviews lasting up to one hour that covered a range of topics, including their academic and co-curricular…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social and academic experiences of Black students in AP English classes at a diverse suburban high school. This study aimed to illuminate their experiences, while giving voice to this traditionally marginalized group. Students provided recommendations for increasing academic success and…

At the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, commuter students make up the majority of the currently enrolled student population. The majority population has expressed their dissatisfaction about co-curricular and social activities and a diminished sense of belonging and inclusion. The focus of this dissertation is on the Greensburg Experiences…

The purpose of this study was to explore how students described their social and emotional experiences with teacher effectiveness (TE) in the classroom setting. The researcher sought to address a gap in the research regarding the ways that students discerned and appropriated meaning in the context of determining what constituted teaching…

Some community colleges lack the socioemotional support required to help underprepared students grow into autonomous, college-ready learners (Callahan, 2004; Capt et al., 2014). Black and Latinx students could benefit from the inclusion of positive, emotionally supportive programming that acknowledges their personhood, cultural capital…

Military mothers who have a child with autism experience higher levels of stress and anxiety, which affects their parenting self-efficacy. Quantitative investigations are abundant in current research, consequently, identifying how underutilized qualitative methods are in examining this process. Employing Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory…

Lower retention and graduation rates continue to persist among urban and Appalachian student cohorts. However, these two groups have historically been viewed as different and needing different supports to persist in their educational pursuits. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of, and integrational supports utilized by…