Women experience an academic career differently than their male counterparts. Women enter academic careers at similar rates as men, but there are fewer women at higher ranks (associate and professor). Women also experience an academic career differently than men as identified in the variance in their time spent on the three pillars of an academic…

This dissertation aimed to expand the current literature's understanding of Indigenous epistemology within contemporary social media environments. The qualitative study used social descriptive analysis from forty TikTok videos and comment threads. The descriptive analysis captured major cultural themes, common informal learning behaviors, and…

In an era where digital platforms increasingly shape the educational experiences of learners, this dissertation examines activity in the Mathematics Discord Server (MDS), an expansive online learning community used by hundreds of thousands of mathematics learners worldwide. Daily interactions, numbering in the tens of thousands, focused on…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to examine, understand, strengthen, and improve how virtual platforms can be used to support the challenges novice teachers face. This document will outline the study's objective for collecting data within the initial stages of this action research study. By fostering deeper relationships between…

This dissertation examines the interaction patterns that happen in an online learning environment. While many studies look at online learning through the lens of the learner or the learning environment, few studies look at the interaction patterns that happen through the digital traces captured by computational tools. Based on the conceptual…

Many students who enroll in online universities will never graduate. Attrition in higher education is accepted and expected; however, in exclusively online programs, it is prolific, with more than 80% of those students who begin an online program leaving before graduating. It is well known in the academic literature that isolation is related to…

Work and learning are essential facets of our existence, yet sociocultural barriers have historically limited access and opportunity for women in multiple contexts, including their professional pursuits. Such sociocultural barriers are particularly pronounced in technical domains and have relegated minoritized voices to the margins. As a result of…

The present study investigated the experiences of educators who taught in the virtual world Second Life®. Second Life has shown promise in the field of higher education but identified gaps exist: the identification of a set of best practices, a foundational theory, and educators' experiences using Second Life in higher education. Using a single…

A new generation is growing up who have known the internet for their entire lives. More people incorporate social media into more aspects of our lives, including how we learn and negotiate our identities. While formal online classrooms such as MOOCs are a part of the picture, learning also occurs in informal settings such as affinity groups'…

Through web-based communication, technology has made experiencing other cultures in different parts of the world more accessible. The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of social networking sites on millennials of Carolina State Council of Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Modern technology, in particular social networking site…

Reading is a fundamental skill that is critical for later academic success. Despite extensive research on its development, reading remains a challenging skill for students in the U.S. to master: recent data from the National Assessment of Education Progress showed that 65% of fourth-grade students score below the level of "proficient" in…

Today, teachers around the world are facing tremendous challenges in not only being responsive to their students' learning needs and strengths, but also in preparing them for an increasingly globalized world (Byker & Ezelle, 2021). Language teachers are often in a pivotal position to address such issues about equity because of the subject they…

This dissertation is a multi-sited ethnographic case study of three displaced Syrian students living in Mexico who were undergoing their university studies. Drawing upon "thirdspace" and language ideology theories this study examined how three Syrian displaced students in Mexico created spaces where they used language to construct and…

The relationships between social network centrality, social construction of knowledge, and nurse practitioner competency among adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner students participating in asynchronous online discussions were explored. Social network centralities (betweenness, in-degree, out-degree, closeness, and eigenvector) were…

Activism is occurring in an increased manner with Generation Z college students and the greater society. The definition of activism is an evolving one and unsettled in literature. It is often confused with similar terms like Civic Engagement. In addition, the methods of how an activist networks and forms their group in a period of increased social…