This dissertation addresses a significant gap in existing research by exploring lived experiences of cisgender female adolescents (Grades 7-12) diagnosed with emotional disturbance (ED) in the U.S. Current statistics indicate that 28% of students in special education with an ED diagnosis are girls; yet, their perspectives remain largely absent…

This arts-based narrative research was an inquiry into how embodied dialogic spaces can provide access to dance learning reflections by students after graduating from a pre-professional dance program (DanceWorks, Berlin, and Palucca University, Dresden, in Germany, and Duncan Center, Prague, in the Czech Republic). Dialogic spaces, a term used by…

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) students are underrepresented in CS education and have been found to leave the field at higher rates than their counterparts. While there is a great deal of Computer Science (CS) education research focused on other underrepresented groups, it rarely includes those who are TGNC. Overall, there is a dearth…

Bullying continues to be a concern in the field of education among school aged students, including individuals with disabilities. The areas of exploration in this basic qualitative study were the characterizations used by students, the ways in which they perceive and experience bullying, and ways in which they react to social situations. Social…

This interdisciplinary, qualitative study applies a critical lens to the field of education abroad, advocates for a more expansive and inclusive view of student mobility, and centers Hawai?i as a destination of choice for increasingly mobile students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen students from the continental U.S. who…

This grounded theory study uses a semi-structured interview process, as well as a differentiated information acquisition approach to explore the perceptions and experiences of individuals who identify as neurodivergent in the postsecondary setting. The aim of this study is to gain firsthand knowledge about the lived experiences of former and…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand African diaspora students' perceptions of how developmental spaces in higher education institutions reflect an aesthetically inclusive and validating environment that is connected to African diaspora traditions. Theoretical Framework: The conceptual framework that guided this study…

This dissertation investigates the experiences of multilingual writers in a writing center at a major research university based in the United States. It includes interviews with the writers and with the tutors who serve multilingual writers, to understand if these writers are getting what they need in the writing center to be successful in their…

This study examined the perceptions of students related to determinants of service quality experienced within both academic and non-academic areas of their respective institutions. As competition increases among higher education institutions so does the need to implement organizational strategies comparable to that of industries outside academia.…

When developing school improvement plans and implementing transformational change, why not ask students? Involving students and listening to their voice can provide a better understanding of what is needed and how the school improvement process can be enhanced to promote growth. Principals play a significant role in the leadership of school…

This study used archival data from 46 semi-structured interview recordings and notes, collected from Fall 2021 through Spring 2023. The interviews were part of a bigger study of disabled graduate students (DS) at a large university with locations across California. Participating disabled students were mostly female (70%) and White (53%). Purposive…

Belonging is an essential human need, regardless of whether or not one has a disability, and has been found to positively impact one's physical and mental health. Feelings of belonging for college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have largely been unexplored in research. Using the 10 Dimensions of Belonging…

A common educational assumption is that coherence is a pre-requisite for a "good" curriculum. Indeed, in mathematics education this perspective has persisted both nationally and internationally as a foundational principle for curriculum design, reform, and evaluation. While curricular coherence is often unquestioningly accepted as…

This study aimed to understand how general pre-service educators, after having received instruction in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) implemented the principles of UDL to plan for and design lessons to support inclusion. This was a mixed-methods study that utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to assess general pre-service middle…

This qualitative case study examines the lateral transfer student experience--students who transfer from one four-year institution to another--at the University of Missouri. Through the lens of transfer student capital, this study analyzed eleven lateral transfer student interviews and three institutional websites to identify a revised framework…