This study explored the spiritual needs of Christian families by surveying and holding focus groups with parents and congregational leaders. We discovered a disconnect between what congregational leaders think is happening with families and the lived experience of families. Congregational leaders often perceive the lack of church engagement from…

This paper seeks to revisit the concept of "pedagogy of discomfort" through the combined lenses of Lauren Berlant's work on "inconvenience" and recent theorization of "affective infrastructure" to clarify how an infrastructural understanding of "discomfort-as-inconvenience" might provide deeper insights…

In March 2020, higher education institutions experienced a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous studies have shown the negative impact of the lockdown on students' mental health. The lockdown situation was unprecedented and describing the variety of experiences is therefore important. This study aims to describe students' lived…

This qualitative descriptive research aimed to examine and determine the effectiveness of online education by addressing the challenges of the nontraditional student experience while taking fully online asynchronous courses versus synchronous ones. The study strived to determine new approaches to enhance online education and increase teaching…

This quantitative, descriptive, nonexperimental study employed Maslach's Burnout Inventory (MBI) to investigate the issue of principal turnover within high-poverty schools in Texas. The research question for this study is, "Is there a difference in a principal's feelings of burnout based on their years of experience?" The researcher used…

This dissertation examines the post-college career choices of no-loan program alumni at Harvard College. Using a conceptual framework informed by elements of social cognitive career theory (Lent et al., 1994) and Perna's (2006) model of college choice, it identifies "what" careers alumni chose after college and "how" and…

While much of the literature on Black women teachers documents their legacy of addressing anti-black racism in traditional public-school settings, there is room for more dialogue about the labor of Black women teachers who teach in non-traditional school settings. This study draws on endarkened storywork, a methodological approach derived from the…

Increasing numbers of international students bring their different cultures, languages, and educational backgrounds to higher education, and they expect their experiences and interactions with higher education institutions to be rewarding journeys. A key issue - the dynamic and multifaceted concept of student engagement as an important indicator…

Enrolling in an online program has become an increasingly popular choice for graduate students, as this format allows the flexibility to balance personal, academic, and professional commitments. However, this flexibility alone does not guarantee that an online program will contribute positively to students' lives. In this qualitative action…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to understand how certified public school librarians in the United States describe their experiences within librarian Facebook groups for their self-directed professional learning. Two data sources with 14 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups with 7 participants each were conducted.…

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…

This dissertation presents a critical literature review exploring the influences of repatriation and adjusting to the university experience in the United States of America on the identity development of third culture kids. A third culture kid is someone who spent a significant part of their developmental years living outside their passport country…

This dissertation explored the experiences of 14 first-generation graduates who had recently completed a master's degree, analyzing the saliency of their first-generation identity with a strengths-based focus. Much literature exists regarding the experiences of first-generation undergraduate students and doctoral students, yet few studies center…

The Oregon community college system employs a full-time faculty workforce that is overwhelmingly White. This study aimed to research why the representation of faculty of color in the state's community colleges remains low by conducting interviews with faculty of color about their experiences at these public 2-year institutions using…

Bullying was a pervasive issue affecting high schools in the United States despite anti-bullying programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of former high school bullying victims about why anti-bullying programs have not reduced incidents of bullying. The conceptual framework that supported this study was…