The researcher designed this qualitative descriptive study to investigate the experiences of successful first-generation, low-income college students that contributed to their ability to complete a bachelor's degree. A strength-based perspective was used to examine successful students and their unique abilities, allowing them to overcome various…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unforeseen event faced by educational institutions across the world. The sudden change for educators and students to shift from face-to-face instruction and into teaching and learning online caused major confusion due to the lack of preparedness from most educational institutions, including colleges and…

The high school dropout problem in the U.S. has been studied extensively; however, the dropout of English Learner (EL) students is an underreported phenomenon. This study sought to understand the lived experiences of EL students from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) who attended high school on…

Graduate enrollment in the United States is increasing. With the advent of the cohort learning model and online delivery methods, adult learners now have greater access to higher education. The cohort learning model, which is based on elements of Community of Practice, has been shown to provide learners with a sense of community while also having…

The purpose of this study was to explore how high-achieving first-generation college students perceived their mentoring experiences at a public research university in the midsouth and examined what role mentoring played in their persistence. Using the narrative inquiry, the study captured mentoring perceptions and experiences of 13 high-achieving…

Supported by Critical Race Theory, this study explores the perceptions of African-American medical students regarding their racialized experiences while attending medical school. The history of African Americans seeking medical education in the United States is entrenched in a legacy of racial segregation, social and cultural constructs, and legal…

Social emotional learning (SEL) programs demonstrate that there may be significant benefits for children in early elementary education. Teachers' adherence, or use of resources, may be influenced by the type of training teachers participate in and years of experience teaching SEL. In this study, I aimed to determine if years of experience and type…

Despite mental illness related to learning, social life, and overall well-being being prevalent among students, college students may not feel comfortable disclosing their mental health issues due to stigmas and campus barriers. Consequently, a high number of students experience mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation,…

The prevalence of whiteness at selective Historically White Institutions (HWIs) creates hostile and oppressive environments for Latinx/a/o students. Consequently, Latinx/a/o students face racialized barriers that impact their ability to thrive at these institutions. Yet, despite these racialized barriers, Latinx/a/o students have found ways to…

This Education Leadership Portfolio (ELP) documents my efforts to enhance the transition experiences of international students at the University of Delaware by optimizing orientation programming. Orientation programming for international students consists of pre-arrival orientation, upon-arrival orientation, and extended orientation, which are…

This study explored English Language Learner (ELL) immigrant students' barriers to accessing postsecondary education at four-year colleges and universities in the post-COVID-19 era. Grounded in Cross's (1981) conceptual framework, which categorizes barriers adult learners face in higher education as institutional, situational, and dispositional,…

In the state of Connecticut rubrics were formulated at the state level to guide the evaluations of classroom teachers and service providers (CSDE, 2017a, b). Educators have perceived the evaluation system as punitive and failing to provide them with feedback that is pertinent to their roles. Speech-Language Pathology, which is a shortage area in…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) students' feeling of belongingness in the clinical learning environment. The Belongingness Scale Clinical Placement Experience (BES-CPE) questionnaire and demographic questions were used to test five research questions. The online survey was administered to…

Much of the current literature on teacher retention centers around early-career teachers, with far less addressing mid-career teacher attrition. This research study explores the positive and negative experiences of five mid-career teachers, Toni, Sean, Susan, Debbie, and Jacqueline, explicitly focusing on the experiences that influenced their…

Introduction: This dissertation focuses on how informal educators learn through conversations during meetings, planning sessions, and other discussions with colleagues. These on-the-job learning experiences remain relatively understudied, and this dissertation aims to illuminate the dynamics of informal educator relationship-building within…