The purpose of the study was to better understand how international school middle school teachers can help cultivate a student's sense of belonging by creating a space for students to explore factors shaping their gender identity. The Participatory Action Research (PAR) study took place at an international school in South Korea that enrolls…

A qualitative case study approach was employed to explore the perspectives of stakeholders affiliated with an inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) program for students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) in the pacific northwestern United States. Utilizing Artiles' (2009) cultural-historical paradigm, three research…

The outcomes presented in this dissertation were motivated by a scarcity of research that explores self-determination practices explicitly within inclusive classrooms. Three overarching goals motivated my research. The first was to understand what inclusion teachers know and do in relation to self-determination (Chapter 2). The second was to…

This qualitative case study with a phenomenological approach explored the perceptions of university administrators regarding the investment of social justice resources for the campus community; types of social justice communication that had been shared with the campus community; and what social justice resources, curriculum, and initiatives were…

The purpose of this action research study was to understand what workplace factors fostered a sense of belonging and overall job satisfaction in the staff of the researcher's university. Participants and data collected in Cycle One consisted of three focus groups, three stakeholder interviews, and an anonymous survey of all administrative staff.…

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand elementary-level general education teachers' attitudes and efficacy regarding teaching students with disabilities in an inclusion classroom environment. Bandura's self-efficacy theory guided this study of teachers' relationships with their attitudes and…

This phenomenological qualitative study aimed to investigate the perceptions of elementary school general education teachers on the inclusion of students with autism in the general education classroom. The theoretical views of Lev Vygotsky's (1977) social constructivist theory served as the framework for the study. The phenomenon of inclusion is…

"Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education" is designed to empower a new generation of teachers who can make a difference in children's lives. It covers both how to teach, and what to teach, young children from birth through age 8. An entire chapter introduces developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) for early childhood…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether peer mentors and inclusive practices in the Foundations program increased students' IEP goal progress. Study participants consisted of 8th grade typical peers and 6th through 8th grade students in the Foundations Program in the Appoquinimink School District. Peer mentors inquired and were selected…

At the university level, mental health and mental illness education is still limited to clinical disciplines. However, Post COVID-19 mental health issues have become an epidemic that the university cannot ignore. Left alone to clinical disciplines, mental health issues appear as a health disturbance instead of a daily process of internal…

Friendships with classmates play a significant role in student's development. However, only some friendships are maintained for longer than a school year and their formation depend on many factors. One important factor is gender because gender homophily is consistently found in friendship networks. In addition, there is evidence that same-gender…

Blind/partially blind people are underrepresented in post-secondary education and lack equitable opportunities to develop a sense of belonging. This study shares narratives of 28 blind/partially blind students from across Turtle Island (in what is colonially called Canada) using Teng et al.'s (2020) Belonging in Academia Model (BAM) as a…

This phenomenological research study explores how districts in Massachusetts support and hinder the work of professionals in the inaugural role of Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). Through a qualitative approach, the study engaged six Directors of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from suburban and urban school settings in…

The rise in children's media use (Rideout & Robb, 2020) and the prioritization of STEM learning (Fayer et al., 2017) has led to the development of new STEM-related apps, TV shows, and other media for young children. One topic in this area gaining popularity is computational thinking (CT). Researchers refer to CT as an approach to problem…

Administrators play a key role in establishing learning structures that impact student learning from the earliest developmental stages. Throughout the northeastern region of the United States, elementary schools continuously assess the quality of student-teacher interactions to evaluate students' developmental progress. The problem identified in…