Motivated by the underrepresentation of women in math-related majors and occupations, the present dissertation explored the possibility that disparities in frequency of classroom participation--a measure of engagement prone to gender differences--could be partially responsible for gender differences in belonging and identity in math contexts. Via…

When both students and teachers are disengaged, there is an impact at the class level and on the larger educational community. Thus, examining experiential methods that spark professor interest and passion as well as engage students is beneficial for faculty development, student learning, and institutional improvement. This thematic analysis…

Imagine a day in the classroom where you can devote all your energy to student learning instead of battling challenging behavior. In "Motivated to Learn," you will gain evidence-based approaches for engaging students and equipping them to better focus in the classroom. With this book's straightforward strategies, you can learn to…

To reduce inequities in the mathematics classroom, teachers must have the skill to Notice-for-Equity, a skill that can be learned and fine-tuned over time but must be practiced. The purpose of this study was to explore what preservice secondary schoolteachers notice when viewing a small-group interaction in mathematics and specifically identify…

Universities are indispensable for a free and prosperous society. Their mission depends on a campus culture of free expression and intellectual diversity. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) seeks to hold American colleges and universities accountable to their missions. ACTA now provides a blueprint to help higher education regain…

Many educational systems are generally viewed across the United States as failing to meet the increased demand of preparing an educated workforce to sustain the nation's economy and overall citizen way of life. One such failing is represented in the number of students not completing high school. To address the systemic dropout problem, federal and…

Student performance in high school Earth science coursework is an important factor in lifelong scientific literacy and workforce readiness in geoscience fields. Performance often depends upon access to high quality teaching and resources in precollege academic settings. This study employed a non-experimental, correlational research design to…

This study sought to examine the academic impact of second language acquisition in ELL students when parents refuse bilingual services in comparison to students who remain in a bilingual education program until they are ready to exit. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data from only one assessment was utilized in this study. The study conducted was a…

Since 2014, varsity collegiate esports have rapidly grown on college campuses across the country. Colleges use varsity esports to increase enrollments, but little is known about which student identities are represented in varsity collegiate esports. Further, there is a dearth of literature that explores the social experiences varsity esport…

This qualitative case study responds to a significant gap in the literature in the area of gamification for vocabulary study among international students in higher education. It aims to respond to a call for a more in-depth qualitative analysis of gamification techniques on student learning experiences in comparison to the more commonplace…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to add the voices and counter-stories of five Black women who attend community colleges to the discourse and literature concerning their co-curricular involvement experiences and persistence. I used critical race theory (CRT) as the theoretical framework to understand how involvement in…

Substance use in America remains a public health crisis, especially given the ongoing opioid epidemic and an alarming spike in overdose related deaths. Institutions of higher education have a unique opportunity to provide realistic measures of sustained substance use disorder (SUD) recovery through collegiate recovery programs (CRP) that employ…

This dissertation examined the relationship between participation in an academic coaching program and retention for community college students enrolled in developmental education courses. With low retention and completion rates for students beginning in developmental courses, support programs to improve student success are needed. This…

Black Greek Letter Fraternities are part of America's history and include notable individuals such as Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, W.E.B. Dubois, and Jesse Jackson. The foundation for each of them was a postsecondary education at either a Historically Black University and College (HBCU) or a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). What…

While many education researchers have characterized the impromptu nature of classroom teaching as "improvisation," few studies of teacher education or professional development (PD) have examined the potential of improvisation workshops for equipping teachers to face unforeseen classroom moments productively. In this dissertation, I…