The growing concern of doctoral student persistence has increased exponentially in higher education over the past decade. The body of research presented in this dissertation examines the complex phenomenon of persistence and possible pathways to addressing the dilemma of deteriorating academic persistence for doctoral students. It explores and…

There is a persistent stereotype that gifted students feel ostracized and have less sense of belonging than their normative peers. To explore this stereotype, data from 9251 15-year-old students in the U.S. were used to explore differences in the sense of belonging across achievement levels in various domains (i.e., mathematics, science, and…

It is 25 years since the first adult participation in learning survey, and this one is published during Learning and Work Institute's centenary year. This year's survey shows that 44% of adults have taken part in learning in the last three years. That's an increase on the record lows found in 2019 and marks the first rise in participation since…

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-34 years old. Limited research has documented extant heterogeneities in suicide across the life course and among diverse sociodemographic groups. There is also limited research on the influences of mental health utilization on suicidal trajectories across the life course. This study…

This study presents a comparative investigation of the differences in retention and academic performance of Black and White Female undergraduate in a mid-sized university in the southern U.S. The study became a significant concern in higher education because average Black students' retention and performance rates were often lower than their White…

In the 40-plus years since the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," special education has grown in the number of students and amount spent on services. Despite this growth, academic performance of students with disabilities remains troublingly low compared to general education students. To some extent, these differences reflect…

Purpose. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to examine whether a relationship exists between academic advisors' leadership style as servant leaders and student satisfaction with academic advising at a 4-year private nonprofit university in Southern California. Additionally, gender, race, and first-generation college…

The use of mobile technology, particularly smartphones, in higher education continues to grow. The purpose of this research was to investigate Saudi students' perceptions of engagement and self-directed learning (SDL) when using smartphones for learning. The research sample included students from one of the Saudi Arabia universities, Z. A…

Pre-pandemic studies indicate that East Asian students' migration to ASEAN Outer Circle nations to study English by no means marks their departure from an idealized anglophone English world. Via research conducted during the pandemic when online learning had become mainstream, this study further explores the significance of such students' English…

Online eikaiwa, or English conversations via teleconferencing platforms, is a popular informal English learning avenue among Japanese nationals. Although online eikaiwa has received scholarly attention in recent years, only a few studies have investigated the current diversification efforts in the industry in terms of hiring teachers from various…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Arabic language teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in the assessment and teaching of students with learning disabilities (LD). A mixed-methods design involving semi-structured interviews and surveys was used. A total of 119…

Discourse markers (DMs) are linguistic forms characterized by their use as conversation organizers or pause fillers (Fox Tree, 2010). Although used frequently in both speech and writing, DMs are not often taught in L2 classrooms, despite incorrect usage causing potential misunderstandings (Polat, 2011). Additionally, L2 learners have been observed…

Internationally, there is an under-supply of intellectual capital to provide for STEM-related employment. One contributing factor is the low number of female students selecting STEM school subjects and careers. Despite the literature recommending students engage in STEM activities earlier, many initiatives are not implemented until high school.…

In industrialized societies, adults exhibit stable preferences for the types of people, animals, and entities they feel moral concern for (Crimston et al., 2016). Only one published study to date has utilized the moral circles paradigm to examine these preferences in children, finding that as children age, their preferences shift to become more…

Deaf and hearing adults perceive faces differently. This study investigates whether these differences are acquired during childhood development. We characterized facial perception in deaf and hearing children aged 7-17 using a perceptual discrimination task. Configural and featural information was manipulated in the eye and mouth facial regions.…