Students in developmental math classes have been documented to struggle with arithmetic. This dissertation research was a response to the calls in the literature to qualitatively understand what students are learning in a classroom. Number sequences have been well researched to document the connection of student understanding of math in elementary…

While public outrage in response to excessive force is appropriate and understandable (e.g., Rodney King), there are also use-of-force instances which may be misconstrued as excessive by civilians due to a lack of understanding of the law, policies, and procedures for police use of force (UOF). This can lead to negative perceptions of police…

In this field note article, I discuss my in-progress historical novel about privateering in the 17th century to demonstrate how adult education feminist theories of situated learning have influenced my fiction-based research. I introduce situated learning in gendered communities of practice, explain women's experiences in (para)military…

The purpose of this action research study was to understand and develop school-wide critical literacy practices with middle school teachers. During Cycle 1, students, teachers, and administrators from one school within an urbanized district spoke with the researcher in either interviews or focus groups. Results indicated that in order to implement…

With the increasing prominence of the children and adolescent mental health crisis after the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been tasked with connecting students with supports to reduce non-academic barriers to learning. Student Assistance Programs (SAPs) can assist with this by connecting students and their families with school-based and…

If students are to have an equitable opportunity to talk and communicate understandings, reasoning, and ideas, teachers need to use instructional practices that promote equitable academic discourse in the students' academic home -- the school. Students need to feel and know they are challenged and supported to be their best, just like a school…

The induction process for new and beginning teachers has the potential to transform how teachers experience themselves and their school and ultimately the impact they have on students. Schools, like Clark Hill Academy, within rural, historically marginalized communities face challenges of recruiting and supporting new teachers. By using a…

Department chairs are tasked with a variety of responsibilities including informing institutional decisions, yet approximately 65% of department chairs have reported receiving no training, and two-thirds of those who received training believed it was not adequate. I conducted an external program evaluation of a department chair institute for…

Professional staff make up the majority of employees at colleges and universities in the United States but are rarely the focus of research in higher education. As a result, little is known about how these employees experience the workplace, creating a challenge for educational institutions working to attract, develop, and retain this essential…

Engineering graduates are called on by society to work with others to address wicked problems which incorporate a wide range of socio-technical considerations. One promising approach to more wholistically prepare students for the demands of engineering-related work and positively contributing as citizens is community-engaged learning. To help this…

The function and purpose of higher education has changed over the last decade. COVID-19 exacerbated that change, but well before Coronavirus exploded on the world stage, standard operations at most colleges and universities were in flux. In 2013, a New York Times article predicted many colleges and universities would shutter their doors or merge…

New community college faculty have unique needs when it comes to adjusting to their new institution and learning how to better perform their job duties. According to the literature, professional development can help meet the wide range of learning needs of new faculty members, though the delivery and types of professional development offered have…

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to understand the community college online instructors' and online students' perceptions of the underlying reasons for academic underachievement at a California community college. The study comprised eight online instructors and seven online students at a community college in California.…

Annual data since 2012 shows college students' flourishing (a measure of psychological well-being) in continuous decline, with 2022 showing the largest decrease. Since the knowledge base of the predictors of flourishing is limited, how college executives can best address this issue is unclear. Variations in flourishing have been observed in…

Purpose: In contrast to prior studies examining burnout in academic employees, this paper explores how academic employee agency mitigates burnout risks in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and how this agency facilitates research productivity and influences well-being in the face of changes in learning and teaching practices.…