This study investigated the efficacy of the Beyond Rubrics Toolkit (BRT) as an embedded assessment instrument within makerspaces. Conducted as a pilot study at two Boys & Girls Club sites during afterschool programming, the research aimed to address the following research questions: (1) What skills are Youth Development Professionals teaching…

Little research exists on how undergraduate students develop constructs or an understanding of disability during community-engaged service-learning experiences in adapted physical activity. Many studies have been conducted on attitudinal change in undergraduates working with individuals with disabilities. The researcher conducted a previous…

The "Annual Report on People with Disabilities in America" is a companion volume to the "2024 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium." Indicators were in the following areas of interest: employment, educational attainment, health and health care, financial status and security, leisure recreation, personal relationships, and…

This phenomenological study explored the perspectives of American Indian/Alaska Native students who had all graduated from the same Northeast-Nebraska public school located on a federally recognized Indian reservation and completed at least a four-year degree. To that end, the central research question addressed by this dissertation is, "Why…

Research has indicated that individuals who have died from the COVID-19 virus will likely leave behind several grieving family members. For every person who dies of COVID-19, it was estimated that they would leave behind 2.2 children and 4.1 grandchildren (Albuquerque & Santos, 2021). The death of a parent or other loved one is often noted as…

Pre-service teachers often express a strong desire for more practical experience in teacher education, which requires teacher educators to consider new, meaningful opportunities for field experiences. This paper aims to bridge the gap between two 'practice worlds' - university teacher education and school practice - based on the example of the…

Objective: Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS-34) scores were studied for longitudinal bias-free construct evidence. Method: A sample of 4,696 university students referred to a university counseling center were assessed twice for evidence of longitudinal measurement invariance. Results: Adequate or marginal longitudinal…

The importance of spirituality in the lives and identities of LGBTQ students is sufficiently documented in extant scholarship to encourage campus leaders to consider spiritual support in their efforts to improve campus climate (Birch, 2011; Gold & Stewart, 2011; Love et al., 2005; Means et al., 2016; Pryor et al., 2017), but there is minimal…

This dissertation is an invitation into our beloved biology classroom. Weaving hermeneutic phenomenology and critical participatory teacher action research, this study investigated self as teacher and two cohorts of student participants in a high school biology experience utilizing an 'Aina Aloha praxis. Articulating my ongoing 'Aina Aloha praxis,…

This qualitative critical ethnographic study aimed to investigate the role of health literacy access among adult Hispanic Americans and how it affects self-care attitudes. The goal of this qualitative critical ethnographic study design was to see if previous healthcare service experiences influenced Hispanic American adults' attitudes toward…

Latine persons involved in migrant farmwork are more likely to face challenges to higher education access and achievement (Araujo, 2011; Willison & Jang, 2009). The demands of migrant farmwork can create challenges for children in migrant farmworking families that pose obstacles to higher education success (Green, 2003; Lopez et al., 2001;…

Telehealth is rapidly expanding; however, few studies have investigated hybrid models that include synchronous and asynchronous components. While research recognizes the importance of tailoring interventions to meet individual child needs, we have yet to understand how to tailor interventions to parent characteristics. This study examined how…

Where 'wellbeing' is referred to in relation to children from Armed Forces (service) backgrounds, it is often done so in absence of an exploration of this conceptually vague term. This is problematic, as there are multiple interpretations and discourses of wellbeing which, in turn, influence how it is both understood and operationalised by…

Background: Although there are a growing number of studies investigating the benefits of music therapy interventions with patients diagnosed with cancer, few studies have taken an approach that specifically examines indices of perceived well-being in women with breast cancer. Overcoming these challenges can be an important step in the recovery…

Purpose: Caregiver-mediated communication intervention outcomes are inconsistently measured, varying by assessment settings, materials, and activities. Standardized materials are often used for measuring outcomes, yet it remains unknown whether such standardized contexts equitably capture caregiver and child intervention outcomes representative of…