This study validated the factor structure of 29 items from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) that were hypothesized to represent six social capital constructs. There were 837 complete freshmen's responses to the 2009 and 2012 NSSE. One half of the sample was used to conduct an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to provide further…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine student perception of mental well-being and coping strategies and the influence on student persistence. Participant views and experiences revealed perceptions regarding challenges at the University, resilience techniques utilized, and overall student satisfaction.Seven freshmen students…

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to determine what factors contribute to the sustained success of schools after they have undergone the turnaround process and moved into the longer process of school transformation by identifying the relationship between principal leadership style and organizational structures that were implemented in…

Disappointing enrollment and retention in science and technology pathways threaten national workforce needs and learners' socioeconomic advancement. Students who begin their postsecondary educations at community colleges are less likely to choose science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) majors than peers who begin at university, and…

There is limited research on grit among nontraditional online adult learners, especially focusing on male and female Black college students who are adult online learners, including those who are older than 40. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to examine possible between-group differences in motivation to persevere, as…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine factors that lead to teacher attrition and the role agency plays in it. For the purposes of this study, agency refers to teachers' capacity to make choices, take principles action, and enact change. A total of 20 former teachers were interviewed to discuss their lived…

School-based agricultural education (SBAE), like many other subject areas, suffers from a critical teacher shortage. Oklahoma has chosen to combat this shortage by offering temporary emergency teaching certifications with minimal qualifications and no requirements for professional development. Recruitment is only half of the solution to teacher…

Over past decade, districts throughout the United States have reformed their teacher evaluation systems in order to support teachers to improve teacher practices and to improve the composition of teachers in the workforce. Despite the widespread reform of evaluation systems, little research has examined the impacts these systems have on teacher…

Students who are not academically integrated into their English courses are more likely to depart from college. Academic integration begins with placement testing, and many institutions rely on a single-score standardized placement exam to determine a student's English level. The exam is an inaccurate measurement of a student's skill level and…

In the United States, students of Spanish-speaking descent classified as Hispanic, Latino, or Latinx attending public school districts continue to demonstrate alarmingly high academic underachievement and dropout rates. Standards-based learning environments and related assessments tend to marginalize people whose lived realities already make the…

This paper provides a longitudinal examination of teacher turnover across all publicly-funded, center-based early childhood sites in Louisiana. We follow 4,465 early educators teaching in fall 2016 up to seven times through the fall of 2019. We provide the first statewide estimates of within-year turnover in ECE, as well as the first statewide…

People in Indigenous communities tell stories to share knowledge. As a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, I understand the significance of stories for our knowledge system. The purpose of this research was to understand how eight Lumbee students at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke transitioned to college and the role of…

Grit has emerged as a topic of scholarly discourse, particularly as it applies to education. Studies of grit have found that it correlates with achievement across a variety of domains. Current research has indicated that grit may be valuable for teachers to understand in their work with students. This quantitative study sought to explore if, or to…

Nontenure track (NTT) faculty make up 73% of faculty at universities and colleges across the United States and nearly 67% of the faculty workforce at Masters colleges and universities (Larris, 2018). There are myriad reasons for this growth, including financial pressures placed on universities and incentives to be more marketable and competitive…

This essay identifies six common institutional barriers to student completion and offers recommendations to remove them. The barriers are: (a) confusing degree requirements, (b) courses not available when needed, (c) unnecessary registration holds, (d) course credits of transfer students not counted toward degree, (e) financial aid policies that…