This phenomenological study aimed to understand how doctoral students perceived the influence of social media engagement, through Twitter, on their socialization and sense of belonging within academia. Eight participants were recruited from #sadoc on Twitter. Data from a participant selection questionnaire, in-depth, semi-structured interview, and…

Decades of research emphasizes the importance of staffing schools with quality teachers, as this will have the largest impact on student achievement (Mason, Schroeder, 2010). With high teacher turnover rates in addition to shrinking qualified candidate pools, the hiring process holds great significance (Tooms, 2004). This case study explored how…

This dissertation examined the extent to which the sense of community, belonging, purpose and support of Black fraternities could be used as to enhance undergraduate black males' persistence to graduation. Guided by a sense of community theoretical framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Black males who are Historically…

In today's marketplace, with the increase of choice as well as the disruption occurring in higher education, colleges and universities are faced with a critical problem of how to increase enrollment in order to increase revenue and maintain sustainability. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine three potential predictors of…

The number of first-generation college students, whose parents have not earned a bachelor's degree, has steadily risen in institutions of higher education. The literature suggests that first-generation college students differ from their continuing-education counterparts, experience unique challenges while earning their degrees, and are less likely…

Support is interpreted in various ways; however, the purpose of study is to examine the influence of family support and social support on student retention and completion at community colleges. This research explored the two means of support to point to best practices for student services administrators and personnel to more effectively assist…

Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington have programs designed to address college enrollment and completion gaps by offering a promise of state-based college financial aid to low-income middle school students in exchange for making a pledge to do well in high school, be a good citizen, not be convicted of a felony, and apply for financial aid to…

Ten years ago, many policymakers viewed the reform of teacher evaluation as a highly promising mechanism to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Recently, that enthusiasm has dimmed as the available evidence suggests the subsequent reforms had a mixed record of implementation and efficacy. Even in districts where there was…

This study examines relationships between dual enrollment and high school graduation, college enrollment, college choice (2-year or 4-year), and persistence in college among Nebraska's 2018 high school graduating class. Unlike previous studies that focus on states where dual enrollment is standardized and subsidized by state policy, the Nebraska…

For refugees, education provides life-changing opportunities, including tools for effective social integration. This study explores higher education (HE) participation among refugee-background African youth in Australia. Drawing on policy review, national HE statistics and population census data, and using theoretical insights from critical…

Staffing rural and regional schools remains an intractable problem. This study identifies effective incentives for attracting teachers to difficult-to-staff rural and remote schools in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Compared to their urban counterparts, students in these schools are disadvantaged by teacher staff shortages, inexperience and…

Despite providing valuable intellectual labor to universities, graduate students experience oppression based on social class (e.g., underpaid labor, student debt, barriers to unionizing), which is compounded for graduate students who hold minoritized statuses (i.e., students of color, sexual minoritized students). Minimal research has focused on…

Improving student success outcomes such as persistence and graduation rates remains a priority for higher education institutions, scholars, and advocates. Recent scholarly work argues for more qualitative work in this area to develop a deeper understanding of the issue and to identify more effective ways to increase college completion rates across…

Increasing graduation rates continues to be a high priority for administrators at many institutions of higher education. With longitudinal data from a large research university in the Western United States, the purpose of this study was to examine the potential relationship between matriculating with or without a major declared and degree…

The following study examined the association between race, ethnicity, referral source, and reasons for attrition from substance use treatment in a sample of 72,643 discharges of adolescent youth in the United States from 2014 to 2016. Black and Hispanic adolescents were more likely to be discharged due to incarceration and termination by the…