The past 50 years have witnessed a growing presence of critical theory within different social science academic departments across the western world. The joint existence of a theory committed to exposing and criticizing various inequalities of the social order within academic institutions based on traditional hierarchies and prestigious…

Community-based, Judaism-intensive action groups (Hebrew: Gar'inim Toraniim--GTs) are religiously motivated to settle in Israeli development towns, seeking to narrow social gaps through education. However, their influence has never been fully clarified. This study is grounded in the theory of educational gentrification and introduces the concept…

Technology-based remote research methods are increasingly widespread, including learning assessments in child development and education research. However, little is known about whether technology-based remote assessments remain as valid and reliable as in-person assessments. We developed a low-cost phone-based language and literacy assessment for…

Care experienced and estranged students encounter profound material inequalities throughout their higher education journeys which demand our attention. However, cultural discriminations also pose problems. Both operate as social injustices which preclude them from being included, valued or seen as 'ideal' students, contributing towards inequitable…

Inquiry-based science education has been advocated as a goal in the South African school science curriculum. Despite this goal, the implementation of inquiry in this country has been largely fragmented due to contextual factors that exert an influence on its traction in the classroom. This phenomenologically orientated study reports on the…

Despite more historically underrepresented students pursuing STEM degrees, their likelihood of remaining in STEM fields has been stalled compared with their White peers. It has been argued that developing inclusive programming and environment can significantly impact the retention and persistence of underrepresented undergraduate STEM students in…

This dissertation is rooted in three strands of scholarship: translingual approaches to writing (Horner et al., 2011), social design-based experiments (Gutierrez & Vossoughi, 2010) as a subset of participatory design-based research (Bang & Vossoughi, 2016), and the Learning on the Move framework centering embodied and mobile epistemologies…

Institutionalized oppression exists in the public education system and negatively impacts traditionally marginalized students. Public schools, including public schools in suburban areas, are becoming increasingly diverse. Social justice leadership can be a means to address the negative impact of institutionalized oppression in our public schools.…

This phenomenological study sought to examine the lived experiences of Pennsylvania school leaders in elementary or middle schools with an economically disadvantaged student population of 50% or greater and English Language Arts proficiency exceeding 60% as measured by the 2021-2022 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. Across the Commonwealth…

Background: The emergence of language in the early years is a major developmental accomplishment that underpins learning, enables social interaction and, later, is an indicator of well-being. Learning language is an effortless process for most, but can be challenging for others. There is a need to act early. First, because there are several…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how intersecting oppressed identities shape the socialization experiences of Black women doctoral candidates in agricultural disciplines at historically white institutions. This paper addresses a gap in literature examining the experiences of Black women within the context of higher agricultural…

Student belonging is a burgeoning topic in education research because of its positive association with persistence and graduation. It is thought to underscore why students minoritized on a campus, either by race or social class, have higher rates of departure and lower levels of well-being than students who make up the majority (Gillen-O'Neel…

Few interventions reduce inequality in reading achievement, let alone higher order thinking skills, among adolescents. We study "policy debate"--an extracurricular activity focused on improving middle and high schoolers' critical thinking, argumentation, and policy analysis skills--in Boston schools serving large concentrations of…

Online education has grown rapidly in the United States and has accelerated since COVID-19. The prior history of online learning through online charter schools and online learning during COVID-19 failed to meet the needs of disadvantaged student populations, especially students of color and students with lower socioeconomic status. This study…

Confronting the distinctive challenges of international East Asian students is vital for the increasingly diverse United States higher education system. This study examines the experiences of six participants of East Asian descent during kinesiology doctoral programs at U.S. higher education institutions. The research design is qualitative inquiry…