Effective active learning supports student engagement in generative learning behaviors, often through collaborative group work. Although collaborative learning has many benefits, it can be difficult for individual instructors to prompt knowledge building discourse in large enrollment courses. Peer Learning Assistants (PLAs) can provide the…

Few thanatological studies focus on the impact of the death of a parent on college students between the ages of 17 and 23; a knowledge limitation that may be doing more harm than good through ignorance, avoidance, and inflexible policies. This phenomenological study used narrative inquiry to explore how students from a variety of backgrounds…

This research presents a qualitative case study of a middle school principal in New York City who made significant progress in creating the opportunity to learn at a school that predominantly serves children of color. The study analyzed the principal's leadership behaviors and decision-making strategies through a series of document reviews,…

This qualitative study explored the needs and experiences of college students who have aged out of the foster care system and facing housing instability at a large public institution. The study explores the participants' pre-college experiences and college journey to identify challenges they faced, sources of support, and unmet needs impacting…

This study explored the perspectives and experiences of African American male students. enrolled in the Brothers Achieving Excellence (BRAVE) program at a medium sized, two-year community college institution in Southern New Jersey. The purpose of this study is to understand African American male BRAVE students' perceptions of academic support and…

LGBTGEQIAP+ people experience mental health distress at higher rates than cisgender heterosexual people, which can be connected to added layers of stress due to patterns of negative treatment on the basis of their identities (Meyer, 2003). LGBTGEQIAP+ community college students are at especially high risk for experiencing challenges,…

Language education evolves and is shaped by the needs of the generations as well as the contemporary realities of the world. Today, humanity faces with rapid developments and innovations in technology and science. These realities shape the society and each community in the world. In this regard, the term Generation Z (Gen Z) has emerged. Gen Z has…

Online education, also referred to as distance education, has been on a steady rise for over a decade, and California community colleges offer more online courses than any other public higher education institution. Although the success gap, as measured by course completion, between online and face-to-face learning is closing overall, online…

This exploratory study sought to gain a better understanding of the nature and extent to which Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) faculty at community college institutions experience racial battle fatigue. This study examined the implications of racial battle fatigue on burnout and the retention of BIPOC faculty at community college…

Urban charter schools serving economically disadvantaged minority communities experience high teacher attrition. This study examined the association between high-demand teachers, school working conditions, and turnover, both voluntary departures and involuntary terminations in an urban, charter school district. I found that improved working…

Digital competencies have become an essential skill set for most professions. The University of Delaware (UD) needs to recognize and give credit for the digital skills students bring to their graduate studies, and for digital skills learned while in graduate programs. The current structure of humanities graduate programs at UD does not offer this.…

The three studies included in this dissertation collectively aim to highlight the negative impact that culturally homogenous academic, social, and financial systems on college campuses have on the experiences of culturally diverse college students. Currently the academic, social, and financial experiences of college students are not structured to…

The purpose of this research was to explore how the intersection of gender and race influence the advancement of women of color to senior-level leadership positions at higher education institutions. This study discusses perceptions and perspectives on advancement and a variation of obstacles that continue to prohibit and limit opportunities for…

Lorenzo De Zavala is a low-income school in West Dallas, Texas, and a part of the large Dallas Independent School District. Reading achievement has been low and stagnant over the past few years at this campus due low reading levels in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Additionally, there is a lack of adequate teacher development and…

Understanding the lived experience of Indigenous counselors-in-training provides insight into the barriers experienced in their graduate counseling programs. Hermeneutic phenomenology and Indigenous Research Methodology were used to explore the experience of five Indigenous counselors-in-training. The study involved two individual interviews and a…