The aim of this dissertation is to inform policy makers when designing and making decisions on performance measure and performance-based funding models. While performance measures are designed to incent and inform college efforts to increase levels of student success, many of the models unfairly assess college outcomes and fund based on those…

The purpose of this historical case study is to examine the response of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The AJCU is a voluntary association of 28 Jesuit higher education institutions rooted in the Jesuit charism that centers on God's desire for a direct relationship with creation,…

This dissertation explores two main questions of farmers in Western Kenya -- how they see farming as a creative process and their role in that - and how change is made possible in their community. I explore stories from farmers themselves, using photographs they have taken and stories they tell about those photographs, which answer these two…

In this multicase study (Stake, 2005), I studied a semester-long online implementation of the "Mathematics Discourse in Secondary Classrooms" (Herbel-Eisenmann, Cirillo, et al., 2017) (MDISC) teaching professional development (T-PD)--slightly modified for the university context--which I offered to three mathematics-teaching graduate…

This qualitative, phenomenological study explores the impact of employing a cross-grade grouping strategy in elementary advisory programs. The perceptions of advisors regarding the development of younger students' sense of community and connectedness due to interaction and collaboration with cross-grade peers were used to assess the impact. Data…

This qualitative dissertation critically analyzes proposed and enacted state-level, tuition-free college legislative documents. Taking a three-article approach to the research, this study adds to the recent literature of tuition-free programs focusing on program design characteristics and the inequitable outcomes for students. The first article…

Amidst the vast amount of research that measures, evaluates, and suggests best practices for social and emotional learning (SEL), less attention has been given to the underlying cultural values, emotional investments, and relational patterns that shape and uphold SEL at a "root level." The purpose of this dissertation was to create a…

To date, there has been no known research completed on decision-making processes for integrating healthcare simulation activities into the paramedic curriculum. With a growing body of research that demonstrates simulation as a valuable methodology in healthcare education, it is important to understand how to appropriately integrate simulation…

In the spring of 2022, six "caregivers," defined in the loosest of parameters as one who "is" providing or "has" provided care for an ill individual, participated in a five-week residency that utilized storytelling as a processing tool to cope with the demands of caregiving. To balance the importance of remaining…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have created opportunities, within schools, as a means to work together to share professional inquiry and further explore various strategies to increase student achievement. Previous research on PLCs mostly focused on ways school staff and faculty engaged on topics of student performance and student…

This dissertation and research looks into the area of Culturally Relevant Practices and hiring in K-12 schools and the potential effect on all students in having minority leadership present. The research dives into interviews of teachers, hiring leaders, district leaders and building leaders. It also uses survey results from over 700 students,…

This dissertation and research looks into the area of Culturally Relevant Practices and hiring in K-12 schools and the potential effect on all students in having minority leadership present. The research dives into interviews of teachers, hiring leaders, district leaders and building leaders. It also uses survey results from over 700 students,…

The number of elementary school students with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) experiencing anxiety symptoms is increasing. Without proper treatment, anxiety symptoms in youth with T1D can impact health outcomes and adversely affect academic success. The Whole Student, Whole Community, and Whole Child (WSCC) model holds promise for developing preventative…

This multi-study dissertation explored technology and creativity within three different technology-rich creative musical spaces. Through the use of three contrasting empirical methods (qualitative content analysis, intrinsic case study, and phenomenology), I explored the complex ways technology and musical creativity are linked. In the first…

Raising livestock for food production is a unique cultural phenomenon. It has been well documented that showing livestock as part of 4-H contributes to practical skills, knowledge, and life skills. While it is common to view livestock production through skills-based or economic lenses, there are subtle nuances of the phenomenon, social, cultural,…