Women seeking higher education frequently do so during peak childbearing years and women with higher levels of education are more likely to postpone motherhood until a later age. Fertility rate, defined as the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime, has decreased globally. The decrease in birthrate has been partially…

This paper documents a case study examining collaborative transdisciplinary (TD) and interdisciplinary (ID) graduate programmes at the University of British Columbia (a large, public, research-intensive university in Canada) -- serving as a model for other universities globally. TD and ID programmes in higher education can ultimately create a new…

This study examined the preliminary impact of a contemplative practice intervention on the implicit racial biases of 22 participants enrolled in teacher preparation courses using a mixed-methods, pre/post-test design. Quantitative analyses determined whether there were statistically significant differences in implicit racial bias before and after…

Lesson study is a collaborative and contextualised approach to professional learning that involves small groups of teachers working together to design and reflect on the teaching of a research lesson. Although it is a well-established approach to professional learning in classroom-based subjects, research on its effectiveness within physical…

The present study investigated the potential of writing in English as a foreign language (EFL) for language learning by manipulating cognitive task complexity based on related models and hypotheses. English essays written by 59 Chinese postgraduate EFL students from different subject areas were analysed with reference to writing complexity,…

Production of certain English phonemes relies heavily on effort from the abdominal region, and under-utilization of this region by second language English speakers can create difficulties pronouncing these sounds. In particular, production of long vowel/diphthong sounds requires sustained abdominal contraction to maintain the length of these…

This study examined the lower enrollment of Black students in graduate programs compared to their enrollment in undergraduate programs. In today's climate with the recent Supreme Court case rulings and the enrollment cliff, recruiting Black students is both challenging and incredibly important. To address this problem, the study explored how a…

This paper explores the intersection of U.S. graduate music student experiences and mental health. A literature review discussing nineteenth-century mechanist piano pedagogy practices, Carl Seashore's Measures of Musical Talent, the impact of neoliberal capitalism on students, and an overview of current U.S. studies on university music student…

We use longitudinal data across public postsecondary institutions in Tennessee to examine the stages at which potential Black educators disproportionately exit the teacher pipeline. Black and White bachelor's graduates declare and complete teaching-related majors at similar rates, suggesting comparable levels of initial interest in teaching…

This study explored the use of immersive virtual reality enhancing university students' presence and empathy in relation to their immersive tendencies. With a first-person narrative delivered through a head-mounted display, a high-immersion virtual reality (VR) was expected to provide engaging embodied experiences, impacting the way students…

Digital teamwork has become prevalent and is ever since becoming part of the human work- and life-style, globally. But in comparison with face-to-face setting, virtual teams face multifold challenges. To date, scarce empirical research has examined whether team-breaking challenges are associated with limited access to peer nonverbal signals. This…

This research delved into the experiences of five international graduate students (comprising three from China, one from Germany, and one from Saudi Arabia) attending a university in the United States. The aim was to gain insights into their adjustment process to a new academic, linguistic, and cultural environment. The data were gathered through…

Biomedical engineering (BME) spans a wide range of research fields and professional activities. Most BME departments use a seminar series to introduce graduate students to exciting research conducted outside their own university, learn about professional opportunities, and enhance their understanding of related topics (e.g., ethics in BME,…

This dissertation explores the intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing the socio-academic success of graduate students enrolled in exclusively online degree programs. The research aims to understand how a sense of belonging, fostered through interactions with peers, faculty, and the university community, contributes to socio-academic success.…

Virtual patient (VP) simulations can offer educational benefits in healthcare disciplines by supplementing traditional training approaches and enabling the acquisition of clinically relevant skills and knowledge. Although the existing body of literature covers VP usage in healthcare professions such as medicine and nursing, there are no current…