At institutions of higher education, with fewer traditional college-bound students and declining enrollment, retention of enrolled students is more important than ever. Institutions are more likely to retain students who have a sense of belonging. One avenue proven to help students develop a sense of belonging is involvement on campus. On-campus…

Higher education has been touted as critical to social mobility, even greater longevity; however, these benefits accrue with degree completion, and many students who begin college never earn a degree. Using the most recent Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), we sought to understand variation in college completion rates and test…

Higher education administrators, faculty, and staff across diverse institutional contexts grapple with college students' persisting and increasing mental health concerns. Further, recent research has discussed mental health challenges Black collegians encounter, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health issues among Black college…

The study aims to probe the roles of learning desire and persistence in influencing Gen Z learners' continuance intention of using YouTube for learning in digital learning context. Building upon prior research, a research framework with 10 hypotheses was proposed and empirically tested by using Partial Least Squares Structure Equation Modelling…

This study explored teacher shortages throughout the United States, and how principals and the strategies that they utilize impact teacher retention. Further, our study investigated whether teachers are more likely to leave the profession when building principals fail to meet their professional needs. Our study explored the relationship between…

This study explored teacher shortages throughout the United States, and how principals and the strategies that they utilize impact teacher retention. Further, our study investigated whether teachers are more likely to leave the profession when building principals fail to meet their professional needs. Our study explored the relationship between…

This study explored teacher shortages throughout the United States, and how principals and the strategies that they utilize impact teacher retention. Further, our study investigated whether teachers are more likely to leave the profession when building principals fail to meet their professional needs. Our study explored the relationship between…

This dissertation is composed of three studies linking general education astronomy to student performance, course-taking, graduation, and identity. The first study examined demographic and academic predictors of astronomy performance among a cohort of N=1,909 community college students enrolled in astronomy courses in a large suburban community…

Student attrition from STEM disciplines is one of the most pressing issues in higher education. To better understand the causes of this attrition, this study examines STEM students' college experiences and uncovers their perspectives on the existing support systems with a specific focus on the role of academic advising. Our research reveals that…

Executive functions (EF) and task persistence are key factors in academic development. However, EF and persistence have rarely been examined together, and it remains unclear whether these two constructs are independently related to intellectual development. The present study addressed this gap by examining whether EF and persistence in…

In 2021, TNTP published "Missing Out: Arkansas' Teacher Shortage and How to Fix It," describing teacher shortages in Arkansas, programs the state had in place to address shortages, and the extent to which teachers and potential teachers were aware of and interested in these programs. Since that report was published, Arkansas has…

In this article, the author discusses the pedagogy she follows--the three-sentence curriculum of Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB): What do artists do? The child is the artist. The classroom is the child's studio. The author conducted a qualitative action research case study by following two cohorts of students into 2nd and 5th grade as they…

Special education teacher (SET) persistence and attrition have been investigated for several decades. However, there are several predictors for SETs' intent to stay or leave that are yet to be investigated. Using Bandura's social cognitive theory, we developed the Special Education Teacher Persistence in Teaching Survey (SETPTS) and examined…

Low inhibitory control (IC) is sometimes associated with enhanced problem-solving amongst adults, yet for young children high IC is primarily framed as inherently better than low IC. Here, we explore associations between IC and performance on a novel problem-solving task, amongst 102 English 2- and 3-year-olds (Study 1) and 84 Swedish children,…

This study was to explore the perceptions of employability, ambition, and university commitment held by students in Human Resource Development (HRD) programs and examine the relationships between these perceptions and other variables (e.g. age, gender, program level, employment status, etc.). A quantitative was conducted through an online survey…