Researchers continue to examine psychological safety and its impact on individual performance in both work and learning environments. Psychological safety in the learning environment reduces perceived learning threats and barriers while also promoting an atmosphere that increases engagement and commitment to learning roles. Growing evidence…

This dissertation delves into the intersections of social and cultural capital, self-advocacy, sense of belonging, and the experiences of mental health help-seeking among rural, first-generation college students. Rural, first-generation college students face unique challenges throughout their academic journey, this dissertation aims to contribute…

Currently, the positive role of creativity has received support and research in bilingual literature. However, the positive psychological processes that may contribute to creativity only received little attention, especially in bilingual population. This study focused on exploring the possible psychological processes among several variables:…

Over 1,200 community colleges nationwide enroll over ten million students annually, with more than one in four students taking online courses. Given postsecondary education's increased focus on resources beyond the classroom, a logical line of exploration is the link between academic library usage and library aptitudes and attitudes. This study…

This dissertation consists of three independent chapters in applied microeconomics. In the first chapter, I study the causal effect impact of early life circumstances on adult psychological well-being using the property reform in China as a positive and policy driven change in economic resources in early life. Exploiting the staggered adoption of…

The current trends of increasing community college enrollments and large numbers of emerging adults living with their parents suggest the need to examine patterns of adjustment and competence, in particular, emotional autonomy during college years. However, there has been little research focus on the role of extended parental monitoring on…

The purpose of the study was to examine the mentoring functions of career support and psychosocial support and perceived levels of overall job satisfaction of executive-level community college administrators employed by community colleges in the nine mega-states. This research can guide future research on mentoring functions and job satisfaction…

An association has been found between traumatic experiences and psychological distress; however, the impact of ethnicity on psychological distress is less clear. The present study examined the relationship between traumatic experiences and measures of psychological distress among a multiethnic sample of community college students. A total of 389…

This study examines innovative practices that have been implemented in a summer session for an elementary school district in the Chicago area, and how program practices of a community college program work to provide academic support for first-generation, college-bound students from low-income households to encourage postsecondary educational…

The current study extends the research on student persistence in community colleges by investigating factors likely to influence a student's decision to drop out or stay in school. Specifically, this study examined demographic, financial, academic, academic integration, and psychosocial variables and their relationship to student persistence. A…

Rates of in-coming college students in need of academic remediation are on the rise, for both community college and four-year colleges. Consequently, many of these students will be required to enroll in some level of academic remediation in reading, writing and/or math to develop the basic skills necessary for student success in college-level…

Numerous research studies reveal that cheating is a significant problem on the campuses of American colleges and universities. Traditional college-aged students (aged 18-25) fall within a time-frame of the life-span that has been labeled emerging adulthood, a time in which risk-taking behavior is common. The present study conceptualized academic…