The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop an understanding of how the lived experiences of white educators following the murder of George Floyd in the spring of 2020 impacted their understanding of racism and how this understanding, if at all, helped them work to disrupt racism in schools. Literature analyzed revealed how white…

The suffering racism creates is endless. For too long, the burden of speaking out and taking action against racism has fallen on Communities of Color. Higher education needs people inside the system to actively resist its racism by implementing antiracist policies and practices. White people, and white women in particular, comprise a majority of…

White senior-level student affairs professionals are well-positioned to address issues of social justice and inclusion, oppression, privilege, power, and Whiteness within the field of student affairs. Their level of responsibility, scope of interaction and influence, and professional position provide senior-level student affairs professionals with…

The purpose of this critical autoethnographic study was to explore, (a) the role that race played in shaping my responses to demographic changes in the public school district that I served, (b) how I could use this new understanding to improve my practice as an educational leader, and (c) how my research and experience could serve as a model for…

Although treatment integrity is generally viewed as important, its measurement and assessment do not often occur in school settings. The goal of this qualitative research study was to gain insight to multiple stakeholders' perspectives on treatment integrity in school settings. A targeted group of general education teachers, special education…

I have developed a Feminist-Humanities model for social justice education that demonstrates pedagogical potency for building students' capacity for transformative social change. This dissertation presents the model, describes its theoretical framework, assesses its impact on student learning, and considers what the findings can offer to social…

This study investigated perspectives on extracurriculars by immigrant, non-immigrant Latinx, and non-immigrant Black parents of high school students, as well as potential barriers, if any, to their children's ability to participate in extracurriculars. Drawing upon previous research that demonstrates the positive impact of extracurricular…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between college male leaders and their perceptions of masculinity, gender role norms and their leadership style. This qualitative study utilized a brief questionnaire and semi-structured, one on one interviews with 14 former Interfraternity Council and/or North American Interfraternity…

Educational equity programs have been created to provide opportunities and resources for upward social mobility to low-SES individuals and students, students of color, historically marginalized students, and first-generation college students. This research study focused on educational equity programs recognized as the federally funded TRIO…

This dissertation examined the experiences of women of color (WOC), defined as African American and Latina women for this study, as they pursued a degree in a criminal justice program at a Midwest community college. Utilizing Schlossberg's transition theory, the qualitative case study sought to learn how WOC experience the transition to being…

Research and statistics have documented the disproportionately negative effects of educational debt on racial minorities. Research has not, however, explored the effects of educational debt on racially marginalized individuals working in the field of higher education itself. This study investigated the negative effects of educational debt on…

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions and experiences of practicing registered nurses (RN) regarding their clinical experience with faculty and horizontal violence (HV) during their nursing education. The problem is HV, a phenomenon in nursing that has increased in frequency and severity…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how Hawaiian practices influenced a student's experience in higher education. While the diversity of students in higher education was increasing and there was a need for diversity courses and activities, there was little research about the value of Hawaiian practices and what it brought to a…

In the field of mathematics education, it is common for studies to use test scores to examine racial and socio-economic achievement gaps. The results of such studies have influenced mathematics teachers to address issues of equitable access and achievement as part of closing existing gaps (Gutierrez & Ezekiel Dixon-Roman, 2011). However,…

Social interaction is an essential component of learning, but the online learning environment presents challenges to creating meaningful interactions (Palloff & Pratt, 2003; Simonsen, 2015). Researchers have long sought to improve online learning by promoting higher quality interaction. One thread of this research places social knowledge…