This dissertation examines the impact of outdoor learning, including constructivist theories on student development in natural resource curricula. It highlights the importance of experiential, hands-on learning that connects students with nature. This approach challenges traditional methods by exploring active participation and sensory-rich…

Colleges and universities commonly implement first-year seminars to support new students during the challenging and formative first semester. These programs are widely regarded as highly effective in promoting student persistence through the first year and beyond. However, attention on the indirect outcome of persistence as the primary measure of…

This study examines a relatively new phenomenon in study abroad: the practice of intervening in students' intercultural learning during their experience abroad. In this paper, I refer to this type of intentional and focused action taken by educators to facilitate student learning abroad as a "study abroad intervention." This study…

The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between the type of school-to-home communication (regularly sent, structured emails versus ad hoc emails), the originator of these emails (teacher or student), and Parental Involvement (PI) as measured according to the frequency of email contact and distribution of student and parent emails…

The three articles in this dissertation investigate leading others through developmental opportunities by facilitating their engagement in intercultural challenges. Specifically the research explores the meaning followers make of developmental challenges during short-term study abroad experiences and encounters with diversity. Data in the form of…

Higher education leaders in the 21st century are faced with challenges of affordability, accessibility, and increased demand for postsecondary education. The recent growth of online educational programs in the United States provides institutions with potential solutions to these challenges; yet, persistence rates continue to lag behind traditional…

Higher education student leadership development programs have grown exponentially since the 1990's. Over this time, research has indicated that student leadership development programs are beneficial; however, the research on what makes these programs effective has not kept pace. The subjects of this study included students enrolled in three…

The lack of academic success by American adolescents has been of grave concern for both researchers and practitioners for many decades. While many American adolescents struggle in school, some students are at a greater risk than their peers based on personal characteristics such as race, socioeconomic status, and motivation. The low levels of…

Students with moderate intellectual disabilities (MoID) typically are not taught decoding skills because they have difficulty mastering critical blending skills. In response to this skill deficit among students with MoID, an "Initial Phonics" instructional sequence was created that included student development of rapid and automatic retrieval of…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of "Career Cruising"© on self-efficacy of deciding majors in a university setting. The use of the self-assessment instrument, "Career Cruising"©, was used with measuring the career-decision making self-efficacy in a pre and post-test with deciding majors. The independent…

The notion that an ethic of service can be fostered through participation in an academic community engaged service-learning program was the underlying premise for this program evaluation study. The purpose of this program evaluation study, using both quantitative and qualitative measures in a thoughtfully organized setting of university and…

The primary purposes of the study are to investigate what teachers experience while using the Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) and to relate those experiences to the rate of growth in students' mathematics achievement. The CDT contains three components: an online computer adaptive diagnostic test, interactive web-based student reports, and…

This study builds on education abroad, global citizenship and academic development literatures by assessing the extent to which embedding brief international travel experiences into residentially-taught courses enhances academic development and promotes global citizenship. Such faculty-led, education abroad programs are referred to as…