This research project explores the interconnections between three constructs: joy, play, and learning. The research specifically focuses on children's ideas and experiences of joy, play, and learning at a public Montessori School in the United States of America and in the context of engaging with selected math games. The games used are…

Building off seminal works on community including McMillan and Chavis, Lave and Wenger, Graves, and Wenger et al, the Institutional, Program, and Professional (IPP) community framework for online allows students, faculty, administrators, and alumni the opportunity to consider how to support community beyond online courses into programs, the…

This dissertation study was designed in response to the focus in schools on test scores and accountability, which has increasingly impacted students' experiences in schools as well as art education curriculum and pedagogy. In this study, I responded to and aimed to disrupt the neoliberal culture of public schools in my high school art classroom by…

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined factors relating to principal job demands, resources, satisfaction, well-being, and joy. The study investigated the relationship between the experienced duties of principals and the feelings of joy and satisfaction obtained. A literature review evidenced that a new generation of research…

Re-injury anxiety is common among college student-athletes at the varsity (Podlog et al., 2011; Putukian, 2016) and club (Watanabe et al., 2023) level. Coping with sport injury has been studied in previous reviews (Putukian, 2016; Sims & Mulcahey, 2018) and literature (Kontos et al., 2013; Schlierf & Vosloo, 2020), but the relationship…

Feelings of distress over the unknowns of the future refers to an intolerance of uncertainty (IU). IU is significantly linked to internalizing disorders like anxiety. College students are in a unique position of uncertainty and anxiety as they emerge into adulthood. Additionally, external sources of uncertainty, like the economy, may contribute to…

Past and current research has explored the link between the "blackness" of a person's name and socioeconomic outcomes in American society. Black-sounding names were shown to influence employment prospects, access to credit markets, and choice of housing among other opportunities. While education research had identified a relationship…

Women face unique challenges in pursuing a doctorate, with potential barriers including Imposter Phenomenon (IP) and Multidimensional Perfectionism (MP). Intersectionality can intensify these feelings for Women of Color. Additionally, societal and organizational barriers hinder women's advancement to leadership roles, perpetuating stereotypes and…

Over 95% of public schools in the United States have reported a shortage of qualified special education teachers. A lack of job satisfaction was a reason that special education teachers left their position. However, the relationship between job satisfaction and emotional support, and between job satisfaction and loneliness, has not been fully…

The present study sought to explore the lesser-known dark side of flow in academics. Although flow is typically viewed as a positive experience, its outcomes are not always beneficial. In order to carry out this endeavor, a sequential explanatory design was utilized to assess the potential negative consequences associated with flow in the domain…

Anxiety and openness have been understudied in Asian populations, especially Asian Indians, but have been correlated with acculturation and multicultural exposure in university students in the United States. This research furthers the study of the connection between anxiety and biculturalism by exploring this association in Chinese and Indian…

Social media, as a favored platform for autistic adults, provides numerous opportunities to socialize and develop close relationships. However, autistic adults may have social skill difficulties that carry over to this platform. Further, social media-related risks pose additional concerns. This study taught four autistic adults social…

There has been extensive media coverage on the negative effects of Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) on students. Though many reports address academic concerns, the focus of the media attention has persistently been the social and emotional repercussions of isolation and physical distance in academic settings. The reports are often based on…

Supporting the development of an antiracist identity in counselors could facilitate change toward equity, justice, and opportunity within the counseling profession and increase awareness of white counselors in working with clients of color. Understanding obstacles to and enablers of antiracist attitudes in white women counselors holds the…

Introduction: "A good coach can change a game; a great coach can change a life" (Wooden, n.d., para. 1). The focus of this dissertation was to explore associations between attachment of high school athletes to their coach and the athlete's ability to cope in the athletic environment. In looking at high school coach-athlete relationships…