The current study investigated the perspective of principals related to the influence of professional development on their self-efficacy and professional growth. A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted involving 14 school administrators from 10 different states with vary experience from 2 years to 17 years in an administrative…

For many learning differences, such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism, there is a growing understanding of the benefits of those diverse brain wirings; however, research into dyscalculia is lagging behind, and there is limited knowledge that supports a strength-based view and recognition of its potential positive characteristics. Twice-exceptional…

Field experiences during teacher preparation are fundamental to helping teacher candidates understand their future roles and responsibilities and can effectively prepare them to meet diverse student needs across a variety of contexts. This multiple case study examined the perspectives of three special education dual certification teacher…

Drawing from queer perspectives, critical and abolitionist teaching and practices, and somatic embodiment, my dissertation calls attention to historically embedded practices of the invisible and every practice of the lived experience. My dissertation explores the development and rendering of learning design encompassing cognition and intellect as…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore administrator perceptions regarding career and technical education (CTE) adjunct instructor support and to determine best support practices for CTE adjunct instructors. Five career and technical education sites were chosen because of the school district's size. Six participants who…

The purpose of this professional practice dissertation (PPD) is to create an annual program evaluation and provide Christian schools with effective practices for K-2 students for spiritual formation and biblical worldview. The evaluation process helps to identify areas of strength and growth that adhere to the school mission, Flourishing Faith…

Collegiate men are overrepresented in student conduct systems across the higher education landscape as they are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors when compared with their female counterparts (Laker & Davis, 2011). There is a strong correlation between these high-risk behaviors and the ideology of toxic masculinity (Wagner, 2015).…

In today's complex workplace, organizations have implemented mentoring programs to serve the needs of employees by providing career development and personal support. Mentoring relationships provide a variety of vocational, psychosocial and role modeling functions to proteges. Previous educational psychology research has examined the role of…

This constructivist grounded theory study conceptualized how White women educated at Jesuit colleges and universities and engaged in racial justice ally behavior developed their identities as White women and racial justice allies. Nine participants from six different Jesuit universities engaged with the researcher through two interviews and a…

Qualitative research exploring undergraduate student wellness during a pandemic was scarce prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 and is still lacking. Studies investigating student wellness during pandemics often fracture the concept by quantitatively researching specific wellness dimensions (Cao et al., 2020; Galea et al., 2020; Tang et al., 2020) as…

The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives of teacher educators and school principals on the value and importance they place on social emotional competencies (SEC) in new teachers currently entering PK-12 school systems; and to investigate the strategies these educators and administrators use to assess the SEC levels of new teachers…

The purpose of this study was to investigate five White teachers and their teacher preparation programs' effectiveness in preparing them to educate African Americans in the United States. Using critical race theory, Black psychology, and critical Whiteness studies, I found four main themes: (a) the "White Filter," (b) Absence of African…

Identity formation is a pivotal milestone in the age range of emerging adulthood ("EA"; ages 18-29; Arnett, 2000; 2014). Most of the literature in the area emphasizes the role of identity within college student samples, but there is a lack of understanding of identity distress among graduate students. Graduate school is a prolonged…

Internalized oppression is a pervasive issue that disproportionately affects Women of Color in education. Continuous exposure to systemic oppression, such as sexism and racism, can further exacerbate existing internalized oppression (Crenshaw, 1991) and can result in severe implications on the overall emotional, physical, and spiritual health of…

Structured out-of-school programs (OSPs) can be contexts in which youth can be producers of their own positive change (Eccles & Gootman, 2002). However, despite a considerable body of research documenting the benefits of participating in OSPs, there is a lack of knowledge about how youth of color in low-income communities define positive…