This study used narrative inquiry and critical Whiteness methodology to investigate the racial justice allyship barriers and development of White women student affairs professionals. A process of White women's allyship development was derived from participant interviews and is comprised of three interrelated phases: barriers to taking action,…

With the visceral response to instances of police brutality and use of excessive force, a resurgence of considerable racial unrest and a heightened awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement in the media makes this study timely in recognizing racial injustice and the need for cultural competency in the stronghold of education. The United States…

This study invokes the theory of self and identity to investigate how multiply marginalized students, namely Black boys subjected to exclusionary discipline, made sense of exclusionary discipline, as well as the ways in which it impacted their identity fashioning processes. An instrumental case study design was employed to understand the…

Today's youth have lives dramatically different from the past and face an unpredictable future and challenging job market, thus being entrepreneurial is increasingly more important to cultivate (Ford, 2015). I aim to understand the state and development of being entrepreneurial and its implications for broadly educating young people, as one…

The real-world problem concerning the question of leadership preparedness of international students attending private, Jesuit Catholic universities was studied using a constructivist narrative inquiry method. From the rich stories of five participants, six experiential themes emerged from the data analysis done by hand coding. The themes were…

Transfer student capital encompasses the knowledge, skills, and experiences that transfer students acquire before transitioning to a new institution from their previous ones, communities, and cultures. This capital plays a crucial role in shaping their academic and social transition, identity development, and overall success in the new…

Title 1 middle schools have always faced unique challenges. Students belonging to families with low socio-economic status and financial stress have to overcome various barriers before they are academically successful and ready for college, career, and life. The COVID-19 pandemic forced students to engage in education outside of traditional school…

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the emotional intelligence (EI) of K-12 school principals with student outcomes that included: student achievement, student growth, and student attendance. The participants in this student included principals form various schools in the state of Tennessee. The data from this mixed method…

Grit, defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, has garnered attention in educational research for its potential to predict academic achievement and well-being. Despite this, its psychometric properties and applicability across diverse populations remain underexplored. This study aims to validate the Grit-O scale and explore its…

Asian Americans have long been targeted and blamed for problems in social, political, and educational realms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this racial bigotry contributed to hostile environments for Asian American college students. While previous research has discussed the negative impacts of racism on this population, my study explores how Asian…

This dissertation is comprised of two studies that investigate the nuances of parent and peer ethnic racial socialization (ERS). I focus on the dynamic relationship between parent and peer ERS by examining its frequency and effects specifically for Black emerging adults in college as well as uncovering the prevalence of Black college students'…

Short term study abroad use by community colleges has been on the rise. This study looks at the effectiveness of short term study abroad programs at a community college. The study examines the use of these programs in promoting student retention, completion, and growth in intercultural competence. By looking at student retention and completion…

This action research looked at the low comfort levels among young people when engaging in conversations about social inequities. Additionally, this research investigated the development of youth voice, agency, and engagement from youth who were involved in creating an online resource library surrounding these topics. The research consisted of 2…

This phenomenological research study investigated how participation in the Educational Opportunity Fund summer bridge program shaped first generation low-income students' learner identity as they entered college. Learner identity is generally defined as a learner's personally and socially constructed roles that influence his or her capacity,…

Character development is part of the educational process. The current literature examining the cultural influences and educational strategies that have an impact on character development has shown certain gaps, particularly in the context of Guinea, West Africa. These include the lack of a framework and model for character development from this…