Collaboration between rural school counselors and educational stakeholders may create opportunities to address inequities; however, there is limited research on rural school counselors' collaboration relationships. The purpose of this dissertation study is to understand the experiences of rural school counselors within the Virginia Department of…

This research study examined student's expectation, experiences and satisfaction with faculty academic advising using a prescriptive vs. developmental lens. The intent was to explore the student's expectations of academic advising, determine if their experiences aligned with their expectation and if this led to satisfaction of their academic…

There is significant research on the president's role, but there is a lack of research on presidential transitions and direct experiences during those transitions. With the growing number of presidential transitions happening as the tenure of presidential tenure decreases, the importance of well-run presidential transitions becomes even more…

This study set out to corroborate or disprove an unambiguous phenomenon found in scholarly literature, which is synthesized as follows: "Contemporary undergraduate STEM curriculum content is inadequate to fully prepare graduates for STEM industry's real-world technical performance expectations." However, this stylized fact appears…

Concern over academic entitlement has grown in higher education in the last two decades. Academic entitlement, defined as unfounded expectations of academic success, undeserved services and unrealistic accommodations (McLellan & Jackson, 2017), in nursing students is an under investigated phenomena. In this correlational, cross-sectional…

This dissertation investigated the expectations both professional academic advisors and undergraduate students, respectively, possessed of academic advising and of the advisor role. As students come to their postsecondary endeavors with increased needs, expectations, and consumer-mentalities, it is important to understand their expectations -- and…

Since the founding of the United States, teacher preparation has been undergoing constant revisions to continue to improve instruction and meet the needs of all students in public schools. Teacher residency programs are on the rise with funding from the state and federal government increasing annually. Despite the increase in funding, there is…

The current study examined the relationship between trait hope, state hope, connectedness, trauma symptoms, and positive religious coping with psychological distress among undergraduate students while also assessing the moderating effect of trauma symptoms. Grounded in theoretical frameworks by Snyder et al. (1991), Hobfoll et al. (2007), and…

Impending climate crises, profound wealth inequality and unprecedented vulnerability to global catastrophe at the hands of technology make working towards justice a necessity, and a desperate one at that. However, engaging in work towards justice requires deconstructing the dominant narratives and norms that restrict what actions are permissible…

Addressing working conditions in higher education is crucial to retaining student affairs professionals. This study explores the current state of working conditions in the field and the influence working conditions have on professionals' turnover intentions. Perceptions of psychological contract fulfillment is a factor that can interact with…

This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of how primary teachers (K-2) perceive and manage accountability pressures. Accountability pressures are the consequences of high-stakes and standardized testing. This can be overtly represented by inappropriately aligned standards or a fast-paced curriculum design to match tested…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to examine and improve the recruitment and onboarding of members of the Board of Trustees. To accomplish this, Cycle 1 of research included semi-structured interviews with 11 individuals who serve as current or former members of the Board of Trustees at Excaliber College as well as key members of the…

This research focuses on the social pressures experienced by parents at schools identified as middle class across southern California. The literature review of school finances, the LCFF, funding levels, and studies stretches all the way back to the Coleman report. Within this vast body of prior research remained a void in the data. This missing…

The analysis of factors influencing the Common Criteria certification process adoption in the private sector industrial complex of the defense industrial base for Information Assurance (IA) and IA-enabled devices was performed with the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. The UTAUT theory has been the basis for…

Collecting data for the purpose of decision making has become an integral part of the landscape of education in the United States over the past decade. Many educators are swamped with such an overwhelming amount of information that it can be difficult to sort and analyze, leaving them floundering under wave after wave of data. The SWIS facilitator…