First-generation college students who enroll in 4 year institutions are significantly less likely to complete a baccalaureate degree than their non-first-generation peers (Gibbons et al., 2019; RTI, 2019; NCES 2020; NASPA & COE, 2020; Ruiz Alvarado et al., 2020). Given that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) determined that…

The demographic changes in the U.S. have contributed to linguistic, cultural, and ethnic diversification of today's society; however, monolingual ideologies continue to define many societal and academic discourses due to their historical roots (Matsuda, 2006; Wiley, 2014). One area of higher education that this trend is observed is academic…

The research presented in this dissertation describes a series of studies characterizing and assessing undergraduate chemistry students' knowledge related to the epistemic nature of scientific models and modeling. Engaging in authentic scientific practices, for instance, developing and using scientific models, has been identified as an important…

The purpose of this explorative field study using elements of case study design was to understand how DIY (Do It Yourself) fashion designers learn to engage in entrepreneurship. DIY fashion designers in this study refers to designers who personally design and make each garment without relying on manufacturers. These fashion designers all have…

Substantial recent growth in online graduate programs has garnered the attention of the higher education community. Given their limited resources and capability, institutions seeking to scale their online graduate programs need to consider whether to insource or outsource this initiative. The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge and…

Among current state-of-art estimation methods for multilevel IRT models, the two-stage divide-and-conquer strategy has practical advantages, such as clearer definition of factors, convenience for secondary data analysis, convenience for model calibration and fit evaluation, and avoidance of improper solutions. However, various studies have shown…

For this study, I initiated an inquiry group to research how to meet the needs of mainstreamed English language learning (ELL) students. I chose a practitioner action research design with a socially critical lens in order to address the injustice inherent in the district where I currently work and inform future policy. Although what we learned…

Research Findings: Immigrant families who represent a growing share of the early schooling population face unique challenges related to involvement in their children's education. This study examined whether and to what extent home-based parent involvement and parental warmth are associated with the socio-emotional and academic outcomes of children…

Purpose: This study aimed to explore teachers' learning processes through a hybrid cross-cultural lesson study (LS) because little is known about the learning process through this novel and promising LS approach. Design/methodology/approach: This cross-cultural LS lasted over six months focusing on developing a research lesson (RL) related to…

This study was part of a larger three-year investigation of the effectiveness of a small-group, content-focused (science, social studies) preschool shared book reading vocabulary intervention implemented with Spanish-speaking emergent bilinguals enrolled in a one-way dual-language bilingual program. A subset of bilingual preschool teachers (N =…

This convergent parallel mixed-method study (quan + QUAL) relies on systematic classroom observations of mainstream teachers considered highly effective with multilingual learners in the United Kingdom and the United States (N = 9). Using a critical sociocultural theoretical lens, we use an established quantitative observation rubric and lesson…

First-generation college students (FGCSs) are a growing population in undergraduate education. Research on FGCS primarily focuses on the challenges and barriers they encounter in college. While important, this literature offers a limited view of FGCS as learners. Moreover, minimal literature has examined these students' lived experiences within…

This paper explores how a transnational emergent multilingual (TEM) student established himself in relation to his teacher and peers in a culturally and linguistically diverse, sheltered English Instruction classroom. Specifically, it documents how the student initiated translingual and cross-cultural social interactions positioning himself as a…

Holistic review is widely practiced in graduate admissions. However, despite its prevalence, there is a need to understand how practitioners approach holistic graduate admissions, how its practice relates to institutional priorities, and its potential implications for equitable access to graduate education. This exploratory mixed method study…

This article explores students' experiences of intellectual, social, and emotional growth during the first year at university and the extent to which these experiences can be considered transformative (Mezirow, 1981). The study is a qualitative interpretive multiple-case study built on semi-structured interviews with students in two higher…