A study of hidden risks, anxieties and barriers to STEM student transfer from community college to a large, comprehensive university is presented. This qualitative study employed a thematic analysis of student responses to a semi-structured interview that asked students about their hesitancy to transfer to a 4-year institution. Participants…

Hispanic/Latine young adults remain severely under-represented in STEM fields. While structural barriers contributing to these disparities have been thoroughly examined in previous research, the current study brings focus to the strategies young adults employ to navigate the incongruence between the cultures of higher education and STEM and the…

Undergraduate science majors entering their final (senior) year face a critical decision: whether to pursue post-baccalaureate degrees and continue on the path to careers in biomedical, medical or public health fields. Large disparities in socioeconomic factors contribute to the high rate of attrition of under-represented minority (URM) students…

The focus of this study was to examine the implementation and impact of Restorative Justice (RJ) and restorative practices in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) secondary schools. Experiences and perceptions of school administrators, school-level RJ coaches, and central office RJ specialists were examined, and the perceived impact that RJ and…

The retention of first-year college students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields is a persistent concern in higher education. A variety of high impact practices can contribute to improving the persistence of STEM majors, particularly among underrepresented groups. One specific practice is the implementation of…

Evidence overwhelmingly indicates that a bachelor's degree is a worthwhile investment in the long run. Prime-age workers with a bachelor's degree earn 70 percent more at the median than workers with a high school diploma alone and face much lower unemployment rates (2.9 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively). However, median earnings vary…

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the K-12 learning disruptions it created continue to echo across the nation. Research indicates that students lost approximately half a grade level in math and one-third a grade level in reading during the pandemic. Early research on the pandemic's effects has shown that the district and school a child…

Disciplinary policies in schools throughout the United States disproportionately affect students of color through exclusionary policies. A punitive approach can have detrimental effects on a population that also experiences higher rates of trauma. This article identifies school disciplinary practices that may retraumatize and criminalize youths…

Students of color are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and many programs exist that try to increase undergraduate engagement in these fields. This article outlines the obstacles to the representation of students of color in STEM and demonstrates how the application of Gottfredson's career theory can help…

The paper analyses the literature related to the underrepresentation of women in the scientific field to identify the factors that affect this underrepresentation worldwide. This literature review covers 470 papers--published in journals with the highest impact factor from 1985 to 2018--that address the factors that influence the access,…

For many high school students, physics is an abstract subject with complex mathematical statements explaining the world around them. The mathematics can feel intimidating and the introduction of difficult vocabulary, such as "force," "kinetic energy," or "spectroscopy," can give students the impression that physics is…

Existing explanations of faculty-student interactions emphasize social-organizational characteristics of higher education to the exclusion of social-psychological dimensions of the interactions themselves. Yet, student perceptions are essential cognitive elements that influence frequency of, and growth from, informal interaction with faculty.…

For more than 20 years, the schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) literature base has been growing as it relates to implementation and sustainability across various settings and grade levels. While the research is clear that SWPBIS is an effective multitiered framework, gaps in the literature exist. Specifically, the…

Contemporary critical scholarship on the university firmly places new discursive and curricular formations within a global context of neoliberal, neoimperial, and neocolonial processes. Recently, some focus has been given to last century's institutionalization of the interdisciplines (e.g. Ethnic Studies, Cultural Studies, Women's Studies) and how…

This dissertation is intended to aid school systems in creating leadership education programs for high school and college aged students. A visualization education curriculum is potentially developed by using the research and commentaries of many pedologists, teachers, counselors, athletes, business individuals, and psychologists. Ideas include a…