Education Commons^™

Bridging Usd Graduate Student Life And Mcnair Scholars Program: How To Enhance Mcnair Scholars’ Transition To Graduate School, Emily S. Esquivel

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Research has shown a need to support graduate students with intersecting identities (e.g., first generation, underrepresented). Further, there is little research on the transition of McNair students to graduate school. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to learn about how McNair students at the University of San Diego (USD) can navigate graduate school preparation with the support of Graduate Student Life (GSL). The research questions that guided this project were: (1) How can I collaborate with GSL to enhance support for USD McNair Scholars as they transition to graduate school? and (2) How can GSL support McNair Scholars’ sense …

Experiences Of Tenured Hispanic Faculty In Community College Hispanic Serving Institutions, Barbara Resultan

Dissertations

Over the past 20 years, student and faculty diversity in higher education has increased, but not at similar rates. Student diversity in higher education has surpassed faculty diversity and leaves a situation in which predominantly White faculty instruct a largely non-White student population. Studies have shown tenured and tenure track faculty of color (FOC) in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) often encounter a myriad of negative experiences such as microaggressions, perceived incapability, invalidation of published work, and lack of mentorship. We know little, however, about how tenured and tenure track Hispanic FOC experience higher education in two-year community college Hispanic Serving …

First-Generation Latina Testimonios: Navigating A Predominantly White Institution And Achieving Academic Success, Nancy Correa

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to understand the experiences of Latina first-generation college students at the University of San Diego, a predominantly White institution. Six Latinas participated in a series of group platicas to share testimonios with one another and build community. One research question that guided this study was: “How can the self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and academic achievement of first-generation Latina students be enhanced in a predominantly White institution?” Findings suggested participants’ negative experiences with faculty and White classmates impacted their sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy. Most participants worried how they will continue to finance college …

The Untapped Potential Of Commuters: Engaging Faculty And Staff To Foster A Commuter-Inclusive Space And Student Interest At The University Of San Diego, Monica Gonzalez Herrera

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The commuter student population faces many challenges in getting involved on campus. Taking an asset-based approach, this study aimed to enhance first-year commuter engagement and support their sense of belonging at a private, faith-based university. By modifying McNiff and Whitehead’s model of reflect-plan-act-exhibit, students were invited to engage in several identity, community, and leadership activities throughout the academic year. Results suggest first-year commuters need role modeling or mentorship that is challenging and supportive, the support of creating a ‘third space’ away from home and school, and the development of authentic and genuine connections among peers and staff. It is recommended …

Exploration Into The Graduate International Student Narratives, Diana Budoff

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Multiple researchers have conveyed an abundance of problems international students face when choosing to study abroad in the United States. A range of emotional, psychological, and physical issues prevent students from fully succeeding. Every international student faces different challenges, and every educational institution has its own prominent issues. In my study, I examined the challenges graduate international students at the University of San Diego (USD) face that might impede them from fully transitioning and adapting to their new environment. I used a mixed-methods approach (interviews and focus groups) to understand the issues impacting the transition and adaptation of international students …

Asian American Undergraduates Sense Of Belonging At A Predominantly White Institution, Miso Jang

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

In the fall of 2019, institutionalized data reported that Asian American undergraduate students had a lower sense of belonging at the University of San Diego (USD) in comparison to white peers. This action research paper explores the needs and experiences of the Asian American undergraduate student population at USD— a predominantly white, private, religious-based institution. This research is centered around the question, “How can Student Affairs professionals better understand and support Asian American undergraduate students and their sense of belonging at a predominantly White institution?” Through ten semi-structured interviews and one community focus group, participating students associated their sense of …

The Commuter Student Experience: Building Community At Usd, Jocelyn Velasquez

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The commuter student experience is not one that is often thought of at largely residential universities like the University of San Diego (USD). My research focused on how I and the Office of Community and Leadership Development enhanced the experience of commuter students within the Commuter Commons at USD. The purpose of my research was to identify how the Commuter Commons engaged with and retained student’s active participation throughout the academic year. Through survey responses, one-on-one interviews, and a small group discussion with current USD commuter students we were able to reimagine what support for this student group looks like. …

The Action Is Listening: Undergraduate Women Of Color & Sense Of Belonging At Usd, Mayzong Lee

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

At the intersection of gender and race, women of color (WOC) often lack holistic support in navigating their undergraduate experience at the University of San Diego (USD). My purpose in this action research was to understand how Women of Color define, experience, and navigate their sense of academic, social, and cultural belonging at USD beyond the data. Consisting of three cycles, this research asked participants to define each sense of belonging followed by an individual interview to share how they have experienced their own definition of belonging at USD. The last cycle of this research was an opportunity for participants …

First-Gen Mental Health: The Experiences Of First-Generation Graduate Students At The University Of San Diego, Edith Mendez

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Higher education professionals can better support struggling students by having more of an awareness of their experiences and how their mental health is related to the identities they hold. As a first-generation Latina college student, I am reminded of my own experiences and struggles, which impacted my sense of belonging and academic success. My action research responds to the question: "What are the mental health concerns that first-generation students studying at the University of San Diego (USD) encounter?" After making changes to my research because of unforeseen circumstances, I designed a study focusing on graduate students with cycles consisting of …

Student Success Coaching: Intentional Training For Professional And Program Development, Andrea Aduna

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to improve the effectiveness of the Student Success Coaching Program’s retention and outreach of students on academic probation and midterm deficiencies. The research question is: How can I professionally develop the student success coaches, or peer coaches, to better engage with their nontraditional students? Research suggests that coaching programs must first define the unique support they provide students to be fully proactive. How can diversity and inclusion training add to the effectiveness of the program and the coach’s impact on students throughout the academic semester? The significance of my research was the value of …

Onboarding Transfer Students At The University Of San Diego, Andrea Garcia

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

In this study, I explored the experiences and needs of transfer students at the University of San Diego (USD) through assessment analysis, the implementation and observations of Spring orientation, and student leader surveys. My positionality as a graduate assistant for New Student Onboarding allowed me to implement Spring orientation programming, analyze postorientation assessment data, and survey transfer student leaders about their experiences. This study provided me a better understanding of how we as a department and an institution as a whole can improve how we onboard our transfer students and further support them throughout their undergraduate career. While cultivating a …

Empower To Strengthen Culturally Based Fraternal Organizations, Koua Thao

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Membership in fraternities and sororities has served college students to have a sense of belonging at colleges and universities. However, students who are affiliated with culturally based fraternal organizations (CBFO) do not have a sense of belonging in the larger fraternity and sorority life community at the University of San Diego (USD). The purpose of this action research was to use my role as an advisor to guide the three CBFO to develop a Multicultural Greek Council to enhance CBFO member’s experience and to have a sense of belonging in the larger fraternity and sorority life community at USD. Participants …

Enhancing Racial Allyship At A Predominately White Institution, Breana Z. Clark

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This action research explores how undergraduate students involved in multicultural clubs and organizations at the University of San Diego, define and engage in racial allyship. The purpose of the study was to understand how these students identify allies of color or other racially minoritized groups; as a means to work in collaboration for resource acquisition, persistence, and to magnify student voice. This is important to the research as current social and racial justice rhetoric primarily focuses on white people as allies to communities of color. Thus, my research question was: how can I help students of color enhance their capacity …

Fostering A Sense Of Belonging: The Asian American Student Experience, Linh Phuong Nguyen

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research is twofold: to examine the ways that Asian American graduate students within the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) experience a sense of social belonging at the University of San Diego (USD) and to create a means through which their sense of social belonging may be enhanced. There were two cycles, consisting a total of three focus groups, which worked through the four phases of appreciative inquiry. Cultural themes, such as difficulty approaching authority figures, preference for ethnic subgroup identification, and experiences of marginalization by those from within the Asian American community, other people …

Building Belonging: The Impact Of Physical Space On Student Sense Of Belonging In Student Leadership, Involvement, And Changemaking At The University Of San Diego, Madeline Kreig

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to understand how the structure of the Student Leadership, Involvement, and Changemaking (SLIC) space influences students’ sense of belonging. This study uses Mills’ (2000) Dialectic Action Research Spiral in conjunction with surveys, interviews, and focus groups to explore the questions: How does the structure of the Student Leadership, Involvement, and Changemaking space influence undergraduate students’ sense of belonging? Also, how can I, as a student affairs practitioner, enhance students’ sense of belonging in the SLIC?

In the context of this study, sense of belonging refers to the extent that one feels accepted, respected, included, …