Education Commons^™

A Soft Place To Land: The Importance Of Otherparenting At Pwis., Stephanie Renae Mayberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the importance of otherparenting performed by Black student affairs professionals at a predominantly White research-intensive institution in the mid-South. Otherparenting is a U.S. tradition that has West African roots in chattel slavery. Otherparenting is defined as those that assist blood mothers and fathers by sharing parenting responsibilities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants across various functional units at the institution. The examination illustrated the commitment Black staff have in assisting Black students through the college campus rife with structural barriers, while also accounting for the level of taxation the commitment to otherparenting places on Black …

Narrative Study: The Impact Of Food Insecurity On Student Health And Persistence, Deborah Allen

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

The current study collected and evaluated students’ firsthand stories to learn whether their stress from nutritional intake or lack thereof impacts students’ health, well-being, coursework, sense of belonging and mattering, and persistence. Additionally, this narrative study investigated students’ experiences with a college pantry on their campus. The students were invited to share personal narratives about their engagement with the campus food pantry and their feelings about any perceived effects of this institutional support in such areas as health, self-esteem, community support, academics, motivation, and future plans.

The research question presented in this study utilizing a qualitative narrative-inquiry approach was the …

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. …

First-Year Seminar And Its Impact On Retention At A Small Liberal Arts College In South Carolina, Michael A. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-Year Seminar (FYS) courses have been the foundational building blocks for academic and nonacademic success for first-year college freshman since the late 1970s. With the focus on improving retention and persistence, FYS courses have been viewed as the resource that connects freshmen to the faculty, staff, student, and campus environment. Therefore, it is vital to see the impact that it has had on students and how it can further develop persistence through graduation. The researcher conducted this basic qualitative study to look for emerging themes of sophomore experience in the FYS courses and how that impacted their persistence and retention …

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 …

The Perceptions Of Preservice Teachers About Teacher-Student Relationships: A Phenomenological Study, Tammy Michelle Craddock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to discover the perceptions of preservice teachers who are currently enrolled at universities in six teacher education programs regarding their preparation to build teacher-student relationships. For this research, teacher-student relationship was generally defined as an appropriate emotional connection between a teacher and a student. The theory that guided this study was stage-environment fit theory by Eccles and Midgley (1989), as it supports the need for relationships between teachers and students in the classroom setting to fit the developmental stages of the students. The central question of this study was “How do preservice …

Latinx Students' Sense Of Belonging In A Comprehensive Suburban High School, Samantha Ketover

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Sense of belonging (SOB) is of critical importance to students as it impacts multiple aspects of a student’s life (Penergast et al, 2018). The need to belong is a fundamental human need (Maslow, 1954). A student’s SOB can be measured by the foundational Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale (Goodenow, 1993). SOB is of particular importance for students of color (SOC). When SOB is negatively impacted in SOC this can cause declines in motivation and achievement (Penergast et al, 2018). The first three goals of this dissertation were quantitative. First, there was a calculation of the levels of the …

Chronic Codeswitching: A Phenomenological Study Examining Multiracial Student Sense Of Belonging In A Predominantly White Institution., Nicholas Lamar Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Constantly feeling a lack of acceptance and getting the comment “You are too Black” or “You are too White” is a challenging, common occurrence for multiracial students, but especially those in predominantly White institutions. This is just one of the barriers that stand between multiracial students and forming a sense of belonging at a predominantly White institution. The majority of research examining sense of belonging focuses on either Black or White students, but neglect multiracial students and their experiences. This dissertation examines sense of belonging for multiracial (Black/White) students in a predominantly White institution, by interviewing 11 multiracial students at …