Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring A School District's Alternative Licensure Pathway Preparation: Experience And Self-Efficacy Of Black Male Educators In North Carolina, Marquise K. Smith

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the perceived effectiveness of licensure exam preparation, student teaching experiences, and personal and professional support systems among Black male educators in North Carolina, with particular attention to self-efficacy and imposter syndrome as factors influencing licensure success. Grounded in Bandura’s (1977, 1986) Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory, as well as Huecker et al.’s (2023) Imposter Syndrome Theory, the study examined how environmental structures and psychological experiences interact to shape professional outcomes. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 Black male educators and a follow-up focus group designed to confirm and elaborate on emergent themes. …

Understanding Teacher Self-Efficacy And Its Influence On Teacher Effectiveness: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis-An Extension, Valene Williams

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study examined teacher self-efficacy and its influence on instructional effectiveness within a high school mathematics context. The study was grounded in the work of Bandura (1997), in addition to an extension of Benitez's (2020) research. This replication-by-extension study sought to explore how teachers’ lived experiences shape their self-efficacy beliefs and how those beliefs influence classroom practice. The study addressed two research questions: (a) What can we learn about self-efficacy sources from teachers’ experiences? and (b) How do teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs influence their effectiveness? This research is important given ongoing concerns regarding mathematics achievement and the role of teacher beliefs …

Comprehending Teacher Retention: A Qualitative Study Of Job Satisfaction Viewed Through The Frameworks Of Maslow And Herzberg, Shakeria G. Mccullough

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Teacher shortages pose a significant concern, as numerous educators are departing from the profession (OECD, 2025). Schools are encountering difficulties in filling vacant positions with droves of individuals planning to depart the profession (Lurye & Griesbach, 2022). This qualitative study investigated alternatively certified and traditionally certified teacher perceptions regarding job satisfaction and teacher retention within a single public school system. Findings showed the need for policy shifts that address organizational challenges, an increased focus on pathway-specific and individual supports, a procurement of purposeful and meaningful instruction, greater attention to the realities of teaching and the well-being of teachers, and a …

Exploring Teacher And Business Partner Perspectives On Cte Effectiveness, Jada Owenby

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study explored stakeholder perceptions of Career and Technical Education (CTE) program effectiveness for preparing students for postsecondary pathways. The investigation focused on CTE teachers’ and business partners’ perspectives about student readiness and workforce preparation. This study used qualitative research and a theoretical framework from the Human Capital Theory, the Social Cognitive Career Theory, and the College and Career Readiness Framework. Participants included nine high school CTE teachers from different career clusters and five local business partners who were currently aligned with the district CTE program. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Interview data were analyzed using theme analysis. Both …

Beyond The Paycheck: An Exploration Of The Role Of Management And Leadership Support In Employee Retention, Stacia Leach Lomax

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Employee retention remains a significant organizational challenge, particularly in the post-COVID-19 workplace where employees increasingly seek meaningful support, recognition, and workplace well-being in addition to compensation. Guided by Herzberg et al.’s (1959) Two-Factor Theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how employees perceive management support and how those perceptions influence decisions to remain with or resign from an organization. The study was conducted using a qualitative descriptive design involving 12 semi-structured interviews with individuals who had voluntarily resigned from organizations across multiple employment sectors. A follow-up focus group was conducted to confirm and validate emerging findings. Data …

“So They Know The Library Is A Space For Them”: School Librarians’ Understandings And Perspectives On The Significance Of Diverse Representation In Book Collections, Kim R. Krutka

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This exploratory survey distributed to Texas school librarians was designed to gain insight into the significance of diverse representation in school libraries based on school librarians’ understandings and perceptions. Rudine Sims Bishop’s metaphor of books as “mirrors and windows” was a foundation for this study. Foundational and critical literature related to this metaphor and diverse representation as well as an interpretivist approach were used to guide the methods and analysis. Conclusions from this study support a narrative of school libraries related to diverse representation through four themes: librarians center students in practices and decision-making; librarians believe in the power of …

Badgers: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Mitchell Bartell

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to design an immersive, place-based learning experience that helps preservice teachers connect with the local environment of the MSUM Regional Science Center through the study of badgers. This lesson uses inquiry-based learning through hands-on exploration, observation, and questioning. They investigate the physical characteristics of badgers, how they use their burrows, and how they interact with other organisms and their surrounding environment. This lesson encourages curiosity and critical thinking skills to deepen students’ understanding of how badgers adapt to their habitats and contribute to the ecosystem.

Alpacas: An Evaluation Methodology For No- Or Low-Cost Course Materials, Heather Leonard

Publications

Evaluating no- or low-cost course materials is a key concern for those supporting affordable learning initiatives. This article will review the current needs of researchers in no- or low-cost course material, the methods currently available to guide them, and a new method I have designed to specifically address needs that current methods cannot. This method, ALPACAS (Apt, License, Provenance, Accurate, Currency, Authority, and Sources), combines insights from several other well-known methods to assist librarians, course designers, and instructors in finding appropriate no- or low-cost course materials. For each item in ALPACAS, I will break down why it is important and …

Longnose Dace: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Madison Tillman

OER Materials

This lesson will be used to help students create connections with specific traits of the Longnose dace and why the traits are beneficial for their environment. This lesson uses the 5E model and should be used at the MSUM Regional Science Center to help provide real-life examples and encourage inquiry.

Silver Leaves On The Prairie: Investigating What Prairie Sage Needs, Taylor Lau

OER Materials

In this place-based lesson, fifth-grade students investigate a living prairie sage (Artemisia ludoviciana) plant, native to the Moorhead, Minnesota area, during a curiosity walk at the MSUM Regional Science Center. Aligned to Minnesota benchmark 5L.1.2.1.3, students collect at least three pieces of evidence, including measurements and observations of sunlight and soil, to show that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water. Using the 5E model, students connect their findings to photosynthesis and Van Helmont’s willow experiment, then write a claim, evidence, and reasoning response about the conditions prairie sage needs to grow …

Coaching For Emotional Resilience And Reflective Growth: Applying The University-Based Coaching Framework In Pre-Service Teacher Supervision, Dana L. Morris

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teacher preparation is an emotional as well as a cognitive process in which pre-service teachers must develop both reflective judgment and the emotional resilience needed for demanding instructional contexts. This study examined how university-based supervisors enacted the relational spaces of the University-Based Coaching Framework (UBCF) and how these enactments shaped pre-service teachers’ emotional and reflective development. Drawing on qualitative analysis of coaching discourse among three supervisor-preservice teacher pairs, the comparative case study identifies distinct coaching identities that emerged from supervisors’ patterned relational moves. These identities corresponded to varying intensities of UBCF space enactment and produced differential pathways through a reflective-motional …

Gvsu Undergraduate And Graduate Catalog 2026-2027, Grand Valley State University

Course Catalogs, 1963 - Current

Grand Valley State University 2026-2027 undergraduate and graduate course catalog. Course catalogs are published annually to provide students with information and guidance for enrollment.

Ucf Center For Community Schools Research Citations, Ucf Center For Community Schools

Community Schools Research

This scholarship examines community school implementation, partnerships, student and family outcomes, organizational conditions, and the broader systems that support community-centered approaches to education. By connecting research with practice, UCF CCS seeks to deepen the evidence base and advance knowledge that can inform educators, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders.

This collection provides an evolving resource for exploring the research behind community schools and the lessons emerging from their implementation across Florida and beyond.

What We're Not Allowed To Teach: The Epistemic Suppression Of The Null Curriculum In American Formal Education, Monica Zheng

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This thesis explores the history and impact of the null curriculum, which Eisner (1994) defines as "what schools do not teach" (p. 97). The null curriculum often contradicts the messages that the dominant white-supremacist patriarchy has indoctrinated into the explicit curriculum into the curriculum that American formal education uses, especially with the advent of high-stakes standardized testing. In order to overthrow this capitalist system, teachers must feel safe teaching the null curriculum. This thesis makes the case that internal reform of the American formal education system is not enough to create this liberated learning experience, and an external, full …

Reimagining Occupational Justice Beyond Anthropocentrism: A Humane Education Approach To Occupational Therapy Education, Macy Sutton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Occupational therapy positions itself as a holistic, justice-oriented profession, yet many of its theories, practices, and educational standards reflect Eurocentric values and assumptions. Even occupational justice, the disciplinary concept specifically concerned with advancing a more just world, is steeped in coloniality. Critical scholars have increasingly critiqued particular oppressive structures embedded in the field, such as ableism and white supremacy; however, anthropocentrism remains largely unchallenged. In the occupational justice literature, anthropocentrism operates primarily through omission; that is, animals are absent from most scholarly works. This gap is significant because anthropocentrism contributes to prejudice, oppression, and discrimination not only toward animals and …

Post-Secondary Participation And Graduation, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Ian Teo, Amanda Haddow, Daniel Edwards

Higher education research

This systematic review examines systems and institutional policies impacting Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sectors globally. Specifically, it seeks to address the impact of access, participation, retention, and graduation policies, and support the development of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2026 by responding to equity and inclusion challenges, and alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets.

Belonging And Academic Success In A Bilingual Classroom For Latinx Students At Illinois State University, Alejandro Enriquez

Faculty Publications – Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

[In lieu of abstract, first paragraph is replicated here]

In May 2020, Illinois State University published a heartwarming human-interest news story about a recent Latine graduate. The alumna, a mass communication major, had landed a broadcasting job in one of Chicago’s regional television stations, and the goal of the story was to celebrate her success. In telling the story of the success, however, the article stated that “When she was 13 and spoke no English, her family packed up their life in their native Colombia and immigrated to the Chicago area for new opportunities.” In time, the story went on, …

Addressing The Void Of Ai Policies In Education For Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Mikyung Shin, Fatmana Deniz, Latesha Watson, Cynthia Dieterich, Kathy B. Ewoldt, Friggita Johnson, Jennifer E. Kong, Sun Hee Lee, April Whitehurst

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The purpose of this study was to identify the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) policies in U.S. education and propose actionable recommendations through large language model–based topic modeling and Delphi surveys. Out of 12 policy documents released between 2015 and 2025, only two documents (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2024; W.A. v. Clarksville/Montgomery County School System, 2024) specifically addressed learning disabilities. Policy documents addressing topics such as AI-driven risk assessment, data protection, legal risk management, and ethical guidelines covering other disabilities and general AI in education policy were provided as baselines that could be discussed and validated through …

Rethinking Literacy, Datafication, And Racial Power In Access Is Capture: How Edtech Reproduces Racial Inequality, Anne C. Holdren

Faculty Publications - College of Education

No abstract provided.

Teacher Agency: Finding Spaces To Transform Ela Classrooms, Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Carol Gilles, Sarah D. Reid

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Amid ongoing attacks on teachers and their professionalism, we studied three middle school ELA teachers who exercised their agency to transform their classrooms and curricula through social justice pedagogy (SJP). Using Pantić's (2017) model, we examined their sense of purpose, competence, autonomy, and reflexivity in confronting barriers. This multiple-case study drew on interviews, focus group transcripts, artifacts, and responses to our analysis of their reported beliefs regarding their agency about dialogic talk in literature discussions as part of SJP. We found that teachers' agency, dialogic talk, literature discussions, and SJP were deeply interwoven. Teachers valued dialogic talk in literature discussions …

Feeling Seen By Being Heard: A Constructivist Critical Incident Study Of The Listening Experiences Of Ciswomen Of Color For The Development Of An Inclusive Listening Praxis For Leaders, Christina Zhong-Wen Chang

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examines how listening shapes inclusive workplaces by exploring the listening experiences of 23 professional cisgender women of color working in predominantly white institutional spaces. Although listening is a fundamental part of communication, it is frequently undervalued and overlooked in leadership literature. Using the constructivist critical incident technique (CCIT) methodology, the research analyzed 88 significant moments when participants felt distinctly heard or unheard by leaders. Findings reveal that listening operated as a relational practice signaling respect, affirmation of voice, and anchoring leadership in accountability, while enabling leaders to engage perspectives beyond their own. Four listening types emerged: Listening Withheld, …

Music And Language Arts Integration And Its Impact On Reading Comprehension: A Social Action Research Study, Felisha L. Coady

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This action research study examines the interconnectedness of music and language arts, specifically focusing on reading comprehension. In this study, a program called Music Connections was developed and used as a pilot to improve reading comprehension skills in primary education. The targeted population of the Music Connections program was 30 third-grade students in an inner-city school in Ohio. After six weeks of reteaching concepts through the Music Connections program, students were given a second interim with these concepts to show results and mastery. Data from this study showed that students who participated in the Music Connections program (Group A) grew …

Bridging Worlds Of Care: A Qualitative Exploration Of Integrating Non-Western Healing Modalities With Mental Health Counseling, Douglas Valdez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The aim of the study is to explore the experiences of practitioners who treat individuals presenting with depression and anxiety using culturally integrative non-Western healing modalities. Participants included 15 experienced practitioners (minimum five years of practice) who identified as Traditional Chinese Medicine providers (e.g., acupuncturists, herbalists) and/or Curandero/x/as. The approach was qualitative, utilizing open-ended survey responses collected electronically and analyzed with thematic analysis. Results indicated six primary themes: (a) Philosophies in Healing, highlighting culturally grounded conceptualizations of depression and anxiety; (b) Traditional Chinese Medicine Interventions, including acupuncture, botanical, nutritional, manual, and movement-based practices; (c) Curanderismo Pláticas and Integrative Western Healing …

Between Self, Family, And Becoming: Mindfulness And The Transition Experiences Of Latinx Clinical Counseling Graduate Students, Orlando R. Alvarez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Latinx graduate students transitioning into their first semester of clinical counseling master’s programs often navigate substantial challenges as they embark on their academic journeys. While transitions into any new role can be difficult, the changes that accompany the beginning of a graduate program have been associated with increased role and identity strain, anxiety, depression, and feelings of fraudulence and imposterism, negatively impacting student success, performance, and attrition rates (Halladay et al., 2019; Murphy, 2021; Vidic & Cherup, 2019). Although mindfulness practices provide benefits for graduate student wellbeing, there is no current scholarship that has examined how mindfulness practices support Latinx …

One Tree, Many Roots: A Care-Centered Cultural Philosophy Of Education For Collective Flourishing, Darshini Margaret Elizabeth Stark

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Public education in the United States is often framed as a neutral pathway to opportunity, democratic participation, and individual success. Yet for many students, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, schooling has functioned as a site of self-abandonment, where compliance means survival. This dissertation argues that persistent educational harm is not the result of individual curriculum failure or isolated policy shortcomings, but something far more insidious: the intentional use of schooling as a mechanism of political control and socioeconomic hierarchy, shaped over centuries by authoritarian governance and colonial ideology. In response, this work advances Oru Maram (Stark, in preparation) as …

Bipoc Faculty Thriving In The Community College System: Collective Healing, Joy And Liberation, Carolina Forero-Moreno

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This professional innovation dissertation addresses the need for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) faculty in Washington State community and technical colleges to have safe, sacred spaces to engage in anti-racist, anti-colonial, and healing practices. The proposed space is a year-long institute with bimonthly gatherings focused on decolonization work, liberatory practices, and collective healing. Gloria Anzaldúa’s Path of Conocimiento (2002) will be used to develop participants’ critical consciousness as racialized people. Emergent Strategy (brown, 2017) and the Constellations Framework (Constellations Framework, 2022) are used to learn and embody liberatory practices, all the while the Seven Circles of Wellness …

Decolonizing Teacher Mindsets With Precolonial Worldview Precept Reflection And Transformation, Gabriela Armendariz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Colonial education systems, rooted in Western epistemologies, have perpetuated a legacy of settler colonialism that continues such problems as environmental disconnection, inequality, and power dynamics that disadvantage marginalized and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities. While decolonizing education has generally been about critically examining how entrenched colonial practices shape curricula, teaching methods, and institutional policies, the emphasis of my proposed study is a focus on contrasting precolonial (Indigenous) worldview precepts, using the contrasting but non-dualistic worldview chart created by Four Arrows and Darcia Narvaez (Wahinkpe Topa [Jacobs], 2024). In partnership with K-12 educators from major school districts across the …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 School Shutdown On Standardized Test Scores In Rural And Nonrural Areas, Cory Laflamme

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The novel Coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19; Gillings School of Global Public Health, n.d.) caused an extensive disruption of education systems worldwide. Elementary and secondary schools began to close to students and staff to protect them from potential exposure to the virus (Masonbrink & Hurley, 2020). Nearly 1.6 billion students in over 200 countries had their learning impacted on some level, causing changes in traditional educational practices (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). One profound change in educational practice was the shift from face-to-face learning to online learning alternatives. Using the State of New Hampshire data allowed for a unique analysis of how …

A Content Analysis Of Black Women's Race And Gender Depiction In American History Textbooks, Le'marqunita De'sharay Lowe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Using a race and gender analytical lens, this research study examined how Black women were depicted in four secondary Advanced Placement Pearson’s history textbooks. Content analysis was the methodology to collect data from Pearson’s Advanced Placement history textbooks. Captions and images were analyzed to observe the patterns and themes that displayed the intersection between Black women's race and gender depiction. The interdisciplinary fields of history and education allowed an in-depth analysis of race and gender to be conducted throughout this research study. Two research questions were answered throughout this study. What do captions and images teach about the race and …

Storytelling And Equity: A Program Evaluation That Promotes And Supports Narrative-Based Learning And Open Dialogue Practices At Higher Ed Institutions, Regis A. Peeples

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

On college campuses worldwide, storytelling functions as a primary method for transmitting and affirming knowledge. It serves to validate lived experiences, acts as a relational teaching tool, and supports theoretical inquiry. Given that teaching is inherently political, storytelling can also perpetuate hate, oppression, and other social harms within academic environments. Even when educators use storytelling constructively, limited training exists on the full range of its impacts on students, particularly in terms of what may be described as “dangerous” storytelling. Dangerous storytelling refers to narratives, intentional or authentic, that reinforce or cultivate phobias about physical appearance (e.g., race, culture, nationality), propagate …