Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Athletic Department Staff And The Effects On Student-Athlete Persistence, Makenzie Brooke Mcgaha

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study is to determine what collegiate student-athletes believe contributes to their motivation to persist and achieve their goals as a student-athlete. In-person and virtual interviews were conducted using four student-athlete participants and four athletic staff participants. The data was then transcribed and evaluated using McClelland’s Need Theory (1961) for theme development. For student-athletes this included the importance of community, supports, and student-athlete identity. For athletic staff members this also included student-athlete community, supports, and unpreparedness. Overall, the findings of this study depict that there are supports, services, and athletic staff members that can impact student-athletes’ …

K-3 Southern, Rural, Public-School Teachers’ Perspectives On Literacy Post Covid, Venesia Dreon Griffin Brown

Student Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, research has been undertaken to find what works to improve proficiency in literacy skills. However, most of the research has been done in urban areas. Therefore, the problem addressed in this study is K-3 literacy in southern, rural areas where students are below grade level and falling further behind, increasing the risk of student-drop out in their later years. The research is rooted in the interviews of 11 teachers in four states, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisianna, and Mississippi. They gave their perspectives and experiences on literacy education post Covid. Consequently, the purpose of the qualitative phenomenology study was …

Examining The Influence Of Cultural Sameness Or Difference Of Principals And Teachers On Students Perceived Connectedness, Asmaa Fahmy Kabel

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, phenomenological study explores how cultural sameness or difference between students and their teachers and principals influences students’ perceived sense of belonging and connectedness to their school community. Drawing on Cultural Intelligence Theory (Earley & Ang, 2003) and Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977), this study investigates the nuanced ways in which students internalize and interpret their relationships with school personnel, with attention to shared and differing cultural attributes beyond race alone. Twelve participants, all one to five years post–high school graduation from traditional public schools, were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire followed by …

The Impact Of Applying For A Post-Secondary Opportunity When Coming From A Low Socioeconomic Status, David Marlow Price

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of high school seniors attending a socioeconomically disadvantaged high school as they navigated the process of applying for postsecondary education. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 2001) and Achievement Motivation Theory (McClelland, 1968), the study examined the barriers and motivators influencing students’ pursuit of higher education. Despite national efforts to improve college access, significant gaps persist for students from low-income households due to limited financial resources, inadequate guidance, and minimal exposure to postsecondary options. The study was conducted at a rural high school in western Tennessee where …

Stories From Former Foster Youth College Graduates: The Positive Impact Of K-12 Schooling And Related Educational Policy, Amanda Moon, Kristen D. Seay

Faculty and Staff Publications

Youth in foster care face disproportionate challenges when it comes to education and personal well-being. Many studies use a deficit lens when evaluating these challenges. In contrast, this study is asset-based, centering first-person accounts from five former foster youth college graduates. Using a counter-narrative framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews with participants to reveal key supports in K-12 schooling participants believed helped them achieve academic and life milestones. These were relationships with teachers and coaches, access to extracurricular activities, and literacy-rich environments. We also reviewed 11 relevant federal educational policies to identify provisions and implementation needs that aligned with participant experiences. …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Motivations For Homeschooling Among Black Americans, Portia J. Witt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the motivations and lived experiences of African American homeschooling families. Twelve Black parents from multiple states participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) Modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method and coded thematically using NVivo. Nine themes emerged: autonomy, holistic education, community belonging, online networks, public resources, curriculum gaps, personal values, effective learning, and legacy of harm. While racialization in schools—including tracking, microaggressions, and misidentification—contributed to participants’ decisions, motivations also reflected intersectional factors such as faith, disability, mental health needs, giftedness, and a desire for cultural protection and flexible learning. Findings suggest homeschooling serves as a …

Examining The Influence Of Principals’ Perceived Authentic Leadership And Teachers’ Psychological Capital On Teachers’ Burnout Syndrome And Turnover Intentions In Catalan Schools, Eduardo Torrecillas Sanchez

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study was performed in the Spanish region of Catalonia. The purposes of the current study were fourfold: Firstly, the study explored whether authentic leadership, psychological capital, or burnout syndrome differed between teachers' genders or experiences. Secondly, the current study investigated whether aggregate measures and/or the dimensions of authentic leadership and psychological capital were associated with burnout syndrome. Third, this study examined whether burnout syndrome predicted turnover intentions. Lastly, this study examined whether authentic leadership moderates the relationship between psychological capital and burnout syndrome, as well as turnover intentions. The multidimensional Maslach’s theory of burnout was selected as the guiding …

Exclusionary Discipline’S Impact On Minority And Low Social Status Student Achievement, Ulanda Latreace Branch

Student Theses and Dissertations

School discipline was intended to keep students safe in schools, but exclusionary discipline methods fail to meet this goal. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of exclusionary discipline methods on student achievement, with an emphasis on ethnic and socioeconomic differences. The problem addressed how subjective referrals, cultural differences, unequal disciplinary tactics, and ineffective reprimands contribute to inequalities in disciplinary outcomes. Drawing on Glasser and Gordon's behavioral theoretical frameworks, this study emphasized proactive educational settings, effective classroom management, student accountability, and positive relationships as paramount to managing misbehavior. The study used a correlational research design, which …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Kindergarten Teacher Perceptions Of Literacy Skills, Angela Shelton

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of the literacy skills of students from households with limited financial resources, compared to students who attended the universal preschool program located in District A with those who did not. The study addressed three research questions: 1. How do teachers perceive the literacy skills of these students? 2. How do teachers describe their experiences teaching literacy to these students? and 3. What resources or professional development do teachers identify as helpful in supporting literacy instruction? Semi-structured interviews with kindergarten teachers were conducted and analyzed to identify common themes. Participants reported that children …

Factors Affecting Teacher Satisfaction At Two School Districts In North Carolina Post Covid-19 Pandemic, Thomas Young

Student Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an interruption to instruction for teachers and students across the United States and left educators unsure of the future as they returned to in-person classes. This phenomenological qualitative study concluded on the lived experiences of middle school teachers in two North Carolina districts to help uncover the reasons why they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their jobs after returning to the classroom since the pandemic. Inspired by Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory, this research investigated the extent to which working conditions influence teacher morale, retention, and job satisfaction. Fourteen teachers of various subject areas, years of experience and …

Online Student Perspectives Of Impactful Feedback, Kathleen Mcnichols Irvin

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how online graduate students perceived and experienced instructor feedback, focusing on its role in learning, the challenges of applying it, and preferences for formative, summative, or blended approaches. Fifteen students participated in semi-structured interviews, and four joined a follow-up focus group. Findings revealed that students viewed feedback as fundamental to understanding course expectations, improving academic work, and fostering motivation. However, vague or delayed feedback was seen as unhelpful and discouraging, often limiting opportunities for improvement. Three central themes emerged: the value of feedback as a learning tool, barriers to engaging with feedback effectively, and preferences for …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Principal Experiences And Persistence In Title I Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade Central Texas Schools, Lisa Islas Walls

Student Theses and Dissertations

The role of the school principal is among the most challenging and influential positions in education. Research demonstrates that principals are the second most significant in-school factor affecting student achievement, after classroom instruction, and that stable, effective leadership is crucial for fostering a positive school culture, promoting teacher retention, and improving student outcomes. Yet, principal turnover remains high, particularly in Title I schools serving low-income and minority populations, where unfavorable working conditions and limited systemic support exacerbate instability. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perspectives of individual principals on their lived experiences within Title I K-8 public school districts located …

Leader Perspectives From Policy To Practice: An Exploration Of Deiajb Accreditation Expectations In K-12 International Schools, Jennifer Lea Garzia

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, various school accreditation bodies have incorporated new standards and processes that focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, access, justice, and belonging (DEIAJB). Yet, how DEIAJB expectations are perceived and implemented remains underexplored. This study examines the perceptions of international school leaders in Brazil and Italy, and how they interpret and enact DEIAJB school accreditation expectations. In this qualitative exploratory study, ten international school leaders were interviewed. Guided by Shields’ Transformative Leadership Theory (2009), data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using thematic coding. Findings revealed that leaders viewed DEIAJB accreditation expectations as a legitimizing framework that …

Cost Effects Of Adding Poultry To Organic Vegetable Production Systems In California, Iowa, And Kentucky, Kwanele Magwaba, Alejandro Plastina, Ajay Nair, Maurice Pitesky, David J. Gonthier, Anne Carey, Faye Duan, Viktor Halmos

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

This study evaluates the economic viability of integrating poultry into organic vegetable crop rotations over three years in Kentucky and Iowa and two years in California. Given the growing global demand for food and heightened environmental awareness, understanding the financial implications of such integrated systems is crucial. Our comprehensive experiment compared integrated poultry-vegetable rotations with vegetable-only systems, assessing costs, revenues, and key factors influencing profitability. While integrating poultry reduced vegetable production costs by up to 10% in some cases, overall system costs increased due to high poultry expenses. Break-even poultry prices averaged $8/lb for low-density systems and $7 for high-density …

Review; Rural Education And Queer Identities: Rural And (Out)Rooted, Sara Hall

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This book review examines Rural Education and Queer Identities: Rural and (Out)Rooted, edited by Clint Whitten and Amy Price Azano, an interdisciplinary collection that reconceives rural education as a site of queer worldmaking rather than marginalization. Organized around the metaphors of taproots, root systems, and aerial roots, the collection brings together scholarly essays, creative nonfiction, and poetry to challenge dominant narratives that position queerness as incompatible with rural life. The review considers the collection’s implications for pedagogy and place-based education while noting opportunities for further engagement.

Fostering Engineering Identities And Attitudes Through Place-Conscious Learning Introduction, Rebekah Hammack, Miracle Moonga, Nicholas Lux, Paul Gannon

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Limited research focuses on how participating in place-conscious engineering affects students’ engineering identities and attitudes toward engineering. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigated the effect of engaging elementary school students in place-conscious engineering activities on their engineering identities and attitudes toward engineering. Twenty fourth grade students enrolled in a rural elementary school in the northwestern United States completed two place-conscious engineering activities: (1) after a local wildfire polluted the air with smoke and made it unhealthy for breathing, students designed and built air filters to prevent smoke from entering the homes of affected families residing in a nearby community, …

Trans/Queer/Cuir Literature And Resources, Julien Torrento

FIRE Fund Bibliographies

This bibliography assembles interdisciplinary scholarship, literature, and cultural production centered on trans, queer/cuir, and gender-nonconforming Latinx and Caribbean experiences. The selected works foreground embodiment, migration, performance, kinship, and resistance as sites through which marginalized subjects negotiate violence, survival, and worldmaking. Across academic, creative, and archival forms, these sources challenge normative frameworks of gender, nation, and citizenship while imagining alternative futures rooted in community and futurity.

Teacher Representation In Film And Television, Kailey Deweever

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

This article explores teacher representation in film and television, highlighting four main archetypes. It discusses how positive portrayals improve public perceptions and teacher self-image, while negative depictions harm both. Additionally, it critiques how infrequent depictions of actual teaching often trivialize the complexity of the profession.

Keywords: Teacher self-image, popular culture, teacher archetypes, teacher representation, film, television

Front Matter

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Equipping Beyond Campus: A Look At Dordt Faculty As Public Scholars, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Partnerships, Growing Stewardship, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Faithful Dialogue In A Divided World, Jennifer Vermeer

The Voice

No abstract provided.

The Good Design Of Limits, Teresa Terhaar

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Students Embrace Their Home Away From Home, Jennifer Vermeer

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Public Policy Education: Insights From Graduate Dietetics Students, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Lindsay Ganong, D. Coleen Kaiser, Emily Patten

Journal of Dietetic Education

Objective: To examine graduate dietetics students’ experiences completing a public policy course outside of their discipline. Methods: Participants were 40 graduate dietetics students at a university in the Western United States. At the conclusion of a public policy course offered through another department, students completed online surveys with fixed-response and open-ended items. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t tests, and qualitative responses were examined using codebook thematic analysis. Results: Three themes included (1) Recognizing the interconnection between policy and dietetics practice, (2) From policy hesitancy to policy understanding; and (3) Humanizing policy: public policy and holistic client care. Students …

Writing Professional Papers Worksheet With Scavenger Hunt: A Simple Strategy To Strengthen Dietetic Writing, Stacy Bevan

Journal of Dietetic Education

Time between learning scientific writing skills and when dietetic students need to transfer that knowledge to discipline-specific research papers in upper division courses may result in a lack of writing skills. Dietetic educators be unfamiliar with writing strategies to improve student writing. A Writing Professional Papers worksheet was developed to help students define components of professional papers, draft a thesis, and then participate in a scavenger hunt using examples of two types of professional papers to identify target issues and avoid common issues seen in student papers. Students in an upper division Maternal and Child Nutrition course responded to an …

Transforming Dietetics Curriculum: A Culinary Nutrition Certificate Grounded In Competency-Based Innovation, Jennifer R. Watson, Rachel C. Sinley, Jangwoo Jo

Journal of Dietetic Education

Culinary nutrition has become a promising interdisciplinary field that combines culinary arts and nutritional science to enhance health outcomes through practical, food-based education. As the healthcare landscape increasingly emphasizes preventive care, dietitians are well-positioned to lead culinary nutrition initiatives; however, formal training opportunities remain scarce. To address this gap, Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) created a new Culinary Nutrition Certificate that combines experiential cooking coursework from the School of Hospitality with core nutrition education from the Department of Nutrition. This paper places the certificate within the broader context of culinary nutrition and dietetics education, emphasizing the importance of …

Implementing An Interprofessional Virtual Journal Club For Health-Focused Students, Hillary L. Roberts, Cynthia Aurentz, Mccall E. Christian, Jessica K. Willis, Caitlin J. Masterson

Journal of Dietetic Education

Students (N = 135) pursuing degrees in health-focused programs participated in an interprofessional virtual journal club during the spring semesters of 2022 and 2023. The journal club was integrated into multiple courses and facilitated through the university’s learning management system and a web conferencing platform. Students applied the 2016 Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies throughout the activity. The journal club included four pre-selected articles on ethics in healthcare, and students developed one discussion question per article to guide synchronous virtual discussions. The IPEC Competency Self-Assessment Tool was administered before and after participation. Paired samples t-tests showed statistically significant change …

Student Exposure To Andhii Part Ii: Cross-Cohort Improvements In Confidence Without Parallel Gains In Documentation Quality When Applying The Nutrition Care Process, Casey Colin, Lindsay Woodcock

Journal of Dietetic Education

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in Nutrition Care Process (NCP) confidence and documentation quality across two different undergraduate student cohorts. This quasi-experimental trial was conducted with n = 29 total undergraduate dietetic students (2023 cohort), then compared with results from the previous years’ (2022) cohort (n = 43). NCP confidence was measured before and after students completed traditional case studies (time 1 and time 2) and after completing an ANDHII case study using an electronic and interactive NCP documentation platform (time 3) for each cohort, then compared between cohorts. Documentation quality was measured using a validated …

Editors’ Message, Diana Cuy Castellanos, M Elizabeth (Beth) Miller

Journal of Dietetic Education

This edition of the Journal of Dietetic Education highlights specialized skill training and attainment and interprofessional collaboration in dietetic students. Our featured original research explores how we prepare students for the complexities of current practice—ranging from the digital documentation of the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) to the integration of culinary medicine.