Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Exploration Of Parents' Experiences Of Homeschooling In The United Arab Emirates: Motivations And Challenges, Reem Thani Aldhaheri

All Works

Homeschooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an understudied phenomenon despite the growing numbers of homeschoolers. Controversies about homeschooling and its impact on children’s well-being create a social stigma around families that choose to homeschool their children for various reasons. This study explored the experiences of homeschoolers in the UAE, specifically, the motivations for homeschooling and the challenges homeschooling families face during the experience. The study followed a qualitative exploratory approach using a semi-structured interview. The sample consisted of 16 parents of different nationalities living in the UAE. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach to gain an in-depth …

Community Engagement Newsletter, October 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of Community Engagement.

Community Engagement Newsletter

Contents:

--- Spring into Service: Cats Who Care
--- UNI's Day of Service
--- Events
--- Service Learning Course Designation
--- Community Engagement - Report Hours

Tassel Turning Versus Tossing In The Towel: An Analysis Of Undergraduate Student Persistence And Challenges, Josie Ambur

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Pamela McMullin-Messier, Bernadette Jungblut

Completing college is no easy feat. All higher education has barriers and obstacles students must face and overcome. Observations have been used to gather various student perspectives that have been compiled alongside research in the field to create a picture of what student barriers look like at Central Washington University specifically. Some of these barriers include navigating academic requirements, challenges with academic advisors, unique challenges first-generation students face, and financial challenges including balancing employment and academics. Within the personal lives of students, there are several internal factors that impact their success such as their …

Improving Schools To Promote Upward Mobility: The Promise And Limits Of School Finance Reforms, Sarah Reber

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Mountain West presents a lecture titled, "Improving Schools to Promote Upward Mobility: The Promise and Limits of School Finance Reforms" by Brookings senior fellow in economic studies, Sarah Reber.

Systematic differences in access to high-quality schools by race, income, and other characteristics perpetuate inequality across generations. Local property tax financing of schools is often identified as a key cause of unequal educational opportunity. While the consensus of rigorous research supports the common intuition that, on average, “money matters” in improving educational outcomes, questions about how much, and under what conditions, school …

Collaborative Reflections On A Practical Journey Through Transcendental Phenomenology Data Analysis, Tyler Kulp, Hissah Alzahrani, Michele Parker

The Qualitative Report

Although transcendental phenomenology is widely recognized in qualitative research, there is limited discussion of how researchers come to understand and apply its methods in practice. This paper examines how reflective collaboration enhances the understanding and use of transcendental phenomenological analysis. It involves the first author, a recent doctoral graduate, the second author, a current doctoral student, and the third author, the doctoral advisor, using a collaborative approach. We draw upon the first author’s dissertation, providing clear, actionable guidance for simplifying the analysis process. The discussion highlights the value of collaborative reflection in making the methodology more accessible and enriching understanding …

"Incredibly Powerful And Well-Crafted" - A Review Of Pandemic Death Discourse: Denial, Disparity And The Promise Of Communication, Elda Kanzki-Veloso Ph.D.

The Qualitative Report

This book analysis, focused on Pandemic Death Discourse: Denial, Disparity and the Promise of Communication (Alvarez et al., 2025), expressed a deeply human expectation from readers. The reviewer wanted more than just straightforward facts; there was a deep yearning for real emotion, personal stories, and meaningful connections that helped people cope with fear and uncertainty. They emphasized the importance of immersing readers in the rich experiences of grief, resilience, and hope. There was a need to feel the heavy impact of overlooked lives. The desire for a sense of outrage regarding the disposable nature of certain lives emerged, as well …

Generative Ai In Higher Education: A Comparative Study Of Chatgpt Adoption, Perception, And Use Among College Students In The Global North And Global South, Shudipta Sharma, Louisa Ha

Human-Machine Communication

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have become the fastest-adopted technology, raising concerns about its misuse in education. This study explores ChatGPT usage for class assignments among 646 college students in the U.S. and Bangladesh, focusing on their perceptions and trust in the tool. Using the technology acceptance model, along with internet efficacy and social persuasion theories, we found that students in both countries had high levels of awareness and adoption. Individual factors did not significantly influence ChatGPT usage, while social persuasion, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and country were the strongest predictors. The findings suggest that AI technology may …

“Made Classes Easier Than A Coloring Sheet”: Student Perceptions And Uses Of Genai, Jessalyn I. Vallade, Renee Kaufmann, Trenton Upchurch

Human-Machine Communication

Student use of GenAI is growing and so are the faculty concerns. With research providing mixed suggestions and approaches, this study sought to understand the student perspective on ethical uses, their own motives and perceived benefits of GenAI use, the risks involved, and their perceptions of susceptibility and severity related to unethical use (i.e., plagiarism/cheating). Results revealed the complexity of student considerations regarding the uses, risks, and benefits of GenAI and its potential for personalized learning enhancement. Students generally view the likelihood of being caught submitting AI-generated work as their own as high and the consequences as severe. The viability …

Design Thinking As A Tool For Developing Entrepreneurial Competencies Through Multidisciplinary And Cross-National Collaborative Learning Environments, Arpasri Tewata, Krittika Inta, Supornphan Konchiab, Tawan Watakit, Sumana Sorathiwa

Journal of Education Studies

This research aimed to 1) compare students’ entrepreneurial skills before and after participating in design thinking activities under a multidisciplinary and international collaborative learning project, and 2) investigate the relationships between each phase of the design thinking process and entrepreneurial skills. The participants were 60 Thai students from a university in northern Thailand who were selected to participate in the international collaboration program. The research instruments included an entrepreneurial skills questionnaire. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The results showed 1) students’ entrepreneurial skills significantly improved after participating in the program, particularly …

Better Together: Including Students In High School English Language Arts Course And Curriculum Design, Katelin E. Held

Doctorate in Education

This qualitative action research study examined how having students cocreate secondary English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum alongside teachers influenced student engagement and ownership of learning and staff attitudes toward cocreation. Conducted in a Midwestern U.S. public high school ELA department, the study involved four student and four educator participants, all of whom engaged in restorative-style focus groups with a larger number of students and teachers to collaboratively generate ideas for new course offerings. The study students and adults then participated in small-group semi structured interviews. Data were collected through audio-recorded group discussions, individual interviews, and researcher memos and were analyzed …

Caregiver Perspectives About Implementing Educational Goals For Children Of Incarcerated Parents In A Head Start Program, Alissa Jane Stark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is that caregivers of children with incarcerated parents inconsistently implement the mandated educational goals developed through the Head Start program. Grounded in Bowen’s family systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore caregiver’s perspectives on implementing Head Start Educational goals for children of incarcerated parents and their views on the resources or training needed to support these goals. For this case study, 12 former caregivers from a Head Start program in a women’s correctional facility in Oregon were interviewed. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed thematically with the …

The Grizzly, September 25, 2025, Renee Washart, Julia Picklo, Laela Stackhouse, Sophia Kumar, Claudia Tracy, Caitlin Cunnane, Erin Ewing, Jesse Cherone

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Let's Talk About the CARBO-Nation • Greek Life Numbers • Power Surge: Ursinus Goes Lights Out! • This Time in History! • The Writing is, Literally, on the Wall • GRRRL on the Street • A Sports Switch-up: Lippay Guards Goal for Bears • Football Rolls to 3-0 Start!

A Phenomenological Study Of Overcoming School Experiences Of Disability-Related Stigma To Gain Competitive Employment For Individuals With Learning Disabilities, Katherine Lamont

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to interpret the experiences of overcoming disability-related stigma to gain competitive employment for individuals with learning disabilities (LDs) who have previously received special education services in public schools in the United States. Goffman’s stigma theory framed the investigation of the research question: What are the lived experiences of individuals with LDs who have received special education services in public school settings with overcoming disability-related stigma to gain competitive employment? This study was conducted with 12 participants, who each received special education services in public schools in the United States for a specific …

The Impact Of Psychological Well-Being, Gratitude, And Self-Efficacy On Resiliency In High School Students: A Predictive Correlational Study, Jennifer Nevard-Blanco

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study was to examine the impact of psychological well-being, gratitude, and self-efficacy on resiliency in high school students in a northeastern state. This study is important because the promotion of positive psychological factors such as gratitude, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being have been identified as predictors of increased resilience, buffering the negative effects of stressors and adverse circumstances. The sample was composed of 110 high school students from a public school in the northeastern part of the United States. Data was collected using four self-report instruments: Ryff's Psychological Well-being 18-item scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire …

Parallel Lives: Revitalization Of An Ancient Method Of Inquiry, Geoffrey Thomas Uhal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Parallel Lives style examination and biography is one of the oldest forms of historical inquiry, providing a comparison between a foreign subject and a more familiar subject as a frame of reference. This style of examination was popular for dissertations in the 19th century among military historians writing about generals who were stylistically known as “Great Captains” for much of history. While the moral comparisons of such histories in bygone eras possess less utility, multimodal comparisons of lives that readers have more and less contextual background to provide a model to bridge the gap between foreign and familiar subjects. …

The Educational Role Of Teachers And The Challenges They Face In Developing A Culture Of Confronting Intellectual Extremism Among High School Students In Amman, Ibrahim Al-Zyoud, Abdul Salam Al-Awamreh

Jordan Journal of Applied Science-Humanities Series

The study aimed to assess the reality of the educational role among secondary school teachers in Amman in addressing and developing a culture to confront intellectual extremism. Using the descriptive approach, a questionnaire with 61 items was developed to achieve the aims of this study. The study sample consisted of 350 students in Amman enrolled during the academic year 2019/2020. The results indicated that the level of the educational role among secondary school teachers was moderate. Differences in the level of the educational role among teachers in Amman were attributed to gender, favoring males, and to specialization, favoring vocational specialization. …

What Motives Influence Parents’ Commitment To Their Children’S Sport Participation In The United States?, Katherine N. Alexander, Daniel J. M. Fleming, Mitchell Olsen, Travis E. Dorsch, Kat V. Adams

Human Development and Family Studies Student Research

Background: The public often places value on youth sport involvement in the United States due to its potential to foster positive outcomes for participants. Although sport parents are key socializers and provide access to appropriate participation opportunities for children, less is known about how their perceptions of their child’s motives influence their sport commitments. Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to understand how parents’ perceptions of their child’s motives for sport participation were associated with time/travel sport commitments. Methods: Participants (N = 1250) were parents in the United States reporting on their child’s youth sport participation. Measures …

Effective Engagement In Online Asynchronous Graduate Courses: How Students Perceive Engagement In Their Graduate Programs, Matthew A. Galeota, Robert M. Mangione, Stephanie M. Foote

New York Journal of Student Affairs

An increase in online learning has created a set of new challenges for higher education institutions. Institutions seek to retain students and ensure they are engaged in their courses. This paper examines forms of engagement that traditional and nontraditional students perceive in their online asynchronous graduate courses at a public flagship university. The authors examined relevant literature and surveyed students across several online graduate education programs. The survey shows that collaborative engagement, specifically the indicator of connecting to institutional opportunities, is the lowest tallied. This suggests that online graduate programs should seek to implement more collaborative engagement indicators. The survey …

Gnome Logic: Evidence-Based Strategies For High-Impact Medical Education Pathways, Barbra A. Roller, Sasha R. Sioni

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Socioeconomic inequities divert underrepresented talent from the physician pipeline. Integrating Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), leaky-pipeline diagnostics, and 14 years of mixed-methods research on Florida International University’s pathway program, we present a logic model aligning Goals, Needs, Objectives, Methods, and Evaluation (GNOME). GNOME links diagnosed barriers to SCCT-aligned supports and pre-specified metrics, yielding gains in self-efficacy, application intent, and matriculation. The model offers a practical, cost-effective roadmap for institutions seeking a more equitable medical workforce.

Promoting Educative Antiracism Dialogue And Activism Through Community Engagement, Greg Bartley, Danielle Ligocki, Robert A. Martin, Chaunda L. Scott

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article highlights lessons learned from bringing together antiracist/activist faculty representing the Initiative to Eradicate Racism at Oakland University and community members from the Pontiac Collective Impact Partnership. We use Byrd and Scott’s (2010) Critical Racism Pedagogy Model as a lens to understand how university/community partners can discuss social issues in productive and engaging ways. Specifically, this partnership demonstrates how faculty and communities can work collaboratively to create communities of practice with parallel antiracism/activist goals.

Structurally Framing Service Learning As Teaching Excellence: An Examination Of Collaborative Efforts Between Community Engagement And Faculty Development Centers, James Morgan Lewing, Lisa Bunkowski

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study explores collaborations between faculty development centers and service learning and community engagement structures at public institutions awarded the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement. Utilizing semi-structured interviews with five chief academic officers, none of the respondents stated intentional collaborations were present at their respective institutions. The study underscores the need for strategic alignment to institutionalize community engagement, avoiding siloing and enhancing sustainability through faculty development initiatives that promote teaching excellence.

Preparing Future Educators: Using Service-Learning In Mathematics Courses For Prospective K-12 Teachers, Sayonita Ghosh Hajra, Brianna Davis, Jose Alanis, James Tokunaga

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Although experiential learning is widely recognized for its benefits, its implementation in content-focused mathematics courses for prospective teachers remains limited. To address this gap, this paper explores the integration of service-learning into three distinct mathematics courses for prospective teachers, detailing how it was implemented in each course. Results highlight opportunities for learning, particularly in developing agency, a sense of belonging, competence, and enriched experience among prospective teachers.

Cultivating Community Resilience Through Youth Engagement, Elizabeth K. Anthony, Allison Mullady, Kendelle Brown, Michelle Blagg-Catone, Stephanie Castillo

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article presents the impact of Arizona State University’s Design Studio for Community Solutions (DSCS) on youth engagement and community resilience. Through a mixed-methods approach, the study assesses the impact of DSCS programs on youth engagement and community resilience. The findings highlight best practices, underscoring the importance of consistent communication, trust-building, and community representation. Additionally, the research offers nuanced recommendations for future investigations, emphasizing the importance of continuous data collection and periodic assessments to drive ongoing improvement and address unmet community needs.

Gathering At The Table: Using Food To Heal On One’S Grief Journey, Jamie B. Daugherty, Jada Staat, Julie Rachford

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This research study explored the registered dietitian nutritionist’s (RDN) role and impact while supporting those on their grief journey. Data collection methods included a focus group, journaling, workshop evaluations, and photo elicitation. Qualitative data analysis highlighted three themes emerging from a six-week culinary nutrition education support workshop: providing intention, building community, and showcasing RDNs as encouraging companions, by contributing their skills of nutrition education and hands-on culinary applications, supporting individuals continuing to grieve.

Carry On: A Multi-Campus Faculty Perspective On The Barriers And Facilitators To Implementing Service Learning Curriculum During A Global Pandemic, Adrianne Widaman, Kirsten Leisses Tuck

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Service learning (SL) faculty faced substantial and unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore SL faculty perspectives during the crisis. Higher education faculty who taught SL designated courses during 2020/2021 identified and prioritized challenges and strategies to teaching SL courses without direct person contact. A total of 144 unique responses were collected from 16 faculty from 5 universities using the nominal group technique, a qualitative and quantitative method. Highly ranked themes included the emotional burden felt by the faculty, decreased student learning, a lack of faculty time, the need for alternative assignments, and …

Promoting Healthy Aging Through An Intergenerational Service-Learning Course, Tricia Pierce, Eric Hubbard, Shalini Persaud

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This case study examines combining service-learning (SL) with an intergenerational exercise program using undergraduate kinesiology students. The purpose was to explore how SL increases confidence, social responsibility, and leadership growth while addressing community needs. Students led biweekly exercise sessions for older adults over six weeks. Reflections demonstrated mutual benefits, including improved activity levels, reduced social isolation, and strengthened community connections.

Motivation In Community Engaged Learning: For Grades Or Growth?, Anastasios Catanzaro, Sarah Mclean

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community-engaged learning (CEL) is a pedagogy characterized by reciprocal partnerships between academic institutions and community partners. Literature suggests that CEL has a potent ability to enhance skill, empathy and engagement in both students and community members. This investigation is a mixed methods study aimed to assess whether CEL can influence student motivation in a biomedical science CEL course. We found that student motivation is dynamic, and CEL supports both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation approaches.

The Impact And Strategies Utilized By College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kristi Lewis, Olivia Hansen, Amanda Kavaja

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the growing mental health concerns seen on college campuses. A qualitative study was conducted to identify the impact and the strategies utilized by undergraduates during the pandemic. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with 15 undergraduates. Findings suggest that college students encountered academic challenges and social struggles during COVID. The academic challenges and social struggles experienced during the pandemic have only added to the growing mental health concerns of college students.

Community Engagement Networks: Utilizing The Untethered, Theresa M. Harrison

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this forum commentary, I discuss those who fall outside the traditional community engagement professional (CEP) roles and how they can be better used in community engagement networks. As a staff member not working in or affiliated with a community engagement office, I feel untethered. Staff, faculty, and CEPs deeply invested in community engagement efforts need community engagement networks both within and outside our institutions that accommodate various roles and their unique contributions.

Rethinking Service Learning: Reciprocity And Power Dynamics In Community Engagement, Jason Wollschleger, Mark Killian, Kayla Prewitt

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article seeks to challenge existing power dynamics both within the service-learning classroom and between the classroom and community by offering a model of an alternative approach to community engagement. The class partnered with a community organization, at their request, to engage their community as the organization worked through a change in focus and identity. Within the classroom, the research project was led, designed, implemented, and ultimately written solely by the students.