Toward Discussion Facilitation That Enacts Collective Care. A Response To “Teaching Dobbs Where Divisive Concepts And Abortion Are Restricted”, Jenni Conrad

Democracy & Education

For both teacher candidates and teacher educators, facilitating discussions of contested issues in hyper-polarized climates remains a heavy lift. This response to “Teaching Dobbs…” celebrates the successes apparent in Geller’s team’s work and identifies key features that supported it. While cautioning readers against adopting avatar rehearsals elsewhere, I distill four themes of planning and enactment that show clear promise for broad transference in teacher education. Drawing from research exploring the interfaces of justice-oriented, practice-based, and democratic social studies scholarship, I offer pedagogical and logistical considerations for other teacher educators and researchers engaged in this ambitious and necessary work to sustain …

The Role Of Popular Culture In Decolonial Transformative Learning: A Racially Minoritized Adult Educator's Journey, Riyad Shahjahan

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

While a growing body of literature examines the role of popular culture in transformative learning, much of it centers on fostering transformative experiences among learners, rather than educators themselves. This paper addresses that gap by exploring how popular culture enhances transformative learning for racially minoritized adult educators. Drawing from my experiences as a graduate instructor at a predominantly white institution, I reflect on how engaging with popular cultural texts facilitated my own transformative learning within my teaching practice. Grounded in decolonial theory, which emphasizes the inclusion of Indigenous and marginalized knowledges while confronting contemporary colonial oppressions, my reflexive approach highlights …

From First Steps To First Stories: The Power Of Being The First, Samuel Osuna

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

Abstract

This action research project centers on empowering first-generation college students (FGCS) through storytelling and reflection to identify better ways to support them and expand resources. The guiding question of my research is: How can I better empower first-generation college students? To explore this, I will incorporate two cycles, one involving visual art representations and another consisting of individual interviews. These methods were intentionally chosen to provide FGCS with creative and personal avenues to express their experiences. Through this project, I anticipate that students will feel more empowered by sharing their stories and gain a stronger sense of agency in …

La Cultura Cura: Implementing Culturally-Relevant Wellness Programs For Latinx College Students, Valentina Valenzuela

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

Latinx college students are the fastest growing demographic on college campuses. As this population continues to rise, institutions must adapt their programming to meet their unique needs. One key factor influencing Latinx success and retention is wellness. The purpose of this action research project was to investigate the relationship between culture and wellness and use this information to implement culturally-relevant wellness initiatives for Latinx students. The main research question that guided this study was: How can I incorporate culturally-relevant wellness events into United Front Multicultural Commons’ programming for Latinx students? I conducted three cycles that included a wellness event, plática …

Examining The Relationship Between Teacher Characteristics And African American Vernacular English (Aave): A Quantitative Study, Mary Michelle Porter

Theses & Dissertations

African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a distinct linguistic variety characterized by unique grammatical and phonological features. Despite its linguistic legitimacy, AAVE is often subject to negative perceptions that can adversely affect the educational experiences of students who speak it. The purpose of this study is to examine elementary school teachers’ attitudes toward AAVE and how these are influenced by demographic factors. Forty-eight teachers from Suffolk, New York, and Houston, Texas, participated in a survey that included demographic questions and the Language Attitude Scale (LAS), a validated instrument for assessing attitudes toward AAVE. Demographic variables included age, race, years of …

From Grief To Reconstruction: From Traditional Community To Modern Community, Zhen Wang

Theses - ALL

Death is an inevitable reality of life, and grief, as an emotional response to death, is a universal and complex psychological experience. This study explores the role of the community in coping with death and grief. It analyzes how traditional culture and modern digital technology help individuals achieve emotional repair and social reconstruction through different forms of support. By combining psychological and sociological theories, including Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's “Five Stages of Grief” and Arnold Van Genep's “Ritual Transition theory,” the emotional transformation mechanism in the grieving process has been revealed. This thesis deeply analyzes two traditional rituals, the Zhongyuan festival in …

Ua35/7 Class Of 2025 Commencement, Wku Gatton Academy Of Mathematics & Science

WKU Administration Documents

Commencement program for the WKU Gatton Academy of Mathematics & Science with list of graduates.

"Exploring Effective Practices For Inclusive Education: Impact On Student Achievement In Elementary Classrooms", Yolanda Harris

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This study explores educators’ experiences with inclusive education, focusing on the strategies, challenges, and support structures that influence successful implementation in the classroom. Using qualitative interviews with general education and special education teachers, the study identifies key themes that shape inclusive practices: Collaboration and Teamwork, Challenges in Inclusion, Student Outcomes and Growth, Differentiation and Scaffolding, Administrative Support, and Resources and Professional Development. Findings indicate that effective collaboration between general education and special education teachers, especially through co-teaching and joint planning, is critical to fostering an inclusive learning environment. Despite the positive impacts on student academic and social outcomes, teachers face …

Fifty-Ninth Commencement (Undergraduate), Sacred Heart University

Commencement Programs

Program for undergraduate ceremonies, May 10, 2025.

“The School Pretty Much Doesn’T Care . . . But I Do” Syllabus, Leconte J. Dill, Shavaun S. Sutton

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

Our “The School Pretty Much Doesn ’t Care . . . But I Do ” Syllabus frames school pushout as a structural determinant of health and one that disproportionately impacts Black girls. Therefore, we are calling in scholars, practitioners, and policymakers who do not operate solely in the field of education to recognize school pushout as a health inequity. Created through Black feminist and Black girlhood studies lenses and popular education approaches, our syllabus includes relevant transdisciplinary and cross-genre concepts, source material, and engaging activities. Overall, our syllabus seeks to guide those who educate, support, nurture, and love Black girls …

2025 Craft Academy Senior Send-Off Program, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

The Morehead State University 2025 Craft Academy Senior Send-Off Program from May 9, 2025.

Integrating Positive Psychology And Spirituality To Foster Meaning And Well-Being In Older Adults, Crystal Morris

Adultspan Journal

This perspective article explores the integration of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) and spirituality in therapy to foster meaning and well-being in older adults. It highlights exercises such as the positive introduction, positive legacy, character strengths, mindfulness, mindful-based yoga, and a manifestation prayer journaling. The interventions presented are tools to support older adults that may experience depression, difficult life transitions, and the search for renewed meaning. Therapists who integrate PPIs and spirituality into therapy can promote a holistic, non-pathological approach to treatment.

Sjsu Erfa Board Minutes, April 7, 2025, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

SJSU ERFA Minutes

SJSU ERFA Executive Board Minutes

April 7, 2025

Differences In Treatment Regarding Affirmative Action And Legacy Admissions, Vanesa Chavez

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Guest Speakers In The Classroom: Student Perceptions Of Expertise, Lauren Angle

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Guest speakers are frequently used at the collegiate level and have clear benefits for students. However, little research has been conducted about the use of guest speakers in a high school social studies setting. The purpose of this study was to understand how participation in an expert guest speaker discussion influenced high school freshmen’s understanding of conflict in the Middle East as well as their perceptions of expertise. Data was collected through student artifacts, surveys, observations, and focus group interviews and analyzed using the constant comparative method as well as descriptive statistics. The major themes of improved knowledge, desired changes, …

May 2025 Graduate Council Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

2025 Undergraduate And Graduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

2025 Lindenwood University Commencement program.

“Let Me Be A Bridge”: Language Brokering Among Emerging Adult Latina Professionals In The Midwest, Elise M. Dubord

Faculty Publications

In immigrant families, bilingual children and adolescents regularly act as translators and interpreters for family and community members who are not fluent in the dominant language. These childhood language brokers later shift the focus of their translation activities as they transition into adulthood and develop professional skills. This research explores narratives of language brokering trajectories of three bilingual Latinas who were emerging adult professionals in three cities in Iowa. Based on a series of interviews collected over a 15 month period, this analysis examines how participants described realigning their family language responsibilities while simultaneously transferring their language brokering skills to …

Pathways To Physical Education Teacher Education: Understanding Pete Faculty Careers And Lives, Alexander Eugene Kurtzman

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) faculty play a critical role in shaping the future of physical education through teaching, research, and service. However, their career trajectories and professional experiences remain underexamined in the PETE literature. This dissertation combines two studies, one is a mixed-methods study and the second is a qualitative study which explore the complex pathways and socialization processes of PETE faculty. Study 1 investigated PETE faculty members’ perceptions of how prior K–12 physical education teaching experience influences their work in higher education. Drawing on Occupational Socialization Theory (OST) and the Faculty Role Socialization Model (FRSM), data from 53 …

‘I Don’T Know Which Fire To Put Out’: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of First Year Teachers In Title I Schools, Crystal P. Glover, Erin Hamel, Koti Hubbard

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

For many early childhood and elementary educators, the early years of their professional career can prove to be the most challenging. Not surprisingly, approximately 30% of teachers leave the classroom within the first five years (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond & Carver-Thomas, 2019). That rate is even higher (~50%) for teachers in Title I schools (Miller, 2018). Despite a plethora of research regarding the causes of teacher attrition, very little has been done to specifically investigate the experiences of beginning teachers in Title I schools. This study seeks to identify and document the factors that positively and negatively affect those experiences.

Perceptions Of Principal Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Student Discipline, And Teacher Retention Based On Evaas Growth Status And School Performance Grade In Low-Performing Elementary Schools In North Carolina, Shayla Savage, Sijia Zhang

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This quantitative study investigated whether teachers’ perceptions on principal leadership, teacher leadership, student discipline, and teacher retention exhibited significant differences based on two school conditions: school growth status and school performance grade in low-performing elementary schools across North Carolina. The study analyzed responses from 11,018 certified teachers across 293 qualified schools. A 2x2 factorial MANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in teacher leadership and teacher retention related to school performance grade and its interaction with the school growth status. However, no significant differences were found regarding the principal leadership and student discipline domains. Findings highlighted the importance of supporting teacher leadership …

Learning A Little Bit Harder: The Intersecting Experiences Of First-Generation And Single-Mother College Students, Natalie Lecy, Elizabeth Hendrix, Brian A. Droubay

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

This study examines the experiences of nine first-generation, single-mother college students, focusing on these intersecting, double-jeopardy identities. Participants’ difficulty navigating college varied; contributing factors included family background, social capital, the type of college attended, and whether they established a mentor. The following themes were established: 1) realizing college is an option, 2) caught between two worlds, 3) college wasn’t designed for us, 4) economic barriers, and 5) disparities in social capital. Our findings indicate colleges were unprepared to meet the unique challenges faced by this group. We present recommendations for the …

The Role And Influence Of Faculty As Predictors For Retention And Satisfaction Among Generation Z, Katelyn Romsa, Stephani Jarecke, Jessie H. Hendricks, Bryan Romsa

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

While previous research has established that faculty and their interactions with students have had the greatest impact on student retention and satisfaction for centuries, limited studies have been done to understand how faculty are influencing Generation Z, our newest generation of students in higher education. This study examined how the quantity of faculty interactions is impacting student retention and satisfaction among 342 Generation Z first-year college students at a public land-grant institution in the Midwest using the National Survey of Student Engagement instrument. In a Mann-Whitney U test, significant difference was …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 9, Issue 1, Spring 2025

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2025 issue (Volume 9, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The issue includes five articles addressing challenges in higher education: faculty-student interactions with Generation Z students, experiences of first-generation single-mother college students, implementation of an interdisciplinary museum studies course, guidance for creating educational videos, and a book review on resistance to change in higher education. The journal emphasizes practical strategies for effective teaching, inclusivity, and innovative approaches to pedagogy across various educational contexts.

Fifty-Ninth Commencement (Graduate), Sacred Heart University

Commencement Programs

Program for graduate ceremonies, May 6 & 7,  2025.

The Impact Of Focused Specific Phonemic Awareness Instruction On English Language Learners In The Kindergarten Classroom, Bethany Brewer

Dissertations

This study is about the impact of focused phonemic awareness instruction on English language learners in a Kindergarten classroom. The gaps in early literacy skills for students entering Kindergarten can create long-lasting deficits for students (NAEP, 2022). The purpose of this study is to determine if the engagement and performance of ELL students changes during whole group phonemic awareness and phonics instruction when taught specific skills in small group. The study took place in a Kindergarten classroom with students who have been identified as English Language Learners through ACCESS testing. This qualitative study used interviews with teachers to determine the …

Using Sustained Silent Reading In The Secondary English Language Arts Classroom To Increase Reading Engagement, Hannah S. Burwell

Dissertations

Reading scores have dropped precipitously over the past twenty years, and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers are looking for in-school academic interventions to mitigate this decline. This descriptive case study explored classroom experiences and student engagement with reading in a choice-based Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) program in a high school. The study examines student experiences through Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT). EVT suggests that a student’s engagement with reading will increase when they find the task valuable and believe success is achievable. The study explores how providing students with the independence to select their reading materials influences their experience in class and …

“We All Have Our Boulders To Pass, And This Was One Of Mine”: Ethnoculturally Diverse High-School-Aged Youth And Their Reclamation Of Nature, Andrew T. Turchon

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative, ethnographic, youth-centered study explored how ethnoculturally diverse urban high-school-aged youth express their relationships to nature. Participatory and youth-centered methodologies and data sources, including Photovoice, photo-elicitation interviews, and classroom artifacts, centered the voices of a diverse group of urban youth and their experiences in local forest reservations. Diverse urban youth are typically marginalized from environmental education, place-based learning, and representation in outdoor-related research. Therefore, it is critical that educational researchers include the voices of these students in conversations about nature to broaden the sociocultural framework around what “nature” is, how it is experienced, and by whom. This theoretical framework …

Implementation Of Classroom Technology For Elementary Students With Adhd, Melanie Flemming

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is the teacher-reported increase in behavioral problems among students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since a mandated introduction of educational technology in the classroom aimed at improving student performance. Using the PICRAT (passive, interactive, creative, replacement, amplification, transformation) describes the impact of technology on a teacher's previous practice model as the conceptual scaffold, this study was conducted to explore teachers’ experiences integrating educational technology and any corresponding student behavioral changes in classrooms that include students with ADHD. Following a basic qualitative design, data were collected through semistructured interviews, using a self-designed interview protocol, with …

A Proposal: Gap Analysis On Novice Advanced Practice Provider Role Transition Within The Inpatient Setting, Erin Cornelius

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Background: Healthcare specialties are an integral part of patient care yet are briefly discussed throughout the academic journey of the advanced practice provider (APP). Hiring departments or facilities must provide further education on complex specialties. Due to a decline in practicing physicians, APPs will provide more patient care within specialties by 2032.

Purpose: To emphasize the importance of a high-quality onboarding program for the success of the APP, the department, and the hiring facility.

Method: Proposed data collection involves a two-part survey using the Novice Nurse Practitioner Role Transition (NNPRT) scale and an onboarding experiences survey.

Results: A literature thematic …