Quality Versus Qualified: Head Start Program Leaders’ Perceptions Of The Characteristics And Traits Of High-Quality Early Childhood Educators In New York State, Tracy L. Persaud

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this study was to examine how leaders in New York State Head Start programs perceive the interpersonal traits and characteristics that define a high-quality, early childhood educator working with children from ages 3 to 5 years old. While formal qualifications, such as degrees and certifications, remain as requirements for employment, leaders may rely on interpersonal and dispositional qualities to distinguish effective early childhood educators in practice. Guided by credentialism theory, this study explored how leaders define teacher quality beyond credentials and how these perceptions shape hiring, evaluation, and professional support decisions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews …

University Of Central Florida Undergraduate Catalog, 2025-2026, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Stories Of College Faculty Navigating Student Trauma Disclosures: A Narrative Inquiry, Samantha Daluz

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand how faculty who navigate student trauma disclosures construct stories about themselves as educators and how those stories shape their understanding of teaching and learning. Although the literature has increasingly focused on trauma-informed approaches to teaching and learning, little research has explored how faculty navigate student trauma disclosures or how those experiences shape their understanding of teaching and learning. This study sought to better understand those experiences and provide institutional leaders with insight into how faculty experience student trauma disclosures within higher education. Narrative inquiry was employed using Mahayana Buddhism as the …

From Minimum To Meaningful: A Use Of Force Training Regimen For Rural Police Departments, Joseph Corley

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This paper examines how small and rural law enforcement agencies can improve use of force training despite limited staffing, budgets, and training opportunities. Current Minnesota POST Board minimum standards establish baseline requirements but allow significant variation in how agencies develop and deliver training, contributing to inconsistent officer preparedness and skill retention. Drawing on current research in police training, motor skill retention, and scenario based learning, this paper argues that infrequent, skills based training is insufficient for preparing officers to manage dynamic, high risk encounters. The paper proposes an evidence based training regimen centered on two department led use of force …

Educator Perspectives Of Available Special Education Transition Programming Through High School Career And Technical Education Organizations For Female Students In Self-Contained Classrooms, Cassandra L. Aungst

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study was that there is a lack of research regarding alignment between special education student transition assessments, transition goals, and transition programming and specifically those who identify as female students. While career readiness programs are accessible to all students, regardless of gender, female students in special education remain underrepresented in career and technical education programs. The purpose of this research was to review educational practices that influence female students with disabilities in relation to their individualized education plan transition goals and programming by addressing (a) educators’ perceptions, (b) systemic challenges, and (c) policy gaps influencing …

Borderline Personality Disorder (Bpd) And Witness Memory: A Beginner’S Guide For Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health, And Legal Professionals, Jerrod Brown Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S.

Forensic Scholars Today

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with emotional instability, impulsivity, interpersonal difficulties, identity disturbance, and stress-related dissociative symptoms that may influence cognitive functioning. Research suggests that BPD may contribute to difficulties with attention, executive functioning, and memory, particularly during periods of emotional distress. These issues, combined with common co-occurring conditions such as trauma exposure, substance use disorders, and sleep disturbances, may affect the encoding, storage, retrieval, and recall of information. This article examines current literature on BPD and discusses how symptoms and associated factors could influence witness memory in forensic and legal settings. Because findings remain mixed, the presence of …

Out Of The Briar Patch: Storying Resistance Among Black Male Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse And Its Impact On Their Educational Experiences, Anthony Animuntu

Dissertations

This study examines the lack of support within educational settings for Black boys who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Despite growing attention to trauma-informed practices, the experiences of Black male survivors remain largely absent from educational research. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach informed by critical autoethnography, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five African American men reflecting on their schooling experiences as CSA survivors. Axial analysis revealed four central themes: silence as survival and strategic invisibility, shame and internalized distress, institutional misrecognition, and the transformative role of relational care and educational kinship. Findings indicate that participants’ trauma was often …

Perceived Safety For Collegiate Student-Athletes: Race, Gender, And Mental Health Outcomes, Macey L. Arnold, Hunter P. Williams, Justin Harker, Heather Kiefer, Julian Yoon, Trent A. Petrie

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Inadequate levels of perceived safety on campuses have been reported by college students (e.g., Maffini & Dillard, 2021) and connected to college students' mental health concerns (e.g., sleep disturbances; Etopio et al., 2019). Little is known about student-athletes’ (SA) perceptions of safety, particularly related to their racial and gender identities, and how their perception of safety is related to their mental health. We surveyed 213 SAs regarding their safety perceptions on campus, athletic department, and teams, along with anxiety (GAD-2), depression (PHQ-2), and sleep disturbances (PROMIS-SD). White SAs reported higher levels of safety than Black SAs for all three environments …

Examining The Impact Of School Resource Officer Training: A Survey Of North Carolina Officers In Schools, Jennifer M. Osborn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Recent increases in violence in schools have led to greater attention on the training and effectiveness of School Resource Officers (SROs). This study analyzes the effects of SRO training programs in North Carolina educational institutions, concentrating on two principal law enforcement agencies: the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and the Fayetteville Police Department. This research uses surveys and qualitative analysis to examine how SRO training relates to school safety and the development of positive relationships with students.

SRO training protocols and their efficacy in enhancing school safety and cultivating positive student relationships. The study examines four primary research questions concerning the …

Prepared Or Not? Perceptions Of Novice Counseling Professionals On Working With Trauma Clients, Christina L. Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of trauma across clinical settings and limited trauma training for clinicians can negatively affect trauma survivors. The impact of novice clinicians’ lack of preparedness and its implications for clients should be important considerations for educators, supervisors, and policymakers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of novice counselors and their preparedness to work with trauma survivors. Grounded in descriptive phenomenology, this study explored participants’ perceived preparedness to work with trauma survivors and the ways these experiences may inform counselor education and supervision. Participants were provisionally licensed counselors within three years of graduating from …

Exploring The High School Experiences Of Black Males With Their Considerations To Enroll In College, Maria Fernandes

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

This qualitative study applied a phenomenological research approach to explore the high school experiences of black males with their considerations to enroll in college. The research was guided by social network theory as a lens to understand Black males’ considerations to enroll in college upon high school completion. Ten Black male college students participated in semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of the response data revealed two main themes: 1. socially influenced college enrollment considerations and 2. motivation rooted in self-confidence. The findings in this study highlighted the role authentic interpersonal relationships and self-determination play in Black males’ college enrollment considerations. …

Conservation Education And The Cultivation Of Environmental Responsibility: Case Studies From Sri Lanka, Jody Miller, Pasindu Dilshan Abegunawardhana

International Journal on Responsibility

Conservation education encompasses effective pedagogical practices that enhance knowledge of the environment and foster responsible environmental actions. In addition to building an informed citizenry, conservation education is shaped by theoretical stances about the components necessary to cultivate environmental responsibility among participants and their communities. Highlighting three of our own conservation education projects in Sri Lanka as case studies, we draw from research and debates about environmental responsibility to illustrate the incorporation of environmental engagement and responsibility into these efforts, and the difficulties that arise in doing so. Sri Lanka is one of eight global biodiversity hotspots prioritized for conservation intervention. …

An Evaluation Of The “Police Response To Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Operations” Online Training Program, Anthony Galante, Leila Halawi

Publications

This study evaluates the impact of the “Police Response to Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Operations” online training program of officers from the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD). By measuring the effectiveness of the training through pretest and posttest assessments and considering variables such as educational background, length of service, and rank, this research underscores the training’s potential to enhance UAS response capabilities. Employing a self-selection sampling method, the study engaged 82 voluntary participants from the DBPD, revealing significant improvement across all groups in UAS knowledge and confidence levels. Despite limitations, these findings offer compelling evidence of the training’s efficacy and advocate …

What Leadership And Operational Strategies Should Twin Cities Black-Led Charter Schools Have To Promote School Improvement, Enhance Student Achievement, And Ensure Sustained Organizational Success?, Donald W-R. Allen, Ii

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Allen, D. (2026). What Leadership and Operational Strategies should Twin Cities Black-led Charter Schools have to Promote School Improvement, Enhance Student Achievement, and Ensure Sustained Organizational Success?  

This dissertation examined my story along with the leadership and operational strategies employed by Twin Cities Black-led charter schools to support school improvement, enhance student achievement, and sustain long-term organizational success. Black-led charter schools emerged as community-centered educational alternatives designed to provide culturally responsive learning environments for Black students and families while addressing persistent educational inequities. Despite their important role within Minnesota's educational landscape, limited empirical research has examined the organizational conditions that …

Gold & Blue, Summer 2026, St. Mary's University - San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue

This is the Summer 2026 edition of Gold & Blue, which is St. Mary’s University's official alumni magazine.

Beyond Access: Native American Students' Sense Of Belonging At Land-Grant Pwis, Skyler Ames-Patton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Native American students remain one of the most underrepresented populations within higher education and continue to experience unique challenges related to belonging, visibility, and persistence, particularly within predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Although sense of belonging has been widely recognized as a significant factor influencing student success and retention, traditional approaches to belonging often fail to account for distinct cultural, historical, and relational experiences that shape Native students’ educational journeys. This study explores how Native American students describe their interpersonal experiences and sense of belonging at a public, land-grant, PWI in the mid-South region of the United States. Guided by Tribal …

Religious Higher Education In Prison In The United States: The Importance Of Well-Being, Robin L. Labarbera

Journal of Global Education and Research

A growing body of scholarship suggests that incarcerated individuals who participate in education programs, particularly those grounded in faith, are better positioned for lasting community reintegration and positive long-term outcomes. Using a mixed-methods evaluation design, the author examines two interrelated questions: whether faith-based higher education is associated with enhanced well-being among current participants and whether program graduates carry those well-being gains into post-release life. Drawing on group interviews with 109 incarcerated men and women across six U.S. facilities and surveys from 157 participants in four states, the study found that participation in a prison-based theological education program was associated with …

A Perspective As Observed By Public Middle School Teachers On A Lack Of Empathy Demonstrated By Public Middle School Students, Gail P. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore a perspective as observed by public middle school teachers on a lack of empathy demonstrated by public middle school students. The research analyzed how public middle school teachers in the southern region of Texas described their perception of how a lack of empathy demonstrated by public middle school students impacted students during the school day. The study involved 10 selected participants who participated in a semistructured open-ended interview on the Google Meet platform. The participants consisted of 90% female and 10% male, with a combined total of 91 years of …

Snap Challenge In Teacher Education, Eric Hogan, Sean Forbes, Carey E. Andrzejewski

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Training pre-service teachers often focuses on educating them about issues they will see in their own classrooms. One such issue is food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined by limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (Rabbitt et al., 2023a). This article focuses on pre-service teachers' experiences while engaging in the SNAP Challenge to learn more about food insecurity while also learning how food impacts student learning and motivation. Participants in the study discussed how living off the …

Degrees And Certificates Awarded To Native American Students In Nevada, 2010-2022, Devin Streuter, Kevin Yang, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents data on certificates and degrees awarded to Native Americans from the Nevada System of Higher Education’s (NSHE) teaching institutions —College of Southern Nevada (CSN), Great Basin College (GBC), Nevada State University (NSU), Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and Western Nevada College (WNC)— from 2010 to 2022. Additionally, the fact sheet reports data on degree type, gender, and the most common majors pursued by Native American certificate and degree earners in Nevada. The data are derived from the Nevada P-20 Workforce Research (NPWR) Data System.

Law Or Flaw: A Double – Blind Study Comparing Student Comprehension Of Real And Ai Generated Legal Case Briefs, Grant Shostak, Nick Wintz, Melissa A. Petkovsek

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

In recent years, the U.S. legal system has seen an increase of legal filings using fictitious court cases or legal propositions generated by artificial intelligence (AI) (Stokel-Walker, 2026). Rules of professional responsibility require that lawyers review filings in which AI was used to ensure their accuracy (Missouri Bar, Office of Legal Ethics Counsel, 2024, Opinion No. 2024‑11) Despite this mandate, filings with fictitious cases and incorrect statements of law are being filed. Besides posing a threat to the parties to an action, such filings may set an unwarranted precedent for future cases. They also tie up court resources searching for …

An Analysis Of How Educators’ Attitudes Toward Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities Impact Assessment Scores Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Felicia Baty Goings

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed how educators’ attitudes toward individuals with intellectual disabilities impact summative assessment scores of students with learning disabilities. The research problem addressed in this study was the increase in the number of special education students receiving inclusive instruction who scored at Levels 3 or 4 on the Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System (ATLAS) mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) summative assessment. The findings are relevant to educators and education stakeholders wanting to improve inclusion practices. The purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in students’ summative assessment scores and …

A Qualitative Intrinsic Case Study Of How School Staff Members Are Using Collaborative Efforts To Mitigate The Preschool-To-Prison Pipeline, April Y. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study was to explore the collaborative efforts to mitigate the preschool-to-prison pipeline among stakeholders at one public elementary school in a southern city in Louisiana. The preschool-to-prison pipeline represents a systemic issue in which children, particularly those from marginalized racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, face punitive disciplinary practices in schools, increasing their likelihood of future involvement with the criminal justice system. Guided by critical race theory and the communities of practice framework, this study sought to understand the systemic factors contributing to the pipeline and examined the strategies stakeholders used to address these inequities. …

The Lived Experiences Of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness And Cumulative Trauma Seeking And Maintaining Employment While Receiving Holistic Trauma-Informed Care: A Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Andrea Evon Mcdowell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and cumulative trauma (CT) seeking and maintaining employment while receiving holistic trauma-informed care (TIC). Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenology, which evolved from Husserl’s method of phenomenology, served as the methodological framework for this study. The goal of hermeneutic phenomenology is to understand how individuals see themselves within their natural environments. Hermeneutic phenomenology was a valid design for this study because it allowed the participants to describe their SMI/CT and their lived experiences with holistic TIC. The participants in this study consisted of …

Internships As A High-Impact Practice: A Phenomenological Study Of Hbcu Student Experiences With Soft Skills, Michelle Bennett Simmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe soft skill development gains through high-impact practice internship experiences for Black students at an HBCU in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The theory presented informed and supported the focus of inquiry was Kolb’s experiential learning theory. This theory served as the theoretical framework for the study to answer the following central research question: What are the lived experiences of HBCU Alpha University students who participate in HIP internships? Participants included 10 Black students at Alpha University who completed an internship. The participants were selected using purposeful sampling. Data was collected through …

Ignatian Pedagogy For Engaged, Reflective, And Inclusive Learning: New Insights On A Treasured Tradition, Jennifer Tilghman-Havens, Jennifer Loertscher, David Green, Kerry S. Von Esch

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Ignatian pedagogy is the philosophy and methodology for teaching and learning that evolved from the wisdom accumulated from 500 years of Jesuit education. The Ignatian approach views education as a collaborative process that transforms students and teachers, preparing them for moral and ethical action in the world. While the core values of Jesuit education have remained constant, the changing demographics within our Jesuit communities and among the faculty and staff of our institutions offer an opportunity to celebrate its many intersections with peer-reviewed research on effective pedagogical approaches that center students and foster justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this …

“Cool People Doing Good Work”: A Rights-Based, Relational Model For Research, Teaching, And Outreach Rooted In Urban Settings, Saúl López, Gabriel Velez, Melissa Gibson, Robert Smith

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Urban Catholic institutions of higher education are being challenged to do more when it comes to working with communities that surround them at the same time as they face multiple external pressure and must clearly define the value of their mission. In this article, we present a model for community-engaged practices that emerge from the ground up to move these institutions more in line with Catholic Social Teaching. “Cool People Doing Good Work” is an adaptable model centered around relationship building and authentic engagement with local experts, stakeholders, and community members that then builds to institutional change. This model places …

Rape Pregnancies And Consequent Ptsd Resulting From The Overturn Of Roe V. Wade, Emma Lindenfelser, Yulia Garaeva, Nenette Nti-Agyemang, Ellen Davis, Anna Kabwa, Alexandra M Calaman

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Prior to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, access to safe legal abortions was limited and often restricted along racial, economic, and geographic lines. Nearly fifty years later, women’s health policy evolved again following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturning Roe v. Wade. This court ruling decimated federal protections of abortion. This paper presents the research that the 2022 Dobbs judicial decision may contribute to and exacerbate rape-related PTSD on 1 out of 20 American who are unable to access a safe abortion after a rape-related pregnancy. Pregnant women living in conservative states that have outlawed …

Office Discipline Referral Narratives, Context, And Categorization, Deanna M. Bush

Education Dissertations

This two-part qualitative study examined the experiences of students with disabilities (SWD) in the middle school discipline. Phase one was a qualitative document analysis study that examined school discipline for SWD through the lens of Critical Disability Theory (CDT), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Constructivist Learning Theory, and the Vulnerable Decision Point model (VDP) in a midsize suburban district in Washington state. The study explored alignment of ODR teacher-written narratives with behavioral categories assigned to the ODR at the time of issue to determine variance based on behavior category or student disability status. Phase two a semi-structured interview (shown on …

Enhancing Postsecondary Outcomes For Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders: A Design-Based Mixed Methods Approach To Transition Planning, Kate M. Schrum

Dissertations

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experienced significantly lower postsecondary outcomes when compared to same-aged peers. These outcomes included lower graduation rates, higher unemployment rates, and difficulty establishing independent living arrangements (Wagner & Newman, 2015). Following a human-centered, design-based approach, the scholar-practitioner found a lack of consistent and meaningful transition support specifically designed for students with EBD. Working with a stakeholder team of educational professionals directly involved in supporting transition for students with EBD at an alternative special education program, the scholar-practitioner developed a "Transition Toolkit". The toolkit contained scaffolded grade-level checklists (for grades 6–12) with self-advocacy and goal-setting …