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A Quantitative Predictive Correlational Study Of The Transformational Leadership Practice Of Individualized Consideration And The Emotional Exhaustion Aspect Of Burnout Among Educators In Urban Primary Schools, Mark Vital

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative correlational study investigated the relationship between the transformational leadership practice of individualized consideration and levels of burnout among educators in urban primary school settings. Grounded in transformational leadership theory and the principles of self-determination theory, the study explored whether leaders who demonstrated individualized support and mentorship could effectively mitigate burnout symptoms among their teaching staff. This correlational study collected data from teachers in an urban primary school using validated instruments that measured perceived leadership behaviors and burnout levels. Data were collected through the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Educators Survey, which were distributed via email. Statistical …

A Multivariate Analysis Of Teacher Self-Efficacy And Cognitive Load In Scripted Instructional Programs, Tameka A. Bonner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, non-experimental, multivariate comparative study examined whether statistically significant differences existed in teacher self-efficacy and teacher cognitive load between Title I and non–Title I elementary school teachers who implement scripted instructional programs. The study addressed a gap in the literature by simultaneously examining these constructs across differing school settings. The final analytic sample consisted of 169 elementary school teachers employed in Title I and non-Title I schools within a suburban public school district in the southeastern United States. Data were collected using the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), and a demographic questionnaire …

Equipping Church Leaders As Mediators: Implementing And Evaluating Conflict Mediation Training In A Multicultural Church, Komie T. Bumpers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The social, political, ideological, and racial divides that lead to conflict and shape today's culture are the same issues that plague American evangelical churches. While faith traditions can bring people together, cultural issues can divide them. Despite the centrality of conflict in congregational life, many theological seminaries do not provide comprehensive conflict mediation training as a core component of pastoral and leadership formation, resulting in a deficit in preparedness. The purpose of this research was to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive conflict mediation training program for multicultural church leaders that equips them to effectively navigate ongoing interpersonal, doctrinal, political, …

Cultivating A Culturally Relevant And Inclusive Elementary Music Classroom, Elisabeth Virginia Marie Buzzell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

While programs such as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Act (DEI) and the practice of Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) existed for much of the last decade, representation of marginalized and intersectional identities in traditional music education is often limited to world culture units, rather than being consistently integrated throughout the curriculum. The social understanding of CRE and DEI often limits their purpose to racial diversity; however, these philosophies affirm people from any marginalized class, including those based on gender, disability, race, culture, community, orientation, socioeconomics, or simply bringing one’s lived experiences into a valued perspective. The lack of integration happens …

A Case Study Of Medical School Leadership Perceptions And Experiences In Implementing Academic Support Services For Students, Elda Martinez Muller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the perceptions and experiences of medical school leadership regarding the implementation of academic support services at a medical university in the Southeastern United States. The study was guided by the central research question: How did medical school leaders perceive and experience the implementation of academic support services for students within their institutions? Servant Leadership Theory (Greenleaf, 1970, 1977) provided the theoretical framework, emphasizing the leader’s responsibility to serve first, prioritizing the growth, development, and well-being of others while fostering shared decision-making and a culture of care. This framework offered a …

Job Satisfaction Among Latina Female Administrators In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study, Susana Garcia

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the job satisfaction experiences for Latina female administrators at higher education institutions in the Central California region. The theory guiding this study was Herzberg’s two-factor theory. The central research question was: What are the descriptions of the lived experiences related to job satisfaction among Latina female administrators in higher education institutions in the Central California region? The sub-questions focused on the motivators and hygiene experiences that lead to job satisfaction among the participants. A transcendental-phenomenological qualitative design was selected for the study to examine the job satisfaction experiences of 14 …

Examining The Predictive Relationship Between Overparenting And Student Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction, Benjamin C. Carlisle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study is to determine the relationship between overparenting (helicopter parenting) and basic psychological need satisfaction informed by self-determination theory among emerging adult college students. This study fills a gap in the literature and expands upon existing research by examining this relationship. The target population was residential emerging adult students ages 18–25 at a southern, private university. Using convenience sampling, the researcher distributed surveys within courses and through flyers, resulting in 176 responses. Out of the 176 respondents who began the survey, there was a completion rate of 84.7% giving the sample size of N …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study: How Female Student-Athletes Diagnosed With Adhd Leverage Athletics To Mitigate Challenges With Self-Regulation Throughout Their Academic Careers, Alyssa J. Knight

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to interpret the lived experience of participation in athletics for female student-athletes with ADHD in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Zimmerman’s social cognitive theory of self-regulated learning, which posits that goal setting and self-reflection are necessary for developing self-regulation skills. The central research question was, “How do female student-athletes diagnosed with ADHD leverage athletics to mitigate challenges with self-regulation in their academic careers?” This study employed hermeneutic phenomenology, as outlined by van Manen, to interpret data and understand lived experience within the academic context. The sample consisted of …

The Lead, Mid-Fall, 2026, Lindenwood University

The Lead

Newsletter from the Lindenwood University College of Education and Human Services.

Called Beyond Aspirations: Undergraduate Vocation In Teacher Education, Rebecca Pruitt

Education Department Faculty Articles

Sharing the results of a multi-year journey of embedding vocational exploration into a major course in education, this article presents the progression of students’ thinking in relation to their calling. Student responses from the beginning to the end of the semester reveal expanding views of calling related to their chosen profession. Arriving at the middle of junior year with budding confidence regarding career goals, students are presented with vocation literature that provides language to describe these aspirations. Utilizing reflection prompts to process course assignments leads to further engagement with vocation concepts, extending student views to include progressively outwardly oriented ambitions. …

Voices Unheard: Multilingual Students Reshaping Rural Stem Education, Erin Brooke Elliott-Elrod

College of Education

The multilingual student population in the United States averages 10.6% nationally. Growth has been most pronounced in the rural Southeast, where schools face demographic shifts with limited linguistic support. At one rural Deep South school named Ridgeway High School (a pseudonym), multilingual student enrollment grew from approximately 5% in 1998 to over 50% by 2024 (A. Harrison, personal communication, January 24, 2026). Yet, not one EL-designated student achieved proficiency in English Language Arts, and school-wide math proficiency stands at 9.15% (Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), 2024). STEM disciplines compound these barriers, as access to content and discipline-specific discourse depend …

Middle School Teachers' Lived Experiences Using Culturally Responsive Pedagogy To Promote Equity: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Doris A. Dapaah

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of using culturally responsive pedagogy to promote equity among students of color for middle school teachers in an inner-city school district in New York. The theory guiding this study was culturally responsive pedagogy, as it emphasized recognizing learners’ diverse backgrounds and experiences to promote academic achievement for all students in schools with diverse populations. The central research question was: What were the lived experiences of middle school teachers as they engaged in using culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms? The study included 10 middle school teachers …

A Causal-Comparative Study Of Career Maturity In Young Adults And Early College Students In Career And Technical Education Programs, Meghan P. Paquette

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to examine differences in career maturity between young adult and high school students enrolled in Career and Technical Education District programs at a rural community college in Arizona. Grounded in Social Learning Theory and Career Construction Theory, the study explored how early exposure to Career and Technical Education influences career maturity. The sample included 196 students, half high school Career and Technical Education District students and half young adults aged 18 to 24 participating in Career and Technical Education. Career maturity was measured using the Career Maturity Inventory Form C, which assessed …

A Causal-Comparative Study Of Self-Efficacy In Certificate And Degree Programs At The Community College Level Upon Graduation, Stephen Wakefield Phelps

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative causal-comparative study investigated whether student-perceived occupational self-efficacy differs between graduates of community college certificate programs and those completing Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees. The research also addresses a gap in the literature regarding how award type influences occupational self-efficacy among students in automotive, diesel, manufacturing, and welding programs. The study employed a causal-comparative research design, examining the relationship between the categorical independent variable of award type (certificate or AAS degree) and the quantitative dependent variable of occupational self-efficacy. Participants (N=209) were students in their graduating term from community colleges in a Northwestern state who were completing one …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Gun Violence On Psychological Functioning And Perceived Psychosocial Supports In St. Louis’S Marginalized And Underserved Communities, Desirae Mecole Martinez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies gun violence as a leading public health concern in the United States. Marginalized and underserved communities are disproportionately impacted by poverty and crime, including firearm violence. Gun violence exposure has been linked to complex trauma, anxiety, substance use disorders, and depression. St. Louis, Missouri, has one of the highest rates of gun violence and mortality in the nation; however, research lacks an understanding of the psychological toll. Limited phenomenological research has examined how adults residing in marginalized and underserved communities experience gun violence exposure psychologically and perceive psychosocial supports. This study …

Inclusive Or Self-Contained: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Parents’ Lived Experiences With Classroom Placements For Students With Disabilities In The Mid-Atlantic United States, Nicole M. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of students with disabilities in self-contained and inclusive classrooms for families at K-12 schools in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The theory that guided this study was person-environment fit theory. The central research question that guided this study was: What are the lived experiences of families who have students with disabilities placed in self-contained and inclusive classrooms in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States? This study employed a structured qualitative data collection approach incorporating document analysis, individual interviews, and letter writing. Findings from all …

Lean Thinking Tools And Their Effect On Rural Faculty Motivation In Assessment, Bliss Adkison

College of Education

Faculty engagement in academic program assessment remains difficult in rural higher education institutions because limited resources and multiple responsibilities can make assessment feel like an isolated compliance task. Grounded in self-determination theory, this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examined whether faculty participation in a rapid improvement event (RIE) (lean thinking-based intervention) was associated with faculty members’ perceived enjoyment, effort, and competence in program assessment. Faculty from two rural institutions participated in a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent-groups design. Forty-seven faculty completed the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) pretest, and 45 faculty completed the posttest. Six faculty were also interviewed. Analysis of covariance was used …

Investigating The Relationship Between Locale, Transportation, And Chronic Absenteeism In Rural Schools, Dawn T. Cook

College of Education

Chronic absenteeism poses a severe threat to public education, directly eroding student achievement by compounding instructional time loss. This correlational study, grounded in bioecological systems theory, examined the relationship between student transportation access, regional isolation, and chronic absenteeism within public elementary and middle schools (grades 3–8) in Alabama. The study used primary self-reported data from a standardized parent survey administered across five public schools and secondary archival records covering every rural public school in Alabama. I analyzed the data using binary logistic regression models and a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed that primary transportation modality (bus versus …

Latino Perceptions Of Nature, Recreation, And Community Engagement In Wasatch And Summit Counties, Utah, Elsa Perez, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Lewis Kogan, Isaac Helton

All Current Publications

This fact sheet presents results from a Utah State University study on Latino perceptions of nature, recreation, and community engagement in Utah's Wasatch and Summit counties and barriers to accessing programming. It also includes tips for increasing Latino participation in nature programs.

Comparing The Working Conditions Of Principals And Assistant Principals In South Carolina, Brian Cartiff, Angela Starrett, Svetlana Dmitrieva

Reports

School administrators’ working conditions are closely linked to important professional outcomes, including their well-being, job satisfaction, and future career plans (Collie et al., 2020; Marsh et al., 2023; Mitani, 2018; Starrett et al., 2026; Steiner et al., 2022). Yet research on administrators' working conditions has focused primarily on principals, with comparatively little attention to assistant principals despite their central role in school leadership and daily operations (Barnett et al., 2012; Goldring et al., 2021). As a result, it remains unclear whether the working conditions associated with principals’ job satisfaction and intent to remain in their school leadership roles operate similarly …

Strengthening Communities With Extension's People Empowering People Program, Stacey F. Stearns, Faye Griffiths-Smith

Journal of Extension

Programs that encourage personal growth, community connections, and civic engagement are even more essential as digital technology and virtual platforms disconnect residents from communities. The University of Connecticut People Empowering People (UConn PEP) program is one option. It strengthens individuals and communities through a 10-week facilitated program, hosted by the community, and taught by UConn-trained facilitators. UConn PEP has expanded to other states, was translated to Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese, and three other countries expressed interest in offering the PEP curriculum. Programs such as this are an area for continuous expansion as Extension adapts to the changing needs of audiences.

Representation Of Beauty: Gendered Discourses In Czech And Indonesian Advertisements, Indah Kurnia Herliani, Nurenzia Yannuar, Yusnita Febrianti, Ahmad Faizuddin

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Beauty advertising is a public multimodal site in which gendered beauty ideals are made visible and linked to consumption. This study examines how beauty is constructed in the linguistic landscape (LL) of public advertisements in two localized urban settings: Olomouc, the Czech Republic, and Malang, Indonesia. We combine LL as the spatial and sociolinguistic framework, multimodal analysis through Cheong's (2004) Generic Structure Potential (GSP), and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA), operationalized through Fairclough's (1992) three-dimensional model. Rather than treating the two sites as representative of their countries or regions, we use them as comparative case studies to examine how similar …

Ai Tutor, Online Course, Or Both? A Randomized Experimental Pilot Study For Evaluation Capacity Building, Lendel Kade Narine, John M. Diaz

Extension Research

Extension lacks literature comparing standalone generative artificial intelligence (AI) with structured professional development for capacity building. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Cognitive Load Theory, this study evaluated the effects of an asynchronous online course and a custom AI tutor on evaluation knowledge and self-efficacy among Cooperative Extension professionals. We conducted a randomized 2 × 2 factorial pilot study crossing access to an evaluation certificate course with access to a custom Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT). Of 144 registrants, 78 provided matched pre- and post-test data, with attrition differing across conditions. Data were analyzed using a three-way mixed factorial ANOVA. Course …

Fmea Reveals Ppe Noncompliance As The Priority Grinding Machine Accident Risk In An Indonesian Vocational School Workshop, Salman Fawwas Albaihaqi, Marsono Marsono, Imam Muhtarom, Mingchang Wu

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in vocational school workshops represents an urgent priority given that students interact directly with high-risk equipment such as grinding machines, yet often demonstrate low compliance with safety protocols. This research aims to identify failure modes on grinding machines in SMKN 1 Jenangan workshop and formulate evidence-based risk control recommendations. A quantitative descriptive approach using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was employed, involving 10 purposively selected respondents (practical instructors and technicians). The research instrument was validated using Content Validity Index (CVI) by three experts in occupational safety and mechanical engineering. Results identified 15 failure modes …

Exploring The Viability Of A Mobile Platform For Families Of Children With Autism: A Community-Based Approach, Natasha N. Babulal

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Families raising children with autism spectrum disorder face chronic stress, social isolation, and significant barriers to accessing consistent, relevant support. Existing digital tools are largely child-focused, fragmented, and not designed with caregiver well-being or peer connection in mind. This mixed-methods exploratory study assessed the viability of a community-based mobile application designed to address those gaps by connecting caregivers, providing practical strategies, and facilitating access to professional guidance.

The study was grounded in social support theory and the technology acceptance model, and examined caregiver-identified needs, preferred app features, and willingness to engage with a proposed digital platform. Data were collected from …

Higher Education Pathways For Native American Students In Nevada, David Damore, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Policy Briefs and Reports

This policy brief examines educational performance and outcomes for Native American learners in Nevada using data from the Nevada P-20 to Workforce Research Data System provided by the Nevada Department of Education and the Nevada System of Higher Education. Based upon analysis of these data and information collected from state and national sources, we propose public policy interventions to support Native American students in Nevada. The brief also evaluates the significant measurement and data challenges that limit researchers’ ability to evaluate Native American educational pathways and the implications this has for policy decisions.

Advancing Equity Through Mentorship: Supporting Racialized Immigrant And International Students In Canadian Higher Education, Cecilia Bukutu Phd, Viola Manokore Dr, Michael Safo Ofori

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Mentorship initiatives have increasingly supported racialized students in Canada, yet gaps remain in addressing their intersectional needs. This study examines the experiences of Black postsecondary immigrant, refugee, and international students in the Mentorship and Resilience Project (MRP), a racially concordant mentorship initiative. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, data were drawn from interviews, focus groups, and post-workshop surveys. Guided by Anti-Black Racism and Intersectionality frameworks, the study explores how institutional diversity discourses may operate as non-performative practices that obscure structural inequities. Findings show students faced intersecting challenges related to migration status, race, and gender, marked by tensions between invisibility and hypervisibility. …

Lost In Translation: How Higher Education Studies Conflates Latinx And International Latin American Experiences Through Misplaced Racialization, Eduardo Santander

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This autoethnographic study examines how higher education studies conflates international Latin American and domestic Latinx student experiences through what I term “misplaced racialization”, namely, the imposition of domestic racial categories onto international students that fundamentally misrecognizes their distinct positioning as temporary residents, adult-onset racialization subjects, and transnational knowledge holders. Colonial logics are not merely structural; they breathe through the field’s racial grammars. Drawing on Fricker’s (2007) hermeneutical injustice, I argue that higher education’s epistemological boundedness, its lack of native theory and reliance on borrowed American frameworks, does not merely contain colonial logics but is constituted by them, rendering those logics …

Centering Positionality In Pursuit Of Combating Anti-Blackness In Study Abroad Via Intentional Pedagogical Design, Reka C. Barton, Taylor Woodman

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

In an attempt to address historical legacies entrenched in global learning, this case study (Yin, 2009) disrupts the white-centered norm of study abroad through intentional design and diversity of student participation. This study explores the question, In what ways did these design elements interrogate and/or disrupt occurrences of anti-Blackness? To answer this question, our case study site utilizes a long-standing graduate student study abroad fieldwork program in Cuba that explicitly discusses elements of race, identity, and nationality, with an emphasis on the unique and complex histories of manifestations of race in Cuba and the United States. This project interrogated how …

Mashin’ Up Stratified Blackness: Unpacking The Communal Responsibility Of Black International/Immigrant Academics To Black American Academics, Candice Peters, Abigail Smith

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Our duoethnographic inquiry, grounded in Intersectionality, addresses the following questions: How do intersectionality and internationalization complicate Black diasporic dynamics within the United States? What communal responsibilities do Black international/immigrant people hold toward Black American people within the U.S. academy? Through critical engagement with three previously published poems, we foreground the communal responsibility that arises at the hands of internationalization and unpack the intertwined realities of anti-Blackness, racialized hierarchies, and diasporic dynamics. Our findings unmask three themes: (1) evolving understandings of race across transnational contexts, (2) Black intraracial stratification, and (3) taking up responsibility. We conclude by urging a (re)commitment to …