Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Faculty Conceptualizations Of Recreational Therapy And Disability: Influences On The Formal, Hidden, And Null Curricula In Undergraduate Recreational Therapy Education, Shelly Lynne Beaver

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Undergraduate education is a bedrock of professional preparation for entry-level recreational therapists, shaping their scope of practice, philosophical orientations, and approaches to service delivery. While significant attention has been given to the development of a formal recreational therapy curriculum – explicitly taught knowledge, skills, and competencies – little is known about the hidden and null curricula that may implicitly or unintentionally shape students’ professional identities, values, and beliefs. While these less explicit curricular dimensions may have profound effects on how preservice recreational therapists conceptualize both recreational therapy and disability, their impact remains largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this research …

"Building Something Great!": Fifth-Grade Teachers Nurturing Hope Through Professional Learning Communities – A Telling Case, Matthew H. Huffaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Teachers and educational leaders face numerous obstacles that can seem insurmountable but overcome through collaboration. “High-hope thinking provides a special advantage when we face obstacles in our goal attainment” (Snyder, 1994). Effective PLCs provide the fertile ground for teacher collaboration, influencing schoolwide communities and student learning (DuFour et al., 2016; Hord, 2004; van Es, 2012). Collaboratively identifying challenges and coming up with solutions with the support of others (what effective PLCs do) is an ideal setting for observing hope.

This study explored how hope is fostered among teachers during their weekly professional learning community meetings. Further, this study examined how …

Examining Social Anxiety And Barriers To Engagement In School-Based Mental Health Services Among Black American Adolescents, Taylor Walls

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Social anxiety is common among Black American adolescents, though research examining the experience of social anxiety among this population is very limited. Furthermore, few studies have explored how sociocultural factors, such as racial discrimination and mental health stigma, may shape Black American adolescents’ perceptions of social anxiety and school-based mental health services. Using qualitative methods, the present study explored Black American adolescents’ perceptions of social anxiety, barriers to help-seeking, and views regarding school-based mental health services. A total of 15 Black American high school students in the northeastern United States (ages 14-15 years; M=16.0, SD=1.2) participated in focus groups and …

Technical And Vocational High School Training And Graduates' Socioeconomic Insertion In Burkina Faso, Jacqueline Nikièma

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is widely promoted as a pathway to improving employment opportunities, supporting economic growth, and facilitating successful labor market transition. However, empirical evidence on its effectiveness remains limited in Burkina Faso. This study examined the relationship between TVET high schools and graduates’ socioeconomic insertion, with particular emphasis on employment in occupations related to the field of study (horizontal match) and examined the relationship between gender and this employment outcome. The study used descriptive statistics to summarize the characteristics of the sample, and logistic regressions to analyze the relationship between TVET training and employment in …

Becoming An Educator: A Narrative Inquiry Into The First-Year Journeys Of Community College Career-Switching Cte Faculty, Alisha Ferrington

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in community colleges increasingly depend on career-switching instructors, professionals who transition from industry to teaching with substantial technical expertise but limited formal pedagogical preparation. Despite their growing presence in the community college workforce, the lived experiences of first-year career-switching CTE faculty remain underexplored, particularly regarding how the transition shapes professional identity, instructional practice, and institutional belonging.

This qualitative study employed narrative inquiry to examine the first-year teaching experiences of seven career-switching CTE instructors at community and technical colleges in the Gulf South region of the United States. Guided by transformative learning theory, communities of …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Parent-Educators In Pursuit Of Stability And Growth In The Early Education Workforce, Britney N. Patrick

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Early childhood educators who are also parents represent an important yet understudied population within workforce development research. This qualitative narrative inquiry explored the lived experiences of early childhood educators who are also parents as they navigated workforce development programs, parenting responsibilities, and organizational practices in pursuit of career advancement and economic stability. Guided by work-family border theory (Clark, 2000) and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), the study examined how parenting responsibilities shaped engagement in workforce development opportunities and influenced professional trajectories over time.

Twenty-two early childhood educators who were also parents participated in virtual semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 60 to …

Cultural Intelligence And Leadership: Examining School Principals’ Impact On Teacher Belonging, Retention, And Conflict Resolution, Quincy C. Commerford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increasing diversity throughout the United States, especially reflected in the school system, has increased the need for school leaders who can effectively lead culturally diverse communities, and, specifically, for culturally diverse teachers. Cultural intelligence has gradually become a leadership competency alongside other intelligences, such as emotional and social, but little is known about how a school leader’s cultural intelligence affects culturally diverse teachers sense of belonging, their experiences with conflict, and overall teacher retention. In this study the researcher examined how a school leader’s cultural intelligence affects teachers’ sense of belonging in two culturally diverse secondary school settings. Using …

Secondary Biology Teachers’ Understandings Of Growth Mindset, Kathryn Chapman

Dissertations

This case study investigates how high school biology teachers understand and apply growth mindset principles in their daily instruction. Using surveys, semi‑structured interviews, and focus groups, the study examines how biology teachers interpret mindset, how they attempt to enact it, and how curriculum demands shape their efforts. Findings show that teachers’ beliefs about intelligence strongly influence their feedback, expectations, and instructional decisions. Teachers described biology as a subject in which struggle is highly visible, emotionally charged, and often tied to students’ prior knowledge, making mindset work both necessary and challenging. Results also indicate that students’ mindsets are shaped by broader …

"Fenomeno Frontera:" Family Language Policy As Lived Experience At The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, Alejandra Sanmiguel-Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Family language policy (FLP) research expands the understanding of how families' language ideologies, language management, and language practices shape children's bilingual development. However, limited research has examined these processes among transfronterizo families living along the U.S.-México border. This qualitative narrative inquiry explores how transfronterizo families describe and negotiate their family language policies and how these policies relate to their experiences in the borderland, including their relationships with schools. Guided by family language policy and borderlands theory, this dissertation employs Seidman's (2006) three-interview series with five transfronterizo mothers raising children enrolled in dual language programs in the El Paso, Texas, region. …

Educator Experiences Of Schoolwide Pbis Discipline Implementation: Exploring School Culture In Private Pk–12 Schools, Jessica L. Guarneri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore educators’ lived experiences implementing schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) discipline systems and to understand how those experiences influenced school culture in private PK–12 schools. Historically, PBIS focused on specific outcomes, such as reductions in discipline referrals, suspensions, and behavioral incidents. Though these indicators are critical, they do not consider in what way educators experience disciplinary systems, nor how their lived experiences affect routine interactions with students. Educators play a key role in implementing PBIS; their experiences foster consistency, trust, and sustainability. The participants included certified educators and administrators employed …

Bridging The Gap: Educator Experiences Supporting Students During The Transition From Middle To High School, Sarah Little

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of middle and high school educators supporting students during the transition from middle to high school. This study contributes to the literature of middle to high school transition practices by focusing on districts with a single high school and two middle schools. Coherence Theory was the primary framework for understanding how transition systems function in practice, while Transition Theory and Constructivism provided a supporting lens to provide further context to ground the research in analysis of organizational, developmental, and cognitive alignment.

Data collection strategies included one-on-one semi-structured …

Tennessee High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Culturally Inclusive Curriculum And Its Impact On African American Students’ Achievement Motivation, Leanders Burns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study examined Tennessee high school teachers’ perceptions of culturally inclusive curriculum and its perceived influence on African American students’ achievement motivation. Guided by one overarching research question and three sub-questions, the study explored teachers’ understandings of culturally inclusive practice, implementation experiences, and perceptions of institutional support and resources. The study addressed a gap in educational leadership scholarship concerning how culturally inclusive instruction is experienced and sustained within secondary school settings serving African American students.

Using van Manen’s six-step hermeneutic phenomenological approach, data were collected through semi-structured video interviews with 15 Tennessee high school teachers representing diverse …

Reapplication And Credential Completion Among Non-Selected Community College Health Science Applicants: A Social Stratification Perspective, Donna G. Whitehouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reapplication and Credential Completion Among Non-Selected Community College Health Science Applicants: A Social Stratification Perspective by Donna Whitehouse Community colleges serve as primary access points for healthcare workforce preparation, yet thousands of qualified applicants are not selected for competitive admission health science programs each year. Research on what happens to these students following non-selection is limited, and existing studies focus almost exclusively on nursing, leaving allied health programs largely absent from the literature. This study addressed that gap by examining the reapplication behavior and credential completion outcomes among 2,604 applicants to three competitive admission health science programs, Nursing, Occupational Therapy …

Implementing Mindfulness Practices To Support Student Self-Regulation: A Qualitative Study Of Elementary Teacher Experiences, Shana Orr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore elementary teachers’ lived experiences of the implementation of mindfulness practices to support self-regulation in students. Although mindfulness practices have increasingly been incorporated into elementary classrooms, limited qualitative research has examined teachers’ experiences implementing these practices and their lived experiences of student engagement. While there is research on the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competencies, the focus on schoolwide implementation of mindfulness strategies expand the literature to close a gap on elementary school teachers’ experiences implementing mindfulness practices in Tennessee.

A …

Staying The Course: Community College Student Lived Experiences On Program Completion And Motivation, Jessica Leigh Mills

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of former community college students who successfully completed an associate degree, certificate, or program of study and to understand how they experienced the personal, institutional, and environmental factors that supported their persistence to completion. The study, guided primarily by Tinto’s (1975,1988) Model of Student Departure and was complemented by Bandura’s (1988) Social Learning Theory (SLT), and Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs, explored the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations students attributed to their successful completion of their associate degree, certificate, or program of study. Twelve former community college students who …

Teacher Autonomy In Accountability-Driven Contexts: A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Mathematics Teachers In East Tennessee, Hollyann Perdue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore East Tennessee middle school mathematics teachers’ experiences of professional autonomy and how those experiences relate to institutional decision making within the accountability-driven educational environment. This study utilized the Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017) as a framework to examine how teachers perceived their ability to make instructional decisions while navigating district expectations, pacing requirements, mandated curriculum, and state testing pressures. Data were collected through one-on-one semi-structured Zoom interviews with 12 East Tennessee middle school mathematics teachers representing varying levels of teaching experience, effectiveness ratings, and instructional settings, including both general …

Responsible & Ethical Ai Use: From Principles To Practice, Ila Lama

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation explores responsible and ethical artificial intelligence through a practical framework centered on five core principles: fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, and safety. It examines how ethical challenges surrounding AI are emerging across educational, organizational, creative, and societal contexts, including concerns related to bias, privacy, academic integrity, AI-generated content, and responsible decision-making. The presentation also introduces the Trust Cycle as a practical approach for moving from awareness and reflection to safe experimentation, feedback, and transformation, encouraging participants to critically evaluate AI use while maintaining human judgment, accountability, and trust.

Numbers, Patterns, And Memories: Early Experiences Of Mathematicians And Mathematics Education Researchers, Constantinos Xenofontos

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper offers a reflective analysis of early mathematical experiences shared by fifty-six mathematicians and mathematics education researchers, including my own, as part of Cambridge Mathematics’ “Seven Questions with . . . ” interview series. Drawing on thematic analysis, I identify five key patterns across participants’ recollections: the context of early mathematical engagement, the influence of significant others, emotional responses, shifts in mathematical thinking, and mathematics as a social or competitive experience. Many accounts emphasise informal, everyday encounters with mathematics—often preceding formal education—as central to developing interest and confidence in the subject. The findings challenge the notion of innate mathematical …

Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Mathematics Achievement And Problem-Solving Ability: Insights From Secondary Schools In India, Laishram Nirtish Singh, Anand Jyoti Sanasam, Jocyline Thokchom, Ningombam Cha Cogent, Laisom Sharmeswar Singh

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted students’ engagement with mathematics. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of the extent of this disrupting by examining differences in mathematics achievement and problem-solving ability between adjacent cohorts who learned Class 8 under different schooling conditions in India: Group A (pandemic-exposed Class 8 cohort) and Group B (post-reopening Class 8 cohort). Using a descriptive design in a natural setting, we selected a stratified sample of 1,200 students from Class 9 and Class 10 across 21 secondary schools in Manipur, India. The sample was stratified by gender, family type, school type, and locality to ensure …

The Representation Of Suicide In Spanish Teen Fiction Tv Series: Narrative Trends And Media Literacy Implications, Patricia Palomares-Sánchez, Victoria Soto-Sanz

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

The present study analyses the narrative treatment of suicide in Spanish youth fiction television series produced between 2015 and 2024, aiming to identify representation trends in relation to the recommendations for responsible media coverage and their implications for media literacy. The methodology underpinning this study encompasses eight fiction TV series and combines quantitative research, derived from data collection and analysis, with a qualitative component, focusing on the interpretation and analysis of the results. Findings indicate that the representation lacks due caution in depicting the method and location of suicide, which increases the risk of imitation. Although the narratives present alternatives …

Teacher Agency, Distributed Leadership, And Mandated Curriculum: A Mixed Methods Study, Stephen Albert Gray

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to explore the relationship between teacher agency, distributed leadership, and mandated curriculum. Ecological teacher agency was the dependent variable and used as a framework to explore the problem of restrictive curriculum environments for licensed K-12 teachers in the United States. Distributed leadership functioned as the independent variable and was tested to see whether distributed leadership environments could increase teachers’ agency regardless of curriculum context. Surveys were shared through Qualtrics with 195 teachers responding (N =195), with 12 teachers participating in follow-up Zoom interviews. Distributed leadership and teacher agency were positively …

A Systematized Review Of The Effectiveness Of Sbirt On Reducing Adolescent Substance Use In School Settings, Mallory L. Mcivor

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

As substance use remains a pressing public concern for adolescents, the academic, social, and neurological consequences are extensive. Schools are uniquely situated to support large populations of youth during their critical developmental periods, and schools act as the ideal location for substance use prevention and intervention. This study explored the prevalence and influence of substance use on adolescents, the role of school climate in prevention and intervention efforts, and assessed the model Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) as a suitable framework for school-based interventions. Following a structured search across two databases, 20 studies met inclusion criteria and …

Neurodivergent Peer Tutoring And Anti-Ableism: Two High Schoolers’ Lived Experiences While Working In A Neurodiversity-Based Writing Center, Daniel S. Harrison

The Writing Center Journal

Neurodivergence is naturally present in the writing center and most often recognized by labels like ADHD, autism, OCD, dyslexia, and so on. However, neurodivergent voices in writing center scholarship have been few and far between in postsecondary institutions (Babcock, 2017; Batt, 2018; Kleinfeld, 2023), and in the secondary writing center even less so. Therefore, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the personal, relational, and formative aspects of the lived experiences of two neurodivergent students through a critical disability theory lens as they provided writing consultations to their neurodivergent peers in a Mid-Atlantic, independent special education school. …

The Use Of A Sepsis Escape Room Simulation To Enhance Undergraduate Nursing Student's Clinical Judgment, Alaina Peterson

Dissertations

Background: Less than 10% of new graduate registered nurses meet practice-ready expectations for clinical judgment competencies, and 52% of critical care nurses are unable to adequately define sepsis. Traditional clinical rotations offer inconsistent exposure to high-acuity, low-frequency events such as sepsis, leaving new graduates unprepared for independent practice. Escape room simulations use the proven effectiveness of high-fidelity simulations with gamification to develop clinical judgment through active learning, teamwork and problem-solving.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of a sepsis escape room simulation to improve perceived clinical judgment skills of undergraduate nursing students. The intervention was …

Leveraging Generative Artificial Intelligence To Effectively Implement School Counseling Interventions And Programs, Jeffrey M. Warren

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Academic and mental health concerns persist in K-12 schools across the country. School counselors play a central role in addressing these issues and supporting the academic success, social/emotional development, and college and career readiness of all students. However, school counselors face numerous barriers when promoting student success. Making matters worse, emerging literature suggests that school counselors lack a clear understanding of how to implement programs and interventions effectively. Artificial intelligence can play a vital role in helping school counselors deliver effective and efficient services. This article provides overviews of implementation science and generative artificial intelligence. A case example and analysis …

The Self-Identified Strategies Of Asynchronous Writing Tutors, Eric C. Camarillo

The Writing Center Journal

This study explores the self-identified strategies of asynchronous writing tutors, focusing on how they provide feedback in an online environment. The research addresses the underexplored area of asynchronous writing tutoring, which is often marginalized due to its perceived lack of interpersonal interaction. Through semi-structured interviews and screen recordings of seven writing tutors from three different institutions, the study identifies key strategies employed by tutors. These strategies include managing workloads, relying on intuition, building rapport with students, and seeking support from other tutors. The findings highlight the complexity and labor-intensive nature of asynchronous tutoring, emphasizing the need for thoughtful evaluation and …

Foreword From Editors - 19th Edition: Community Stewardship Towards Sustainable Futures, Yandi Andri Yatmo, Kristanti Dewi Paramita, Rini Suryantini

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

The discussions highlighted from the articles in this AJCE edition focuses on the institutionalization, process, and implication of community in stewarding their living environment. Such focus expands the community engagement discourse, highlighting how the act of stewardships creates a sense of shared responsibility of actors to their shared spaces and resources. In turn, this shared responsibility enables the community to shift from passive act of participation to active empowerment, creates social cohesion, and establishes local governance. Such a shift towards active empowerment and shared responsibility is the key in building systemic resilience, towards a more sustainable future for society.

An Exploration Of Extension Professionals' Evaluation Experiences In Indigenous Contexts, Sara M. Tomis, J.C. Bunch, Amy Harder, T. Grady Roberts

Journal of Extension

Extension professionals evaluating programs that engage Indigenous youth face unique opportunities and challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore these professionals' evaluation experiences, with a focus on culturally responsive practice. We conducted a focus group comprised of professionals associated with the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP). Study findings revealed a need for enhanced support for FRTEP professionals conducting evaluations of programs for Indigenous youth audiences, as well as for more culturally responsive practice within the Cooperative Extension System.

The Legacy, Importance, & Impact Of Lend: Evidence And Personal Stories, Emily Zalimeni, Emma Stone, Alexa Fortier, Leia Getchell, Nataliya Kloyzner, Asha Abdullahi, Elizabeth Barkoudah, Meghan Chapman, Meredith Close, Heather Engholm, Melissa Levin, Aanchal Sharma, Sarah Sparks, Patricia Rissmiller, Amy Szarkowski, Jason M. Fogler

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs offer an interdisciplinary/interprofessional training opportunity for medical and allied health professionals, and individuals impacted by disability, including family members and self-advocates. Toward the aim of advocating for the enduring need of LEND and similar training programs, this article centers the voices of a subset of our alumni who have advanced the rights and improved the lives of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These stories are intended to illustrate the key lessons and principles of LEND training, including attending to disability issues in education, growing skills within and between individuals working …