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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 …

Perceptions Of Situational Leadership Styles On The Behavioral Intervention Skills Of General Educators, Kendall Jordan Baethge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher conducted the following study to describe the lived experiences and perceptions of general educators employed in a rural, central Texas school district. The study specifically inquired about the perceptions of leadership styles and strategies to successful behavior intervention strategies for inclusive general education classrooms. The problem addressed within the study was the growing diversity in general education classrooms ensuring inclusive opportunities to students with disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviors. The purpose of the study was to better understand those leadership styles currently being used and styles that are most appropriate to develop perceived self-efficacy and proficiency in behavior …

20260724: Journalism & Media, 1961-1962, College Of Liberal Arts

Guides to University Archives

These items include materials from the department of Journalism at Marshall University from 1961-1962. Items were received in at an earlier date (likely in the 1980s) and include notable materials from events on campus such as the dedication of Prichard Hall, the Men's Physical Education Building, the signing of Marshall University Bill, and a talk that President Stewart Smith gave on Human Rights in the Campus Christian Center.

From Framework To Praxis: An Examination Of Integrated Comprehensive Systems (Ics) Equity Reform And Black Student Engagement, Heather L. Dunham

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

For over two decades, the Integrated Comprehensive Systems (ICS) framework (Frattura & Capper, 2007) has sought to promote systemic equity by addressing the organizational structures and practices that shape student outcomes. Despite its promise, few studies have examined ICS implementation in practice, particularly its impact on Black student engagement and academic success. This qualitative case study investigates a racially diverse Midwestern middle school that adopted ICS to shift outcomes for Black students. Grounded in the ICS framework—conceptually informed by Critical Race Theory and Disability Studies in Education—data from interviews, observations, and achievement records reveal that ICS can disrupt racialized routines, …

The Role Of Perceived Academic And Peer Support In Mitigating Imposter Syndrome Among Adhd Students, Eden Morley Dr

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in higher education is associated with significant executive functioning deficits and performance inconsistencies. These challenges, alongside heightened rejection sensitivity, may predispose students to the Imposter Phenomenon (IP)—the persistent belief that one’s success is undeserved. While social and academic supports are known to buffer psychological distress, their specific role in mitigating IP within the ADHD student population remains under-researched.

Objectives: This study investigated the severity of IP among undergraduate students with ADHD and examined the protective roles of Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Perceived Academic Support (PAS), while exploring gender as a potential moderator.

Methodology: A cross-sectional …

Leadership In Higher Education Amid Demographic Shifts: Implications Of Campus Event Management, Marrissa J. Williams

M.S. in Leadership

This study focuses on how demographic shifts within higher education have influenced leadership practices, specifically within enrollment management and campus event programming. As student populations become increasingly diverse, institutions are challenged to change their recruitment, engagement, and support strategies to meet the needs of first-generation, low-income, and non-traditional learners. The research explores the role of leadership in shaping these responses, with a focus on how decisions related to admissions events, like campus visits, outreach initiatives, and multicultural programming, have contributed to student engagement and enrollment outcomes. Using a qualitative approach grounded in the analysis of peer-reviewed articles and case studies, …

Teaching As Testimony: Examining The Relationship Between High School Teachers’ Faith Identity And Pedagogy, Candace M. Kyles

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Teaching has long been understood within Christian theology as a vocational practice shaped by faith, moral formation, and lived discipleship. Yet within U.S. public schooling, the Separation of Church and State restricts explicit engagement with religion, often rendering educators’ faith identities invisible within school buildings and classrooms. This covertness does not eliminate the formative influence of faith; rather, it obscures how teachers’ faith identities inform their ethical reasoning, teaching practices, and pedagogical choices. When faith remains unexamined, it may operate implicitly, shaping classroom interactions without the benefit of critical reflection or institutional support.

Despite the prominence of culturally responsive pedagogy …

Transforming Advising And Improving Outcomes: Assessing Impacts Of Advising Changes, Amy S. White, Tailisha Gonzalez, Elgloria Harrison

Publications and Research

Abstract

Background: Earning full-time credit loads and persisting are how college students successfully graduate.

Objective: We measured whether credits and persistence at an urban, commuter Hispanic/Minority-Sserving Iinstitution improved after implementing a social work-based advisement strategy.

Methods: Using a quasi-experimental methodology on a college’s enrollment database, we measured the impact of a new advisement model on earned and attempted credit loads to compare traditional student advisement within control groups (n = 171 and n = 899) relative to intervention (n = 130).

Findings: In 2024, the intervention group attempted an average of 14.7 credits and earned an average of 14.3 credits, …

Leading Through Difference: Core Values, Neuroscience, And The Habits Of Transformative Leaders, Jaime E. Welborn

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Educational leaders are increasingly called to meet the demands of K-12 schools by managing diversity, navigating conflict, and leading change. One's core values, neuroscience, and cultural proficiency of educational practices play a very important role in how they lead organizations and interact with others. This conceptual paper explores the intersection of neuroscience, core values, and associated habits that support effective cross-cultural interactions. Drawing upon frequency count data from documents collected during professional learning activities in school organizations in New York, Missouri, and California from 2018 to 2025, empathy, open-mindedness, and communication emerged as the most frequently reported important core values …

Examining Alternative Principal Licensure In Ohio: How Licensure Pathway And Poverty Level Explain Variance In Student Performance, Chris Willis, Christy Galletta Horner, Todd Cramer, Paul Johnson, Bradley Contat

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The rise of alternative principal licensure raises questions about the effectiveness of leaders that are less rigorously prepared. In Ohio, the alternative principal pathway consists of six credit hours of coursework and three years of on-the-job practice; far less formal coursework than traditional licensure (which also requires on-the-job experience) In this cross-sectional study using publicly available data (N=3189), we used weighted least squares regression to examine the role of principal licensure pathways in explaining variance in student outcomes while accounting for poverty level. Principal licensure pathways accounted for a small amount of variance in student outcomes (performance index) over and …

Preparing General Education Teachers For Implementing Accommodations In Inclusive Classrooms, Katherine J. Ramirez

PhD in Education

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of general education teachers and their perceptions of preparedness to implement accommodations after attending specialized, targeted training. The study included one research question, which focused on the teachers’ perceived preparedness to implement accommodations after attending specialized training. The study was influenced by the work of Mezirow (1997) and Meyer et al. (2014) and incorporated transformative learning theory and universal design for learning (UDL) elements. The researcher used convenience sampling to select seven general education teachers who taught inclusion classes in Central Florida to participate in the study. …

Bridging The Gap: Addressing Challenges And Enhancing Support For Learners Transitioning From Primary To Secondary School, Redson Nkosi, Precious Nyoni, Philogene Manirahari

Journal of Global Education and Research

This study explored the challenges students face during the transition from primary to secondary school, particularly in their final year of primary and first year of secondary school. Common concerns include bullying, making new friends, increased workload, unfriendly teachers, teasing, new subjects, and adjusting to the secondary school environment. Conducted in Malawi, Mzimba North education district at two secondary schools and one primary school, the research used a qualitative methodology, employing documentary review, interviews, focus group discussions, and observations for data collection. Findings revealed that many of the students’ fears were either confirmed, such as bullying and teacher strictness, proving …

The Relationship Between School Connectedness And Well-Being Among Racial Minority English Language Learners: Implications For School Counselors, Laura Craven, Jonathan Ohrt, Keeland Lodato

Journal of English Learner Education

Students who feel connected to their school experience better academic performance, social competence, and mental health. English Language Learners (ELL) face unique challenges to school connectedness compared to their English-speaking peers. In this study, we explored the relationship between school connectedness and well-being for 205 racial minority ELL students. ELL students’ perceived school belonging was a significant predictor of well-being. We discuss implications for school counselors, including specific strategies for increasing ELL students’ school connectedness.

Context-Specific Legitimacy In English Language Teaching: Rethinking Nativeness In The Korean Efl Context, Kenn Arcenal, Teri An Joy G. Magpale

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Although non-native English-speaking teachers now make up the majority of the global ELT workforce, perceived nativeness continues to function as an enduring filter in hiring and evaluation. This perspective paper examines how that filter operates unevenly across the institutional sectors of South Korea’s EFL labor market, arguing that Filipino English Teachers (FETs) face a distributive rather than a uniformly ideological inequity, with the biggest disadvantage concentrated in commercially driven private academies. Drawing on two companion studies of FETs working across Korean academic sectors (Magpale & Arcenal, 2025, in press) and integrating more recent scholarship on native-speakerism with comparative evidence from …

Navigating Preparation: A Qualitative Exploration Of Special Education Teachers' Experiences Supporting Students With Disabilities In Transition To Post-School Life, Carrie Ann Friend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transition-focused instruction is a critical component of special education services intended to prepare students with disabilities for postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. Although federal legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires transition planning beginning in secondary school, prior research indicates that many special education teachers feel inadequately prepared to implement transition-focused instruction effectively. Existing literature has largely examined transition outcomes for students and programmatic compliance, while less attention has been given to teachers’ lived experiences implementing transition services within school contexts. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to explore how high school …

Voces Rurales: Understanding The Latina Rural College Student Experience, April Mazón

The Rural Educator

This article integrates research with lived experiences to explore the educational and career transitions of Latina rural college students and the unique challenges they encounter in navigating higher education and the workforce. Drawing on the phenomenological study “Voces Rurales: Examining Latina Rural College Student Experiences in Navigating Transitions from College to Career or Post-Baccalaureate Studies,” which coupled semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation methodology, this article highlights the critical intersection of rurality, gender, and ethnicity in higher education. The study focused on Latina undergraduate students in a rural border county with two institutions of higher education: a community college and a …

Philanthropic Grantmakers’ Roles In Transforming Higher Education: A Narrative Inquiry, Elizabeth Jean Larkin Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Philanthropic foundations have become influential actors in higher education reform, often supporting initiatives to improve student success, advance equity, and promote systemic change. Yet limited research has examined how philanthropic grantmakers understand and navigate their roles in shaping long-term change across the higher education field. This narrative inquiry explored the personal and professional experiences of eight philanthropic grantmakers working across different foundations, roles, and organizational contexts in the United States. Guided by organizational change theory, Strategic Action Fields theory, and sustainability planning in dynamic systems, the study examined how grantmakers made sense of their responsibilities, influence, and contributions to systemic …

Disciplining The "Unrestrained" Child Through Moral Rectification: The "Civilizing" Role Of The Us Educational System, Unleashing An Era Of Assimilation, Urnisha Dutta

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Moral education in the US frequently has centered on cultivating “civic sense” and developing citizens who are morally akin to the dominant culture’s ideals. Although implemented as preventive measures (to avoid an otherwise inevitable suspension), these interventions are colored with dominant cultural sentiments that visualize differences as immoral. The idea of disciplining the “unrestrained” child thus aligns with a Western historical “civilizing” mission that aims at creating “moral citizens” through cultural erasure and behavioral transformation. This article discusses the unpleasant reality of moral education in the US educational system, demonstrating an inherent acculturation politics underlying behavior rectification initiatives. The essay …

Early Intervention: Perspectives On Training And Practice, Christina M. Mirtes, Jessica A. Grimone-Hopkins, Audrey Farrugia

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Early Intervention (EI) Specialists/Professionals serve children from birth through age three with developmental delays/disabilities, and their families. They conduct assessments, create Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), collaborate with adjacent professionals, and use play-based interventions at home or in natural settings to support children’s development across the cognitive, communication, physical, sensory, social–emotional, and adaptive skills. The present study uses a mixed-methods approach, gathering qualitative data (focus group interviews) and quantitative data (survey) to evaluate participants’ perceived preparedness and self-efficacy of currently practicing Early Intervention (EI) Specialists/Professionals based on their higher education experiences, across various aspects and responsibilities of their jobs. Results …

Anti-Racist Teaching Today, Melissa Brooks-Yip

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Anti-racist teaching has a long history in education and there have been recent changes in DEI policy for public education. This article reviews equity-based pedagogies, whiteness in education, racial literacy, and the implications for teacher professional learning moving forward.

Front Matter

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Transformative Leadership In Community Schools: Building Equitable Cultures And Sustainable Community Partnerships For Student Success, Latiecea Janie Hailey-Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This qualitative autoethnographic inquiry explored how transformative and relational leadership were enacted and evolved during the creation, development, and sustainability of a community partnership school, and how these leadership experiences shaped my understanding of leadership and influenced my development and identity as a leader. Grounded in a constructivist paradigm and framed within a scholarly practitioner orientation, I critically examined my leadership experiences as assistant principal and principal of Havenwood: A Community Partnership School, the first community school in Rosewood County, Florida. Through reflective analysis of leadership practices, relationships, and decision-making processes, I illuminated how my leadership contributed to student …

Leadership Reflections: The Unique Challenges And Rewards Of Leadership In Library Technical Services, Maria Savova

Library Staff Publications and Research

Library Technical Services functions are at the core of library operations and are indivisible from any public service the library provides. The way technical services librarians and staff approach their work, communications, and organizational experience, however, is distinct and requires thoughtful approaches and concerted effort from leadership. Greater visibility and institutional understanding are critical to resourcing these services properly and sustaining their excellence. Drawing on practice-based reflections, this column proposes approaches to capturing the insight and expertise of the people who steward the library’s largest investments, connecting their task-based sustainer activities to the larger strategic library context, supporting and empowering …

“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 …

Building Bridges: The Reference Interview As A Mechanism For Social Capital In School Libraries, Jessica M. Lilly

Learning Hub

Building Bridges: The Reference Interview as a Mechanism for Social Capital in School Libraries

Abstract

School librarians occupy a unique position within schools, interacting across all stakeholder groups and serving as a conduit between students, teachers, administrators, and the broader learning community. This article examines the reference interview not merely as a transactional information-retrieval tool but as a relational practice through which school librarians generate, sustain, and distribute social capital. Drawing on the foundational theories of Putnam (2000), Coleman (1988), and Bourdieu (1986), and on the reference transaction model grounded in Jesse H. Shera's foundational work (Coleman et al., …

From Principal To Behavioral Health Ceo: Lessons Schools Must Learn About Student Mental Health, Anthony S. Felder

Essays in Education

Schools across the United States are increasingly functioning as front-line mental health systems, often without adequate preparation, staffing, or clinical training. This essay draws on the author's lived experience as a former school principal, doctoral scholar in educational leadership, licensed clinical social worker, and current behavioral health chief executive officer to examine the intersection of K-12 education and youth mental health. Grounded in trauma-informed care, restorative practice, and family-centered systems of support, the essay presents five evidence-based lessons that school leaders must consider to meet students' evolving social-emotional needs. These lessons address the limitations of punitive discipline, the urgent need …

Bridging Interprofessional Gaps: A Pilot Study On Aac And Asl Training For Allied Health Profession Students, Angela M. Riccelli, Danielle Osmelak, Leslie Guca, Keith Werosh, Valerie Coolman, Rebecca Kvasnicka

Journal of Applied Disciplines

Interprofessional education (IPE) is recognized as a critical component of health professions training, equipping future clinicians with the skills necessary for collaborative practice and patient-centered care. However, students in speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy programs often have limited exposure to individuals who rely on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) or American Sign Language (ASL). This study evaluated the impact of a grant-funded, AAC- and ASL-focused IPE event at Governors State University on students’ self-reported interprofessional competencies. Using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS-R) developed by Archibald, D., Trumpower, D., and MacDonald, C.J., in 2009 and revised in …

A Case Study Of Principal Preparation In A Social Justice-Informed Principal Preparation Program, Katie Golieb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how a social justice-informed principal preparation program fostered the development of socially just school leaders and how graduates perceived their capacity for resilience as educational leaders in the contemporary PK–12 context. The Mountain Range Principal Preparation Program (MRP3), a university–district partnership designed to prepare educational leaders to be transformative leaders equipped to improve student achievement and address challenges in low-performing schools, served as the site of inquiry. The study explored how principals made meaning of their preparation experiences and how those experiences shaped their enactment of equity-focused leadership and their ability to sustain such work. …

Induction Programming For Novice Special Education Directors: The Significance Of Informal Supports In The Absence Of Formal Structures, Julie E. Rottier-Lukens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role and responsibilities of a special education director are unique and highly complex when compared to other district-level leadership roles. Since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed in 1975, states gradually increased requirements for certification of these administrative roles, more clearly defining the criteria and standards to incorporate within preparation programs. Despite improvements in preparation programs for special education directors, there continues to be variation in preparation and certification requirements across states and persistent challenges with shortages of special education directors. After completing a preparation program, what support exists for novice special education directors to help them …

Resource Utilisation And Quality Of Education In Secondary Schools In Lagos State, Nigeria, Jacob A. Adeyanju

International Journal for Research in Education

The need for the education sector to deliver on its goals has always been a major expectation of all stakeholders in the system. For this expectation to be met, the major resources in the school system must be combined in a reasonable proportion. On this premise, this study investigated the relationship between resource utilisation and quality of education in Lagos State. The study was conducted using descriptive survey research design with a population of 664 public secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. These schools had a total population of 23,793 teachers. A self-developed instrument titled “Education Resource Utilisation and Quality …