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Coloured On The Spectrum: An Autoethnographic Examination Of Autistic Dissonance In White Australia, Black Africa, Academia & Creative Industries, Jordan Azor

Postgraduate

My dissertation is an Autoethnographic examination of Autism diagnosed in adulthood. I aim to provide authoritative, first-person perspective into experiences and reflections of a lifetime of dysfunction leading to diagnosis and the process of reconciling new diagnosis in maturity. Through Habitus and Intersectionality I retrospectively and retroactively explore issues of race, cultural context, social dysfunction, ineffective communication and professional breakdown. I provide insight into social and personal revelations informed by contextualising past experiences through the lens of then undiagnosed Autism and propose new responses and amendments of behaviour and conduct explored which seek to and effectively establish and maintain greater …

Time-To-Degree: Bachelor’S Degree Completion For Latine First-Year And Transfer Students, Robert E. Kunicki

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Latine bachelor’s degree completion has grown in the last several decades but has not kept pace with other racial and ethnic groups. Millions of Latines have successfully navigated higher education, yet not enough is known about the conduits and barriers to timely degree completion. This dissertation utilizes LatCrit, Anti-Deficit Achievement, and Intersectionality as theoretical frameworks; employs secondary analysis of a City University of New York dataset; and utilizes hierarchical regression modeling to examine the relative impact of college completion programs, academic momentum, and key demographic variables on time-to-degree for Latine students. Further, to see how these relationships operate differently for …

Experiences Of College Professors With Students With Identified Disabilities And Ada Compliance In Face-To-Face Courses At A State College In Florida: A Case Study, Rafael Sanchez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative case study’s purpose was to understand college professors’ experiences regarding students with identified disabilities and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA) in their face-to-face courses at a multicampus state college in Florida. The leading theory guiding this study was the adult learning process: andragogy complemented by the disability theory. These theories provided a foundational understanding of how college professors teach adult learners with identified disabilities. The study explored the following research question: How did college professors describe their teaching experiences with students with disabilities and ADA compliance in their face-to-face courses? The sample comprised fifteen …

Understanding Environmental Justice Instruction In Higher Education: Activist Epistemic Orientations And A Continuum Of Community Engaged Curricular And Pedagogical Practice, Christopher James Rabe

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Starting in the early 1980’s, the environmental justice (EJ) movement was critical in drawing much needed attention to how communities of color, low-income groups, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups have experienced a disproportionate burden of environmental and ecological harms. The EJ movement sparked the birth of the EJ field of study. While originally focused on quantitative and distributional understandings of toxic waste in communities of color, the EJ field of study has since expanded to comprise community-based methodologies and new ways to understand justice, including participatory, recognition, and transformational approaches. The EJ field now represents multiple areas such as …

Using Google Suite In Lin 200: How To Create Your Own Language, Andrew M. Byrd

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

“Sí Se Puede”: Using Innovative Application Of Apps In Language Learning, Heather Campbell-Speltz

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Amplifying Arab American Heritage Language Students' Voices: A Multiple Case Study On Translanguaging Practices And Identity Negotiation In University Arabic Classrooms, Lina Gomaa

Dissertations and Theses

Little research has been conducted on Arab American students at universities and specifically, in the heritage language studies field. The experiences of Arab American heritage language (AAHL) students are significantly less examined than those of other heritage language students. Arabic language curricula and instructional practices in universities tend to privilege the teaching of Modern Standard Arabic over dialects, which marginalizes heritage learners' prior knowledge of the Arabic culture and its language, specifically Arabic dialects used in their home communities. These phenomena can create a non-affirming learning experience for these students. As such, in this study, I addressed these questions:

• To …

Cultural Capital And Community Cultural Wealth: A Study Of Latinx First Generation College Students, Affiong Eyo-Idahor

Dissertations and Theses

When compared to Blacks, Asians, and Whites, Latinxs have lower rates of educational attainment at every level from secondary education to advanced postsecondary degrees (Ryan and Bauman 2016). This study focuses on Latinx first generation college students and uses Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) theory to illuminate the ways this population navigates college through employing the strengths from their home community. The Latinx population is the largest ethnic or racial minority group in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau 2017. By 2060, they are expected to account for nearly 29% of the US population (U.S. Census Bureau 2017). While the …

University Foreign Language Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professor-Student Rapport: A Hybrid Qualitative Study, Maryam Roshanbin, Musa Nushi, Zahra Abolhassani

The Qualitative Report

Research has shown a consensus that positive professor-student relationship makes meaningful contributions to academic outcomes such as faculty effectiveness, increased motivation, enhanced learning, and excellent teaching. Employing a qualitative research design, the authors of this study examine the conceptualization of one specific aspect of faculty-student relationship; namely, rapport, which they believe is particularly salient in college classrooms characterized by effective teaching and a positive interpersonal climate. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with 26 Iranian foreign language professors who were selected through snowball sampling. A hybrid thematic analysis of the data revealed two core themes of rapport antecedents: (1) …

Understanding Mentorship For Underserved Undergraduate Students: A Case For Holistic Mentorship, Effective Messaging And The Removal Of Silos, Jennifer Lewton Labovich

Education | Master's Theses

Mentorship for historically underserved undergraduate students at their institutions of higher education is a much-studied area of research (Crisp et al., 2017). Existing research has explored how students’ individual aspects of identity impact their access to mentoring (Crisp, 2009; Lund et al., 2019). However, there is a lack of research that studies access to mentoring for the whole student, particularly at small liberal arts schools like TU. Intersectionality has been recognized as an important concept (Crenshaw, 1991) which this study drew on to understand how identity impacts mentorship (Bass, 2012).

I conducted a transformative mixed methods case study, which involved …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works: Abstracts, Emma Aggeler, Elena Arroway, Daisy T. Booker, Justin Bravo, Kyle Bucholtz, Megan Burnham, Nicole Choi, Spencer Cockerell, Rosie Contino, Jackson Garske, Kaitlyn Glover, Caroline Hamilton, Haley Hartmann, Madalyne Heiken, Colin Holter, Leah Huzjak, Alyssa Jeng, Cole Jernigan, Chad Kashiwa, Adelaide Kerenick, Emily King, Abigail Langeberg, Maddie Leake, Meredith Lemons, Alec Mackay, Greer Mckinley, Ori Miller, Guy Milliman, Katherine Miromonti, Audrey Mitchell, Lauren Moak, Megan Morrell, Gelella Nebiyu, Zdenek Otruba, Toni V. Panzera, Kassidy Patarino, Sneha Patil, Alexandra Penney, Kevin Persky, Caitlin Pham, Gabriela Recinos, Mary Ringgenberg, Chase Routt, Olivia Schneider, Roman Shrestha, Arlo Simmerman, Alec Smith, Tessa Smith, Nhi-Lac Thai, Kyle Thurmann, Casey Tindall, Amelia Trembath, Maria Trubetskaya, Zachary Vangelisti, Peter Vo, Abby Walker, David Winter, Grayden Wolfe, Leah York

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Showcase.

Career Outcomes Of International Master's Recipients From Chinese Institutions: A Study Of Students From Three Asean States, Yanhao Wang

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

As the third largest destination country for international postsecondary students, China has received nearly 500,000 international students, and more than 20% of them are from ASEAN member states (Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, 2019). Compared to students from Western society, most ASEAN students are from developing countries and may have stronger needs to generate career benefits via studying abroad. ASEAN students in China and their career outcomes, however, have been always overlooked in existing research.

In this qualitative study, I applied Human Capital Theory (HCT) and Neo Racism Theory (NRT) to investigate the career outcomes of graduated ASEAN students …

Nuestra Fuerza: Understanding The Resilience Of Latinx, First-Generation Students From Single-Parent Families, Alejandra Gonzalez-Zuniga

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

This study explored resilience among Latinx, first-generation students at the University of San Diego who are products of single-parent families. Being a product of a single-parent household while holding these other identities affects students in a variety of ways throughout their educational journey. Even when controlling for economic and racial differences of the family, students from two-parent families outperform students from one-parent families across a plethora of measures (Barajas, 2011). Despite having extra challenges, some of these students have learned to be quite resilient to achieve their goals and educational aspirations. This study aimed to answer the following questions: (1) …

The Secret Recipe: Unpacking The Mentorship Experience Between The Guardians Of Academy And First-Generation Students Of Color In Higher Education, David F. Santos Castillo

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

Throughout my academic journey, I have noticed the word “mentor” slowly becoming diluted and used on a solely casual basis. Often, people know what the word mentor means, which provides the sense that mentorship is something anyone can achieve or do. As a result, people constantly attempt to learn the fundamentals of this form of practice as if mentorship is something easily attainable. Reflecting on this idea, I was curious to understand why I can only rely on a few people when needed, especially when it involves higher education. My study analyzes the mentorship experiences between professional staff and first-generation …

Spanish Culture Club, Emily Taylor

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

Disrupting The Deficit With Latinx Cultural Wealth: Creciendo En La Excelencia, Stephanie Pineda

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

By applying concepts of community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2006) and an asset-based framework (Johnson and Bozeman, 2012), this action research project identified the different types of capital Latinx individuals hold and how their cultural wealth should inform the next steps of institutional practices. This study focused on Latinx students and graduated working professions in the greater San Diego area. Individuals were asked to identify and share their varying capital and how it has influenced their holistic success in navigating academia. Data emphasized what skills and realities fuel Latinx cultural resilience, as well as suggested initiatives to build on Latinx students’ …

Foodways In Chile: A Bridge Back To Nature, Kayla Weiss

Capstone Collection

As the area of food studies continues to develop and evolve it has been recognized that, not only is food a necessity to life, but it is uniquely tied to understanding culture, history, and other aspects of a society. This study arose from recognizing this influence and importance and I took the opportunity to better understand how Birchwood College might be an optimal site for a short-term study abroad program based in food studies. I conducted a needs assessment through landscape research, surveying students, and interviewing food studies faculty and international educators at Birchwood College. The research findings offered insights …

Virtual Free-Writing Journal Portfolios In An Intensive English Program In Iraq, Charles Mckinney

MA TESOL Collection

Middle-Eastern English language learners (ELLs), specifically Iraqi students, are often not well equipped to succeed in university settings where English is the medium of instruction (EMI) for their intended graduate and undergraduate studies. Oftentimes, they are weaker in their academic literacy skills, when compared to listening and speaking, and need extra scaffolding and/or remedial instruction to develop their reading and writing dexterity for overall academic success. One way to support their writing development is to implement free-writing journal projects that will enable them to cultivate an original writer voice, to think quickly and critically in the L2, and to integrate …

Resiliency In The Shadows Of The Ivory Tower: Examining The Strategies Utilized By Undocumented Students To Succeed In Higher Education, Estefany Paniagua-Pardo M.Ed

Masters Theses

Undocumented students experience uniquely distinctive barriers in their pursuit of postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which undocumented students make meaning of their lived experiences by examining the various dimensions of their educational journey outside of the broader legal and political context. The study specifically highlighted undocumented student stories to investigate the strategies used by individuals to survive, persevere, and navigate institutions of higher education. Rooted in Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth Model, this qualitative study used semi-structured interview methodology to unveil the ways in which undocumented students utilize numerous and intersecting forms …

Finding Community As First-Generation Latina College Students In A Predominantly White Institution, Alondra Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the perception of first-generation Latina college students' sense of belonging at a predominately White institution, specifically at Rowan University. Based on the research questions this study identified the experiences of six first-generation Latina college students and their perception of community and belonging at Rowan University. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on all six participants and data was collected using an interview protocol that consisted of nine questions. The following themes were found in the study (1) first-generation Latinas and family, (2) campus involvement, (3) inclusivity and cultural competence, and, (4) faculty …

Latinas Abriendo Caminos: Stories Of Latina Women To The Doctoral Degree, Jessica Ballesteros

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus. Most of the current research focusing on Latinas succeeding academically has been conducted at the undergraduate and master’s level. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the experience of Latinas in their doctoral program and what leads them to complete a doctoral degree. Latinas currently have low completion rates in doctoral degrees compared to all other ethnicities in the U.S. Thus, the goal of this research study was to identify factors that contribute to these Latinas succeeding academically.

Research Methods.

I used both Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to …

Disabled Idf Veterans In Israeli Higher Education: Disability Identity And Use Of Support, Einat Ben Dov

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Even though military service in Israel is mandatory and common among the state population, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) veterans with disabilities are rarely represented in the literature regarding their experience in Israeli higher education (HE). This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the experiences of disabled IDF (DIDF) veteran students, their experiences as students, identities, challenges, and utilization of support resources on their campuses. The relevant fields of Disability Studies, Veteran Studies, and the use of disability support services on campus are discussed in this study, focusing on the implementation of accessibility regulations and practices in the Israeli …

Inclusive Pedagogy: Connecting Disability And Race In Higher Education, Meredith Persin

All Theses

Higher education was never made for marginalized people. The academy was created based on the privileged white, able-bodied, males who preoccupied higher education for the longest time. While that has certainly changed over the years, the institution itself is still in the past resulting in BIPOC students and disabled students continuing to struggle within higher education. While instructors have begun to take interest in the need for inclusive pedagogy within the last decade, it still has a far way to come in order to help the marginalized students with intersecting identities and students who may not benefit from a one …

Collective, Vulnerable, Nascent (Post) Qualitative Inquiry-Writing, Catherine Thiele, Stephen Heimans, Catherine Manathunga, Suzanne Barry, Benjamin Cherry-Smith, Kristy Farrelly, Terry Grogan, Robyn Kemble, Lisa Mcilwain

The Qualitative Report

As a group of multidisciplinary postgraduate research students and teachers emerging as a “we,” we read, discussed, and then, without planning to do so, responded in writing to the textual provocations of three post qualitative texts. We picture ourselves as a “classing,” a “becoming class” (Meirieu, 2020, para. 1.). We are a study-group-thinking-writing experimentation; vulnerable, wobbling and joyously grappling to (re)shape (our) post qualitative inquiries. The experiment offered a scholarly place to critically, creatively, and softly curate post qualitative questions and wonderings. The writings below offer a lure into our nascent post-qualitative vulnerabilities. The purpose of this paper is to …

Radicalizing First Year Composition: A Novice Educator’S Venture Into Revolutionary Teaching, Xochilt Trujillo Flores

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

­­This project is based on my experiences and reflections as a novice instructor on implementing educational practices which center a critical, feminist, anti-racist pedagogical approach in a first year composition course. Using my own experiences of teaching FYC as a central focus, this project will collect data through teacher-reflective journals. Those journals will be focused on how radical pedagogy shapes my approaches to teaching and how I experience/implement that approach in my day-to-day practices. In doing so, this project aims to address the persistent gap between theory and practice, particularly in the context of novice educators’ experiences in a …

Validation And Measurement Invariance Of A First-Generation College Student Identity Scale, Kelsie K. Allison

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

First-generation college students (FGCS) comprise approximately 56% of the U.S. post-secondary institution population, yet they face substantially more academic, financial, and additional unique issues than continuing-generation college students. Research on FGCS has been steadily growing in recent years, however, literature on identity for this population is sparse. To address these gaps in the literature, the aim of the current study was to adapt, validate, and establish full factorial measurement invariance across Black and White FGCS for a multidimensional quantitative measure of first-generation college student identity. The final sample included 425 current FGCS (81.2% female; M_age = 24.4 years, SD …

Student Centered Language Teaching: A Focus On Student Identity, Rachel Mano

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of essays that describe what the writer has come to see as essential topics in second language acquisition. It begins with a professional environment piece, and then a teaching philosophy statement focused on student identity and interaction in the classroom. This is followed by an essay on observations of teaching. The next two sections focus on pragmatic resistance among advanced learners and the importance of preparing learners for peer interaction. The portfolio concludes with an annotated bibliography outlining the main concepts associated with Communicative Language Teaching, a method that is commonly employed in second language …

The Impact Of Intensive Advising Within Trio Student Support Services On Good Academic Standing And Student Perception: An Explorative Study, Mariesha Shaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Challenges in bachelor’s degree attainment for disadvantaged students (e.g., low income, first generation and disabled) within higher education is a social problem. TRiO SSS, a federal program, has been implemented at a private university in Texas to meet the needs of disadvantaged students and positively influence good academic standing, which would lead to higher bachelor’s degree attainment. Intensive advising, which is holistic meetings conducted with participants to meet academic and personal needs, is one intervention utilized in the TRiO SSS program. The purpose of this study is to assess the role and influence of intensive advising by examining whether it …

How Sense Of Belonging Impacts Student Retention: Examining The Experience Of First-Generation Latino/A/X Students Attending Pwis, Maria R. Raab

Masters Projects

Latinx students’ admission rates have increased in most recent years however, Latinx

students still have the lowest degree attainment compared to other ethnic/racial groups (Rodriguez et al., 2021). Research reveals sense of belonging has an impact on retention for first- generation Latino/a/x students attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Latinx students gain sense of belonging through the support of their peers, faculty, and the institution’s commitment to providing safe campus spaces. The primary purpose of this project is to understand the challenges first-generation Latinx students face and where institutions can provide resources like peer mentor programs to close the degree attainment …

Celebrating Faculty Scholarship 2021/22, Smith College Libraries

Celebrating Faculty Scholarship: Bibliographies

Scroll down to view the bibliography of selected scholarly and creative work produced by Smith College faculty and submitted by faculty for the 2022 celebration which took place in the Neilson Library Skyline Reading Room, Smith College on April 27, 2022.