Digital Commons Network^™

Familismo: Exploring A Culturally Sensitive Correlation Between Parentification And Relationship Satisfaction Amongst First Generation Mexican-American Adults Through An Attachment Theory Lens, Ana K. Perez

Dissertations

Parentification refers to the role reversal of children who take on adult responsibility to care for family members. This role is often filled by Mexican-American children as a result of immigration and assimilation. This study explored the relationship between parentification and adult romantic relationship satisfaction among first-generation Mexican-American adults, with particular attention to the moderating roles of attachment styles and perceived unfairness. While earlier research has linked parentification to mental health challenges, few studies have examined its long-term impact on intimate relationships, including relationship satisfaction and experiences of intimate partner violence. A total of 132 participants completed an online survey …

Servingness In Solidarity: How Filipina/X/O American Student Organizations Cultivate Belonging, Clarissa Mae Lico Calimbas

Dissertations

Filipina/x/o American college students represent one of the largest Asian ethnic subgroups in the United States, yet their educational experiences remain underexamined within institutional research and higher education scholarship. Aggregated under the broader Asian American category, Filipina/x/o American students are rendered invisible by data practices that obscure the distinct colonial histories, socioeconomic realities, and identity negotiations. This qualitative study examined how Filipina/x/o American students at Pacific State University (PSU) describe their involvement in Filipina/x/o American Student Organizations (FASOs) and how that involvement shapes their sense of belonging, cultural identity development, and academic persistence. Guided by a critical race phenomenological framework …

Vision With Grace: Intersectionality Of Education And Spirituality, Preeti Jha

Dissertations

Contemporary educational leaders face increasingly complex challenges, systemic inequities, educator burnout, and demands for transformation, yet existing leadership frameworks fail to address the inner lives and spiritual practices that sustain such demanding justice work. While research demonstrates spirituality's role in leadership effectiveness, this dimension remains largely unexplored in educational research, particularly regarding how spiritual consciousness shapes daily practices and social justice engagement. This qualitative study will examine how spirituality shapes educational leadership and social justice engagement through portraiture methodology and in-depth interviews with three spiritually aligned educational leaders in Northern California. Drawing upon the Bhagavad Gita, Spiritual Leadership Theory, and …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Protective And Compensatory Experiences, And Parenting Attitudes Among Fathers, Kylie Schmidt

Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are defined as potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood particularly between the ages of 0 and 17 years that negatively influence long-term health, relational functioning, and parenting practices (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2026; Felitti et al., 1998; Merrick et al., 2019). Conversely, protective and compensatory experiences (PACEs) have emerged as protective factors that foster resilience and possibly buffer against the adverse outcomes of ACEs (Narayan et al., 2018). As the existing research has greatly focused on mothers, little is known about how men’s early life experiences shape their parenting attitudes, particularly during the …

Through Their Lens: Co-Teachers’ Effective Strategies That Support Ells And Swds In Mathematics Inclusion Classrooms, Cheryl A. Bentham

Dissertations

Abstract

The current dialogue surrounding minoritized students in mathematics classrooms often focuses on deficit-based narratives that compare their competency to unrealistic norms. Such continuous negative narratives only serve to add another layer of marginalization to students who are already underserved, notably Black and Hispanic students, and subgroups comprising ELLs and SWDs. This qualitative case study explored the research-based strategies utilized by three co-teacher pairs to support ELLs and SWDs in Algebra inclusion classrooms. Vygotsky's (1978) social constructivist theory guided the study, which posits that learning occurs through social interactions, environmental influences, and support from more knowledgeable others. The data were …

Teacher Experience And Perception Of Feedback Literacy In The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Carla B. Mills

Dissertations

Writing instruction in schools remains a significant area of concern even after decades of awareness that students are not performing at proficient levels upon high-school graduation. This phenomenographic case study investigated teacher feedback literacy at the secondary level through interviews with teachers of writing-intensive International Baccalaureate Diploma Program courses and document analysis. Areas of feedback literacy strength included teacher awareness of designing positive class environments, attending to the socio-emotional needs of their learners, extensive use of both rubrics and exemplars, and frequent provision of verbal feedback. Document analysis revealed the presence of explicit instruction in written feedback, rubric use, and …

“Dynt Of Dede:” Reading The Medieval Combat Scene Through The Helmet-Cleave Motif, Andrew Sherwood Thomas

Dissertations

This research explores the continuity of chivalric combat descriptions throughout medieval literature. By tracing the history, development, and distribution of the helmet-cleave motif, this study is able to examine combat scenes spanning a wide reach of time, genera, and language. The purpose of this work is to suggest a reading methodology for the chivalric combat scene that appropriately situates it in its cross-textual context and so reveals the nuance of its expression and the value in its study.

Despite the volume of surviving combat descriptions in medieval literature, they remain underrepresented in the scholarship due to their apparent repetitious and …

Black Protection: Black Social Media Competency And Urban, Black Adolescents On Social Media, Taylor A. Williams

Dissertations

While urban, Black adolescents interact with racial identity content on social media, their identity is primarily shaped through offline experiences and later reflected or reinforced online. Through the concept of Black social media competency (B-SMC), this study examined the relationships between Black urban adolescents’ social media use, exposure to race-related content, and experiences navigating the digital environment. The study used a qualitative design, grounded in the phenomenological and ecological frameworks, with 21 adolescents recruited from two urban, Midwestern schools and programs to participate in semi-structured interviews, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in how the participants …

The Relationship Between Depression And Cognitive Proficiency Index Across Biological Sex, Angela N. Ferdinardo

Dissertations

Depression is a widely studied mood disorder, and understanding its effect on cognitive functioning has become an important area of research. While research has examined relationships among depression, working memory, and cognitive deficits, limited research has explored depressive symptoms and cognitive proficiency across biological sex. Depression manifests similarly in men and women, though men are more likely to experience irritability, impulsivity, and anger, while women tend to experience sadness, stress, and sleep disturbances (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2023). Women are also more likely to seek treatment and cope differently than men. This study examined the relationship between depression and cognitive proficiency …

Tier 2 Literacy Interventions In Low-Income Schools: Implications For Breaking The Cycle Of Poverty, Morgan Koch

Dissertations

This study examined the development of a mastery-based Tier 2 reading and writing curriculum prototype designed to improve the coherence and consistency of literacy intervention in high-poverty educational settings. Using the Design Thinking process, stakeholder feedback from educators, administrators, instructional staff, and parents informed the development of the prototype through the Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test phases. The curriculum was evaluated by 15 education professionals through a mock implementation, usability survey, and focus group discussion. Findings suggested that participants perceived the prototype as practical, well organized, and supportive of more efficient and consistent Tier 2 literacy instruction, while also …

The Weight We Carry: An Arts-Based Narrative Screenplay Of Academically Successful African American Male Students, Freddie Mcgee

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine, understand, and creatively represent the stories of African American male college students from low-income backgrounds who were raised by single parents and were academically successful. Guided by the overarching research question — What are the stories of academically successful African American male college students from lowincome homes who single parents raised? — The study sought to understand how participants navigated institutional racism and systemic barriers while achieving academic success, and how they resisted deficit-based stereotypes and expectations in higher education.

This study employed a critical, arts-based, qualitative narrative inquiry approach grounded in …

A Qualitative Study Of Immigration Trauma, Posttraumatic Growth, And The College Experience Among Mena Immigrant Students, Braa A. Elkhidir

Dissertations

Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) immigrant students who are seeking to earn a higher education in the United States have to navigate acculturative stressors and systemic barriers. Prior research has focused primarily on the challenges MENA immigrant students experience without deeply exploring how these students adapt and grow. The focus in this qualitative study was to understand how MENA immigrant college students experience and make meaning of their academic journeys. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the academic experiences of seven MENA immigrant college students in the United States and assess how acculturative stressors, personal strengths, coping strategies, and …

Student Motivation In Writing, Technology Integration, And Middle Grade Pedagogy, Carol M. Edge

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored how seventh-grade students experienced three-dimensional (3D) holographic technology during writing instruction. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Multimodality Theory, the study examined how students’ intrinsic motivation processes were influenced by immersive learning environments that incorporated multiple modes of communication. A qualitative case study design was employed with 15 seventh-grade students. Data were triangulated through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and artifact analysis.

Findings indicated that the 3D holographic environment supported students’ experiences of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Students engaged with diverse modes of expression, including textual, visual, spatial, and gestural forms, which enhanced their …

Bridging The Gap: A Qualitative Case Study Of Pre-K Teachers' Literacy Professional Development Needs In The Context Of Georgia's Early Literacy Act (Hb 538), Deborah Lissimore

Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how school-based pre-K teachers in Georgia perceived their literacy professional development needs within the context of the Georgia Early Literacy Act, House Bill 538, and to examine the role of teacher leadership in supporting their professional learning. Although the Act established evidence-based literacy requirements and professional learning expectations for kindergarten through third grade educators, comparable supports for school-based pre-K teachers were not clearly defined. Participants included five certified pre-K teachers employed in a Georgia public school district. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and researcher field notes, with member …

Praise That Empowers: Training Preschool Teachers To Linguistically Adapt Behavior-Specific Praise For Hispanic Students, Claudia Abril Ochoa

Dissertations

Children’s engagement in early ages is critical for promoting behavioral, academic, and social-emotional outcomes. However, engagement in classroom activities may be difficult for young children who have not mastered the primary language used in early childhood education settings (i.e., English). Research regarding engagement in English Language Learners (ELLs) in preschool settings, as well as cultural and/or linguistic adaptations of classroom interventions to serve this population is limited. Behavior-specific praise (BSP) has been an effective strategy to improve behavior in preschool classrooms. The current study used a multiple-baseline design across three Head-Start teachers to test the efficacy of in situ training …

"Girl I'Ll Figure It Out": First-Generation Women Of Color Navigating Higher Education, Prisilla Cortez

Dissertations

This qualitative study focused on understanding the experiences of first-generation women of color at a California public four-year institution and how their intersecting identities shape their academic experiences and overall well-being. Women of Color Feminist (Crenshaw, 1991), and intersectionality frameworks guided this study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, and thematic analysis was used to identify patterns in participants’ experiences. Findings revealed three central themes, collective orientation and familial expectations, faculty interactions and sense of belonging, and institutional resources and access. Participants described navigating higher education while balancing family responsibilities, financial pressures, and academic demands. Although they demonstrated resilience …

Rewriting The Plan: Environmental Justice, Community Resistance, And Governance Power In Hollister, California, Rolan Resendiz

Dissertations

This dissertation examines how community-led resistance in Hollister, California, challenged environmental injustice and infrastructure governance through grassroots civic action. Focusing on the Hollister Guardians, a coalition of primarily Latinx residents who organized in response to concerns about the city’s sewer system, this qualitative case study introduces the Critical Just Sustainability Policy Praxis (CJSPP) framework, developed by integrating Critical Policy Analysis and the Just Sustainability Paradigm with a praxis-oriented focus on community action. Using critical document analysis of city council meeting minutes, local media coverage, and community-authored texts mainly from 2023 to 2025, the study explores how policy discourse, institutional decision-making, …

Addressing The Lack Of Representation Of Hijab-Wearing Teachers Of Color In Education, Feroza Solaiman

Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of hijab-wearing teachers of color in TK–12 public schools in Northern California. Six participants shared perspectives on representation, inclusion, exclusion, and moments of joy within their school communities. The findings highlight that increased representation of teachers of color strengthens educators’ sense of belonging, supports students’ self-esteem, and enhances both teacher and student engagement. Participants emphasized the need for greater awareness of Muslim women’s diverse cultures, languages, celebrations, dietary practices, and professional attire, as well as the importance of challenging single-story narratives through dialogue, understanding, and upstander practices. Inclusive school environments were found to …

"A Door To The Future." A Case Study In Exploratory And Culturally Sustaining Theater Curriculum, Verónica Meza

Dissertations

This study addresses the persistent inequities in access to quality arts education for Latino immigrant and linguistically diverse communities in California. Despite progressive initiatives such as Proposition 28 (The Arts and Music in Schools Act) and the California Arts Council's Racial Equity Statement, systemic barriers prevent Latino and immigrant students from benefiting equitably from the arts. The central objective of this project is to understand how an exploratory, culturally sustaining theater curriculum can serve as a transformative and healing vehicle for adult immigrant Latino students, providing emotional protection, cultural affirmation, and language preservation within a U.S. educational context. This qualitative …

Understanding The Impact Of Transfer Orientation Leadership: Student Leader Perspectives At A Mid-Sized California University, Kaci Taylor Turpin

Dissertations

Community college transfer students represent a vital source of diversity for public four-year institutions; at the same time, declining enrollments heighten the need for stronger, more functional transfer pathways between community colleges and four-year universities, especially given the significant vertical transfer gap and the unique barriers transfer students face in student leadership roles. This semi-structured interview study explored the experiential knowledge of 14 first-generation transfer student orientation leaders to understand how they navigate institutional barriers in their on-campus employment. Findings reveal that these leaders navigated institutional barriers by relying on peer networks and drawing heavily on their navigational capital. Furthermore, …

Toward An Integrated Framework For Character Education: A Comparative Analysis Of Character.Org’S 11 Principles, The Jubilee Centre Character Education Framework For Schools, And Primed For Character Education, Liliana Borrero

Dissertations

Abstract

Character education is widely recognized as an essential component of schooling; however, it lacks a coherent framework that draws on the shared conceptual ground underlying the current dominant frameworks. This qualitative study systematically compared three influential character education frameworks: Character.org’s 11 Principles for Schools, the Jubilee Centre’s Framework for Character Education in Schools, and PRIMED for Character Education. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which these frameworks converge and diverge in their conceptualizations of effective character education and to assess the feasibility of integrating their cross-cutting elements into an integrated framework. Using thematic analysis …

Examining The Relationship Between Trauma-Informed Safety Drill Practices And School-Level Chronic Absenteeism In Maine Secondary Schools, Tina Nightingale

Dissertations

School safety practices can influence students' perceptions of safety, emotional well-being, and engagement in the educational environment; however, limited research has examined whether trauma-informed safety drill practices are associated with measurable educational outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, correlational study was to examine the relationship between trauma-informed safety drill practices and school-level chronic absenteeism in Maine middle and high schools. Guided by trauma-informed care, adolescent neurodevelopment, and Protection Motivation Theory, the study investigated whether higher levels of trauma-informed implementation of safety drills, as measured by the Trauma-Informed Safety Drill Practices Index (TISDPI), were associated with lower rates of chronic …

Voices Unheard: A Phenomenological Study Of Access And Inclusion Of College Students With Autism In The Southeastern United States, Janet L. Kuchinski

Dissertations

Although access to higher education has expanded for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), many continue to encounter barriers to meaningful inclusion, belonging, and participation within the college environment. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore the lived experiences of college students with ASD regarding access and inclusion in higher education. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit five college students with ASD who were at least 19 years of age, currently enrolled in college, and registered with disability services. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted via Microsoft Teams and analyzed using established IPA procedures. …

Being Desi At School: Exploring The Racialized School Experiences Of South Asian American Youth, Prabha Kaundinya

Dissertations

Schools in America have been central areas for racialization, and as an immigrant, racial-ethnic minority population, South Asian American (SAA) students have been subjected to a variety of racialization processes (S. J. Lee et al., 2017; Rice, 2017, 2019; Subedi, 2013). However, what is known about SAA educational experiences is often based on celebratory stereotypes that proclaim their uniform success while neglecting attention towards the diversity of their needs (including academic, social-emotional, or mental health needs; Saran, 2015; Ngo & Lee, 2007; P. Patel & Patel, 2017; Pedraza & Guillaume, 2023; N. Sharma et al., 2020). This dissertation uses a …

Using Design Thinking To Support Teacher Confidence In Delivering Culturally Relevant Literacy Instruction To Address Literacy Achievement Gaps, Amy Winters

Dissertations

Despite comprehensive efforts over the years, literacy rates in the United States continued to decline, particularly among students from disadvantaged populations. The literacy achievement gap was driven by socioeconomic disparities, inadequate teacher preparation, and a lack of access to evidence-based, culturally relevant materials. In the Main School District (MSD), the scholar practitioner identified while interventions existed, inconsistencies in literacy instruction and a lack of teacher confidence in delivering culturally responsive instruction hindered student progress. The dissertation in practice focused on addressing issues in literacy instruction and achievement while highlighting ways to meet teachers’ needs and provide means to engage all …

Enhancing The Metacognitive Thinking Of Middle-Grade Multilingual Learners: A Design-Based Research Study Leveraging Dialogic Teaching, Renee R. Burns

Dissertations

This study explores how dialogic teaching can enhance metacognition and self-efficacy among middle school multilingual learners (MLs) who face challenges with the academic language demands of literacy tasks. Using a design-based research (DBR) methodology, specifically formative experiment, the Metacognitive Dialogic Teaching Protocol (MDTP) was implemented over seven iterative cycles. The research questions were as follows: How do dialogic interactions impact metacognition in middle-grade MLs? How does Metacognitive Dialogic Teaching affect comprehension development in these students? And how does it influence their self-efficacy? The participants included six middle-grade MLs engaged in a Tier 2 literacy intervention who initially exhibited fake reading …

Diverse Families Navigating Mental Health At The Pediatrician’S Office: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Interplay Of Stress, Culture, And Child Mental Health In The Primary Care Setting, Sara B. Budowsky

Dissertations

Low-income and ethnic minority youth experience high psychiatric need but persistently low participation in traditional mental health care. General pediatricians are often the first and only healthcare providers with whom many families engage around their child’s emotional and behavioral development. Using both quantitative analysis of retrospective secondary data and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of in-depth interviews with diverse caregivers, this project explored influencers of child mental health and family utilization of pediatric primary-care-based mental health services in the context of a uniquely multicultural clinic serving a predominantly Medicaid population. Three key findings include: 1) Caregiver Stress was a highly significant, …

The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence And Neuro-Linguistic Programming On Candidate Assessment In Talent Acquisition, Amna Fahim

Dissertations

Digitalization in human resource management led to the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in recruitment practices. However, although AI and NLP were adopted globally, the empirical evidence in emerging countries, especially Pakistan, was scanty. Hence, this study investigated the impacts of individually and jointly implementing AI and NLP on candidate assessment outcomes in the telecommunications industry in Pakistan. According to the literature, this study is grounded in Technological Determinism, Machine Learning Theory, Psycholinguistic Theory, and Cognitive Behaviorism. A quantitative correlational approach was used in this study. To investigate the proposed research questions, descriptive statistics, Pearson …

Disability Employment In Côte D’Ivoire: Human Resources Managers’ Experiences And Challenges, Kinanpy Vanessa Toure

Dissertations

This study examined the critical role of human resource (HR) managers in promoting workforce integration and addressing the persistent barriers faced by people with disabilities (PWDs) in Côte d'Ivoire. Focusing on the perspectives, challenges, and lived experiences of HR managers, the research explored how inclusive workplace practices were developed and implemented within the Ivorian context. Employing a qualitative case study design, the study utilized semi-structured, scenario-based interviews and analyzed allowable public documents, specifically the Ivorian Labor Code, a relevant NGO publication addressing disability inclusion in Côte d’Ivoire, and the publicly available websites of participating organizations. This approach was intended to …

Leadership Without Assimilation: Reimagining Executive Leadership Development To Affirm Black Identity And Leadership Persistence, Nicole Monroe

Dissertations

Executive leadership development programs are often treated as race-neutral pathways to advancement, yet they frequently reflect dominant cultural norms that require leaders from marginalized communities to assimilate in order to succeed. This study examined the question: How can executive leadership development be restructured to affirm Black identity, cultural intelligence, and leadership persistence rather than require assimilation into exclusionary models? This study employs a convergent mixed-methods design, including interviews with 9 Black executive leaders and a document analysis of leadership development programs using the Assimilation Pressure Index. Findings reveal persistent assimilation pressures and identity negotiation within leadership development experiences, and document …