Making Meaning Of The Dissertation Process: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study Exploring Counselor Education Students’ Experiences And Beliefs About The Traditional Dissertation Process, Brianne Dixon

Dissertations

The traditional dissertation is a cornerstone of doctoral education yet is a process that is surprisingly under-researched. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore the lived experiences of doctoral students in counselor education and supervision (CES) programs with the dissertation process. More specifically, this study sought to understand the meaning seven doctoral students made of the process and this study explored counselor educator doctoral students’ beliefs about the traditional dissertation process after they completed the dissertation This study explored three research questions. Q1 What were the lived experiences of Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) doctoral …

The Coping Of Special Education Directors In The Western United States, Emily Mrazek Jones

Dissertations

The special education director in a school district has a wide-reaching role. Directors rely on extensive knowledge of educational law, instruction, child development, employee supervision, school finance, and more to positively impact the education of students with disabilities. Due to the extensive nature of the role, the practice of special education administration has been found to be stressful, and many practitioners experience burnout. Thus far, research has explored the nature of the role, the reasons for special education director stress, and directors’ preferences on surveys of positive coping strategies, but has not stepped back to ask the directors how they …

Culturally Responsive Functional Communication Training For Asian Families: A Single-Subject Design Study, Guofeng Shen

Dissertations

Children with disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), frequently experience challenges related to social communication and are at increased risk of exhibiting challenging behaviors (CBs), particularly when they lack effective means to express their needs and desires. Functional communication training (FCT) is an evidence-based intervention shown to reduce CBs by teaching functional communication skills. However, limited research has explored the use of culturally responsive adaptations of FCT (CRFCT), particularly in the context of training parents from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds. This study addressed this gap by examining the effects of culturally responsive FCT …

Exploring The Use Of Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Practices Within The Multi-Tiered System Of Support (Mtss) Framework When Supporting Students With Disabilities At A Dual Language Immersion School, Sylvia Simmons

Dissertations

The integration of culturally and linguistically responsive practices (CLRP) within the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework has been recognized as a promising method for improving learning opportunities for diverse students. However, little to no research has been conducted on the intersection of CLRP within the MTSS framework to support students with disabilities in dual language immersion schools (DLI). This lack of research has posed challenges for educators seeking effective strategies to support diverse learners with disabilities in such settings. Therefore, the purposes of this qualitative case study were to (a) explore how a dual language immersion school utilizes the …

Student Engagement In High School Mathematics Blended Learning Classrooms, Therese A. Rinehart

Dissertations

Engagement is a student’s interest, participation, and motivation in the learning process and is a cornerstone of success in the classroom. The COVID-19 Pandemic overturned the traditional classroom, making the task of fostering engagement nearly impossible. Although pandemic-related research has largely focused on mental health and academic achievement, less attention has been given to instructional models promoting engagement in remote learning environments. Self-directed learning (SDL) is one model offering students digital autonomy and access to teachers and peers. This study examined the longitudinal data of student perceptions of their engagement through the COVID-19 Pandemic at an alternative high school and …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Administrators, Teachers, And School Personnel With Justice-Involved Students, Kandra Cosby

Dissertations

This hermeneutic phenomenological research study examined the experiences of six educational professionals, including administrators, teachers, and support staff, as they supported justice-involved students in their reintegration into traditional public schools. The study was based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, Hirschi’s social control theory, and Glasser’s choice theory. Semistructured interviews were used and revealed six themes: (a) fighting systems while trying to serve students, (b) relationships as safety nets, (c) protecting students from the stigma of judgment, (d) fighting bureaucratic silos, (e) philosophy wars in action, and (f) seeing the whole child. The findings indicated successful reintegration was less connected to …

Teacher Leadership And Specially Designed Instruction: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Teacher Leaders And Special Education Teachers In Elementary Settings, Tangie M. Rahming

Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of teacher leaders and special education teachers as they implemented Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) in elementary school settings. Despite SDI being a federally mandated component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), research consistently shows wide variation in how teachers interpret, deliver, and sustain SDI in real classrooms. Limited professional development, inconsistent coaching structures, and varying understandings of SDI across schools contribute to persistent gaps in implementation fidelity. To address these challenges, this study explored how teacher leaders support SDI implementation and how special education teachers make meaning of their instructional …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Teaching And Learning In High School Social Studies Curricula In Georgia: A Case Study, Sharon Ann Mcmeans-Lukiri

Dissertations

Despite increasing diversity within Georgia’s high school student population, it remains unclear to what extent social studies teachers incorporate Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) in the planning and implementation of their instruction. Recent research indicates that many educators continue to struggle with developing effective instructional practices that meet the learning needs of students from vulnerable communities (Liasidou & Symeou, 2018). Students from these communities often experience lower academic achievement (Ladson-Billings, 2009), and when the curriculum fails to reflect or respond to their cultural backgrounds, they are more likely to disengage from school (Ladson-Billings, 2009). This gap between students’ cultural needs and …

A Phenomenographical Study Of Rural Teacher Retention Before, During, And After The Covid-10 Global Pandemic, Stacey Lb Collins

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This phenomenographical study investigated rural teachers’ perceptions regarding their decisions to remain teaching in rural areas, with attention to experiences before, during, and after the COVID-19 global pandemic. The research was guided by two questions: (1) What experiences do rural teachers perceive impact their decision to remain teaching in rural school systems before, during, and after the COVID-19 global pandemic? and (2) How do rural teachers perceive the role of school administrators in retaining teachers in rural systems, before, during, and after the COVID-19 global pandemic? Participants were teachers who served in rural districts prior to, during, and after …

Civics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Disciplinary Literacy Strategies That Use Primary Sources: A Case Study, Whitney Williams

Dissertations

This study has been designed as a case study to examine teachers’ perceptions of document-based strategies when combined with primary sources as pedagogical tools. The participants were ninth grade civics teachers. Semi-structured interviews, focused observations, and artifact collection were the sources of collected data. As the researcher, my constructivism guided this study through the lens of Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT). Therefore, the participants’ perception will be interpreted through SCT concepts such as personal influences, behavioral influences, and environmental influences. Findings show a handful of disciplinary literacy strategies that occurred most often across all participants. Teachers valued an emphasis …

“The Goal Is To Help The Community”: Motivations And Experiences Of Diverse Families In A Special Education Parent Advocacy Program, Diana Cruz

Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) entitles parents of eligible students with disabilities to meaningful participation in their children’s educational planning. Despite this mandate, many parents encountered barriers that limited their ability to participate in special education processes. These challenges were amplified for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families who often lacked the social and cultural capital needed to navigate the system (Trainor, 2010b). Culturally and linguistically diverse parents experience systemic barriers such as limited interpretation, discrimination, and cultural differences that restrict their engagement (Buren et al., 2018; Doucet, 2011; Harry, 2008; Kalyanpur et al., 2000; Sanders-Smith et …

Narrative Economics Of Sports Gambling Legalization: A Case Study Of The United States, Tyler John Hajek

Dissertations

Following the end of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, legalized sports betting has become prevalent in the United States (U.S.). Most states legalized the activities due to consumer interest and financial potential for tax revenue generation. The purpose of this study was to explore how legalized sports betting influenced tax revenues in the initial years of expanded adoption in the U.S. To address this purpose, the research questions were structured to uncover if states collectively benefited from the introduction of legalized sports betting, what states have financially benefitted from the implementation of legalized sports betting, and …

Exploring The Integration Of Social And Emotional Learning In Chinese High School Music Courses, Yao Lu

Dissertations

Social and emotional learning has become increasingly important in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health and emotional well-being of students have received unprecedented attention. However, in China, social and emotional learning is still a relatively new concept. High school students are in a critical period for self-identification and the development of values. Academic competition and peer comparisons have increased significantly, making them more in need of systematic, operational SEL support. Music, as a “natural carrier” of emotions, can externalize, identify, and regulate individual emotions, and can also cultivate empathy and relationship skills in collaborative settings such …

The Psychological Impacts Of Higher Education Educators During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ashlee Morgan Kemp

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of higher education educators—specifically stress, anxiety, depression, alienation, and burnout—and to identify the coping strategies they employed while adapting to emergency hybrid instruction. This study was guided by the following research questions: What were the primary psychological impacts on higher education instructors’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? How did the pandemic influence instructors’ experiences of stress, anxiety, depression, alienation, and burnout? Additionally, in what ways did educators cope with the instructional and professional challenges that emerged during this period? Guided by a …

Lgbtq+ Adolescents With Disabilities’ Experiences Of School Connectedness And Identity Navigation, Lyndsay Loretta Mccabe

Dissertations

In the United States, LGBTQ+ students have recently faced a barrage of school-based anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and policies (American Civil Liberties Union, 2025). Little is known about the effects of such policies and the overall sociopolitical climate on school connectedness and identity navigation for LGBTQ+ adolescents with disabilities. School connectedness, or the degree to which students feel that they belong at their school, is associated with numerous academic, behavioral, and social-emotional benefits (K. Allen et al., 2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022b). Students who are at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, such as LGBTQ+ adolescents with disabilities, …

Effects Of Exercise Timing On Circadian Rhythm And Functional Outcomes In Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment, Buck Williams Covington Ii

Dissertations

Poor sleep quality and circadian rhythm disruption are commonly reported among cancer survivors and may contribute to worsened health outcomes, including increased fatigue, psychological distress, and reduced quality of life. While some recent studies suggest that exercise can improve sleep and circadian regulation in cancer survivors, limited research exists on how the timing of this exercise affects these outcomes in cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 12-week supervised exercise intervention, performed either in the morning (AX) or evening (PX), on functional capacity, subjective and objective sleep quality, and peripheral markers of circadian …

A Qualitative Examination Of Sport Management Faculty Challenges Faced During Implementation Of Game-Based Learning Within The Classroom, Yash Kishore Padhye

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of sport management faculty in implementing game-based learning and to identify the institutional and instructional challenges they face across Doctoral Research Universities (Research 1 [R1] institutions), Doctoral Research Universities [Research 2 [R2] institutions), Research 3 (Research Colleges and Universities [R3]), and teaching-focused institutions. Guided by the Theory of Gamified Learning and Bloom’s Taxonomy, this research explored how institutional context, faculty workload, and available resources influence the adoption of game-based learning. Using purposive and snowball sampling, 20 sport management faculty members were interviewed, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis …

Emotion Beliefs, Emotion Regulation, And Dyadic Coping In Couples, Emily Corrinne Bach

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to extend the existing literature on and better understand the relationships between emotion beliefs, emotion regulation (ER), and dyadic coping (DC) in romantic relationships. While prior research has examined how ER relates to emotion beliefs and DC, this study was the first to integrate these three domains and to investigate how emotion beliefs may also influence the regulation of others’ emotions. A nationally representative sample of 317 adults (18-65) were recruited through Prolific (total cost $1150). Two conceptual models were developed to examine the direct and indirect effects of maladaptive emotion beliefs on DC …

Student Perceptions Of The Impact Of Faculty Race And Gender On Their Sense Of Connectedness, Engagement, And Persistence, Sherrie Y. Fuller

Dissertations

This quantitative study examined how faculty demographic characteristics, specifically race and gender, influence undergraduate students’ perceptions of connectedness, engagement, and persistence at a public Midwestern university. Guided by Tinto’s Model of Student Integration (1975, 1993, 2012), the research explored whether perceived alignment between student and faculty identities contributes to students’ sense of belonging and motivation to persist toward degree completion. Data were collected from 100 undergraduate participants representing diverse racial, gender, and academic backgrounds. Participants completed a researcher-developed survey instrument utilizing a four-point Likert scale to measure connectedness, engagement, and persistence.

A Line In The Sand: Investigating Late Pleistocene-Holocene Stratigraphy And Large-Scale Morphodynamic Evolution Along The Mississippi Coast, Carrie Miller

Dissertations

The imprints of past geomorphic evolution are embedded in the geologic record, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms that induce changes within coastal systems and the magnitude of those changes. Large-scale paleo morphodynamic evolution often occurs due to cyclonic activity, variations in sediment supply, and relative sea-level rise. The landscape of the U.S. Gulf Coast reflects a combination of erosional, depositional, hydrological, and climatic factors that remain of ongoing interest to geoscientists seeking a holistic understanding. Low- lying coastal plains, such as those along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, are particularly susceptible to future sea-level rise. Projected sea-level rise over …

Sex And Danger, Airborne Ranger: A Historical Analysis Of G.I. Songs, Jody Calls, And Marching Cadences, Travis G. Salley

Dissertations

Military marching cadences have long served as a core feature of basic combat training, reinforcing cohesion, discipline, and esprit de corps. Tradition attributes their origin to a Black soldier, Private Willie Duckworth, who lifted the spirits of his unit with an improvised chant during a 1944 forced march. The chant soon gained national attention and was formally adopted into Army training through the efforts of Colonel Bernard Lentz—Duckworth’s commanding officer and the author of the Army’s close order drill manual. Their relationship, framed by military hierarchy and racial inequality, reflects broader American patterns where Black cultural forms gain institutional legitimacy …

Do Need For Cognition And Need For Affect Moderate The Relationship Between Lecture Style, Learning Strategies, And Retention?, Mary Chapman

Dissertations

Boredom is detrimental to academic achievement. Using shallow learning strategies such as rote memorization is similarly unfavorable for success in academic settings compared to using deep learning strategies such as generating examples. Such is the consensus among scholars, but research conducted in both constructs reveals inconsistencies. The purpose of this study was to experimentally manipulate boredom and learning strategies to determine how boredom and learning strategies impact achievement, as well as to investigate whether certain individual differences, need for cognition and need for affect, change the relationships between boredom, learning strategies, and retention. In an online study, I recruited 131 …

Stayin’ Alive: Examining The Moderating Effect Of Suicide Resilience On The Relationship Between Sexual Minority Stress And Subjective Well-Being, Natalie A. Sachs

Dissertations

Suicidality among sexual minorities is concerning and results from increased social stress, societal stigma, and experiences of discrimination. The effects of sexual minority stress (SMS) lead to negative outcomes for sexual minority college students. The purpose of the current study was to better understand the role of suicide resilience in moderating the adverse effects of SMS among sexual minority college students. The following research questions and hypotheses guided this study: Q1 Does SMS have any effect on subjective well-being among college-student sexual minority individuals (SMIs)? Q2 Does SMS have any effect on suicide resilience among college student SMIs? Q3 To …

Pilot Study Of The Barriers To Exercise Adherence And Motivation (Beam) Questionnaire For Adults With Osteoarthritis, Haley Ciara Hughes

Dissertations

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition affecting over 33 million adults in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024). While exercise is one of the leading, non-pharmacological treatments for OA (Zhang et al., 2008), patients often struggle to meet physical activity guidelines, increasing their risk of lifelong disability, falls, and dependence (Wallis et al., 2013). Researchers in physiotherapy have struggled to identify effective, individualized treatments to improve exercise adherence for patients with OA that maintain long-term effects (Ezzat et al., 2015); an area behavior analysts could offer insight and guidance. Behavior analysts have developed indirect functional …

Fungal Biodiversity, Microbial Communities, And Ecosystem Function In Non-Perennial Streams, Charles T. Bond

Dissertations

A global majority of steams are non-perennial, drying at some point in time and space. Despite the vital roles that fungi and other microbes play in stream ecosystems, most research on stream microbiomes comes from perennial (continuously flowing) streams. The present series of studies addresses this research gap by examining microbial community composition and function in non-perennial streams, with an emphasis on fungi. Chapter I reviews existing scientific literature on the ecological processes that shape microbiome structure and function in non-perennial streams and outlines the varieties of fungi that may live there. Chapter II uses rDNA metabarcoding to survey fungal …

Finding Utopia: An Examination Of Pedagogical Approaches To Teaching Utopianism In U.S. College Classrooms, Brittany Page Brake

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how, and if, utopianism is being taught in college classrooms across the United States. Long considered impractical, overly idealistic, and/or politically dangerous, utopianism has been largely marginalized in political science and American culture. However, this project finds that there are instructors teaching utopianism and they are using the concept to challenge students to think differently about governance, justice, and institutional design. Drawing from political theory literature, course syllabi submitted by faculty from different U.S. universities, interviews with instructors, and personal case studies of my own courses at Central State University and Manchester University, I explore how utopian …

Three Funny Things: A Multicultural Validation, Jon Hook

Dissertations

This dissertation evaluated the efficacy of Three Funny Things, a humor-based positive psychology intervention (PPI) designed to enhance subjective well-being (SWB) and reduce depressive symptoms. Subjective well-being was operationalized through self-reported happiness, measured by the Authentic Happiness Inventory (AHI), and depressive symptomatology, measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). A repeated-measures design was employed across three time points: baseline (Time 1), post-intervention (Time 2), and one-month follow-up (Time 3). Participants (N = 126) represented a racially diverse community sample, including individuals identifying as White (61%), Black or African American (18%), Hispanic or Latino/a (11%), Asian (6%), and …

Development And Validation Of A Thermal Model For An Electric Vehicle Transmission, Ghazal Rajabikhorasani

Dissertations

This research investigates the thermal behavior of a high-speed electric vehicle (EV) helical gearbox with the goal of improving the prediction accuracy of component temperatures and total power losses under a range of operating conditions. The study focuses on developing a physics-based lumped-parameter thermal network model capable of capturing the main heat generation and dissipation mechanisms within the transmission. The model integrates experimentally validated loss correlations for gears, bearings, seals, and churning, as well as convective and radiative heat transfer paths.

The thermal network model was coded in MATLAB and validated through a series of controlled experiments performed on an …

Development Of The Hydrogeology Concept Inventory And Exploration Of Its Embedded Spatial Thinking Components, Oluwarotimi Akindele Popoola

Dissertations

Hydrogeology is a sub-discipline of geoscience that deals with the occurrence and movement of water and possible contaminants within the subsurface. Understanding basic principles of hydrogeology is important for applying practical solutions to hydrogeology problems. Hydrogeology is a visuospatial discipline in which spatial thinking skills play a significant role. To assess the hydrogeology knowledge of students, a valid and reliable assessment instrument with spatial components is required.

This research was conducted as a series of quantitative studies with three goals: (1) to develop the Hydrogeology Concept Inventory (HCI), a valid and reliable measure of upper-level undergraduate students’ hydrogeology knowledge, (2) …

A Content Analysis To Investigate The Evidence Of National And State Health And Physical Education Curriculum Standards In Illinois High Schools, Amber Lyn Stewart

Dissertations

Does curriculum in Illinois high schools have evidence of National and State Health and Physical Education Standards? This study consisted of a quantitative descriptive content analysis to examine the extent to which Illinois high school curriculum material included National and State physical education and health standards. The researcher utilized a rubric that was aligned to the three sets of standards: SHAPE America’s National Physical Education Standards; the National Health Education Standards; and the Illinois Learning Standards for Physical Development and Health. The primary aim was to thoroughly examine how the standards are currently integrated. Research Question 1 (RQ1) asked, “What …