Education Commons^™

A Post Pandemic Analysis Of Covid-19 And The Impact On Mental Health Of High School Student-Athletes—Today, More Than Ever Minds Matter, Pastora Hernandez Barbee

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The cancellation of sporting opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic caused many student-athletes to feel deprived of the only outlet they had, which held a significant component of their personal and athletic identities (Grubic et al. 2021). This study aimed to answer the following research question: What are the experiences of high school student-athletes in a Pacific Northwest school district with access and support for holistic wellness in a post-pandemic COVID-19 school environment? The research methodology used was the wellness theory framework (Adams, Bezner, & Steinhardt, 1997). A total of seven student-athletes participated in the study through in-depth interviews. From the …

Creating And Maintaining High-Quality Educational Spaces For Black Children: Challenges And Strategies, Darius B. Mensah

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Public education in the United States offers disparate outcomes that negatively impact Black children. Leaders who go against the norms and create spaces where Black children thrive face professional and personal challenges. Yet educators still do this work, employing strategies to protect their work and themselves. This study explores how educational leaders describe their experiences in creating and sustaining high-quality educational environments for Black students through the lens of Critical Race Theory. Nine participants, including the author, describe their backgrounds, their entry into the field of education, their professional and personal challenges, and the strategies they have used to persist …

Off The Rez: Witnessing Indigenous Knowledges Through Social Media, Deborah Hales

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The term “Off the Rez” is used, in the title, to mean research that is not done on a reservation or in urban areas. This study aims to discover if social media can be used as an innovative option for non-Indigenous allies to conduct respectful research. The study research questions were, (1) can social media be used as a research tool, to witness Indigenous Knowledges? (2) Can social media be used as research, by non-Indigenous research allies, to have the least impact on Indigenous communities?

This research was conducted using social media, with selected Indigenous participants who were 18, identified …

Still Just White-Framed: Continued Coloniality, Hispanic Serving Institutions, And Latin@/X Students, Ilda Guzman

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

Throughout the Pacific Northwest there are a total of 12 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) with an average Latin@/x undergraduate full-time enrollment rate of 33.7 percent. In order to be designated as HSIs, institutions of higher education must have an enrollment rate of 25 percent or more students who identify as Latin@/x. HSIs became recognized in the late 1980s when a small number of higher education institutions enrolled a large number of Latin@/x students, yet did not have the resources to successfully educate the students (Excelencia, 2019). Since then, HSIs have consistently and continuously risen in Latin@/x enrollments. To date, …

Mechanisms Of Biases And Cultural Literacy In International Language Education: One Such Story To Carry, Yukari Birkett

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Despite equity and inclusion initiatives, the English based colonial model has permeated the kindergarten to college systems, teaching/learning, theories and methods, the perception of second language acquisition, multiculturalism, and language education (Knowles et al., 2015; Macedo, 2019; Phillips & Abbot, 2011; Battiste, 2013). Additionally, cognitive neuroscientific discoveries of the complexity of language learning, emotional intelligence, and cultural literacy systematically failed to reach educators. Few studies have focused on what factors impact on cultural biases of foreign language learners, or what factors in learning facilitate the dismantling of durable biases. What are the hidden agendas for teaching and learning foreign languages? …

University Staff: Indigenous Sovereignty And Justice Online, Star Berry

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

United States (U.S.) public research universities generally deliver problematic diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts that erase Indigenous, Transgender, and Disabled staff through online formats and representations. This qualitative explanatory study describes the DEI common language as one of compliance, erasure, and management through a review of 17 high and very high research universities as defined by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education®. Of these universities, seven are also land grant universities. The frameworks applied include Indigenous Feminist Theory (Waterman, 2018) and Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991). The results from this review demonstrate universities’ differing institutional commitments to Indigenous, Transgender, …

Asian American Community College Presidents: An Asiancrit Analysis Of Their Approaches To Leadership, Johnny Hu

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

This study explores the experiences of five current and former Asian American community college presidents including their career transitions into executive leadership using an AsianCrit analysis for framing their narrative experiences. The literature review situates the experiences of Asian American community college presidents in various contexts by providing a brief summary of several historical moments and political movements that have shaped the realities they currently confront as higher education leaders. This study employed a Critical Race Theory (CRT) approach to counter storytelling to analyze the participants’ narratives both individually and thematically based on their social identities as Asian Americans and …

Slow Progress Towards Equity At A Hispanic-Serving Institution (Hsi): A Case Study, Paulette Lopez

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

This case study examined how a specific Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) pursues an institutional equity agenda. Through interviews with sixteen full-time employees representing a two-year public institution of higher education in the Pacific Northwest, this study explored faculty and staff perceptions of the purpose of an HSI designation and the intentionality of serving Latina/o students. The literature review provides a historical context of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and the role MSIs serve in higher education. Themes identified through an in-depth thematic analysis include knowledge and awareness of HSIs, serving and supporting students, access and opportunities, and sense of community. Findings revealed the …

Reframing Internationalization: Faculty Beliefs And Teaching Practices, Marco Tulluck

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

This study applies Critical Race Theory as a critical lens to gain a clearer understanding of highly racialized policies and teaching practices around international student engagement in US higher education. The findings help to inform higher education leaders of how to support faculty to foster more inclusive and affirming learning environments for international students of color and other diverse student populations.

This mixed methods study employed a modified version of the Colorblind and Multicultural Ideology of STEM Faculty Measure as well as focus group interviews to gain a more complex understanding of how university faculty members’ beliefs align with colorblind …

Social Constructivism: An Andragogical Praxis For Critical Thinking Instruction And Evaluation With Graduate Social Work Students, Luella Loudenback

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Critical thinking skills are requisite for graduate social work students to transition competently into professional practice. This mixed methods study was conducted to explore current instruction and evaluation methods for critical thinking skill development. The extent to which faculty perceived changes in student outcomes since the 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards change related to critical thinking skills, was also studied. This study was designed to link critical thinking and social work education in the context of social constructivism as an andragogical praxis for the development of critical thinking skills. The quantitative findings were interpreted to identify multiple approaches for …

Using Student And Staff Perceptions To Guide Training And Practice, Cynthia Sherrod

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Despite the notable positive outcomes SWPBIS has for students, schools sometimes struggle with effective and successful implementation. SWPBIS is a complex systems change effort which may prove to be overwhelming for some schools to effectively implement without the necessary preliminary supports in place. System change efforts provide an avenue to approach the work of implementing SWPBIS. The present case study examined use of staff and student perceptions of behavior and discipline to design and provide targeted staff training through PLCs. Findings demonstrate some improvements in Tier I SWPBIS implementation. However several barriers were also identified in the course of this …

Change Management And Guided Pathways: Creating A Plan For Implementation At A Washington State Community College, Sandra Spadoni, Saovra Ear

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Objective: This article addresses a problem of practice in community college leadership: how to effectively use change management strategies to implement a guided pathways model at a community college. Guided pathways is a recent national movement to create more structured and better coordinated academic pathways within community colleges. Using the case study of one Washington State community college looking to implement this model, we identified change management strategies for community college leaders seeking to implement the guided pathways model. Methods: We conducted interviews with national consultants, state system leaders, and college leaders around the country who have effectively …

The Cultural Isolation Of Providers And Educators Caused By Stigma And Compassion Fatigue When Serving Survivors Of Invisible Wounds, Bronwyn G. Pughe

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to give voice to the lived experience of providers and educators regarding stigma and compassion fatigue. In this study, using critical social theory as a lens, I seek to understand how providers and educators experience and recognize the stigma they carry, their own compassion fatigue and what they do to stay healthy—including mental physical, emotional/psychological, intellectual, and spiritual health.