Education Commons^™

"It’S A Lot Of Work To Be Native": Using Storytelling To Examine The Needs Of Native American Students At The University Of San Diego, Kasandra Tong

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

The University of San Diego’s (USD) Race/Ethnicity Federal Reports show that for the last 17 years, the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native students at USD has not risen above 1% (University of San Diego, n.d.). This data requires further disaggregation because the current data only represents students that solely checked American Indian/Alaska Native and does not include students who identify as biracial or multi-racial. The purpose of my research was to identify what efforts are needed to improve the experience of Native American students at USD. My research question was what factors are needed to improve the existing experience of …

Asian American Undergraduates Sense Of Belonging At A Predominantly White Institution, Miso Jang

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

In the fall of 2019, institutionalized data reported that Asian American undergraduate students had a lower sense of belonging at the University of San Diego (USD) in comparison to white peers. This action research paper explores the needs and experiences of the Asian American undergraduate student population at USD— a predominantly white, private, religious-based institution. This research is centered around the question, “How can Student Affairs professionals better understand and support Asian American undergraduate students and their sense of belonging at a predominantly White institution?” Through ten semi-structured interviews and one community focus group, participating students associated their sense of …

Analyzing The Impact Of Student Involvement And Leadership Development On Academic Achievement, Kalie Sabajo

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

This study examined my effectiveness in supporting students’ use of the CSUSM Co-Curricular Model to deepen their understanding of and ability to articulate transferable skills between academics, employment, and extracurriculars, motivated by the following research question: (a) How can I, as a professional staff in student activities, support the students I serve to connect academic achievement and engagement in leadership development and student involvement? Data was collected through student self-evaluations, weekly one-on-one meetings, and larger group surveys with seven undergraduate students and three faculty members. My findings informed further implementation of the Co-Curricular Model in campus-wide programs and student evaluations.

Reshaping What Emerges: Empowering Student Employees To Be Authentic, Amber Williams

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

The purpose of my study was to understand who my students are authentically and discover what keeps them from being authentic within the workplace. I focused on culturally minoritized students in the context of professional expectations and intersecting identities. The research questions that guided my study are: How do I help students be authentic in their role as culturally minoritized employees at a multicultural center? What does authenticity look like for the students I work with, and where do they find it most difficult to express their most authentic selves within the United Front Multicultural Center? What interventions and/or practices …

A Movement Against And Beyond Boundaries: Exploring The Impact Of Transgressive Teaching On The Student Affairs Practices Of White, Heterosexual Men, Conor Mclaughlin

Dissertations

Transgressive teaching can have a substantive and transformative impact on the experiences of students in primary, secondary, and higher education classrooms. Transgressive teaching is exemplified by the engaged pedagogy outlined by bell hooks in the seminal work Teaching to Transgress, in which teachers seek to engage spaces of learning in deeper and more holistic ways. Scholars have theorized transgressive teaching, when implemented by student affairs professionals, can have similar effects on the experiences of students, especially those from identity groups which have historically been marginalized in higher education. However, there is a limited understanding of the experiences of student affairs …

Campus Mental Health Practices And The Stigma Of Mental Illness: A Quantitative Analysis Of Student Affairs Professionals, Megan Krone

Dissertations

Around half of undergraduate college students will experience mental illness to some extent during their academic careers, yet a low percentage of students experiencing signs and symptoms of mental illness will seek help despite the availability of proven, effective treatments. The field of higher education has demonstrated a genuine concern for individuals with mental illnesses and mental health care on campuses, yet implementation of practices that connect students to treatment is inconsistent and effectiveness is uncertain.

This study searched for associations between campus practices and campus culture regarding mental illness. While institutions of higher education are using both traditional and …