Education Commons^™

The Black Feminist Scholar Collective: Empowering Black Women In Higher Education, Mariama Quist

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis addresses how a Black feminist approach in higher education institutions can contribute to the success of African American women students at predominantly white institutions. More specifically, I examine the barriers African American women students face and their strategies to seek support at their university. I utilized the methodology of Critical Action Research to analyze the interlocking systems of oppression that affect African American women as they navigate their undergraduate careers. In this thesis, I propose an organization, the Black Feminist Scholar Collective, that will empower African American women attending PWIs through mentoring, workshops, and smaller programs. The …

Getting Ahead Of The Game: Financial Fundamentals For Prospective College Students, Dia Taliaferro

West Chester University Master’s Theses

As the cost of college and student loan debt increase, there is also a concern with the lack of financial literacy from Black low-income students. Students are eager to attend college and obtain a college degree, yet they are barely prepared academically and financially. Not only are students unaware of the total cost to attend college but their support system (parents/guardian and family) are also not familiar with the basic financial fundamentals to prepare for higher education. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the influences and resources available to Black low-income students. Colleges and universities can support prospective …

Her Melanin: Creating Courageous Conversations For Combating Imposter Syndrome For Black Women In Higher Education, Nzingha Wright

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Black women are constantly overlooked within higher education institutions, which is influenced by the systematic racism and sexism embedded in our society and higher education practices. My thematic concern looks to help Black female students understand, process, and overcome the feelings of imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern of doubting one’s accomplishments, causing a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. This occurs when societal expectations of one's identity does not align with their own. Using the methodology of critical action research, I analyze how external factors of intersecting oppression influence Black women to experience imposter …

(Re)Defining Writing Instruction: Implementing An Anti-Racist Approach To Writing Instruction And Assessment In The Secondary English Classroom, Emily Wisniewski

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The traditional writing workshop model and assessment practices commonly used in secondary classrooms are systematically racist and harmful to the development of young writers. To counter the damaging effects of racially discriminatory practices in secondary writing classrooms, educators must review and redefine their pedagogical approaches to create a safe, anti-racist environment for all students. By centering the scholarship of Felicia Rose Chavez and Asao Inoue, this thesis establishes a model of anti-racist pedagogy in the secondary classroom to help educators dismantle white supremacy in writing instruction and assessment so that students are empowered to find their voices without the fear …

Restructuring Enrollment Management Policies At Hbcus: The Next 184 Year Initiative, Kathleen Rzucidlo

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were created in the early 1800s during times of segregation and explicit racism. HBCUs continue to play a very key role in educating students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds but continue to focus on the development of Black students in the United States. Currently there are 101 HBCUs in 19 states and in Washington D.C. and the Caribbean. For my thematic concern, I will be tackling the concern of why being student success focused in enrollment management approaches are critical at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and how student success and support practices …

Identity Development As A Pathway To Self-Authorship: A Restructure Of Neoliberal Programming Practices, Christopher Mychajluk

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The original purpose of student affairs was to help develop the whole student outside of just academics. I argue that to develop the whole student, student affairs professionals must aid in students’ exploration of self-authorship. Student affairs professionals do this work by putting on programs that allow students to explore their identities. I explore how this work is compromised by neoliberalism and as a result silos students’ ability to explore their whole self. To mitigate this issue, I propose a two-part intervention that restructures student affairs programming budgets as one shared budget in order to facilitate the formation of large-scale …

Re-Storying The Cost Of Higher Education: A Narrative Approach To Addressing The Racial Disparities In Student Loan Debt, Sarah Yaskowski

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis investigates educational debt as a racialized construct resulting from deeply entrenched disparities expounded by the current marketization of higher education. Once hailed as a pathway to the American Dream, pursuing a college education meant access to the middle class which promised greater social capital and socioeconomic mobility. Yet for many students, specifically minority students of color who carry disproportionate amounts of educational debt fueled by this false promise, the realities of this pursuit are far direr. By framing the discussion through the theoretical lens of Critical Race Theory, this research attempts a more critical review of the discriminatory …

Over-Privileged And Under-Challenged: Leadership Programming To Challenge Collegiate Hegemonic Masculinity, Kaitlin Mcintyre

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Student affairs and higher education scholars have recently identified several problematic trends regarding the engagement, retention, performance, and behavior of college men across campuses. Concerns for college men’s lack of engagement worsen regarding leadership development, as not only do college men participate in leadership programming at very low rates, but they also have alarmingly low capacities for socially responsible leadership. This indicates that the scarce leadership programming college men are participating in is ineffective and underwhelming as an educative tool. In this thesis, I urge student affairs practitioners to provide college men with opportunities for leadership development that both challenge …

Making College Campuses Safer For Students Of Color, Lasheree Snyder

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis will address the racial attitudes on college campuses that have a negative effect on students of color. More specifically, I will be shining light not only on the need for action within higher education, but also the long-term and short-term mental and physical damages that rob students of their right to an equal educational experience. Through the usage of Critical Action Research as my conceptual framework and methodology, it has allowed me to share the common power struggle and challenges that students of color face on college campuses today when dealing with racism and prejudice. I propose a …

A Queer Approach To Sex Education: An Analysis Of The Insufficiency Of Access Without Education, Rebecca Seeley

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This master’s thesis is a critical action research proposal for an undergraduate advocacy leadership role that is based philosophically and theoretically on the need for sex education resources for queer & trans students of color in universities. American culture is historically uncomfortable with and outwardly opposed to education on sex and sexuality, which often prevents queer identified people from receiving the distinct education and resources necessary to protect themselves from STIs or unhealthy relationships. Although this education is often provided, it is often unknowingly designed for their straight counterparts, which excludes and denies the queer student from participating in this …

Leading For Change: Incorporating The Values Of The Liberal Arts In Student Affairs Practice, Ben Shalk

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Higher education, once a public good, has undergone a period of systemic divestment. The business model of the university, perpetuated by neoliberalism, has changed the values of higher education. Traditionally, the core mission of higher education created critically-engaged citizens who sought to democratize society. In its current state, higher education has lost its status as a public good that benefited all of society. The liberal arts can reinvigorate higher education by reengaging students through contemplative methods. Student affairs educators live in a world of limited budgets and neoliberal practices. The connection of neoliberalism to their work in student affairs will …

New State Of Mind: A Living Learning Community For Out-Of-State Students, Molly Rorick

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The term out-of-state resonates with any person who does not permanently live in a particular state but has visited from across state lines multiple times. In this case it is in relation to students who have decided to pursue their education at an institution that is located in a different state. This thesis examines the lack of resources for OOS students living within the university's walls using the lens of transition theory. With the lack of resources, this creates a barrier between the student and their potential for their success. New State of Mind is a proposed intervention, which opens …

Ccure: Campus & Community United For Recovery Efforts, Alexandra Schmied

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The CCURE pilot program combats historical stigma and the current lack of support for students in recovery from Substance Use Disorder during their collegiate careers. Using the ideas of Paulo Freire and Michael Oakeshott, the author’s philosophy states education should be continual, communal, and accessible. The CCURE program intervention outlines a Living Learning Community in a six-bed recovery house on campus in conjunction with a seminar course taught by campus partners. Student development theories such as Schlossberg's Mattering and Marginality & Transition Theories; best practices found in public health, and at Rutgers University, Augsburg University, and the University of Delaware …

Re-Establishing The Value Of Family And Consumer Science In The General Middle School Curriculum, Cassidy Wallace

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Family and consumer science is a subject that carries a complex cultural legacy. Beginning as a response to the social upheaval of the industrial revolution, family and consumer started as home economics, and was split between elevating the importance of the domestic arts and applying science to traditionally domestic tasks to both improve homelife and create new fields of academic research. While second goal was reached, and we now have food science, sanitation engineering, and materials research, among others, family and consumer science is still often relegated to domestic associations. However, family and consumer science is still relevant and powerful …

Correcting The Lack Of Representation And Support For Lgbtq Students In School, Colleen O'Neill

West Chester University Master’s Theses

While some progress has been made toward the inclusion of previously excluded historically marginalized communities from school curricula, there remains a notable absence of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) community. Specifically, the LGBTQIA+ community is considered controversial to address in schools because anything outside of the heterosexual, cisgender norm conflicts with some people’s religious and political beliefs. Though school administrators may insist that the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ content in schools is in violation of public schools’ duty to remain neutral, the purposeful omission of such is a political act in itself.

This program will emphasize the …

Re-Forging Democracy In Schools Through The History Of American Social Movements, Jonathan Privado

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Democratic virtue and spirit are severely lacking in the traditional school setting. With so many threats to the planet, the nation, and democracy as a whole, direct action, and active civic engagement are more important than ever. The traditional social studies and history curriculums of schools, both sanitized and passive, often claim to prepare students for citizenry, but are actually ill preparing students for the challenge and the necessity of genuine civic engagement. In particular, one of the most egregious offenders within the domain of the social studies is the traditional American history curriculum. In most cases, as this study …

I Don’T Really Work Here: Part-Time Faculty And The Adjunctification Of Higher Ed., Maggie Cawley

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This critical action research thesis will explore the 40-year rise of adjunctification, the term coined to describe the increased reliance on adjunct and contingent labor in institutions of higher education. This thesis will examine adjunctification’s detrimental effects on teaching in higher education as a profession, on adjuncts and contingent teachers, and on students. Institutional overreliance on adjunct faculty as cheap, ad hoc labor flies in the face of the role that education should play in society: to develop student potentiality and capacity for critical thought. I believe that the casualization of teaching and the subsequent rise of adjunctification preclude these …

Exploring The Responsibilities Of Student Affairs Educators To Student Activists, Catia Rembert

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis addresses the need for student affairs professionals to effectively support student activists. More specifically, entry and mid-level professionals need to develop and cultivate skills that will allow sustainable and meaningful support for student activists of color. Using a critical action research framework I analyzed the ways in which hierarchy affects the ability of student affairs professionals to provide effective advocacy and support. I propose a student led summer professional development series that shifts power dynamics from the student affairs professional to the student activist. An effective leader of this intervention would be someone who is immersed in activism …

Name, Image, And Likeness Rights As A Means To Student-Athlete Self-Authorship, Wesley Hamilton

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Today, the common discourse surrounding student-athletes’ Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Rights is evolving from an archaic sense of paternalism and conservative protectionism to various forms of redistribution such as salaries and endorsement rights. Although I have found the NCAA’s protectionist stance on amateurism to be outdated, I do not find the salarying of student-athletes to be tenable for the majority of higher education institutions. The NCAA should roll back their codes (2.9, 2.13, 12.4.4, 15.1, in particular) restricting student-athlete NIL rights in order to maximize these students’ potential for self-authorship. To support student-athletes bfore, during, and after this legislative …

Building Bridges: Overcoming Barriers To College Access For Low-Income And Working-Class Students, Sarah Mcguckin

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis will explore the barriers that cause a lack of access to higher education for low-income and working-class students. My own experience as a working-class, firstgeneration college student has had a direct influence on my interest and exploration of this concern. There are four specific barriers highlighted within this thesis: discrepancies in education at the primary and secondary level, lack of familial knowledge, economic disparities, and a phenomenon known as summer melt. I believe that higher education should be a given right so that one can develop one’s ontological vocation. I utilize philosophers and theorists such as Paulo Friere …

P.E.A.R Participation, Education, Action, And Resources: Combating Food Insecurity Through Collaboration, Aileen Assumma

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Students have been negatively impacted socially, academically and personally through the inability to provide enough nutritious meals to fuel their bodies. The higher education public system should be seen as a collaborative effort to educate institution employees on the issue of food insecurity as the first step in combating food insecurity among their local community. Creating a group of Community Advocates made up of members across the community will provide the opportunity for institutions to examine the systemic barriers put in place within higher education systems that hinder student ability to have sufficient access to food sources. I will validate …

Transformative Education For Autistic Students: Sustainable Employment Readiness Training For Autistic Students, Maryellen Stephens

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Higher education institutions are in the business of transforming neurotypical students into becoming fully human and flourishing into employable graduates that contribute to societal development while failing to be fully inclusive of the needs of students on the autism spectrum. To address these concerns, I propose a developmental employment readiness program for matriculated autistic students. The Autism Workforce Program will transform the system of higher education to be more inclusive of the needs of the autism population and their growing unemployment rate. This program will provide employment training opportunities, job shadowing, internships, and paid positions through campus mentorships from faculty …

More Than An Income: Learning Through Student Employment, Raina Johnson

West Chester University Master’s Theses

When attending university, many students choose to work, whether off or on campus, in order to earn some money or enough to pay their way. Student employment can help students become more acclimated to campus and aid in building transferable skills that will follow them throughout college and beyond. However, on campus not every job is equal and not all students can clearly say what skills were cultivated during their experience. To bridge the gap between student learning and employment I propose a centralized student employment office which will implement a training and advising program for student employees and their …

Accessibility For Student With Disabilities, Amanda Martin

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Accessibility for students with disabilities on university campuses is important to our field as student affairs professionals because students with disabilities make a growing population of the student body on university and college campuses (Burgstahler, & Moore, 2009). I believe that it takes someone who passionately cares to make a difference in the higher education community. A value that is significant to understand me would be my fierce belief that all people deserve a chance to earn a higher education regardless of their background, socioeconomic status, and ability levels. I believe a chance at higher education is not only growth …

Fictive Kin Relationships And Advising: The Roles Of Chosen Family As An Advisory Framework For Higher Education, Zachary Burden

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The structure of a chosen family centers love, commitment, empathy, and accountability into relationships outside of a person's biolegal family. This project asks, if student affairs professionals framed their advising and mentoring work with a platonic and familial sense of love and commitment, would it offer their students a new sense of openness, trust, and community? Using theories of love in education and building a teaching community by bell hooks (2003; 2018), Paulo Freire's (1970) banking model of education, and experiential learning by John Dewey (1997), I examine these chosen family relationships and their application into higher education advising. In …

The Duality Of The Black Student Activist: A Decolonial Approach To Reframing Student Activism As Student Leadership, Kaileik Asbury

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis addresses how reframing activism as leadership allows student activist to be viewed as student leaders on college campuses. More specifically, I explore how the Black student existence and experience on college campus and their desire for an equitable education has always been considered a form of activism that had continuously been suppressed. I used the methodology of critical action research to examine the structures of Eurocentricity, colonization, racialization and domination that affect the educational experiences of Black student activists, while also utilizing my personal experience. I propose a leadership building program that promotes racial justice, decolonial methods and …

Back To Our Roots: Revolutionizing Black Greek Letter Organizations To Dismantle Racism In Higher Education, Ashley Lyles

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) started appearing across college campuses in the early 1900s at a time when racism was widely spread and accepted in society and institutions of higher education. Over time, BGLOs that existed at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) were forced to assimilate to the norms of the dominant culture as a way to mitigate the acts of racial bias and discrimination that these organizations were often subjected to. Throughout generations, BGLOs have continued to be deculturalized and therefore have moved further away from their intended purpose of fighting racial inequality and promoting racial uplift. This thesis seeks …

Queering The University: Implementing A Systematic & Organizational Approach To Equity, Brian Moore

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Too often higher education educators take a lackadaisical approach to solutions surrounding negative queer and trans student experiences; however, educators hold an obligation to foster student success, retention, catalyze identity development, and maximize the human potential of queer and trans students. This master’s thesis develops a systematic and organizational approach to achieving an equitable campus for queer and trans student experience through a critical action research proposal. Utilizing my perspective as queer and trans educator and/or student, I will primarily use the philosophical lens of Friere, hooks, Foucault, and queer theory to support my philosophy of education. Theoretical frameworks from …

Rooting For Everybody Black: Exploring The Need For Mentorship For Black First-Generation Students At Predominantly White Institutions, Layshan Gilliard

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis addresses how mentorship can enhance the experience and success of Black first-generation college students at predominantly white institutions. More specifically, I explore why first-generation Black students need guided support that comes with mentorship, what that support should entail, and how and when it should be delivered to them. I used the methodology of critical action research to analyze the structures of power that affect the education received by these students, while also utilizing my personal experience. I propose a mentoring program that promotes Black excellence. The program, SOUL (Students Overcoming Uniting and Learning), will provide students with the …

The Higher Education Experiences Of International Students: Rethinking Orientation With A Participatory Action Research (Par) Perspective, Matheeha Majeeth

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The U.S.A. has the world’s largest international student population (Institute of International Education, 2019). While there is some research on the stressors and the impact those stressors have on the educational experiences of international students, there is very little research on the common practices around orientation and its efficiency. The traditional format of new student orientation, an event that happens for a day or two upon the arrival of the new international students, fails to address the needs of those students as well as it could. Rather, orientation should be presented as a gradual, progressive process that both the university …