Education Commons^™

Understanding Student Non-Use Of Vcu's Cabell Library Through Ecological Systems Theory: A Mixed-Methods Study, Tracy D. Booker, Ethan L. Carter, Joshua C.J. Lockhart, Margaret E. Mcdearmon, Jessica S. Watson

Doctor of Education Capstones

This study examined undergraduate students’ non-use of physical spaces and services within Cabell Library at a large, urban public university. While academic libraries are widely associated with student success, patterns of engagement remain uneven, with a subset of students not utilizing these resources at all. This study sought to understand which students do not use the library and why, with particular attention to identifying systemic barriers and opportunities to improve equitable access and engagement. Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory and informed by improvement science, the study employed a mixed-methods research design to capture both patterns of behavior and lived experiences. …

Dataset: Participation Versus Points: Examining The Impact Of Grading Conditions On Student Resource Use During An Out-Of-Class Biology Concept Assessment, Tiffany J. Burgess, Crystal Uminski, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors use concept assessments to collect diagnostic information regarding student learning and to inform decisions surrounding instructional interventions and course modifications. Administering concept assessments out-of-class helps preserve already limited instructional time, but instructors still must consider whether to apply a lower-stakes (i.e., participation) versus higher-stakes (i.e., correctness) grading scheme. An increase in stakes is likely to prompt additional effort, but it may also increase undesired behaviors and inadvertently prompt external resource use, such as students leveraging their notes, the internet, or their peers. In the present study, we compared student self-reported resource use on a biology concept assessment administered under …

Values-Based Behavioral Frameworks As Contributors To Organizational Culture In Higher Education: A Literature Review, David J. Park Do

Posters

Colleges and universities almost universally publish statements of institutional values, yet a gap often persists between those stated values and the regularly observed behaviors. This review examines how that gap relates to culture in higher education institutions and specifically explores how translating values into observable behaviors contributes to organizational culture. This literature review used a structured, criteria-guided approach to source identification, selecting sources against three constructs: 1) institutional adoption of values-based behavioral frameworks, 2) organizational culture in higher-education settings, and 3) the perceptions through which organizational members perceive culture. The resulting corpus of 40 sources spans organizational culture scholarship, virtue …

The Impact Of A Social Wellness Intervention On The Perception Of Social Support Among Working Adults, Jannysse Gray

DNP Research Projects

Abstract 

Objective: Social isolation and loneliness have detrimental effects on physical and mental health. For working adults, these experiences may impact work attendance, performance, satisfaction, and retention, leading to burnout, fatigue, grief, and disengagement. Barriers to developing and nurturing healthy relationships, such as competing work and family responsibilities, or a lack of resources or energy, can contribute to this problem; therefore, this group was chosen for the intervention. This project aimed to raise awareness of the importance of social connections and to analyze whether an online educational intervention was associated with improved perceptions of social support among working adults. Methods: …

Redefining Educational Technology: A Critical Collaborative Inquiry, Aras Bozkurt, Helen Crompton, Robert Farrow, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Jon Dron, Richard West, Agnieszka (Aga) Palalas, Matth Bower, Junhong Xiao, Ahmed Tlili, Danah Henriksen, Angelica Pazurek, Henk Huijser, Thomas K. F. Chiu, Petar Jandrić, Katy Jordan, John Curry, Royce Kimmons, Mutlu Cukurova, Thomas Reeves, Gwo-Jen Hwang, Peter Shea, Jason Lodge, Martin Weller, Davy Ng, Tutaleni Iita Asino

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Educational technologists have not settled on a fixed definition of the field and likely never will. However, attempting to define the field helps to understand the epistemological meanings that shape what the field sees, values, and considers worth pursuing. Through a critical historical review spanning over a century, alongside theoretical engagement with the concepts of entanglement and distributed agency, this paper identifies three key insufficiencies in current educational technology frameworks. These are the persistence of an instrumental-facilitative paradigm that treats technology as a resource deployed by human agents; the theoretical dissolution of the pedagogy-technology dichotomy that existing definitions have not …

Working With Parents & Guardians: Asset-Based Communication + Conference Simulation (4-Day Sequence), Carissa State Gober

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

This four‑day instructional sequence prepares teacher candidates to communicate with parents and guardians using an asset‑based, professional, and ethically grounded approach. The unit emphasizes prioritizing student strengths, shared goals, and contextual understanding while avoiding deficit‑focused language. Candidates begin by engaging in a Socratic Seminar grounded in research on effective family communication, allowing them to surface key themes, misconceptions, and questions. They then learn a structured conference script, analyze communication tips embedded within it, and practice applying the format through peer role‑play. Subsequent sessions focus on selecting and presenting data in family‑friendly ways, reframing challenges into needs and supports, and using …

Brilliance In The Margins: An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Black Women Faculty In Stem, Mykella C. Mitchell

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This qualitative research study explores the lives of Black women STEM faculty at Ivy and Ivy+ institutions. The existing literature reveals a distinct gap in research as it pertains to this demographic, due to the limited number of Black women who hold faculty positions and the limited research that centers their voices. This study intentionally centered the voices of Black women scholars using portraiture, which helped to avoid the creation of deficit‑based stories. Furthermore, this research was guided by the conceptual frameworks of whiteness as smartness and meritocracy. Portraits were created from the lives of six tenured and tenure‑track Black …

Looking Beyond Minimalist Pedagogies: Rhetorical Listening As A Framework For Ethical Collaboration And Student Empowerment In The Writing Center, Abby M. Samella

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Since its establishment, the Writing Center has strived to solidify its institutional presence as a space of student-centered pedagogy, minimalist directive approaches, and collaborative learning. However, students frequently perceive Writing Centers as the polar opposite of collaboration, frequently seeking out this support for a transactional, ‘remedial’ fix to their writing product. As Writing Centers grapple with this tension that threatens their process-driven pedagogies, scholars recognize a gap in Literature regarding collaborative approaches that empower the student through the implementation of rhetorical listening. Using the foundational framework of Rhetorical Listening as a strategy to reassert the collaborative identity of the Center …

Beyond Compliance: Creating A Disability Self-Advocacy Summit For Higher Education Using Critical Disability Pedagogy, Katie Manwiller

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been in place for over 35 years, yet the systems it created to ensure equity are riddled with inherent barriers and often fail to provide equal access because of the ableism baked into American society. Institutions of higher education exemplify this failure as they largely treat disability as a compliance-issue, not as a marginalized identity that deserved dedicated inclusion efforts. Most institutions provide disability inclusion solely through the ADA-mandated accommodation process for students and employees, which falls far short of creating fully accessibility cultures. Crucially, these case-by-case processes isolate disabled people and do …

Connecting Classroom Physics To Real-World Research: A Citizen Science Approach In Ap Physics 1, Heather M. Landgarten

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 emphasizes evidence-based reasoning, quantitative modeling, and scientific inquiry. However, secondary science instruction often remains focused on procedural problem solving and standardized assessment rather than authentic scientific practice. This study examined the integration of citizen science projects into an AP Physics 1 curriculum to provide students with authentic research experiences while reinforcing physics concepts during the post-AP examination instructional period.

Using a classroom-based mixed-methods pre–post design, students participated in citizen science activities through publicly available research platforms, including Zooniverse. Students collected and classified authentic scientific data, analyzed real-world datasets, developed research questions, compared observations with theoretical …

Democratizing Our Public Schools Through Student-Led Curriculum, Abigail Claycomb

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to position a traditional public school as an adultist and authoritarian institution and correct its orientation to that of education with a democratic role. I am attempting to democratize public education for teachers and students by creating an emergent, integrated youth participatory action research academic program during the school day that reorients school to have a democratic role. First, I orient myself in this work by introducing some of my teaching experiences in the public and private domains. These experiences have led me to question the structure of school and how students are dehumanized …

Aging Out: Life With Autism After School Ends, Emily Katherine Brown

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This thesis examines the challenges autistic individuals face after graduating from the school system, a transition often marked by a sudden loss of structured support. During school aged years, students are guaranteed services such as individualized education programs (IEPs), therapies, and transition planning through age 21 or 22. However, once these protections end, many autistic adults encounter what is commonly referred to as the “service cliff,” where access to essential supports becomes limited, inconsistent, or entirely unavailable.

The absence of adult services creates significant barriers in areas such as employment, housing, healthcare, and community integration. Many individuals who relied on …

Teaching For Meaning: Life, Death, Self And Purpose, Stephen Diromualdo

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Teaching for Meaning is fundamentally a paper about the need for a philosophical shift in current educational goals. The current institution of public education relies on “job training skills” and ideas of “global competitiveness” as its most important outcomes. This thesis argues that not only are these goals insufficient but actually detrimental to human development. The thesis seeks a method to shift to a more humanistic approach of education through the inclusion of several potential methods. Those methods include the implementation of democratic schooling, youth participatory action research and death studies.  In order to establish those methods the thesis the …

Refining The Fiat: Exploring The Vocations Of Four Women Catholic Educators Through Narrative Inquiry In The Archdiocese Of Philadelphia, Kaitlyn A. Rodgers

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a long history of integrating faith and education. While research often focuses on school efficacy and Catholic identity, less attention has been given to the educators who sustain these institutions. This qualitative narrative inquiry explored how Catholic faith shapes the professional identities and vocational commitments of four women educators in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Guided by Catholic Social Teaching and feminist theology, the study examined how participants understood their vocation, or “fiat,” through personal and professional narratives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both vowed religious and lay educators.

Three themes emerged. First, …

The Role Of Growth Mindset As A Mitigating Factor On Teacher Burnout In The Secondary Math Classroom, Grant Butler

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This mixed methods sequential explanatory study examined how secondary mathematics teachers’ mindsets relate to burnout tendencies, and how schools can support staff mindset to prevent burnout. Using a two-phase design, Phase 1 gathered survey data from 94 secondary math teachers, measuring mindset and burnout with descriptive statistics, correlations, chi-square tests, and regression analysis to quantify associations between mindset orientation and burnout risk. Phase 2 employed semi-structured interviews with a subsample of teachers and open and axial coding to explain and contextualize the quantitative patterns. Quantitative analyses revealed that teachers with more fixed mindset tendencies reported significantly higher burnout scores across …

Beyond The Game: Career Readiness Development At The Nirsa Championship Series, Samantha A. Wary

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Understanding the students' perceptions of the career readiness skills they develop and how they develop is critical in higher education. This allows campus recreation professionals to better understand and create opportunities for student development related to career readiness. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed to investigate students’ perceptions of the career readiness development of student officials who have participated in the NIRSA Championship Series flag football tournaments. Informal and Incidental Learning Theory and Experiential Learning Theory guided the study. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career readiness competencies were used as a standardized tool to define career readiness. …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Artificial Intelligence Enabled Wearable Technology To Support The Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Functioning Of Neurodiverse Students, Jessica Taraborrelli

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

The integration of technology in education has largely focused on academic outcomes, with limited attention to students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs, particularly for neurodiverse students. Artificial Intelligence enabled wearable technologies present promising opportunities to address this gap by providing real time data and interventions. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine educators’ perceptions of AI-enabled wearable technology and its potential to support the social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of neurodiverse students. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM3) and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) frameworks, this study explored how perceived usefulness and its …

Seeing Through Their Lenses: Perspectives Of Kindergarten Teachers On Implementing Purposeful Play For Children’S Academic And Developmental Learning, Subarna Basu

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of using purposeful play for children’s academic and developmental learning, and the benefits and challenges they perceive in implementing purposeful play. The study utilized a qualitative, visual arts-based, participatory action research (PAR) design, in the form of Photovoice methodology. This qualitative study focused on the kindergarten teachers’ lived experiences and voices on the importance of implementing purposeful play and employed Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy and Constructivist theories. Utilizing this methodology, six kindergarten teacher participants collected photographs based on photo prompts, provided narratives to their photographs, and reflected and …

Stories Of Strength, Struggle, And Unchecked Boxes: An Intersectional And Mestiza Consciousness Study Of Testimonios From Latina College Students, Stephanie Pinel

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Latina college students remain the fastest-growing student population within the United States higher education system. However, when discussing the Latina identity, monolithic assumptions remain at the forefront. When faced with systems of oppression, Latinas experience intersectional struggles that ultimately render their college experiences invisible. Using the theoretical frameworks of Mestiza Consciousness (Anzaldúa, 2021) and Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) this testimonio-qualitative study explored how Latina college students made sense of their racial/ethnic identity and the intersectional forces that then shaped their testimonios of strength and struggle within higher education. I interviewed eleven Latina-identifying students utilizing a testimonio method and analyzed the data …

Beyond The Book: Charting New Progressions Through Improvisational Experience In Higher Education Jazz Performance Programs, Jacob L. Manny

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Jazz improvisation is a historically rich and culturally relevant art form that is also an underutilized pedagogy in higher education music performance programs (HEMPPs). Previous research has extensively unmasked the relationship of creative, social, and cognitive benefits of improvisational learning. Yet, postsecondary institutions continually rely upon Western European colonialist practices through the isolation of music history, music theory, piano, and compositioncourses. This disconnect results in curricular designs that fail to recognize the importance of experiential learning. In this qualitative inquiry semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants who perform and educate globally. Participant stories unearthed not …

Framing The Gray: A Photovoice Study Of Parents’ Experiences Supporting Elementary Mathematics Learning At Home, Rebekah Ulmer

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This narrative photovoice study explored how elementary parents understand their role in supporting mathematics at home. The research asked three foundational questions: How do parents of elementary students describe their personal experiences with learning mathematics? How do parents of elementary students describe their experiences with supporting mathematics at home with their children? What factors influence parents' experiences with mathematics? Fourteen parents, eight with experience as educators and six without, participated by sharing photographs in response to five prompts and discussing what those images meant to them. Their stories revealed that, for these families, mathematics isn't neatly divided into “school math” …

Where Joy Lives: Black Students, Faculty, And Staff At Pwis, Chyna Hart

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Matriculating into Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) can be challenging for Black students due to racism. However, Black faculty and staff play an important role in combating these challenges and creating supportive and joyful spaces for these students. Using Narrative Inquiry, this study examined the role that Black faculty and staff played in fostering Black Joy for Black students at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs). Participants were self-identified Black students, faculty, and staff who are 18 years or older and were affiliated with a mid-size four-year PWI in the northeastern region of the United States. The study utilized two data collecting instruments …

Say Gay: Increasing Preservice Teacher Confidence Using Participatory Theatre, Sarah Maxime Hyson

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Research Design: Research shows a lack of LGBTQ+ instruction in teacher preparation programs. This social justice mixed methods study evaluates effectiveness of participatory theatre for increasing confidence in preservice teachers. Research Questions: RQ 1: How does student self-rating of confidence change after participatory theatre experiences that examine issues concerning LGBTQ+ individuals and materials? RQ 2: What do preservice teachers’ writing, sketching, and discussion about their participatory theatre experience reveal about their evolving confidence regarding LGBTQ+ individuals and issues? RQ 3: What do the instructor’s experiences and reflections reveal about the effectiveness ofparticipatory theatre pedagogy to increase confidence in preservice teachers …

Examining The Stories Of Early-Career Student Affairs Professionals And Free Speech Issues On College Campuses, Kimberly C. Farrer

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This qualitative research study explored the stories of early-career student affairs professionals on their experiences responding to free speech issues on college campuses. Additionally, this studied explored how they were prepared for those responses. This study was important because early-career student affairs professionals are managing free speech issues on college campuses but lack the training and preparation to do this (Duran Leftin & Duran, 2021; Harris & Ray, 2014). This study utilized both authentic leadership theory (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Gardner et al., 2005; Luthans & Avolio, 2003; May et al., 2003; Northouse, 2025) and Kohlberg’s (1976) theory of moral …

Wellness Participation Of Student-Serving Staff: The Impact On Well-Being And Student Support, Ashley L. Oostveen

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This study examines the relationship between student-serving staff’s wellness engagement and overall well-being, their job satisfaction, and their perceived support for students. A convergent mixed-methods approach was applied while maintaining a theoretical framework rooted in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), integrating the concepts of Hettler’s Six Dimensions of Wellness (1976). Forty-one student-serving staff across universities in a public university system in Pennsylvania participated in this study. A quantitative survey was used to measure overall well-being, wellness engagement, and support to students, while concurrent focus groups were conducted to gather insight on work-life well-being and staff’s perceived support to their …

"They Just Gave Me The Syllabus": A Mixed Methods Study Of Music Therapy Educators' Preferred Pedagogies, Christina Danielle O'Brien

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

In 2022, the workforce analysis of music therapists, the American Music Therapy Association reported that approximately 80% of all board-certified music therapists are white/Caucasian-European (Iwamasa, 2025). However, the AMTA does not determine the origins of race or ethnicity among postsecondary music therapy faculty in the U.S., nor does it assess their potential impact on the expansion of multicultural curricula for preservice professionals. The purpose of this convergent mixed-methods dissertation is to examine the perception of lived experiences as a pedagogical tool to enhance effective teaching practices. Twenty-six postsecondary faculty from the U.S. were recruited. Quantitative data were collected via Qualtrics …

Shaping Resources And Equity To Improve Student Outcomes In Virginia’S Public Schools, Nia Byas, Ashley Coles, Briana Jones

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

School efficiency reviews are an essential accountability tool that protects classroom dollars, can generate long-term savings, and equitably improve student outcomes. Conducting a review every 10 years balances accountability with fiscal practicality and is extremely valuable as school districts face funding cuts.

Pilot Program For Telemental Health Access To Rural Underserved Localities, Traci Brickhouse Jones, Sarah Kott, Oswaldo Moreno, Aneida Winston

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

This proposal recommends legislation directing Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to establish a two-year pilot program focused on expanding telemental health access in rural Virginia. The purpose of the pilot is to address persistent behavioral health disparities in areas where residents face major barriers to obtaining timely mental health care.

The legislation is designed to build on existing telehealth infrastructure and aligns with Virginia’s Statewide Telehealth Plan under § 32.1-122.03:1, which already supports broader use of telehealth services across the Commonwealth. By creating a focused pilot first, the state can test implementation strategies before considering broader expansion.

Civic Engagement Education & Voter Preparedness Act, Monica Callahan-Smith, Elia Molina-Valenzuela, Kevin Starlings, Raven Sharrieff

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

Objective: To establish a structured, equitable, and consistent approach to civic education for all Virginia high school students.

Focus: Concentrates on practical voter readiness and high school instruction to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and active participation.

Trauma-Informed Approach In The Carceral System, Katherine Means, Adrienne Jackson, Tayia West, Kenneth Hunter

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

This proposal seeks to establish a foundation to drive the development of a comprehensive, trauma-informed framework for Virginia Department of Corrections by identifying opportunities and recommendations for implementation.

This proposal aims to improve VADOC’s adherence to a true structure of rehabilitation, leading to the adoption of a statewide trauma-informed corrections statute.