Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Pursue And Persist: A Mixed Methods Inquiry Of Female Leaders' Experiences As High School Principals And Superintendents, Katie M. Barbee

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored the experiences of female district superintendents and high school principals working in North Carolina and investigated the internal and external factors that contributed to their resilience and motivation to pursue and persist in top educational leadership positions. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to explore how these women described their leadership experiences and the key factors that sustained their resilience in these demanding positions. By examining the challenges and motivators that influenced their journeys, the study will add to existing research and literature regarding female leadership. Findings from the study revealed that female leaders described …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Students' Perceptions Of Social-Emotional Factors In Teacher-Student Relationships And Its Impact On Academic Achievement Of Impoverished High School Youth, Jeannine L. Carrington

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of former students from a Title I high school in a disadvantaged urban community, focusing on how socio-emotional factors in teacher-student relationships influenced academic achievement. Grounded in Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory and the CASEL (2017) social-emotional learning (SEL) framework, the study examined how teacher encouragement, emotional support, and expectations impacted student motivation and persistence. Twenty alumni participated in semi-structured interviews, analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis. Five themes emerged: teacher encouragement, emotional support, high expectations, cultural awareness, and long-term impact. Findings suggest that emotionally supportive, trusting relationships foster self-efficacy, engagement, and …

Exploring Teacher Perceptions And Implementation Factors Influencing Career Development Plan Completion In Middle Grades: A Study Of The Majorclarity Platform, Keri Marie Brewer

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the implementation fidelity, teacher perceptions, and contextual factors influencing the use of the MajorClarity career readiness platform to support career development plan (CDP) completion among middle grade students in a North Carolina school district. Guided by Bandura’s (1986) Social Cognitive Theory and Darling-Hammond et al.’s (2001) Learning Theory, the study explored how instructional strategies, training quality, leadership support, and systemic barriers shape program outcomes. Data were collected through two rounds of semi-structured interviews with six Career and Technical Education teachers, using inductive thematic analysis to identify patterns across participant responses. Findings revealed that while educators recognized …

Reproductive Futurity: Policy, Pop-Culture, And Praxis, S. Gavin Weiser, Lindsay Demartino

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Like the depiction of plagues in apocalyptic science fiction, neoliberalism continues to infect education at all levels. This infection causes educators to care not for the children, but to embrace the figure of the Child. Reproductive futurism, in the imagined redemptive figure of the Child has been regulating the structure of education not for children, but for the exclusionary and decontextualized Child. This takes the shape of draconian accountability measures present in recent educational policies that do not have the best interests of children in mind, but rather the perceived redemption of society and culture, taking agency away from all …

Improving Student Behavior And Safety On Bus Route 40 Through A Team-Based Climate Intervention, Kathleen M. Lopez Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Student transportation is a daily yet often overlooked component of school climate, safety, and equity. This Dissertation in Practice (DiP), aligned with Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) principles of inquiry, collaboration, and continuous improvement, examined how a structured, team-based intervention could improve student behavior and bus climate on Bus Route 40 at Pinecrest Primary School. Guided by improvement science principles and grounded in a commitment to equity, the study applied a 90-day Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycle to test and refine strategies aimed at fostering safety, belonging, and accountability among students. The intervention organized students into color-coded teams that earned …

Black Adolecent Girls' Perceptions Of Dress Code Violations, Pat A. Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of Black adolescent girls at Wellington Middle School (pseudonym) regarding dress code policies and the disciplinary actions associated with their attire. Through the analysis of disciplinary data, qualitative interviews, and a review of relevant literature, the research aimed to uncover potential racial biases within dress code policies and their enforcement. Preliminary insights indicated that such measures may contribute to broader patterns of racial discrimination and inequity in the education system, impacting the academic and social development of these students. The study goals were to emphasize the need for policy reforms and advocate for the development …

From Likes To Enrollment: How Social Networking Sites Shape College Decision-Making, David Hermann

Theses and Dissertations

This study applied Chickering and Reisser’s seven vectors of student development (1993), MacMillan’s existential framework (2009), and Chickering and Gamson’s principles for good practice in undergraduate education (1999) as guiding theoretical and conceptual frameworks. These perspectives informed the analysis of voices from young adults in rural communities and explored how recently graduated high school students perceived their use of social networking sites (SNSs) in the college search and decision-making process. I developed five overarching themes from the qualitative data: 1) informational role of social media, 2) visual media and campus impressions, 3) authenticity, peer influence, and human connection, 4) frustrations, …

Enacting Change In Student Support Services To Meet The Needs Of Evolving Student Demographics, Justin Schuch

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the change management leadership strategies employed by Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAOs) to address the needs of an increasingly diverse student population at midwestern institutions of higher education. The change management leadership strategies employed by seven CSAOs to address the mismatch between the increasing diversity of college student populations and the institutions’ readiness to meet these students' diverse needs were drawn from using in-depth interviews, review of enrollment data, and institutional planning documents. The three research questions guiding this study yielded four major themes. The first theme is related to how CSAOs identify areas for development …

Turning The Page On Toxic Friendships: How Stories Can Transform Female Friendships, Ericka Renee Bush

Theses and Dissertations

Relational aggression, subtle behaviors such as gossip, exclusion, and social manipulation, can significantly undermine female students’ sense of belonging, peer relationships, and engagement in school. At Sinclair Intermediate School, Illinois 5Essentials Survey data revealed a sharp decline in peer relationship scores among female students, along with evidence gathered through student interviews, analysis of bullying report forms, and observation from an SEL lesson. This Dissertation in Practice investigates how a targeted intervention, Turning the Page on Toxic Friendships: How Stories Can Transform Female Friendships, can strengthen female peer relationships through bibliotherapy. Grounded in Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate principles and …

Building Student-Teacher Relational Trust Through The Promotion Of Student Voice Initiatives, Scott Scherquist

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice investigated how student voice initiatives can strengthen student–teacher relational trust within an urban Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade (PreK-8) school serving a predominantly Black student population. Grounded in Khalifa’s (2018) Culturally Responsive School Leadership framework, the study implemented a 90-day cycle of inquiry focused on a three-part pathway intervention: the establishment of a Student Voice Committee, professional development on culturally responsive practices, and Student Consultation for School Change. A convergent mixed methods design was employed, combining two administrations of the 5Essentials Survey with pre- and post-intervention interviews of students and teachers. Findings revealed disparities between student and …

The Senior International Officer: A Sociological Perspective On The Development Of A Higher Education Profession, Mohammad Mansoor Khan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Internationalization of higher education institutions in the United States has progressed rapidly since World War II. The pace and specifics of this internationalization vary by institution. However, there are some shared characteristics including, but not limited to, increase in student mobility, both inward and outward, exchange of scholars, cross-border research, and internationalization of the curriculum. This increased the institutional administrative burden and necessitated the centralization of internationalization activities under a single administrative unit and led by an individual capable of providing leadership at their institution in the area of higher education internationalization. This individual is recognized as the Senior International …

How Latine College Students Experience, Maneuver, And Navigate Within The Colonizing Notion Of Smartness, Jasmine Jetton-Gonzales

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how Latine college students, particularly those who are the first in their family to attend college, navigate and maneuver within the dominating colonizing notion of smartness in academia. Rooted in an Anglo-centric educational framework, the American education system often marginalizes Latine students by devaluing their cultural and linguistic knowledge while upholding Eurocentric standards of intelligence. Using a qualitative critical research approach, this study employs testimonios to examine the lived experiences of Latine college graduates in Illinois. Findings reveal that Latine students frequently encounter systemic barriers that challenge their academic identity, including racialized perceptions of intelligence, institutionalized deficit …

Cultivating Counter-Stories To Deficit Narrative Of Students: A Literacy Problem Of Practice, Amanda Brown

Theses and Dissertations

In urban schools across the United States, literacy outcomes remain inequitable, especially for BIPOC students and those living in poverty. In District 17, the mandate to rigidly implement a purchased curriculum resource reinforces deficit-oriented views of student ability and limits teachers’ professional agency to adjust instruction based on formative data. As a result, instruction becomes disconnected from student needs and identities, further exacerbating literacy inequities.

Guided by Mintrop’s cycle of inquiry, this qualitative study examined how participation in a 90-day inquiry cycle influenced the narratives teachers constructed about their students’ literacy abilities. Kindergarten through third grade teachers collaboratively planned and …

Lift Every Voice And Lead: Black Men In Educational Leadership: Towards New Theories, Visions, And Understandings, Phillip Smith

GSE Faculty Publications

There has been limited attempts to explore paradigms of educational leadership enacted by Black men. This study draws on previous substantive research to examine the ways in which context, as well as role of leadership identity, values, and culture, inform the leadership experiences of Black men in K-12 school principal or head of school leadership positions—principals and heads of school. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological approach, use of online descriptive survey, in-depth semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation methods, with 14 Black male school leaders from across the United States, to provide structural and textural descriptions, synthesis of meanings and …

Small And Mighty: Student Affairs At Small Colleges And Universities, Stacy Fisher

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Book Review

Beyond The Glass Ceiling: Career Advancement Strategies For Mid-Level Women In Student Affairs, Jalonda N. Thompson

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature on the push and pull factors that influence women’s choices to either opt in or opt out of career advancement in student affairs (Coetzee & Moosa, 2020; Harman & Sealy, 2017). Women, specifically Black women, are underrepresented in Senior Student Affairs Officer (SSAO) positions in higher education (American Council of Education, 2024). As the demographics of the United States (US) change, student affairs is at a critical point to foster an inclusive learning environment that reflects the increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the US (Lopez, 2006). …

How The Least Restrictive Environment Mandate Is Interpreted By California Special Education Local Plan Agency Directors, Robin Suttle

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examines how Special Education Local Plan Agency (SELPA) directors in California interpret and communicate the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) mandate under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The study explores how SELPA directors understand LRE and how this understanding is conveyed to district-level administrators. Data were collected through interviews and document review across selected SELPAs and analyzed thematically using the Boundary Spanning framework. Findings show that SELPA directors view LRE as both a legal obligation and a collaborative, context-dependent process. They act as intermediaries, translating federal and state mandates into locally usable guidance while balancing …

Graduate Students In Medical School: Navigating Their Roles As Students And Parents, Laura Rafaj

Dissertations of Practice

This narrative inquiry examines the stories of medical students with children and how they manage and balance the demands of their roles as students and parents. Participant stories were used to illustrate the daily lives of medical student parents, highlighting some of the challenges and choices student parents face. Major themes that emerged relating to the needs of medical student parents include: the tools they use to balance their roles, how family status influences their academic and professional choices, how the structure of medical education impacts their experiences, and stigmas they face as a parenting and/or non-traditional student. This study …

Beyond Grit: Structural Determinants Of Resilience Among College Women With Children In The U.S., Juliana Kahrs

Dissertations of Practice

This critical quantitative analysis explores how social determinants of health, including basic needs security, caregiving and work responsibilities, healthcare access, discrimination experiences, and institutional support predict resilience among U.S. college women with dependents. Using data from the Spring 2021 ACHA-NCHA III survey (n = 4,417), this study integrated the Health Equity Framework with the Social Ecological Theory of Resilience to examine multilevel influences on resilience. Descriptive analyses highlighted disproportionate burdens among single, first-generation, and racially minoritized groups. Bivariate chi-square tests revealed significant associations between resilience and sense of belonging, basic needs security, employment, healthcare utilization, and self-assessed overall health. Multinomial …

I Can’T, I’M On-Call: The Psychological Effects Of On-Call Duty On Graduate Assistants In Residence Life, Dyjerlynn T. Peter

Masters Theses

Graduate Assistants (GAs) face various demands such as conducting research, completing coursework, holding assistantships, and other personal responsibilities. GAs working in housing and residence life (HRL) departments face unique challenges, especially those who serve as crisis responders for students who live on-campus. This study examines the mental health challenges faced by graduate assistants in housing and residence life who live on-campus and serve in on-call roles at higher education institutions. It explores the effects of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, offering key findings, trends, and recommendations while sharing personal stories of GAs balancing on-call duties with graduate studies.

Understanding First-Generation College Students’ Perceptions Of Sorority Recruitment, Megan Morecraft

Masters Theses

This study explores first-generation college students’ discovery of sororities, influences for going through a recruitment process, and motivations for selection. There is a gap in the literature when it comes to first-generation college students and greek organizations, specifically sororities, and this study aides in bridging the gap and providing information regarding strategies for recruitment and marketing practices. With more informed practices on first-generation student populations, an increased quality of marketing and programming could be implemented, as well as retention. This study and its findings allow for more intentionality and enhancements to occur, especially when promoting the greek experience and sorority …

Domestic Student Engagement With International Peers: Local Insights, Global Connections, Alissa Sutton

Masters Theses

As competition to recruit international students grows, institutions must prioritize fostering a sense of belonging that supports their retention and success. Central to this is the quality of interactions between international and domestic students, which shape both groups’ social and academic experiences. This study examines the barriers and facilitators influencing domestic students’ engagement with international peers and the role of institutional support in promoting meaningful cross-cultural connections. Findings reveal that domestic students recognize the importance of engaging with international peers but they often encounter challenges such as lack of awareness, uncertainty about how to connect, and limited institutional opportunities. Support …

The Influence Of Family-School Communication On Junior High School Students’ Academic Success, Stephen Junior Amoah

Masters Theses

This study examines the influence of family-school communication on students' academic success in the context of Ghana, with a particular focus on Junior High School (JHS) students. While existing research emphasizes the importance of family involvement in educational outcomes, limited studies explore how family-school communication directly affects academic success in Ghana. By using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative and qualitative data collection. The quantitative component includes an online survey distributed to JHS graduates, assessing the frequency, impact, methods, and barriers of communication between families and schools, as well as their perceived effect on academic performance. The survey includes …

Overcoming Burnout: Resident Assistant Longevity And Resilience, Amberlyn H. Holman

Masters Theses

As demands on student affairs professionals intensify across United States colleges, resident assistants face increasing vulnerability to burnout while balancing roles as students, employees, and peer leaders. The purpose of this narrative study was to examine the experiences of three resident assistants who pursued a third year in their position after experiencing and overcoming burnout. It was determined that specific support systems and resilience components had substantial impact on their ability to persist, providing indication of what institutional support would be most beneficial. Participants discussed experiences with overwhelming stress balancing academic responsibilities, peer relationships, and administrative duties, alongside factors historically …

Pick Up A Frog, Or Pet A Dog; Animals Are Our First Teachers, Allison Ratner

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation’s goal was an attempt to answer the question: What are the emotional, cognitive, and/or spiritual effects of children’s relationships/interactions with animals that potentially impact their development? By utilizing autoethnography, I analyzed instances from my own life where interacting with animals changed me permanently; my thinking, my knowing, my feeling, my judgement, my empathy, my attitude, and my ethics. With a standpoint rooted in the research of experts from the fields of psychology and education, I combined my personal knowledge gained over a lifetime, to grant merit to the profundity of children’s relationships with animals. With the analyzed data, …

Shades Of Discipline: A Narrative Inquiry Exploring Black Girls’ Experiences Of Colorism And Exclusionary Discipline Through The Lens Of The Domains Of Power, Tamika Reese

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Black girls are the fastest-growing group facing exclusionary school discipline, including suspensions, expulsions, and law enforcement referrals. National data reveals that Black girls are significantly more likely to be suspended than white girls, yet little research has explored how skin tone influences these disparities. This qualitative narrative inquiry examined the role of colorism in the discipline of Black girls by expanding on Patricia Hill Collins’s Matrix of Domination framework. Through the voices of five Black girls with varying skin tones and eight school leaders involved in disciplinary decisions, the study explored how the intersections of race, gender, and skin tone …

Ground Testing Of A Magnetic-Electrostatic Separation System For Lunar Regolith Beneficiation, Peter Bachle, Charles Wood, Jeffrey Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David Bayless, William Schonberg, Daoru Han

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The separation of lunar regolith by mineral composition and size category is useful forin-situ resource utilization (ISRU). The research presented herein discusses the designing and development of equipment that has the potential to separate lunar regolith into aluminum, iron-titanium, and magnesium-iron ores. Along with the metal ore separation, this equipment shows the potential to separate regolith by size categories. The combined effect of these separation methods generates output that is valuable to subsequent use in metal and oxygen extraction, additive manufacturing, and regolith sintering processes. The designed equipment uses a dual-strength magnet system with N42 and N52 neodymium magnets for …

Learning And Belonging In A Museum-School Environmental Stewardship Partnership, Joanna K. Garner, Mel Kuhn, Andrea M. Rocchio, Grace Friedenreich

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Students in urban, low-income communities can lack access to environmental science outreach in natural settings. As a result, they may face barriers to applying course content to real-world contexts and developing an agentic, hopeful stance towards environmental stewardship. In this paper, we describe a partnership between a maritime museum and park, an urban school district, and ecology experts. The project aimed to increase students’ knowledge of aquatic ecosystems, develop awareness of stewardship-related actions and career pathways, and support a sense of belonging to the museum. Activities included classroom visits by experts, field trips to plant classroom-grown grasses in the museum’s …

The Effects Of Chronic Absenteeism On Average Daily Attendance Funding In Humboldt County Elementary Schools, Corabelle A. Esmailian

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Chronic absenteeism is linked to poor academic performance and lower social-emotional skills, both of which can have long-term effects on students and their communities. The California Department of Education uses average daily attendance (ADA) to determine most of the funding that public schools receive. When a student is absent, their school loses a portion of potential funding for that day. This study explores chronic absenteeism’s impact on the funding of Humboldt County’s elementary schools with a sequential exploratory research strategy and critical systems lens. Interviews with elementary administrators were conducted using a phenomenological approach to understand how this affects their …

Educator Perceptions Of Crisis Frequency And Levels Of Preparedness In Rural Schools, Misty C. Duncan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Recent national trends, particularly in rural education, highlight the urgent need for enhanced crisis prevention and intervention strategies. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of crisis frequency and preparedness among rural educators. Through a survey, data were collected on participants' perceptions of crisis frequency and preparedness across various crisis areas. Preliminary findings revealed a significant gap between the perceived level of preparedness and the actual needs for school safety. Despite some training, the quantity and quality of training received by rural educators varied widely, impacting their preparedness to respond to crises. Moreover, an alarming percentage of educators reported not …