Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons^™

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence For Transformative Education: Challenges And Recommendations, Papia Bawa

Journal of Research Initiatives

The sheer force with which GPT models are inundating business, education and economic fields speaks to its ability to not only transform the ways in which we interact and act but also disrupt these ways. This systematic literature review applies the PSALSAR method to synthesize findings from 72 articles on AI applications in education, emphasizing its transformative potential across various domains. AI is transforming personalized learning by customizing content and feedback to individual needs, addressing challenges like data privacy and ethical concerns. It enhances administrative efficiency through automation and data-driven decision-making, improving institutional performance while managing biases and maintaining human …

What Keeps Teachers: A Systematic Review Of Induction And Early-Career Teacher Retention In Rural Schools, Bobbie Jean Mcdonough

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Teacher retention remains a persistent challenge in United States education, particularly in rural K–12 public schools. This systematic review synthesized empirical research on induction and early-career teacher retention in rural United States settings published between 2000 and 2025. Guided by a postpositivist framework and aligned with PRISMA 2020 standards, 56 studies met inclusion criteria following structured database searches and multi-stage screening. Findings across the included studies indicate that retention was most consistently associated with induction, mentoring, professional learning, responsive leadership, collegial relationships, and teachers’ integration into their school and community, with no single support appearing sufficient in isolation. Across research …

Digital Maker Education In Project-Based Learning Through Design For English As A Second Language Skills Development, Pratima Rani Banick

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study investigated the effectiveness of integrating a Maker Education (ME) approach within the PLT design, assisted by Computer-Mediated Tools (CMT), in enhancing the reading skills of Grade 10 ESL learners (aged 15–16) in an online ELT setting. Motivated by the growing need to foster creative and critical thinking and to address learners' lack of interest in traditional approaches to teaching academic reading, the study adopts an experimental design. Students were divided into two groups—a control group (n = 10) and an experimental group (n = 10)—using random sampling. The control group received instruction using the conventional teaching approach, while …

Braving Ai In Tertiary Education: Generative Artificial Intelligence And Chatbots In Civics, Magdalena Brzezinska

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article explores tested strategies for the responsible and inclusive use of text- and video-generating artificial intelligence (GenAI) and educational chatbots in university classrooms, with a focus on foreign language learners, including students from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Drawing on case studies from WSB Merito University in Poznan, Poland, the author presents methods for integrating AI in civics education in a culturally relevant and equitable manner, emphasizing the importance of responsible technology use. The strategies discussed are adaptable to various tertiary education settings and aim to enhance global skills, foreign language proficiency, AI literacy, and visual literacy among college students. …

The Campaign For Motivation: Comparing Tabletop Role-Playing Game Running With Classroom Instruction, Arpit Bawa

Journal of Research Initiatives

Motivation is a cornerstone of effective teaching and learning, influencing student engagement, satisfaction, and academic performance. This descriptive case study examines Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TRPGs) as an underutilized pedagogical approach in higher education and compares the motivational processes involved in TRPG game running with those in classroom instruction. Leveraging the mere exposure effect (Zajonc, 1968), the study proposes that faculty unfamiliar with TRPGs can lower perceived barriers to adoption by identifying familiar motivational elements shared with classroom teaching. The study draws on self-determination theory, motivational frameworks, and case study methodology to analyze structural parallels between TRPG game mastering and instructional …

Theorizing The Potential Of Lo-Fi Music And Ai-Driven Innovations To Foster Academic Focus And Well-Being, Oksana Karapetian, Simone Elias, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

This conceptual paper examines the potential of lo-fi music as a tool for enhancing academic focus and well-being among students. Drawing from cognitive and psychological perspectives, as well as historical and educational frameworks, this study explores the implications of integrating lo-fi music into learning environments. Research suggests that background music can influence cognitive performance, memory retention, and emotional regulation (de Witte et al., 2019; Fancourt et al., 2016), making it a compelling subject for investigation. Additionally, advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), and automation have introduced new possibilities for personalizing and optimizing background music in educational settings. …

Human-Centered Leadership Coaching For School Redesign & Career Connected Learning, Monica White

Bank Street Education Center

Focusing on the Bank Street Principal Innovation Fellowship’s first cohort, this report examines how coaching supported principals as they implemented FutureReadyNYC, the district’s career-connected learning initiative. Through case studies of four principal-coach pairs, the report identifies an emerging leadership coaching model—including key principles, practices, and outcomes—that contributed to meaningful school-level progress and offers insights for school systems seeking to use coaching to strengthen principals’ capacity to lead complex change.

¡Más Fuertes Y Resilientes! Strengthening Latino Occupational Resilience Through Career-Focused Support Services At Texas Hispanic Serving Institutions, Claudia Cochran-Miller

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Latinos face many threats to their occupational resilience. Occupational displacement is looming due to technological advances that threaten jobs where Latinos are overrepresented such as in manufacturing, retail, construction, agriculture, and food services. As technological advances, labor practices, and other factors disproportionately affect the Latino population, more will be seeking better employment opportunities and will turn to higher education. Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are in position to significantly impact Latino occupational resilience. This correlational study examines the various career-focused support services offered by HSIs and how they relate to post-graduation outcomes for Latino graduates. Career-focused support services include alignment-driven career …

A Phenomenological Study Into The Experiences Of Introverted Teachers, Bambi A. Hamel

All NMU Master's Theses

Behavior management has long been a challenge for teachers in general, but there has been a lack of research on behavior management through the lens of personality type, such as introversion. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the strengths and skills of introverted teachers to facilitate positive behaviors in their classrooms, as well as challenges they encountered. In a semi-structured interview, five teachers from a school district in the Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan were presented with a specific set of questions (See Appendix C) targeting their experiences in behavior management as introverted teachers. The results highlighted the teachers’ unique traits …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Examining The Evolution Of The Community College, Marian E. Truehill

Journal of Research Initiatives

Community colleges created opportunities for expansion to feed into four-year institutions in the United States. Community colleges served high school students, military veterans, and diverse student populations in U.S. communities. In the twenty-first century, various educational needs and rebuilding processes existed for many community colleges in the United States. Community colleges serve as educational hospitals, assisting four-year institutions in higher education.

Multi-Generational Biases Perceived By Women To Senior Leadership Positions In Non-Profit Higher Education, Regina Watkins, Deanna R. Davis

Journal of Research Initiatives

Women remain underrepresented in senior leadership in both public and private industry and in non-profit postsecondary education. One reason that has been identified for the gender disparity in senior leadership positions is second-generation or implicit biases. The problem addressed in this study was the existence and persistence of second-generation biases that contribute to the lack of active senior women mentors, potentially inhibiting junior women from Generation X and millennials from achieving senior leadership status in non-profit higher education. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of perceptions of second-generation biases, …

Enhancing Critical Thinking Through Interactive Learning Approaches For First-Year University Students, Nana Yaw B. Agyeman, Venessa Vela Aphane Ms

Journal of Research Initiatives

The use of interactive learning methods is considered crucial in equipping university students with critical skills. This could successfully deal with, and address issues encountered in real-world contexts. It has been noted that most first-year university students often face challenges adjusting to university life due to their background. The research methodology utilized in this study was qualitative, as it was deemed appropriate for the research objectives. A case study design was employed to investigate the issue comprehensively. A purposive sample of eight participants was selected. Thematic analysis was employed as the method of data analysis. The study's findings suggest that …

Boundless Possibilities: Reimagining Blackness In Wilson Kwamogi Okello’S On Blackness, Liveliness, And What It Means To Be Human, Duane Ebesu

Journal of Research Initiatives

Wilson Kwamogi Okello's *On Blackness, Liveliness, and What It Means to Be Human* theorizes the inheritances of systemic anti-Blackness while affirming Blackness as a site of creativity, vitality, and world-making. Okello examines how Western humanism and the coloniality of knowledge have excluded and restricted Black life both socially and within educational systems and epistemology. The volume is composed of three parts and critiques the regulative logics of higher education, the aesthetics and relationality of Black life, and the pervasive reach of carceral systems. At its core, Okello proposes a reconceptualization of Blackness in terms of "liveliness," viewing it as a …

Learning English On The Border: Identities, Investment, And Imagined Futures In El Paso, Texas, Jennifer Lyn Mansour

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explores how adult English language learners living along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas experience language learning, identity formation, and social positioning within a bilingual community. Drawing on Norton's (1995, 2013) theoretical frameworks of identity, investment, and imagined communities, the research investigates three central questions: (1) How does the relationship between English learners and the social world of a bilingual community on the U.S.-Mexico border impact their ideas about their possibilities for the future? (2) How does the use of English construct worlds that are different from those constructed in their first languages, and do learners …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence In Education To Drive Cross-Sector Innovation, Brent Terwilliger, John Faraca

Publications

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes educational practices, particularly in technical fields such as uncrewed systems, robotics, and aviation/ aerospace, its integration raises promise and complexity. This exploratory study features an investigation of the impact AI tools adoption has on instruction, curriculum support, and workforce preparation, with a focus on online learning environments. Drawing from pilot survey data across aviation and aerospace education stakeholders and hands-on evaluation of AI video production platforms, findings reveal diverse applications, perceived benefits, and critical concerns, including ethical, pedagogical, and institutional challenges. Additionally, the analysis explored how AI-enabled education intersects with broader industry and government innovation …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

Understanding And Engaging In Equity Work: A Phenomenological Action Research Study Of Community College Esol Instructors, Emily E. Packer

Dissertations

Community colleges (CCs) are regarded as accessible and affordable pathways to higher education and financial mobility, offering significant potential to promote educational equity (Fink et al., 2023). These institutions enroll the largest number of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students in adult education; however, CC ESOL students face lower rates of degree completion and transfer compared to their non-ESOL peers (David & Kanno, 2021; Fink et al., 2023; Raufman et al., 2019). While research has examined factors contributing to low CC ESOL student persistence and interventions to improve overall CC student outcomes, research on specific efforts to support …

Exploring The Efficacy Of The Comprehensive Institutional Model (Cim) In A Post-Covid-19 Hyflex Higher Education Environment: An Instrumental Case, Pamela Mccray

Theses & Dissertations

This instrumental case study examined the efficacy of the comprehensive institutional model, a pre-existing conceptual framework addressing the challenges of HyFlex teaching and learning in the post-COVID-19 environment at one private university in South Texas. The model was constructed using longitudinal data from a two-year pilot study (2021-2023) and focused on improving teaching effectiveness, investing in instructional technology and infrastructure, supporting graduate students’ academic needs, and executing institutional sustainability actions across three stakeholder groups: administrators, faculty, and graduate students. The study also addressed key gaps in the literature, including the lack of tested HyFlex models in real-world settings. A qualitative, …

Double, Double, Toils And Troubles: Analyzing The “Magical” Relationships Between University Leaders’ Personality Traits And Their Self-Efficacy In Leadership Situations, Fay Ludvine Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, …

Teacher Retention And The Future Of Learning: Alarming Concerns About Preparing The Next Generation Of Citizens, Dejuanna M. Parker, Barbara D. Holmes

Journal of Research Initiatives

Research is robust in detailing the various reasons teachers leave the profession. There is scant literature on why teachers stay and what should be done to improve teacher retention. Teacher retention is a primary concern nationally and internationally. The inability to retain teachers has resulted in a teacher shortage and significantly affects student learning. Sorenson and Ladd (2020) This study yielded three emergent themes related to integral factors of teacher retention: changing attitudes on administrative support, workplace collegiality, and persistence of passion and purpose. Recommendations offered include encouraging administrators to leverage the passion and commitment of the educators to create …

Factors Influencing Jordanian College Understudies' Impressions Of Learning Through Emergency Distance Learning (Edl), Abdelnaser Sanad Alakayleh

Journal of Research Initiatives

In this study, which used a quantitative and correlational approach, the variables influencing Jordanian university students' perceptions of their education under emergency remote learning scenarios were investigated. An online survey was administered to a sample of 765 male and female education stage students. Jordan offers higher education for both genders and at different levels in different regions. Many criteria connected to perceived learning were taken into consideration when administering the study questionnaire. It was discovered that the economics students had a more positive perception of learning than the education and science students, followed by deep learning, avoiding superficial learning factors, …

Restorative Leadership: A Generative Exploration With Women School Leaders, Camille Rénée Pauline Tyson Jacobs

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

As schools increasingly adopt restorative practices, a parallel shift in leadership is occurring, challenging traditional leadership models like servant and transformational leadership. While research has largely focused on student outcomes, there is a critical gap in understanding how restorative practices influence school principals’ leadership. Given their central role in sustaining and expanding restorative initiatives, this study aimed to address that gap by developing a definitional framework for restorative leadership, grounded in the experiences of women school leaders in grades 5 to 12. Using sensemaking theory, the research examined how leaders conceptualize and apply restorative values in practice. Key questions included …

First-Gen Latinx/Afro-Latinx And Complex: Keeping Resilient Responses On Shuffle, Tibisay I. Hernandez

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This qualitative study examined the racialized experiences of first-generation Latinx and Afro-Latinx students in higher education. Fourteen participants engaged in pláticas, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups to reflect on how their identities, race, and institutional dynamics shaped their collegiate journeys. The study examined how these students navigated both personal and institutional settings, revealing the emergence of tensions around belonging, authenticity, and cultural responsibility in everyday interactions. Using Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) alongside Multidimensional Identity Negotiation Theory (MINT) and Co-Cultural Communication Theory (CCCT), this study developed an emergent framework—the Resilient Response Model—to better understand how students respond to complex identity …

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, …

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

Principals' Perspectives Of The Impact Of Faculty Engagement, Self-Efficacy, And Resiliency On First-Year African American College Student Retention, Hattie Marie Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined principals’ perceptions of the impact of faculty engagement, student resiliency, and student self-efficacy on the retention of first-year urban and rural African American college students. The aim of the study was to determine why students from this demographic leave their higher education institutions after the first year. In the United States, about 30% of students, regardless of race or ethnicity, drop out of college after the first year. Further, given 6 years, about 50% of students drop out before obtaining a degree. Researchers have identified African American students as having a high college dropout rate. This …

Cultural Advocacy And Teachers Of Color, Torine Champion, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

Teachers of color face marginalization and microaggressions that their White counterparts do not have to face. African American teachers experience microaggressions pathologizing their cultural values and communication styles, cultural/ethnic insensitivity, an ascription of their intelligence, and being treated as second-class citizens) that are hurtful, undermining, and disparaging (Brown, 2019). Asian American teachers face gendered, racial, and sexualized expectations on their campuses (Endo, 2015). A study of Latina bilingual teachers revealed that they felt alienated from their colleagues, had larger workloads, and did not have access to support (Amos, 2016). Teachers of color experience inequalities, microaggressions, and marginalization that impact their …

Assessing Leadership Efficacy Of Department Heads: A Study Of Faculty Perceptions At Two Historically Black Colleges And Universities In The Southeastern United States, Demissie L. Karorsa, Monica E. Allen

Journal of Research Initiatives

Transformational leadership (TL) is a leadership approach that inspires followers and encourages their effective engagement to contribute adequately to organizational goal achievement. By inspiring followers to pursue and attain exceptional performance levels, TL accrues high follower satisfaction in their jobs and with their organizations (Asencio, 2016; Banks et al., 2016; Barnett, 2017; Bass & Riggio, 2006). This study examined faculty perceptions/ratings of transformational leadership behaviors of their department chairs at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the southeastern United States.

A thorough examination of the data collected revealed that the faculty rated idealized attributes (IA) the highest (x̄=2.80, …

Dr. Carter G. Woodson And Pedagogy In Education, Dorrance Kennedy, Terri Moore-Brown, Abraham Watson

Journal of Research Initiatives

Dr. Carter G Woodson was an African American historian, author, publisher, and activist. He is known as the Father of Black History. He was the second African American to receive a doctorate from Harvard University. He was the founder of the Journal of Negro Education and the Associated Publishers. He wrote many influential books, including The History of the Negro Church and The Miseducation of the Negro. He died in Washington, DC in 1950.