Higher Education Commons^™

California Community College Chief Executive Officer Turnover: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Ryan Bent

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the turnover causes of chief executive officers (CEOs) within the California community college system. The central research question was, “What are the lived experiences California community college CEOs experience that led to CEO departure?” The theory guiding this study is Ryan and Deci’s (2017) self-determination theory, which helps to explain the relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic factors of basic psychological needs. The research design was a transcendental phenomenology study, which is a form of qualitative design. Three methods of data collection were used. This study focused on participants who are …

Students’ Perceptions Of Using Video As A Tool To Acquire Teaching Practices In Early Childhood Teachers’ Education Programs, Hanadi F. Alothman Dr

International Journal for Research in Education

This qualitative study sought to ascertain early childhood student teachers' perspectives regarding the utilization of teaching videos, together with their associated advantages and disadvantages. Rich data was collected through reflective papers from 56 students and three focus groups (20 students). The participants were female student teachers enrolled in the Department of Early Childhood at King Saud University during the 2023–2024 academic year. The study concluded that the purpose of using teaching videos was limited to clarification and representations of practice. The findings also showed that the students’ role during video presentation revolved around watching, generating ideas and activities, and focusing …

Graduate Students’ Use Of Artificial Intelligence Applications In Scientific Research: Prevalence And Association With Perceived Impostor Syndrome, Iman A. Almohammadi, Eradah O. Hamad, Bashayr A. Alqarni, Malak A. Alzahrani, Jwanaa A. Aljohani

International Journal for Research in Education

The current study aimed to explore the attitudes of graduate students towards the use of artificial intelligence applications in scientific research and the association with the prevalence and intensity of the perceived impostor syndrome among the students. The study sample consisted of 575 graduate students from several universities in Saudi Arabia. The researchers utilized a mixed-method approach. The scale of Attitude towards AI Technology and the Perceived Impostor Syndrome Scale were administered. The results showed a high positive inclination towards the use of artificial intelligence among graduate students, with 74.3% of students using AI applications in scientific research. The most …

Homeplace As A Methodology Of Care: Conducting Critical Qualitative Research With 2slgbtqia+ Youth In Higher Education, K. Rende Mendoza, Ferial Pearson, Isa Manhart

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This paper addresses the alarming trend of policies and legislative actions targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and affirmation/accessibility (DEIA) efforts in higher education, particularly those affecting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. These policies not only pose a direct threat to the physical and psychological safety of marginalized students but also undermine the institutional support systems essential for their personal and academic development. Authored by a nonbinary undergraduate and two 2SLGBTQIA+ teacher education researchers, our paper explores student-led critical qualitative research as a countermeasure to these regressive policies. Building from bell hooks' conception of homeplace, we offer our suggestions for establishing safe, supportive, and liberatory …

Swosu Department Of Psychology History, Janice L. Sperle

Department of Psychology

SWOSU DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY HISTORY
1948-2025

By Janice L. Sperle

A Resource-Based Perspective Of Stem Career Development: A Latent Class Analysis, Erika Ann Schemmel

Dissertations and Theses

Through technological developments and the growing concerns around climate change, the need and demand for electric vehicles has been steadily increasing. A trained and qualified STEM workforce is required to meet these demands, yet standard STEM education may not be sufficient. The STEM development program centered in the present study is a collegiate workforce development program that provides North American students with training and hands-on experience in the engineering of electric vehicles. Drawing from central principles of COR theory, the present study explores the experiences of students within the program utilizing a resource-based perspective and a mixed-methods approach. First, the …

Retention Intervention Program Success: An Inquiry Into Learning Organization Structural And Cultural Elements In California Community Colleges, Paul Vernon Wickline

Dissertations and Theses

Community colleges serve a diverse, underrepresented, and economically disadvantaged student population, yet most students fail to complete their academic goals, with students from marginalized groups facing even more significant disparities. Some colleges have implemented Early Alert and Intervention (EA&I) programs to improve retention and completion rates. However, colleges may face organizational challenges in implementing and sustaining these retention programs. This qualitative study examined structural and cultural elements in community colleges that have successfully implemented EA&I programs, focusing on student services and student affairs practices that support a learning-centered environment. Findings suggest that effective EA&I programs are grounded in inclusive, collaborative, …

Reassessing Policy Responses To Irregular Migration In Receiving Democracies: A Process-Tracing Analysis Of Transactional Migration Governance, Otoniel Ramos

Student Research

This policy brief analyzes the growing use of transactional migration agreements (TMAs) by receiving democracies—bilateral arrangements that exchange financial or diplomatic concessions for the external enforcement of migration control. While politically expedient, TMAs often generate long-term strategic liabilities: they reduce state control over enforcement outcomes, expose receiving states to coercive leverage by partner states, and weaken normative commitments to transparency and rights protection. Using analytic process tracing and formal modeling, this paper identifies four recurring mechanisms by which TMAs evolve into systems of asymmetric dependence. It then evaluates three alternative policy frameworks—Exit Doctrine, Legal Category Reform, and a Structured Conditionality …

2025 May 20 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

May 21, 2025 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Jewish College Students' Experiences Of Belonging, Identity, And Inclusion Within Campus Dei Initiatives, Laurence Allen Bolotin

Dissertations

Jewish college students navigate complex identities within higher education, often facing challenges related to antisemitism, exclusion, and the omission of religious identity within many Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This qualitative narrative inquiry explores the lived experiences of Jewish undergraduate students at public universities across the United States, examining their perceptions of belonging and the effectiveness of campus DEI initiatives in addressing their needs. Grounded in Jewish Critical Theory (JewishCrit), this study analyzes semi-structured interviews with 11 Jewish students, identifying five key themes: Belonging and Community, Intersectionality and Identity, Experiences with Antisemitism, Institutional Responses and DEI Initiatives, and the …

The Meaning Of Mission At A Catholic, Liberal Arts College, Ashley Nora Gisiger

Dissertations

This qualitative case study research aimed to uncover how students engage with institutional mission to understand: how the mission of a Catholic, liberal arts college contributes to the development of its undergraduate students and how higher education professionals integrate mission throughout the community. Semi-structured interviews allowed students, faculty, staff, and administrative perspectives to highlight how this work happens at a Benedictine college. Participants highlighted how their experience of mission contributed to their intellectual curiosity, their sense of self through community, and their ability to connect their education to the world at large and beyond their present academic experience. The higher …

Mirrors And Windows: Exploring Queer Identity Representation In Graduate Curriculum, Brody C. Tate

Dissertations

Queer representation in higher education curricula remains sparse, particularly at the graduate level, leaving many students without mirrors to reflect their identities or windows into broader queer experiences. This dissertation explores the extent to which queer graduate students perceive their identities as represented in their academic coursework. Using a narrative ethnographic approach, this study amplifies the voices of queer students, examining their lived experiences in relation to curriculum design, classroom discussions, and institutional inclusion. Framed through Queer Theory and Emily Style’s (1988) “Curriculum as Windows and Mirrors,” this research interrogates heteronormativity in graduate education and highlights the importance of visibility, …

Book Review Of The Power Of Positive Leadership: How And Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams And Organizations And Change The World, Bethany Peppers

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This book review examines the impact a leader has once they set a tone of positivity. It examines the importance of a leader's mindset, as it will be the determination of success for an organization. A single individual has the power to change the culture of an organization to allow for improvement within the organization. This book shows the strategy of positive leadership and how it can create a transformative workplace.

Ph Dependent Structural Characterization Of Ich Ensembles Needed For Catalysis, Kevin C. Prososki

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

Do We Really Need A Femininemenon?: The Gendered Context Of Congress And Women’S Representation, Hannah Scholen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Does the changing gendered context of Congress affect women’s representation? The literature shows that women are more likely than men to prioritize and introduce issues that have a distinct impact on women, such as education and health, and that women’s power as a minority group changes when their numbers grow. With the growing number of women in Congress, it’s crucial to understand how that increase affects Congresswomen. I use the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s Legislative Effective Score methodology, focusing on the education and health Issue Area LES’, and run interaction regressions to study the relationship between gender and legislative effectiveness, …

May 20, 2025 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Why Commencement Will Be The One Ritual Ai Will Never Replace, Essraa Nawar

Library Articles and Research

"We are entering an era of unimaginable change.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we work, learn, create, and think. It’s reshaping higher education—and pushing many to ask: Is college still worth it? Are degrees still necessary?

Those questions are real. And I welcome them.

But I also know this: no machine can replace the moment a family claps through tears when their loved one walks the stage."

Engaging Undergraduate Students In Critical Visual Reflections Using Their Visual Journals, Madeleine A. Barney-Gibbs

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This qualitative, arts-based study examines how undergraduate students engage with visual journaling to construct and articulate knowledge in a social science course centering issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Drawing on Freirian critical pedagogy and critical visual reflection, this research centers students’ voices and creative processes. Through one-time, audio-recorded interviews, participants share insights about their journaling experiences, reflect on memorable pages, and articulate both the significance and intended future use of their visual journals. The collaboration between researchers and student participants involves shared reflective practices, flattening hierarchies, and emphasizing embodied expression, including nonverbal and vocal cues. This approach builds …

A Seat At The Schoolhouse Table: Reimagining Education Through Afrofuturist And Womanist Theory, Natasha M. Capers

Student Theses

“A Seat at the Schoolhouse Table: Reimagining Education Through Afrofuturist and Womanist Theory” critically examines how curriculum, even when well-intentioned, can perpetuate harm by excluding the lived experiences of marginalized communities—especially Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ students. Using a real middle school immigration assignment given to the author's son as a case study, this capstone deconstructs the structural biases embedded in curriculum design and proposes a radical reimagining through the liberatory lenses of Afrofuturism and Womanism. Blending scholarly inquiry, personal narrative, and community-based interviews, this project offers a restructured assignment that centers joy, identity, and speculative storytelling as tools for educational …

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 …

Belonging Is Resistance: Illuminating The Power Of Women Of Color Mid-Level Administrators In Higher Education, Rachelle Ann Martinez

Dissertations

Resistance has long been a mechanism through which the dominant norms of society are challenged in the name of social justice. White supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and neoliberalism make it difficult for institutions of higher education to increase diversity, advance equity, and prioritize inclusion. Although these systems of domination adversely impact the belonging of all campus stakeholders, the experiences of mid-level administrators are relatively overlooked, and feeling undervalued and underappreciated is a top reason for many, especially women and people of color, who leave the profession altogether. This qualitative study utilized narrative inquiry to understand how dominant societal norms adversely impact the …

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, …

Respectability, Code-Switching, And Expression: Examining The Experience Of Black Expressive Arts Therapists Through A Sociolinguistic Lens, Darrien Bush

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review explores how the linguistic phenomenon of code-switching can be applied to expressive arts and expressive arts therapy to describe the experience of Black expressive therapists. The review outlines the evolution of the term, reasons why individuals switch codes, and how this affects their experience. The understanding of code-switching is then examined in expressive arts and the expressive arts therapy field. A history and understanding of code-switching in Black communities is also explored, connecting Black experiences of code-switching and expressive arts therapy programs. A discussion suggests that culturally relevant practices are implicitly discouraged due to dominant expectations. Future …

Perceptions Of Faculty On Trauma-Informed Practices At The American University In Cairo, Marwa M. Emara

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Trauma-informed education is gaining momentum in higher education as a framework that seeks to create learning environments that are safe, inclusive, and responsive to the emotional and psychological needs of students—particularly those who have experienced trauma. This qualitative study, situated at the American University in Cairo (AUC), explores how faculty perceive, understand, and implement trauma-informed practices in a diverse university context that includes refugee and displaced students. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seventeen faculty members from various disciplines and incorporating an autoethnographic reflection. An expert interview was conducted with Dr. Mays Imad, a leading scholar in trauma-informed …

Risky Business For The Almighty Roi: Alternative Assets In Higher Education Endowments, Clayton Ellis

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions (HEI) are heavily reliant on alternative revenue streams to mitigate rising operational costs. One alternative revenue source is the endowment, an aggegation of assets invested to support the institutional objectives of an HEI through generated income. Before the 21^st century, institutions have typically sought after more conservative investment strategies via traditional asset classes like bonds and equities. The growing financial obligations to educate students has led endowment managers to make a shift in their investment strategies towards alternative assets classes – private equity, venture capital, secondaries – in order to gain advantage in generating alpha (α) …

Book Review: A Modern Take On Mere Christianity, Shawn M. Bielicki

Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

No abstract provided.

Beyond Lecturing: Christian Higher Education Faculty Perceptions Of Professional Development Expectations And Its Impact On Job Satisfaction, Andrea Lynn Smith, Diane S. Garber, Vhuthuhawe T. Madzinge, Folashade O. Odedina, Joshua E. Wilson, Daniel P. Yerrington

Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This research study was conducted to ascertain possible connections between higher education faculty expectations of professional development and how these relate to their perceived job satisfaction. Several theories were used as the foundational framework, which included Bruner’s (1960) constructivist worldview theory, Herzberg’s (1966) two-factor theory, and Dockery’s (2012) faith learning integration. The research design for this qualitative study was a phenomenological hermeneutical study. The participants answered the two primary research questions: (a) What are the perceptions of Christian higher education faculty regarding professional development expectations? (b) How do Christian higher education faculty’s perceptions of professional development affect their job satisfaction? …

Beyond Lecturing: Revealing Faculty Perceptions Of Technology Expectations And Job Satisfaction In Christian Higher Education, Jerry L. Pitts, Charlene Geisler, Mark D. Granger, Jessica E. Kuehne, Roger W. Mackey, Erica D. Moore

Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The purpose of this phenomenological study aimed to understand higher education faculty perceptions and job satisfaction related to technology integration expectations in a changing academic environment. This study asked two research questions: 1. What are the perceptions of Christian higher education faculty regarding technology expectations? 2. How do Christian higher education faculty’s perceptions of these technology expectations affect their job satisfaction? Six full-time residential faculty members participated in the study. The lived experiences of faculty were studied using individual interviews, focus groups, and journal entries. Data analysis revealed that faculty perceived that institutions have additional technological expectations that go beyond …

Beyond Lecturing: Christian Higher Education Faculty And Faculty Support Staff Perceptions Of Institutional And Committee Service Expectations And How These Affect Job Satisfaction, Andrew F. Milacci, Alisha Castaneda, Janet Brown, Alex Mason, Annik Miller, Christopher Sneeringer

Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Job satisfaction among faculty members and faculty support staff in higher education is a complex phenomenon influenced by various factors, including institutional and committee service expectations. This qualitative study gauged feedback from Christian higher education faculty members and faculty support staff regarding the institutional and committee service expected of them, as well as how their engagement with these expectations affects their job satisfaction. Using a hermeneutic-phenomenological schema, the researchers conducted in-person interviews, administered discussion board focus groups, and gathered reflective journal entries from a sample size of six participants at a large, faith-based university. During the analysis of the resultant …