Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons^™

The Impact Of Black Faculty On First-Year Black Student Retention, Sense Of Belonging, And Racial Identity At Historically And Predominantly White Institutions, D'Andrea L. Williams

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence and engagement of Black faculty members in higher education can significantly impact Black students' college experience in their first year, especially at historically and predominantly White institutions. Emphasizing the importance of representation mentorship and relationship building, this study stresses the importance of Black faculty in fostering a sense of belonging, strengthening racial identity development, and contributing to the retention rates of Black college students during their freshmen year. On campus, Black students face the challenges of a campus climate plagued by racism, unfair expectations, mistreatment, microaggressions, and discrimination. Representation matters, and the sharing and affirming of those experiences …

Prompting Progress: An Eight-Week Ai Literacy Cohort For Academic Advisors – A Program Evaluation Report, Leo S. Lo

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

As generative AI floods higher education, academic advisors—often the first humans students consult—must learn to partner with the technology, not compete with it. This eight-week, community-of-practice pilot at the University of New Mexico gave 15 advisors guided access to GPT-4 for degree planning, policy queries, and email drafting. Pre/post surveys showed familiarity rising from 2.50 to 3.50, overall AI-literacy from 2.71 to 3.90, and confidence from 3.07 to 4.00 on a 5-point scale. Workflow logs documented recruitment emails produced in minutes rather than hours. Participants highlighted ethical guard-rails as a new competency, not an afterthought. Results suggest advisor-centric programs can …

Mentoring Under The Light Of Ignatian Spirituality, Llorenç Puig Puig Sj, Rosa Nomen, Luis A. Martínez

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This article proposes Ignatian Mentoring as a framework for enriching academic mentoring with insights from Ignatian spirituality. While mentoring traditionally supports professional and personal development, especially for early-career faculty, the Jesuit tradition offers a deeper, holistic perspective inspired by spiritual accompaniment practices such as those found in the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and the Spiritual Exercises. The framework is based on the mentoring program launched in 2021 by the International Association of Jesuit Engineering and Sciences Schools (IAJES), which connects faculty across a global network of more than 60 Schools. Based on two years of practical experience involving …

A Guided Board Preparation Initiative To Support Struggling Students' Success In Board Exams, Dyron J. Corley, Shiyuan Wang

Rowan-Virtua SOM Faculty Teaching & Learning Seminar

The Guided Board Prep Initiative was created to synthesize all the board preparation resources and provide more organized guidance for students we identified in MS1 who would struggle to pass COMLEX Level 1. Among at-risk students between 2023/4-2024/5 cohorts (N=169), the cohort of 2024/25 had significantly higher COMLEX Level 1 pass rate than 2023/24 cohort (chi-square 4.8, p-0.03)

Empowering Voices: The Impact Of Collective Storytelling Within College Support Programs, Sara Rock

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The Torero Renaissance Scholars Program (TRSP) supports undergraduate and graduate students who have experienced foster care, homelessness, or who are emancipated minors or in legal guardianship. My action research aimed to explore and improve TRSP practices related to sharing personal narratives, community building, and fostering mutual understanding between students, campus, and community partners. Using an action research model focused on community engagement, I conducted three research cycles involving narrative inquiry-based individual interviews and surveys to evaluate group activities. Findings revealed a tension around sharing personal stories and highlighted the importance of self-authorship and holistic mentorship. Interviews showed students prioritize resources …

Call For Manuscripts, Michele J. Koomen, Thomastine Sarchet-Maher, Jessica Williams

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Call For Manuscripts, Michele J. Koomen, Thomastine Sarchet-Maher, Jessica Williams

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

From The Editors, Michele J. Koomen, Thomastine Sarchet-Maher, Jessica Williams

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

JSESD remains a venue for the dissemination of research and practice related to the education of students with disabilities in the science classroom and laboratory since 1998. Volumes #1 through 11 were published in a print format. Starting with Volume #12, the journal has been published online and Open Access. Having JSESD in the Open Access format maximizes access for readers and authors and allows the journal to remain economically sustainable.

Copyright, Michele J. Koomen, Thomastine Sarchet-Maher, Jessica Williams

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Differentiated Instruction For Students With Special Needs: “How Can We Better Equip Students, School Systems, And Society For Differentiated Instruction For Students With Special Needs In Career And Technical Educational Environments?”, Mikala A. Highsmith

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Career and Technical Education (CTE) plays a vital role in preparing students for the demands of the modern workforce by providing essential knowledge, technical skills, and industry-recognized certifications. As the number of students with disabilities, including neurodivergent learners, continues to rise, CTE programs face increasing pressure to adopt innovative, inclusive educational practices. Integrating creative teaching strategies and leveraging technology are now critical tools in addressing diverse learning needs that promote effective classroom management and enhance student engagement. Moreover, CTE programs emphasize the development of professional competencies, workforce protocols, and transferable skills that strengthen students’ employability across industries. This paper examines …

After The Game: Comparing Career-Readiness Attitudes Between First-Generation And Continuing-Generation Student-Athletes, Heidi J. Robinson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Successfully transitioning from college to a career requires skills, experience, and knowledge. Specific student populations face increased challenges in accessing campus career resources that promote readiness for post-graduate employment. Among these vulnerable populations are student athletes and first-generation college students. While both student groups stand to gain increased professional success because of their college experiences, college-to-career barriers are well-documented. These challenges include access to and awareness of career-readiness resources, and career preparation and exploration opportunities. More information about the career readiness of an adjacent student group, first-generation student athletes, is needed. Students who experience the intersectionality of being both a …

A Case Study Of Intercultural Competence And Perceived Career Coaching Effectiveness In Higher Education, Robert C. Ellis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the cost of a college education continues to increase dramatically, both policymakers and the general public have begun to question the return on investment in higher education. In response, post-secondary institutions have substantially invested in their career development offices in an effort to improve graduate career outcomes. Among the most widespread of the career services offered to college students is career coaching, which the literature supports as having a substantial impact on increasing starting salaries and job offers for new college graduates. Despite being more likely than their peers to utilize their institution’s career development offices, college graduates belonging …

Development Of A Scale To Evaluate Key Attributes Of Academic Advisors Essential To Physical Therapy Students, Robin M. Baker, Jamie L. Greco

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Acknowledging the crucial role of academic advising in enhancing student success, professionalism, and personal growth, this paper advocates for a shift from traditional reactive methods to proactive, personalized advising strategies that have been shown to improve retention and satisfaction rates in higher education. Our study highlights the development of a comprehensive scale through rigorous validity assessments to measure key attributes of academic advisors essential to physical therapy students (PTS). This scale, refined through extensive feedback from faculty and PTS over two development phases, consists of 18 items on a 4-point Likert scale, which together map the complex landscape of effective …

The Impact Of Dual Enrollment On Educational Aspirations Of Traditionally Underrepresented Students In Community College, Wayne Carter, Carol Gruber

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

This research study examined the difference in academic motivation and academic self-efficacy of traditionally underrepresented students in community college who previously participated in high school dual enrollment programs versus their comparable peers without dual enrollment experience. This is important given the socio-economic disparities between the various student groups participating in this selective college preparatory program. Historically, traditionally underrepresented students have yet to participate in dual enrollment programs commensurate with their non-minority and affluent peers. By examining the difference between these two specific student subgroups, the researchers addressed what types of motivation and self-efficacious behaviors affected these college students who opted …

Effectively Advising Students Transitioning Majors, Layna Holk

Higher Education Student Work

Students often feel unprepared for the academic demands of their chosen majors and can experience a lack of sufficient support from advisory practices, in turn feeling overwhelmed in their academic journey (Cody, 2024). Guided by extrinsic and intrinsic motivations alongside their personal orientations, major changes can affect a student’s retention to a school or the higher education institution as a whole (Soria & Stebleton, 2013; Gillis & Ryberg, 2021). To address this challenge, I developed a training program for faculty advisors in Effectively Advising Students Transitioning (EAST) majors. In doing so, I will train faculty to appropriately navigate and effectively …

Giving Voice To Student Grief: Using Community-Based Participatory Research To Develop And Pilot A Translational Storytelling Intervention For Bereaved College Students, Cassidy Rae Taladay-Carter

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The purpose of this dissertation was to employ community-based participatory research (CBPR, Wallerstein et al., 2018) methods to attend to a pressing issue in the community. In partnership with one local grief center, we identified the need for enhanced grief support for current emerging adult undergraduate students in our area. Nearly 50% of U.S. emerging adults enrolled in four-year residential universities experience the death of an important figure (Cox et al., 2015; Cupit et al., 2021), at a time when they are developing important facets of their narrative identity. Without the coherence and meaning structures provided by narrative identity, students …

El Deafo Bibliotherapy, David S. Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

Horrible Harry In Room 2b Bibliotherapy, David S. Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

Investigating Racial Attitudes In Higher Education Student Affairs Professionals Using The Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (Cobras), Cindy Boe

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Abstract

While the literature has documented the existence of colorblind racism in college students and faculty members, data about student affairs professionals (SAPs) are not yet clear. The purpose of this quasi-experimental interventional single group research was to assess SAPs using the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) to investigate whether colorblind racism is present within the culture of the student affairs profession. A pretest involved survey questions about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) statements and actions within higher education and reactions to quotations from public figures about race and society. Following a brief self-reflection about racial identity and related access …

Teacher Decision Making In Guided-Reading, Brittany Worthen

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Guided reading provides teachers the opportunity to support students in literacy learning. When planning for and implementing this instructional approach, teachers are required to make various in-advance and in-the-moment decisions that involve responding to students’ instructional needs through adaptive teaching. Grounded in sociocultural and social constructivist theories, this study was designed to understand teacher decision-making within the context of guided reading instruction.

This research was a collective case study aimed at providing a better understanding of the various decisions teachers make when teaching in a guided reading context. Findings pertaining to in-advanced decisions that emerged from the data can be …

Power Of Partnerships, Joni Meade

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

No abstract provided.

Advising Tools For Student Success, Ingrid Washington, Jimmy Wright

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Ingrid Washington on February 18, 2025.

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, …

Evaluation Of A Guide To Accessing Accommodations During Medical School Created By And For Students With Disabilities, Nora Newcomb, Emily Coughlin, Zainub Dhanani, Kie Fujii, Lily Upp, Harika Kottakota, Rahul Mhaskar, Andrew Galligan

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Medical students with disabilities constitute 7.6% of allopathic (MD) and 4.3% of osteopathic (DO) programs, and they are entitled to reasonable accommodation, per the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, research has demonstrated that disabled medical students often encounter barriers when accessing accommodations. In response to these barriers, Medical Students with Chronic Illness and Disability (MSDCI) National created the MSDCI Guide to Accessing Disability Accommodations During Undergraduate Medical Education (the Guide). We conducted a program evaluation to evaluate the efficacy of the Guide as a resource to the members of MSDCI, a program evaluation was conducted. A Qualtrics survey was distributed …

“Science Belongs Everywhere”: Outlooks On Post-Secondary Stem Education For Correctional Centers In Virginia, Shelita R. Augustus

Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success Publications

Virginia has an incarceration rate of 679 per 100,000 residents, the highest among independent democratic nations. This scoping review examines perspectives on post-secondary STEM education to promote STEM education within Virginia's correctional facilities, assesses programs to improve rehabilitation, reduce recidivism, and address systemic inequalities by developing the scientific potential of incarcerated individuals. The review finds that while STEM education in correctional facilities faces limitations, its potential benefits are being realized nationwide. Virginia has made strides through initiatives like House Bill 2158, which aims to expand higher education access for incarcerated individuals. Examples such as the programs at J. Sargeant Reynolds …

"Why Am I Still Here?": Identity-Conscious Supervision And The Experiences Of Black Residence Hall Directors, Lauren Teso

Dissertations of Practice

"Why Am I Still Here?": Identity-Conscious Supervision and the Experiences of Black Residence Hall Directors

Colleges and universities have prioritized hiring diverse individuals who hold identities that are representative of their student population. However, research has shown that colleges and universities have not been inclusive to the needs and support especially for individuals identifying as Black. Moreover, departments of housing and residence life have been identified as predominately White spaces. This narrative inquiry looks at the experiences of ten Black identifying individuals serving as Residence Hall Directors to better understand their relationship with their supervisor. Through two rounds of semi-structured …

Sealing The Deal: A Case Study Of A Private, Southeastern, Regional College’S Student Onboarding Practices, Alicia R. Gaston, Kristen Meyer, Tyler Ogden, Jennifer Perkinson, Casey Yocum Michaels

Doctor of Education Capstones

Each year, higher education institutions offer support to new, incoming students through an onboarding process that requires dedication and collaboration across multiple departments. Offering streamlined guidance and clear communication throughout the onboarding process is essential to ensure incoming students understand action steps without becoming overwhelmed with new terminology, processes, and environments. This explanatory case study is set to understand the current communication practices and technology use across onboarding departments at Brightside College – also referred to as Brightside or BC (pseudonym). The research team aimed to understand Brightside's onboarding staff's perspective of current processes and practices. With emphasis on the …

From Street Codes To School Codes: Transformative Educational Intervention For Gang Affiliated Student. An Active Research Study, Alexandra Saldivar

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Gang-affiliated youth face significant challenges in educational and community settings, often resulting in lower graduation rates, limited career opportunities, and an increased risk for behavioral problems. While gang activity on school campuses has increased in recent years, there is limited research and little effort specifically tailored to meet the needs of this vulnerable population. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the WhyTry intervention, a resilience-focused program designed for at-risk populations, modified with additional counseling and a gang-intervention emphasis to address the unique challenges gang-affiliated students face. The study explores whether the modified WhyTry program can improve academic performance, …

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.