Educational Sociology Commons^™

Beyond Diversity Initiatives: Building A Community Of Care In Scientific Societies, Richelle L. Tanner, Kathryn Wilsterman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

"In this Professional Biologist article, we present one such reframing that centers individualized care through structural changes. We argue that psychological and sociological motivations of belonging and social capital in the academy are funda- mental challenges contributing to the cultural problems within STEM fields and are particularly present within professional scientific societies. In support of this argument, we present survey- based data alongside significant literature from the humanities. In this reframing supported by existing organizational culture literature and our survey results, we suggest that scientific societies are uniquely positioned to promote significant cultural change within STEM by focusing on building …

The Current 'Ban-Demic': School Book Bans In The U.S., Barbara Perez, Jane Caputi

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This essay examines the alarming rise of U.S book. Our stance is grounded in our experiences as educators and academics in Florida, the state with the highest number of book bans and legislation that has significantly impacted education. Book bans infringe on freedom of expression, right to access information, = students’ right to education, and real harm to targeted communities (i.e., LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities), as the bans contribute to the ongoing marginalization and stigmatization of these communities. Diverse representation is key in literature and education. Banning popular culture texts from the classroom stifles critical thinking, social dialogue, and, ultimately, …

Home Bound: Explaining The Neoliberalization Of Regional Public University Districts Through An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Design, Becket C. Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I examined housing costs in neoliberalized consumer spaces (Cunningham, 2016; Saunders & Ramírez, 2017) in regional public university (Orphan, et al., 2022) districts. I use geographic methods (Jonas, et al., 2015; Daché-Gerbino, 2018) with an explanatory sequential mixed methods design and a complex case study approach (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). Results from my spatial analyses showed that residents who live within one-half mile of universities spend more on monthly housing costs ($1,331) than those who do not ($1,227) except in the case of regional public universities ($1,184). Results from a regression analysis demonstrated that eight institutional variables predicted 33.2% …

Fostering Inclusion And Belonging In Virtual Learning Environments: Strategies From Faculty Members For Enhancing Online Student Engagement, Tara Franklin, Tina Patterson

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

Despite the convenience and accessibility offered by online education, disparities persist in access, engagement, and success rates, disproportionately affecting all students, especially students with disabilities and neurodivergent learners. This difference highlights the barriers and challenges students with disabilities face on virtual learning platforms. Encouraging an inclusive and supportive environment where students feel comfortable disclosing their disabilities is essential for improving completion rates and fostering a sense of belonging in virtual learning environments. The study aimed to identify strategies faculty members use to foster inclusion and belonging for students enrolled in online courses. A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect information …

Nursing Education Research In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review And Bibliometric Analysis, Beth Waweru, Peter Gatiti, Serah Wachira

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Nursing education is pivotal for ensuring competent healthcare professionals, and its improvement is essential for enhancing the quality of health care systems globally. This study focuses on nursing education research in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last decade, employing both bibliometric analysis and systematic review methodologies. The bibliometric analysis reveals an evolving landscape of nursing education research in SSA, offering insights into trends, key countries, journals, and predominant research themes. Notably, the study identifies a scarcity of literature using bibliometric approaches in nursing research, addressing this gap by providing a comprehensive overview of the field.The systematic review, guided by the …

Piloting Trauma-Informed Workshops To Enhance Life Skills In Housing Transitions: Action Research, Negar Ghaderi

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This action research pilot project explores how trauma-informed, life skills workshops grounded in critical and creative thinking methods can support Housing First (HF) residents transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. The study is based on the understanding that addressing homelessness requires more than housing provision—it demands attention to the cognitive and emotional impacts of trauma through co-created, resident-centered interventions. Using iterative cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, the project engages a small, fluctuating group of 4–5 participants from a diverse community of 60 HF residents. The pilot program includes six workshops, one focus group discussion, and individual interviews over …

Embodying Altruistic Love: The Role Of Emotions In Teaching Black Students With Disabilities Within An Inclusive Elementary School, Joshua Armentrout

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher emotions play a pivotal yet understudied role in shaping the educational experiences of Black students with disabilities (SWDs). This study examines how five special educators in a fully inclusive elementary school understand, experience, and navigate their emotions in relation to Black SWDs. Using a qualitative approach grounded in portraiture, this study explores the intersection of race, disability, and emotion, revealing how teachers internalize, resist, and negotiate dominant ideologies within the broader educational system.

Guided by a three-dimensional space framework from the field of narrative inquiry—temporality, sociality, and spatiality—this study traces how educators’ emotions are shaped by past experiences, social …

A Teacher, A Tutor, A Friend: Chatgpt And The High School Experience, Saisha Gupta, Vivek Mehta, Rebecca Kam, Caroline Ehmann, Alma Orgad, Emily Kuang, Alejandro Castro Barrantes, Matthew Posada, Samay Shah, Nikhita Prasad, Tara Pai, Eileen Ho, Shirley Xi, Tianyi Zhou, Elaina Li, Stephanie Wan, Shreya Paranjape, Zoe Dearling, Siqi (Grace) Peng, Aanya Kaveti, Gwendolyn Lowrance, Angela Ziyi Xie, Mira Xu, Adhiti Hariram, Alexa Muse

The Qualitative Report

Given the increasing emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, high school students' perspectives on ChatGPT are underrepresented in current research literature. As high school student researchers in an English Language Arts course, we approached this gap in literature by asking the question: In what ways do pressures within high school communities influence students’ perspectives on justifying or rejecting the use of ChatGPT? We interviewed 24 secondary students and conducted a thematic and discourse analysis, coding the interviews through the lenses of social goods (Gee, 2014), Figured Worlds (Holland et al., 1998), and positioning theory (Holland et al., 1998; Ingram …

Affect, Efficacy, And Protest Intentions: Testing A Multilevel, Dual-Pathway Model Of Collective Action, Blaine G. Robbins, Steven Pfaff, Ross L. Matsueda

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

What are the consequences of affect and efficacy for protest intentions, and do these consequences stem from personal disposition and/or situational characteristics? Here, we test a dual-pathway model of collective action in which anger and efficacy operate at multiple levels of analysis. To test this model, we administer a factorial survey experiment of student protest to a random sample of undergraduate students (N = 880). We find that the effect of anger on protest intentions follows two routes—one dispositional and one situational—and that the effect of efficacy flows through a situational channel. We also find that anger and efficacy are …

Advancing Equity In Financial Aid For Black Students: A Document Analysis Study Of Student Equity Plans In California Community Colleges, Edwina Williams

Dissertations

This study examined how California Community Colleges (CCCs) constructed financial aid discourse in Student Equity Plans (SEPs) and assessed whether these strategies mitigated or perpetuated racial disparities for Black students. Previous scholarship identified racial inequities in financial aid systems and explored how equity planning documents addressed race; yet, the influence of institutional discourse on financial aid access remained underexamined. This study contributed to the literature by applying critical race hermeneutics (CRH) to examine how SEPs outlined financial aid strategies, with particular attention to the framing of work–study opportunities and the extent to which the SEP intended to employ race-conscious approaches. …

Maybe It Really Is Those Damn Phones, Sarah F. Garvin

Honors Projects

Technology is an integral part of modern life and has extended into elementary classrooms where one-to-one device programs have become the norm. While technology can increase accessibility to education, its widespread integration in learning environments raises concerns about its long-term impact on students and teachers. This research critically examines gamified learning applications and technology use in elementary education, questioning whether they enhance learning, curiosity, and problem-solving skills. A qualitative methods approach was employed, using surveys and interviews conducted with educators in Seattle Public Schools to assess the effects of technology-driven instruction. The resulting data were analyzed through thematic analysis to …

Beyond The Exam Score: An Examination Of The Kenyan Education System, Its Reforms, Inefficiencies, And Impact On Individuals And Society At Large, Olivia M. Pederson

Honors Projects

In Kenya, secondary education plays a decisive role in shaping students’ university and career opportunities as well as their social mobility. The national exam, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), acts as a key gateway to higher education and employment. The quality and accessibility of education for Kenyan youth, however, has been impacted by systemic inefficiencies ranging from underfunding and disparities in resource allocation to an exam-centric curriculum. This study takes a qualitative approach, using both purposive and convenience sampling to gather data through a questionnaire sent to university students and adults that have graduated from a Kenyan secondary school. …

Grief As Slip: (How Little I Show) An Exploration In Clay, When Words Are Not Enough, Michelle A. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Grief as Slip (how little I show) implies that even as we acknowledge our mortality and the fleeting nature of life, we still only reveal a fraction of our true selves or our deeper realities. The ceramic artwork in this exhibition carries and conveys a journey through the present and remembered emotions of the artists’ personal narrative. By juxtaposing the tactile nature of clay with the ethereal quality of human experience, Smith contemplates the profound interplay between material transformation and emotional resilience. The exhibition’s intent is to translate the essence of complex emotional states into abstracted forms so they can …

Digital Eye Strain In College Students: The Impact Of Academic Majors And Study Habits On Visual Health, Jennica L. Pitts

Honors Thesis

Digital eye strain (DES) has recently grown to become a significant concern among the college student community, particularly with the increased reliance on electronic and screen-based devices for academic and recreational purposes. This study aims to explore potential correlations between a university student's academic major, study habits, and screen-based behaviors, as well as any symptoms they may experience digital eye strain (as well as any other potential contributing factors) In total 81 college students chose to participate in an online survey (through Qualatrics) which assessed their academic majors, GPA, status in the honors program, screen usage, DES symptoms experienced, any …

Leading Factors Positively Impacting Teacher Job Satisfaction, Abby M. Smith Ms.

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper examined the issue of declining teacher job satisfaction and its role in the growing national teacher shortage. The purpose was to identify the leading factors that positively influenced teacher job satisfaction and to explore how these elements supported retention, enhanced school performance, and improved student learning. This literature review combined 15 peer-reviewed studies from the past 17 years that included diverse international contexts with participants who varied by age, experience, and culture. The sources employed qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and secondary data analyses to study intrinsic and extrinsic motivators on teacher satisfaction, burnout, and attrition. The findings indicated …

Perceptions Of Power And Consent: The Role Gender, Race, And Sexual Orientation In Shaping Public Perceptions Of Student-Teacher Affairs, India Campbell

Poster Presentations

Sexual violence is a taboo topic. It is especially challenging to acknowledge child victims. Sexual violence in schools is particularly hard to acknowledge. No parent wants to consider the possibility of sending their child to a predator every day. This phenoma has been researched for decades from various angles. This project will contribute to the research that looks at the ways race, gender, and sexual orientation influence perception of victimhood.

The Fraught Path To Residency For International Medical Graduates, Fatima Mossolem, Nidhi Chaudhary, Kate Whelihan, Venkat Venkataraman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background:

International medical school graduates (IMGs) are a vital part of the physician workforce in the United States helping to combat the ongoing physician shortage. The Association of American Medical Colleges reported that 42.3% of hospitalists were IMGs, physicians that also comprise a significant part of primary care physicians in rural underserved areas. Students in a gray area of immigration statuses such as those in DACA or those that have lived in the US for years waiting to attain citizenship are automatically considered “international students” and have typically received less residency interviews, and have had a harder time matching into …

Exploring User Sentiment On Social Issues Via Neural Network Transfer Learning In Digital Communities, Ananya R. Vangoor

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Understanding public sentiment on social issues is crucial for gauging the stance of the general population. Traditionally, surveys have been a common approach for this. However, to capture more candid opinions, social media provides a rich source of unadulterated opinions. By analyzing social media statements, we can gain insights into the perspectives of specific groups. More specifically, we will investigate the attitudes of the public into the relationship between hard work and success in the workplace.

Using a neural network trained on tweets from X, formerly known as Twitter, we can categorize each tweet as either pro-luck or pro-meritocracy. But …

The Switch: Determinants Of Family School Modality Choices During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Steicy Dorfi Lopez

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The K-12 system in the United States experienced substantial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to give an overview of public, private, and homeschooling enrollment decisions during the pandemic, the changes families made between types of schooling and identify familial characteristics associated with the probability of switching in and out of public education. Knowing more about the groups exiting and returning to the public school system can help public school districts better tailor policies to attract and retain their students. Socioeconomic factors influencing a change could be signs of increasing segregation. Using a discrete choice duration model, a …

The Influence Rural Leaders Have On Local Population Change: A Two-Part Study, Nichole T. Reiner

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

This two-part research study aims to understand factors that influence a rural community population and how local leaders believe they can influence those factors to impact population changes. The first study focuses identifying factors that predict population change using a linear regression model. The second study is a multiple case study focused on three communities, where a mix of secondary data and community leader interviews provided an in-depth understanding of how local leaders perceive their capacity to influence factors influencing population change in their communities.

Advisor: LJ McElravy

Women And Gender Non-Conforming Introductory Stem Students Navigating Gender, Faculty Expectations, And College Support Systems., Trisha A. Douin-Manning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women and gender non-conforming students remain underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors within higher education, and gender disparities persist in advancement to high-paying STEM careers (Maloy et al., 2021; NSF, 2015; Riegle-Crumb et al., 2018). This three-article style dissertation uses qualitative interviews with 29 women and gender non-conforming introductory STEM students and 11 STEM faculty to investigate how these students navigate through their introductory STEM courses. Women and gender non-conforming students in this study faced academic, familial, and gendered pressures to succeed in introductory STEM courses. Many of the students in this study described feelings of oppression …

Investigating Factors That Influence Rural Student Degree Attainment At Urban Institutions., Kevin Kelleher Buckley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have shown that rural students attend college at rates lower than their non-rural peers. When they do attend college, they tend to stay closer to home. Considering that over two-thirds of higher education institutions in the United States are in urban areas, this presents two challenges—rural students limit their options for where to attend college, and urban institutions face difficulty attracting and retaining rural students. Very little quantitative research is available that explains what may make a rural student more likely to be successful at an urban institution or if the geographic origin of a student plays …

Educational Leadership In A Vuca World: The Crisis Management Experiences Of Rural School Superintendents, Lucas J. Grossnicklaus

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

The job of both urban and rural superintendents is challenging, but it is the rural school superintendency that comes with unique challenges that aren’t always faced by their urban and suburban counterparts. The COVID-19 Pandemic brought about a number of crises for school superintendents such as school closures, mask mandates, and navigating positions taken by governors, teachers unions, and school boards. While concerns about school closures and mask mandates has dissipated, conflict within school districts has only seemed to grow since the pandemic.

This multi-case study explored the lived experience of rural superintendents in the Midwest who have experienced a …

Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Foster Youth Independent Living Programs In The State Of California, Ingrid Flores

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster youth transitioning into adulthood often confront a myriad of challenges stemming from limited social capital and unstable support systems. The transition out of foster care, particularly for Transitional Age Youth (TAY), is fraught with barriers including disconnection from familial ties, inadequate knowledge regarding higher education, financial instability, unemployment, and housing insecurity. In 2021, approximately 4,920 foster children aged out of the system, facing the option to participate in extended care programs designed to facilitate their transition into independent living. Despite these programs, many youths struggle to achieve self-sufficiency. Key legislation, including the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and …

Predicting Migrant Youth Integration In The United States, Scott Bayer Gove

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between participation in an identity development program for migrant youth and their subsequent integration into U.S. society is examined. The study focuses on the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' (USCRI) READY4Life program, which aims to support migrant youth in their transition to life in the United States. This study will examine whether performance scores in the READY4Life program can predict scores on the Immigration Policy Lab's (IPL) Integration Index, a validated measure of integration. The study will employ a cross-sectional experimental research approach, using multiple linear regression analysis to examine the relationship between the READY4Life performance scores …

From Adolescence Into Adulthood: How Exclusionary Discipline And Sex Impact Early Adulthood Social And Economic Opportunities, Madeline Shanahan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The school-to-prison pipeline has established the relationship between school exclusionary discipline and an increased likelihood of experiencing criminal justice contact. Furthermore, exclusionary discipline serves as a precursor to several negative life outcomes, including educational and economic disadvantages. Using a life course perspective and longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) collected from 1998 to 2024, this study aims to understand the role that sex plays in exclusionary discipline and explores sex differences in early adulthood life opportunities post-exclusionary discipline. This study utilizes logistic regression analyses to answer the following questions: (1) Are there different early …

Famílias Indigenas Entre Mundos: Standing In Pachakuti, Living In Chi’Xi Within The Constellation Of Their Comunidad De Saberes, Ymasumac Marañón Davis

Dissertations

To be Indigenous is to be la luz del mundo, to stand in your light and spread your sunrays, no matter winds or clouds of colonization that strive to dim you. This qualitative study explored ways Indigenous Latine families negotiate a sense of place within onto-epistemological realities and their home culture of learning and Western education. This research is desire-based (Eve Tuck, 2009), creating our own project of modernity, grounded in one Indigenous family’s experience within their Andean community. Drawing from Critical Latine Indigeneities Framework (Blackwell et al., 2017) and Chicana Feminist Epistemologies (Bernal, 1998), using an Entre Mundos methodology, …

Breaking The Pipeline: Exploring Exclusionary Discipline, Restorative Justice, And The Attitudes And Beliefs Of Educators, Ericka J. Varnedoe

Honors College Theses

This study explores the connection between exclusionary disciplinary practices and the school-to-prison pipeline. It highlights how exclusionary discipline, including suspensions and expulsions, disproportionately affects marginalized groups such as students of color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ youth, further contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline. In contrast, restorative justice, a non-punitive approach, offers a promising alternative. Initially adopted from the criminal justice system, restorative justice has been integrated into school environments to foster positive school climates, improve experiences, and mitigate challenging behaviors. This research examines educators' attitudes toward both exclusionary and restorative practices, as well as their awareness and implementation of restorative …

Psychological Treatment Behind The Walls:Insights From The Inside, Rogelio Serrano

Psychology Division Scholarship

Repeated eras of mass incarceration, criminalization of marginalized communities, and substance use policies have created a revolving door of justice involved populations. The ever-increasing prison population has repeatedly become the largest contingency of mental health clientele for an overburdened mental health system. Those who work with formerly incarcerated individuals in the community often don’t know the unique set of challenges faced by practitioners within the system. Increased understanding and coordination of care can offer opportunities for sustained recovery and reduced levels of recidivism. In this presentation participants will learn about the unique insights on mental health treatment that can be …

Casar Student Discussion Series #7: Censored Classrooms - Should Parents And Community Members Have A Say In Restricting Certain Books In Schools, Based On Factors Such As Religion, Age Appropriateness, And More?, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated.

On April 10th 2025, at this CASAR Student Discussion event #7 in light of the current book bans in the US happening from Trump's administration, we debated this question: 'Censored classrooms: Should parents and community members have a say in restricting certain books in schools …