Latin@ undocumented students confront unique and significant barriers in accessing and obtaining postsecondary certificates and degrees within community colleges. This study explored 4 current and 1 former community college part-time (6-8 credits) undocumented students, specifically how they described their help-seeking experiences within a…

A strong sense of community is linked to higher levels of student retention, wellness and quality of education in counselor education doctoral programs. This is particularly true for marginalized students (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, motherhood status, and international students). Strong, positive faculty relationships with students as well as…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide the best setting for building collective teacher efficacy (CTE). CTE has been identified as having the highest positive effect on student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the effectiveness of PLCs for building…

While many community college (CC) students come to higher education with specific career or life goals, these aspirations may be forced to change if students are not able to get past the gatekeeper of remedial mathematics coursework. Racially minoritized students are disproportionately tracked into non-credit-bearing remedial (NCBR) mathematics…

A student's sense of understanding is extremely important as it relates to school inclusion, connectedness, and overall success. However African American and Latino students, who are subjected to higher rates of school removal than other student populations, are placed in alternative settings, and as a result, experience difficulty reintegrating…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) can provide a structure for teachers to engage in learning processes that improve their classroom practices collaboratively. If followed consistently with the literature, PLCs are a robust professional learning model that can support teachers collectively through learning and reflecting on their classroom…

This dissertation explores the math identity development of Black and Latinx students who are taking developmental math classes in a community college setting. The study delves deep into the incorporation of inclusive pedagogical practices in the classroom. Placing emphasis on the successes of students, the research was based on Martin's (2000)…

The field of autonomous language learning in second language acquisition has experienced significant growth since its introduction by Holec in the 1980s. Several studies have explored how to promote learning autonomy in various spaces, including online learning environments. However, research related to autonomous language learning in online…

On the heels of America grappling with various racial and ethnic inequities, this dissertation explored the experiences of Black and Latinx males who graduated with bachelor's degrees from 4-year institutions. Participants navigated through different environments, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities [HBCUs], Hispanic Serving…