The purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study was to address the lack of understanding regarding how, why, and when former students trained in self-coaching apply a self-coaching process toward the attainment of personal goals post training. The two research questions of the study were, "how do former students trained in…

Revenue diversification is a term that becomes more relevant as higher education institutions are confronted with increased regulation, competition, declining enrollments, and strained finances. A challenge that many institutions face is that expenditures are higher than revenues and increase faster than them. The term Revenue diversification…

Many unemployed or underemployed workers find it difficult to attain wages that support them and their families. Due to a skills gap, a program evaluation was conducted using a qualitative case study methodology and was intended to determine the efficacy of a workforce training and education program in Maryland. The study was designed to gain…

A qualitative method of research was chosen for this study. This ethnographic case study examined school psychologists' and the referral process for special education services. The participants included school psychologists in a specific county in the state of Maryland. School psychologists are considered crucial members of an Individualized…

Community colleges nationwide rally to meet President Obama's challenge of adding five million graduates by 2020. However, many institutions continue to experience declining retention and attempt lackluster solutions to bolster student success. One often overlooked factor in need of investigation is the impact of food insecurity, an inadequate…

The ADVANCE Leadership Fellows Program at the University of Maryland is a yearlong professional development program for faculty aspiring to or recently engaged in leadership roles. Data shows an increase in participants' sense of agency to become academic leaders following the program. We use a comprehensive data set, including program…

Organizations are increasingly interested in improving the personal wellness of employees. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions of wellness and workplace influences among a diverse sample of employees (n = 22) in three Maryland industries. Data were collected using focus group methodology and integrating human needs…

This qualitative study explored nine admissions counselors' experiences with undocumented students at a public, four-year university in the state of Maryland. Findings suggest that admissions staff may confuse which policies apply for DACA vs DREAMers, a strategic recruitment plan does not exist to actively recruit undocumented students, and…

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a dance and transportation integrated curriculum on student learning and engagement. The curriculum, entitled Consequences of Our Actions: Dance and Transportation, synthesized transportation content with the art form of dance. The experimental and control groups were comprised of fifth-grade…

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to ascertain effective leadership practices, processes, and strategies utilized by elementary/secondary (K-12) principals that are in the bottom 5% of Title I turnaround schools. Education in the public schools is in a precarious situation because most students in turnaround schools are not…

Community colleges enroll nearly half of the total U.S. undergraduates, have the most diverse student population, and serve as the only contact with postsecondary education for many students. Community colleges have engaged in internationalization efforts for decades. Most rely on study abroad and international students as the only methods to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of university-level research scientists toward educational and outreach activities that aim to help the general public understand more about their scientific endeavors. Interviews, observations, and survey results from 12 university research scientists, their colleagues, students, and the…

Bullying affects approximately 40% of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Cyberbullying, a type of bullying facilitated by electronic devices, may be particularly worrisome for parents of children with IDD as constant monitoring is difficult. In this study, ten parents of Special Olympics Maryland athletes completed…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to understand teachers' perceptions of differentiated instruction and the rationale behind their resistance to implementing this strategy on a regular and consistent basis in an elementary school in the state of Maryland. Based on data collected from the state assessment in mathematics in Grades 3…

The central research question was: Why do Chinese students want to study in the United States? The participants were 20 Chinese students who studied in the U.S. Ten interview questions were used and data were processed in NVivo 10. Five major themes emerged from this study: (a) American culture benefits foreign perceptions of education in the…