School districts have attempted to implement many programs, initiatives, and frameworks to promote positive student behavior. However, despite these attempts, there remain inequitable student behavior outcomes in many public schools. Educational leaders who hold the position of building administrator in a public school district in Oklahoma were…

This study aims at describing the self-knowledge of students and their ongoing development as Anishinaabe (Ojibway), Ininiw (Cree), Oji-Cree, Saulteaux, Dene, or mixed Indigenous nation adolescents who left their homogenous home communities during a crucial time in their social, emotional, and cultural development to attend high school. The study…

In this dissertation study, I aimed to 1) investigate gender patterns in students' career aspirations, in both STEM and non-STEM fields, and 2) identify factors contributing to persistent gender differences within specific STEM disciplines. Drawing on Gottfredson's (1983) model of circumscription and compromise, I examined gender patterns and…

In "Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier" (1988), the U.S. Supreme Court established that school administrators have the right to review, change, or remove student-created media if the school sponsors it and if the school administrator has a "legitimate pedagogical interest," which has been inconsistent across high school student-created…

The topic of achievement gaps between students of color and White students is much discussed and analyzed throughout our country. Schools that have a diverse student population and have subgroup achievement gaps are slow to adopt change that can close these gaps. One area schools need to examine is the diversity of their teacher workforce. The…

Spanish-speaking students, also identified as Hispanic or Latino/a/x, have been reported to have lower high school graduation rates, and lower enrollment and retention rates in higher education than their peers. Research exists describing technology and emergency remote teaching (ERT) as widening the achievement gap, however Spanish-speaking…

This study examined and addressed the role of the broader rural community as supportive in shaping access to higher education among Black students as knowledge holders of their own lived experiences. Using a youth participatory action research (YPAR) approach, the theoretical underpinnings for the study included Yosso's (2005) community cultural…

In Hawai?i, there are over 170,000 students enrolled in public schools, with Filipinos comprising almost 25% of the student population. Native Hawaiian values, culture, and language have slowly gained an important role in school curriculum, but little is known about how students from other backgrounds respond to it. The purpose of this research is…

Grounded in Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection and Social Learning theories, and guided by Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions framework, this study sought to test the applicability of parenting typologies within the Ghanaian context. In addition to ascertaining maternal and paternal culturally-specific parenting typologies, the associations among…

The manufacturing industry is crucial to the United States economy, constituting more than 10% of the gross domestic product (National Association of Manufacturing [NAM], 2022). However, the sector faces challenges such as a shortage of skilled labor and underrepresentation of women, which threaten its sustainability (NAM, 2023). Various…

The problem addressed was parents and guardians desire more involvement during the transition of their special needs children from secondary to post-secondary education due to concerns about their child's preparedness for post-secondary education. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to understand the perceptions and experiences…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of test anxiety that high school male and female students experience in English and mathematics classes in Saudi high schools. The study examined test anxiety in both subjects from motivational antecedents and cultural factors that cause test anxiety among students. A mixed-methods study was…

This dissertation aims to illuminate and uncover the experiences of Black students' learning mathematics in rural Appalachia and specifically West Virginia. The focal theory for this study is Critical Race Theory (CRT) which centers the experience of Black students and their voices. The intersection of race, mathematics education, and the context…

Background: First generation college students, whose parents' highest earned degree is a high school diploma, go on to earn postsecondary degrees less often than their peers whose parents have a college degree. A current approach to addressing this problem is making sure "first gens" are ready to succeed in college. Purpose: There are…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore teachers' perceptions of their multicultural competence and how their views translate into their interactions with Hispanic students within the classroom. A phenomenological approach was utilized for this study in order to capture the self-perceptions and behaviors of teachers who work…