In identifying ways to create inclusive spaces in the classroom, instructors should not be limited by singular modes of discourse to engage students. Particularly when teaching first-year students who seek to invent the university and claim their intellectual space within it, these considerations must be deeply integrated into the course…

The hidden curriculum has been theorized and researched as imposing messaging that students learn but are not explicitly taught. However, few studies considered the hidden curriculum as an integrated and embodied function of students' lived experiences, or students' role in their encounters with the hidden curriculum. This study investigated how…

Scholars and Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals acknowledge the critical nature of prosocial behavior (PSB) skills in the lives of preschool-aged children. Research specifies that children lacking PSBs are socially and academically disadvantaged. Studies have shown that 30% of preschoolers exhibit negative emotional/social behavior, and…

This dissertation applied an extended version of Cropanzano et al.'s (2017) theoretical framework, integrating affective events theory with leader-member exchange theory, incorporating leadership self-efficacy and workplace satisfaction. It investigated challenges of peer supervisory relationships among eight head resident advisors at a small…

Over the last decade, STEM education research has reflected a turn towards framing disciplinary development in STEM as the repetition and stabilization of situated practices. In this dissertation, I turn further: towards "disciplinary relationships" as a potential focus of analysis. To centralize disciplinary relationships, I use a…

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of emotional intelligence factors on the relationship quality among African American male college students. Specifically, this study was concerned with the predictable relationship between the emotional intelligence factors of emotion regulation, self-regulation, emotion management, and…

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine if, and to what extent, there were statistically significant differences between NCAA Division I and Division II HBCU transfer student-athletes in terms of social identity, negative affectivity, and exclusivity. The athletic identity concept served as the conceptual framework for…

Physician assistant (PA) programs must teach medical communication skills that facilitate effective patient care. Empathy is one such skill that is explicitly mentioned in relevant documents, but there is no common definition of empathy nor a formal curriculum to teach it. Current literature suggests that empathy is a feeling resulting from…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if authentic leadership was related to either employee trust in leadership or affective organizational commitment in an association of community colleges in the North Texas region of the United States. Three theoretical concepts formed the framework for this study: Authentic…

The purpose of the current study was to identify if positive affect, resilience, and student type were predictors of subjective happiness in undergraduate commuter and non-commuter students. Since there is limited research on the population of commuter students, the current study added to the literature. Using a quantitative methodology, 314…

This descriptive qualitative study explores undergraduate students' experiences of physical academic libraries to identify possible connections between physical academic library environments and students' affective experiences. Drawing on a combination of theoretical perspectives focused on how humans understand, navigate, and respond to space and…

Scholars and educators are turning to culturally responsive education to create more inclusive and equitable educational experiences for an increasingly diverse student population (Gay, 2010, 2013, 2018; Ladson-Billings, 1995a, 1995b, 2014). However, despite its immense potential, challenges and pitfalls still exist (Sleeter, 2012; Warren, 2014,…

This dissertation explores how varied delivery strategies may influence college student affective learning in a mediated setting. I employed a hybrid-grounded approach to the exploration of student-participant interviews wherein student-participants engaged with one of two online media literacy learning modules. The results of this study…

This study quantitatively and qualitatively measured gender and age differences in cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement while playing video games among the University of North Texas (UNT) undergraduate students. Also, it examined the relationship between time spent playing video games and the three engagement states. For the…

This study evaluated the impact of a somatic wellness training pilot program specifically designed for marriage and family therapy (MFT) students. Anchored in mindfulness and the person of the therapist (POTT) model, the program aimed to cultivate heightened self-awareness, emotional regulation, and self-care practices, incorporating respect for…