This qualitative study explores the intricate relationship between intergenerational postsecondary education and economic mobility by focusing on the nuanced themes of environment and exposure, encouragement and expectation, and experience and equal opportunity. Drawing from the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), this research seeks to…

This study examined the phenomenon known as Brain Drain and how it affects the identities of educated Balkan immigrants who have emigrated to the United States to study in a university and willingly accept their transformational process as a hybrid identity. Hybrid identities (Smith & Leavy, 2008) of skilled immigrants contribute to the…

As employers struggle to fill 9.5 million vacant positions with only 6.5 million workers available across the United States, the role of community colleges becomes critical in educating workers. Open-door access and lower-tuition costs make community college an essential resource for people to access higher education; however, research shows the…

This dissertation explores how college students define success in their educational journeys and what experiences shape these definitions. While existing literature often presents institutional or educator-driven definitions of success, this study aims to capture student perspectives directly, using narrative inquiry to highlight the voices of…

The problem addressed in this study was nontraditional community college students were at-risk of not completing their degrees. The purpose of this study was to explore the first-year completion strategies of nontraditional students at an urban Louisiana community college through the lens of their self-efficacy beliefs. I employed qualitative…

A dissertation research study was conducted to examine the conditions behind the continued lack of advancement for Black student affairs professionals within the California State University (CSU) System. This study sought to understand the perspective of the executive and management-level positions categorized as the Management Personnel Plan…

This study explores the possibilities and tensions that emerged when preservice teachers integrated both the science of reading and a culturally sustaining framework when learning about and teaching reading comprehension. Utilizing a constructivist grounded theory methodology, this research draws on data from interviews, student coursework…

Besides the despicable atrocities and devastation, Russia's war in Ukraine caused the emergence of a group of refugees previously unknown in the U.S. and the world. The phenomenon of "Ukrainian refugees" is new to the immigration and resettlement agencies, host communities, employers, and educators. This research explores how five…

There is limited research on the relationship between the Impostor Phenomenon (IP) and School Belongingness (SB) of college students in an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). The present study examined the extent to which first-year college students in an educational opportunity program experience the impostor phenomenon and school…

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the early career pathways of women who are deans in academic medicine to understand how they perceived their developed leadership skills and how they identified strategies to advance women into dean leadership roles. Theoretical Framework: Social role theory states that societal expectations of…

As a field, WAC/WID has been called to engage antiracist work as part of the broader reckoning with race in writing studies. However, it is not clear to what extent WAC/WID practitioners have actually taken up these calls. Historically, WAC/WID has failed to engage with race and racial equity, with Anson (2012) calling a lack of attention to these…

This research is necessitated as Black women continue to face unique and significant challenges in educational leadership. Supported by Black Feminist Theory, this study explores the successful leadership pathways of Black women in medical higher education while navigating barriers. The goal is to promote the inclusion of Black women in medical…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between work-life balance and faculty perceptions of promotions in academia using Vroom's (1964) Expectancy Theory of Motivation as the theoretical framework. The study was conducted at two universities in the Southeast, and all faculty were invited to participate in an online survey.…

The purpose of this case-study investigated the role of the Pre-Freshman Summer Experience Program used for an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) located at State University (SU) Upstate. More specifically, this study explored how students fared during the completion of the pre-freshman summer experience program throughout the ongoing COVID-19…

Pursuing higher education in a foreign country entails numerous challenges and opportunities for development for international students. Social media allows individuals adapting to a new environment to connect, communicate, collaborate, network, and learn, overcoming geographical, temporal, linguistic, cultural, and social boundaries. In this…