The use of student-centered instruction or active learning has been linked to higher rates of student success compared to traditional lecture. However, a mechanistic understanding of why active learning "works" has proven elusive. This dissertation explores active learning in Learning Assistant supported courses and makes the case for…

This three-study dissertation explored: "How are higher education stakeholders radically (re)imagining liberatory, abolitionist, decolonizing, and queering futures within U.S. higher education and beyond?" With diverse cohorts of Collaborators, I examined this question through a bricolage methodology (Hammersley, 2008), which blended the…

Much has been researched and written about mentoring faculty generally in academic medicine, particularly related to research mentoring. Little is known from research about the mentoring practices for early career faculty in academic medicine that will prepare them to flourish in their teaching throughout their careers. My research addressed this…

In graduate evaluation education, research has shown that theory to practice is overshadowed by a focus on practical methods which results in evaluation education tension and a tenuous understanding of evaluation theory to practice when evaluators complete their graduate studies. Little is understood about evaluation theory to practice from…

Set in 2023, this study was deployed at the lowest point of enrollment in the California Community College (CCC) system since 2008, which was the highest point of enrollment in the system's history. The purpose of this qualitative, grounded theory study was twofold: (a) to understand the phenomenon of California community colleges (CCCs)…

Paramount to both academic success and success in life is the ability to read. Faced with the arduous task of teaching this process, teachers must be knowledgeable of reading theories and pedagogies. Although the theory-to-practice gap is a valid concern that has been researched in many professions, more needs to be known about how novice teachers…

Purpose: There is a documented disparity in the number of Latino physicians in the U.S., especially in states with a large Latino population like California. In this study, the researcher explores the lived experiences of qualified, motivated Latino students enrolled at medical schools in California to better understand their perceptions of…

The demand for colleges across the world to convert their courses to an online format has increased with the number of learners enrolled in at least one online course increasing each year (Seaman et al., 2018). Unfortunately, a study by Garris & Fleck (2020) found that many students complained that when their courses transitioned to an online…

Improving student motivation and changing students from a negative motivational mindset to a positive one can be a viable way to ensure that students stay in their programs and obtain academic success. While educators and administrators are interested in improving motivation, they may not have the full body of knowledge about motivational theories…

This study addresses university leadership and the need to affirm diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to institute organizational change for social justice. My key research question is, "What are effective ways for leaders to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion with the goal of achieving social justice?" There is much research…

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…

The debate about the nature and role of teacher professionalism in teacher education contexts has a long history but little research has been conducted in small island states of the Caribbean, especially focused on the understanding of prospective teachers. Therefore, this interpretive descriptive study engaged 16 prospective teachers from a…

In this study, I use theories of poststructuralism, feminist new materialism, posthumanism, and affect to investigate and theorize my experiences as a classroom teacher entangled with dominant discourses related to gender, social class, neoliberalism, and postfeminism. This dissertation is non-traditional in structure, as it addresses teacher…

Diversity and inclusion are well regarded as beneficial and advantageous for communities, organizations, institutions, and societies. Equity or fairness is commonly understood as necessary for democracy. Public perception about what institutions can and should be doing to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, (DEI), continues to change as…

The purpose of this study was to determine how whiteness and white supremacy are upheld by white hearing officers on community college campuses. The literature shows that racial bias exists in K-12 discipline systems, that no reporting mandates on demographics exist in higher education conduct, and that community colleges often serve minoritized…