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…

This study delves into the underexplored realm of parenting practices among Latinx mothers of autistic children aged 10-16, focusing specifically on 10 Mexican heritage mothers. Through a Community-Based Participatory Research approach 10 mothers were recruited in partnership with a Latinx autism community agency and developed a culturally…

Hmong adolescents face many challenges during high school, particularly college and career readiness. School counselors are trained professionals who can help. This transcendental phenomenology study explored the lived experiences of six Hmong adolescents and how they make sense of college and career lessons in a group work format over six weeks.…

Heritage language speakers, those who have or claim a connection with the language of their ancestors, have become a group of interest in the United States, especially since programs to serve this population were initiated four decades ago thanks to the advocacy of grassroots organizations. Still, the reach of those programs is minimal and the…

The purpose of this study was to examine how sociocultural factors affect adolescent English learners' (ELs) STEM self-efficacy and STEM career self-efficacy. A case study approach was utilized to collect data from (13) suburban public-school students in grades seven through twelve and their parents. Initially, a STEM Self-Efficacy and Career…

The present qualitative study investigated the experiences of the English language learning of the Palestinian refugee girls, motivations, formal and informal avenues of learning English. The study discussed the support and the obstacles of learning at AlHussain Prep School in Camp Jabal Al-Hussain, Amman, Jordan. As illustrated in the literature…

Purpose: The purpose of this heuristic phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of former Hispanic or Latin teen mothers that achieved a master's degree or higher. Another purpose of the study was to describe the recommendations of the former teen mothers with regard to helping both present and future teen mothers accomplish…

The spread of Islamophobia in the U.S. positioned Muslims as different and inferior to American society and racialized their experiences by subjecting them to narratives of prejudices and stereotypes. This postcolonial interview study examined how Muslim American high school students conceptualized and negotiated their racialized identities within…

This qualitative research study, applying aspects of van Manen's framework for hermeneutic phenomenological research, was conducted to investigate the narratives of relationally aggressive girls of color. The study focused on nine adolescent girls of color who were ages 14-17 years old and exhibited aggressive/bullying behaviors representing the…

The following study empirically tested whether Modem Orthodox Jewish adolescents prefer therapists with similar religious affiliations to themselves as assessed by their ratings of importance of having a therapist of that religious affiliation, their perceived comfort level, and perceived effectiveness of therapists of different religious…

This study explored the perceptions of disability from the perspectives of Ethiopian immigrant parents who have children with disabilities. The study was guided by the research question: How do Ethiopian immigrant parents from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, who have children between the ages of 7-17 identified with disabilities and…

Adolescent males are influenced by various social and cultural factors. This qualitative study sought to further understanding about adolescent males' thoughts and behaviors regarding sexual decision-making. Specific exploration encompassed the influences of the identified factors of parents, peers, media, first romantic relationship breakups, and…

Adolescents entering college are often affected by eating disorders and during this transition to emerging adulthood, individuals begin to establish personal values and beliefs, which makes this population interesting when studying Eating Disorders, values, and faith. This research project seeks to examine the association among strength of…

The definition of literacy is constantly changing and expanding. A sociocultural view of Literacy considers literacy to be multiple, multimodal, and multilingual as situated in and across the social and cultural contexts. As technology, new media and social network has reformed many aspects of writing, they provide ELLs (English language learners)…

This dissertation investigated cyber- and face-to-face bullying of autistic youth (aged 13-18). Autism represents a neurological-developmental disability that affects language and communication, socialization, sensory processing, motor coordination, and thinking around planning, self-regulation, and self-reflection. Prior studies indicate that…