Bullying is widely prevalent in the US. Although anti-bullying laws have been implemented across the country since 1999, bullying prevalence rates remain high. Research suggests that being a bully or a bully victim or both makes an individual more likely to experience worse physical, mental, and financial health. This dissertation comprises of…

In 2010, Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana opened its first Excel Center adult high schools aimed at assisting adults in obtaining a high school diploma and transitioning those adults into higher education, industry certifications, and the workforce completely tuition free. MERS Goodwill, the largest Missouri branch of Goodwill (excluding…

This dissertation presents three separate essays. The first two essays explore the gender wage gap and its dynamics in urban China from 1995 to 2018. The first chapter decomposes the gender wage gap based on the observed wage for workers with a precise measure of the hourly wages. The first chapter examines the observed average gender wage gap in…

This dissertation examined the relationship between student engagement in college and subsequent employment status and early career earnings in a public university. This study sought to understand whether or not student academic and social experiences in college are related to post-baccalaureate early career earnings. The literature review…

This dissertation focuses on microeconomic topics in the fields of public, labor and education. Particularly, this dissertation evaluates state policies in higher education and develops a global measure for job quality. Chapter 1 studies how state merit aid programs affect undergraduate degrees earned in Science, Technology, Engineering and…

This study aims to explore the impact of college quality on early labor market outcomes in China, including the fresh college graduates' initial employment status and starting wages for students who graduated in 2011. The main data source is the College Student Labor Market (CSLM) survey conducted by Tsinghua University. Distinguished from…

This secondary analysis of the earning mobility of the near poor examined the impact of human capital investment on the earning mobility of the near poor between 2005 and 2009. The theory framing this study is Human Capital Theory (Shultz, 1961). Other demographic and socioeconomic variables were included in this study to further explore factors…

Young female adults with disabilities are at risk for difficult lives. The transition from high school to post-secondary education is fraught with difficulties for disabled persons and research indicates they do not fare as well as their non-disabled peers (Wagner, 1992; Wagner, Newman, Cameto & Levine, 2005). In addition, gender disparities…

The purpose of this investigation was (a) to determine the level of satisfaction that exiting high school students felt regarding the job preparation and training they received in high school, (b) gather data on work experiences during high school, (c) gather data on job training experiences during high school, and (d) gather data on students…

The aim or purpose of this study was to statistically determine whether there were significant differences in obtaining employment and wages after training provided by East Mississippi Community College (EMCC). The training was specifically provided to employees of Sara Lee Corporation, LLC, after the massive layoff when the company closed its…

This study investigated two major sources of influence (institution and individual characteristics) on the earnings of graduate degree recipients. These factors have been shown in previous research to influence the initial earnings of graduates at the undergraduate level. This research seeks to build on previous studies by Perna (2003, 2005) that…