The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine the frequency of marijuana use by California university students based on gender and ethnicity. This study was important because marijuana is the most used illicit substance in the United States, and there is limited research regarding the demographic characteristics of…

Teachers are at the front lines every day as educators. Their interactions whether positive or negative will have a lasting impact on students' lives. The purpose of this study is to better understand how self-reflection and identification of implicit biases function as tools that can help early career teachers in their journey towards cultural…

This research study examined the experiences of Black and Latino/a pre-service teachers who are enrolled in the BS/MS Teacher Preparation Programs within Florida State University's School of Teacher Education. Students within this study described their experiences in courses, how they navigated their clinical field experiences, and how their CTs…

Positive, effective leadership is needed in institutions of higher education. This research study explored the relationships between perceptions of authentic leadership of those in departmental leadership positions, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and demographic variables among faculty in colleges of agriculture at land-grant…

Academic advising in higher education has been affected by many factors since its development at Harvard College in 1636 (Brubacher & Rudy, 1997). Currently in higher education, 33% of first year students do not return for their second year of academic work ("U.S. News and World Report," 2015); only 60% of students graduate college…

The purpose of this study was to explore the academic performance of entering college students in their first enrolled college English course by comparing students who entered with prior college English coursework earned through Dual Enrollment, with prior college English coursework earned through another accelerated mechanism such as AP or IB,…

From a theoretical standpoint, pluralistic orientation incorporates higher levels of critical thinking that empower students to engage collaboratively, interact cross-culturally, and develop a higher regard for others' perspectives, beliefs, and identities. Though many of these attributes may develop naturally over time through life experiences,…

The U.S. physician population lacks diversity, and this lack of diversity is reflected in the medical student population. Medical schools have implemented various types of programs to increase the diversity of their student population, and by extension, the physician population. A public Northeastern medical school implemented a postbaccalaureate…

Increasingly, institutions of higher education seek out alumni support to help offset budget cuts and look toward technological advances to lower costs of instruction and create new revenue streams. In light of the desire to increase funding for university programs and the potential giving-power of MBA alumni, this study investigates factors that…

Women earn bachelor's degrees in engineering at a rate of less than 17% at public universities in California. The purpose of this study was to understand how women experience undergraduate engineering programs at public universities. To understand this lack of attainment, a qualitative methodology and Feminist Poststructuralist perspective were…

This dissertation explores language as a resource for the formation and expression of ethnic identity among the members of an Asian American college sorority. As a community of practice organized around ethnicity, the sorority provides an excellent site to examine the mutually constitutive relationship of language and ethnic identity. Two features…

As the Hispanic population increases in North Carolina the number of college graduates of Hispanic descent should follow. Although a gradual increase in Hispanic students attending state universities has been seen, the increase has not kept pace with the increases seen in the general population. Additionally, the numbers of those achieving the…

This study analyzed trends in access and success of students admitted through the Top 10% admissions policy. The study employs an comparative analysis between public universities from the Borderland region and the two top-tier public universities in Texas. This Texas admissions policy provides students in the top 10% of their graduating high…