Belonging is an essential human need, regardless of whether or not one has a disability, and has been found to positively impact one's physical and mental health. Feelings of belonging for college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have largely been unexplored in research. Using the 10 Dimensions of Belonging…

Students at the collegiate level face chronic stress due to the lifestyles of heavy workloads, schoolwork, and adjustment to campus life. Being in prolonged periods of stress could negatively affect students' well-being, which can adversely affect other psychological areas such as mindfulness, motivation and engagement, and sense of belonging, as…

Nationally, Black men graduate at 39% on six-year graduation rates at four-year, public institutions (NCES, 2022). Black men have experienced one of the lowest rates of success compared with students from other demographic populations (Black & Bimper, 2020), but these outcomes are related to underrepresentation, racial hostility, and social…

The current case study examined the effects of a specialized private Christian school for neurodiverse learning-disabled students. Research supports the creation of an educational environment that meets not only the academic needs of these diverse learners but also prioritizes creating a safe social-emotional place for learning. Further, the study…

Formerly incarcerated students comprise a population that has been largely overlooked, when it comes to the recognition of their higher education promise and potential (Strayhorn et al., 2013; U.S. Department of Education, 2021). This lack of recognition contributes to the perpetuation of race- and class-based inequities and discounts the talents…

Colleges and universities across the United States are recognizing the unique needs of students who have a history of substance use disorders. In order to meet the needs of these students, colleges and universities developed collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) or collegiate recovery communities (CRCs) to help students maintain their recovery and…

The lower retention and success rates of Black and Latine students in the Cinema/TV Department at a Hollywood-based community college reflect a broader diversity issue in the entertainment industry. This qualitative, arts-based study focused on student voice and the power of counternarratives by utilizing participatory action research to determine…

Colleges and universities must continually change and adapt to serve more diverse student populations. Latinx students are among the fastest-growing college demographic, and colleges should understand how they can best support their persistence and degree completion. Numerous authors have noted the importance of both spirituality and validation to…

College students who identify on the queer- and trans-spectrum (LGBTQ+) perceive and experience their campuses differently from their cisgender and straight peers. The differing experiences have resulted in LGBTQ+ students reporting a lower sense of belonging to their campuses. Researchers have found positive correlations between sense of…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of Hispanic male students who have made plans to pursue and complete a college education. This study used two theoretical frameworks to enhance the understanding of the events that might lead Hispanic males to pursue a college education. The theoretical frameworks…

This dissertation investigates the experiences and narratives of women of color who pursue a computing degree through vertical transfer from a two-year to a four-year institution. The study used a qualitative research design informed by narrative inquiry to understand the lived experiences of six women of color at various stages of transfer…

Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) offer substantial benefits to middle school, high school, and post-secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). However, with no valid and reliable measure to capture the ways in which the peers without disabilities are impacted, far less is known about the outcomes for these…

In this dissertation, a generic qualitative study was conducted to understand the perceptions of female American Muslim nursing students as they learn in the classroom and on the clinical floor. With the increase in global unrest in the world in the past two years there is a need to understand how female American Muslim nursing students describe…

This interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) studied the acculturation experiences of six adult immigrant students who were enrolled in a local community college adult basic education (ABE) program. The main study question was seeking how adult (ESOL) students perceive themselves and their overall position in mainstream American society.…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 15 Latina lesbian students and their perceived sexual identity development at a predominately Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI). Participants for this study were purposefully selected using criteria, convenience, and snowball sampling. Using a conceptual framework…