This dissertation presents a qualitative study exploring the motivations behind parents' and guardians' decisions to enroll and maintain their elementary-aged children in a residential school setting. The study identified three key factors influencing these decisions: the pursuit of non-financial stability, the desire for reputable education, and…

The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges particularly among group homes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) given the close interactions and living arrangements of residents. Thus, the purpose of this project was to determine if an educational intervention focused on COVID-19 and COVID-19…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools transitioned to incorporating or relying solely on remote learning for the transmission of education. As a result of the widespread use of remote learning, there is a need to investigate its varied impact on children and caregivers. The current study attempted to address gaps in research regarding the…

The United States has a long history of attempting to intervene or fix how families practice literacy together, with much less emphasis on honoring or understanding how families support literacy learning at home. This qualitative study employed a multiple-case design that examined teachers' and caregivers' efforts to bridge home and school…

This pilot study evaluates the feasibility and efficacy of a novel school-based intervention for early childhood anxiety. Despite the established need for anxiety treatment in early childhood, there is limited access to evidence-based treatment. This study utilized one such treatment, parent child-interaction therapy (PCIT) modules developed for…

Few family child care providers attain accreditation in the research state and little research existed as to why family childcare providers make the decision to participate or not in National Association for Family Child Care Accreditation (NAFCC). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perspectives and experiences of family…

The problem addressed in this qualitative case study was the ineffective use of book distribution program materials due to low self-efficacy of caregivers hinders the implementation of early literacy skills at home. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore caregivers' self-efficacy while implementing book distribution…

The purpose of this study was to address the research question "To what extent does perceived usefulness (PU) predict the willingness to adopt augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology among caregivers of children with Down syndrome (DS)?" as well as "To what extent does perceived ease of use (PEU) predict the…

Embracing parental advocacy is pivotal in navigating the challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Such challenges include stress, stigmas, educational challenges, and access to support and services. This study's purpose was to examine parents' and adult primary caregivers' perspectives when advocating for an individual with ASD.…

Drawing upon principles of participatory action research, this study collected input from secondary school stakeholders (teachers, students, caregivers, alumni, staff, and administrators) to create a local definition of quality teaching for students at an urban charter school in the northeastern United States. Analysis of stakeholder input…

China, classified as a middle-income country by the World Bank, faces a scarcity of resources in providing autism interventions, despite a comparable autism prevalence in the Western world. Most autism interventions in China are imported from high-income countries, highlighting the need to examine whether the focus of the interventions from mixed…

Caregiver engagement has been a topic of study due to the resulting benefits regarding student's school experience. Students are better prepared to transition to kindergarten, receive higher test scores, increase attendance, and report fewer discipline problems when caregivers work collaboratively with school personnel. This study addresses…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how caregivers and teachers describe best practices to support the emotional, behavioral, and academic experiences of the active-duty dependent who relocate to a high school in Northern Virginia from another state or overseas school. Bowen's family system theory was the theoretical…

This mixed-methods study examined caregiver engagement with literacy resources provided by the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) in Tennessee. The research was rooted in Epstein et al.'s types of parental involvement, Hoover-Dempsey's parental involvement process model, and Gonzalez et al.'s funds of knowledge framework. The study…

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to better understand the experiences of engagement of African American caregivers of children with emotional impairments who attend a non-traditional alternative education setting within an urban New England area. The findings of this study answered the research question, "How do African American…