The interior lives of teachers have come into focus during the last three years of school in a global pandemic. The ways that teachers' lived experience impacts the choice to become a teacher, the way they approach their training, the choices they make in the classroom and ultimately who they are as a professional are defined by who they are and…

My dissertation is unique and contributes to the academic literature because it explores the barriers that retired and current African American women face while pursuing and working in higher education leadership roles in Arkansas. Using a narrative inquiry design, I interviewed 17 retired and working leaders by asking them to share their personal…

More than half of all students in public schools identify as Students of Color. However, there is an underrepresentation of PreKindergarten (PK)-12 Administrators of Color in public schools, including Latinx men administrators. Furthermore, the literature on the experiences and leadership practices of PK-12 Administrators of Color has mostly been…

The current organizational autoethnographic study aims to problematize ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to the inequities students with disabilities face in education. I share how I came to see ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to recursive practices in special education and share experiences that…

This qualitative narrative inquiry explores the experiences of school-based administrators in K-12 public school settings within the state of Florida who navigate the challenges of Impostor Phenomenon while concurrently pursuing a doctoral degree. The research draws on the personal stories of four participants--three women and one man--who are…

Peace education is arguably one of the underappreciated areas of study within the social sciences. Many lifelong, dedicated peace education professionals often feel undervalued by the military-industrial complex apparatus. Influential individuals and corporations that thrive in chaotic and conflicting environments every so often underestimate the…

In this qualitative research, ten student veterans studied the sense of belonging among non-traditional undergraduate student veterans at a private, liberal arts four-year university in New Jersey. These participants, representing various armed services branches, provided valuable insights into the challenges of transitioning from military to…

With a disproportionately low number of Latinx students completing a nursing degree, it is critical that institutions of higher learning support students striving to apply to a nursing program and persisting up to graduation. This qualitative study investigated ways in which Latina undergraduate students become successful in nursing program degree…

This dissertation conducts a narrative positioning analysis of full-time two-year college literacy teaching (TYLT) faculty in order to investigate how they perform professional identities through storytelling. The author analyzes narratives surrounding three significant facets of professions: professionalization, jurisdiction, and uses of…

Narrative language skills are important for academic and social success. The ability to produce well-formed and coherent spoken narratives has been shown to be highly correlated with proficient reading and writing (Kirby, Spencer, & Chen, 2021; Spencer & Petersen, 2018; Petersen et al., 2020). The importance of narrative abilities for…

This dissertation explored how 11 college students who self-identified with disabilities made meaning of college experience and how they negotiated dis/abilities in their learning. Their narratives performed counter-narrative of disability in higher education. As scholars and practitioners work to increase educational opportunities for…

Parent engagement in middle school has the potential to yield positive effects on the academic success of students and contribute to a growth in a feeling of self-worth. Parents want the best for their children and based on their own experiences, they do what they can to support their children in school and beyond. This study examined the stories…

This narrative study was an exploration of leadership skill development and transfer to the workplace based on former collegiate student-athletes' participation in varsity team athletics and a holistic support services program. Six individuals participated in the study by engaging in semi-structured interviews. Sensemaking theory served as the…

This dissertation explores the effectiveness of both narrative therapy and art therapy practices incorporated into a participatory action research (PAR) project to foster alternate stories of hope in addressing bullying and other aggressive actions. Results indicate that narrative therapy, when incorporated into a PAR design, can assist with the…

For decades Latinas have been mobilizing their communities to call out and address the injustices they have encountered as women and as students of color (Garcia & Marquez, 2011). Latinas are becoming the fastest-growing minority group in California, and projections indicate this trend is expected to continue (American Association of…