This study delved into the perspectives of twelve justice-involved students of color, specifically African-American and Latinx students aged eighteen or older, who are identified as serious offenders. The primary objective was to discern effective practices that fostered a meaningful connection between these students and their teachers, thereby…

Numerous students across the United States are observed as being disengaged and bored in several of their learning experiences. Similarly, innumerable students also self-report being bored and disengaged. Over 40% of South Carolina (SC) students in Grades 3-8 report being compliant, disengaged, or mixed in all three domains (behaviorally,…

The purpose of this study was to use existing data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to examine the relationship between student engagement indicators and NCAA Division I student-athletes' participation in high-impact practices, specifically internships and study abroad. Student engagement indicators were the independent…

Mississippi has made significant gains in education over the past ten years. Yet, teacher attrition rates are still low impacting student achievement. This study was conducted to investigate if there is a significant difference in the sense of self-efficacy for teachers from suburban and rural, elementary and middle schools of Mississippi. Teacher…

Black male students have limited access to advanced placement classes and are often placed in special needs courses more frequently than their white counterparts (Hines et al., 2020; Wright et al., 2017). When compared to other demographic groups, indicators such as persistence, graduation rates, and GPA suggest Black male academic achievement…

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of utilizing the principles of Project-based learning (PJBL) in nontraditional settings in engineering education. There is ample literature related to the usage of PJBL techniques in engineering education but there are also challenges with incorporating PJBL within the curriculum. It is the…

The underrepresentation of Black women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is a long-standing issue. According to the National Science Foundation (2019), Black women hold less than 10% of STEM degrees, while only 2% work in STEM fields. These disparities can be attributed to structural inequities related to the STEM…

Motivated by the underrepresentation of women in math-related majors and occupations, the present dissertation explored the possibility that disparities in frequency of classroom participation--a measure of engagement prone to gender differences--could be partially responsible for gender differences in belonging and identity in math contexts. Via…

When both students and teachers are disengaged, there is an impact at the class level and on the larger educational community. Thus, examining experiential methods that spark professor interest and passion as well as engage students is beneficial for faculty development, student learning, and institutional improvement. This thematic analysis…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how hospitality management instructors at a college of management in the Northeastern United States describe their attitudes towards the effects on instruction of the COVID-driven compulsory virtualization of their courses that occurred in Spring 2020. The Theory of Technology…

As the need for critical media literacy practices in classrooms increases, it is important to investigate students' experiences with a variety of media texts, specifically when analyzed from a critical media literacy stance. Critical media literacy creates spaces for students to question, challenge, and analyze the role of media texts in promoting…

Higher education administrators are tasked with supporting and retaining students with increasing needs. These needs often include emotional and mental health issues but can worsen to include suicidality and violence toward others. Traditional campus approaches for supporting students and intervening for violence, such as counseling and campus…

Research supports the finding that middle school students prefer hands-on activities to reading and writing to learn new information. However, disciplinary literacy, the reading and writing in science class, is an integral part of inquiry-based science instruction and a necessary complement to hands-on instruction to build student understanding.…

Hispanic and Latinx students are typically an underperforming population at many colleges and universities across the country, but that is not the case at one Hispanic Serving Institution in Georgia. The Hispanic and Latinx student population at Dalton State College is an anomaly when it comes to their retention and graduation rates. This study…

Black Greek Letter Fraternities are part of America's history and include notable individuals such as Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, W.E.B. Dubois, and Jesse Jackson. The foundation for each of them was a postsecondary education at either a Historically Black University and College (HBCU) or a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). What…