This transcendental phenomenological study will explore the lived experiences of Southern Texas Mexican American/Chicana women pursuing a doctorate. The Chicana's experience achieving a doctorate has been overlooked by the literature, with much of the research on Mexican American women being outdated or focusing on completing high school or…

This dissertation contributes to our comprehension of the impact of gamification on online cooperative learning, particularly in enhancing educational outcomes (behavior, cognition, and attitudes). Through explanatory mixed-method research, this study aims to answer to what extent gamification influences educational outcomes in the context of…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how gifted high school graduates in Arizona describe their experiences of relatedness with peers and teachers as motivation in the online high school learning environment. The study's theoretical foundation is Self-Determination Theory's concept of relatedness, or connection. Two…

The purpose of this case study was to examine how a high school's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program affects student development of their personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment by fusing the perspectives of the school administrators, JROTC instructors, and school guidance counselors for a more holistic view. The…

K-12 schools in Ohio are partially evaluated on their ability to successfully graduate students with their four-year cohort. Educators have been tasked with improving graduation rates. This study examined one urban high school to understand and provide insights to increase its graduation rate. This school recently received a poor score from the…

Teacher educators play a multifaceted role in designing and implementing curriculum to nurture preservice teachers' growth in content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and teaching efficacy. Amidst evolving educational landscapes and diverse classroom environments, there's an increasing emphasis on fostering teacher agency and autonomy to navigate…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to gain insight into the experience of low SES community college students in intensive courses. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data from one community college, the researcher conducted this study of if, how, and to what extent, intensive courses contribute to low SES student success. Three…

Previous research identifies numerous effects that a student's motivation has on their educational experience. Studies have shown that the lack of motivation is connected to poorer academic performance and attendance rates and increased behavioral concerns and dropout rates. Therefore, understanding what factors influence students' motivation is…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore how college students from the United States describe the motivational factors that influence them to seek a degree in computer science. There is a gap in the research that shows a need to look at the motivations of women from their first experiences in computer science to begin and…

Dual enrollment and career pathways are increasingly expanding as viable options for students to complete high school while simultaneously receiving college credits, technical training, or industry certifications. In this research study, dual enrollment and career pathway programs are collectively called alternate pathways. Evaluators can gauge…

Foreign languages have been studied since the beginning of civilization; in the past few decades, there has been increased interest in understanding the role of motivation in learning a foreign language. Less than a quarter of studies on learning languages other than English (LOTE) have studied motivation. The purpose of this quantitative…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the beliefs of physical education teachers regarding the value of exergames and the association between exergames and physical literacy. This study employed a sequential two-phase data collection process. The first phase of this study collected quantitative data through an online survey…

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to gain an understanding of the professional socialization experiences of preceptors who serve in the same masters-level athletic training program. Professional socialization is a phenomenon that occurs as the individual begins to acquire the skills necessary within a given vocation or profession…

The current study utilized a social learning and achievement goal theory framework to examine and explicate the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and psychological distress, and the moderating effect of two types of motivational climate among Division I-III student-athletes. Results indicated nonsignificant interaction effects…

One in five undergraduate students in the United States is also a parent raising at least one child (Gault et al., 2014), but few will complete a bachelor's degree within six years. Using Greene's (2014) Ecological Resiliency Model as a conceptual framework, this phenomenological study examines the persistence of 38 single mothers in the latter…