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achieving a doctorate has been overlooked by the literature, with much of the research on Mexican American women being outdated or focusing on completing high school or…

Higher education institutions' organizational identities, cultures, and praxis have neglected to honor the values, culture, and knowledge assets of Latinx communities, making it difficult to gain educational justice and equity, which could be attained through Latinx-centered models of higher education. The Latinx higher education experience needs…

Previous research indicates that "The Studies" are helpful to students at both K-12 and higher education levels. Most of these studies focus on K-12 schools, fewer are at the higher education level, and few use quantitative methods to examine students' perceptions of "The Studies." The purpose of this study is to research…

This quantitative study examined the perception of Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBT History Month celebratory events at 10 public Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) in the Midwestern region. Utilizing a research-developed, self-administered questionnaire, data were collected from participants who identified involvement with a Hispanic/Latinx…

This dissertation, "Viva La Raza": Chicano Student Identity and Activism at Predominately White Midwestern Universities, 1970-1979, specifically focuses on Chicano student activism, their understanding of their Midwestern identity, and how they created spaces for themselves at four predominately white Midwestern universities--The…

This dissertation study contributes to the dearth of research examining the leadership development of Latina college students. Using critical race feminism (CRF) as a guiding framework, this study centers the experiences of Latina college students, exploring how dominant cultural values, Latinx cultural values, and the context of the collegiate…

The U.S. South, in spite of its racist Jim Crow era laws and political history, has the fastest growing Latine immigrant population in the country. In North Carolina alone, the Latine population is responsible for over one-third of the state's growth exceeding all other population groups. Despite this rapid-growing change, the state is third to…

In teaching leadership and leader identity development to Latina undergraduate women, it is imperative their salient identities are addressed and acknowledged. The teaching of standardized forms of leadership and the deconstruction of established leadership principles and paradigms also need to be taken into consideration. Leadership educators…

College access and college enrollment rates are significantly lower for students of color, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and first-generation students (Reese, 2008). High schools, universities, and state and federal agencies have all recognized that the gap in college enrollment between students of color and their white…

The increasing numbers in adult immigrant population in the United States urge educators and scholars to explore and analyze the programs that are available for this population in their efforts to acquire English. Historically, the main objective of these programs was the acquisition of basic English skills deemed necessary to survive in the…

Educators and policy makers have shown a consistent concern over the achievement gap. In academic assessments, Latino students have demonstrated lower achievement than their peers, particularly in reading scores. Many researchers attribute the existence of the achievement gap to a school system that ignores Latino culture or perpetuates struggles…

The researcher for this mixed-methods study investigated if the leadership skills of Latino community college administrators were influenced by their Latino culture. Per the U.S. Census, the increasing number of Latino students entering higher education will continue to expand in the 21st century. Meeting the demand of a changing student body…

The graduation rates for Hispanic students in higher education are the lowest in the nation in comparison to any other subgroups, yet they are the fastest growing population in the nation. Lack of a rigorous curriculum in a K-12 setting and college readiness skills are factors. There needs to be a strong partnership among K-12 school districts and…

In this dissertation, based on classical grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967, 1971; Glaser, 1978, 1992, 1993, 1994a, 1994b, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004), second generation Hispanic presidents and chancellors in higher education were studied to discover how they continually try to resolve second culture-coping challenges, the…

The U.S. Census bureau projects that by 2023, minorities will comprise more than half of all children. The population of school-aged Hispanic children is already the largest ethnic group, and the sheer number and rate of increase of these linguistically and culturally different students creates unfamiliar cultural challenges for school leaders.…