This study explores the navigation and approaches that Chinese undergraduate international students in the US are utilizing for their career development. The enrollment of undergraduate international students in the U.S. has been growing for over a decade. More specifically, China is one of the top places of origin from which international…

This ethnographic case study focused on 19 job seekers in an urban public access computer lab to explore the challenges these individuals faced related to technology platforms and a variety of overlapping institutions. In addition to shedding new light on how structural barriers emerge across institutions and systems, this study also focused on…

Employability is key to libraries as they continue to diversify their services to include career services to meet the job seeking needs of community members. In fulfilling this crucial role, public libraries face challenges in providing career services for their community members. This dissertation probed and sought ways to continuously improve…

As autistic individuals grow into adulthood, they are much more likely to experience a need for employment-related skills, with research on these skills lacking relative to child-focused research. Accordingly, this dissertation examined existing literature on employment-related skill development and based on community consultation, developed…

Graduates who have disabilities experience difficulty finding their first job after completing college. The transition-age period of 18 to 30 is a stage of life when receiving vocational rehabilitation (VR) support is critical to increase chances of graduates with disabilities towards competitive employment and earnings. Current literature suggest…

Employees engage in informal learning to solve a workplace problem and to gain knowledge at the time the need arises without waiting to attend a scheduled training session (Jacobs & Park, 2009; Livingstone, 1999; Schugurensky, 2000; Schurmann & Beausaert, 2016). The definition employed in this study is the self-guided pursuit of knowledge,…

Teacher quality has been proven one of the greatest factors leading to student success (Stronge, Ward, Tucker, & Hindman 2011; Hattie 2003). However, hiring high quality teachers has become increasingly difficult in rural districts. The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to gain insights into preferences and perceptions of…

It is critical to pave the way for more women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Despite the need for an increased workforce, women remain underrepresented in technology careers and particularly technology leadership (Tomaskovic-Devey & Han, 2018). Furthermore, there is a lack of research on how STEM recruiting and…

The qualitative study used two case studies to explore the career search experience of college graduates with autism. The study included interviews with college graduates diagnosed with ASD, interviews with family members of the college graduate, and interviews with hiring supervisors of the college graduates with ASD to glean information…

Black women's pathway into the professoriate is an area of academic research that has been largely understudied. Contemporary research investigating the lack of representation of Black women in the professoriate reveal that the underrepresentation of Black women in faculty positions is the result of complex and intersecting factors, including…

Few studies have been conducted on collaborations in higher education specifically between faculty and institutional career centers. Institutional career centers offer college students important services related to career development areas such as exploring careers and majors, identifying career goals, building resumes, assisting with job and…

Higher Education Career Services Offices are often called upon to serve more students than they are able to provide with meaningful, individualized job search support. Engaging alumni mentors to provide job search support to students is one way that career services offices have sought to increase the amount and quality of assistance students…

A recent college graduate working as a coffee shop barista, earning minimum wage and carrying thousands of dollars in student loan debt, is a familiar trope in conversations about the value of a bachelor's degree. In the college-for-all era, young people are encouraged to attain a bachelor's degree to bolster their labor market opportunities…

College athletics stakeholders have had growing concerns regarding student-athletes' transition out of collegiate athletics. Research specific to student-athletes following college athletics has explored mental health, role identity, and occupational participation. This program development plan addresses occupational therapy's role in assisting…

Formerly incarcerated individuals face a number of obstacles transitioning home, among which job search is one of the critical issues. While searching for a job can be difficult for most people, returning citizens face additional obstacles due to their criminal records, gaps in employment, and reduced professional networks. Furthermore, returning…