This study explored the experiences of undocumented immigrants who made the journey from central Mexico to Texas, revealing the contributing push and pull factors (violence, education, lack of opportunity, hope, and better life) that led to their journey. Current literature presents only parts of the journey, experiences, and struggles of…

With math scores stagnating in the United States and achievement gaps widening between demographic groups, improving student outcomes is imperative. Previous studies have shown that using visual representations to teach math concepts has been shown to be an effective component of equitable elementary math teaching. This action research study…

This study investigates the role of prosody in narration as a function of Labovian narrative structure and stancetaking in identity performance. This study is both an extension and enhancement of preliminary work that looked at a handful of prosodic features in Mexican Spanish narratives, and a novel investigation into discursive acts expressed…

This study explores specific examples of social pressures and performances Black women student affairs professionals have navigated, adapted, and challenged since the pandemic's beginning (2020) to the present era. While utilizing Black Feminist Performance Theory (BFPT) and radical Black subjectivity (hooks, 2015), this study centers on the…

Informed by post-humanism, my research examines the entanglement of more-than-human forces at the Bread Loaf School of English. The oldest professional development institution of its kind, the Bread Loaf School of English has invited teachers to spend six-weeks each summer studying at its mountain campus since the summer of 1920. When the physical…

Resident assistants are at the front line of crisis management within college campus residence halls. As such, it is imperative that student affairs professionals consider the specific needs of this paraprofessional group and build networks to guide these student leaders through the traumatic occurrences to which they respond through their roles.…

Authentic leadership has been a long sought goal of many leaders over the course of time. It is not without pause that we recognize the basis of whence it springs and how best to move it forward when it presents. In this qualitative research study, the notion of authenticity and hope in leadership were explored through life-stories shared in…

The purpose of the study was to write individual narrative stories about the subjective experiences of six students who entered college and had to take at least one remedial course their first semester. A subjective experience refers to the emotional and cognitive impact of the personal account of an experience (Subjective Experience, n.d.). The…

Building on the existing concepts of multiliteracies and of translanguaging repertoires, I propose the concept of transliteracy repertoires--or the idea that individuals' idiolects do not naturally delineate between named languages or named modes. I theorize that these transliteracy repertoires: (1) are deeply connected with individuals'…

Play is an important dimension of learning for all students. When students are allowed to play, amazing things happen. Students start to tell stories, explore new concepts, and learn in authentic ways. Some of these experiences are constructed with peers, while others are created individually. Discoveries are made by connecting one student's ideas…

Through a dynamic interplay of philosophical analysis and fine-tuned fieldwork, this dissertation seeks to bear witness to the presence and power of the "personal core of teaching," a dimension of education that, I argue, is of utmost importance, but which remains largely undervalued by educational policymakers and underexamined by…

This autoethnographic study examined the challenges and difficulties a post-9/11 combat veteran faced as they transitioned and reintegrated into civilian life post-military service. With suicide rates in the veteran community reaching alarming rates, this study explored personal narratives and perspectives on reintegration to counter the deficit…

Both early-career teachers (ECTs) and alternatively prepared teachers (APTs) have been shown to have an exceptionally high attrition rate as they attempt to adjust to a new and strange profession, leaving early-career alternatively prepared teachers as an especially at-risk cross-section of the teaching force (Podolsky et al., 2019). Yet much of…

Research has recognized the importance of libraries and librarians in supporting, managing, and sustaining open educational resources (OER) programs in postsecondary institutions. Open education initiatives generally align with social justice aspirations and should be open and inclusive to everyone. Yet, in practice, this has not always been the…

Although their numbers are growing in the field of education, women of color are highly underrepresented in high-level leadership positions such as superintendent of schools. The purpose of this narrative research study was to explore the experiences, facilitators, and barriers of 20 women of color high-level educational leaders, including…