Freshman orientation programs are essential in facilitating the successful transition of high school students to college. At Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), these programs have become essential for supporting and advising students as they begin their academic journey. However, the extent to which faculty members of freshman…

This qualitative interview study focuses on the challenges and barriers of 1.5 generations of undocumented young adults with their liminal status in carving their present and curating their future lives in the United States. The study focuses on how these 1.5 young emerging adults navigate their lives to pursue their life goals with the…

This study addressed low graduation rates at Midwest Community College (MCC; a pseudonym) and explored factors affecting student success. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to delve into nontraditional students' perceptions of the influence of compressed courses and the effect the courses had on their academic success at MCC. Over the…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how teachers who remained in the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic describe what it was about their self-perceived leadership qualities that influenced their decision to remain. Although literature regarding teacher retention exist, teacher description about their…

The Sullivan Report (The Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce, 2004) identified the lack of racial diversity among health care practitioners as a major issue. This report points out that, while the U.S. population has continued to become more diverse, the composition of health care workers has not kept pace with these…

Participating in professional learning and seeking professional growth opportunities are characteristics of effective teachers (Guskey, 2000; Polk, 2006). This study investigated how a teacher evaluation system can promote and encourage the professional growth of teachers. Specifically, the study sought to provide a better understanding of how…

Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology focuses on organizations and employees in the workplace in many different aspects including how interactions between co-workers exist, occur, and are formed. This qualitative research study explored faculty interactions between co-workers focusing on teamwork in higher education. The research question…

Tutoring is often touted as a way to overcome shortcomings of classroom instruction, either as a way to remedy unfinished learning or to provide additional instruction for students who are more advanced. There is evidence across different subject areas that tutoring can be effective in promoting student learning. Because the basic decisions about…

To develop a new understanding of how self-directed professional learning (SDPL) contributes to the professional growth of school librarians, a case study design using humanistic learning theory (Maslow, 1954; C. Rogers, 1983) and based on theoretical assumptions about adult learners (Knowles, 1968, 1975, 1980), the intentional self-directed…

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how African American male graduates experience and understand academic goal commitment and grit regarding college education in a small Southeastern regional North Carolina district. Duckworth's grit theory was the framework used to explore the learning problems…

Search-as-learning research has emphasized the need to better support searchers when learning about complex topics online. Prior work in the learning sciences has shown that effective self-regulated learning (SRL), in which goals are a central function, is critical to improving learning outcomes. This dissertation investigates the influence of…

Teachers across New Jersey (NJ) are advancing within the profession as teacher leaders. The problem addressed in this study is that there is a gap in knowledge regarding what goals and mindsets motivate NJ teachers to engage in teacher leadership (TL) and seek formal teacher leader credentials. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore…

Students and workers require self-regulated learning (SRL) skills to meet the demands of the 21st century. These learners need to be actively engaged in learning by creating successful strategies for themselves directed toward specific goals. Many students, however, are not currently actively engaged in their learning and are thus ill-prepared for…

Supporting principals in building capacity to balance both instructional leadership and managerial competence is an essential task. Recognizing that principals do not directly teach students, their impact on school outcomes is broadly understood to be second only to teacher classroom instruction (Grissom & Loeb, 2011; Grissom et al., 2015;…

Community colleges serve as crucial gateways to social and economic prosperity for millions of Americans, providing opportunities for career stability and social advancement. The success of this educational pathway hinges on the seamless alignment of a college's mission and goals, creating an environment conducive to faculty excellence in…