This dissertation examines relations between education-related self-beliefs and socioeconomic (SES)-based disparities in education. SES academic achievement gaps are a serious problem in the United States; however, they are not fully accounted for by objective family resources alone. I build from the premise that there is a subjective,…

Children with Developmental Delay (DD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience challenging behaviors, including noncompliance, that impact individual and family functioning across settings. Due to developmental risk, parenting has emerged as being especially instrumental within this population, with positive parenting practices directly…

Attainment of advanced (graduate and professional) degrees provides benefits for individuals including higher earnings, access to high status occupations, and social standing, all factors in social mobility. These benefits are in addition to those from attainment of the bachelor's degree. Over time, advanced degree holders have been increasing…

The Uniformed Services University (USU) created the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2) in 2014 with the goal of diversifying their student body. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether certain independent variables (gender, age, race/ethnicity, underrepresented in medicine (URM) status, years of military…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between college persistence and family income, parental education level, and type of financial aid for first-time, full-time Hispanic economically disadvantaged students selected from a South Texas Hispanic-serving institution. The dependent variable, college persistence, was measured by…

People attend postsecondary institutions for a variety of reasons and with a variety of expectations. Among the supposed benefits of a college education are greater earning potential and satisfaction with life (SWL). It is also widely assumed that a degree from a highly selective (or prestigious or elite) college is more valuable than one from a…

Global competence (GC) has become a crucial skill for students in higher education and has been prioritized in talent development objectives at colleges and universities in China, especially in the context of globalization. However, concerns have been voiced that the extensive exposure to global culture and values through mass media may lead to an…

This research investigated the attainment of bachelor degrees by students from different immigrant generational backgrounds and income levels in the United States through the additional family capital variables of student educational expectations, parental educational attainment, and two-parent households. As the nation continues to mature, gaps…

The purpose of this correlational quantitative research study was to assess some of the challenges associated with parents providing early literacy learning to children age three and four in the southeastern United States. Young children experience rapid brain development during the first 5 years of life. When the period of development lacks adult…

The purpose of this dissertation is to contextualize the measurement of the HLE for Spanish-speaking Latino families. This goal will be accomplished by using a series of HLE items to characterize the potential heterogeneity in the HLE of Spanish-speaking families as well as to examine differences in the HLE based on caregiver's language…

The current unprecedented level of college student debt in the United States at over $1.4 trillion (Federal Reserve, 2017) is of major concern for all who desire to improve higher education, income and social inequality, and the general welfare of society. This study's purpose is both theoretical and empirical: first, to develop and propose the…

School choice is a research topic that is often associated with public funds supporting educational alternatives. While much of the school choice research literature focuses on this category, additional types of school choice merit examination. This study examines how Catholic parents chose high schools for their children within the geographic…

Researchers support a positive correlation between specific parenting strategies and student motivation and between student motivation and academic achievement. This study focused on determining correlative presence between research-based parenting strategies and scholarship award to post-secondary education. The examination of the educational…

Alcohol and/or substance use among college students is a serious public health issue. In Oman, studies addressing college student's alcohol and/or substance use are limited. The purpose of this study was to identify knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and perceived behavioral control associated with alcohol and/or substance…

Evidence suggests that parents who extensively use technology and have a high socioeconomic status (SES) may become overly involved with their elementary school-aged children's education and school-related activities, an involvement which can create a lasting dependence of the children on their parents. The literature indicates high…