Beliefs about conducting research and completing major projects, such as a thesis or marketing campaign, suggest that previous experience, guidance from a mentor, and cohesive teams are particularly important in boosting the confidence to conduct research in graduate students (i.e., research self-efficacy). Although these factors are also thought…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate which components or programs within the higher education environment have the greatest influence on college students' intention to engage in physical activity. Participants: Undergraduates enrolled in colleges and universities in the southcentral United States were issued a questionnaire via…

Despite various initiatives to enhance diversity in STEM disciplines, women and minorities remain underrepresented (Gonzalez et al., 2021, Chapter 5). Higher education institutions can help enhance gender and racial equity in STEM disciplines in the U.S. (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, 2011). This study's purpose was…

Minimal research has been conducted regarding success factors of high school students in rural districts. Through archival data retrieval, student interviews, and observations, this mixed methods study sought to identify success factors of juniors and seniors enrolled at one rural public school in South Texas. The impact of support systems, the…

Many researchers have debated potential differences between male and female students' mathematical performance. One important factor that can impact performance is perception of the content. The purpose of the study is to investigate factors that impact high-ability male and female students' perspectives of mathematics. Participants (n = 12;…

This study aims to determine a connection between the pre-service teachers' perception of preparedness and their self-efficacy in instructing students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The researcher was guided by three research questions: 1) What are preservice teachers' perceptions of their abilities to teach culturally and…

This collaborative, descriptive research project in urban Texas looked at the at the development, implementation, and student perception of effectiveness of a multi-stage pedagogical intervention in a classroom to help preservice teachers become more confident during discussions of controversial identity issues; specifically, ableism, classism,…

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore factors that influence intentions to adopt healthy dietary behaviors among university students. Five hundred twenty-five university students participated in this study. A questionnaire that included items on intention to adopt healthy eating behaviors, exposure to nutrition, media, parental…

This study examined the contribution of three writing enabling skills (i.e., feedback perception, self-efficacy, and self-regulation) on writing performance among Hispanic students. Participants were 261 students in grades 3-5. Approximately 60% of students were Emerging Bilingual (EB) enrolled in dual language programming. Students completed…

Pre-service teachers (PSTs) often lack the self-efficacy necessary to effectively implement STEM education into their classrooms. Undergraduate research experiences (URE) can help fill this void by providing opportunities for PSTs to engage with STEM content and K-12 students in a field-based research context. This case study details the impact a…

Generation Z individuals born between 1995-2012 currently represent 25% of the population and will soon exceed the Millennials as the largest generation (Dill, 2015). Thus, lack of practical knowledge and understanding may lead to employee turnover (Flippen, 2017). This study addresses how teacher education programs, cooperating teachers,…

This qualitative study examined factors which led to the success of 14 non-traditional age female, Hispanic early childhood educators enrolled in an Early Childhood Bachelor of Applied Science program as first- generation college students at an HSI in the southeast. Data analysis utilized constant comparative analysis and analytic induction.…

Schools across Texas are tasked with detailing action plans in support of students identified as at-risk of dropping out (TEA, 2020b). The intent of this study was to learn the perspective of students, identified as at-risk of dropping out, in terms of whether there is a relationship between campus retention/recovery intervention efforts and their…

Computational thinking is acknowledged as an essential competency for everyone to learn. However, teachers find it challenging to implement the existing learning approaches in K-12 settings because the existing approaches often focus on teaching computing concepts and skills (i.e., programming skills) rather than on helping students develop their…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the influence of participating in a STEM Academy (STEMA) on girls' mathematics, science, engineering, and technology self-efficacy and STEM attitudes. Twenty-eight sixth grade girls participating in a STEMA were individually matched with sixth grade girls not participating in a STEMA. Both…