Research has shown that school leaders' engagement in teacher induction is vital for establishing supportive school structures and conditions that are conducive to successful socialization and long-term sustenance of newly qualified teachers (NQTs). In Malta, the problem of teacher recruitment and a growing attrition rate is becoming very acute.…

Heterosexism, the belief that heterosexual identities are superior to homosexual identities, is deeply embedded in educational institutions, including school-based agricultural education (SBAE). Negligible research exists developing impactful practices for queer students in SBAE programs. This study sought to describe the attitudes of…

Youth purpose was investigated using a two-phase embedded design with youth participating in Scouts BSA (N = 3,943), ages 9-20 (M = 14.0, SD = 1.9). Participating Scouts were mostly White (91%) and male (98%). In Phase 1, we conducted a two-step cluster analysis on Scouts' survey responses to three purpose dimensions (personal meaning,…

Self-directed learning is a core theoretical construct of adult learning. Importantly, self-directed learning represents a fundamental meta-competence for living and working in our increasingly complex and unpredictable world. Nonetheless, the construct of self-directed learning has become obfuscated. In order to redress this concern, this…

In theory, misalignment of education and career aspirations in high school is a crucial determinant of post-school education and career mismatch. However, existing scholarship investigates the social influence and rational choice determinants of misalignment and mismatch separately. This study examines how misalignment at 15 years of age…

This dissertation explores the evolving landscape of graduate business education, highlighting the growing significance of specialized master's programs alongside traditional MBAs at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. It recognizes the changing demographics and needs of students, emphasizing the critical importance of fostering a…

Students' view of intelligence (i.e., their mindset beliefs) has been found to be related to their self-efficacy and goal orientations as well as to influence their course outcomes. Comparisons of students' chemistry mindset between different groups found that organic chemistry I students held more of a growth mindset than general chemistry I…

We examined aspects of LGBQ+ students' college choice processes in this study. Specifically, friendship and top college selection measures from the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) showed differences among students who entered college in 2016 and 2017. Findings indicated queer students more likely attended their top choice,…

An abundance of literature has examined barriers to women's equitable representation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, with many studies demonstrating that STEM fields are not perceived to afford communal goals, a key component of women's interest in future careers. Using Goal Congruity Theory as a framework, we tested…

The current study investigated whether the deep properties or shallow features of behaviors are implicitly expected to be consistent across members of highly entitative groups, by exploiting the notion that goals--as deep properties--and movements--as shallow features--can be dissociated in object-directed behaviors. Participants were asked to…

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) are more likely than individuals with typical development (TD) to report a sexual minority orientation (e.g., Bejerot and Eriksson, PLoS ONE 9:1-9, 2014; DeWinter et al., Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 47:2927-2934, 2017; Qualls et al., Journal of…

In a project about dropout among young adults in general adult education and initial vocational education and training (IVET), it was assumed that the ability to make rational decisions has a positive impact on completing an educational programme. A central part of decision-making is the ability for goal orientation, which we have defined as…

The enactment of a large-scale, long-term professional development initiative designed to enhance participants' knowledge base by influencing their identity trajectories as mathematics instructors is complex. Effectively influencing participants' trajectories could be enhanced by understanding the nature of participants' goal structures,…

The purpose of this research study was to provide a quantitative approach to the study of induction programs as a means to demonstrate their importance to lessening teacher attrition rates. The collection of quantitative data collected through an online Likert style survey was intended compare multiple induction programs and determine which…

In order to further understand the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer-plus (LGBTQ+) youth, they must be identified in surveys and data at the federal, state, and local level. Being able to identify LGBTQ+ youth in data, particularly in surveys and research about school climate and negative school experiences, including…