Objective: Speculation about the effects of COVID-19, especially on youth social development, has been mixed. This study aimed to examine change in loneliness and belongingness into the first month of stay-at-home orders (January through April 2020). Participants: College students (N = 73, mean age = 19.03 years, SD = 1.44 years) enrolled in a…

Despite being a degree that leads to diverse employment in a wide range of industries, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) has long had a bad reputation when it comes to employment outcomes for graduates. The challenge of overcoming this disjuncture has significant implications for current and prospective BA students, especially with respect to attrition…

Growing enrollment in full-time, K-12 virtual public schools has pushed education leaders to reexamine the strengths and weaknesses of online learning through the lens of child development and adolescent needs. This quantitative study informs K-12 education stakeholders and policymakers at the high school level on decisions regarding online…

This study identified the experiences of middle school teachers in the Southeastern Louisiana participating in professional learning communities, using the social constructivism theory. The study uncovers the various factors that are present that influence instructional practices and student learning outcomes. Ten middle school teachers engage in…

With the continued growth in online education, higher education institutions have moved community engagement further into virtual spaces through e-service learning courses (Faulconer, 2021). These courses have a history of being client-based, rather than critical or transformational (Strait & Nordyke, 2015). I argue that this conception of…

The popularity and use of online learning are continuing to grow. Faculty members must be available to teach online courses for institutions to offer online education. However, some instructors do not consider online learning a viable substitute for face-to-face instruction. This qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was conducted to…

Although there is a growing body of research on retention of higher education students, there is a constant need for more because of ever-changing variables that affect attrition. With dynamic retention issues changing, new empirical research such as this study can be used to keep up with higher education attrition. The specific purpose of this…

For the purposes of this study, criteria for non-traditional students were: adults ages 25 and older, race/ethnicity, gender, entry date or transfer to a community college in Middle Tennessee during fall 2015 through summer 2021, and Pell/Grant eligibility. The problem is that non-traditional students have lower completions than traditional…

Little is known about the experience of belonging for full-time, hybrid physical therapy faculty in the United States. Rapid growth of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education programs with hybrid curricular models and national physical therapy faculty shortages suggest the importance of exploring faculty belonging, especially given the…

Although scholarship has shown that new teachers struggle to make the transition to in-service teaching and enact the progressive practices that they learned during pre-service preparation, little research has explored how first-year teachers develop a justice-oriented practice during this transition. This project centers on a critical learning…

This study examined factors impacting the examination and course passing rates for students taking an online Child Development course (CDEC 2328) at a community college in Texas. Through a qualitative case study approach data was collected successively and analyzed using the NVivo 14 software before being merged into this study. A total of 12…

This proposal is to develop a framework for designing a cybersecurity program. The goal of the program is to prepare students graduating from an accredited two-year college for success in cybersecurity careers. Several challenges such as program accreditation, workforce development, and Department of Homeland Security/National Security Agency…

This qualitative phenomenological study aims to explore teachers' perceptions of professional learning communities and how they feel it impacts their effectiveness as secondary mathematics teachers in two instructional domains--content knowledge and pedagogy. Teachers spend a substantial amount of their time engaged in Professional Learning…

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…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how academic advisors describe the influence of manager support on their competence and confidence in the Southwest United States. The theoretical foundation selected to guide this study was the Self-efficacy Theory. Two research questions were developed for the investigation: 1) How…