This paper presents the design and analysis of a Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA), which aims to support the refinement of the conceptual system associated with directly proportional distribution problems (example: linear function, percentage, proportion, variation, etc.). The situation explores a context that is close to the student, encouraging…

This chapter examines the impact of the Year Abroad (YA) on mental health and wellbeing, arguing that whilst we tend to be systemically and culturally inclined to focus on and mitigate negative impact, we overlook the benefits. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from students surveyed on placement in Germany and Austria, and on mental…

At this time of social flux, of changing demographics on campus and the world beyond, of recognition of intersectional identities, as well as the wide variety of aspirations and career goals of today's women undergraduates, how can colleges and universities best prepare them for the demands of modern leadership? This text speaks to the changing…

The focus of this study was to explore, through the lens of Pierre Bourdieu's constructs of habitus, field, and capital, the post-secondary experiences of foster youth who transitioned out of the Louisiana foster care system. Specifically, this comparable multiple case study sought out to understand how cultural, social, and financial capital…

This study aimed to explore Chinese English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners' experiences in a metacognitive listening website based on a metacognitive approach. 40 Chinese low-intermediate EFL learners participated in the study and conducted the web-based metacognitive listening practice for 14 weeks. The UEQ and post-interview were used to…

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding for the experience of enrolling in a community college through the lived experience of high-achieving, low-income students. Prior research highlighted the disparate enrollment behaviors of HALI students. In particular, HALI students disproportionately attended open-access, for-profit, and…

Although past studies of mentoring at-risk youth have yielded mixed results (Faith et al., 2011; DeWit et al., 2016), mentoring as an intervention for at-risk youth has increased in the past decade and has been supported by the United States Federal Government (Hughes, Boyd, & Dykstra, 2010; Gordon, Downey, & Bangert, 2013; Reddick,…

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine a group of adult students' learning world languages, literacies, and cultures and their experiences in the World Language and Culture Program (WLCP) at a large western land-grant university in the United States during the spring of 2019. I (the author and primary investigator) am the developer and…

Teacher shortages in K-12 schools have created unique challenges for teacher preparation programs (TPPs). University instructors face the task requirements of supporting candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds at the undergraduate and graduate level. While some of these candidates enter higher education programs skilled, eager, and…

Retention rate sophomore to junior year among African American male students is low at Academia State University (a pseudonym), a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located in the Southern United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of African American male students regarding what…

From open admissions to highly selective, college admission standards are an important determiner of whom a college or university chooses to serve, and setting college admission requirements is a delicate process that has the potential to harm or help a university's development of each incoming class. In an effort to recruit and retain students…

The purpose of this study was to describe the campus racial climate and the experiences of Black students at a Predominately White Institution (PWI). Using the Multi-Contextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments (MMDLE) as a theoretical framework and Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool, this research interrogated the ways in which race…

This study examines the lived experiences of Black male student-athletes at a military college (a predominantly White institution), particularly the experiences of high-achieving members of this population. Participants described their pre-college experiences, mentors, institutional factors, and other meaningful and motivational dynamics they…

This study examined student experiences in an online learning transnational education model by exploring the flipped classroom pedagogy at two Microcampuses in South East Asia. Interviews were conducted with forty-nine participants across three countries, the U.S., Cambodia and Indonesia. Participants in Cambodia and Indonesia included students,…

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the lived experiences of female United States Army veterans who have enrolled in an academic undergraduate program post-discharge. As higher education continues to be an important transition point for female veterans, understanding the lived experiences of this population provides higher education…