Policy and research have increased attention in K12 mathematics education on core mathematical practices such as argumentation, justification, and proof, that are central to students learning and doing mathematics. One reason for this increased focus is the empirical evidence that engaging students in mathematical practices provide more equitable opportunities for...
The number of deaths by suicide each year in the United States is rising. Men, women, and people of all ages die by suicide at high rates. Someone diagnosed with anorexia or bulimia is at significantly greater risk of completing or attempting suicide, making clear the importance of understanding how...
This dissertation presents two qualitative studies investigating expert trauma counselors’ experiences of clinical decision-making and countertransference. Chapter 2, Acutely Alert: A Grounded Theory of Clinical Decision-Making Processes of Expert Trauma Counselors addresses the research question, what are the clinical decision-making experiences and processes of expert trauma counselors? Chapter 3, Exploring...
The purpose of this dissertation is to convey research on counselors’ experience of administrative supervision. While research in counseling has given much attention to clinical supervision and the relationship between clinical supervisor and supervisee, it has not adequately attended to the important and influential role of administrative supervision and its...
On social media platforms and on blog sites, disordered behavior as a lifestyle choice is a growing trend that supports and promotes behaviors related to self-harm and anorexia. Web content advocating self-harm and anorexia can be found easily through search engines or can be concealed in the social media sphere...
The role of community colleges as open-access institutions that bring racial diversity to careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is essential (Musante, 2012; Reyes, 2011). Yet, the opportunity to attend postsecondary institutions is not enough to guarantee the success of People of Color as they navigate...
A utilitarian approach, “greatest good for the greatest number”, in higher education has been common practice for a very long time (Alexander, 2000). This approach, while effective for many, is incomplete when exploring solutions to shifting demographics and larger achievement gaps based on these factors. Customized educational programming and less...
This dissertation presents the results of two studies that explored the constructs of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and self-compassion. Each study employed a cross-sectional survey design to survey elementary, middle, and high school counselors in Oregon. The online questionnaire was developed using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (Stamm, 2009),...
Counseling professionals working with adolescent populations are reporting more and more adolescents experiencing suicidal ideation and attempt each year. The current literature on adolescent suicidality lacks theoretical presence, appears to rely on implications from findings on suicidal adults, and seems limited to in-patient teenaged populations (e.g., Horton et al., 2015;...
Retention literature has shown that student retention is impacted when economic factors are considered when selecting a college. Students who are low income typically choose colleges that are closer to home and rely on financial aid to pay for college. Further, financial aid is generally a positive indicator of retention...
Gifted education has historically involved disproportionate rates of identification and enrollment for both students of color and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, depriving these groups of more challenging learning opportunities. Giftedness transcends subgroups, spanning all racial, socioeconomic, and disability categories; still, data indicate that Asian and White students are identified...
Developmental mathematics and the completion of degrees have been at the forefront of community colleges in recent years. Positive psychology has given rise to the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. The purpose of this study is to study the relationship between positive emotions and developmental mathematics achievement at the community...
For good reason, suicide is of growing concern across the nation; rates continue to increase annually in the United States. Accurate assessment remains an obstacle to effective treatment for individuals who are suicidal. Without proper screening, a client cannot get a referral to see a specialist and therefore cannot receive...
There is a national interest in improving the quality of STEM education in institutions of higher education. One goal of multiple initiatives focusing on such improvement is empowering more STEM educators to implement evidence-based instructional practices, that research has shown best help students learn. Related strategies target change in STEM...
In response to concern over a lack of diversity in STEM postsecondary programs, institutions of higher education across the nation have promoted opportunities for undergraduate research. Such opportunities have been shown to enrich student experiences and success, especially for students from historically underrepresented groups. While these benefits have been fairly...
The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of secondary agriculture teachers as they reconcile the competing demands of the profession in the social landscape of School-Based Agricultural Education. Previous literature about the agriculture teacher shortage problem revealed opportunities for research to utilize qualitative approaches and alternative...
Emerging adulthood is a newly-defined developmental phase that occurs during the traditional college years (18-22) (Arnett, 2015). These students at colleges and universities are showing a dramatic increase in emotional distress, with the largest increase occurring in anxiety and stress symptomology (Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors, 2017)....
Mental health professionals are dedicated to improving outcomes in therapy. Research over the past 50 years has shown psychotherapy to be effective in both improving the functioning of and diminishing the overall distress experienced by clients. Several factors have been constant predictors of outcome in therapy, including length of treatment,...
Addiction is a word that represents a condition that, at best, causes minor disruptions to one’s life and, at worst, is lethal. The current definition was developed by 80 neuroscientists. It references substance use and other behaviors and includes food and sex. Addictions do not seem to be lessening but...
Attention to the benefits of mindfulness practice transcends the fields of mental health and medicine. Extensive research has explored the use of mindfulness-based practices in counseling and psychotherapy. Benefits of mindfulness practice, both during session and in cases in which mindfulness was only practiced by the therapist outside of session,...
Treatment providers seek low-cost, high-impact means of engaging clients in care with the aim to enhance treatment delivery and outcomes. With improvements to mobile technology making cell phone accessibility and usage rates high across all socio-economic levels, text messaging is becoming more frequently utilized as a means of promoting provider-client...
More than half of students in Washington state community colleges enroll in developmental mathematics, but a relatively small percentage of these students persist to the second year. Many students place into these courses and never enroll; others enroll at some point after the first academic term, even when faced with...
Truancy and dropout are two issues plaguing school districts across the nation. The short- and long-term consequences of both problems are complex and far reaching, affecting students, families, and communities. Once thought of as a problem at the secondary level only, truancy and absenteeism are increasing at the elementary school...
This qualitative study examines how FIESTAS (Family Involved in Education, Sociocultural Teaching and STEM) partners (comprised of out-of-school time (OST) educators, university student STEM instructors, and local business representatives) came together to facilitate a local STEM Club located in two dual-immersion elementary schools in the Pacific Northwest. The study addresses...
This exploratory, narrative study investigated two research questions. One, how do executive leaders at community colleges describe how their cognitive schema and sensemaking approach informed their understanding of a crisis that their organization faced. Two, how do executive leaders at community colleges describe what leadership traits, behaviors, and competencies they...
Understanding the relationship between motivation, academic achievement, and persistence may help higher education administrators develop plans for increasing student engagement and student success. Prior research on higher education indicated connections between motivation, academic achievement, and persistence, but there has been limited research that relates these concepts to the rural community...
Almost two decades have passed since the publication of Jackson and Leffingwell’s (1999) influential article on math anxiety in preservice school teachers and their worst math experiences. The present dissertation represents both a replication and an extension of the original study. Study Arm A was the replication study with preservice...
Self-harm is a frightening phenomenon that affects adolescents and young adults all over the world. While non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has a high prevalence rate, it is not a new behavior. One of the earliest documented cases of NSSI was in ancient Greece and it has gained popularity amongst adolescents. NSSI...
Mental illness is a universal phenomenon, but cultural context has a profound influence on how it is perceived, classified, and treated. Most systematic research on public attitudes toward mental illness has been completed in Western societies. The emergence of multicultural psychotherapy in the West has helped professionals recognize the extent...
Chronic truancy and absenteeism are two considerable issues currently facing our youth at increasing rates nationwide. Quantitative research supporting chronic truancy and absenteeism as national problems is abundant (Hendricks, Sale, Evans, McKinley, and Delozier Carter, 2010). Research indicates that students who identify as truant during the middle school grades and...
The purpose of this dissertation was to contribute to deeper understanding of how client’s experience their spirituality and religion during the therapy process. The first manuscript is located in chapter 2 and titled A Qualitative Metasynthesis of Client Experience of Addressing Spirituality and Religion in Counseling. This metasynthesis pools together...
The agricultural industry across the United States is experiencing a shortage of qualified and interested young professionals who aspire to enter the agricultural sector. Internships have largely been used as an effective hands-on learning tool, exposing college students to an array of occupational skills and expectations in hopes of creating...
Research shows us that graduate students receive supervision from counselors who did not learn supervision models (DeKruyf & Pehrrson, 2011). The current state of supervision preparation of school counselors is a significant concern (Franklin, 2015).
The researcher crafted two studies with each utilizing a Delphi method with different populations of...
Background. As community colleges are increasingly composed of Millennial-aged professionals, workforce retention of those professionals is now a major priority. The Millennial generation is more diverse and more likely to be impacted by technology than any generation before them and is a generation characterized by dual-income partnerships. These and other...
Recent reports at the state, national, and international level have called for increased earthquake and tsunami education to increase knowledge of the causes of these hazards, risks from these hazards, and preparedness measures to reduce risk and increase resilience to these hazards. One recommended approach to meet this need is...
Understanding the development of professional identity of graduate counseling students is crucial as it contributes to and fosters the overall identity of the counseling profession. Several studies (e.g., Dollarhide, Gibson, & Moss, 2013; Gibson, Dollarhide, & Moss, 2010; Nugget & Jones, 2009) have examined the professional identity development (PID) of...
Background: Legislators, policy-makers, and leaders in higher education and within communities, are increasingly turning to place-based scholarships, or “promise programs”, to encourage college enrollment and address growing public concerns regarding college affordability. One such program, the Oregon Promise, was implemented across the state of Oregon in the fall of 2016....
The nursing profession has long sought more diversity in registered nurses (RNs) to reflect the populations served. One way to enhance RN diversity is through diversity in community college (CC) associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs.
Since ADN programs lead to professional employment with middle-class wages, they form an important...
Background: Prior research has shown that distance learning courses have higher failure rates at community colleges then equivalent face-to-face to courses. There are a few programs and courses, however, that consistently achieve completion rates as high as or higher than their equivalent face-to-face courses. The research to date has not...
This phenomenological study explores the effects that an interdisciplinary program of study at a community college has on students once they transfer to a four-year institution. Interdisciplinary approaches have been proposed as a way of meeting the complex thinking skills needed for 21st Century learning. Because interdisciplinary learning is complex,...
Student engagement with faculty is positively associated with increases in the retention and graduation rates of students enrolled in institutions of higher education. Although a considerable amount of research has focused on understanding the engagement experiences of students enrolled at four-year colleges and universities, little emphasis has been placed on...
Emerging adults often encounter obstacles and adversity in pursuit of occupational identity. College counselors are responsible for delivering mental health, wellness, and career services to distressed students facing unprecedented challenges to enter the workplace. The purpose of this study was to investigate how counselors can promote career resilience in emerging...
The purpose of this study was to explore the connections between experiential learning and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in preservice agriculture teachers. More specifically, utilizing a conceptual model for teacher development as a framework, this research sought to explore the development of the knowledge bases needed for teaching through experiential...
Background: The United States has been under-producing college graduates since at least 1980, with many challenges suppressing students’ self-efficacy. One approach to improving student outcomes is through mentorship. This dissertation applied Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Kram’s Mentor Relationship Development Theory (MRD) to discover whether students’ campus mentorship experiences...
The purpose of this dissertation was to contribute to understanding teachers’ experiences as facilitators of class meetings and the supports that can affect their facilitation. Chapter 2 is the manuscript, Maximize the Benefit of Class Meetings: Facilitating the Class Meeting as a Therapeutic Group. It was a conceptual article on...
Gender bias and discrimination are currently some of the most pertinent topics being explored in counseling practice and counselor education and supervision. Because of all the public attention in recent years to the topics of transgender and marriage equality, the definitions of gender identity and gender roles have become more...
Youth in foster care often perform at lower levels academically than those not in foster care. Prior research on the nature of the relationships that affect former foster youth's educational path has been inconclusive. Though it is widely believed that positive relationships with faculty, staff and peers is beneficial for...
Previous reports on the state of the Latino/a-focused mental health literature suggest that the quantity of Latino/a-focused articles within the mental health field continued to be disproportionate to the growing percentage of Latino/as in the United States (Liang, Salcedo, Rivera, & Lopez, 2009). As such, Latino/a mental health experiences, needs,...
In the United States, the utilization of digital media has assumed an omnipresent status and has altered the manner in which we communicate, conduct business, and create art and music. However, it has been demonstrated that art therapy lags behind the current culture of prolific use of digital media. To...
Because of disease, industrialization, and regional conflicts, young widowhood is an expanding phenomenon in many parts of the world. Young widows face many challenges that can lead to mental health problems. The young widows have to make adjustments to fit their new roles as bread winners of the families, having...
At the intersection of higher education and politics, there is demand for an easily understood measure of student success. Graduation rate is the current measure of choice, but the definition of graduation rate excludes many categories of students and types of success particularly applicable to community colleges. The purpose of...
Bullying cultivates insecurity and fear while generating attention for the perpetrator and degrading the student-victim in front of others. The act erodes the self-efficacy and identity of minority students more specifically and produces a hostile climate that undermines the learning and social development to all affected. Despite the pervasive negative...
The purpose of this dissertation was to add to the professional literature in counselor education and supervision through inquiry and synthesis of research among online teaching, online counseling, and online communities of practice through the supervision lens of the Discrimination Model. A unique, research-informed framework for synchronous online supervision (i.e.,...
This study documented the influence of the completion agenda on decision-making by community college career and technical education (CTE) deans. Ten career and technical programs deans were identified as the sample for the study. Washington State was selected because of the Student Achievement Initiative that was developed as a completion...
Equine-assisted group work has recently emerged in the empirical literature as a promising treatment approach for a variety of populations, including women trauma survivors (Whittlesey-Jermone, 2014; Shambo, Seely, & Vonderfecht, 2010). However, group therapeutic processes (e.g., therapeutic factors) and group leader characteristics have yet to be studied in equine-assisted groups....
The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the relationship between the personal spiritual and religious practices of counselor supervisors and their wellness and spiritual competence. A cross sectional survey design was used to collect information about the frequency and importance of both spiritual and religious practices, scores on the...
Recent state and national standards have increased the interest in engineering at the K-12 level. Science standards, in particular, have begun to make the case for including engineering throughout the K-12 scope of study. Despite the increased attention to engineering, the characteristics and uniqueness of the field of engineering are...
This dissertation serves a threefold purpose: 1. identify the principles, practices and assumptions implicated in an academic theory of social justice; 2. continue moving towards articulating a theory of social justice judgment and decision making; and 3. develop a model of social justice judgment and decision making that will assist...
The American School Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics states that counselors and counselor trainees must be competent providers of multicultural counseling, able to practice effectively with clients whose identities differ from their own. Pre-service school counselors receive very little training around immigration status and how to work with clients who...
The National Research Council has aggregated research evidence on the pedagogy of science teaching and learning (NRC, 2012), culminating in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). These standards support emphasis on eight scientific practices as an important component for teaching science as inquiry to K-12 students. This latest framework for...
Approximately 600,000 individuals will be eventually released from the prison system and millions will be released from jails across the United States each year (Mukamal et al., 2015). Some of these individuals will make their way to a local community college to make a better life for themselves. There is...
The illicit use of opioids among young adults (18–25) has resulted in an increase of clients needing substance abuse treatment. Treatment programs are struggling to keep up with the influx of these young adults. Traditional models of care have some impact; however, there are not enough treatment centers that can...
This dissertation consists of a set of three manuscripts exploring features of effective professional development (PD) for science teacher educators. Literature about context-specific PD for science teacher educators is sparse. The first manuscript, a literature review, outlines theoretical lenses through which PD can be understood, the features of effective PD,...
Job satisfaction has received considerable attention within the community college sector, but there is limited research focused solely on the job satisfaction of foreign-born faculty members employed at community colleges. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with job satisfaction among foreign-born faculty members employed at U.S....
Student success in terms of college preparedness and postsecondary college enrollment is one of the current major focus in the school counseling profession. The current literature indicates that school counselors can positively influence their students’ needs and performance outcomes, yet the profession is calling for more evidence to support the...
The purpose of this dissertation was to contribute to understanding the client's experience of power in their therapeutic relationships with mental health professionals. The manuscript in Chapter 2, A Critical Metasynthesis of the Qualitative Research on the Client's Experience of Power in the Therapeutic Relationship, used qualitative metasynthesis to review...
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are a recent set of standards that leverage decades of research to present an innovative and coherent image for K 12 science education in the United States. Major themes in the NGSS include the intertwining of learning and doing science, addressing connections across scientific...
The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) and the eight public colleges and universities in the system, have depended on the Federal Pell Grant program for more than 40 years to assist students to attend. For some of these institutions, the amount of Pell grant dollars received is as much...
The student-loan market has surpassed 1.3 trillion dollars; rising student-loan cohort default rates are a growing concern among educational institutions. Many colleges are implementing financial-education programs for students to help increase their knowledge, aptitude, and skills so they may become informed consumers. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The purpose of this...
The purpose of the dissertation was to gain an understanding of variables that influence the psychosocial health of Asian American college students. There is sufficient literature support indicating this population experience greater levels of intrapersonal and interpersonal distress compared to non-Asian peers, and the significant role of family in their...
Many low-income and first-generation community college students face disproportionate challenges in their quest for a college education. They typically balance multiple outside obligations, while being solely responsible for making these decisions without adequate knowledge, guidance, or support (Lyons, 2004). Many students begin college without ever having been responsible for their...
Background: African American males' experience in higher education is often categorized with negative terminology that does not reflect notions of success. Most research addressing the success of African American males in higher education illuminates factors that impede access to success and is often situated in university settings. Very little research...
Research exploring methods to improve student learning of leadership, mathematics, and science in the United States is critically important. In this study, I sought to delve into the potential for student learning of leadership, mathematics, and science within the context of school-based agricultural education. Recognizing the teacher as a gatekeeper...
In 2010 the American taxpayers spent $697 million educating veterans under the provisions of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (commonly referred to as the GI Bill). Most veterans begin their college education at a community college. However, the number of veterans succeeding in community colleges is exceedingly low. Based...
The purpose of this case study is to explore a mentoring program designed for African American male community college students at a Pacific Northwest community college. Community college practitioners can use the knowledge gained from this study as a best practice to increase the persistence and success of African American...
Institutions of higher education are increasingly being held accountable and experiencing pressure to demonstrate how well their students are achieving intended learning outcomes. External and internal influences fuel this pressure. After decades of rhetoric on student learning outcomes assessment there remains a question of whether the practice has been fully...
The environmental movement needs people from communities of color and the differing perspectives they provide. Latinas/os are one of the largest communities of color in the US, and their numbers continue to grow. However, mainstream environmental organizations have failed to engage this community in authentic ways. The lack of meaningful...
Background: Legislators and higher education policy makers increasingly are turning to policy initiatives to incentivize institutions of higher education to transform policies and practices in the name of student success, with success typically defined as retention and graduation rates. One such policy receiving increased attention amongst states is outcomes-based funding,...
Background: Social interaction among peers on a campus of higher education has long been considered an important part of the college student experience, in particular for the first-term students transitioning into college life. Students who socially connect with peers on campus tend to persist at higher rates, while other benefits...
Teacher noticing is a necessary skill in order for teachers to elicit and respond to their
students' mathematical ideas and support the ambitious learning goals of school mathematics. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate what teacher candidates noticed about their teaching as they were provided supports and opportunities...
The underlying aim of my dissertation was to contribute knowledge that may better support and foster STEM education improvement initiatives at public research universities. The two research studies included in my dissertation advance knowledge per perspectives of key stakeholders targeted by initiatives attempting to foster change, students and faculty. In...
Community colleges serve various populations as part of their missions. Many community colleges serve the people who live in rural communities and are challenged with fewer financial resources. The term rural is not easily defined, and many variables need to be considered when creating academic programming for rural populations. There...
The purpose of this dissertation was to contribute to the current understanding about identity development in young adults who experience psychosis and schizophrenia. The article in Chapter 2 Using Authentic Identity Theories to Address the Stigmatization of Young People Who Experience Psychosis and Schizophrenia examined the literature on identity development...
Corporate universities (CUs) have been in existence in the United States since the early 1900s. They are increasingly providing educational and developmental opportunities for workers; however, there is little empirical research on these types of organizations. This study examined a specific electrical distributor's CU using a theoretical framework as a...
Latina/o student enrollments in community colleges in the United States are rapidly growing, yet Latina/o student success rates have not matched this growth. There is a need for community college programs that serve Latina/o student populations more effectively and that incorporate multicultural educational practices into college programs. The purpose of...
The purpose of this multi-case study was to explore the stories and lived experiences of Native American police chiefs who have faced the systemic conflicts and challenges created between Native American tribal policing and an opposing U.S. legal system. It sought to understand the essence of tribal police chiefs’ experiences...
Higher education is being asked to address issues of quality, accountability, and transparency. Accreditation is one tool higher education institutions use to address these concerns. The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze the impact of the new accreditation standards adopted by the Northwest Commission for Colleges and Universities...
Research examining disparity between baccalaureate completion among "native" and community college transfer students has gained attention in recent years. Current and prior research has identified important pre-college and demographic characteristics with a positive relationship to baccalaureate completion. Yet few studies have focused on the influence of nonacademic and academic environmental...
This qualitative study examines the role of a graduate level multicultural teacher education course in disrupting preservice teachers' beliefs and assumptions about teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners. This study is motivated by the following research question: What are the actions that take place in a funds of knowledge course...
Paraprofessional counselors comprise a significant sector of the mental health workforce (Buchbinder, 2003; Golden, 1991; Nieuwsma et al., 2014; Norcross, 2000). Professional counselors have offered both praise (Durlak, 1979) and criticism (Nietzel & Fisher, 1981) for paraprofessional counselors and the services that they provide. Paraprofessional counselors work under the guidance...
Considerable research has been done on women and leadership styles, and while most have found very little to no difference in leadership style between men and women, there has been conflict with individual gender roles and organizational roles (Eagly & Johnson, 1990; Eddy & Cox, 2008; Kanter, 1997). These studies...
Background: Previous studies suggested that the professional identity of community college faculty is less than clearly articulated. Lack of clarity with regard to professional identity may have impacts in a number of areas, including recruitment, professional development, and the overall reputation of community colleges.
Purpose: To examine how community college...
Professional organizations in the fields of counseling and psychotherapy-related professions all require counselors and counseling students to work with a vast array of potential clients who may differ significantly from themselves. For example, these counselor and client differences can include one or several factors such as age, race, ethnicity, ability...
Research has established that poor outcomes are the future for those without a
high school diploma--yet students continue to drop out and become members of
that population. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the
experiences and perceptions of individuals who did not complete high school
within the...
Human development researchers consider adolescence a rich time for interest development and identity exploration. A relatively new movement in the Free-Choice Learning (FCL) arena, the Maker movement, offers learners interest-driven, experiential, often collaborative, and process-oriented activities ranging from game design (computer-based and otherwise) and robotics, to sewing LEDs into clothing...
How do organizational members socially construct the shared meaning of a mandated change in the external environment? The opportunity to address this question presented itself when President Barack Obama set forth a goal for American community colleges to increase the number of students completing certificates and degrees by 5 million...
The American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics states that counselors and
counselor trainees must be competent providers of multicultural counseling, able to practice
effectively with clients whose identities differ from their own. Counseling students and trainees
receive very little training around sexual orientation and how to work with clients who...
Garden-based learning (GBL) with young people has long been viewed as an educational experience capable of teaching numerous types of science content including general science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as well as discipline specific areas such as biology, horticulture, agriculture and nutrition. However, much of the GBL literature focuses...
Branch campuses play an important part in postsecondary degree attainment by providing place-bound students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in different geographical regions access to education that is convenient. Their heterogeneousness structures, including enrollment size, communities, and populations served, are not accurately reflected in the majority of the research. Currently, there...
Those experiencing significant psychosocial problems in adolescence and young adulthood are at higher risk for psychological disorder (Pottick, Bilder, Vander Stoep, Warner, & Alvarez, 2008). Compared to peers, these individuals struggle to complete school, fit with social roles, and acquire occupational skills necessary for adulthood (Pottick et al., 2008). Providing...