Entrepreneurship is regarded as a viable way for women to enter the economy and improve their quality of life (Morris et al., 2018). However, little attention has been paid to understanding how women, and specifically women of color, utilize their ways of knowing to learn entrepreneurship. Grounded in Chicana/Latina feminism...
Community engaged scholarship has gained attention as public universities begin to answer calls to return to their roots of serving the public good. The scholars at the heart of community engagement play an important role in this mission, but their experiences in the academy are not well understood. As institutional...
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...
The persistent underrepresentation and marginalization of women of color in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are well-documented. However, much of the existing literature takes an “either/or” approach, focusing solely on the experiences of either “women” or “minorities” in STEM, without adequately examining the unique experiences of...
Post-secondary education institutions across the United States are increasingly allocating resources to promote international education exchange programs as a pedagogical praxis to develop students into global citizens. Underlying such notions of global citizenship is the assumption that students will also develop a stronger post-national or cosmopolitan identity as a result...
We call for the promotion of faculty innovation & entrepreneurship (I&E), across disciplines, and its recognition in promotion and tenure processes– thereby enabling universities to better serve as a talent and idea engine for the Nation’s innovation economy, and evolve and respond in a time of enhanced societal needs and...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of education professionals who manage, coordinate, and instruct in the English Literacy and Civics Education Grant
(EL/Civics) Programs in Oregon community colleges. The study compared the EL/Civics Grant Program to the conventional English as Second Language (ESL) programs offered at...
Online learning has grown exponentially within higher education in the past decade, especially at community colleges. As online course offerings expand community colleges need to assess student learning in order to ensure quality learning experiences for students and for accreditation purposes. The purpose of this study was to compare the...
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)....
The purpose of this dual-manuscript dissertation is to assess and synthesize the current body of qualitative literature on the topic of the experience of counselor trainees as participants in experiential groups. The first manuscript is presented in Chapter 2. In this study, I performed a directed content analysis on 15...
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...
Counselors are tasked with being knowledgeable about assessing and treating a broad range of mental health issues. There has been an overall rise in mental health symptoms in individuals during the current COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the increased use of online internet forums as part of help-seeking behaviors. Obsessive-Compulsive...
Establishing a therapeutic alliance or a therapeutic bond has long been seen as an essential component of obtaining positive treatment outcomes in clinical practice. More recently, the idea of recognizing therapeutic alliance ruptures (disagreements about the tasks or goals of therapy or a problem in the therapeutic bond) during counseling...
Domestic violence (DV) is pervasive worldwide and has negative psychological effects that last a lifetime. Although DV is a problem that affects all societies, it is addressed through varied legal responses and with gaps in comprehension when examined through a cultural lens. The findings of these studies have the potential...
Corpus linguistics studies involving lyrics continue to grow. While previous research has pointed to a positive relationship between certain personality traits and music types, the relationship between lyrics and suicide is understudied. As such, mental health researchers and practitioners have little sense of how the language of someone who has...
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...
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...
The self-help literature is full of texts on both self-compassion and postpartum depression. However, there has been minimal scientific exploration of the literature on these topics. As such, mental health researchers and practitioners have little sense of the psycholinguistic discourse contained in this literature. This study aimed to fill this...
Tabletop role-playing games (TRPG) such as Dungeons & Dragons™ are widely known and enjoyed by diverse individuals across the world. However, TRPGs and their players historically have experienced significant stigmatization due to the misconception by some that fantasy role play leads to psychological dysfunction. While a large body of research...
Play therapy is a unique skill set within psychotherapy that combines the language of play with other forms of communication to promote healing and growth in children and adolescents. This therapeutic approach involves utilizing toys, pretend play, structured and unstructured activities, and various interactions to foster a therapeutic relationship. By...
The very essence of talk therapy is rooted in the spoken word between counselor and client. A client’s painful traumatic experiences can often serve as a barrier to accessing the traditional consulting room. Despite the high prevalence of trauma and its status as a known risk factor for nearly all...
The counseling profession has historically adopted a one-size-fits-all approach toward addressing bereavement. However, there is an emerging paradigm-shift in grief therapy that has been enabled by recent research that differentiates, for example, between types of grief and styles of grieving. This research project contributes to this nuanced approach to grief...
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...
This thesis explored the experiences of four Student Affairs practitioners working within Multicultural Affairs (MA). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how professionals within MA offices were developing and conducting assessment as well as identify barriers they faced and best practices used. Data for this study was...
Persistent reading difficulties are prevalent in U.S. schools and can lead to lower student performance across all subjects as well as distress, anxiety, and depression. In 2022, only 32% of fourth graders in the United States tested as proficient in reading. While there are many factors which affect reading progress...
Individual supervision is a widely accepted practice in the counseling profession, yet the tasks and focus of individual supervision in an agency setting remain largely uninvestigated. The tasks and focus areas inherent to agency supervision are especially important to counselors, counselor educators, agency administrators, and licensing boards, all of whom...
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has reached a level of authority and ubiquity within the mental health field. It is the guidance force in insurance reimbursement or coverage for mental health treatment, determinations of disability related to mental health and in determinations of competence to stand...
It was only when I reached a graduate-level education that I began to make meaning of my educational experiences. I found validation in my upbringing through the CSSA program, and I gave myself permission to accept myself. I have always felt I needed to
“catch up” with white students. I...
The professions of counseling, marriage and family therapy, and social work are highly controlled with regulators frequently issuing findings of professional misconduct against clinicians. Although much research has been conducted with regard to clinician professional misconduct in general, there is a scarcity of research investigating the relationship between gender and...
The purpose of this dissertation was to increase understanding of adolescent school counseling groups including a literature review of the quantitative outcome research on group work with adolescents in the schools and a qualitative exploration of the adolescent experience of cohesion in rural school counseling groups. Outcome research on group...
Kenyan women exhibit a pattern of unequal access and participation to education, particularly Science, Mathematics and Technology (SMT) subjects and careers. This is the result of documented challenges that include cultural attitudes that overburden girls with chores to the detriment of their school work, and a preference by parents to...
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...
Although perceived-risk curriculum, that is, where the learner experiences effects of eustress (positive stress), has been used in Arts or outdoor activities, it has not been used in school classrooms. Milkman’s 1996 studies of after-school Project Self Discovery demonstrated that at-risk students lessened their adverse risky behaviors, such as substance...
This phenomenological inquiry explored dimensions of reflection for older adults in a developmental oriented adventure education experience. Data were gathered from emergent interviews with four individuals while participating in a multi-day, self-contained experiential education program conducted in a rugged environment, and led by a Navajo leader. Two principle research questions...
This qualitative study explores the "coming out" experience of gay males raised in conservative Christian environments. Seven men with varying ethnic and racial backgrounds, between the ages of 20 and 40 years old, participated. Each was raised in a conservative, Christian environment during his formative years and each was now...
Queer students in American public schools may face significant challenges including unsupportive or hostile peers or staff members (Eisenberg et al., 2017). The culture of rural Southern schools may be particularly challenging for these students as they are less likely to have an active support group and more likely to...
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 purpose of the dissertation was to gain an understanding of counselor professional identity and identity development, as well as an understanding of the experiences of doctoral students as they develop their professional identity within a nontraditional (hybrid) counselor education (CE) program. This was accomplished through systematic literature review of...
The purpose of this dissertation was to contribute to deeper understanding of how men experience support seeking. The first manuscript is located in chapter 2 and titled A Qualitative Metasynthesis of Male Client Experiences of Counseling. This metasynthesis integrates sixteen pieces of qualitative research which contain first-person accounts of male...
Two decades of literature from national college student climate reports measuring student attitudes toward people who are lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) indicate, “anti-GLBT intolerance and harassment has been prevalent” (Rankin, 2003). This study seeks to explore the determinants of such attitudes and explore the life contexts of students’...
The purpose of this study is to explore experiences of professional growth for mid-career community college faculty. The research question that guided the study is: How do community college faculty members experience professional growth at mid- career? The research design included an interpretive social science methodology and phenomenological method. Nine...
The purpose of this study was to explore how campus climate at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) influences degree completion for Black women. As the number of HSIs has increased in the past decade, there exists a need to understand how Black women fare in such an institutional context. Though there is...
Co-teaching and collaboration are an increasingly popular service model for English as a second language (ESL). In this model, the language specialist, sometimes called the ESL teacher, works together with a content teacher, each using their respective expertise to meet the needs of students who are identified as English learners...
This dissertation reviews the literature on the specialty area of dolphin assisted therapy (DAT), a subfield of animal assisted therapy (AAT). To date the literature on the effectiveness of DAT has been mixed although a majority of it is positive. The study was conducted with 40 parents whose children were...
University supervisors are critical to improvement in K-12 teaching and learning due to their roles in designing field experiences, managing relationships, mentoring, and supervising teacher candidates. The encouragement, support, and feedback shared by university supervisors in respect to the teaching performance of teacher candidates is especially powerful, and is a...
There is a wealth of research on issues surrounding teacher burnout and school reform. The literature on burnout, however, does not provide information on system-based burnout prevention models. Comprehensive reform, although intended to improve schools as a whole, does not look at reform models developed as sources of teacher support....
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...
Baccalaureate attainment represents an important goal among educators and policymakers. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education has stated that affordability and transfer are critical to increasing baccalaureate attainment, and that community colleges have a critical role in this transfer process. On the other hand, some researchers disagree...
The focus of this autoethnography was an in-depth analysis of the recorded experiences of a middle school math teacher's transitional development from classroom teacher, to teacher leader. The following research questions guided this study: (1) In what ways did the researcher’s view of self as a teacher leader change during...
The purpose of this manuscript style dissertation was to increase understanding of the experiences of counselor's with compassion fatigue as they participated in a yoga intervention. Compassion fatigue is a condition that creates both physical and psychological impairment as a result of working in the helping role. Yoga is an...
This phenomenological inquiry explored the experiences of library leaders and discipline faculty members engaging in a collaborative instructional change initiative focused on a process-based learning pedagogy and led by an academic library. The investigation’s purpose was providing insight and understanding concerning the: (a) library’s role in instructional leadership; (b) experience...
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...
Little research has been done in the area of adult Hispanics' transition to college, a complex and challenging process which marks a critical period in their lives. Research suggests adaptation difficulty may cause them to drop out of school usually before completion of the first terms. There is a lack...
There is a knowledge gap concerning the outcomes of early adolescent sexual initiation (ASI). In particular, the influence of early ASI upon adult attachment is unknown. A multiple regression study was conducted to address this knowledge gap. Adult partner/spouse attachment was the criterion variable, and the predictor variables included both...
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...
Title: African-American Women Faculty Teaching at Institutions of Higher Learning in the Pacific Northwest: Challenges, Dilemas, and Sustainability
Institutions of higher learning in the Pacific Northwest have successfully recruited African-American faculty, yet these institutions have difficulty retaining African-American faculty for at least five years. African-American women faculty experience problems obtaining...
Older adults are the fastest growing population in the United States, and their numbers are expected to continue rising over the next few decades. The number of older adults with psychiatric disorders such as anxiety is also increasing. Increases in the population of older adults and in the incidence of...
The purpose of this study was to describe and explore the relationships between work and family domain characteristics, time-based work-family conflict (WFC), and turnover intention of agriculture teachers. This study sought to identify factors influencing agriculture teachers' turnover intentions. An additional focus of this study was to explore differences between...
This qualitative study examined the experience of White student affairs professionals involved in racial justice work at a predominantly White institution in the Pacific Northwest. This study explored participants' consciousness of their white identity, white privilege, and commitment to end systems of privilege and oppression in regards to White supremacy...
The purpose of this dissertation was to demonstrate research scholarship using the American Psychological Association (APA) manuscript-style dissertation format, in accordance with Oregon State University Graduate School and Counseling Academic Unit guidelines.
Chapter 1 provides explanation for how Chapters 2 and 3 are thematically linked manuscripts intended to extend professional...
The absence of Black male counselor educators in CACREP accredited programs is astounding. Out of a pool of 130 CACREP programs, only 31 have at least one Black male full time counselor educator. Although these programs are comprised of approximately 2,000 counselor educators, only 58 of them are Black men....
Many White social scientists and educators are unaware of and/or
detached from the realities of racism and conduct social research that 1.)
perpetuates stereotypes, falsely setting People of Color as inferior and
White people as superior and/or 2.) explains the differences of White
people and People of Color in terms...
This study examines educator perceptions related to what has been termed New-Union labor reforms. The study provides a review of literature related to teacher Unionization and details a mixed methods analysis of educator beliefs related to three specific labor reforms: (a) alternative salary structures, (b) collaborative, or interest based bargaining...
This study examines the relationship between organizational absorptive
capacity and organizational responsiveness to changes in their environment exhibited
by growth-oriented SMEs in Russia. Adopting the theoretical framework and
methodology used by Liao, Welsch and Stoica in their 2003 study of the absorptive
capacity and organizational responsiveness of U.S. growth-oriented SMEs,...
This qualitative study examined the influence of the 2011 Oregon Writing Project (OWP) Summer Institute (SI) on the professional development of six teachers in the following ways:
1. The development of case descriptions of teachers' personal and professional backgrounds relevant to their teaching of writing.
2. An examination of the...
Community colleges today are experiencing monumental shifts in their operating
environments. Some of these changes are known, but many of them are not. They
include shifts in curriculum, funding, and societal expectation to name a few. Through
the constructs of high quality work environment and organizational fluidity theory, this
research...
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...
This qualitative study explored the role of leadership in implementing co-teaching for English language development in K-12 settings, specifically, the role of leadership of administrators and teacher-leaders. Research has confirmed that school leaders substantially impact student outcomes and teacher effectiveness (Cheung et al., 2018; Leithwood et al., 2004; Liebowitz &...
Many jobs in the United States have shifted to requiring education beyond high school credentials. Many potential workers are enrolled in pre-postsecondary education, or basic skills. A small percentage of students transition from basic skills to postsecondary education. Research identifies key institutional practices and supports have shown to increase transitions,...
This dissertation presents research that investigated the experiences and
perceptions of Christian therapists who work with conservative Christian women who
experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Despite the widespread occurrence of IPV,
therapists continue to face challenges in areas of training and supervision in working with
this type of trauma. In...
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...
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 purpose of this dissertation was to explore the developmental experience of novice play therapists. A review of the play therapy training literature as well as the counselor development literature suggested that there are characteristics such as patience, flexibility, and a love for children that are needed to work with...
Teacher preparation programs must ensure that course and clinical work provide a solid practice and theoretical foundation upon which new teachers can grow and thrive. Part of this process is the need for theory and research learned in coursework to mesh and enrich classroom practices. In this study we interview...
Research indicates that enduring interparental conflict before, during, and after divorce has negative effects on children. Parental conflict can be reduced utilizing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes such as mediation and collaborative divorce. The purpose of this dissertation was to produce two manuscripts examining the role of the child specialist...
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,...
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...
The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify factors that contribute to students' levels of global citizenship. Factors considered in this research include (a) race/ethnicity, (b) gender, (c), year in school, (d) age, (e), length of time abroad, (f) host family experience, (g), community service abroad, (h) more than...
Boyd and Walter (1975) identified the need to provide supervision for school counselors almost forty years ago. Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States (2014), in her address at the American School Counselor Association Conference stated that school counselors needed to be provided with professional development opportunities designed...
The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate Oregon public high school history teacher perspectives concerning standards-based reform initiatives springing from the No Child Left Behind legislation. The central question addressed in this study is: At what level has Standards-Based Education reform initiatives impacted Oregon high school history instruction and...
The purpose of the study was to provide a method for evaluating the effect, impact or role that (as perceived by automotive, diesel, automotive collision faculty and administrators) the nationally recognized industry training standards developed by Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) have on the...
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the development of social norms in a fifth-grade reform-based mathematics classroom through a close examination of one teacher's actions during the first three weeks of school. This study offers insights into the following research questions: 1) How does an elementary...
While there is an abundance of literature written on academic program review in higher education, there is a gap in the literature found in program review related to community college workforce education programs, employer responsiveness, student employment outcomes, and program discontinuance (Fleming, 2015). Additionally, in the literature review, the researcher...
Spirituality is an important component in the lives of many Black Americans. Black American life has spirituality woven into multiple aspects. From what clothes to wear, what words to use when creating a dialogue with others, which television shows to watch, which jobs to pursue, how to treat those who...
The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of school-based agriculture education (SBAE) teachers who self-identified as blended pedagogues. This study specifically focused on SBAE teachers' beliefs and how those beliefs influence their blended teaching classroom practice. Teacher beliefs are personal, subjective, and temporally and contextually stable....
This study examines the U.S. educational experiences of Saudi Arabian students. Using qualitative case study and photo-elicitation research methods, this study conducted multiple interviews with 25 Saudi students and explored their perceptions of their American learning environment, how it differed from Saudi Arabia, and the strategies they developed to successfully...
Biracial and Multiracial people are one of the fastest growing racial groups in the United States. Individuals with a mixed identity have the ability to choose endless racial/ethnic designations that best exemplify their racial/ethnic social identity. However, people who are racially/ethnically mixed may receive criticism if their proclaimed identity does...
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...
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...
During the 2006/07 academic year, 582,984 international students studied in the United States (Open Doors Study, 2007). Roughly 430,000 of these international students were pursuing Bachelors or Graduate level degrees. Of the international students that complete degrees, most will return to their home country and will be unable to attend...
The change process for clients in long-term adolescent residential treatment has received heightened research attention for the past 15-year (Gass, 2006). The research indicates that individuals enrolled in long-term adolescent residential treatment centers, on average, experience improved psycho-social functioning to degrees that are statistically and clinically significant (Behrens & Satterfield,...
The field of accounting has experienced dramatic changes in the past 20 years. Advances in technology and workplace requirements have changed the responsibilities in the accounting position of a historical recorder to a functioning manager within the organization. The curriculum used by accounting instructors has not changed or kept pace...
Adult students are a population that is critical to addressing the college completion crisis. Retention and completion for adults lags behind students who enter college directly from high school. However, higher education has largely been built around service to younger high school graduates, and institutions are slow to change. A...
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 purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of community colleges creating pathways to degree completion in professional-technical programs by breaking degree programs into smaller portions, referred to as "chunks." The purpose or possible advantage of chunking was that it would improve the rate of degree completion among...
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...
Concern about college and career readiness has been expressed in both the
business and education arenas. Employers are calling for entry-level employees with
basic academic skills and educators are being held accountable for student
achievement in academic areas similar to those required by employers. In this
environment, WorkKeys has emerged...
For my CSSA portfolio, I developed a graduate-level education course about disability in the United States and in higher education. In this paper, I will provide an introduction to my life and work in disability support services, and how my experience as a disability support services professional and graduate student...
This work is a representation of my competencies, experiences, reflections and learning through
the College Student Services Administration Master’s of Education program at Oregon State
University. This paper consists of both research and reflective writing and demonstrates in-depth
my learning and development over the past two years in the College...