African American men pursuing bachelor's degrees at historically White colleges and universities (HWCU) are not graduating at the same rates as Caucasian men. With a continued rapid decline in degree completion, establishing a framework of success for these students is becoming increasingly difficult. While research concerning graduation…

This study investigated how and why secondary school faculty use the learning software, Odyssey. Faculty were asked about their pedagogical beliefs and instructional practices, the perceived impact of using the software on student outcomes, and how, if at all, Odyssey-using faculty would change the software to increase utility. Data collection…

Student retention continues to be a major concern in higher education. Every year many individuals enroll in higher education institutions but never obtain a certificate or degree within a six-year span. The following quantitative descriptive-comparative study addressed how academic advisors' relationships with advisees may affect student…

As the Latino population increases nationally, educators must develop the work ethic among their Latino students to meet the requirements for student achievement. This case study examined if teachers' perceptions of the Latino population affected the academic motivation of their Latino students at a low-income, primarily Latino high school in…

This dissertation examines the professional and personal growth of a teacher after he became frustrated and burned out after a successful career in education and in ministry. By looking through 15 years of data (notebooks, journals, lesson plans, books, etc.), I examine the professional pressures that I have faced working in the field of…

For a variety of reasons, higher levels of parental assertiveness have begun to impact even the basic conflicts college students encounter while in attendance. Called "helicopter parenting" within the popular press, these parents are described as involving themselves in the minutia of their child's college experience, engaging with…

The purpose of this exploratory/quantitative descriptive and correlational study was to examine the relationship between principal technology leadership and technology integration in urban schools. The technology activities of principals along with Organizational Health Instrument (OHI) survey outcomes perceived by their faculty were described and…

This dissertation examines the phenomenon of ethical datives (EDs) in two Slavic languages, Russian and Macedonian. EDs are defined through a pragmatic lens as discourse licensed perspective markers in which a dative form expresses a speaker's decision to signal someone's emotional attitude--real or perceived--toward the action. Owing to…

In this dissertation I investigate how changes in the availability of information influences decision making in inherently ambiguous environments. As the Internet has not only fostered connectivity, but also catalyzed information generation on an unprecedented scale, my objective is to revisit the concept of information availability and salience…

Higher education institutions (HEIs) could be among organizations without effective programs for preserving tacit knowledge (TK) when knowledge workers retire, quit, take a leave of absence, or are terminated. The theoretical underpinnings of this study were neuroscience related to brain learning physiology, transformational leadership theory,…

Although proof has long been viewed as a cornerstone of mathematical activity, incorporating the mathematical practice of proving into classrooms is not a simple matter. In this dissertation I aim to advance research on proof by addressing this issue. In particular, I explore the role proof might play in promoting the learning of mathematics in…

African-American students who attend a CCCU institution do not complete their degrees as frequently as other student groups. The average gap at CCCU institutions between "overall and Black graduation rates is more than 19%. This is greater than the gap at other private institutions" (Smith, 2009, p.80). While the six-year graduation rate…

Almost half of postsecondary students are currently enrolled in community colleges. These institutions imply that even amongst students with the same degree outcome there is considerable heterogeneity in the path taken to get there. I estimate the life-cycle private and social returns to the different postsecondary paths and sequential decisions…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of demographic (indicators describing student characteristics), structural (indicators describing school characteristics), student (indicators of student academic achievement), and financial (indicators of instructional expenditures) factors to student mathematics achievement. A sample (n…

Academic knowledge and technology transfer has been growing in importance both in academic research and practice. A critical question in managing this activity is how to evaluate its effectiveness. The literature shows an increasing number of studies done to address this question; however, it also reveals important gaps that need more research.…