The research study sought to describe the experience of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in higher education. There may not be sufficient support within institutions of higher education for those students with ASD who wish to pursue advanced education; thus this study explored the experience of students with ASD attending an…

This dissertation describes a formative experiment that investigated how strategy instruction paired with collaborative blogging could promote disciplinary literacy among eighth-grade students in a social studies classroom and among pre-service teachers in a social studies methods course. Qualitative methods were utilized to collect and analyze…

Data related to the adjustment to school of 86 children with disabilities who transitioned into formal school settings in the fall of 2011 were obtained through 31 parent surveys (Transition to School Parent Survey) and 64 teacher surveys ("Transition to School Teacher Survey"). Data from the subscales of these surveys were used to…

Poor employment outcomes for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) persist, despite the development of legal policies designed to enhance access to gainful employment and to promote increased community integration. Recent data suggest that only 37% of young adults with ID obtain paid employment outside of the home. Among persons with ID who…

This narrative research study explored the experiences of two Black women executive-level leaders who started their careers within higher education, including two-year technical colleges located in the Southeast during the pivotal sociopolitical moments that occurred during the 1960s to the 1980s. The stories of these women revealed their…

This qualitative, single-case study explored the closing of a small, rural, historic, mill-town school in the southeastern United States and why people were upset with the closing of the school. Through the responses of 12 purposefully selected participants, the study focused on attitudes, perceptions, and values of students and parents, school…

Given the implementation of the federal initiative Response to Intervention (RtI) many districts are exploring teaching philosophies and strategies to help close the achievement gap. Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy that has been known to help teachers assist students in reaching their highest academic potential. The purpose of…

The purpose of this mixed method study was to investigate how graduates originating from mainland China adapt to the U.S. academic integrity requirements. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, the research questions focused on understanding the state of academic integrity in China. This guiding question was divided into two sub-questions,…

This doctoral thesis contributes to the literature on self-efficacy and self-esteem and the relationship to a student's school, age, gender, ethnicity, GPA, paid and introductory pharmacy practice experiences in a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. Graduates with a high level of self-efficacy and self-esteem are more desirable as…

This project is an interdisciplinary empirical study that explores the emotional experiences resulting from the use of the assistive technology closed captioning. More specifically, this study focuses on documenting the user experiences of both the D/deaf and Hearing multimedia user in an effort to better identify and understand those variables…

This dissertation addresses a significant gap in the historiography of science: the nature of the language sciences as "science." Focusing on disciplinary and intellectual developments in the context of Imperial Germany (1871-1918), the project anticipates, complicates, and helps to explain a widely recognized theoretical shift, namely,…

As budgets for education in the United States shrink, educational organizations have sought outside grants and funding for their schools. Many state and national organizations have provided funding opportunities specifically to ensure that the arts remain in the schools. Teaching artists are one resource being employed by schools not only to teach…

This dissertation is a study of the effect of education on political engagement. Though education is one of the strongest and most reliable predictors of political engagement, scholars know little about the mechanisms that connect them. I argue that to understand this relationship we must look beyond educational attainment and civics instruction.…

Despite the LRE mandate of IDEA, an increasing number of students with disabilities are being educated in alternative educational settings. Students with disabilities served in these settings are typically considered at risk for dropping out of school due to persistent behavior challenges and/or chronic academic failure. Research continues to…

This dissertation analyzes the legal, social, technological, and cultural environment that gave rise to Google's library partnership program in order to propose an institutional corrective to Google's project to digitize cultural heritage. Interview research done with those actively involved with Google's project revealed the need…