The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learning community participation and job/major congruence. Previous research has demonstrated that learning communities are effective vehicles for promoting student and institutional outcomes. However, few studies have examined the impact of learning communities on alumni or career…

This study investigated the disciplinary knowledge and nature of expertise among political science experts studying American political science. A comparison group of students who had completed an introductory undergraduate course in American political science also participated in the study. Numerous research studies have found that civics and…

This study uses benefit-cost analysis to compare three alternative scenarios for implementing the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree in Maryland community colleges. The first policy scenario is that community colleges retain their traditional role in K-12 teacher preparation by providing lower-division transfer courses and programs for…

The involvement of part-time faculty tends to be even lower than the engagement level of full-time faculty who partake in the system of shared governance in the California Community Colleges (CCC). During a time when state funds are diminishing, there is a projection of retirement for many community college leaders (Fulton-Calkins & Milling,…

Music education researchers have explored several issues within music teacher education (MTE) including: coursework, teacher and musicianship skills, design and implementation of undergraduate programs, and music teacher identity development. An examination and discussion of this research will assist those responsible for educating future music…

This study had several purposes. The first purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between selected student, family and school characteristics, and state exit exam policies and the impact on graduation from high school among a sample of students with disabilities. A second purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between…

Self-determination has been identified as a major predictive factor for positive postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of self-determination in productive student engagement, perceived quality of life, and the ability to envision a career/life goal or future for students with…

The influx of Mexican immigrants has posed enormous challenges to the nation's public school systems where migration is rapidly increasing. The high Hispanic dropout rate points to a failure in educating Latinos and has received ample attention from researchers, educators, and policymakers; but the achievement disparities persist. Using the…

This study closely examines the language of desire in the dramatic works of John Lyly and William Shakespeare, and argues that contemplative and analytical speeches about desire function as modes of action in their plays. Erotic speeches do more than express desire in a purely descriptive or perlocutionary capacity distinct from the action of the…

Higher education research suggests student affairs and academic affairs partner to address challenges on campus, such as building inclusive environments for diverse students and staff, but evidence about "how" partnerships form is lacking in the literature. The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory was to understand…

The primary purpose of this study was to provide quantitative data on the use of released Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) exams as benchmark test instruments in a sample population. Teachers have expressed concern over "teaching to the test," especially with the use of benchmark testing. This study was specifically…

This study examined the relationship between college-going self-efficacy and high school students' perceived levels of achievement goal orientations (mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoidance), vocational identity, need for occupational information, and barriers to occupational goals for a sample of African American urban…

The purpose of this study is to examine how school counselors' multicultural counseling competence is related to their self-efficacy in working with recent immigrant students. This study investigated the demographic variables of school counselors, as well as three multicultural counseling competencies (multicultural terminology, multicultural…

Texas' 2006 House Bill 1, which required all high schools in Texas to provide students with the opportunity to earn a minimum of 12 hours of college credit prior to their graduation beginning the fall of 2008, changed the high school experience. The goal of the bill was to smooth the transition from high school to higher education. By looking…

This dissertation is a study about Korean immigrant students' identities, including academic identities related to science learning and identities along various social dimensions. I explore how Korean immigrant students participate in science classrooms and how they enact and negotiate their identities in their classroom discursive…