Power and authority exist in every relationship. The relationship between teacher and student is no exception. Legitimacy is the cornerstone of authority, yet there is a dearth of research into how teacher legitimacy affects the teacher/student relationship. In the current study, I sought to identify characteristics and behaviors teachers exhibit…

This study explores the experiences of first- and second-year first-generation college students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) related to the college admissions process and finding financial aid. This applies the digital divide to determine whether the three levels of the digital divide still impact first-generation…

This study examines the relationship between student perceptions of university police and fear of crime through the utilization of a rational choice perspective. Over the last three decades, a plethora of research has explored fear of crime and factors related to its occurrence. However, a thorough review of the literature revealed a limited…

To ascertain variance and predictive measure between respondents' self-reported time of disclosure and disability identity development while mitigating for confounding variables: social desirability, transition planning experience, visibility, ethnicity, gender, veteran status, and age, research was conducted at a public two-year institution.…

Today's complex problems transcend borders and require a collective and adaptive learning response. Literature suggests that, because the traditional hierarchical or positional style of leadership cannot effectively address problems we face today, leadership should take a more collaborative and systemic form. Rost (1991) characterized this new…

Student loans have become a cornerstone of democratized access to higher education. This dissertation contributes a novel approach to conceptualizing the student loan issue: students as consumers--both of college and of the student loans themselves. Through a mixed-method in-depth study of a graduating cohort at a public flagship university, I…

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in a period of change in higher-education systems across the former Eastern bloc. Reform-minded leaders in the region sought to introduce western models and policies promoted by foreign development aid agendas. Private higher-education institutions emerged. This qualitative multiple case study examines…

This study explored the narrative of new Philadelphia Police recruits' experiences within a training program that used storytelling techniques to positively influence their knowledge and assumptions about social justice and fairness. Prior research has suggested that storytelling can be an effective way to engage learners in understanding…

As a result of the underrepresentation of women in science and engineering programs, the culture is male-dominated and perpetuates an unsupportive and biased climate that discourages undergraduate women from connecting to their gender. Using a social identity framework, this study addresses how gender influences undergraduate women's perception of…

This study described the factors that contribute to engagement patterns of college students with the hidden health-related disability of orthostatic intolerance. Specifically, it used a qualitative methodology and collective-case study design to explore the categories of campus physical, institutional, academic and social engagement from a student…