This study examined opportunities for enhancing transfer outcomes for community college students through summer research opportunities at a university. It emphasizes the significance of academic capital, derived from Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, in facilitating successful transfers. By offering ten-week paid summer research opportunities at a university for community college students, the study aims to identify practices supporting transfer abilities and addressing disparities in social mobility. The concept of academic capital encompasses easing financial concerns, enhancing support networks, and ensuring access to relevant information for students from low-income backgrounds. The research findings highlight the positive impact of research internships on students' academic capital, transfer readiness, and faculty perceptions. The study addresses three key research questions: (1) Academic capital increase: Analyzing changes in community college students' academic capital post participation in summer research projects; (2) Student transfer perceptions: Examining how summer research opportunities influence community college students' perceptions of transferring to four-year programs; (3) Faculty views on student success: Investigating faculty mentors' perceptions of community college student interns succeeding in baccalaureate programs. The findings underscore increases in academic capital, improved student perceptions of transfer capacity, and positive faculty views of community college student researchers. Despite challenges like payment delays and legal status issues affecting student participation, the study highlights the importance of providing support and opportunities for community college students to enhance their academic capital and improve transfer readiness. The research emphasizes the need for tailored transitional supports and strategic infrastructure changes to ensure successful transfers from two-year to four-year programs, ultimately aiming to uplift social mobility for diverse learners and advance educational and industry goals.

The interplay between teacher knowledge and pedagogical practices in diverse classroom contexts is situated in teachers’ identities as theorizers, interpreters, and critics of their own practice. Understanding how professional learning is mediated in this context is critical to both the construction of new knowledge and the application of knowledge into practice. This study examined how teachers’ social networks contribute to knowledge production and inform professional practice. This research sought to address the gap in the literature concerning professional development experiences in rural schools. Through a combination of qualitative inquiry and social network analysis, the study examined the impact of an innovative professional development model on mediating new learning through social exchanges, encouraging teachers to consider conceptual innovations and integrate them into practice. Analysis revealed that while the innovation aimed to promote collaboration, structural constraints and individual intentions influenced the nature of interactions within the school community, directly affecting the implementation of new instructional practices in classrooms. While teachers tended to form relationships based on expertise and individuals’ positions within the network, there was minimal engagement beyond scheduled professional development activities. Despite challenges in implementation, instances of agentic potential emerged within the school community. This study underscores the complex nature of professional learning, emphasizing the importance of flexible, teacher-centered approaches that acknowledge the multifaceted dimensions of learning and change. By leveraging social networks and cultivating a supportive environment, educators can navigate challenges and enact meaningful educational reforms that empower both individuals and communities within educational settings. This research provides insights into the interconnected dynamics of teacher interactions, professional learning, and organizational change, offering meaningful insights for practice and future research in educational contexts.

This dissertation investigates the impact of a pedagogical class and a Community of Practice (CoP) on the implementation of reading strategies by faculty at a community college. It explores the types of reading strategies instructors plan to use, their integration into classroom practices, the factors enabling or impeding this implementation, and the influence of attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control on their intentions to use these strategies. The study employs a mixed-methods research design, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. The findings reveal that instructors intend to adopt various reading strategies, with the pedagogical class and CoP playing significant roles in their professional development and instructional practices. The research identifies enablers and barriers to implementing reading strategies, highlighting the importance of supportive institutional contexts, professional development opportunities, and reflective teaching practices. By examining the application of reading strategies in the context of community college instruction, this dissertation contributes to the broader understanding of effective teaching practices and faculty development in higher education.

College and university enrollment has decreased nationwide every year for more than a decade as educational consumers increasingly question the value of higher education and discover alternatives to the traditional university system. Enrollment professionals seeking growth are tasked to develop and implement innovative solutions to address increasing enrollment challenges by being responsive to consumer values, interests, and needs. This multi-phase mixed methods action research study explores educational data mining and machine learning to understand and predict the enrollment decisions of admitted applicants (n=3,843) at the online campus of a public research university (phase one). Then, this innovation is distributed to understand how university enrollment professionals (n=7) interpret and are affected by the factors that influence online student enrollment decisions (phase two). Logistic regression was used to evaluate 24 independent variables to classify each applicant into a dichotomous dependent outcome: will an applicant enroll or will they not. The model identified 10 significant predictors and accurately categorized 81% of the enrollment outcomes at its peak. The population was comprised of online adult learners and the findings were carefully compared to the findings of previous studies which differed in institutional settings (on campus) and student populations (first-year students). Additionally, the study aimed to extend the work of previous literature through a second application phase within the local context. The second phase was guided by distributed leadership theory and the four-stage theory of organizational change and introduced the model to enrollment professionals within the local context through participation in a workshop coupled with a pre-/post-workshop survey. This convergent parallel mixed methods design resulted in themes that demonstrated enrollment managers had a genuine desire to understand and apply the model to assist in solving complex enrollment challenges and were interested in using the model to inform their perspectives, decision-making, and strategy development. This study concludes that educational data mining and machine learning can be used to predict the enrollment decisions of online adult students and that enrollment managers can use the data to inform the many enrollment challenges they are tasked to overcome.

The pandemic has not only increased economic inequities within variouscommunities, but it has also exacerbated the social, emotional, and math achievement inequities of middle school students, creating an environment that increases the potential for heightened anxiety and peer conflict. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that educators not only understand the existence and impact of these social and emotional inequities but have the knowledge and skills to effectively address them. Within this study, I facilitated a 10-week online community of practice with three middle school math teachers, entitled The More than Math Collective (MTMC), with the purpose of improving participant self-efficacy with SEL, developing their professional capital, discussing various strategies to address the social and emotional skill needs of students in their classrooms, and providing time for implementation of the discussed strategies. At the conclusion of the study, most participants reported an increase in self-efficacy, human capital, and decisional capital while only one out of three participants reported an increase in social capital. All participants described a positive impact on their students and their professional growth due to their participation in the MTMC and the various strategies that were learned and implemented in their classrooms. Given the small sample size, more research can be done to determine if the results of this study may be transferable to other educational settings.

This study investigated the impact of learning about cultural intelligence (CQ) from senior U.S. Army Special Forces leaders (Group Commanders and Group Command Sergeants Major) on aspiring Special Forces Captains (students) at the Captains Career Course. Three research questions addressed the influence of senior leader interventions on students’ CQ scores, motivation to work with partner forces, and intentions to improve CQ. The study involved quantitative and qualitative data for each of the three comparison groups: control, face-to-face (in-person interaction with senior leaders), and podcast (audio-only recordings). The quantitative data measured CQ capabilities of motivation, cognition, metacognition, and behavior. Descriptive statistics revealed that from the pre-test to the post-test, the control and podcast groups experienced increased self-assessment scores on all four constructs but decreased observer assessment scores. By contrast, the face-to-face group experienced both a decrease in observer assessment scores as well as a marginal decrease in self-assessment scores (on motivation and metacognition). Exploring motivation to work with partner forces, analysis of the group interview transcripts revealed that the control group attributed their motivation primarily to their prior experiences, while participants in the face-to-face group reported mixed feelings regarding prior experiences but highlighted the impact of senior Special Forces leaders' stories on their motivation. The podcast group credited their course experience and the senior leaders' narratives for their increased motivation. Examining the influence of senior leader stories on intent to improve CQ, the control group provided generic responses focused on improving cognition. The face-to-face group offered more specific, action-oriented answers emphasizing business systems, sociolinguistics, and cultural values. The podcast group produced varying responses, with some sharing basic intent and others detailing specific strategies such as language fluency and cultural immersion. Participants across all three groups expressed a strong intention to seek out mentorship and stories from experienced individuals. In conclusion, this study highlights the myriad influences on aspiring Special Forces Captains' CQ and the multifaceted impact of senior Special Forces leaders' stories. The narratives contributed to increased motivation, deeper understanding of the Special Forces mission, and specific strategies for improving CQ, providing valuable insights for military education and training programs.

Online education and virtual learning spaces have become increasingly incorporated into the educational landscape. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic closed most institutions in 2020 for in-person learning, online education was growing rapidly. As the world emerged from the pandemic, online education and virtual learning environments of all types were commonplace in K-12, higher education, and professional development. This action research explored two main areas in the virtual learning space. First, this research focused on how to provide a more connected and social online learning experience. Specifically, the goal was to determine how participation in Supporting Online Connections in Asynchronous Learning (SOCIAL) helped faculty to provide opportunities for social interaction and learning within their online contexts. Second, this research sought to determine if the development experience itself impacts how the participants share and implement the knowledge they gain. Of particular interest was identifying if by providing this type of development within the same educational context (virtual, asynchronous, and diverse) there was a direct impact on their ability to develop and deliver similar virtual learning experiences to their students. This research provided asynchronous learning opportunities for educators within a private Facebook group designed to deliver professional development to educators in different countries. Participants learned about both Connectivism and Community of Inquiry/Social Presence through both content and explicit modeling within the various Facebook “events” structured around the group and learning objectives. Pre- and post-innovation surveys, one-on-one interviews, and materials collected during the events provided insight into what the participants experienced and what they were planning to implement in their own contexts. The data revealed that participants felt they gained knowledge and had a beneficial experience. In addition, they incorporated what they learned in their context in theory through their action plans and in practice through immediate implementation. Findings suggest that providing professional development in this structure was beneficial in knowledge acquisition through both content and modeling as well as facilitating the creation of similar experiences within the participants’ professional contexts.

Presidents exercise influence over policy discussion and options in America by the frequency and language they use to describe the current conditions, the perceived problems, and the solutions. The ability for presidents to articulate problems and solutions assumes an underlying purpose exists. This study examines how presidents frame the policy discussion for education in America and how they describe the purpose of education in the public record: the benefit of education is for society (common good), or the benefit it to the student (private good). Then the study examines the extent to which those frames stay consistent or are variable within and between administrations. The study utilizes presidential issue framing and agenda-setting to examine historical documents in the Public Papers of the President archive to determine the articulated purpose using the framework proposed by David Labaree. This study focuses on three administrations of the most recent period of federalism in education policy in America, starting with Bill Clinton and ending with Barack Obama. The study found that President William Clinton used the purposes of Social Mobility and Social Efficiency most frequently, President George W. Bush used Social Efficiency – Public Good and Social Efficiency – Private Good most, and President Barack Obama used Social Efficiency – Public Good more than all other frames. All three presidents maintained relatively consistent use of their prominent frames throughout their administrations with some indication that slight shifts may occur. All three presidents had low utilization of the frame Democratic Equality, and all used the combined frame Social Efficiency the most. Some variation between the utilization of the second-level codes of Private Good and Public Good do exist between administrations. The prominence of the combined frame Social Efficiency across administrations may suggest a more crystalized definition for the purpose of K-12 education in America.

In the Cold War era, educational broadcasting became a new technological instrument in less industrialized countries, to enhance the quality of education. Specifically, the use of mass media in classrooms was starting to be considered a modernized way for developing the educational system in less industrialized regions. This study argues that educational broadcasting in less industrialized areas, including South Korea, reveals the effects of Cold War politics in educational development in many countries. Through the concept of localized modernization, this study highlights American educational aid programs in establishing an educational broadcasting system in a foreign country and its effects on changing the entire educational system focusing on the case of South Korea. By investigating various archival sources published by governmental agencies, international organizations, and local governments, this dissertation reveals how some less industrialized regions sought to change their educational system by using a new modern technology, educational broadcasting, and how a new educational idea—that the use of mass media in school instruction can change the entire educational system—influenced, changed, and was adopted in these areas. Although the U.S. Agency for International Development introduced mass media to modernize education, this study shows how local people adapted a new educational broadcasting system to their own purposes and unique circumstances. Korean policymakers and educators agreed with some parts of the U.S. recommended system, but used them for their own needs. The educational broadcasting system in Korea proceeded differently from the U.S. recommended system. The author thus argues that the case of educational broadcasting in South Korea is an example of how local countries constructed their own educational broadcasting systems, how individual countries adapted U.S. systems during the Cold War era to their own needs, and how the localization of the modernization process can be an alternative lens for an overview of the historical pathway of U.S. educational aid projects in the Cold War era.

The transition from high school to college can cause an undue amount of attrition for fully qualified, college-intending first-generation students. Although the students may have overcome multiple obstacles to be accepted to a college and arrive at the transition over summer, it can feel overwhelming to complete the flood of tasks without access to a supportive network to guide and interpret the intricate steps. Many programs focus on college preparation and access to college but do not devote attention to the delicate transition from access to enrollment during the summer months. The term opportunity melt for students who confirm their enrollment and do not enroll in any institution of higher education in the fall semester. This study identified the influence of strategic peer mentor support during the summer months for Chico State students who applied, were admitted, and accepted their college admission. This action research intervention applies key concepts of academic capital theory and follows up on previous cycles of action research in the California State University system to identify barriers for those who intended to enroll but decided not to attend any Cal State or other institution of higher education in the Fall semester after high school graduation.