This dissertation examined the perceptions, motivations and needs of online instructors for professional development and the way evaluation is used to improve online teaching. This study informs our understanding of how to best serve the needs of online instructors for professional development which improves the quality of their online teaching. Using a descriptive, qualitative method, surveys, instructor interviews, instructor focus groups, and administrator interviews were conducted at two university extension programs in the Western United States. The survey data were examined using frequency analysis and independent sample t-tests to compare the needs of instructors at the two institutions, to compare new and veteran instructors, and to compare instructors teaching one course with those teaching multiple courses. Interview and focus group data were coded according to categories developed from the research questions. Interview and focus group data were then compared to identify consistent themes between the types of data. The findings from the research suggest that instructors perceive faculty professional development as not fully meeting their needs; the perceptions of faculty development are strongly influenced by messages sent at different levels of the organization; that instructors’ motivations to attend faculty professional development is directly related to how they perceive its value; and that instructors have a need for community and faculty development that serves their needs at various stages of their careers. The findings are discussed and recommendations are made for professional development practice and future research.

This dissertation examined the experiences and challenges that Title IX coordinators face at small and medium-sized private institutions. Since the Dear Colleague Letter of 2011, the position of Title IX coordinator has changed significantly and the expectations to aggressively address campus violence have increased. Through the use of an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with Title IX coordinators, this study explored the specific challenges they face in their positions, especially if they have another full time role at their institution. Furthermore, I explored their paths to this position and what professional experiences they utilize in these roles. Lastly, I determined how they collaborate with the campus community on their campus and other Title IX coordinators on other campuses.

I found that Title IX coordinators face great challenges in their roles and because 12 out of 13 in this study had another full time role, these challenges varied greatly. Some of the challenges that the Title IX coordinators face are lack of time, lack of financial resources, difficultly setting up a solid infrastructure, and challenges with the highly emotional topics and decisions. Even though there are a large number of challenges associated with being a Title IX coordinator, I found that collaborations with stakeholders on campus are extremely beneficial to Title IX work. Other sources of support include access to legal council and upper administration, which was largely due to the political capitol they had on their campus.

The Title IX coordinators that also held other positions on their campuses noted a lack of intersection of those positions in most cases. The largest lack of intersection between the Title IX coordinator role and their other position was in the area of student interaction. Those that rarely interacted with students on a regular basis found it difficult to relate to students and understand student development. However, there were benefits to the multiple roles for those that did have regular student interaction as well as those that read policy and conducted investigations on a regular basis.

This dissertation examined the role of Title IX coordinators and revealed several recommendations for how the position can be improved for those that hold multiple roles on their campuses. Implications for Title IX administrators and recommendations for those charged with addressing sexual misconduct with limited resources and time are also addressed.

This study used a mixed-methods approach to investigate how participation in a diversity program based on intergroup contact theory and critical race theory, influences Black male undergraduate perceptions of campus climate, compared with their peers. The methods employed enabled the researcher to measure changes in campus climate satisfaction both before and after a two-quarter cross-racial student-empowerment diversity program using surveys, interview, and document analysis. A comparison group made up of students from the general student population and a control group made up of students who had indicated interest in participating in such a diversity program but had not yet participated in the treatment took the surveys at the beginning and the conclusion of the two quarters. Qualitative and quantitative data sources were analyzed to determine if reasonable conclusions could be made about campus climate perceptions, cross-racial comfort, and cross-racial interactions of the students who had engaged in the intervention versus the students in the control and the comparison groups.

The data suggested that the intervention serves to mitigate disparities in campus climate satisfaction between Black students and other participants: while the intervention positively impacts Black male campus climate perception, it negatively impacts campus climate for non-Black participants. While quantitative data suggested no impact on cross-racial comfort for any of the participants, qualitative data suggested moderate advancements for Black male participants. The findings from the study affirm the positive impact of meaningful intergroup dialogue on campus climate perception for Black male undergraduates.

Implications for higher education administrators and faculty are addressed. Institutional agents need to work to change the culture on their campuses by taking a clear stand against racism, stereotypes and implicit bias. While faculty must commit themselves to mentorship of Black men on their campuses, both faculty and staff must seek ways to implement intergroup dialogue into their classrooms and programs. All of these things must happen if places of higher education are to become spaces where all students thrive and learn across and in spite of differences.

School-based peer programs have been shown to foster positive youth development, school connectedness, and academic achievement. They provide a wide range of social and academic support services for students, while addressing topics related to inclusion, mental health, substance use, bullying, cultural competency, conflict resolution, and study skills. Despite this positive potential, studies indicate that some peer programs can have a neutral or even a negative impact on mentees. Given the conflicting findings, this study sought to understand why certain programs are more successful than others.

Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, this study addressed the following research questions:

• What do peer program professionals identify as program strengths at their respective schools, and what factors do they identify as contributing to these program strengths?

• What do peer program professionals identify as challenges to the effective implementation of peer programs at their respective schools?

• What attempts to address these challenges have peer program professionals found to be effective? To what do they attribute their effectiveness?

Analysis of 13 expert interviews and 623 survey respondents revealed a variety of peer program benefits as well as key challenges affecting successful program implementation. Some of the strengths included easing school transitions, developing student leadership skills, increasing school connectedness, improving peer relations, and providing valuable academic and social/emotional services. Some of the challenges included insufficient time for program coordinators to plan, supervise, and evaluate their respective programs, difficulty with getting student leaders to follow through on their responsibilities, alternative programs competing for student interest, and insufficient time for consistent meetings between student leaders and mentees.

Recommendations for practice consist of schools and districts: (a) giving full support to the value of peer programs particularly through funding and scheduling; (b) selecting effective program coordinator(s); (c) prioritizing recruitment, selection, and training of student leaders; (d) developing a response protocol for occasions in which student leaders make mistakes; and (e) planning in advance for all facets of program structure such as the match process, outreach format, curriculum, facilities, program evaluation, and public relations.

Key words: peer program, mentoring, peer leadership, peer influence, positive youth development, school connectedness, program structure

This exploratory sequential mixed methods study examined the use of Restorative Justice practices from a sample of three public urban high school settings in the west coast of the United States to gather data on the impact of such practices on disciplinary outcomes for African American and Latino males with disabilities. The three school sites were identified as high poverty school sites with a majority of students served through Title-I funding. The research design consisted of interviews (n =16), survey data analysis (n = 140), and a review of public documents which were triangulated to answer three research questions. Participants in the sample included school and district administrators, teachers, counselors, and teachers-on-assignment. The interview design intended to find themes that answered the three research questions related to how the use of Restorative Justice practices impacted disciplinary consequences for African American and Latino males with disabilities. Findings were organized into several themes which included: resources and expectations, vision and communication, agency and teamwork, and data-driven decisions. Findings indicated that the majority of staff sampled from the three schools believed that using Restorative Justice practices resulted in a decline in the use of zero-tolerance disciplinary responses, such as referrals to suspension, expulsion, or school citation. Findings also supported the conclusion that Restorative Justice practices had contributed to improved staff and student communication and helped strengthen relationships between adults and students on campuses.

Nationwide, African-American students are being suspended at disproportionate rates. This is also true in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In 2011-2012, while 9% of K-12 enrollment was African-American, 28% of the suspensions were given to African-American students. Of this 28%, 27.9% were categorized as "willful defiance," a very subjective, ambiguous, category. In an effort to decrease suspension rates overall as well as the disproportionate rate of suspensions of African-American students, the Board of Education of LAUSD chose to remove "willful defiance" as a reason for suspensions beginning the 2013-2014 school year. They were the first school district in the state of California to implement this policy.

The purpose of this study was to gain an early perspective as to what effects this removal would have on discipline practices at the high school level. Through analysis of existing District data, interviews of six high school principals, and questionnaire responses from 69 high school teachers, this concurrent mixed methods study explored suspension patterns before and after the change in policy, as well as the discipline beliefs and practices of principals and teachers.

Data show that although all six schools in the study had substantial rates of suspensions overall from 2009-2009 to 2013-2014, three of the schools saw an increase in rates of disproportionality of their African-American students. As well, the first year after the removal of "willful defiance," the schools saw an increase in the use of less subjective categories, Caused Physical Injury to Another Person and Willful Use of Force/Violence Not Self Defense. Principal interviews revealed that while some believe that students should only be removed from class for reasons of safety, others still feel that defiance and respect warrant removal. In the questionnaire, while more than 25% of the respondents indicated a lack of awareness of the policy change, 30% of the teachers admitted to continuing to refer students for suspension but using a different category. Finally, the study describes various implementations that may help to decrease the disproportionate rate of suspensions of African-American students.

Compared to other graduate programs in law and medicine where women represent 50 percent of incoming cohorts, business schools attract fewer women despite extensive outreach programs and budgets. This study investigated the decision-making process of women who decided to apply to full-time MBA programs. The study will contribute research to help bridge the gap by looking at women who have successfully applied to and enrolled in an MBA program using business school marketing material content analysis, event observation, online surveys and interviews. The sample was comprised of 59 survey respondents and 33 interview participants from two highly-ranked business schools. Once the data were collected, I identified patterns relating to resources and influencers, admissions criteria, costs, and benefits considered by MBA students during the application process. I compared data across the methods to identify similarities and differences between students and the two business schools. My findings showed that female students value key resources including websites, rankings, and interpersonal experiences when looking at MBA programs. Students mentioned the financial costs associated with the MBA program, but non-pecuniary costs including moving away from family and reduced time with loved ones emerged as concerns. Benefits to pursuing an MBA outweighed the costs for the students, leading to personal and professional development opportunities. My findings suggest that business schools must be able to demonstrate the value of an MBA through the various communications and marketing methods while providing prospective students with a realistic view of what the full-time MBA experience entails and the resources available during the program.

Using Brinkerhoff’s success case methodology, this multi-site case study examined early models of MakerSpace implementation in K–5 schools in a single district. Specifically, this study examined the early use of MakerSpaces as well as the supports and barriers affecting teacher use of these spaces. The study also examined curricular connections and MakerSpace use as a conduit for purveying instruction in the soon-to-be-implemented Next Generation Science Standards.

The findings of this study are based on three sources of data: a survey of teachers in the district querying current usage and beliefs about MakerSpaces; in-depth interviews of seven district principals of schools with MakerSpaces; and nine observations of MakerSpace lessons in the district. The data were coded by macro themes such as barriers and affordances, as well as themes related specifically to vision and curricular content.

This study showed that MakerSpace practices in the district are not guided by one specific model and that different models of use have emerged: the dedicated teacher model, the insider capacity builder model, and the collaboration model. Additionally, the study revealed a teacher training gap in using MakerSpaces resulting in missed opportunities for grade level-connected learning. However, the study also found that teachers’ use of MakerSpaces provides hands-on experiences for students, which provide early engineering exposure. Many of these experiences are supported by a dedicated person in charge of the MakerSpace. The findings suggest a need for a well-articulated plan prior to MakerSpace implementation that includes professional development opportunities for teachers as well as specific curricular and human capital supports.

This study examined the college choice process of transfer student veterans who are currently enrolled in a public research university. The research presented in this dissertation utilized both quantitative and qualitative strategies to identify key factors in students’ college choice process. This study focuses on the following two research questions: What are the demographic, military, and educational characteristics of veterans who have transferred to a public research university, and what factors do student veterans, who have transferred to a research university, identify as influential in either supporting or hindering their efforts to apply to and ultimately decide to enroll in a public research university. The study was conducted in two phases, the first being an email survey followed up by a second phase which included in-person interviews with a subset of the surveyed population. The data were analyzed using Hossler and Gallagher’s three-stage model to understand and explain the college process of the military-affiliated transfer student group. The findings of the research indicate that the demographic, background, and military experiences of sample participants were similar to those of national studies of the student veteran population. In addition, the findings of the research indicate that military-affiliated transfer students attending public research universities value academic factors over non-academic factors in their college search process, which differs from previous studies focusing on transfer student veteran populations.

Computer science education in K-12 schools is a popular topic of study, especially in quantitative research. Many findings concur that computer science education should be introduced at lower grade levels to provide students with early exposure to computing skills or computational thinking more broadly. While there is substantial research about computer science education implementation at the elementary and high school levels, there is a paucity of qualitative research about computer science curriculum implementation at the middle school level.

The current case study concentrated on the computer science implementation stories of six teachers and six administrators at six middle schools in a large urban public school district with a large number of socioeconomically disadvantaged and traditionally underrepresented minority students. Through the theoretical framework of diffusion of innovation in organizations, the study investigated the essential elements of a computer science curriculum implementation, as well as the essential elements of sustaining a computer science education implementation. The study also focused on the challenges of computer science education implementation and how the challenges, if any, varied by student population. Lastly, the study sought data on solutions to implementation challenges and how solutions, if any, varied by student population.

Study findings show that when middle school teachers do not receive computer science curriculum training, their implementation of the curriculum does not reach the higher stages of diffusion, such as redefining, clarifying, and routinizing. Results also indicate that the middle school computer science teacher’s dedication to and enthusiasm for teaching the subject is essential to sustaining the implementation. Furthermore, when the administrator and teacher in charge of computer science education are both committed to the implementation, then they are more likely to exhibit a problem-solving mindset.

Challenges to implementing a middle school computer science curriculum include securing funding for training to teach the curriculum, in addition to finding enthusiastic teachers to teach the topic. A further challenge was the lack of teacher support from administrators who were not completely sold on any particular computer science curriculum or plan of implementation. Challenges pertaining to students include teachers not having any assistance with special education students who are not necessarily ready for a computer science classroom environment. Teachers also expressed challenges in terms of student behavior and students’ reluctance to work in teams, especially when there is not enough equipment for every student.

Solutions to the funding challenge that worked for participants of the study included continuous fundraising and grantwriting. Administrators who were more dedicated to implementing computer science education at their middle schools had all read research about the importance of early exposure to computer science opportunities as well as project-based learning curricula. Solutions related to special education students and others who were not ready for the advanced curriculum included having multiple levels of the work available for students to feel challenged at their level.

Teacher enthusiasm and ability to teach CS can be found among existing middle school teachers. Administrators who are informed about middle school CS education are in a better position to make teacher-centered and student-centered decisions about CS implementation. When administrators’ visions of CS implementation align with the middle school teacher’s vision of CS implementation, the social network that is generated by the administrator and CS teacher working collaboratively makes a CS program more sustainable. The alignment of middle school CS education research with existing research about diffusion of innovations makes these insights more accessible. Consequently, the implementation of middle school CS education can be better understood by using the five stages of diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework.