<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between aspects of spirituality and their relationship to factors of persistence, specifically academic and social integration, among varsity-level student-athletes competing in the Northeast Conference of the NCAA&rsquo;s Division I tier. For the purposes of this study, the traits of spirituality were obtained from the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) developed by Hatch et al. (1998) and later revised (SIBS-R) in 2001. Additionally, the traits of academic and social integration were obtained from the Academic and Social Integration Scales (ASIS) developed by Pascarella and Terenzini (1980). The revised spirituality instrument, referred to as SIBS-R, included 22 items measuring individuals&rsquo; spiritual involvement and existential beliefs from an unbiased and universally ecumenical perspective. The ASIS instrument included 30 items grouped into five categories and was designed to test the predictability of college students&rsquo; decisions to continue their enrollment (more commonly referred to as persistence). The five categories of the ASIS instrument included: Peer-Group Interactions, Interactions with Faculty, Faculty Concern for Student, Academic and Intellectual Development, and Institutional and Goal Commitment. The findings included many significant positive correlations and factors of predictability between traits of spirituality and traits of academic and social integration for the 233 respondents. Of significance, the spirituality traits of acceptance of life circumstances, hopefulness, gratitude, and altruism appear to return the most correlation and predictability of academic and social integration traits. Limitations of the study, implications for educational practice, and recommendations for further research are provided by the researcher.</p><p>

<p> Current literature confirms that self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and participation in undergraduate research influence the academic performance and aspirations of students. However, a gap in the literature remains as research has yet to explore whether students who have participated in research have a higher sense of research self-efficacy and academic self-concept than students who have not participated in these activities. In addition, it is unknown whether undergraduate researchers pursuing STEM degrees differ from students pursuing non-STEM degrees, nor if they vary by gender. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the research self-efficacy and academic self-concept of undergraduate researchers, compare these beliefs to non-researchers, and to examine how these measures differ by gender and field of study (i.e. STEM and non-STEM fields) among undergraduate researchers. Additionally, this research identified various factors that predict research self-efficacy and academic self-concept. </p><p> This quantitative study was conducted at a public university located in the Southeast region of the United States. Using survey methods participants&rsquo; background information, academic self-concept, and research self-efficacy was collected. Participants were students who had participated in undergraduate research as well as students who had not participated in research activities. Both groups completed the same survey. This study gained insight into the research self-efficacy, academic self-concept, field of study, and gender differences among undergraduate researchers and how they compare to non-researchers. Research findings may assist colleges, universities, and offices that promote undergraduate research in recruiting students to participate in research activities. Findings also contribute to literature supporting undergraduate research as an element that contributes to student success in undergraduate education.</p><p>

<p> Nonprofit agencies rely on continued support from volunteers, many who are 65 years of age or older, to provide aid and services to local community. However, community nonprofits have experienced a recent decline in volunteerism over the last six years. With the number of adults age 65 and over expected to double by 2060 in the United States, this twofold population could address the decline in volunteerism for nonprofit agencies. </p><p> The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to explore and identify factors that influence motivation, recruitment and retention of volunteers age 65 and over. The study aimed to enhance understanding of how these adults make decisions regarding volunteer work, how they learned of the opportunity, what inspired them to volunteer, and what makes them committed to a particular organization. The study was specific to the nonprofit sector, focusing on individuals who volunteer at a charitable, religious, or health care organization in Southern California. The Existence, Relatedness, and Growth Theory was utilized to explain volunteer motivation and retention. Data were collected from 24 participants, age 65 and over, who volunteered a minimum of 12 times in a one year period. The study consisted of semi-structured interviews that were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for common themes. </p><p> Major findings from the study included 5 major themes that can affect volunteer motivation, recruitment and retention in adults age 65 and over: (a) health benefits, (b) relatedness or connectedness, (c) meaning-purpose, (d) pro-social righteousness, and (e) personal involvement. Understanding these themes can provide considerable insight to volunteer mangers to help develop effective recruiting and retention strategies, designed specifically for the older-adult population, to increase volunteering in agencies throughout the United States.</p><p>

<p> Quantitative reasoning is an important skill set that educators work tirelessly to develop, yet evidence is beginning to show a downward trend in performance among university students over the past few decades. The rise of technology in everyday life has undoubtedly affected the cognition of younger generations of students. Of particular interest is the increasing availability of calculators (e.g., on cell phones). In this experiment, we programmed a calculator to lie to students in certain conditions as well as alter the presentation of problems. We also collected numeracy scores. The effects of these variables on reports of suspicion towards the calculator and overall accuracy on problems were analyzed to see whether students tended to be disengaged from math problems while using a calculator (Disengagement Hypothesis) or whether calculators do not substantially affect how students engage in problems and variation in performance is more attributable to general numeracy (Engagement Hypothesis). The Engagement Hypothesis was supported.</p><p>

<p> Many districts and schools are having difficulty implementing Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) in school settings. This quantitative study set out to examine the stage of MTSS implementation schools are at and identify factors from the implementation science framework that account for the different reported student outcomes related to MTSS implementation. The results of the responses from 135 school principals in California revealed, most schools were in the initial implementation stage. While implementation drivers of competency and organization were significant predictors of MTSS student outcomes, the leadership driver was found not to be a significant predictor of student outcomes. Very few schools are using a formal evaluation of implementation of MTSS practices or involving parents in the planning and evaluation of MTSS. Additionally, the results revealed that schools have most elements of evidence based practices (EBPs) for academic difficulties, but less EBPs are in place for students who are either at-risk or have emotional behavioral difficulties. A majority of the respondents indicated that there is majority buy-in among the school staff regarding implementation of MTSS. Based on the results of this study, recommendations for Policy, Practice and Research were thematically presented, in the areas of 1) Family engagement, 2) Program evaluation, 3) Budget allocation, and 4) Technical assistance to effectively implement MTSS for sustainability and student outcomes.</p><p>

During the Ed.L.D. Residency, I served as the Director of Implementation for Character Lab, a start-up non-profit that translates psychology research into school-based experiences so students can learn and flourish. The focus of my strategic project was to help the organization translate a researched-based goal setting intervention called WOOP (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan). I was charged with designing the training and the dissemination methods that enable teachers to implement WOOP with fidelity. Given its status as a start-up, Character Lab had yet to develop the internal infrastructure and teaming processes to execute this project. Therefore, my research question focused on uncovering a process to do so. I sought to answer the question: “How can Character Lab internally structure itself to fail, learn, and simultaneously create impact with WOOP?” The execution of the strategic project led to the development of new internal systems that would serve as the operating blueprint within Character Lab going forward. Additionally, the learning harnessed from attempting to implement a psychology intervention in schools will inform Character Lab’s strategy on scaling. This leadership experience allowed me to grapple with the tension between managing the developmental needs of an organization and the urgency to create impact in the field.

The ability for students to understand numbers and other mathematical symbols is a crucial part of success in mathematics. Accordingly, it is important for researchers to understand the nature of symbolic number processing – the connections between a symbol or collection of symbols that convey numerical information (e.g., Arabic digits, arithmetic facts, literal symbols) and their related mental and neural representations. Research that joins the mind and brain sciences with education, such as educational neuroscience work, provides a powerful way to examine students’ symbolic number processing. Much of the research in this area has focused on processing of Arabic numerals in adults and children, with relatively less work on symbols common in intermediate and higher-level mathematics. This dissertation contributes two studies that focus on number processing for symbols beyond those used in basic numeracy, arithmetic facts and literal symbols. The first study uses neuroimaging meta-analysis to examine whether there are brain regions that support both arithmetic and phonological processing. Results suggest that activity in frontal and temporo-occipital brain regions support both types of processing, and that there is recruitment of left temporoparietal areas for each type of processing, but these areas are regionally differentiated. The second study investigates the connection between literal symbols and their mental representations of quantity. Results suggest that there is a cognitive processing cost associated with connecting literal symbols to numerical referents because literal symbols have extant mental referents related to literacy. Taken together, these studies expand the scope of existing research in educational neuroscience related to mathematics learning, to more fully incorporate notions of symbolic processing in intermediate and higher-level mathematics, and contribute to theory building on the connections between symbols in mathematics and their mental and neural representations. These studies also form the basis of my future work in educational neuroscience related to symbolic number processing, which will build and expand on the studies presented herein. Research on symbolic number processing that spans symbols learned in early numeracy (i.e., Arabic numerals) and in intermediate and higher-level mathematics (e.g., arithmetic facts, literal symbols) can facilitate a more complete picture of student learning, thereby supporting students’ mathematical development from early numeracy through advanced mathematics.

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