-
Prospective Students
-
Faculty and Staff
-
Current Students
-
Alumni and Friends
The gap in supply (i.e., shortage) and demand of the STEM workforce have prompted extensive research on identifying factors that predict STEM outcomes and retention of students. Few studies, however, have examined the relationships between STEM outcomes and predictors in an integrated model, taking into account measurement errors in the predictors. Drawing upon the Expectancy-Value Model of Achievement Related Performance and Choice, I conducted a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to examine the relationships among academic support, academic engagement, mathematics readiness, and hours worked and first-year STEM students’ academic success and retention. The SEM allowed me to investigate the relationships between predictors and outcomes simultaneously while accounting for the measurement error. The sample consisted of first-year STEM majors who took the National Survey of Student Engagement during 2016, 2018, and 2020 academic years. Results indicated that academic support was a statistically significant predictor of first-year STEM students’ academic success and retention. Additionally, mathematics readiness was found to be a statistically significant predictor of first-year retention. Last but not the least, results suggested that female students on average were more likely than their male counterparts to engage in academic support and academic engagement activities even though females had longer on-campus work hours than males. These results have implications for policies and practices aimed at improving STEM retention. Areas of further research are also identified.
This dissertation explores the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial persistence within small-size companies. Although prior literature has acknowledged that entrepreneurial passion enhances entrepreneurial persistence, a better understanding of the role of opportunity evaluation in this context is needed. Using data from 176 entrepreneurs, I suggest that gain estimation, loss estimation, and feasibility moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial persistence and that this relationship leads to the invention and development of new business opportunities. Implications for theory and practice as well as avenues for future research are discussed.
INDEX WORDS: Entrepreneurial passion, Entrepreneurial persistence, Opportunity evaluation
The underrepresentation of Black women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a long-standing issue. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF, 2019), Black women hold less than 10% of STEM degrees, while only 2% work in STEM fields. These disparities can be attributed to structural inequities related to the STEM pipeline. Therefore, to mitigate these disparities, informal STEM education programs can help increase participation in STEM and create more opportunities for Black women and girls. Thus, this collective case study addressed the following research questions: 1. How do adolescent Black girls engage in and respond to informal STEM education programs? 2. How can informal STEM education programs develop adolescent Black girls' STEM identity and increase participation in STEM? 3. What pedagogical practices effectively engage adolescent Black girls in STEM? Purposeful criterion sampling was used to recruit participants for this study. The research process included interviewing four adolescent Black girls who attended informal STEM education programs. To understand each program's process and climate, participants described their experiences through initial questionnaires, interviews, and written prompt responses. Furthermore, this research used critical race feminism and Black feminist thought to analyze five prominent themes from the data. The findings suggest that Black girls who participate in informal STEM education programs (a) benefited from an affirming environment, (b) experienced engaging instructional strategies, (c) utilized support systems, (d) recognized racial representation was significant, and (e) experienced racial microaggressions. In addition, the findings support equitable STEM access for Black girls through informal education programs. The implications of this study also suggest a need to attend to the psychological and emotional needs of Black girls in informal STEM spaces.
Students in the United States are not achieving in mathematics as indicated on the NAEP (2019) exams and other measurements of student achievement (OECD, 2019; O’Dwyer, Wang, & Shields, 2015; NCES, 2019). Mathematically gifted and promising students are especially impacted by this phenomenon, though it is not exactly known what factors contribute to successful teachers of these students. This phenomenological case study focused on the beliefs, instructional practices, and conceptual understanding of mathematics of five teachers in a public charter school for gifted students. Data sources collected included semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and questionnaires based on Swan’s (2006) practices and beliefs research with effective mathematics teachers. Two theories of giftedness served as the theoretical lens for this study: Renzulli’s Three-Ring Model (1978) and Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (1985) to better understand these phenomena. Using an interpretive phenomenological analysis several themes emerged in response to each research question. Findings for instructional practices indicated that teachers used both student-centered and teacher-centered practices and consistently utilized differentiated groupings. Additionally, teacher participants believe that gifted students possess both positive traits and challenges and specifically for math, believe that sense-making is key, and math is a subject students should enjoy. Teachers’ conceptual understanding of mathematics is guided by their ongoing practice, the curriculum, and math experiences prior to teaching. These findings indicate the importance of ongoing training and professional development in mathematics and gifted education, as well as the recruitment and retention of teachers who possess a strong conceptual understanding of mathematics, a passion for the subject, and a student-centered approach to teaching.
Keywords: mathematically gifted, instructional practices, beliefs, teachers’ conceptual understanding of mathematics
Despite evidence of the rapid growth of Latinx students throughout the country (Gándara, 2017; He & Yu, 2017), there has been inadequate critical examination of the educational policies and practices impacting this population and their self-identification. Teachers play a crucial role in ensuring that all students, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, receive a quality education that will equip them for post-school success in an increasingly diverse society. Studies suggest that teachers who share the racial, cultural, and/or ethnic identity of their students can play an important role in their success. Unfortunately, Latinx teachers remain starkly underrepresented within the field (Shapiro & Partelow, 2018), even though Latinx teacher representation plays a critical role in not only the academic achievement of Latinx students but is also prevalent in the solving of larger issues related to ethnic and racial identity development and consciousness (Goldhaber et al., 2019) because of the postcolonial structures in schools. Postcolonial structures are implicated by the structural inequality and racial and economic disparities that continue to plague racialized groups throughout society. In order to fulfill this role, Latinx teachers need to richly understand their Latinx identity development and consciousness.
The purpose of this autoethnographic study was to systematically examine and reflect on my lived experiences as an immigrant in the United States to better understand Latinx identity development and consciousness and the role of Latinx teachers in combating the exclusionary practices of postcolonial structures in schooling. Using Latinx Critical Theory (LatCrit) as the theoretical framework, this dissertation focuses on Latinx teachers and the impact of identity development on their role in the classroom. I examined my Latinx identity at different stages of my life and positioned this within the collective experiences of other Latinx teachers to better understand the factors that have contributed to my evaluation of self.
The data collected for this study consisted of a life timeline, transcribed journals I kept throughout my teaching career, cultural artifacts, and an individual autobiographical narrative. This highly reflective process was then analyzed thematically to identify themes and patterns that emerged from the data. The findings revealed three major themes: ongoing identity detachment, Latinx imposter syndrome, and unveiled hypocrisy in education. Ongoing identity detachment highlights my continued loss of identity. Latinx imposter syndrome depicts the feelings of doubt, fear, and fraud I had to overcome in my role as a bilingual teacher of emergent bilingual students. Lastly, unveiled hypocrisy in education captures my awareness and understanding of the marginalization and exclusion within the education system. This study has significant implications for the understanding of Latinx teacher identity development and the influence their self-perception has on their work within the classroom. Recommendations on how to further the discussion on identity development and consciousness and the role of Latinx teachers in combating the exclusionary practices of postcolonial structures in schooling are made to teacher preparation programs, school and district leaders, Latinx teachers, and for future research.
Keywords: postcolonial structures, raciolinguistic ideologies, internalized oppression, immigrant experience, Latinx teacher identity
Dirty work is socially constructed as tainted on one or more domains (physical: dangerous, dirty, or associated with death; moral: underhanded or in contradiction to prevailing norms; social: in association with stigmatized others or done in subservience), and it shapes dirty workers’ perceptions and experiences of their identities. The processes through which the perception of taint shapes identities and associated outcomes (e.g., identity ambivalence, isolation) and the effects of the magnitude of dirt are not fully understood. To understand these processes, the present study describes the development of a tool to measure the dirt of dirty work. First,the author developed a series of item to assess the content domain of dirty work based on a literature review supported by open-ended responses describing work perceptions from dirty workers. In the subsequent studies, the author reduced the item pool by a series of exploratory factor analyses (EFA). Then, the author tested the overall model fit across two separate samples via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and identified a three-factor model. Finally, the author gathered validity evidence through convergent and discriminatory validity analyses: the pattern of correlations generally provided convergent validity evidence with the respective covariates, and the data tentatively supported the measure’s ability to discriminate among forms of taint by occupation in a one-way MANOVA.
Safety issues of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are usually initiated from an internal short circuit (ISC) that can be triggered by external accidental abusive loadings. The generated heat and the increased temperature would lead to several complicated physio-chemical changes of the batteries, e.g., thermal runaway (TR). Thus, investigation of the multiphysics behaviors of lithium-ion batteries becomes a paramount task to understand the battery safety issues. Experimental characterization and numerical simulation are essential ways to understand the underlying nature of the multiphysics behavior of batteries. However, experimental observation may only provide insufficient data due to the limitation of experimental technology. Particularly, in-situ and operando experiment methodologies are limited. Multiphysics modeling is regarded as a critical and insightful tool to unravel the nonlinear and complicated behaviors. Machine learning (ML) model with data-driven methodology is another important tool to realize fast and accurate estimation and classification. Herein, an ML-based ISC risk evaluation model will be first developed based on the training dataset generated by the combination of experimental data and simulation data. A Representative Volume Element (RVE) based mechanical model, which can predict accurate mechanical behaviors at a much lower calculation time cost, will be established to assist the data generation. Next, an ML-based classifier will be developed to classify the cell’s safety levels under various work conditions. A multiphysics model will be developed to assist the generation of training data samples. Finally, two typical safety issues: defect and TR propagation are systematically studied. The safety risk of the defective batteries will be further evaluated. Electrochemical and mechanical characterization tests will be designed and conducted. The multiphysics model will be used to provide necessary auxiliary instructions of the related mechanisms. TR propagation behaviors of battery packs will be experimentally and numerically investigated. The battery pack TR model will be developed based on the single-cell multiphysics model.
This study comprehensively investigates the multiphysics behavior of LIB cells under mechanical abusive loadings, highlights the promise of combining the physical model with a data-driven model, and provides an innovative solution for the recognition of the battery safety risks for battery safety monitoring.
Turnover in is a critically important issue as organizations seek to retain quality personnel in the face of shortages in skilled and experienced labor. However, prior research in the area has been limited and produced mixed results, which may be in part due to difficulties in operationalizing related constructs and moderators. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented employment crisis all around the world. The study is built on the premise that when employees feel that their interests are protected, and support is given to them, they will have a positive response in return. As such, this study, grounded in social exchange and reciprocity norm theories, will seek to provide additional evidence on the relationship between Perceived Organization Support and Job Embeddedness on turnover intention. Second, this dissertation will provide insight into how employees’ perception of COVID-19 has had on the forementioned constructs and employees’ productivity. Third, the study seeks to verify the moderating effect of gender, age, and ethnicity. This study seeks to understand how employees’ perceptions of the organization and their connections to their job influences their turnover intentions. This paper utilizes survey data collected from employees in various industries including accounting. While the results did not confirm interaction effects from the demographic tested, the results did affirm the impact of Perceived Organization Support and Job Embeddedness on turnover intention. Results also provided evidence of the impact of the stress related to and fear of COVID-19 to turnover intention and the impact of benefits use and benefits needed on Perceived Organizational Support. These findings extend prior research on the role organization policies and practices impact turnover intention outcomes.
This comparative case study explored the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at two of North Carolina’s Global Ready elementary schools. The following research questions guided the study: 1) How do educators and affiliates of Global Ready elementary schools perceive global education, specifically Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)?; 2) What sustainability topics are covered most by educators at Global Ready elementary schools in North Carolina?; 3) How is ESD incorporated within global education at Global Ready elementary schools in North Carolina (i.e. examination at the curricular, campus, and community levels)?; 4) How do Global Ready elementary schools compare in their conceptualization and implementation of global education, specifically ESD? Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1976) and Elser et al. 's (2011) Sustainable Schools Framework served as useful lenses for examining the affordances and constraints of sustainability education at the curriculum, campus, and community levels. A school-wide survey was disseminated to all certified educators at each school to obtain a broad view of ESD implementation within each case. To explore ESD implementation at a granular level, interviews were conducted with select educators, administrators, community partners, and members of a State Education Agency. Further, artifact collection and field visits allowed for the triangulation of data sources. The constant-comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) was utilized in the analysis of interviews and artifacts. Findings from both cases suggest that sustainability education was often used as a means for deepening global learning. At the curriculum level, survey results and interviews with participants indicate frequent integration of social sustainability topics into the curriculum with lesser attention given to topics of economic sustainability. Additionally, while there are many challenges to sustainability education at the curriculum and campus levels, findings suggest that community partnerships may play a role in mitigating some of these constraints. To conclude, the researcher discusses the need to complicate frameworks related to Education for Sustainable Development to attend to the complexity of ESD implementation within and across the curriculum, campus, and community.
X-ray reflectometry (XRR) is a highly used tool for the measurement of semiconductor and other high-performance surfaces. This work presents novel models and methods for the evaluation of surfaces having geometries that have not been addressed previously.
A model and experimental procedure are developed to determine the effect that mid-spatial frequency errors have on the x-ray reflectivity of optics. This model is used to simultaneously determine the surface roughness and waviness of surfaces; greatly extending the breadth of XRR. To evaluate this model, borosilicate glass optics were magnetorheologically polished to have waviness features of 100 nm peak-valley and spatial wavelength 4 mm/cycle. XRR measurements of these samples predicted the high-frequency surface roughness and the mid-spatial frequency waviness as measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fizeau interferometry with sub-nanometer accuracy.
Additionally, a comprehensive model for the evaluation of surface roughness of curved surfaces using XRR is developed. This work extends XRR as a technique for evaluating the surface roughness of external and internal surfaces of cylinders and spherical shells. Experimental measurements using thin polished silicon wafers that were bent using a specialized flexure-based fixture to various radii and the predicted RMS roughness from XRR is compared with AFM measurements.
