Students from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds often have extenuating circumstances that impede their academic achievement. While many of the factors affecting these students have been concentrated in urban cities, in recent decades, the nation's suburbs have become home to m…
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which Intra-School Social Capital, or ISC (e.g., Parent-School Involvement, Parent-Teacher Interactions, Teacher-Student Support, Student-Peer Relations), and External-School Social Capital, or ESC (e.g., Parent-Home Invol…
As the global refugee phenomenon continues to grow unabated, South Africa still receives increasing numbers of refugee applications. This is a result of South Africa's non-encampment policy that allows refugees to self-settle. One of the largest refugee groups in South Africa ar…
Trust is an essential element of individuals' willingness to engage in economic activity such as investment. Because cultural institutions influence individuals' trust, I examine whether shocks to trust in a prominent cultural institution have crossover effects on households’ in…
In the early American republic, local historical actors sought to create ideal “American” communities following the success of the American Revolution and the ratification of the United States Constitution. Through this process, the people of the new United States determined the…
This dissertation attempts to fill the gap in the sociological literature at the intersection of religion and community by examining how local, urban Catholic churches shape and nurture multiple models of community commitment based on differing public-private dimensions of ritua…
While the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States of America’s overall population (especially the college student population) are expanding at unprecedented levels, the leadership within higher education’s Ivory Tower has remained consistent for the past 300 years. At t…
The Civil Rights Movement is arguably one of America’s most defining periods. It was the true start of the establishment not just of legal equality, but moral equality between the African American and Caucasian communities. Many scholars start their works with famous civil right…
Previous studies on the Black Church have focused on its history as an institutional hub, its ability to generate social capital, the decline in its membership, as well as the connection between attendance and associational life. However, it is unknown how the Black Church is us…
Municipalities have started prioritizing social capital as an essential tenant of sustainable community development. Urban planning offices attempt to identify and promote a common history to unite their residents. However, as landscapes and demographics evolve in a community, v…
This dissertation study used an asset-based, qualitative approach to explore how refugee-background students who have participated in a College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at four different universities describe and make meaning of their paths to and through college. This …
By fundamentally integrating mentorships within an organizational context, minority frontline managers may perceive their work as a value to the organization and as a result, achieve heightened job performance directly influencing personal growth beyond their position. This qual…
Since the 1970s all of the available literature suggested that the UK, in common with Europe, North America and Scandinavia, had seen significant growth of single issue self-help/mutual aid groups related to health and social care issues. Yet in the UK there appeared to be no re…
Lesson observation is an established part of teachers' professional lives within a rational policy discourse which problematises teaching. The problematisation of teaching in official documentation and pronouncements has shaped understanding and experience of teachers' professio…
In Scotland, current policy aims to produce work ready young people with relevant enterprise and employment skills. However, many are caught in a repetitive cycle of short term work placements with large numbers of young people still not at work or in education. Accordingly, thi…
Contemporary young people would appear to have access to more information than their predecessors in relation to keeping safe by avoiding or reducing risks. However concerns about young people’s perceived increasing risky behaviours have contributed to a growing focus on underst…
In 1992, the Government of Botswana appointed a National Commission to review the education system and advise how it could promote human resource development to address the country’s socio-economic challenges. The Commission identified the need to diversify the labour market and…