Doctoral Candidate Brochures
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Doctoral Candidate Brochures - Spring 2026
Updated: 2/25/2026
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Logan Vess (Ph.D.) – 1/20
My Career Story Workbook Efficacy with College Students: A Randomized Trial
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Counselor Education and Supervision
January 20, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.
The purpose of these two experimental studies was to evaluate the My Career Story (MCS; Savickas & Hartung, 2012) workbook as a narrative career intervention supporting self-authorship and reflection among college students in emerging adulthood. Read more...
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Tadarrelle Lett (Ed.D.) – 1/22
Exploring the Effects of Mentorship on Black College Students' Sense of Belonging
For the degree of Doctor of Education, Interprofessional Leadership
January 22, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.
The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to understand the effects of mentoring on Black college students’ perception of sense of belonging and what is necessary to create an inclusive environment. Identity development theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs were used as conceptual frameworks to understand Black students’ identity on how institutions can address the ongoing enrollment cliff, access to higher education, and retention by utilizing mentoring initiatives at a predominantly white institution. Read more...
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Emma M. Royan (Ph.D.) – 2/6
The Reading Preferences and Experiences of Upper Elementary Boys
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Curriculum and Instruction – Literacy
February 6, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the reading preferences and experiences of upper elementary boys. Academic literature and mainstream media often frame boys and reading through a deficit lens rooted in gendered essentialism and stereotypes. This study sought to counter these narratives through an anti-essentialist framework, expanding dominant definitions of both literacy and masculinity. Read more...
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Doğuş Duran (Ph.D.) – 2/18
Predicting the Roles of Relationship Between White Privilege Attitudes and Multicultural Competence on Broaching Behaviors Among Counselors: A Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analyses
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Counselor Education and Supervision
February 18, 2026 | 12 p.m.
This study investigated the predictive relationships between counselors’ Multicultural Counseling Competence (MCC) and White Privilege Attitudes (WPA) on their broaching behaviors, defined as the intentional and proactive effort to address race, ethnicity, and culture within the therapeutic relationship. Read more...
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Joseph James Kratky (Ph.D.) – 2/20
The Higher Education Reservations Scale: Development, Refinement, and Exploratory Application
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Research, Measurement and Statistics
February 20, 2026 | 10:30 a.m.
The societal role of higher education is coming under increased scrutiny. Ever-increasing tuition rates, reports of falling return-on-investment, and accusations of brainwashing seem to be perpetual news stories despite full-throated refutations of these claims. Research involving college students tends to be focused on university climate studies. While other reporting pulls from large swathes of the electorate. This study seeks to design a psychometric measure for assessing college students’ attitudes towards their college experience. Read more...
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Peggy S. Coyne (Ed.D.) – 3/2
Implementing an AI Innovation Champion Program in a Corporate Setting: Insights into Innovation Champion Self-Efficacy and Peer Perceptions
For the degree of Doctor of Education, Interprofessional Leadership
March 2, 2026 | 9:30 a.m.
This explanatory sequential mixed methods case study examined the implementation of an AI Innovation Champion Program within a Fortune 500 company preparing for the rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot. The study explored how participation in the program related to AI Innovation Champions’ AI self efficacy, how Champions perceived their experiences in the program, and how employees experienced support from Champions during early exposure to AI tools. Read more...
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John R. Burkey (Ed.D.) – 3/2
Understanding First-Year College Students' Experiences and Attitudes Towards Personal and Academic Technology
For the degree of Doctor of Education, Interprofessional Leadership
March 2, 2026 | 1:00 p.m.
Digital technologies have become a prevalent part of both college students’ personal and academic lives. The purpose of this study was to examine incoming first-year college students’ experiences with digital technologies in their personal lives, their prior academic exposure to technology in high school, and their desired use of technology in higher education academic instruction. Read more...
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Adam M. Novelli (Ed.D.) – 3/3
Understanding Student Mobile Digital Distraction
For the degree of Doctor of Education, Interprofessional Leadership (Educational Technology)
March 3, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.
Mobile phones have become ubiquitous in secondary school classrooms, creating new opportunities for learning while simultaneously introducing persistent sources of distraction. Despite widespread policy responses that range from permissive integration to outright restriction, comparatively little research has examined how students themselves understand and experience mobile digital distraction during instructional time. Read more...
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Molly K. Schneider (Ph.D.) – 3/6
Exploring Critical Inquiry and Emotions in Contentious Issues Dialogue: Youth Participatory Action Research with High School Government Students
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Curriculum and Instruction
March 6, 2026 | 11:30 a.m.
The purpose of this study was to examine how high school government students experience and navigate dialogue around contentious Issues through Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), with particular attention to critical inquiry and the emotional dimensions of classroom discussion. Situated within democratic citizenship education, the study responds to increasing political polarization, declining social trust, and the limitations of traditional deliberative pedagogies. Read more...
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Kendra L. Wilson (Ph.D.) – 3/19
The Academic and Social Realities of Black Student Mothers Attending Predominately White Institutions
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Cultural Foundations of Education
March 19, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.
This narrative inquiry explored the academic and social realities of eight Black student mothers. Guided by the theoretical frameworks Black Feminist Thought and Intersectionality, the study centered the voices of Black student mothers to understand how race, gender, and motherhood intersect to shape collegiate experiences. Read more...