After completing their faculty-mentored research, School of Education and Human Developments’ Doctorate in Educational Leadership program students had the opportunity to showcase their work on April 22 at the Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
The EdD program forms leaders rooted in Jesuit values, a commitment reflected in the depth and range of dissertation topics. Each project offered a distinct perspective on educational leadership while addressing real challenges in their field. The research highlighted a focus on practical, actionable solutions to not only support doctoral students in their current roles but also allow them to transform their practice in meaningful ways and make an impact beyond their immediate communities.
Belonging, Identity, and the Heritage Spanish Learner
Doctoral student and K-12 modern and classical languages teacher Maria Arroyo-Contreras EdD’26 examined the challenges of teaching Spanish in the United States amid increasing linguistic diversity, particularly among heritage Spanish learners who have differing levels of language proficiency and cultural connection.
The research argues that traditional Spanish curricula often fail to reflect these students’ lived linguistic and cultural experiences, which can negatively affect their sense of belonging and confidence.
Using Critical Language Awareness (CLA) as a framework, her study explored how factors like resource disparities, language standardization, and classroom power dynamics shape identity and participation in the classroom, ultimately advocating for more inclusive, culturally responsive approaches that better recognize and support the diversity of Spanish-speaking students.
Motivational Interviewing and Academic Success
Associate Dean of the Meditz of College of Arts and Sciences Dawn Quintiliani DeBiase, LCSW, EdD’26 looked at the impact of motivational interviewing in a study entitled “Using Motivational Interviewing as an Academic Intervention with Marginalized College Students.” Using a case study design, DeBiase employed motivational interviewing to four female Latinx participants over the course of a semester.
Participants responded positively to core MI strategies. Key themes that emerged included the importance of relationships, motivation tied to opportunity and family pride, as well as shifts in attitudes like confidence and gratitude.
Participants reported that the sessions created a sense of collaboration, respect, and autonomy, and viewed the experience as beneficial and contributed to improved academic outcomes.
Women in K-12 Leadership
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Leadership Development Meghan Troy EdD’26 studied the persistent gender gap in K–12 leadership, where women make up about 77% of the teaching workforce but hold only 30% of superintendent roles.
Approaching her study using Social Role Theory and Role Congruity Theory, she examined how perceptions of leadership and the burden of cognitive and emotional labor shape women’s decisions to pursue or opt out of the superintendency.
Troy found that many highly qualified women self-select out due to a perceived mismatch between their relational leadership styles and the role’s demanding, political nature.
Developing Undergraduates' Global Consciousness
In a study entitled “Helping Undergraduate Students Find their Global Selves: The Search for Transformative Learning and High-Impact Pedagogies,” senior associate director of humanitarian action in the Center for Social Impact Julie Mughal EdD’26 utilized a mixed-methods study to study how high-impact practices in undergraduate classrooms can promote global consciousness and a sense of responsibility among students.
Using transformative learning theory and high-impact pedagogies, she examined which classroom experiences or activities act develop a global mindset, as well as how alumni of a humanitarian action program use this mindset their professional and personal lives.
The findings showed the importance of intentional, transformative learning experiences in shaping students’ awareness and commitment to global issues.
Research from other EdD doctoral students included the following:
- Kristen Smith: Navigating the Educational Shift: An In-Depth Analysis of the Intersection of Male Enrollments and Program of Study
- Colby Lemieux: The Disclosure Dynamic: Perceptions of self-disclosure among undergraduate students and academic deans
- William Martin: Retaining Male Students from a Distance at a Northeast R1 University
- Sara Colabella: Student Perceptions of Diverse Imagery and Narratives in Higher Education Marketing Material: Strategies for a Jesuit Catholic Context
- Jill Feltus: From Inquiry to Empathy: Impacts of a Transformative Learning Theory Holocaust Curriculum
- Matthew Schirano: Disclosure Experiences of Neurodivergent Academic Library Staff
- Aprajita Singh: General Education Teachers’ Perception of Self-Efficacy and Factors that Affect those Perceptions
- Emily Montgomery: Masculine Norms and Stigma as Barriers to Adolescent Male mental Health Help-Seeking
- Keith Moon: Bringing Inclusion on Campus: A Case Study of the Impact of Special Olympics and Unified Sports on the Student Leaders in a Private Boarding School Setting
Explore full details about the Research Symposium at fairfield.edu/symposium.
