The ScholarShip

The ScholarShip is a digital archive for the scholarly output of the ECU community. Its mission is to capture, preserve, and make available the intellectual output of East Carolina University's faculty, staff, and students.

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
BREAKING THE CYCLE FROM EXCLUSION TO INCLUSION: USING RESTORATIVE APPROACHES TO MITIGATE DISCIPLINE INEQUITIES FOR BLACK STUDENTS
(East Carolina University, 2026-05) Burton, Shari C.
This inquiry addressed the persistent problem of disproportionate discipline practices that resulted in Black elementary students receiving a higher number of office discipline referrals and exclusionary consequences than their peers. These inequities contributed to lost instructional time, negative perceptions of school climate, and reinforced patterns of marginalization for Black students. The inquiry was situated in a public magnet elementary school in a North Carolina district where discipline data mirrored national and state trends showing racial disparities in referrals, suspensions, and expulsions. Grounded in Critical Race Theory and improvement science, the study responded to growing concerns about the ineffectiveness of punitive, exclusionary discipline and the need for more equitable, relationship-centered approaches to student behavior. The purpose of this inquiry was to examine the impact of implementing restorative practices, supported through professional learning and Plan-Do-Study-Act improvement cycles, on reducing disproportionate discipline referrals for Black students while influencing teacher beliefs and leadership practices related to discipline. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used, beginning with quantitative analysis of fourth-grade student discipline referral data and teacher belief survey responses, followed by qualitative data collection through post-implementation surveys, focus groups, and practitioner reflection. Participants included fourth-grade teachers and collaborative inquiry partners at the school and district levels who were engaged in professional learning and implementation of restorative practices over the course of the school year. Findings indicated a reduction in discipline referrals for Black students following the implementation of restorative practices, along with increased use of proactive and relational strategies by teachers. Qualitative data suggested positive shifts in teacher beliefs regarding student behavior, accountability, and the importance of relationship-building in addressing misconduct. These findings were significant because they demonstrated that restorative practices can disrupt exclusionary discipline patterns and promote more equitable outcomes for Black students. The results implied that school leaders and practitioners could use restorative approaches as a meaningful strategy to improve school climate, address implicit bias, and advance equity-centered discipline practices in elementary school settings.
Access status: Open Access ,
CREATING A FRAMEWORK FOR CHANGE IN PreK-12 CATHOLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS
(East Carolina University, 2026-05) Bragg, Anna
This mixed-methods dissertation addresses the absence of a structured framework for system-level change in Catholic PreK-12 school systems, specifically examining the Diocese of Faith (pseudonym) which encompasses 28 schools serving 9,563 students across 13 counties in the southeastern United States. Using improvement science methodology with a parallel convergent design, the study administered the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey at three time points and conducted three focus group sessions with five elementary school principals between March and May 2025 to develop and refine a comprehensive framework for systematic organizational change. The research identified five bellwether indicators of organizational climate and revealed that faculty comfort with raising important issues scored lowest (less than 40% strong agreement), aligning with qualitative themes emphasizing the need for voice and participation, office of education visibility, and expanded data sources beyond climate surveys. The findings demonstrate that successful transitions from historically decentralized governance to coordinated system-level support require establishing central office visibility and role clarity before implementing change initiatives, incorporating multiple data sources including academic outcomes, and creating differentiated implementation strategies that honor the unique contexts within parochial governance structures. This study contributes to the limited body of research on Catholic school system-level change by providing empirical evidence that collaborative framework development with building leaders can bridge the historical tension between school autonomy and system coordination while advancing equity through structured stakeholder engagement.
Access status: Open Access ,
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ASSESSMENT OF EXPOSED WOODEN SHIPWRECK STRUCTURAL STABILITY IN A SHALLOW-WATER TIDAL-FRESH ECOSYSTEM
(East Carolina University, 2026-05) Ropp, Allyson Genevieve
Wooden shipwrecks are found in diverse aquatic systems worldwide, filling critical niches in these systems as ‘islands of life.’ Within these systems, wooden shipwrecks exhibit different properties. Some are intact and have a structure sitting high above the seafloor. Others have no exposed structure, with the remaining structure buried in the seafloor. While the intact, proud structures do exist, archaeologists and resource managers will at some stage interact with and seek to protect buried structures. These shipwrecks have been exposed to a series of site formation processes that have broken down or covered any exposed shipwreck structure. Such processes include microbial degradation by delignifying and lignocellulose-degrading bacteria, as well as chemical breakdown driven by local hydrological conditions. Furthermore, these buried wooden shipwreck structures have undergone a series of anthropogenic processes that have contributed to their degradation, both during their use and within the archaeological context. While these processes cannot be characterized or evaluated for buried wooden shipwreck structures, they can be measured in those with exposed, extant structures. This project characterized and evaluated the relationship between in situ preservation of the exposed wooden shipwreck structure and environmental conditions in a tidal-fresh, shallow-water context. Using Aowa, a wooden steamship of the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation in the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary, this study developed a methodology that integrated historical, archaeological, microbial, and hydrological data to assess and quantify the degradation of exposed wooden shipwreck structures. This study is a first attempt at linking degradation across a shipwreck’s systemic use life and its archaeological context. First, this study reconstructed the systemic use context of the case study site, including the development of its historical narrative and the construction of a digital model of the vessel. Archaeological data collected at the site were used to analyze the systemic behaviors that led to degradation prior to 2022. Beginning in 2022, two years of seasonal monitoring were conducted at the site, including the collection of wood density data using a Resistograph micro-drilling device, bacterial community data from the shipwreck and the surrounding environment, and local water chemistry data. The wood density, identified microbial community (both whole community and delignifying and lignocellulose-degrading community members), and water chemistry data were correlated to assess the presence and strength of relationships across a spatiotemporal scale. While these relationships were weak, this project represents the first step toward correlating the site-formation processes that contribute to the degradation of the exposed wooden structure. Furthermore, the findings suggest these relationships are reciprocal and, thereby, cyclical. The methodology combines novel techniques with analytical approaches to integrate data from distinct site-formation processes in innovative ways, drawing connections among processes and ultimately providing a means to calculate the rate of degradation of exposed wooden shipwreck structures. For resource managers, the presented findings and methodologies serve as tools to adjust management plans for the holistic management of natural and cultural resources. For archaeologists, this study provides one of the first to explore the interlinkage of site formation processes on an exposed wooden shipwreck structure and to quantify degradation across systemic and archaeological contexts. This study lays the groundwork for further analysis of these processes in tandem, supporting holistic, integrated site management.
Access status: Open Access ,
Examining the Impact of an Application Support Program to Increase First-Generation College Students’ Enrollment in Early Colleges
(East Carolina University, 2026-05) King, Xavier
This inquiry examined the impact of an application support program (ASP) designed to increase participation and completed applications among first-generation college students (FGCS) applying to an Early College High School (ECHS). Guided by Lin’s Social Capital Network Theory, the inquiry explored how targeted institutional support shaped families’ perceptions of accessibility during the application process and the impact the program had on completed applications. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design rooted in improvement science, the study analyzed application completion data and collected qualitative insights through surveys, focus groups, and reflective journals. Findings showed that FGCS families who participated in the ASP reported greater confidence, improved clarity, and increased ability to complete the application. The intervention strengthened family-school relationships and demonstrated the importance of intentional, culturally responsive support. Results suggest the ASP model can be replicated to expand equitable access for underrepresented students.
Access status: Open Access ,
REIMAGINING PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN A SCHOOL COMMUNITY BY CO-CREATING A PARTNERSHIP MODEL FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL
(East Carolina University, 2026-05) Johnson, Jennifer
This inquiry engaged school leaders, teachers, and parents in a collaborative process to reimagine parental engagement in a rural-suburban middle school. The Community Learning Exchange (CLE) methodology was used to simultaneously collect data and to facilitate a shift from the traditional school-centric model toward co-created partnerships. The main finding details the school leaders’ role in building a healthy school culture by cultivating conditions for meaningful, co-constructed engagement. Three interdependent factors emerged as essential to this partnership: (1) a deep understanding of barriers, (2) accessible, clear, and consistent communication, and (3) structured opportunities for collaborative discussion. Participants in the CLEs led to leadership changes in practice, shifting from directing outcomes to intentionally designing conditions that honor multiple perspectives, resulting in new, collaborative strategies for parental engagement.