[VPAAEtal] Schedule of Proposal Defenses & Final Defenses for March 2026

[Academic Affairs]

TO:          All Graduate Faculty and Doctoral Students

FROM:     Dayla Burgin
                 Admissions Supervisor/Doctoral Degree Coordinator

RE:            Schedule of Proposal Defenses & Final Defenses for March 2026

Monday, March 2, 2026, 11:00 am, Zoom, Keith Brown, Final Defense
The School Principal and Teachers' Perspectives on Kindergarten Readiness: A Descriptive Case Study
Major Advisor:  Dr. Nate Templeton

Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 3:00 pm, Zoom, Bailey Ayers, Final Defense
Mental Versus Physical Effort: Weighing the Decision to Offload
Major Advisor:  Dr. Lacy Krueger

Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 10:00 am, Zoom, Michael Miles, Final Defense
Blank Screens: Visualizing Cultural Expressions Through the Tyler Texas Black Film Collection
Major Advisor:  Dr. Karen Roggenkamp

Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 1:00 pm, Zoom, Melinda Berry, Final Defense
Navigating College Success: A Qualitative Study on Basic Needs Insecurity and Support Interventions Among First-Generation Community College Students
Major Advisor:  Dr. Leslie Ekpe

Thursday, March 5, 2026, 10:00 am, Zoom, Kendal Shelton, Final Defense
The Dual Enrollment Experience-Exploring African-American Students Insights and Persistence in High School Through College: A Narrative Inquiry
Major Advisor:  Dr. Peter Williams

Thursday, March 5, 2026, 1:30 pm, Zoom, Trisha Evans, Final Defense
Changes in Exclusionary Discipline Rates and Disciplinary Disproportionality Over Time in Texas independent School Districts
Major Advisor:  Dr. Danna Beaty

Monday, March 16, 2026, 10:00 am, Zoom, Robert Burrier, Final Defense
Motivation to Stay Motivation to Leave-Administrator Perceptions of Teacher Attrition and its Effect on Student Outcomes in a South Texas Border School District
Major Advisor:  Dr. Danna Beaty

Monday, March 16, 2026, 10:00 am, Zoom, Justin Bolton, Proposal Defense
The Impact of Inquiry-Based Learning on Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Elementary Science Education: A Mixed-Methods Study
Major Advisor:  Dr. Laura Slay
Graduate Council Representative:  TBD

Monday, March 16, 2026, 11:00 am, Zoom, Cheryl Evans, Final Defense
Evaluating Professional Identity Development in School Counselors: The Role of the Texas Evaluation Model for Professional School Counselors, Third Edition
Major Advisor:  Dr. Zaidy MohdZain

Monday, March 16, 2026, 1:00 pm, Zoom, Sharon Hendon-Lewis, Final Defense
Secondary Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Development Aimed to Assist Black Male Adolescents Who Struggle in Reading
Major Advisor:  Dr. Tami Morton

Monday, March 16, 2026, 1:30 pm, Zoom, Jennifer Sanchez, Final Defense
Burned Out and Moving On: Does Psychological Capital Affect Principal Burnout and Intention to Leave?
Major Advisor:  Dr. Peter Williams

Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 pm, Talbot Hall Room 146, Melissa Kamp, Final Defense
The Intersection of Literature and Activism in Selected Works of Elizabeth Garver Jones, Mary Heaton Vorse, and Edith Franklin Wyatt
Major Advisor:  Dr. Karen Roggenkamp

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 10:00 am, Zoom, Shannon McFadden, Proposal Defense
Educators are Human, Too: Educators Perspectives on Stress, Well-Being, and Organizational Supports When Supporting Trauma Impacted Students
Major Advisor:  Dr. Peter Williams
Graduate Council Representative:  Dr. Zaidy MohdZain

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 1:00 pm, Zoom, Halie Welsh, Final Defense
Factors That Influence Early Childhood Well-Being
Major Advisor:  Dr. Kendra Saunders

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 2:00 pm, Zoom, Amanda Roberts, Final Defense
Education Investments and Student Success: Analyzing the Relationship Between School Funding and Math Achievement
Major Advisor:  Dr. Karyn Miller

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 2:00 pm, Zoom, Candice Hardin, Final Defense
Early College High School as a Platform for Promoting Post-Secondary Readiness Amongst Underrepresented Populations
Major Advisor:  Dr. Danna Beaty

Monday, March 23, 2026, 1:00 pm, Zoom, Reynolds Ballotti, Final Defense
AI Assistance and Meta-Cognitive Calibration
Major Advisor:  Dr. Shulan Lu

Monday, March 23, 2026, 2:00 pm, Zoom, Lindsay Orr, Proposal Defense
Leader Perceptions and Competencies that Lead Gifted Programs Toward Inclusive Identification Practices
Major Advisor:  Dr. Danna Beaty
Graduate Council Representative:  TBD

Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 10:00 am, Zoom, Katie Nisbet, Final Defense
Workforce Degrees with an Emphasis in Humanity
Major Advisor:  Dr. David Tan

Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 9:00 am, Zoom, Taylor Norris, Proposal Defense
An Exploratory Case Study of an Urban Texas School that has Achieved Proportionate Discipline Removals for Minority Students
Major Advisor:  Dr. Peter Williams
Graduate Council Representative:  Dr. Julia Meszaros

**If you are a faculty member or a student and want to attend a defense, please contact the Major Advisor


Dayla Burgin, BS

Admissions Supervisor
Doctoral Degree Coordinator

The Graduate School  |  McDowell Business Administration, Room 142

P: 903.886.5167



Mail: P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75429

Ship: 2600 S Neal Street, Commerce, TX 75428

Students please include your CWID in every email

Apply Texas: ApplyTexas - Applicant Home Page<https://www.applytexas.org/>
Doctoral application
packet:  http://www.tamuc.edu/academics/graduateSchool/documents/doc_packet.pdf



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