Online

Negrete, Nicholas E.

College of Education and Social Services

2016

EdD

Mental health issues serve as a leading barrier to academic success for college students. As mental health issues among college students continue to escalate, there is an increased likelihood in the manifestation of demonstrable distress and disruption among college students within the classroom. However, there is dearth of research surrounding faculty's confidence and competence related to college students' mental health experiences, namely experiences with students in distress or those whom are disruptive. This qualitative research study will focus on examining faculty's confidence and competence in responding to distressed and disruptive college students through an interpretevist lens. Using Noddings's (1999) Ethic of Care theory and Johnson's and Bany's (1970) Classroom Management theory, this research study seeks to address and assess faculty's confidence and competence within these theoretical frameworks. The ability to better understand undergraduate faculty experiences with disruptive and distressed college students has the potential to inform institutional training opportunities for faculty, as well as provide insight into how student affairs administrators can build collaborative bridges in supporting students through key partnerships with faculty. Furthermore, improving upon faculty competence and confidence through comprehensive training programs can contribute to early intervention strategies with potential to positively impact student retention and completion rates.