Date
9-25-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Alex Oldham
Keywords
culturally responsive teaching, diverse student learners, rigor, equity
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Greear, Lindsey, "The Perception of Educational Leadership on Policies Impacting Equity and Access in Advanced Placement Programming for Diverse Student Learners: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7476.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7476
Abstract
The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the perception held by educational leaders on equitable access to advanced coursework for diverse student learners in the Highland County School District. The theory guiding this study was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as diverse students need an environment that emphasizes cultural inclusion to encourage academic growth. The central research question for this study was to investigate the perceptions of educational leaders regarding how existing policies affect the equity, access, and student experience in advanced courses. This study employed individual interviews, document analysis, and focus groups to collect data from 10 educational leaders with at least five years of experience teaching Advanced Placement (AP) prior to assuming administrative roles. Data was analyzed through a multi-step process with thematic reflection across collection approaches. Interpretive selective coding was used to emphasize essential and repetitive data and to determine the overall themes of policies and data, access to advanced courses, diverse representation, college and career readiness, and support. The data indicated that the Highland County School District implemented policies that encouraged increased enrollment of diverse student learners in advanced courses, resulting in improved academic outcomes. Implications for policy and practice include increasing culturally relevant teaching in advanced classrooms to encourage motivation and reviewing existing policies to remove limiting language and barriers, such as testing data and tracking. Additional research should focus on the perceptions of diverse learners and the collection of quantitative data to determine if there is a measurable correlation between advanced course enrollment and academic success.
