Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ed.D. in Education
First Advisor
Phillis George
Second Advisor
Kerry Bryan Melear
Third Advisor
Katie Busby
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
There has been a call to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the communication sciences and disorders (CSD) professions for the past five decades. Racially and ethnically marginalized CSD professionals, primarily speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are persistently underrepresented, and that underrepresentation extends as far back as undergraduate training programs. The lack of racial and ethnic diversity among enrolled undergraduate students is evident in the CSD program at the University of Mississippi, a poorly understood phenomenon that has not changed substantially for at least the past ten years. This Dissertation in Practice details an assessment plan for the perception of racially and ethnically marginalized undergraduate students regarding equitable access to resources, support, and inclusion in the CSD program at the University of Mississippi. Manuscript I provides background insight into the Problem of Practice (PoP), outlines the guiding questions and frameworks for the assessment plan, and offers a brief review of the literature. Manuscript II details the assessment purpose and plan, the stakeholders involved, the instruments and methods for collecting data, and the planned use of the assessment results. Findings and results will illuminate the key factors to be addressed to improve student perceptions of equitable access in the undergraduate CSD program at the University of Mississippi. Finally, Manuscript III describes the process of improvement in racial and ethnic diversity, equity, and inclusion in the undergraduate CSD program at the University of Mississippi.
Recommended Citation
Burklow, Elizabeth, "Equitable Access in Undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Mississippi" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8804.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/8804