Digital Commons Network^™

How Do Doctoral Research Academics Perceive Their Research Activities To Be Of Benefit To Undergraduate Students, James Mccauley

Theses

The principal aim of my research is to investigate the perceptions of Doctoral research academics regarding the benefit of their research activities to undergraduate students. Through in-depth interviews, the research aims to establish the level of communication that Doctoral researchers initiate with their undergraduate students about their research activities as well as the extent to which they know if these students perceive these activities as positive or negative. The extent to which students proactively queried such academics about their research activities is also examined. Two main types of activities were identified as having a positive impact: topic specific ‘cutting-edge’ knowledge …

Concept Mapping: A Visual Learning Strategy Benefiting Post-Secondary Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Accounting Students, Michael E. Kane

Theses

Conventional wisdom in the world of academics holds that concept maps are tools useful only for science classes. Not so! Concept maps – also known as advanced organizers, graphic organizers, concept trees, visual maps, flowcharts, diagrams and mind-mapping – can be meaningful strategies for students who learn about technical accounting aspects discussed in the business classroom. Many educators promote concept maps – a component of visual learning – as an ideal teaching and learning strategy in the classroom due to its visual nature of organizing information and indicating relationships within that information.

Action research involving concept maps was conducted in …

An Assessment Of Postgraduate Education Needs For Construction Managers, Garrett Keenaghan

Theses

Postgraduate education can take on different meanings for individuals. It can be interpreted according to an individual or group of individuals’ ontological and epistemological position. The meaning of education and its purpose is not standardised. Education and its purpose is varied and shaped by an individual’s experience. This research is an assessment of the postgraduate education requirements of construction managers. It explores the type of knowledge that is considered as essential to the role of a construction manager. It asks industry representatives, academic and professional representatives to rate the importance and relevance of the identified knowledge. The need for this …

A Project-Based Learning Approach To Applied Craft Calculations Within Apprenticeship Education: An Action Research Study, Kevin Furlong

Theses

Using an Action Research methodology, this study was based in Technologicl University Dublin and conducted with the cooperation of three groups of Phase Six Plumbing apprentices over a ten-month period (three cycles). The main aim of the research project was to establish if a deeper understanding and application of Building Services Applied Calculations could be achieved through the implementation of Project-Based Learning within Apprenticeship Education? Research literature shows that not only in Ireland but also abroad, third level education is experiencing what is described as a ‘maths problem’. With applied calculations and mathematics being a fundamental and essential part of …

An Exploration Of The Study Abroad Experiences Of United States Students In Three Halls Of Residence At A Catholic University In Western Australia, Nicole Schiffer

Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore the ways United States students develop through studying abroad at a Catholic university in Western Australia. The significance of the research lies in the belief that host and home universities should be aware of the needs of these study abroad students. The needs of these students were understood through an exploration of the challenges faced, the support received, and the personal and professional development attained.

Four dimensions of the context contributed to an understanding of this study. These four dimensions were the University of Notre Dame Australia Fremantle, the UNDA three halls …

The Role Of The Imagination In The Religious Conversion Of Adolescents Attending Catholic Secondary Schools, Richard Patrick Branson

Theses

The mission of the Catholic Church is evangelisation, the purpose of which is conversion. At a diocesan level, the mission is carried out through the agencies of family, parish and school. Every Catholic school is mandated to carry out its part in the Church’s mission through its curriculum that incorporates both Religious Education and planned catechetical experiences. This study was devised to find out some students’ perceptions of their faith, the influences that they perceive on changes to their faith, and to describe how the imagination assisted their faith development and religious conversion. Fifteen Catholic secondary school students from four …

An Empirical Investigation Across Second-Level, Third-Level And Adult-Level Career Guidance Services In Ireland, Tara Conlon

Theses

This study is an investigation across second-level, third-level and adult-level career guidance services in Ireland. This study particularly focuses on the different career guidance services available to the Irish population and how people use these services to help them in making academic and professional decisions. Many difficulties are encountered by people making critical choices on course and career options in order to progress.

The recent downturn in the Irish economy has had a significant effect on educational and career paths of the Irish population. Job losses and redundancies have led to an increase in unemployment rates. A significant amount of …