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Interest Convergence And Neoliberalism: Effects On Entry-Level Staff Of Color Who Perform Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Higher Education, Jesse N. Avila

Master's Theses

Higher education was not originally built to benefit people of color. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are many ways in which universities seek to change higher education. However, higher education has a staff retention problem and is at risk of losing more than half of its current workforce. Retention problems also impact entry-level staff of color who perform DEI in universities. Through a lens of interest convergence and neoliberalism, this qualitative study gathered the experiences of entry-level staff of color who perform DEI in student affairs, looked at how their experiences are shaped by the structures of the university, and …

The Relationships Between Grit, Mindset, And The Academic Success Of Nontraditional Students At Online Colleges, David W. Franklin Jr

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Grit and mindset are two of the hottest topics in education today, but research on their predictive power for academic success is inconclusive and rife with gaps and limitations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between grit, mindset, self-regulated learning (SRL), and academic outcomes for adult students attending online colleges. This was investigated using data from the Diagnostic Assessment and Achievement of College Skills (DAACS) project, and includes 9,276 undergraduate, mostly adult students from two online institutions in the United States. The results indicate that while grit, its two components, and mindset were significantly correlated with …

Examining The Relationship Between Admission Requirements And Program Outcome Variables In A Special Education Teacher Preparation Program, Emily Woofenden

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The need for well-prepared special education teachers makes it important to examine how to best select candidates for special education teacher preparation programs, or at least to determine which, if any, admission variables relate to program outcome measures. This study is a replication and extension of a 2012 study—it used archival data from 64 students to investigate the relationships among multiple pre-admission variables from teacher candidate applications and on-site admission tasks (undergraduate GPA, letter of reference ratings, interview ratings, math assessment scores, and a teaching skills task) and outcome variables (graduate GPA and preservice practicum teaching performance scores). The outcome …

Lolita In The Contemporary American Classroom: Pedagogical And Learning Approaches, Jasmine Revels

Master’s Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study is to discover effective collegiate-level teaching and learning strategies for Vladimir Nabokov’s 1958 novel Lolita in the midst of the current American political and social climate. Some of the factors of the current political and social climate in the United States thought to have an effect on the teaching of Lolita, and were thus considered for further inquiry, were cancel culture, the Me Too Movement, and trigger warnings. Primary research was collected from college students and English college professors. To obtain this research and the opinions of respondents regarding this topic, a combination of both …

Cape Verdean Students’ Perceptions Of Their English Language Preparation For Higher Education In The Us, Fàbio Wilson Teixeira Varela

Master’s Theses and Projects

Students from distinct parts of the world are learning English as a foreign language with multiple goals including job opportunities, education and so on. More importantly, many of them study English with the goal of pursuing their higher education in a foreign country, and the US is one of the main destinations. Studies have revealed that one of the problems international students face in their academic life has to do with language, specifically academic language. In this study, the researcher examined the retrospective perceptions of Cape Verdean students pursuing their studies at US universities towards their language instruction in Cape …

Collaboration And Evaluation In Urban Sustainability And Resilience Transformations: The Keys To A Just Transition?, Liliana Elizabeth Caughman

Dissertations and Theses

Climate has changed and will continue changing; city populations are swelling as urbanization continues to accelerate; extreme environmental events like heat waves and floods are becoming more severe and more common; and the climate justice movement is rapidly gaining momentum. It in this context that municipal governments find themselves urgently seeking solutions to transition cities from extractive, vulnerable, and unjust to sustainable, resilient, and equitable. The task is complex and will require systemic transformations across interconnected social, environmental, and economic infrastructures. Emerging theories regarding how to govern such massive changes suggest Transition Management strategies and the values of a just …

The Future Of Higher Education: How A Student's Decision To Attend College Is Evolving, J. C. Lukens 19

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Alumni And Named Structures : A Qualitative Analysis Of Major Gift Donors, Allison Cherkosly

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Reduced government support has caused higher education institutions to become more dependent on philanthropic contributions. Since the majority of funds come from a small number of donors (Longfield, 2014), it’s important to focus on the highest level of donors. However, there was a lack of research that specifically studied alumni major gift donors who name physical structures with their philanthropic gifts to their alma maters. My intent in developing this study was to fill this gap and help higher education institutions secure more funds.

Testing The Effectiveness Of A Sct-Based Peer Wellness Coaching Training Program In Enhancing Health Self-Efficacy And Outcome Expectations Among Undergraduate Peer Educators, Abigail Dubovi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Peer health education (PHE) is a widely implemented approach to health promotion on college campuses. Based on its emphasis on vicarious learning and social persuasion, social cognitive theory (SCT; Bandura, 2000) is frequently cited to account for the proposed mechanisms of PHE. However, to date, no prior studies have developed and tested the utility of a SCT-based PHE training program in improving theoretically consistent outcomes among peer educators. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and test the effectiveness of a 15-week, SCT-based peer wellness coaching (PWCTP) training program in enhancing health self-efficacy (HSE) and outcome expectations …

College Choice In Distance-Based Nursing Programs, Jill Lansing

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The expansion and diversification of postsecondary education in the United States has led to greater options for students and prospective students for pursuing a college degree. An important trend in higher education today is distance education. Despite the growing prevalence of distance learning opportunities and the expanding body of research on distance education, research on the college-going decisions of distance learners is sparse. As more students enroll in distance-based higher education programs, it is increasingly important to understand how and why students make the decision to enroll in collegiate degree-granting programs. This study bridges the college choice and distance education …

Forecasting Competencies For College And University Chief Housing Officers In The United States: A Delphi Study, Brian L. Fitzgerald

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study started with the simple proposition that it would be useful to forecast the competencies that will be required for chief housing officers in the future. Housing and residence life is a relatively young profession and began with the rise of what is commonly understood to be college personnel work and now known as student affairs.

Student affairs as a profession within higher education began to gain recognition in the 1940s. The identification of governing ethics, standards and competencies gained momentum and clarification in the succeeding year. Housing and residence life as part of the student affairs enterprise was …

The Crisis Of Character In The 21st Century American University, Its Historical Counterparts, And Suggested Remedies, Tyler David Norton

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Higher education in the United States is in the midst of a crisis. Many administrators and faculty are grappling with the question, “what is the purpose of a college education?” In an attempt to resolve this crisis, some education leaders and policy makers have turned to false idols. They embraced student learning outcomes and quantifiable measurement metrics to justify the university’s raison d’etre. This occurred at the same time as institutions abandoned their religious heritage, they incidentally threw away moral elements as well.

Regulation Through Accreditation In Argentine Graduate Education : Regulatory Actions And Organizational Responses, Dante Javier Salto

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Most countries, developing as well as developed, have adopted some type of quality assurance mechanism. Argentina is neither an island nor an outlier in higher education reforms in general, and it not when it comes to graduate program accreditation in particular. This study explores the way higher education institutions, as examples of autonomous organizations, respond to a new set of regulatory policies. My specific core interest is to discover what types of responses graduate programs give to compulsory accreditation. The study incorporates analysis from the regulatory and the higher education literature, theories and findings.

Presidential Assistants In Higher Education And Their Use Of Power, Authority And Influence, Michael A. Sass

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The position of presidential assistant (PA) is a regularly occurring senior-level administrative position within institutions of higher education. PAs are instrumental to the success of the organization in which they work. Unlike many other higher education positions that fall into a specific hierarchy related to authority, the PA position does not often do so.

International Branch Campuses In China : Quest For Legitimacy, Li Zhang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A new organization often encounters the “liability of newness” that increases its chance of failing as a start-up enterprise (Freeman et al, 1983). New organizations located in a foreign country also face the “liability of foreignness” (Zaheer & Mosakowski, 1997). By gaining legitimacy, organizations can obtain the resources they need to become sustainable. The liabilities of newness and foreignness aptly describe the international branch campuses that have been set up in China.

Three Essays On Higher Education, Fang Song

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the first chapter, I analyze the growth patterns of postsecondary education costs in re-cent years. It shows the trends of college revenue, expenditure and other financial items using data drawn from the Delta Data Project between 1987 and 2010. Connections be-tween various categories of revenue / spending and state-level macroeconomic indicators were analyzed using GLS models. College tuition had been growing rapidly over time, whereas total revenues and expenditures did not grow so much. The differences in the responses of public sector and private sector institutions to changes in state-level factors stem from differences in their main sources of …

Quality Assurance In Private Higher Education : The Case Of Ghana, Linda Tsevi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study explores private higher education and implementation of quality assurance procedures in Ghana, a country in West Africa. While focusing on the three main isomorphic classifications (coercive, mimetic and normative) of DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) institutional theory, this study examines how regulatory measures are not only designed to enhance the quality of private higher education institutions, but also how they impact the efforts employed by private providers towards meeting quality assurance standards in the environment in which they are located. Using a qualitative methodology, participants from five private university colleges and two private chartered institutions are selected as constituting …

Socialization Of International Women Faculty, Daniela Ximena Véliz Calderón

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that women and minority faculty often experience disparate socialization experiences in academia (Clark & Corcoran, 1986; Tierney & Bensimon, 1996; Tierney & Rhoads, 1994). For faculty, a positive socialization experience can lead to a successful academic career, whereas a negative one can cause alienation and departure (Tierney & Rhoads, 1994). Faculty attrition rates are higher for women than for men (Menges & Exum, 1983; Rothblum, 1988), and at high prestige institutions, women and faculty of color may have higher rates of attrition (Olsen, Maple, & Stage, 1995). Currently, the majority of international faculty members are employed at research …

The Academic Life Of Part-Time Professors In Chile, Paulina Berrios

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation examines the academic life of part-time professors at the five biggest universities in Chile. By examining part-timers' academic life, including both who the part-time professors are and what their academic work is, this study sheds light on the complexity and diversity of the part-time world.

Understanding The International Student Experience, Ayse Begum Aydinol

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Although there are many international students in U.S. higher education institutions, they still experience problems related to social and academic life, as the international student experience is not adequately understood. This may be because of a general lack of awareness relating to the international experience, which can often increase the magnitude of the international students’ problems. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to provide an overview of the experiences of international students from their own perspectives. Six international graduate students were interviewed for approximately one hour in order to understand their stories in the U.S. Each participant’s story …

Exploring The Impact Of Program Structure On Student And Faculty Scholarly Communities In Interdisciplinary Ph. D. Programs, Lenore G. Horowitz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Information Science doctoral program at the University at Albany, State University of New York, faces many of the same challenges found in highly interdisciplinary programs across educational institutions worldwide such as complex curricula development, abundant discipline languages and cultures, and stakeholders clinging to the traditional, single-discipline university system. In 2006, the University at Albany Information Science Ph.D. program faculty redefined the program's structure in hopes of addressing the challenges it was facing. Program structure is a social process shaped by community participation and is influenced by many factors including students, faculty members, and both informal and formal knowledge production.

Innovators And Laggards? Faculty Adoption Of Online Distance Education, Thomas Tailor Scott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over the past decade, institutions of higher education have seen enrollments in distance education, especially in the form of online learning, proliferate in striking numbers. In fact, some traditional colleges and universities are only experiencing real institutional growth in the areas of online learning. Even though a major push to increase the availability of distance education technology has occurred, effective adoption has not always followed suit. In hopes of speeding up the diffusion process, many colleges and universities have begun to contemplate the increased integration and institutional adoption of online learning. One of the most critical factors administrators must consider …

Comparing Public And Private Institutions That Have And Have Not Implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) Systems: A Resource Dependence Perspective, Geetha Rathna Sendhil

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this national study was to utilize quantitative methods to examine institutional characteristics, financial resource variables, personnel variables, and customer variables of public and private institutions that have and have not implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, from a resource dependence perspective. Resources were examined within the context of resource dependency theory as it relates to organizations seeking to manage their environments by: using strategies to enhance their autonomy and pursue their organizational interests; acquiring, maintaining and controlling critical resources from the environment, and understanding that social context matters in the relationship between organizations and their external environment. …

Division I Student-Athlete Degree Choice Assessment, Tony Terrell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Though the NCAA has established rules that require student-athletes to complete their college degree in an expeditious manner, the 40/60/80% rule may impinge on student-athlete academic decisions (i.e., degree choice).Yet limited empirical data exist regarding the nature and prevalence of student-athlete degree impingement. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Student-Athlete Degree Choice Questionnaire (SA-DCQ). The SA-DCQ assesses factors that influence Division I student-athletes' degree choice. An initial 40 item, 4 component SA-DCQ instrument was piloted with 170 Division I student-athletes. In order to develop scales, Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was conducted. PCA results yielded 13 …

Exploring The Influence Of The Japanese Accreditation System Through Managerial And Institutional Lenses, Hirosuke Honda

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In response to the declining quality of Japanese undergraduate education, the Ministry of Education implemented the accreditation system in 2004. As the first cycle of accreditation reviews ended in 2010, the effectiveness of these reviews has been discussed in the policy arena.

Relationships Between Admission Variables And Outcome Variables In A Special Education Graduate Program, Matthew J. Lafave

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The need for well-prepared special education teachers has made it important to examine how to best select candidates for special education teacher education programs, or at least to determine which, if any, admission variables relate to program outcome measures. This study used archival data from 148 students to investigate the relationships among multiple pre-admission variables from both applications and on-site admission tasks (including undergraduate GPA, reference ratings, interview ratings, writing sample and math assessment scores and a role play teaching situation rating) and outcome variables. These outcome variables were related to student performance from practica and portfolio ratings, using the …

Qualifying Adjuncts : Academic Worth And The Justification Of Adjunct Work, Nicholas Denman Pagnucco

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation studies the organization of adjunct instruction within Departments of English and Mathematics at three colleges - a public research university, a private masters granting teaching college, and a public community college. Four questions lie at the core of this project. First, what higher principles and standards of evaluation (i.e. forms of worth) are used among full-time faculty and administrators to justify and criticize adjuncts and the college's use of them? Second, what tests of worth have been institutionalized to evaluate adjuncts? Third, how does the college avoid the potential accusation of exploitation? And fourth, how does being an …

Differences In University Fundraising : The Role Of University Practices And Organization, Jeffrey M. Schanz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research deals with factors that explain fundraising success and what types of institutional arrangements or practices exist at four year US public universities which make them successful or unsuccessful. Investment in higher education from state government continues to decline; alumni giving participation rates are falling, and many endowments continue to lag from the Great Recession. Nowhere has this been felt more than at many U.S. public universities who consistently watch their percentage of state aid dwindle.

Mortuary Science Programs : Examination Of The External Evaluation Team, D. Elaine Reinhard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this study is to expand the literature on mortuary science accreditation site visit teams. This study used a mixed methodology design to examine: 1) who serves on the American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation external

The Impact Of Institutional And Peer Support On Faculty Research Productivity: A Comparative Analysis Of Research Vs. Non-Research Institutions, Ming Ju

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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