Digital Commons Network^™

Faith Capital: A Persistence Study Of Two Student Learning Communities At A Northeastern Community College, David Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this embedded single-case study is to explore and better understand what social and institutional factors account for the success or lack of success in developing, delivering, and sustaining learning communities in support of at-risk, underprepared students enrolled at the community college where the research was conducted. Towards that end, theories of social capital, social justice education, and emergent organizational strategies are aligned with practitioner perspectives in an examination of two student learning community initiatives at the college. Faith capital (Hanson, 2001) is a secular notion aligned with the principles of social capital as an integrative locus for …

Ways In Which Participation In Intercollegiate Athletics Contributes To The Learning And Development Of Student-Athletes, R. Chad Good

Theses and Dissertations

WAYS IN WHICH PARTICIPATING IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS CONTRIBUTES TO THE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT-ATHLETES

R. CHAD GOOD

155 pages May 2015

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to investigate the impact of Division I intercollegiate athletic participation on the student learning and development of former student-athletes. More specifically, in what did ways these student-athletes perceive gains and losses as related to their overall life and career skills repertoire. The study is somewhat unique considering there is a dearth of qualitative research available regarding this particular research topic.

The study focused on the specific ways in which former …

Middle School Plunge: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring 6th Grade Students' Perceptions Of Their Transition To Middle School Experiences And Its Influences On School Achievement And Performance For Urban Youth, Lakecia Hyman

Theses and Dissertations

Minority students from inner cities care greatly about their education and want to be successful in school (Corbett & Wilson, 2002). This mixed-methods study sought to explore the correlation between urban students' perceptions of their middle school transitional experiences and The Middle School Plunge academic decline phenomenon that impacts minority youth once they move into 6th grade (West & Schwerdt, 2012). Some researchers on the topic assert that middle school grade configurations influence student achievement outcomes and that students who remain in K-8 settings outperform their peers who attend stand-alone 6th-8th grade middle schools (Carrell & Hoekstra, 2009; Jacobs, 2012; …

The Impact Of A Standardized Participant Simulation Learning Experience On The Critical Thinking Disposition Of Undergraduate Health Administration Students., Fred Dicostanzo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was (a) to observe the impact of simulation on the critical thinking disposition of undergraduate students in a health administration program, and (b) to observe faculty perceptions of the efficacy of simulation as a training and evaluative tool for undergraduate students in a health administration program. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was used to measure critical thinking disposition in an experimental group of subjects before and after a simulation, and in a control group of subjects who did not undergo simulation. The experimental group scored higher on the post-test CCTDI than …

A Qualitative Study: Student Mothers' Perceptions Of Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Advisory Groupings In Secondary Settings, Vanessa Pellington

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study explored the perceptions of young student mothers in high school regarding their experiences in homogeneous advisory groupings as compared to heterogeneous advisory groupings. An extensive review of the literature revealed a gap in research regarding the grouping methods for non-academic classes, such as advisory program groupings (Benson & Poliner, 2013; Galassi, et al., 1998; Hallam, et al., 2004; Song, et al., 2009; Weilbacher & Lanier, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative research study was to add to the body of knowledge that addresses the types of advisory grouping students perceive best meet their needs. In this …

Examining The Underlying Currents Of High School Girls' Perceived Stem Self-Efficacy And Science Course Options: A Mixed Methods Study, Jill Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

Increased demands for a STEM-literate workforce have emerged in response to sustainability issues that threaten human welfare. A workforce capable of addressing such issues would need to be competent, have an understanding of Earth as a system and related physical science principles, and available, be willing to pursue such fields. Workforce concerns about contributors' competency and availability are further fueled by students' persisting underachievement in science and women's underrepresentation in STEM degrees and careers. While New Jersey students, in comparison to other states, are achieving in science, girls remain underrepresented in physical sciences. From a feminist lens of social cognitive …

Faculty Expectations And Perceptions Of Writing At A Community College, Lynn Kraemer-Siracusa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-method qualitative study was to determine the nature and extent of any gaps that exist between the writing skills faculty members across disciplines at a community college expect their students to utilize in intermediate-level writing intensive courses, their perceptions of the students' general ability to demonstrate those skills, and the importance of the learning outcomes of the two semesters of FYC courses. The faculty members identified a majority of the FYC learning outcomes as having some level of importance to their courses across disciplines. In addition, the directions for the writing assignments used by these faculty …

Exploring The Impact Of Group Work On Communication Apprehension For Business Students, Cynthia Vieth

Theses and Dissertations

Group work can have an impact on the experiences that students have in college. Specifically, working in groups can help students lower their level of public speaking anxiety. The purpose of this study was to determine how a group public speaking assignment can impact the overall level of public speaking anxiety experienced by business students in a required oral communication course. Two established and widely-used instruments, the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) and the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), were used to establish students' level of communication apprehension. In addition, two supplemental surveys were developed to collect …

Faculty As Institutional Agents For Students Enrolled In Developmental Education, Jennifer Jane Swartout

Theses and Dissertations

Using focus groups, this study sought to understand whether instructors at community colleges who teach developmental education perceive that they act as institutional agents. Institutional agents are instructors who go beyond classroom instruction to advocate for students, provide regular advice and guidance, or act as a "bridge" to resources for the purposes of helping the student build social capital within the institution. The findings of this study suggest that faculty are committed to helping students in developmental education adapt to and be successful in college. However, the conditions under which most instructors work can make it difficult for them to …

Undocumented Hispanic Students And The Postsecondary Transition: A Narrative Perspective, Alfred Trafford

Theses and Dissertations

Undocumented students transition to college in extremely low numbers due to a high degree of marginalization, inequity in access to higher education, and constitutional confusion regarding federal and state issues of supremacy and inferiority in immigration, tuition, and financial aid policies. Such students must contend not only with traditional challenges of teenagers in high school "including identity and development concerns and academic and social pressures" but also with the issue of not being in the United States legally. A narrative strategy of inquiry was used to collect, analyze, and interpret data from extensive participant interviews and a research journal; the …

For-Profit Higher Education Students: How Are They Different?, Brian James Young

Theses and Dissertations

The for-profit higher education sector has been part of the higher education landscape for over 200 years (Kinser, 2006). For the most part, this sector enrolled students who differed from students who attended public and private nonprofit institutions. Students at for-profit institutions were older working adults with children of their own, or who enrolled in higher education to enhance their careers. Accordingly, they had no time for pageantry, sports teams, and other extracurricular activities (Kinser, 2006). Notably, administrators at nonprofit institutions lacked interest in recruiting these students, because they did not fit into norms of their institutions (Deming, Goldin, & …

A Democracy, If We Can Keep It: Democratic Engagement Policy In Higher Education, Maegan Gorham

Theses and Dissertations

Students will be called upon as American citizens to be knowledgeable, engaged, contributing citizens, and higher education plays a part in the development of this role. Engagement must surpass simple volunteerism in order to more fully realize the potential benefit of democracy and democratic engagement activities. In turn, institutions must respond effectively and responsibly, making informed decisions about educating all students in the safest manner possible. This exploratory policy analysis, with embedded legal research, explores the policy issue, "Is higher education the appropriate venue for instruction on democratic engagement and, if so, do the benefits and rewards of instruction on …

The Impact Of Military Experience On The Higher Education Experiences Of Veterans, Jeff Dougherty

Theses and Dissertations

Veterans have been an integral part of the student population on higher education campuses since the conclusion of World War II. The purpose of this study was to examine veterans' perceptions of how their military experiences affected their experience as college students. Twenty-six veterans were interviewed at six Illinois higher education institutions. Study findings suggest five ways in which the military experience helped veterans adjust to college: (a) veterans were experienced with group collaboration; (b) veterans held high expectations of themselves; (c) veterans were organized and task-oriented; (d) veterans were experienced learners, and; (e) veterans had experience and ability to …

Best Forms Of Involvement For First-Year Student Veterans For Academic Success, Saipraseuth Chaleunphonh

Theses and Dissertations

This study expands the research for the transition of student veterans utilizing the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill enacted in 2008. It presents a quantitative approach to study the relationship between first-time, full-time student veterans and their non-veteran student counterparts in the area of transition to college life and academic success in the first-year of college. Transition to college life is measured through variables that represent pre-entry attributes, skills gained or lost, and student involvement. The results of the study contribute to the efforts of campus professionals to coordinate services and direct resources in order to better serve and increase the academic …

Transitioning To A Standards-Based Grading Model At The Middle Level: A Case Study, Jeffrey Scott Szymczak

Theses and Dissertations

Report card grades have long been a part of the system of communication used in our schools to signify student achievement. Letter grades have been with us for centuries, but it was not until recently that educators began recognizing there may be a better way to communicate what a student knows and can do for parents and other schools. While standards-based grades have been common at the elementary level, middle and high schools have been slow to put them to use.

This phenomenological case study was of a seventh and eighth grade school in northeast Illinois in 2013 in the …

Illinois Teacher Evaluation Student Growth Component: A Predecision-Making Policy Analysis, Joshua Robert Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

ILLINOIS TEACHER EVALUATION STUDENT GROWTH COMPONENT:

A PREDECISION-MAKING POLICY ANALYSIS

Joshua R. Olsen

122 Pages May 2015

Public school districts in Illinois are going to face massive changes to their evaluation systems in the coming years. Thanks to the adoption of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010 and Senate Bill 7 of 2011, teacher evaluation must contain student growth as a significant factor, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year. Not only must student performance on tests become part of the evaluation of teachers, but, moreover, teacher evaluation will play a greater role in the hiring, retention, and release of …

Socially Promoted Students' Lived Experience Of Transition Into High School, Anthony Hadzimichalis

Theses and Dissertations

Educational leaders nationwide cannot decisively agree on a preference for either social promotion or grade retention. Throughout history varied opinions have stimulated divergent public policy and practice. The longstanding divergence becomes understandable in light of consistently inconclusive achievement results. Nevertheless, social promotion and grade retention are commonly practiced in a number of New Jersey Public Schools. This study will undertake qualitative research into student experiences of social promotion. It will strive to understand the factors that contribute to some low achieving students passing later grades on merit while others continue to fail. Given this inconsistency of outcome, it is fitting …

Nurturing Young Learners In Practice: A Case Study Of Key Teacher Dispositions That Support Child Centered Practice In An Urban Preschool Environment, Lorraine Ricchezza

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines an educator's disposition to positively impact children's cognitive and social emotional development in the preschool setting as evidenced in child centered practices that arouse curiosity, foster social interaction, and promote children's learning as expressed in interpersonal interactions that affirm differences among young children in an urban preschool setting. Through examination and interpretation, this study delineates educator perspectives on child differences and reciprocal relationships as integral to developmentally appropriate practice. Seven female educators at the ABC Elementary School in Urban City, New Jersey participated in this study. This study involved key data sources. During 8 months of data …

Raising The Bar: The Stories Of Ged Graduates Transitioning To Community College, David Weatherspoon

Theses and Dissertations

RAISING THE BAR: THE STORIES OF GED GRADUATES

TRANSITIONING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

David Weatherspoon

216 Pages January 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the educational stories of GED graduates' pursuit of a college degree. The analysis captures the shared experiences of a select number of students' challenges and barriers during their transition to college. This research explores the links between the concepts of social and cultural capital and locus of control (behavior) by examining how these concepts are logically interrelated. The students were purposefully selected to participate based on their involvement in the community college GED transition …

Delivering The Parent-Implemented Communication Strategies ( Pics ) Intervention Using Distance Training And Coaching With A Father And His Child Who Is Hard Of Hearing, Marc Daczewitz

Theses and Dissertations

Many children with disabilities (i.e., deaf/hard of hearing; DHH) experience language delays (Sarant, Holt, Dowell, Rickards, & Blamey, 2009). Parents of children who are DHH can mediate their children's language delays with responsive communication (Guralnick, 2011; Pressman, Pipp-Siegel, & Yoshinaga-Itano, 1999; Warren & Brady, 2007). This study is a partial replication of the Parent-Implemented Communication Strategies (PiCS) Project (Meadan, Angell, Stoner, & Daczewitz, 2014). The PiCS project was implemented with 11 parents and their children with various disabilities (e.g., Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder). These parents were trained and coached to use naturalistic teaching strategies (i.e., environmental arrangement, modeling, mand-model, …

How A Secondary School As An Organization Defines And Embeds The Term College Readiness, Michele Critelli

Theses and Dissertations

With the many reforms and initiatives regarding college readiness, understanding how organizations use rhetoric to determine and define what college readiness is and what it looks like can either reinforce dominant institutional structures and practices, or create new definitions and understanding leading to institutional change. Through a rhetorical framework (Alvesson, 1993), members of an organization are not only conformists but also strategic agents who through the use of rhetoric construct and shape knowledge and institutional life. A case study was conducted of one secondary high school that included administrators and teachers who work within the context of college readiness. Through …

An Examination Of What Principals Do To Create A Positive School Climate For Teachers In Elementary Schools And How Teachers Perceive Those Efforts, Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

AN EXAMINATION OF WHAT PRINCIPALS DO TO CREATE A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE FOR TEACHERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND HOW TEACHERS PERCEIVE THOSE EFFORTS

By Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015

Director: Whitney Sherman Newcomb, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Educational Leadership

School of Education

This qualitative study of elementary school climate explored the actions principals take to create or maintain a positive school climate for their teachers and teachers’ perceptions of those efforts. The study included individual …

Place-Based Scholarship Program Design, Context, And Intergenerational Mobility: A Case Study Of The Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship Program, Arielle F. Niemeyer

Theses and Dissertations

Earning a college degree correlates with achieving financial security. Thus, improving an individual’s access to college is a key tactic used to mitigate poverty and foster intergenerational mobility. Despite the recognized value of higher education, earning a degree remains unattainable for many because of financial constraints. However, research definitively demonstrates that financial aid overcomes that obstacle. It also reveals that some program designs are more effective than others. The Kalamazoo Promise is a place-based scholarship program that offers four-year, full-tuition scholarships to residents who graduate from a Kalamazoo public high school. It is characterized by first-dollar and universal eligibility features, …

Reflective Judgment: Can Problem-Based Learning Approach Make A Difference?, Nicole Marie Cavanagh

Theses and Dissertations

For counselors to be successful in current and future practice, they must be proficient reflective thinkers and be able to use reflective judgment skills to manage the daily complex problems presented by complex clients. Reflective thinking and reflective judgment are not elements of counseling curricula unless faculty explicitly design learning activities to develop these skills.

This study examined the relationship between reflective judgment and problembased learning (PBL) by comparing pretest and posttest scores on the Reasoning about Current Issues test. Data was collected from a convenience sample of graduate level Counselor Education Ed.S students at the University of South Carolina …

Academic/Success Coaching: A Description Of An Emerging Field In Higher Education, Claire E. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Designed as exploratory and descriptive research, this study aims to understand the purpose, content, and the perceived effectiveness of academic/success coaching programs in higher education. The research provides a quantitative analysis of 160 coaching programs from 39 states designed to assist undergraduate students in their academic and collegiate success. Because “academic coaching” or “success coaching” is a relatively new concept on college campuses, little empirical evidence exists to support this role and differentiate it from other campus services such as academic advising, counseling, mentoring, and tutoring. In order to capture the current roles and responsibilities of coaches, a survey was …

Principals’ Preparedness For, And Experiences Of, Crisis Events At School, Patricia Daughtry

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, principals in the low country region of South Carolina were surveyed to assess their perceived preparedness for, and experiences of, crisis events in their schools. This study replicated a study, conducted by Adamson and Peacock (2007), which was presented in an article entitled Crisis Response in the Public Schools: A Survey of School Psychologists’ Experiences and Perceptions. Although their research was important, the population was limited to school psychologists. A literature review revealed no research on lessons learned from school principals. Since principals are responsible for managing the school from the moments following a crisis through the …

The Essence Of Alternative Education: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of At-Risk Secondary Alternative School Students, Latunya Glenn Means

Theses and Dissertations

What do the lived experiences of at-risk high school students reveal about the essence of alternative education? This phenomenological study sought to reflectively examine the experiences of at-risk students who are being educated in a large, Type II, alternative school in South Carolina. The research participants are high school students-- grades 9-12--who have spent at least one year in a traditional high school setting and at least one year in the County Alternative Program (CAP). The literature review highlighted the historical role of high schools in the United States, the role of high schools, high school redesign and the evolving …

The Influence Of Academic And Social Self-Concept On College Student Withdrawal, Elizabeth Orehovec

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study explored students’ self-reported, pre-college academic self-concept and students’ self-reported, pre-college social self-concept and the likelihood of student withdrawal prior to their second year. Additionally, the interaction between academic self-concept and social self-concept and first-year academic performance were examined. Using data from the University of South Carolina, three binary logistic regression models were run to determine whether academic self-concept and social self-concept were significant predictors of student withdrawal and/or whether or not the self-concept variables moderated the relationship between students’ first-year academic performance and student withdrawal. Additional academic, financial, and demographic pre-college attributes were selected as control variables …