Digital Commons Network^™

Transition To College: Nonacademic Factors That Influence Persistence For Underprepared Community College Students, Ann M. Paulson

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Community colleges provide access to higher education for a broad range of students. The majority require ‘remedial’ coursework in reading, writing and, especially, math. Most students who begin with this remedial coursework do not go on to earn a certificate or degree. Low levels of college graduation have high direct cost, adversely affect the U.S. economy and contribute to socioeconomic inequity.

The literature review shows that both academic and nonacademic factors influence both completion of remedial coursework and completion of first year in college. It introduces research on a variety of strategies for increasing completion and persistence for underprepared students. …

Do Credit-Based Transfer Programs Have An Impact On Intellectual Development From Secondary Education To Post-Secondary Education?, James Uhlenkamp

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This descriptive, retrospective quantitative study identified the influence that credit-based transfer programs have on the intellectual development positions of college matriculates at a private, residential, church-affiliated master’s degree granting university in the Midwest. This determination presents a better success measure for credit-based transfer programs than the measures used in previous studies: academic momentum, persistence rate, college grade point average, and degree attainment. People transitioning through intellectual development positions gain critical thinking skills and adopt more of the habits of mind and of working that characterize a well-educated person.

An evaluation database developed for the target university’s first-year experience program provided …

Improving Student Learning: Examining The Teacher Knowing-Doing Gap, Gary S. Nunnally

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Research literature is full of research-based instructional strategies that highly effective teachers utilize on a consistent and systematic basis. And, it is well known that in multiple fields there exists a gap between what people know and what they actually do, commonly referred to as the knowing-doing gap. This study sought to examine whether this same gap exists in the field of education. In other words, this study sought to describe what high school mathematics, science, English, and social studies teachers know about effective instructional strategies and what they actually do in their classrooms.

The researcher reviewed studies, books, journal …

Nebraska Public School Administrators’ Perceptions Of Preschool Education, Jacqueline M. Florendo

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this research study was to examine Nebraska public school administrators’ perceptions about Pre-K and its impact on student achievement for at-risk children. The research study provided information on factors that influence school administrators’ decisions to provide Pre-K programs. Demographic data was gathered from each participant so common group data, such as rural and non-rural disaggregated data, could be used to better analyze results and identify restrictions to implementation of Pre-K programs in schools and school districts.

An explanatory, sequential, mixed methods study was conducted during the spring and summer of 2012. The study initially gathered data using …

Gaining Insight Into Hispanic Students’ Postsecondary Plans, Neel A. Brown

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While the growth of the Hispanic population in the United States is outpacing other ethnicities, college enrollment and graduation rates of Hispanic students continue to lag behind other groups. This longitudinal, qualitative case study explored when, how, and why a sample of Hispanic high school seniors at a large high school in North Central Texas made decisions regarding their postsecondary educational and career choices.

The foundation of this research relied on a series of 39 individual interviews with 13 Hispanic high school students over the course of their 2012 senior year. Analysis of the data uncovered themes regarding family influence, …

Women In Nontraditional Occupations: A Case Study Of Worker Motivation, Katherine Wesley

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupation Act (WANTO Act) of 1992 highlighted an urgent matter facing the American workforce that persists today. The urgent matter in 2012 involves the precarious effect of demographics on the American labor market, placing women at the crux of engaging opportunity or maintaining status quo.

Women must be empowered and encouraged to seek employment opportunities they have never considered, e.g. male-dominated, nontraditional occupations, for the U.S. to keep pace with labor market needs. The need amplifies the myriad of issues for women in male-dominated, nontraditional occupations.

Among the barriers confronting women is the persistence …

Mentoring Functions Within The American Council On Education (Ace) Fellows Leadership Development Program: A Mixed Methods Study, Sheri Grotrian-Ryan

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine and better comprehend the concept of mentoring within the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program. This study addressed the functions of mentoring and how they applied to those participating in the ACE Fellows Program—from the Fellows’ (or protégés’) perspectives. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used, and it involved collecting quantitative data followed by qualitative data. Due to the fact there is a shortage of campus leaders because of increased retirement, gaining knowledge in how to develop future administrators would be beneficial. Such a mixed methods study proposed what functions …

A Study Of The Job Satisfaction Of Nebraska School Superintendents, Troy L. Unzicker

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of job satisfaction of superintendents in the state of Nebraska. The study investigated the relationship between levels of job satisfaction with gender, age, compensation, experience, degree attainment, and school size. This study replicated the work of Dr. Kenneth Nelson (1987) to determine the degree of job satisfaction for current superintendents working in the state of Nebraska.

This study answered the degree to that superintendents in Nebraska are satisfied with their jobs. The study also determined the areas which bring the greatest satisfaction to superintendents. These factors of satisfaction will help …

The Impact Of Students' Academic And Social Relationships On College Student Persistence, Lindsay K. Wayt

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this research study was to determine the connection between students’ relationships and their choice to persist at a post-secondary institution. Although other literature has centered around why students chose to leave an institution or the importance of student involvement and engagement, this study focused on who is most influential in encouraging students to work toward their degree attainment. The study includes results of the influence of peers, family, college faculty, and college student affairs staff on student persistence decisions. This research sought to make a contribution to the literature on retention and attrition issues at colleges and …

The Lived Experiences Of Faculty Who Use Instructional Technology: A Phenomenological Study, Heath V. Tuttle

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of university faculty who adopt technology for teaching and learning purposes and to determine if adoption affected the way a person taught, worked, and lived. A review of the literature found a gap in the understanding of the lived experiences of faculty who teach with technology, and this study was designed to help fill that gap.

Using a purposeful sampling method with a reputational technique, I targeted 20 faculty members who used technology to teach. The phenomenological method provided an understanding of their experiences as …

Perceptions Of Nebraska Teachers Regarding The Transition From Stars To Nesa And Its Perceived Influence On The Implementation Of A Balanced Assessment System, Jamie S. Isom

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to explore the perceptions of Nebraska teachers about their experiences in the transition from STARS to NeSA. The study explored their perceptions of the influence of the transition on implementation of a balanced assessment system. As defined by NDE, a balanced system included NeSA testing, local criterion-referenced assessments, and national norm-referenced testing. The timing of this study was concurrent with the transition from the STARS assessment system to the NeSA assessment system in Nebraska.

Parallel studies of teachers and administrators consisted of administrators and teachers in 166 public school districts within …

Senior-Level Administrators’ Leadership In Internationalizing A Public Research University In The Midwest: A Case Study, Sylvia S. Jons

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The importance of the internationalization of higher education is well documented, however there is little research that focuses on senior level administrators and their pursuit in developing an internationalization strategy. Internationalization as defined by Knight (2004) is “the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary education”. This case study addressed this pursuit and examined the process that university top-level administrators use in internationalizing a public research university in the Midwest. A case study is the appropriate qualitative research method because it explored senior-level administrators pursuit of internationalization within a bounded …

Generativity In Young Adults: Comparing And Explaining The Impact Of Mentoring, Lindsay J. Hastings

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this embedded explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the impact of mentoring relationships on generativity in college students. Generativity refers to concern for establishing and guiding the next generation The first, quantitative phase compared generatvity levels among general college students, college student leaders who do not mentor, and college student leaders who mentor through a program called Nebraska Human Resources Institute (NHRI) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Data were collected via surveys (N = 273) using the Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS), the Generativity Behavior Checklist (GBC), and the Personal Strivings measure. A multivariate …

Color Them Pink: An Exploratory Study Of Women And Other Underrepresented Minorities In Master's Stem Programs, Maggie J. Jobes

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This quantitative, exploratory study was designed to examine and compare socialization and mentoring in two groups of students, and the influence these factors had on their ranking of academic and overall experience in Master’s degree level science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) programs at a large, Midwestern university. The subjects were University of Nebraska-Lincoln Master’s degree recipients who had completed the Master’s Degree Graduate Studies Exit Survey and had identified themselves as being part of a STEM graduate program. Literature displayed the underrepresentation of women and individuals of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds in STEM fields and particularly in graduate …

Creating Experiences That Matter: A Qualitative Study Exploring Honors Program Peer Mentoring And Self-Authorship Development, Samantha K. Mosier

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this case study was to explore the role that peer mentoring in a university honors program plays in self-authorship development for the student mentors at Midwestern University. Self-authorship was identified through participant responses identified in the three actions grounded in Baxter Magolda’s (2001) Learning Partnerships Model: (a) validate students as knowers, (b) situate learning in students’ experiences, and (c) define learning as mutually constructed meaning.

Research on student, peer-to-peer mentor relationships is often focused on the mentee rather than the mentor, so the goal of this research was to look further into the role and experiences of …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Late-­‐Night Programs To Curb Underage Alcohol Consumption, Kathryn E. Reising

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research study explored the effectiveness of late-night programming as a tool to deter underage alcohol consumption of students. At the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Campus NightLife provided these late-night activities for students as an alternative to drinking. A survey was completed by student attendees of two Campus NightLife events in the Fall 2011 semester to gauge if students attending late-night programming sponsored by Campus NightLife (CNL) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln were satisfied with the types of programs being put on by CNL and were choosing to attend these events as an alternative to engaging in …

Sorority Life: Would You Do It All Over Again?, Lorena Zamarripa-Lovo

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and compare the joining experiences of women in Traditional Greek Sororities and Latina-Based Greek Sororities at a Midwestern Predominantly White Institution (PWI). In this study, experience was based on how the students learned about Greek life, the process of joining the sorority, the expectations students had of their sororities, and whether or not the participants would have joined the sorority if they had known what they knew about sorority life at the time of their interviews. There were eleven participants who were interviewed as part of the research. The participants were …

The Third Culture: Exploring The Experiences Of International Graduate Assistants At A Public, Four-Year Institution In The United States, Stephanie Herzog

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of international graduate assistants at a public, four-year institution in the Southwestern U.S. This study concentrated on graduate-level (both master’s and PhD) international students who were at the time the research was conducted, employed within a graduate assistantship. The study was conducted in order to identify the essence of the phenomenon of being an international graduate assistant in the U.S. Explicitly, this study addressed how international graduate assistants simultaneously balanced the threefold experience of being an international student, pursuing a graduate-level degree, and working within a professional capacity …

Reclaiming Our Voice: Strengths First-Generation African American Males Use To Succeed In College, Kelly A. Irby

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to add to the small body of literature exploring the successes of African American males in college. In this particular study, I sought to explore the strengths that first-generation African American males perceived as important to their success at a primarily White institution in the Midwest. Personal interviews were utilized to learn which self-identified strengths were important to success in college for each participant. The result was a candid portrait of the difficulties African American males face and an in-depth understanding of the strengths they utilized to overcome difficulties and succeed.

This study explored …

An Analysis Of Final Course Grades In Two Different Entry Level Mathematics Courses Between And Among First Year College Students With Different Levels Of High School Mathematics Preparation, Carrie Muir

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study compared the performance of first year college students with similar high school mathematics backgrounds in two introductory level college mathematics courses, a College Algebra course and a Quantitative Reasoning (QR) course, and to compare the performance of students with differing high school mathematics backgrounds within each course. High school mathematics backgrounds were measures three ways: using the binary minimum preparation standards of the college, using levels defined by those standards and high school academic data, and levels defined only by high school academic data. Performance in college courses was considered in two ways: final grades and a binary …

Freshman Year Living Arrangements And College Experiences For Local Students, Sara E. Sanchez

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate and compare the freshman-year college experiences of University of Nebraska-Lincoln students based on whether they lived in a residence hall or at home with their parent(s) or guardian(s) their freshman year. Specifically, the study’s participants were students with permanent addresses of Lincoln, Nebraska; this group was selected in order to focus on the lived experiences of students who had the option between remaining to live at home or moving onto campus for their freshman year. This is not an option for all incoming UNL freshman as there is a first-year live-on …

First Year Student Development: Sophomore Students' Perceptions Of Growth And Contributing Factors, Catherine B. Holbrook

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The first year of college is critically important to student success, often shaping the amount and nature of growth and learning over the entire collegiate career in complex and profound ways. For this reason, higher education experts have called for colleges and universities to establish integrated, intentional programs for new students with identified outcomes which are regularly assessed to evaluate effectiveness. The purpose of this concurrent nested study was to investigate how college sophomores perceived their personal development during the first year of college against 10 specific competencies and to understand what types of first year experiences contributed to any …

Chancellor’S Scholars Program: Exploring The Transitional Influence On Freshmen College Students, Alison P. Tepoel

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to explore the fears and situations of Hispanic freshmen students enrolled at a large Midwestern University who had received the Chancellor’s Scholarship and were participating in the 2011-2012 Chancellor’s Scholars Program through the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services at this University. How participation in the Chancellor’s Scholars Program aided them in the transition process was also determined. Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (1981) presented factors that influenced a person’s ability to cope with a transition: situation, self, support, and strategies, which are also known as the 4 S’s. These four categories were viewed in …

Minimizing Reading Regression Through A Direct Instruction Summer Reading Program, Donald J. Pechous

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Direct Instruction summer reading intervention program designed to minimize summer reading regression. The summer intervention program targeted the lowest quartile of readers in grades kindergarten through third grade from a suburban school district over a three-week period before the first official day of school. This intervention included specific and explicit teaching of skills to support reading fluency and comprehension. Data were collected and analyzed over three years from the district’s adopted curriculum-based measurement, AIMSweb Reading Curriculum-Based Measurement (R-CBM) and AIMSweb Test of Early Literacy (Phoneme Segmentation Fluency subtest). …