Digital Commons Network^™

Online Networks In Institutions Of Higher Education: An Assessment Of Student Use, Norbaiduri Ruslan

Masters Theses

Online networks in university campuses are expected to enhance the learning process, an argument founded on the theories of Cognitive Apprenticeship, Situated Cognition, and Social Constructivism. However, the extent to which students use these networks should be a significant predictor of such benefits.

This study investigated the patterns of use of online networks in universities with a survey administered to 299 students enrolled in a random sample of undergraduate classes at Western Michigan University during the summer semester of 1998.

The findings show extensive use of email and the World Wide Web for activities that arguably benefit their education. Other …

An Examination Of Self-Efficacy In Master’S Level Counselor Trainees, Matthew G. Rushlau

Dissertations

This research is an investigation into changes in individuals’ belief of self-efficacy as they advanced through master’s-level counselor training. Differences were examined between reported levels of beliefs of self-efficacy for a group of 30 master’s students involved in counselor practicum training and 31 master’s students involved in basic counseling coursework. Participants completed the Counselor Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) (Larson et al., 1992) at the beginning and end of an academic semester. Data generated by the COSE included an overall score on beliefs of counselor self-efficacy along with five subscale scores of various aspects of counseling, consisting of Micro-Skills, Process, Difficult Client …

The Effects Of Counselor Skills Training On Levels Of Counselor Cognitive Complexity, David K. Duys

Dissertations

This study measured the impact of an intensive counseling skills training course on levels of cognitive complexity in novice counselors. Graduate level counseling students were assessed at the beginning of a basic counseling skills training course and again at the end of the course by obtaining written responses to a stimulus questionnaire. A control group was recruited consisting of other graduate counseling students who were taking other courses during the same time interval and who were not exposed to the basic counseling skills course. Participants in the control group were tested using the same instrument and their scores were compared …

A Study Of Local-Cosmopolitan Orientation With A University Support Staff, Sharon Carr

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the local-cosmopolitan orientation of a subset of university support staff members and to examine the relationship between that orientation and (a) gender, (b) age, (c) years of service, (d) percentage of business/financial tasks in one’s job, (e) percentage of time spent in direct contact with students, and (f) the self-perception of how essential one’s job is to the mission of the university. The local-cosmopolitan concept used was based on the definition by Qouldner (1957) and includes his three elements: loyalty, operational style, and reference group use. Each one of these elements, as …

The Role Of Ethnicity Among International Students In Adjustment To Acculturative Stress, Mohd Tajudin Hj Ninggal

Dissertations

This study examined whether there were differences in six acculturative stress themes among three Malaysian ethnic groups who were enrolled at Western Michigan University during the Fall, 1997 semester. The study also investigated whether the following demographic attributes: (a) gender, (b) academic major, (c) financial sponsorship, (d) family socioeconomic status, (e) type of residential setting, and (f) scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) affected Malaysian students in relation to the six acculturative stress themes: (1) Perceived Discrimination, (2) Homesickness, (3) Perceived Hate, (4) Fear, (5) Culture Shock, and (6) Guilt.

A total of 138 respondents …