Digital Commons Network^™

From Discovery To Implementation Of Organic Chemistry Learning Models In Secondary And Post-Secondary Classrooms, Joy Ballard

Chemistry Dissertations

Three projects will be discussed that shape my future as a science educator. Discovery of chemical probes as anti-cancer agents provided a deep chemistry knowledge base. Analysis of engagement protocols gave insights into how to structure and train a group for successful group work. The design and implementation of a learning module provided practice developing and assessing learning activities for the secondary classroom.

Student Voice: A Qualitative Study Investigating Students' Experiences And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Practice Across Learning Levels, Lisa A. Moore

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Using a 360-degree approach, this qualitative case study compared the experiences of students and the perceptions of teachers concerning instructional practice across learning levels in a northwest Georgia high school. The purpose was to use student voice to inform administrators of teachers’ and students’ classroom engagement. Using nine math classes across three learning levels (foundations algebra, on-level algebra, and advanced algebra), the study used open-ended surveys to collect self-reported data from students and teachers to identify common themes of learning and teaching practices. The common themes identified agreements and collaborative strategies between students and teachers at three different learning levels …

Economic Engagement, Development, And Entrepreneurship: The Role Of Applied Public Service Colleges, Jason Jolley, Gilbert Michaud

eJournal of Public Affairs

This paper investigates the unique role of applied public service colleges in engaging with communities through economic development and entrepreneurship-related activities. Schools of public administration, affairs, and service are often distinctively tasked with being public facing, and connecting and working with outside agencies, nonprofits, and other stakeholders. Using a case study of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, we discuss the emerging engagement role of these types of schools through a typology of strategies brought forth by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. We outline seven specific programs run by the Voinovich School, and discuss …

Boys Will Be, Victoria Hoffman

Capstones

SocialJ Presentation

SocialJ Report

Reflection On Use Of The "Reacting To The Past" Pedagogy In A History Of Mathematics Course, Davida Fischman

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

This brief report provides a reflection on the use of the "Reacting to the Past" (RTTP) pedagogy in a History of Mathematics classroom. The conclusion is drawn that the RTTP pedagogy is very successful in engaging students in active learning, and appropriate games may be utilized to help students learn about the role of mathematics in historical developments as well as in society today.

Exploring The State-Of-Receptivity For Mhealth Interventions, Florian Künzler, Varun Mishra, Jan-Niklas Kramer, David Kotz, Elgar Fleisch, Tobias Kowatsch

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recent advancements in sensing techniques for mHealth applications have led to successful development and deployments of several mHealth intervention designs, including Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAI). JITAIs show great potential because they aim to provide the right type and amount of support, at the right time. Timing the delivery of a JITAI such as the user is receptive and available to engage with the intervention is crucial for a JITAI to succeed. Although previous research has extensively explored the role of context in users’ responsiveness towards generic phone notiications, it has not been thoroughly explored for actual mHealth interventions. In this …

Impact Of Customer Engagement, Brand Attitude And Brand Experience On Branded Apps Recommendation And Re-Use Intentions, Nusser Raajpoot, Beth Ghilni-Wage

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand the impact of customer engagement, brand attitude, and brand experience on branded apps recommendation and re-use intentions. Using structural equation modeling we test a causal model to establish the direct and mediated paths between constructs under study. We found that contrary to popular perceptions, customer engagement does not load directly on the recommendation or re-use intention suggesting that engagement on its own may not be sufficient to elicit recommendation or re-use intention. Other factors and contexts will be necessary to elicit recommendation etc. We also found that recommendation mediates the relationship between brand attitude …

Educating For Civic-Mindedness: Examining Student Impacts Of Academic Programs Of Community And Civic Engagement In Higher Education, Laura L. Minor

All Dissertations

Within the last decade, colleges and universities in the United States have embraced the “community engagement” model to fulfill their public missions and prepare their students for work within increasingly complex and diverse communities. The number of academic majors and minors in community engagement-related fields has multiplied across the country, yet there is little literature that examines their impact on students, and whether or not they are producing uniquely engaged citizens upon graduation. This quasi-experimental, quantitative study explores the effects of one such program on students at Central Connecticut State University. Graduates who have completed a minor in Community and …

Index Funds And The Future Of Corporate Governance: Theory, Evidence, And Policy, Scott Hirst, Lucian Bebchuk

Faculty Scholarship

Index funds own an increasingly large proportion of American public companies. The stewardship decisions of index fund managers—how they monitor, vote, and engage with their portfolio companies—can be expected to have a profound impact on the governance and performance of public companies and the economy. Understanding index fund stewardship, and how policymaking can improve it, is thus critical for corporate law scholarship. In this Article we contribute to such understanding by providing a comprehensive theoretical, empirical, and policy analysis of index fund stewardship.

We begin by putting forward an agency-costs theory of index fund incentives. Stewardship decisions by index funds …

College And Career Awareness In Elementary Schools, Veronica Martinez Gracida

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Greenfield Union School District provides the educational needs of students, K-6, who are economically disadvantaged, English learners, and special education. Data shows that students in the Greenfield Union School District have low academic performance in English, Mathematics, and other subjects. One reason for low academic performance is the lack of student engagement in school. The capstone project attempted to encourage student engagement, by increasing students’ knowledge and awareness about college and careers. Three 5th grade classes participated in the college activities. The capstone project consisted of four college awareness sessions. The sessions included activities which expanded students’ knowledge about career …

Relationship Between Membership In Honors College And Participation In High-Impact Activities And Perceived Gains, Clara H. Ohannes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigated the relationship between membership in the Honors College and senior-level students’ self-reported involvement in high-impact educational activities and their perceived gains from their college experience. This quantitative study analyzed secondary data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collected from senior-level students in Spring 2017 at a large, four-year, public research institution in the southeast United States.

A logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between the involvement in high-impact educational activities and Honors College membership. The relationship between Honors College membership and several high-impact activities were found to be significant (p<.05), which included participation in a leadership role, study abroad, research with faculty and a senior capstone experience. Since membership in Honors was found to significantly contribute to participation in four out of the six high-impact practices listed in NSSE, it could be said that generally, at the particular institution in this study, Honors students are more likely than Non-Honors students to participate in high-impact learning activities.

Then, …

Teachers And Administrators Explain How And Why Teachers Change Instructional Methods In A Pre-K Through Eight Catholic School, Judith A. Deeley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory study explored how and why teachers at four small Catholic schools in the state of Florida transformed by changing instructional methods to offer full integration of science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics (STREAM) approaches into learning experiences for grades pre-k through eight. There was a time up until the early 2000s that Catholic school enrollment was at capacity and did not require differentiation based upon unique student learning needs. However, students of current times reflect a higher need for educational approaches that are both differentiated and engaging.

“Teachers are required to teach more content and subjects …

Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Food Policy Coalitions In Strengthening Community Food Security In The United States., Joseph G. England Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity is experienced most acutely and addressed most innovatively at the community level to which the concept of community food security (CFS) finds purchase (Hamm and Bellows, 2003). In recognition of the many varying dynamics embedded in the CFS concept, Food Policy Coalitions have become an organizational model adapted by communities across the United States. While FPCs have grown in number considerably over the last decade, there remains a considerable lack of empirical research documenting evaluation and engagement methods, as well as strategies used to address community food security. This research, framed by the Community Coalition Action Theory, draws …

Teacher Engagement In Central European International Schools, Joseph Leonetti

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Employee engagement is a growing area of interest that organizational leaders are increasingly recognizing as central to organizational success. In an increasingly competitive market, international schools must also consider the importance of employee engagement. Current research on international schools include studies which focus on retention and turnover issues, yet research on teacher engagement in international schools is nonexistent, leaving a gap in the literature. This study followed an interpretive phenomenological analysis approach to investigate teacher engagement in Central Europe. A qualitative design utilized semistructured interviews to understand the lived experiences of 11 international school teachers and develop an understanding of …

Third-Wave Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, And Behavioral Activation, Sonny Misa, Mary Muhlenhaupt, Otd, Otr/L, Faota

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Learning Objectives

• Restate Active Participation, Just-right Challenge, Motivating and Rewarding, and Therapist as Coach in their own words
• Differentiate between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Third-wave Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Illustrate the difference between meditation and mindfulness
• Discuss the implication of extended Behavioral Activation for occupational therapy practice

Explicit Inclusion Of Fun In Instruction As A Catalyst For Academic Success, Kimberly Tyskiewicz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Low graduation rates, rising drop-out rates, and increasing apathy and disengagement in learning has prompted the need for new strategies and interventions in education. This case study provides an analysis of the perceptions of high school teachers related to the impact of the explicit, intentional inclusion of fun in direct instruction. The participants included approximately 20% of the faculty in a semirural high school of approximately 1,325 students. The case study involved individual interviews with half of the participants and the other half participating in a focus group conversation. Six participants in each group were observed. All comments and concepts …

Differentiated Homework: Impact On Student Engagement, Gearoid Keane, Manuela Heinz

Journal of Practitioner Research

This paper describes a mixed methods practitioner research study that aimed to enhance student engagement with homework. Based on a comprehensive literature review and data from a pre-study questionnaire, a differentiated homework strategy was designed by the teacher researcher. Students were assigned homework once a week to allow them to balance homework requirements more successfully with out-of-school activities. They were given a choice of three tasks each week, ranging from lower to higher difficulty levels. Task difficulty levels were not stated, nor were tasks ordered by difficulty. Students’ attitudes towards homework improved over the course of the study and completion …

Fear And Resistance Far From The Border: Human Rights And Student Engagement In Immigrant And Refugee Communities In Dayton, Ohio, Theophile J. Majka, Miranda Cady Hallett

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Similar to articles 23-27 of the UDHR, articles 25-31 of the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families specify equal access by immigrants to educational, vocational & health/social services and equality of living and working conditions and employment contracts.

Beginning in 2007, Professor Majka has involved students in his immigration classes in research on the challenges and obstacles immigrants and refugees in the Dayton area experience relevant for those areas specified by the Convention. Joined by students in Professor Linda Majka classes, students arranged and conducted interviews with representatives …

Gamification Of The Classroom: Seeking To Improve Student Learning And Engagement, Kyle Iverson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find how gamification of the classroom would affect middle school students in a northern suburban school district in Minnesota. This work was designed to find if student proficiency would increase because of gamification and if students would become engaged with the classroom material due to its implementation. Using three classes taught in this new setting and two classes taught in the standard of past years, test scores were measured and studied to find significant changes along with a survey to the gamified classes about their experience regarding engagement. The study found that …

The Difficulty Of Transfer And Academic Engagement Of Further Education Students When Progressing To Higher Education Environments, Glenn Affleck

Communications of the IIMA

The difficulty of students transferring from Further Education Colleges and progressing to Higher Education Universities in the United Kingdom is a well-known problem. The study presented here focuses on the ability of students to begin to engage with the subject of computer programming on transferring after 2 years of study at a further education college into a 3^rd year of a university programme. There is an assumption that there are environmental factors within the change that cause the problems of student engagement with their studies. The findings of this study concurs with difficulties for many students with beginning to …

Fostering And Evaluating Learner Engagement With Academic Literacy Support: Making The Most Of Moodle, Fiona Willans, Aluwesi Fonolahi, Ralph Buadromo, Tilisi Bryce, Rajendra Prasad, Sandhya Kumari

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This paper reports on the evaluation of an ambitious attempt to embed academic literacy support within a core content course for first-year students at the University of the South Pacific. The course is offered in both blended and online modes, catering for on-campus and off-campus students, respectively, using Moodle as the virtual learning environment (VLE). We begin by explaining how we have made the most of Moodle as a learning platform, enabling us to supplement the core content resources with additional components that support students’ academic literacy development, rather than sacrificing content to create this space. Since the additional material …

Predictors Of Involvement In Head Start Services Among Diverse Immigrant Families, Anne Day Leong, Francesca Longo

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Nearly 86% of Head Start preschools serve non-English speaking families. The Head Start preschool program has been shown to increase academic proficiencies in children entering kindergarten and has been particularly successful in helping immigrant children entering the U.S. education system. Family involvement in their child’s education as early as preschool has been correlated with positive academic and behavioral outcomes throughout childhood. Given the importance of Head Start services for immigrant families, this study seeks to better understand variables associated with involvement in Head Start among immigrant families. Data was collected from a diverse sample of immigrant and U.S. born families …

How Latino Male Students Perceive The Effects Of Social Engagement On Degree Completion, Gerardo Camacho Lewis

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Latino males are entering higher education at increasing rates, yet they are not graduating at the same rate as their peers. Latino males remain the smallest group to have a college degree, limiting opportunities for continuing education and obtaining gainful employment. The purpose of this study was to explore how Latino male university students perceive the effects of social engagement on degree completion. A hermeneutic, phenomenological approach was utilized enabling the study participants the opportunity to describe their experiences of the explored phenomenon and increase comprehension as to why they interpret their experiences in the manner that they do. Questionnaire …

What College Presidents Need To Know About Governing Boards, Randall Brumfield

Journal of Research on the College President

This article focuses on several keyaspects that college presidents and/or chancellors should bear in mind as they work with their governing boards. Above all else, presented here is the idea that organizational goals need to supersede individual goals, and that ultimately, the success of an institution is predicated on its ability to meet the needs of its society.

Barriers To Student Connectedness And Engagement: How Socioeconomic Status Affects Student Involvement, Dominic M. Manola

Dissertations

Today, as students prepare for post-secondary opportunities, a greater and greater emphasis is placed on the importance of engaging learners both in and out of the classroom. While many students are inclined to get involved, there is a growing number of young people who face barriers that prevent them from connecting and engaging in the high school experience. Importantly, socioeconomic status plays a key role in determining how engaged a student may be, as well as serving as a key identifier in what must be addressed to ensure more young people get involved in their academic and co-curricular learning. This …

Understanding The Development Of A Logic Model In A Multi-Agency Resource Centre, Alexandra M. Boston

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In response to social and economic decline in the downtown area of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, over thirty diverse community organizations collaborate to deliver services out of the Neighbourhood Resource Centre (NRC). This study seeks to uncover how the objectives of the NRC are being interpreted and enacted by community organizations, and how the organizations navigate diverse desired outcomes to create a logic model. Through participatory action research, the study sought to answer the research questions through field observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. An analysis of the data yields that, through collaboration and engagement the NRC has strengthened the …

Story Sharing In A Digital Space To Counter Othering And Foster Belonging And Curiosity Among College Students, Gina Baleria

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to discover how a single, relational intervention in a digital space focused on civil, respectful conversation across difference might influence digital media literacy (DML) among college students, with the goal of increasing college students’ sense of belonging and level of curiosity. The researcher used a phenomenological approach, exploring and describing the lived experiences of students who participated in a micro-engagement with an other through interviews (Creswell, 2014). This study investigated the main question: (a) How does a semi-structured, relational micro-intervention focused on civil, respectful conversation across difference influence college students’ sense of …

The Mentor & Mentee Perspective: Mentorship From Faculty And Staff For Black Male Students In Higher Education, Javaski D. Mcdonald

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Trends in academic statistics show a decline in enrollment, academic achievement, and program completion for Black male students in higher education. Research indicates a decline in Black student enrollments and graduation rates. This single qualitative case study was an exploration of perceptions of mentorship for Black male students among faculty and staff in higher education. Using social capital theory as a theoretical framework, the researcher analyzed the perceptions of mentorship by way of semistructured interviews with five faculty and staff members and five Black male students at a Texas university. The literature review revealed the numerous factors–social, environmental, mental, and …

Practicum Placements: An Innovative Opportunitiy To Foster New Skills For Future Professionals In A Cross-University Collaboration In Western Australia., Dawn Mcloughlin, Daniel Rozas Núñez

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Murdoch University in order to share its collaborative approach to supporting future generations of library professionals organised its first group practicum project in 2017. The project targeted a group of library students from Curtin University with an interest in science fiction. Seven students were recruited for a practicum placement to create a collection development report with recommendations on the management of the library’s Science Fiction Collection. The practicum project was a success, as the students delivered an industry relevant report in an environment that resembles the dynamics of a team project. The Library experience was also successful due to the …

An Examination Of Whether Perceived Stress Mediates The Effects Of Income On Engagement And Weight Loss Loss Outcomes In An Online Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention, Kristen Volz

Master's Theses

Individuals with lower income have higher rates of obesity and are underrepresented in weight loss treatment. Moreover, when individuals with lower income do enroll in face-to-face interventions, their adherence and weight loss outcomes are worse due to known treatment barriers, including unreliable transportation, lack of childcare, and scheduling constraints associated with multiple jobs and unconventional work hours. Because online interventions are asynchronous and can be accessed any time of day, they hold significant promise for reducing treatment barriers and improving adherence and weight loss outcomes in lower income populations. However, one drawback of online interventions is that they are self-directed, …