Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating An Undergraduate Teacher Licensure Program As A Non-Traditional Student, Natalie R. Andzik, Gregory Conderman, David A. Walker, Kristen Koehler

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Nearly eight million “non-traditional” students face adversity beyond financial instability, childcare, or full or part-time work when seeking teacher licensure. They must manage logging clinical hours in schools far from home, feel isolated in cohorts of 18– 20-year-olds, and sometimes lack support and flexibility from their professors and advisors. We surveyed non-traditional, undergraduate, teacher licensure candidates at a large midwestern university to better understand current attending students' demographics and determine if any relationship(s) existed between variables related to logistical decisions, supports received, or barriers faced/encountered. We summarized findings from 53 participants and offered suggestions to university administrators, professors, and staff …

The Longitudinal Impact Of Covid-19 On Teacher Well-Being, Diana Janet Zaleski

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public-school teachers’ mental well-being. The present study surveyed a total of 4,926 public school teachers from across Illinois in the fall of 2019, 2020, and 2021. The survey measured teachers’ mental well-being using the Warwick-Edinburg Mental Well-Being Scale. The results found that on average, the mental well-being of public-school teachers significantly declined between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2021. The present study discusses the implications of these findings on school-based mental and behavioral health interventions for teachers.

The Implementation Of Personalized Learning In A Rural School District: A Case Study, Kathy House, Steve Miracle, W. Kyle Ingle

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

In this qualitative case study, we explored student and teachers’ experiences with the implementation of personalized learning in a rural Kentucky school district. Students revealed differences among teachers implementing personalized learning. Student engagement depended on their teachers’ willingness to adapt their instruction and learning environments for personalized learning. Teachers noted the need to release some of the control they have traditionally had and turn those responsibilities, to a degree, over to students. We also identified a need for teachers to have more training and support while transitioning to personalized learning; not only challenging them to change their mindset, but also …

Participation And Perceptions Of Resistance Training In Former Female High School Athletes, Craig Heuring

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Resistance training (RT) has been shown to better prepare athletes for the physical demands of their sport. However, former female high school athletes’ participation rates and perceptions of RT are unknown. The aim of this study was to identify key factors and themes influencing participation and perceptions of RT in this population. Former female high school athletes (n=73) between the ages of 18-24 years old completed an electronic questionnaire-based survey. The survey included a RT questionnaire and background questions regarding each participant’s high school athletic environment. We examined responses to identify how high school athletic environments may influence …

Components Affecting Volunteer Satisfaction Within The Ladies Professional Golf Association, Jacob Hollman

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Sport events are increasingly reliant on volunteers for the successful delivery of an event (Pauline, 2011). As the sport industry continues to grow so has the demands for volunteer operations. One must understand the points of satisfaction for volunteers as well as factors influencing their future intentions to volunteer. There has been substantial research on spectator satisfaction and motivation, but antecedents of volunteer satisfaction as well as intent to remain has been limited. Spectator satisfaction is described as, “expectations and perceptions about a service experience” (McDonald et al., 2018, p. 156). Spectator or fan satisfaction has been associated with numerous …

The Effects Of A Mental Skills Training Program On Rotc Cadets’ Physical Fitness Scores, Mackenzie Piatka

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to implement a mental skills training (MST) intervention to an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets’ regular physical fitness routine and examine effects and relationships with the cadets’ physical fitness scores and mood states. Male (n = 22) and female (n =9) cadets from the Army ROTC branch at Bowling Green State University completed a series of questionnaires at two time points, pre-mental skills training and post-mental skills training. The pre- and post-intervention questionnaires included: demographic and informational surveys, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Test of Performance Strategies

2- Short …

Realizing Unrealized Potential Through Cross-Gender Mentorship, David R. Perry

Graduate Student Publications

Much has been written on the concept of mentorship yet relatively little focuses on cross-gender mentorship (defined in this article as men mentoring or sponsoring women) and the benefits to the advancement of women.

This article addresses the question: To what extent can cross-gender mentorship enable female leaders to realize their full leadership potential and help their organizations achieve their objectives?

By integrating learning from personal experience, published research, and the application of Lewin’s force field model, I address ways for professionals of Organization Development and Change to transform organizations by realizing the full potential of their female (and male) …

Achievement Goal Orientation As A Predictor Of High-Impact Practice Participation For Postsecondary Students, Angie L. Miller

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Achievement goal orientation has been studied within education for decades, and previous research has linked the construct to student achievement and engagement. This study uses the 2x2 achievement goal orientation as a framework for exploring high-impact practice (HIP) participation for approximately 8,000 college students across 15 different institutions participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Through a series of binary logistic regression analyses, results suggest students who employ a mastery-approach orientation are more likely to partake in a variety of beneficial HIPs, such as learning communities, research with faculty, service learning, study abroad, culminating experience, and formal leadership …