Digital Commons Network^™

Means To An End: A Qualitative Interview Study On Medical Students And Debt, Alberto Juan Diaz Jr

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, 43.4 million Americans owe 1.7 trillion dollars in student loan debt (Hanson, 2022). The American Association of Medical Colleges (2021) reported that 73% of medical students graduate with educational debt, of which the average medical student borrowed $203,062 in student loans. The problem addressed through this study is that as the narrative about student loan debt grows, the hegemonic understanding of debt revolves around the undergraduate student's experience and their eminent struggles regarding repayment of student loans and employment. However, limited research exists on how medical students understand and experience debt.

Several researchers have discussed the lack of understanding …

Neoliberalism And Kazakhstan's Emerging Higher Education Sysytem, Nazgul Bayetova

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union (USSR). The Kazakh Social Soviet Republic's Supreme Court declared the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in the early 1990s. The new market model in Kazakhstan has had a significant impact on its evolving higher education system. Less government spending and the creation of private universities in Kazakhstan were the core strategies that have been implemented under the neoliberal policies (Sabzalieva, 2017; Sagintayeva & Kurakbayev, 2015; Smirnova, 2014; Smolentseva, 2012; Smolentseva, Huisman, & Froumin, 2018). This study’s central question is how …

Discourse, Threats, And Affirmative Action: A Comparative Analysis Of Race-Based University Admissions Policies In Brazil And The United States, Linda D. Smith

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the early part of the 21^st century, both Brazil and the United States questioned the use of affirmative action policies that dictate the extent to which race is used as a factor in university admissions. This study compares discourse frameworks adopted by policymakers and subsequent affirmative action policies, in addition to Black enrollment trends in Brazil and the United States. This research contextualizes how three frameworks—justice, abstract liberal, and threat— shape race-based admission policies by examining demographic, admissions, and enrollment trends in both countries. I argue that discourse frameworks are a more reliable indicator than racial threat in …

The Activations Of Activism: An Ethnography Of Emotional Management, Gerson Sanchez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnography is to explore cultural context of college student activism, especially as it relates to identity. Much has been said about student activism in the higher education literature, but this literature has two major problems: first, it presupposes a pre-cursive existence of identity, and, second, it disconnects meaning-making from action. With regard to the first problem, activism scholars tend to take categories such as race, class, gender, and sexuality as given, thus reducing individuals to biological differences for the purposes of study. Instead of questioning how identities are created and constructed, such studies presuppose markers of …

A Qualitative Study Of The Fpcu Student Experience And Outcomes After Graduation Within The South Florida Region, Tania Frederic Abouzeide

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to explore why students enroll in for-profit colleges, outline their student experiences and present their post-graduate outcomes of obtaining a degree (i.e., increased salary, career progression, etc.) from an FPCU. With the rise of for-profit colleges, issues arise such as questionable recruiting practices, dismal graduation rates, poor job placements and minimal income increase and high student loan default rates (Deming, Goldin, & Katz, 2013; Heller, 2011; Macqueen, 2011; Yeoman, 2011). The discourse surrounding for-profit colleges at times does not consider the FPCU graduate perspective – those affected most by the FPCU notoriety. In this qualitative study, I …

Adoption, Stringency And Impact Of Performance Management Systems: The Case Of U.S. Public Higher Education, Lilia Silverio Minaya

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to a better understanding of performance management systems (PMS) by examining adoption, stringency, and impact of performance-based funding (PBF) in public institutions of higher education within the United States. The public sector has been under increasing pressure to be more accountable to stakeholders—that is, to perform better at lower cost. Yet, tracking the effectiveness of performance systems has been challenging, given the host of factors that affect results. Because of the growing use of performance systems, it is important to understand what factors affect the adoption and stringency of such systems, as well as their effectiveness.

Currently, …

A Qualitative Study Examining Camaraderie And Conflict Between Female Academic Advisors In One Higher Education Institution, Alexandra C. Lejarza

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women in higher education face several challenges including visibility, chilly work climates, and barriers to leadership positions. Research on women in academia has focused on faculty and leadership and less on the female staff working service jobs, such as the role of the academic advisor. This interpretive qualitative study uses one-on-one interviews with eight full-time, female academic advisors working in a single, public, 4-year university.

The interviews revealed the experiences of women working in this role, explored their intradepartmental climates, their career aspirations, and the interactions they have with their female coworkers. The objective of the study was to take …

Student Affairs Professionals In Higher Education Institutions Who Participate In Study Tours: A Qualitative Study, Michelle M. Castro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As colleges and universities are internationalizing their curriculum, there is a growing need for student affairs professionals to also become aware of and be familiar with internationalization and to become players in the global society. The present study focused on 12 participants who are currently student affairs professionals. The research focused on gaining an understanding and awareness of the role that international study tour experiences have on the professional and personal development of student affairs professionals. A qualitative research design was used for the study. Kolb’s Experiential Learning theory was used as the conceptual framework to explain the participants' experiences …

Why Black Collegiate Women Volunteer: A Perspective On Meaning Making Through Service With The Community, Nashira Williams

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies explain that participating in community service enhances relationships, positively contributes to one’s purpose, and provides life satisfaction with a specific focus on retention and degree attainment for those enrolled in college (Corporation for National and Community Service, 2007). The simultaneous increase of Black women attending colleges as universities increase outreach to drive community engagement does not align with the shift in the research of civic engagement that excludes the activity of young Black people and is counterintuitive to the historical underpinnings of political and educational transformations in the United States (e.g., Civil Rights Movement) (Hewins-Maroney, 2008).

The purpose of …

Latina Lesbian Students: Understanding Their Experiences And Perceived Sexual Identity Development At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Gisela P. Vega

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 15 Latina lesbian students and their perceived sexual identity development at a predominately Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI). Participants for this study were purposefully selected using criteria, convenience, and snowball sampling.

Using a conceptual framework comprised of the four tenets consistent across the spectrum of all sexual identity development models, participants’ experiences were described, analyzed, and interpreted to inform the study. Data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews, using an interview protocol, and were analyzed using inductive, deductive, and comparative analyses.

Three themes emerged during the inductive analysis: (a) the …

What We’Ve Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate: A Postmodern Analysis Of Representations Of Higher Education In Cinema, Carlos E. Gonzalez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to explore representations of higher education in film. In order to achieve that objective this study consisted of a narrative analysis of the themes that emerged in films regarding higher education. This study focused on films from the 1950s to the present. The narratives that emerged from the analysis of the films were compared and contrasted to the scholarly literature regarding higher education. The analysis of the films also included juxtaposing the film narratives to the work of postmodern theorists such as Michel Foucault in order to inform the claims made by the …

Higher Education In And For Rural Bolivia: Key Stakeholders' Perceptions Of The Educational Experiences Of Students Who Have Attended Unidad Académica Campesina Carmen Pampa., Claudio R. Merisio

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unidad Académica Campesina-Carmen Pampa (UAC-CP) is an institution of higher education located in the rural community of Carmen Pampa, in the Nor Yungas region of Bolivia. As articulated in its mission, the goal of UAC-CP is to prepare young Bolivians to serve their community as professionals with a commitment to bettering the lot of the poorest among them. This research attempted to answer a main question: What are the perceptions of key UAC-CP stakeholders of how the college prepares seniors and alumni to serve their communities as professionals? The sub-question was: What professional endeavors have seniors and alumni pursued upon …

Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions Of Study Abroad And Their Level Of Achievement Of Global Learning Outcomes, Claudia Grigorescu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study expanded on current research on study abroad and global learning, using the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI), and conducted at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, FL. The GPI assesses the holistic development of a global perspective in higher education within three domains and their respective FIU-determined equivalents: cognitive (global awareness), intrapersonal (global perspective), and interpersonal (global engagement). The main purpose of this study was to assess FIU’s undergraduate students’ perceptions of study abroad on their level of achievement of global awareness, global perspective, and global engagement. The secondary purpose was to determine how the students described their study …

Globalization And The Public Provision Of Higher Education: Empirical Evidence From Selected Countries, Claudette Nyang'oro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study was designed to examine the relationship between globalization as measured by the KOF index, its related forces (economic, political, cultural and technological) and the public provision of higher education. This study is important since globalization is increasingly being associated with changes in critical aspects of higher education. The public provision of education was measured by government expenditure and educational outcomes; that is participation, gender equity and attainment. The study utilized a non-experimental quantitative research design. Data collected from secondary sources for 139 selected countries was analyzed. The countries were geographically distributed and included both developed and developing …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Of Graduate Education Students' Understandings Of Instructor Power In A Higher Education Classroom, Antonio Delgado

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is a distribution center of knowledge and economic, social, and cultural power (Cervero & Wilson, 2001). A critical approach to understanding a higher education classroom begins with recognizing the instructor’s position of power and authority (Tisdell, Hanley, & Taylor, 2000). The power instructors wield exists mostly unquestioned, allowing for teaching practices that reproduce the existing societal patterns of inequity in the classroom (Brookfield, 2000).

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore students’ experiences with the power of their instructors in a higher education classroom. A hermeneutic phenomenological study intertwines the interpretations of both the participants …

Gre As A Predictor Of Graduate Student Success At A Hispanic Serving Institution Of Higher Education, Katherine Perez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accurately predicting the success of graduate students is an important aspect of determining which students should be admitted into graduate programs. The GRE is a pivotal factor to examine since it is one of the most widely used criteria for graduate school admission. Even though the GRE is advertised as an accurate tool for predicting first year graduate GPA, there is a lack of research on long term success factors such as time to degree and graduate rate (Luthy, 1996; Powers, 2004). Furthermore, since most studies have low minority sample sizes, the validity of the GRE may not be the …

The Role Of Community College Faculty In Teaching And Learning For Sustainable Development, Anouchka Rachelson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of community college professors regarding education for sustainable development (ESD). In-depth interviews with 14 professors from different disciplines were conducted. The participants taught at Miami Dade College, Florida, a Talloires Declaration signatory since 2006, and all had attended Green Studies professional development workshops. Written documents such as assignments and samples of student work were used for triangulation. The annual report of the college’s Earth Ethics Institute and its Web site served as additional sources. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for common themes. The Talloires Declaration’s …

The Mathematics Anxiety Of Bilingual Community College Students, Laura Hillerbrand Iossi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Math anxiety levels and performance outcomes were compared for bilingual and monolingual community college Intermediate Algebra students attending a culturally diverse urban commuter college. Participants (N = 618, 250 men, 368 women; 361 monolingual, 257 bilingual) completed the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) and a demographics instrument. Bilingual and monolingual students reported comparable mean AMAS scores (20.6 and 20.7, respectively) and comparable proportions of math anxious individuals (50% and 48%, respectively). Factor analysis of AMAS scores, using principal component analysis by varimax rotation, yielded similar two-factor structures for both populations -- assessment and learning content -- accounting for 65.6% of …

A Case Study Of The Ellison Model's Use Of Mentoring As An Approach Toward Inclusive Community Building, Claire Michele Rice

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Ellison Executive Mentoring Inclusive Community Building (ICB) Model is a paradigm for initiating and implementing projects utilizing executives and professionals from a variety of fields and industries, university students, and pre-college students. The model emphasizes adherence to ethical values and promotes inclusiveness in community development. It is a hierarchical model in which actors in each succeeding level of operation serve as mentors to the next. Through a three-step process--content, process, and product--participants must be trained with this mentoring and apprenticeship paradigm in conflict resolution, and they receive sensitivitiy and diversity training, through an interactive and dramatic exposition. The content …