Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Influencing Physical Therapy Career Choice, Ryan M. Babl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The physical therapy (PT) profession has a tradition of growth driven by interest and societal needs. Recent discrepancies in workforce modeling suggest looming issues impacted by declining application rates. Modern facilitators and barriers for entering the PT profession need exploration to assist key stakeholders in making informed decisions in recruitment.

Study Purpose: To explore how factors identified to influence individual’s choice of entering a healthcare career impact self-perceived likelihood of applying to an entry-level graduate PT program.

Methods: A univariant correlational research design was used to examine the extent of the relationship between predictive factors and students’ self-perceived likelihood …

A Comparison Of Student Academic Policies Across University Of Mississippi Medical Center (Ummc), Farrah Banks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project is a three-part Dissertation in Practice (DiP) that provides a comparison of academic student policies at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). For the purpose of this study, the term “student academic policies” relates to rules and procedures for grievances, student dismissals, sanctions, and suspensions. At UMMC, potential violations on the part of students can occur based on failure to maintain required academic standards or lapses in professional conduct. An important goal of the manuscript is to reflect on ways to help ensure consistency and fairness in academic student policies based on a comparison of academic standards …

Admission Officers' Perceptions Of Implicit Bias In The Admission Process, Christi Denise Hardy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although they are not involved in the decision making process, admission officers at institutions of higher learning could have a significant effect on the admission process. For the purposes of this research, admission officers are defined as the primary personnel assisting applicants to complete their applications through the collection of applications, fees, essays, transcripts, test scores, and other supplemental documents required by the institution for admission consideration. More specifically, their implicit biases could significantly affect the admission process. Research on implicit biases is on the rise, and studies investigating this issue in health care and hiring practices are abundant. Implicit …

Faculty Use Of Open Educational Resources: Attitudes, Norms, And Self-Efficacy As Behavioral Predictors., Jocelyn Tipton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary drivers of open educational practices, open educational resources (OER), and OER enabled pedagogy are the faculty who will help transform higher education in these domains. The purpose of this study was to understand factors that lead faculty to use OER and to learn how their use is related to teaching behaviors. It is broadly based on an OER Research Hub hypothesis that the use of OER leads to critical reflection by the educator with evidence of improvement in their practices. Within that hypothesis is the suggestion that the use of OER causes faculty to incorporate a wider range …

Learning Community Impact On Low-Socioeconomic Student Success In A 4-Year Public University, April Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Low-socioeconomic students often persist and graduate from institutions of higher education at lower rates than middle and upper-socioeconomic students. Learning communities are one proactive program established in higher education to support first-year students in their academic and social acclimation into college. However, learning community literature tends to focus on the success of the participant population as a whole. This study sought to contribute to existing learning community literature and low-socioeconomic student literature by measuring learning community impact on low-socioeconomic student academic success in terms of GPA, same-institution retention, and same-institution degree completion within six years. This quantitative study measured GPA, …

Factors Affecting Perceptions Of Cybersecurity Readiness Among Workgroup It Managers, Thomas A. Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number, frequency, and scope of cyberattacks, both in the United States and abroad. This upward trend necessitates that a significant aspect of any organization’s information systems strategy involves having a strong cybersecurity profile. Inherent in such a posture is the need to have IT managers who are experts in their field and who are willing and able to employ best practices and educate their users. Furthermore, IT managers need to have awareness of the technology landscape in and around their organizations. After many years of cybersecurity research, large corporations have …

Development Of Cobalt And Iron Catalysts Bearing Rigid Polydentate Ligands For Proton Reduction And C-H Bond Oxidation, Lizhu Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The demand for energy consumption has increased exponentially since the Industrial Revolution. The major source of this energy has been and continues to be fossil fuels. The depletion of fossil fuels and environmental concerns associated with their combustion has motivated us to develop a renewable energy alternative to meet future energy demands. Hydrogen is a clean energy alternative to fossil fuels, which can be generated from solar-driven water splitting. However, more efficient and inexpensive catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are needed. In this context, hydrogen production has been investigated with a stable and highly reactive cobalt-based catalyst. While …

The Relationship Between Note-Taking Method And Grade Point Average When Controlling For Act Score And Self-Regulation Ability In Undergraduate Students, Donna Lee Gurley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A sample of 130 students from a mid-sized research university in the southern United States were asked questions about their note-taking practices, particularly about the percentage of classes in which they had taken notes on a laptop for both the previous semester and for their entire undergraduate career. Note-taking method was then entered as an independent variable along with composite ACT score and each students' score on the Self Regulation Survey (SRS) (Schwarzer, Diehl, & Schmitz, 1999) into a multiple regression analysis to determine the extent to which there is a relationship between note-taking method and grade point average. No …

Experiences Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Mississippi Community Colleges, Krystal Michelle Berry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Paper Chase: Perceptions Of The Pursuit Of Academic Scholarly Productivity Among Faculty Writing Group Participants, Deidra Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnography uses the researcher’s personal journey from professional writer to emergent academic scholar to examine the perceptions of the frequent pursuit of academic scholarly productivity among faculty writing group (FWG) participants. The case study, based at a Southeastern U.S. research-intensive university, adds to extensive analyses of FWGs as a means of faculty development that positively influences the frequency of scholarly work; it is significant because unlike most studies on FWGs, this study focuses on understanding more deeply the sway that “publish or perish” directives hold on FWG participants, delving into faculty reactions to academe’s explicit pressures that professors regularly …

Black Space On A White Campus; Exploring The Relationship Between African American Students And The Physical Structure Of The University Of Mississippi, Drew Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the University of Mississippi, despite institutional efforts to distance the present from the past, issues of race continue to influence the campus and the experiences of African-American students. This thesis examines the relationship between the physical structure of the university of Mississippi campus and African American students, and investigates the creation of "counter-publics." this thesis analyzes works in critical race theory, higher education, and social geography to argue that the "whiteness" of the university of Mississippi campus creates social and educational barriers for African American students. Furthermore, along with being surrounded by "whiteness," African American students lack any physical …

Natural Disasters, Incidents Of Mass Violence, And Preparedness On A College Campus: A Study Of University Faculty And Staff, Marcela Caroline Weber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to examine previous disaster impact, threat perception, self-efficacy, and sex as predictors of university employees’ preparedness for natural disasters and incidents of mass violence. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with faculty and staff members (N = 410) at a medium-sized university located in the southern United States. Employees’ sex, disaster experience, impact of that experience, perceived threat, and self-efficacy were examined as predictors of actual preparedness, across a range of natural disasters and incidents of mass violence. Drawing from the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM; Figure 1), a moderated mediation model (Figure 2) was …

Exploring The Use Of Criminal Background Checks In Higher Education: Perceptions Of Leaders At Four Institutions Of Higher Education In Mississippi, Tiffany Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Criminal background checks as a requisite for employment is not a new idea, specifically when recruiting for security sensitive job positions. In recent years, this practice has become increasingly widespread within the workforce, not only with businesses, but also with institutions of higher education. Four institutions of higher education within the state of Mississippi were randomly selected for this qualitative, phenomenological study. The researcher sought an answer to the following question: how has the use of criminal background checks transformed the nature of recruitment and hiring on university campuses? To answer this question, the researcher explored historical practices at each …

A Study Of Retention Rates Among Non-Resident Students Enrolled In Freshman Retention Programs, Chelsea Welch Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: this mixed methods, relational design involved a Qual-Quan sequential exploratory design to determine the relationship between two freshman retention programs, cohort-based and non-cohort based freshman year experience (fye) courses, and the retention of academically less-prepared, non-resident students at a Southern University (SU). Structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted for the qualitative purposes of this study. Qualitative data was obtained from 31 non-resident, first-year students at SU enrolled in either the non-cohort fye course (n=22) or the cohort-based fye course (n=9). Of the 31 participants, 14 were male, and 17 were female and, at the time of interview, all …

Relationship Of Self-Efficacy In Community College Students From Critical Need Areas With First Semester Academic Achievement, Elmira Ratliff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if a relationship existed between the self-efficacy levels of freshman year community college students from critical need areas and their first semester academic achievement during their freshman year. Additionally, this research determined the strength of the relationship between self-efficacy levels and first semester grade point average of students from critical need areas. The study was conducted using three community colleges in the state of Mississippi during the 2013-2014 academic school year. The sample included one hundred and fifty males and one hundred and fifty females with a permanent address and school …

Factors That Shape The Crisis Management Styles Of Former And Current Senior Level Student Affairs Administrators At The University Of Mississippi, Shannon Baker Richardson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Campus crisis intervention and management are hot topics among student affairs professionals and the world of higher education. Policies and protocols surrounding crisis preparation and response have received much publicity through research studies and peer-reviearticles. However, little material has been published regarding the factors that contribute to the crisis management styles of student affairs administrators—leaders that are on the front lines when a crisis occurs. This dissertation is a phenomenological study of seven past and present senior-level student affairs administrators at The University of Mississippi. These seven administrators were intervieand asked questions about their crisis experiences, crisis training, institutional culture, …

Financial Cultural Capital: Cultural Capital In The Context Of Higher Education And Federal Student Loans, Joey Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploratory quantitative sociological analysis of the financial knowledge and experience of undergraduate students who have borrostudent loans. It also explores students' feelings about their loans. I surveyed 100 undergraduate students who had contracted student loans to gather information about their knowledge of financial instruments and feelings about their student loan debt. To explore students' knowledge and feelings, I created three indices: knowledge, feelings, and financial cultural capital and tested for racial differences between Blacks and Whites. The knowledge index investigates students' knowledge of the terms of their loans and experience with basic financial instruments. The feelings …