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Higher Education Marketing To The Hispanic Student Population, Kimberly Greenwood

Honors Theses and Capstones

The Hispanic population in the United States is growing at an unprecedented rate. The U.S. Census Bureau projects the Hispanic population to make up nearly 25% of the entire United States population by the year 2050. This population growth points at a large market for products and services in the U.S., including higher education. This thesis discussion will address characteristics of the Hispanic population in the United States of America, explore the importance of a diverse student population including Hispanic students on a college or university campus, evaluate the competitiveness University of New Hampshire’s current situation with regard to Hispanic …

Committing To Equal Opportunity, Elizaveta Minko

Honors Theses and Capstones

The main goal of this research paper was to examine whether the New Hampshire funding system of public education is effective in providing equal educational opportunities to all children. The findings from the quantitative and qualitative analyses of this research study suggest that, despite a historically increasing role of the state government, New Hampshire’s funding system of public education has not proven to be effective in providing the opportunity of an adequate education to students in poor districts, and gaps in student achievement persist between poor and wealthier districts. The underlying problems of the funding structure are explored, and, finally, …

Educative Encounters: An Analysis Of Dewey, Buber And Noddings To Understand The Role Of Encountering Self, Others And The World In Teaching And Learning In Higher Education, Carrie Maureen Nolan

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation provides a novel conception of educative encounter as a means of providing a pedagogical framework for directing experience in the classroom for the purpose of cultivating growth, and specifically cultivating care (N. Noddings, 2003a). By honing in on encounter as the relational aspect of experience, emphasizing the importance of the relational quality of the learning experience, and articulating a different approach to teaching in higher education, this conception helps educators attend to strengthening learning outcomes oriented towards the growth of students. This serves towards the illumination of learning through and for educative encounter by addressing both the meaning …

Towards Public Professionalism: A Pentadic Intervention In Debate Between The Common Core Standards Initiative (Ccsi) And The National Council Of Teachers Of English (Ncte), Jim Webber

Doctoral Dissertations

In this project, I propose an alternate rhetorical strategy for literacy educators (K-16) seeking to enter debates over common standards for "college- and career-readiness" in literacy. I argue that the NCTE's current strategy fails to invite public participation in debate, and to remedy this situation, I suggest educators employ Kenneth Burke's pentad to sponsor public inquiry into the standards. When the CCSI claims its standards will ensure that all students "demonstrate independence as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners," I suggest educators ask: in what situations do students demonstrate independence? With whom or for whom? For what purposes? Using what methods? …

Stuck In The Middle: A Case Study Of Conflict Experiences By A First-Time Community College President, Martha Parker-Magagna

Doctoral Dissertations

Leadership models for community college presidents are in a major transformation from traditional hierarchical, positional authority to participatory models of decision making. As leadership becomes more participatory, and educators experiment with more team and collaborative approaches to leadership, increased conflict is a likely outcome. Inclusiveness often brings diverse voices into decision making, and empowerment of a variety of individuals brings a shift in traditional power dynamics. Different interests may create conflict, and leaders will need to find ways to negotiate these differences in order to enhance creative adaptation of a community college to its changing environment.

This study explores the …

Learning From Feedback: How Students Read, Interpret And Use Teacher Written Feedback In The Composition Classroom, Elisabeth A. Kramer-Simpson

Doctoral Dissertations

Much research on teacher written feedback has focused on the teacher's role in giving the written commentary. What these studies fail to provide is a description of if and how students are reading, interpreting and using this feedback in their revisions. Some research has explored how students feel about the feedback they receive, but few studies have investigated the interplay between teacher and student in the actual process of feedback and revision. Those studies that have looked at feedback and revision in the classroom context are few in both first and second language writing research. Further, these few studies fall …

Student Science Achievement And The Integration Of Indigenous Knowledge In The Classroom And On Standardized Tests, Juliann Benson

Doctoral Dissertations

In science education, there has been little research focused on indigenous students' achievement on science standardized tests when indigenous knowledge is integrated into the test questions. However, there has been an increased amount of research investigating the impact of culturally relevant curriculum adaptations on indigenous students' achievement in standardized assessments (Aikenhead, 1997, 2001b; Barnhardt, 2005b).

This dissertation examines the achievement gap that is present between American Indian and White students in Montana. I use data from Montana eighth-grade standardized state science tests to determine whether incorporating indigenous material into classrooms and on state standardized science tests supported these initiatives and …

Writing For Numbers: The Cultural Production Of Good Writers In The Time Of High Stakes Writing Assessments, Barbara W. Tindall

Doctoral Dissertations

Few studies have looked at the consequences of standardized writing tests to students' understanding of what it means to be a competent writer. Using research techniques drawn from performance studies and art therapy, this qualitative study of middle class, honors students invited them to explore their understanding of what it means to be a high scoring writer on the SAT.

The theoretical framework of the study is situated at the intersection of three fields: cultural production theory, New Literacy Studies and object relations theory. The study has two related strands. In the first, I perform a socio-historical analysis of the …

Watching Children: A History Of America's Race To Educate Kids And The Creation Of The 'Slow-Learner' Subject, Jeffrey C. Frenkiewich

Doctoral Dissertations

On January 25, 2011, United States President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address to Congress and to the nation. As part of that address, President Obama articulated his vision for American education and stated that America had "to win the race to educate our kids" (Obama, 2011, state of the union). Mr. Obama's speech and his "Race to the Top" policy stand as statements in a discourse that expects fast-paced education based on universal standards and quantitative measures. Tracing a history of American schooling, one sees that this discourse has been dominant in this society for most …

Symptom Presentation Of Pediatric Bipolar And Related Disorders In Children A Descriptive Study To Improve Educational Understanding And Supports, Leslie Fanning

Master's Theses and Capstones

Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and other mental health disorders has grown in recent years. As early childhood professionals meet children with these diagnoses, they face challenges in supporting a new population of children with special needs. This paper discusses current research on prevalence in early childhood classrooms, comorbid disorders, and current supports. Educators and professionals currently working in PreK-3rd grade were surveyed about the prevalence and supports for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD) and related disorders. Results of this study reflect the research that suggest children with PBD may present slightly different behaviors than those with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder. In order …

Exploring The Parent-Coach And Child-Athlete Relationship In The Recreational Sport Context, Nicholas Pitas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Parent-coaches are individuals who coach their own children (child-athletes) in sports. Although their presence is widespread in the realm of recreational sports, little research has been conducted on the relationship between parent-coach and child-athlete. This is an exploratory study with the goal of better understanding the parent-coach phenomenon in the recreational sports context, from the perspective of both parent-coaches and child-athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine parent-child dyads, focusing on positives, negatives, and the unique nature of the parent-coach and child-athlete relationship. Inductive analysis revealed a number of positive and negative themes, many of which were identified by both …

Real-Ationships An Educational Philosophy Advocating For An Increased Effort Towards Authentic Teacher-Student Relationships, K Britton

Master's Theses and Capstones

The impact an educator has on a student's life far exceeds the academic content being learned. The development of positive relationships between the teacher and student fosters the student's feelings of connectedness to their education. A strengthened connection leads to an increase in motivation, effort, and achievement. Unfortunately, positive teacher-student relationships are not the primary focus of today's educational systems. An educational philosophy advocating for real-ationships emphasizes the need for positive teacher-student relationships. The real-ationship's characteristics and implementation are described in detail, while real-life examples depict the positive experiences I have had as an educator within real-tionships. It is a …

Undergraduate Latinas' Self-Definition Of Academic Success, Carla Machado Rodrigues

Master's Theses and Capstones

This master's level thesis's objective was to gain a better understanding of how a sample of 13 undergraduate Latinas who graduated high school and immediately enrolled into college define academic success. Through interviews, these undergraduate Latinas explain where these self-definitions came from, mentors that may have influenced these definitions, and if their ethnicity and gender has played any role in the way they perceive academic success. The study also considers findings from previous research regarding academic resilience factors associated with Latinas, such as: being involved in college ready initiatives, obtaining academic support from significant others, having mentors, receiving various messages …