Digital Commons Network^™

Intrinsic Motivation For Learning Of The Adult Graduate Student At Western Michigan University, Phyllis Crandall

Dissertations

The perceptions of adult graduate students concerning barriers to the educational process and their levels of motivation for pursuing a graduate degree were investigated. The established motivational theory first expressed by Abram Maslow in 1954 was used in defining the first variable of motivation to learning when pertaining to the healthy self-actualized individual. The second variable chosen was a listing of student perceived barriers to the educational process as defined by H. G. Schulze in 1987. It was hypothesized that the higher the level of the barriers overcome per Schutze's scale, the higher the level of intrinsic motivation in the …

The Acceptance Of Computers By Administrative Leadership At Baker College, William Mccormick Luczyk

Dissertations

Procedures for recording information, capturing data for distribution to faculty, students, and other campuses was often being done manually by administrators at Baker College. Because of either a lack of access, or a lack of knowledge and training, simple computer data searches, spreadsheets, and telecommunications were difficult to accomplish and in some cases could not be done by Baker College administrators.

The sample population for this research consisted of forty-six males and forty-seven females for a total of ninety-three existing Baker College administrators, from nine campuses of varying size, throughout the State of Michigan. Data in the areas of computer …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Critical Thinking Skills And Preferred Learning Styles Of First Year Nursing Students, Gloria J. Clocklin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the manner in which nursing students preferred to learn and their ability to think critically. First year nursing students (N = 197) from four colleges in a rural Midwestern geographic region were the subjects for the study. Students represented practical nursing, associate degree nursing, and baccalaureate degree nursing programs and were all in their first nursing course. Entire cohort groups from each college were included in the study.

The Kolb (1985) Learning Style Inventory and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA, Watson & Glaser, 1980) were administered …

Classroom Personalities Of Effective Teachers Within A Technical College Setting, Fred Manley

Dissertations

This study used student ratings to examine relationships between instructor personality and teaching effectiveness for technical college faculty. Research was specifically conducted to address three questions: (1) what personality traits are associated with effective teaching, (2) do the personality profiles of effective teachers differ by academic area, and (3) are there personality dimensions that distinguish above average from below-average instructors.

Students enrolled in classes taught by instructors randomly selected from the accounting, computer information systems, marketing, and office occupations departments at five Wisconsin technical colleges rated their instructors on 29 personality traits and 18 teaching behaviors. Pearson product-moment correlations were …

Leadership Practices And Job Satisfaction: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Academic Deans And Department Chairpersons, Vera Kay Dauffenbach

Dissertations

The focus of this study was an examination of the relationship between academic deans and department chairpersons with respect to leadership practices and job satisfaction. In particular, the purpose was to study the impact of academic deans' leadership practices on the job satisfaction of department chairpersons.

The study involved a random sample of 300 academic deans and 300 department chairpersons from colleges and universities in four upper Midwest states. Testing of seven null hypotheses was based on the responses of 170 deans (57%) and 140 chairpersons (47% ). The instruments used were the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 1987), …

A Study Of The Awareness And Understanding Of Distance Education By Leadership Roles At Community Colleges In Michigan, Douglas H. Lape

Dissertations

Community colleges are faced with the challenge of providing educational opportunities to an increasing and diverse population at a time of educational reform and decreasing financial resources. The colleges are expected to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve through open access, a diversity of high quality courses, and with schedules that accommodate the life styles of their students.

The study was designed to answer the following research question: Are there differences between the five leadership role groups, at Michigan’s 29 community colleges, regarding levels of awareness and understanding about distance education as a means of providing courses …