Education Commons^™

Sense Of Belonging Among Dual Enrolled First-Year Students In Grand Cayman: Perceptions, Experiences, And Culturally Engaging Campus Environments, Patricia E. Robinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how the experiences, perceptions, and culturally engaging campus environments build a sense of belonging and persistence among first-year dual-enrolled college students in a unique and diverse nation in the Western Caribbean (Greater Antilles) is an area of inquiry that had yet to be researched prior to this study. Using a case study qualitative research approach that included 10 individual semi-structured interviews, document elicitation of three university advertised campus events posts, and one focus group session, participants shared their experiences and perceptions of being a first-year dual-enrolled student and to what extent their campus’ environments influenced their sense of belonging. …

Principal Preparation For The Bahamas: A Partnership Approach, Raquel R. Edgecombe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current literature has investigated university-district partnerships in numerous ways; however, based on a review of the literature, no study has sought the insights of potential partners about the partnership arrangement prior to the start of the partnership agreement. The purpose of this study was to explore educational leadership practitioners’ understandings of partnership in principal preparation. This inquiry was guided by the following research questions: (a) How do educational stakeholders perceive the ideal partnership arrangement for the preparation of principals; and (b) In what ways do the perspectives of educational stakeholders reflect broader discourse about the quality of educational leadership preparation? …

Narratives Of Success: How Honors College Newcomers Frame The Entrance To College, Cayla Lanier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Starting college marks an important period of transition for young people, as they manage multiple changes at once and begin to establish identities independent from their parents. The first year college student experience has been the focus of a great deal of academic research, as scholars and practitioners seek to discover the best way to support students and ensure they remain successfully enrolled at the university. However, very little of this research attends to the specific experiences of Honors College students. Further, a focus on the communicative process of transitioning, or organizational socialization, may add to what is currently known. …

Poetic Justice: A Counter-Narrative Of The First Black Male Principal In A Coastal Community Since The Desegregation Era, Adrian Anthony

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Entering a new school as a new principal, and the first black male administrator in a community since the desegregation era, was fraught with challenges that have a universal cadence. Additionally, the three-year school turnaround initiative I entered had its own unique barriers. My voice quivers, my head sinks low, my eyes averted but this no more, for I uphold the mantle of men of bronze, for I will lead within this challenge and my voice will go on (Anthony, 2020). Using critical race theory as a framework with counter-storytelling I examined leadership and different forms of racial and gender …

Do I Belong? What Students Teach Us About Belonging To A New University, Jennifer Ann Scaia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foundational to this evaluation study, the participating institution aspired to improve its retention rate. Students’ perceived sense of belonging has been identified as an important variable related to student retention and persistence (Bean & Eaton, 2000; Strayhorn 2012; Strayhorn 2019; Tinto, 2017). For students to succeed beyond their first year in college, it is fundamentally important that they view themselves as valued members of the university community (Bean & Eaton, 2000; Bollen & Hoyle, 1990; Murphy, 2016).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how undergraduate students, predicted as less likely to retain into their second year, described their …

A Study Of The Implementation Of Technology In The Elementary Setting, Matthew J. Hoff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study was to explore the technology implementation that took place at one Title I elementary school over the course of a four-year period. The implementation of technology in the school was undertaken for three specific reasons: to invigorate school culture, to enhance classroom instruction, and to raise student achievement.

The research of the technology implementation at Comet Elementary used a self-study approach. Data collected and analyzed during the self-study included the following: school culture and climate surveys, teacher evaluations and observations, student standardized assessments, school budgets, teacher technology integration surveys, and student technology integration surveys.

The …

A Program Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A University’S Student Persistence Model, Anthea Daniels Henderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many universities have implemented initiatives designed to address first year retention and persistence. Various prevention and support programs, including summer bridge programs, TRIO and Student Support Services, have been funded for the primary purpose of improving the outcomes of underserved populations. Although these initiatives and programs have been somewhat impactful, higher education leadership continues to seek ways to improve the outcomes of students at their institutions. Graduation outcomes continue to be a challenge for higher education leaders and researchers alike. Talbert (2012) states “Strong communication and cooperation between academic departments, learning support, student services, and federally funded programs is paramount …

A Process Evaluation Of Human Resource Practices In Support Of Title I Turnaround Schools With Instructional Vacancies, Herbert Peeples

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Superintendents, human resources personnel, and principals are under immense pressure to ensure that their students perform well on standardized tests due to school accountability and school grades. This pressure is magnified for principals who are leaders of high poverty, high minority, Title I schools. These principals are constantly trying to hire quality teachers to meet the needs of their students. Researchers agree that the most important decision a principal must make is who to hire (e.g., Peterson, 2002; Rothman, 2004). Quality hires help schools move their students toward academic success.

This study examined how a human resource (HR) partner worked …

Momentum For Learning: Defining A Pedagogy Of Movement For Improved Learning And Cognition, Gretchen L. Stewart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study reports the findings of a mixed-methods investigation into learning and cognition that has been theoretically and methodologically positioned as embodied. Embodied learning places pedagogical value on the biophysiologically dependent nature of learning on the development of the central nervous system. Rooted in empirical evidence of structural and functional brain change through movement, the purpose of this study was to investigate the primary teaching and learning features of a neurodevelopmental approach to schooling. The research question was, how do interdisciplinary experts operationalize movement as fundamental pedagogy in a brain relevant school model? Methods included qualitative interviews, a consensus building …

A Critical Exploration Of The Enactment Of Successful Leadership Practices Used To Achieve Increasing Academic Achievement In A High Poverty Urban School With High Percentages Of Students Of Color, Lateesa A. Allen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For decades, America’s K-12 public schools have struggled with closing the achievement gap between black and brown students and their white counterparts. High-poverty schools with high percentages of students of color are often low-performing schools. These marginalized populations of students lack equitable access to the rigorous academic curricula and instruction that is accessible to their white peers (Goings & Ford, 2018; Lewis et al., 2012; Nadelson et al., 2020).

The educational policy landscape has made numerous shifts between national reform models designed to increase opportunities and provide access to equitable education for underrepresented and disenfranchised groups of students. The national …

Resilience And Burnout In Second- And Third-Year Medical Students, Chad E. Whistle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Between their second- and third-years of medical school, students must pass the United States Medical Licensing (USMLE) Step 1 exam. This high-stakes exam is critical to the overall success of medical students; the score has been a determining factor for the student’s residency training and specialty choice. Because medical students are faced with the burden of studying and concept mastery of content for USMLE Step 1, concurrent to ongoing coursework in the medical school curriculum, students may develop symptoms of burnout and be ill-prepared to remain resilient. This study investigated the extent of the relationship between burnout and resilience in …