Education Commons^™

The Impact Of A Common Approach To Instruction Within A Nebraska Rural School District, Bret Allan Schroder

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the instructional understanding and effectiveness of a district wide implementation of a Common Approach to Instruction. This research study provided a greater understanding of the affects that such an implementation had on certified staff regardless of grade level, experience, subject, or gender.

This explanatory, sequential, mixed methods study was conducted during the summer, spring, and fall of 2014-2015. The study initially gathered data using an online survey, based on Marzano’s 41 instructional elements, in a single class-B school district in Nebraska. All certified staff members within this school district were …

A Fiscal Model Program Theory Proposal For Training Reentry Citizen Ex-Convicts To Remodel Abandoned Houses, James A. Hanson

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to develop and examine a fiscal program theory model and proposal for training reentry citizen ex-convicts to remodel abandoned houses. A sustainable program theory model describes ways that training and employing these citizens to remodel abandoned houses may be expected to have benefits to a community. The recently released ex-convicts will learn a construction trade, earn a sustainable wage, and the once-abandoned houses will be returned to the city tax rolls. Vocational education and workforce training are key to this program. The literature indicates that national jobless rates for recently released inmates is well …

Leadership Stories: Defining Gender In University Leadership, Tania Carlson Reis

Journal of Women in Educational Leadership

The leadership paths of successful women university presidents leading schools listed in the 2010 Carnegie Classification as being Research Universities, Very High Research are identified and described in the following manuscript. Two research questions guided the study: What is the path to the presidency? How do women university presidents recognize and negotiate barriers? Four female presidents were interviewed. The interviews were conducted at the president’s institution. Interviews were hand coded for themes related to the research questions. Findings indicated that women university presidents experience an uneven path to leadership that mirrors the labyrinth described by Eagly and Carli (2007). Participants …

Addressing Security Risks For Mobile Devices: What Higher Education Leaders Should Know, Casey J. Gordon

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative study examined the topic of mobile device security at higher education institutions in the Midwestern United States. This study sought to answer the question of how higher education institutions have responded to threats to campus data security posed by mobile devices. It explored the questions of what institutions are doing currently, the policies and procedures they have in place, and what leaders should do in the future.

This research study consisted of four case studies, compiled through interviews with key Information Technology (IT) professionals and faculty at each of the four institutions studied as well as an examination …

Trust Within Higher Education Consortia – A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Directors And Leaders, James A. Yankech

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Trust is a foundational element for success within a higher education consortium. Defined as a group of colleges and universities united through collective effort, a consortium allows member institutions to achieve more cooperatively than alone. However these same institutions still compete in many ways – for students, government appropriations, and research dollars as examples. Therefore a balance must be struck between institutional and consortium interests. As a result trust between and among member institutions of a consortium becomes an important phenomenon to be understood. This study examined the phenomenon of trust from the perspective of consortia directors and leaders. Two …

Teacher Reaction To Change In The Lutheran Elementary School: A Grounded Theory Approach, Kim D. Marxhausen

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Schools, and the teachers and administrators who work in them, need the flexibility to adapt to current student needs. Past research has focused on organizations and plans for change; little research has been done on individual teacher reaction to change situations leaving a gap in the literature. The goal of this constructivist grounded theory study was to explore how individual teachers, in LCMS Lutheran elementary schools, react when presented with change. Data were collected through interviews involving an event history calendar to facilitate memory. A theoretical sampling process was used to collect and analyze data utilizing a constant comparative method. …

A Correlational Case Study On Distance From Home And Attrition Of First-Time, Full-Time Students, James L. Baldwin

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As institutions face increasing demands to maintain or increase enrollments, colleges and universities have begun to recruit students from greater distances. The purpose of this ex-post facto case study was to determine the existence of a relationship between the institutional distance from home and the attrition of traditional-aged, first-time, full-time students prior to the second year at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, one of the four-year campuses of the University. Following the correlational analysis, further analysis was conducted to determine if a non-linear relationship existed between the institutional distance from home and attrition of first-year students prior to their …

International Doctoral Students, Their Advising Relationships And Adaptation Experiences: A Qualitative Study, Katherine Najjar

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Thirty four international doctoral students were interviewed to determine what types of advising and mentoring experiences were effective and beneficial, and what experiences had been difficult or unhelpful. The students reported a high level of satisfaction with their advisors and with their program of studies. However, during the interviews, students began to describe other factors that contributed to their well-being and their experiences.

Issues described included language difficulties and problems developing relationships with other students. Although most students developed close, personal relationships with advisors or departmental colleagues, few students reported having large numbers of friends and associates outside of their …

The Quest For Success: A Phenomenological Study Aimed At Understanding The Experiences Of Successful African American Females In High School, Vanntaccale Price

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This phenomenological research study was conducted to better understand the experiences of successful African American females in a high school setting and to draw implications for learning related to their perceptions of success in school. The study describes African American female students’ perceptions of factors that influence their achievement in school. Participants included six African American female students attending high school in the Midwest. Data was gathered from student interviews, parent/guardian questionnaires, informal observations, and student visual displays. From the analysis of the aforementioned data several themes emerged which include the importance of the students’ family and teachers to their …

The Role Of The Cyber School Principal: A Mixed Methods Study, Jacob P. Jefferis

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The educational landscape of the United States is changing. Educational opportunities for students and families are increasing with increased technological capabilities. At every level in the educational process, information is being delivered to students in new and faster ways. Cyber education is one of those new modes of information delivery for students. Just like traditional schools, cyber schools require sound leadership to assist stakeholders in the educational process.

Knowing that the principal is a vital position in a successful educational system, the purpose of this study is to define the role of the cyber school principal. This research is focused …

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council, Volume 16, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2015 (Complete Issue)

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

50th Anniversary Issue

Forum on the Value of Honors

with essays by James Herbert and by 39 college and university presidents:

Paul W. Ferguson, President of Ball State University; Honors Dean: James S. Ruebel

J. David Armstrong, Jr., President of Broward College; Honors Director: Sheila Jones

Soraya M. Coley, President of Cal Poly Pomona; Honors Director: Suketu P. Bhavsar

Elizabeth A. Dinndorf, President of Columbia College; Honors Director: John Zubizarreta

Quintin B. Bullock, President of Community College of Allegheny County; Honors Director: Julia Fennell

Michael T. Benson, President of Eastern Kentucky University; Interim Honors Director: David Coleman

Jake B. Schrum, …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 28, Fall 2015, New England Faculty Development Consortium

NEFDC Exchange

Contents

President’s Message: The Importance of Academic Technology - Dakin Burdick, Mlount Ida College

Snow Lessons from a New England Winter: Using Technology Tools to Empower Learning during Class Cancellations - Lori Rosenthal, Lasell College

Call for Proposals for the Spring 2016 Conference

Kairos: The Right Time for the Laboratory as Educational Model - Al DeCiccio, Labouré College

Save the Date: Spring Conference, Tuesday, May 24, 2016; theme: Inclusive Excellence: Teaching and Learning in an Increasingly Interconnected World; Tufts University; keynote speaker: L. Lee Knefelkamp, Columbia University and AAC&U

Universal Design for Learning for 21st Century Success - Katie Novak, …

Principal Leadership In High-Performing, High-Poverty Elementary Schools, Marc J. Cohen

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The focus of this mixed methods study was on Maryland Title I elementary principals who led schools to achieving adequate yearly progress during the 2011-2012 school year. At the time of the study, slightly more than one third of the Title I elementary schools in Maryland and throughout the U.S., achieved this status (U.S. Department of Education, 2013).

In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-five principals from Title elementary schools in Maryland. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) Leader Form was administered to the participants as well.

This study findings indicated,

1. Principals of high-performing, high-poverty elementary schools were more transformational in …

Generativity In College Students: Comparing And Explaining The Impact Of Mentoring, Lindsay J. Hastings, James V. Griesen, Richard E. Hoover, John W. Creswell, Larry L. Dlugosh

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Preparing college students to be active contributors to the next generation is an important function of higher education. This assumption about generativity forms a cornerstone in this mixed methods study that examined generativity levels among 273 college students at a 4-year public university. MANCOVA results indicated that college students who mentor demonstrated significantly higher generativity than nonmentoring students. Interviews with 9 mentoring students revealed that, although a “seed of generativity” may have already been planted, their mentoring experience served as a “lab” for learning how to be generative. The integrated findings offer important contributions relative to leadership and social responsibility.

"Forum On The Value Of Honors": Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council. 50th Anniversary Issue. Vol. 16, No. 2, Fall/Winter 2015

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Thinking and Rethinking: The Practical Value of an Honors Education . 3

James Herbert

The Catalytic Impact of Honors 11

Paul W. Ferguson, President of Ball State University

Honors Dean: James S. Ruebel

The Unique Role of Two-Year Honors Colleges and Programs 15

J. David Armstrong, Jr., President of Broward College

Honors Director: Sheila Jones

The Egalitarianism of Honors at a Polytechnic University . 19

Soraya M. Coley, President of Cal Poly Pomona

Honors Director: Suketu P. Bhavsar

Dancing with the Stars: Stepping Up and Stepping Out in Honors Education 23

Elizabeth A. Dinndorf, President of Columbia College

Honors Director: …

Intersecting Identities: Navigating The Relationship Between Masculine Performativity And Feminist Ideology, Zachary Wagner Pace

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As masculinities scholarship continues to explore how masculinity develops and how differing masculinities contribute to the lived experiences of masculine-identified subjects, it is important to understand how masculinity also intersects with other, salient identities for subjects. Literature related to masculine gender performance, liberatory feminist theory, and student development theory provide important lenses in approaching the topic of masculine intersectionality, but have not otherwise been synthesized to illuminate how masculine-identified students navigate intersectionality with feminism and feminist scholarship.

This qualitative case study explored how one participant experienced and made meaning of zir masculine and feminist identities in the varying spaces on …

Ianr Historical Background: Pertaining To The Creation And Operation Of The University Of Nebraska Institute Of Agriculture And Natural Resources, Alan R. Moeller

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: News Releases

The University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR/Institute), established at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), was created by the Nebraska Legislature in 1973 through passage of Legislative Bill (LB) 149. The Institute was then activated April 1, 1974, to replace what had been known as the College of Agriculture since 1909. IANR was created following more than a decade of discussions, proposals, and controversies over the lack of prominence and limited voice of the College of Agriculture in the decision-making processes of the University of Nebraska. Individuals and organizations in Nebraska agriculture were concerned that the relative …

Coaching For Change: Amount Of Instructional Coaching Support To Transfer Science Inquiry Skills From Professional Development To Classroom Practice, James A. Houston

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Instructional coaching as a follow-up component to high-quality professional development experiences is being used to improve classroom instruction to meet the requirements of NCLB and promote organizational change. The purpose of this study was to determine the minimum number of coaching sessions necessary to translate new strategies and skills learned during a summer institute into classroom practice.

Teachers attended a 2-week summer institute focusing on the development of guided science inquiry as both an instructional strategy as well as a content. Teachers implemented a unit lasting approximately 6–8 weeks focusing on the newly learned guided inquiry strategies and skills, video-recorded …

Diffusion Of A Math Intervention Program Within A Secondary Setting: A Mixed Methods Study, Stuart Lenz

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to understand the stages of concern and levels of use for teachers as they integrate a new math intervention program. Teachers within three high schools in a large Mid-western school district all implemented the program at the same time, and were used as the sample during the three-year study. The study searched to discover (a) what or who influences the teachers in their use of the program, (b) how the teachers change in their levels of use and stages of concern, and (c) if the success of the program changes as …

Everything Changed: Experiences Of International Students Affected By A Home Country Crisis, Caitlin J. Mcvay

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The population of international students studying in the United States continues to break record enrollments each year, growing to 886,052 students in 2014 according to Institute of International Education (IIE) data (IIE, 2014b). As these numbers increase, so too do the numbers of students affected by crises in their home countries. These students face a number of adjustment issues unique to their situations, and may require additional support from administrators and others at their institutions. This qualitative, phenomenological study explores the experiences of five international students who studied at two public universities in the western United States while large-scale crises …

Hidden On Campus: The Impact Of Parental Illness On The College Student Experience, Molly Wilensky

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

It is unknown how many traditionally-aged college students experience the impact of parental illness immediately prior to or at some point during their time at an institution. Literature related to attachment and coping and identities/relationships provided a framework for understanding family dynamics and traditional experiences for students transitioning to a collegiate environment. Literature related to familial or parental illness provides some insight regarding the impact of illness on the college student experience; however, this research relies primarily on retrospective studies and quantitative data. What little research exists largely fails to portray the voices and subjective experiences of students coping with …

Navigating Spaces: Exploring The Impact Of Study Abroad For U.S. Students Of Color, Virginia R. Downing

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Opportunities for international travel are becoming a necessity for undergraduate students in the United States. Students are taking advantage of study abroad experiences that will impact their future and provide benefits that students may not be able to receive in the U.S. The increase in scholarships and variety of cost-effective study abroad programs are allowing students from a variety of different backgrounds the opportunity to travel, which before was only seen as an opportunity for the wealthy. As study abroad continues to grow as a high impact practice, so should the way administrators approach the impact this experience has for …

An Investigation Into Title Ix Sexual Assault Policy Compliance At Land Grant Institutions, Amy Beyer

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Incidents of sexual assault, and the mishandling of cases by administrators, on college campuses have been making the news recently. In 2011 the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights introduced the Dear Colleague Letter outlining policy requirements for all institutions of higher education receiving federal funding. Much of the existing literature related to sexual assault on college campuses is related to reporting numbers and education and prevention. Preventative education studies aim to determine trainings that are successful in lowering victimization rates on campuses as well as bringing attention to rape myths.

This study focuses on the Title IX policies …

Understanding The Transition Experience Of Community College Transfer Students To A 4-Year University: Incorporating Schlossberg’S Transition Theory Into Higher Education, Tony A. Lazarowicz

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With over 60% of college graduates attending multiple institutions (United States Department of Education, 2006), many starting at community colleges, the importance of understanding community college transfer students’ stories is critical to retention and graduation agendas at colleges and universities nationwide. Schlossberg’s Transition Theory has recently been introduced into higher education literature as a conceptual framework for working with various student populations such as student veterans (Wheeler, 2012; Rumann, 2010); student athletes (Henderson, 2013); and students on academic probation (Tovar & Simon, 2006) among others. Minimal work has incorporated Schlossberg’s Transition Theory into studies of community college transfer students; thus …

The Role Of Student Identity In Upward Bound Graduates Persistence In College, Allison Kinney-Walker

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand the role of Upward Bound graduates’ identities as students in their decision to persistence in college. The central research question for the qualitative case study was: What role do Upward Bound graduates’ identities as students play in their persistence in college? Theories of persistence (Astin, 1984; Bean, 1980; Tinto, 1975) and identity development (Abes, Jones, & McEwen, 2007; Jones & McEwen, 2000) particularly, student identity centrality (Bowman & Felix, 2014), framed this study.

A multiple case study design was used. Four Upward Bound graduates who were currently enrolled in their …

Making The Difference: Exploring The Perceptions Of Student Affairs Administrators And Their Mentoring Relationships, Paublo Martinez Jr.

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative research study explored the perceptions of student affairs administrators at a Midwest institution, and how they perceived their mentoring relationships with undergraduate students. The study investigated the perceptions of six participants as they reflected on past and present mentoring relationships, and the impact the relationships had on them during their time in student affairs. The literature review discusses the history of student affairs and mentoring, as well as the mentoring styles, benefits, and theories closely related to the concept of mentoring.

Through conducting a semi-structured interview with each participant, four themes emerged as they described the participants as …

Examining Cross-Cultural Communication Among First-Year Students At A Large, Four-Year, Research University, Haley French-Sloan

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative case study examines and explores cross-cultural communication among first-year international and domestic students at Great Plains University, a large, four-year, research university located in the Midwestern United States. Specifically, this case study examines the ways in which first-year international and domestic students make decisions about whether and how to interact with one another across culture in the classroom. The literature review discusses both international and domestic students’ experiences and perceptions regarding intercultural communication, and also introduces a variety of barriers and facilitators of cross-cultural communication. Through introducing and relating cross-cultural communication to the goals of international education, the …

Rural Nebraska Elementary Students' Aspirations To Attend Institutions Of Higher Education, Brock T. Rezny

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Numerous studies exist on college and career readiness in the middle and high school grades, but these studies often exclude the elementary grades. Even less research has been done regarding this topic in rural education. With more research indicating a need for college readiness beginning in elementary school, this study adds to the literature by seeing if rural elementary students in Nebraska have aspirations for continued education and who influences those aspirations. The sample population of this quantitative study were fourth graders in five rural schools in an athletic conference in Nebraska. The survey was created with collaboration from two …

Impact Of Being A Resident Assistant On Student's Academic Success, Brian P. Donahue

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the experiences and needs of resident assistants at Great Plains University institution to better understand the impact that being a resident assistant has on the resident assistant’s academic success. A quantitative survey was created and sent to 175 resident assistants to their academic success strategies. In addition, six resident assistants were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the multiple roles assumed, the support systems in place, and the studying habits in which they engage regularly.

There were two research questions that guided the exploration of this study. The first research …

Overlooked And Overshadowed: Exploring The Multiple Dimensions Of Identity In Traditionally-Aged Undergraduate Student-Parents, Paula A. Caldwell

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Student-parents are a rapidly growing student population, consisting of more than 20% of undergraduate college students today (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Research about student-parents has historically focused on graduate students and adult learners, yet these studies overlook traditionally-aged undergraduate student-parents who constitute over one-quarter of the student-parent population. Traditional four-year institutions continue to dismiss the needs and experiences of student-parents as these colleges are primarily designed to serve traditional undergraduate students with no major external responsibilities. As such, the traditionally-aged undergraduate student-parent population is left underserved and unsupported in their pursuit of education. This study contributes to the …