Education Commons^™

Adopting Oer Course Materials: Instructor Experiences, Jenny Ceciliano

Dissertations and Theses

Traditional commercial textbooks used in postsecondary courses are often problematic due to their rigidity, tendency to mirror the dominant culture, and the substantial cost imposed upon students. Although replacing these texts with open educational resources (OER) can facilitate more equitable and inclusive pedagogical practices while removing a significant expense, there has been insufficient research surrounding instructors' experience of transitioning from a commercial textbook to OER course materials. Through semi-structured interviews with nine postsecondary instructors who teach with OER course materials, this basic qualitative study explores the experience of that transition. The findings indicate that adopting OER is a challenging and …

Undergraduate Students Of Color Raising Children And Persisting In Higher Education, Kimberly Denise Alvarez

Dissertations and Theses

Millions of undergraduate students have been identified as parents across the United States. Of those millions, a majority have been identified as undergraduate students of Color who are pregnant, parenting, frequently underrepresented, and often not equitably supported toward degree completion. The purpose of the qualitative single-site case study was to learn what undergraduate students of Color who are parenting have experienced, in terms of support for their continued enrollment, while earning baccalaureate degrees at Portland State University. Through an asset-based approach, this study elaborated on three key findings which include the persistent aspirations of undergraduate Students of Color (USPs of …

Embodying Whole Community Preparedness: A Case Study Of Student-Facing Preparedness Initiatives At Institutions Of Higher Education In The State Of Oregon, Francis Pastorelle

Dissertations and Theses

Over the last two decades, there has been a dramatic increase in natural and manmade disasters. While no community is immune to the risks posed by these large-scale emergencies, colleges, and universities, which are home to numerous vulnerable populations, could be counted among those most at risk. In their current state of overall community preparedness, campuses are not equipped to weather impending dangers; consequently, the impact on students could be disastrous. This study examined preparedness practices at Oregon colleges and universities to better understand how institutions of higher education in the state prepare their students for large-scale emergencies, what challenges …

Exploring The Curriculum And Institutional Contexts Of Stem Future Faculty Programs, Amy Mae Forester

Dissertations and Theses

While there are a multitude of contributing factors, under-represented student success in STEM appears to be critically interdependent with teaching and learning practices that are responsive to diverse epistemologies and inclusive pedagogies. However, the professional literature has yet to identify a set of faculty development best practices that might guide the field. Furthermore, the institutional supports required to drive the success of STEM-oriented future faculty programs remain unknown. This inquiry proposal intended to address these concerns through a critical comparative qualitative study in seeking evidence-based practices and institutional elements of STEM faculty professional development programs that support diverse graduate and …

Co-Designing With First-Generation Transfer Students, Randi Petrauskas Harris

Dissertations and Theses

Roughly 80% of community college students indicate that they intend to transfer to a four-year institution, 30% of those students eventually transfer, and 13% of those students persist to graduate with a baccalaureate degree. There has been previous research on transfer students and on first generation students, but the intersection of first-generation transfer students is under-reported. Prior research indicates that sense of belonging is an important factor in student persistence to graduation for transfer students. Higher education institutions, specifically four-year public institutions, are positioned to support first-generation transfer student sense of belonging by fostering a "transfer receptive culture." Recognizing that …

Sustainable Leadership During Turbulent Times, Paul Marietta

Dissertations and Theses

Teachers, administrators, and staff in schools are leaving the profession at unprecedented rates. The principal pipeline has significantly decreased in the past years and our public school system is at a breaking point. Now more than ever, we need to focus on sustainable leadership during turbulent times and helping the organization, students, families, teachers-and also their leaders-thrive. This dissertation proposal follows the Portland State University (PSU) multi-paper format which comprises a compilation of three papers in a journal article style format, with sole or multiple authors, and although PSU policy does not require it, the topic of the papers in …

American Institution Of Public, K-12 Education: An Institutional Field Under A Complexity Paradigm, Jennifer Jean Joyalle

Dissertations and Theses

Institutional fields serve as foundational bedrocks that shape and govern behaviors, norms, and practices within distinct domains of societal and organizational interactions. The emergence of machine learning and the ability to manipulate large datasets offer researchers and decision makers the potential ability to model and visualize the behavior associated with institutional fields.

This proof of concept provides an example of visualizing the changing conditions in the institutional field of public K-12 education in America as a topology. By interweaving three primary strands of theory -- institutional fields, complexity in the guise of complex adaptive systems as a paradigm, and paradigms …

Behavior Training For Educators: What Training Do Educators Need To Support Students With Challenging Behaviors?, Michelle R. Milburn

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral training programs/frameworks and Professional Development (PD) delivery methods that certified staff - including teachers, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, occupational therapists, and teachers on special assignment - as well as administrators, believe to be necessary to address the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students exhibiting challenging behaviors. This national study used survey methods to explore the views of US K-12 public school educators on the PD needed to support student behavior effectively. Using social media recruitment, primarily through Reddit and Facebook, allowed the survey to reach a substantially larger …

The Radical Relationality Of Complex Partnerships: Community-Member Experiences In Critical Community-Based Learning, Amie Riley

Dissertations and Theses

Through a radical relationality within the social-ecological systems that sustain us, critical community-based learning (CBL) in higher education offers a praxis for engaging the demanding pedagogical and community challenges we face. When CBL is implemented as both a critical and sustainability pedagogy, as a strategy for social change, the relationships created by CBL partnerships have the potential to generate transformational outcomes for all partnership agents. Using a critical complexity theoretical framework, a bricolage of complexity science and critical theory, this critical qualitative study sought to understand the systemic patterns and behaviors of a community-based learning partnership by elevating community-member voices. …

Beyond First Thoughts: Understanding The Essence Of Equitable Decision-Making, A Phenomenological Study, White Practitioners As Equitable Educational Decision-Makers, Zinnia Un

Dissertations and Theses

This interpretive phenomenological study aims to understand the lived experience of White educational decision-makers (EDMs) as they make equitable decisions for racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse (RCLD) students. Six decades after the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, the landscape of American education changed. Many scholars theorized the impact of colorblindness in decision-making and the connection to disproportionate outcomes for RCLD students.

The Student Success Act (2019) brings an additional $1 billion in investment to schools in Oregon annually. This allocation of school resources required an initial and ongoing community engagement process to ensure funding supports well-rounded education …

Local Voices: Counterstorytelling And Retention Of Faculty Of Color In Oregon's Community College System, Kristin Christophersen

Dissertations and Theses

The Oregon community college system employs a full-time faculty workforce that is overwhelmingly White. This study aimed to research why the representation of faculty of color in the state’s community colleges remains low by conducting interviews with faculty of color about their experiences at these public 2-year institutions using counterstorytelling as research methodology. Using critical race theory as a theoretical framework, this study collected and analyzed the counterstories of seven faculty of color in a variety of institutions and regions across one state about their experiences with institutional racism and how it impacts their persistence strategies and retention patterns.

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Disability Status Disclosure, Accommodation Use, And Student Success: Curricular And Co-Curricular Implications, Kaela Marie Parks

Dissertations and Theses

Colleges and universities rely on the individualized accommodation process to ensure access for students with disabilities, however, there is ample evidence that educational inequity is pervasive. This study used a critical and comparative quantitative methodology (n=6,500) to investigate data from a large urban community college, analyzing the relationship between final grades and accommodation eligibility and use across academic disciplines and curricular modalities (in-person vs. on-line) to identify implications for the academic success of students with disabilities. Results indicate disability inequity varies across racial identity groups and racial inequity persists across disability status groups. Results also indicate that accommodation may be …

Elementary Principal Leadership And Special Education: A Case Study In The United States, Vivian M. Garrison

Dissertations and Theses

School districts have called upon principals to build capacity for inclusive learning environments and prioritize the needs of an increasingly diverse group of students. A principal's work to effectively include students so they are part of the school community and have opportunities to achieve academically has been challenging. As the instructional leader of the school, principals have played an essential role by collaborating with teachers and specialists, removing obstacles to learning, and ensuring that teachers meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms. They have also been held accountable for knowing the laws, policies, and best practices to support …

Understanding The Experiences Of Latino Medical Students In A Learning Medical Environment, Leslie García

Dissertations and Theses

Very little is known about the experiences and perceptions of underrepresented minority (URiM) medical students in the U.S. allopathic medical schools. The limited literature posits URiMs experience more adverse experiences in the learning environment and have different learning outcomes in comparison to their White peer counterparts. Latino medical students represent 7.1% of all entering medical students across all U.S. medical schools. While they represent the largest ethnic minority in the United States within parity lack representation among the physician workforce [sic]. There is a dearth of knowledge of what factors contribute to the success of Latino medical students progressing in …

The Complex Art Of Wearing Multiple Hats: A Case Study Analysis Of Dual-Role Administrators In Rural School Districts, Abi Van Regenmorter

Dissertations and Theses

Both superintendents and principals create a foundation for student achievement, school culture, and the vision of a school building or district. When combined, these two, distinct administrative roles become one unique position with less time and resources to fulfill individual job responsibilities. This comparative case study was designed to foster understanding of rural dual-role administrators’ roles, responsibilities, and experiences. A dual-role administrator was defined as an individual serving as a superintendent and principal simultaneously. By interviewing and observing two practitioners and reviewing public documents, this study developed an in-depth investigation of the cases. As a result of this study, there …

From Mortars To Mortarboards: Military Veterans Transitioning From Active Duty To Higher Education, Joseph Alan Knoer

Dissertations and Theses

Following the events of September 11, 2001, Student Veterans have emerged as “one of the fastest-growing subpopulations of nontraditional college students” (Schiavone & Gentry, 2014, p. 29). Military veterans transition from active-duty service into higher education and civilian life facing a variety of new challenges and experiences they are unprepared for. The focus of this study was to understand issues veterans face when transitioning from active-duty military service into higher education. Using transition theory, zoom interviews were conducted containing a series of open-ended questions to allow the student-veterans to share their experiences and perceptions of what it means to be …

Crossing The Goalline: Identifying The Success Of Black Football Players At A Predominantly White Institution, Mark Blackburn

Dissertations and Theses

The presence of Black football players in predominantly white institutions in athletic programs often highlights the racial disparities in college athletics. It is important to understand the dynamic discrepancies in the resources, support, and opportunities provided to Black football players to obtain success. This research examines the lived experiences of Black football players at a PWI located in the Midwest. Data was coded and analyzed into categories. There are six themes that emerged. 1. The attention to have academic focus. 2. The ability to maintain a connection and support from family and other important figures. 3. Constantly navigating microaggressions from …

Information Technology Security Concerns For University Workforce And Supporting Infrastructure During A Pandemic, Garrett Stevens

Dissertations and Theses

Faculty and staff working from home during the COVID pandemic were presented with new challenges in adapting to emergency remote teaching, as well as new and expanded cyber security threats. Changes to course delivery, remote access from public locations, and the potential of faculty and staff storing confidential educational records on university-issued devices, and potentially personally owned devices, made faculty and staff prime targets of malicious attackers. Information technology departments were challenged to support and secure the remote workforce from new cyber threats to protect their faculty, staff, and students from cyber-attacks. The focus of this study was to identify …

Disconnected, Frustrated And Withdrawn: Institutional Policy Implications For Equity In Student And Faculty Community, Jessica Marie Welsh

Dissertations and Theses

DFW rates at intuitions of higher education for students from underrepresented populations trended higher than majority students. A single explanatory case study provides insight to the factors impacting DFW rates in first-year gateway courses at a four-year, public, comprehensive institution. The study employed the use of focus groups of students, non-tenure-track faculty, and tenure-track faculty. In addition, institutional data was collected and used to triangulate to the data collected from focus groups. The inductive results showed multiple institutional barriers causing DFW rates among first-generation, Pell Grant, and/or students of color. Using Turner and Angulo’s (2018) theoretical framework of high-risk decision-making …

Teacher Retention: Retaining Teachers In High-Needs, Urban Secondary Schools In A Midwest State Post-Pandemic, Christopher Kenneth Schmit

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention has been a challenge for most schools for several years. High-needs schools have been known to have twice the trouble with teacher retention as schools not considered high-needs. The purpose of this study was to identify effective practices school principals can implement to retain teachers at high-needs, urban secondary schools. This quantitative study called on teachers from high-needs schools in Iowa to complete a survey identifying principal qualities related to retention, perceived reasons for teacher attrition, and reasons they continue to teach at their current school. Three hundred eighty-five teachers from five different Iowa school districts participated in …

Increasing Collaboration To Improve Student Outcomes: Improvement Science, Cassandra Diane Thonstad

Dissertations and Theses

The aspiration of achieving equitable outcomes for all students is a focus of schools, districts, and communities but has largely remained unattainable with the top-down implementation of change ideas and directives that come and go as quickly as they are implemented. Too often the direct users, students and classroom staff, are left out of the conversations around what works best to improve student success, contributing to the achievement gaps experienced by our students of color, students receiving special education or English language services, or in the case of a hook discipline, young men. By utilizing Improvement Science through collaboration across …

K-12 Racial Equity Work In The Predominantly White Pacific Northwest: Interracial Conversations, Counter-Stories, And Considerations, Bradley Justin Parker

Dissertations and Theses

K-12 public education in the United States, post Brown v. Board of Education (1954), has historically maintained a predominantly White teaching force, and has persistently underserved students of Color in terms of academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Additionally, K-12 school-based racial equity work that strives to address the operation of racism is inconsistent, difficult to measure, and has not demonstrably created more racially equitable experiences or outcomes for students or educators of Color. In this project, I critically explore K-12 school-based efforts towards more racial equity in the predominantly White Pacific Northwest, and I take an intentional and critical look …

Critical Awareness, Reflection, And Action In Head Start Leadership: A Critical Consciousness Case Study Of Head Start Leaders, Christopher Pearce Agudelo

Dissertations and Theses

Diverse families with preschool-aged children are at an enhanced risk of marginalization in the United States. Whether they are of a different race, level of ability, gender, or socioeconomic background, they need early childhood leaders and educators who can focus on caring for their children. In this exploratory qualitative study, I conducted five open-ended interviews with Head Start education managers--a similar position to a preschool Director or a K-12 Principal. The objective was to understand better how Head Start Education Managers attend to equity and inclusion via critical awareness, critical reflection, and critical action. I utilized the three-element construct of …

What's Care Got To Do With It? Expulsion Practices In Family Child Care, Josephina Paulina Emmrich

Dissertations and Theses

Expulsion of children under five years old in early childhood care and education settings is a problem, especially in family child care programs with the highest expulsion rates across early childhood care and education settings. Recently passed Oregon legislation prohibits expulsion in child care programs (Oregon SB 236, 2021). Influencing outcomes for young children and the family child care providers who work with them. Family child care programs are small businesses primarily run by women who work alone from their homes. Systemic inequities contribute to a lack of support and access to resources for family child care providers. These inequities …

Silos In Higher Education Institutions: Shifting From Organizational Phenomena To A Practical Framework For Equitable Decision-Making, Mandi Sue Mizuta

Dissertations and Theses

As higher education has evolved, administrative and support functions have become more stratified and specialized, creating institutions with complex and compartmentalized organizational structures known as silos. These silos have a detrimental impact on institutions, employees, and ultimately the student stakeholders that they serve. Silos within higher education administration support services are readily acknowledged anecdotally; however, robust research to describe this phenomenon and actionable resources to address it are lacking. This multi-paper dissertation explores the theoretical implications and practical applications for using collaborative, intentional approaches to address what is argued to be at its core is a matter of equity. The …

Perspectives Of Students With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disability In College Inclusion Programs On Their Preparation For Working In Competitive Integrated Employment, Eva R. Blixseth

Dissertations and Theses

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a history of being isolated, marginalized, and excluded from employment that is competitive and integrated. Policy makers, disability advocates, and self-advocates have made efforts to center inclusive education and employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disability. Employment is a valuable outcome for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities exiting college inclusion programs (Lee & Colleagues, 2022). However, from 2017 through 2021, not all students with intellectual and/or intellectual disability exiting college inclusion programs were employed. This is concerning as O'Brien et al. (2019) pointed out students' primary goal for completing college inclusion programs …

Higher Education Futures: The Transformative Potential Of Using Critical Foresights Practices & Arts Based Research In Our Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear, And Incomprehensible (Bani) World, Sheila Christine Mullooly

Dissertations and Theses

Our institutional approaches to problems in the changing global landscape of internationalized higher education are being challenged, and many scholars call for new approaches for understanding and addressing the complex problems we face (e.g., la paperson). The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the need to make changes in how we approach our evolving problems and possibilities for human-centric transformation. This multi-paper dissertation is a call to action and proposes the use of new approaches to research and educational practice--specifically, critical futures studies and arts-based research. Design justice principles and participatory action approaches frame and motivate these possibilities. First, "A Public …

Must Be Present To Win: Principals' Perspectives On Exclusionary Discipline, William Jeremy Cohen

Dissertations and Theses

One of the persistent challenges in United States elementary schools is the ongoing use of exclusionary discipline practices. In Oregon, despite the application of a number of legal and policy shifts intended to reduce the use of suspension and expulsion in K-5 and K-8 schools, particularly for students of color, there continues to be an increase year-to-year of the number of students being excluded, the percentage of students excluded, and an increasingly disproportionate use of exclusion for students of color. Although the research shows that removing students from the learning environment does not improve student behavior nor improve overall school …

Keeping In Touch While Sheltering In Place: A Comparative Case Study On The Complex Emotions Experienced By Older Adults When Introduced To Icts And Video Conferencing Services, Marisa Susan Soltz

Dissertations and Theses

Currently, COVID-19 poses a threat to the US and the rest of the world, which has created the need for many people to establish physical distance from others. This need for physical distance is perhaps most important for those most vulnerable to COVID-19, which includes the older adult population. Through this time of physical isolation, most people need to keep in touch with each other while sheltering in place. Advances in digital communication have offered new avenues to help people maintain communication, and these advances have made the lives of many easier and more efficient. These new avenues for communication …

Improvement Science: Improving Employee Engagement, Ryan S. Carpenter

Dissertations and Theses

Improving employee engagement has proven elusive in too many schools and districts in our nation, persistently contributing to high staff turnover in buildings and limited employee ownership in the mission, vision, and values of a school's strategic plan. The most common approach to the improvement of educational systems has been the adoption of top-down reforms and short-lived improvement programs. In recent years, an Improvement Science approach, which originated in the medical and business worlds, has made its way onto the education scene. The impact of Improvement Science in education is a developing area in educational research. This dissertation includes four …