Education Commons^™

Undergraduate Student Sense Of Belonging And Edtech Tool Engagement: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Virtual Campus Experience, Veronica Wilson

Dissertations

The contemporary postsecondary learning experience is heavily mediated by educational technology (EdTech) tools and yet little is known about the ways in which these tools impact student engagement and sense of belonging, two indicators which are important to student persistence and graduation. Using Strayhorn’s (2023) critical socioecological sense of belonging framework, this convergent mixed methods study offers insights into these relationships by examining student engagement with EdTech and student sense of belonging and the impact of student traits on the relationship between EdTech and sense of belonging. This study was conducted at a private, broad access Hispanic-Serving Institution in the …

Persistence Of Female Faculty In Stem, Andrea Constantinou

Dissertations

The lack of women entering certain STEM fields impacts female representation in research faculty, teacher faculty, and leadership positions in higher education. Through a narrative inquiry methodology utilizing the theoretical paradigms of self-determination theory and relational autonomy, this study extended understanding of the factors that motivate persistence for women in certain STEM fields. While prior research focused on understanding the barriers to retention, this study sought to identify the factors motivating retention for women in certain STEM fields. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivating factors that influence a woman’s persistence in STEM. The data gathered from …

Community Engagement In Art & Design Colleges, Mah Rukh Raja

Masters Theses

This thesis titled ‘Community Engagement in Art & Design Colleges: Case Studies from Pakistan’ highlights the importance of community-engaged practices in education, specifically within the realm of art and design, and examines the effect of community engagement on student learning. It focuses on the importance of creating opportunities for reciprocal, community-engaged learning where responsibilities, roles and credit are shared equally among students, community partners, and educational institutions to develop projects that are in the best interest of communities.

This research coincides with the introduction of community and civic engagement in undergraduate education in Pakistan. Its primary objective is to serve …

Twenty Years Of Community-Based College Success: Oral Histories From Practitioners, Partners, And Peer Mentors Supporting City University Of New York (Cuny) Students, Benjamin J. Carey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

For the past twenty years, community-based college success programs have supported a generation of young people entering all twenty-five City University of New York (CUNY) Colleges. As the country’s largest urban university system, CUNY has historically been a major engine of economic mobility for young people in New York City. However, gaps in academic preparation and navigational support have weakened student persistence and graduation rates. Community-based organizations (CBOs) that have provided college access support to New York City public school students since the 1980s began to extend their services into college to provide targeted interventions and improve student outcomes. Grounded …

Black Students Matter: A Phenomenological Approach To Exploring Sense Of Belonging Among Black Students Attending A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Alison K. Chandler

Dissertations

As the number of Black college students who have enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) has risen, it has become necessary to examine how their sense of belonging has been fostered, particularly given the educational disparities and equity gaps in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Furthermore, the focus on initiatives geared towards Latinx students may contribute to feelings of inadequacy among Black students, which is compounded by racialized experiences that have occurred in educational settings both prior to and during college. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of nine Black undergraduate students at a private four-year HSI in the …

Identifying Graduate Students’ Instructional Strategies And Approaches Towards Teaching Employable Skills, Elizabeth S. Che

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

College instruction tends to focus on imparting disciplinary knowledge rather than employable broad-based skills emphasized by undergraduate guidelines. The lack of emphasis on broad-skill development may leave many undergraduate students unprepared for the workforce. Graduate students who are future professoriate, are teaching undergraduate courses with various attitudes and strategies. This dissertation comprises three published studies that used data from two surveys identifying graduate students’ instructional strategies and approaches to teaching employable skills in their courses.

The first study asked whether graduate students teaching undergraduate courses (N = 114; 70.2% women, M age = 30 years) aim to teach employable …

Black Genius: An Achievement Distortion, Brenda Burgo

Dissertations

Is the achievement gap real? Using a mixed-methods approach, this study reframed standardized testing through a Quantitative Critical and Black Critical lens. It interrogated the deficit framing of Black student achievement by asking the following questions: (1) To what extent do the aggregated standardized test scores for Black students in California correlate with other measures of achievement? Included in this analysis are: (a) To what degree does the ratio of Black students relate to the achievement variables? and (b) To what extent did COVID impact this correlation? (2) What beliefs do Black educators have regarding the standardized test scores of …

Ripple Of Hope: Understanding The Lived Experience And Academic Achievement Of Latinx Students At Arrupe College And Dougherty Family College: A Case Study, Richard P. Virgin

Dissertations

One of the most common and important entry points into higher education for Latinx and other underrepresented students is through community college. However, national completion rates for Latinx community college students have been trailing their white peers. This gap in academic achievement has prevailed since the 1990s. The trailing rates of degree completion for Latinx students can lead to lower lifetime salary earnings, lack of career advancement, greater risk of losing employment, and an increased chance of living in poverty. However, a successful community college model may be seen as a disruptor in the educational sector due to its much …

Locked-In Learning: Honorlock And Surveillance Capitalism In The First Year Writing Department, Tehyah Carver

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This paper explores the impact of implementing the proctoring software Honorlock in the collegiate writing classroom. Through a framework inspired by Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and Foucault’s Discipline and Punish, the investigation analyzes the efficacy of Honorlock’s attempts to reduce plagiarism and student test-taking anxiety when applied to preliminary writing assessments in Seton Hall University’s First Year Writing program. With professor interviews, surveys, and observations, the paper exposes the flaws of Honorlock’s promise of student empowerment and honesty by dissecting the punitive language used in their marketing material to potential and current consumers, administrators and professors. …

From Classroom To College: The Impact Of Educators Of Color On Long-Term Commitment Of Students Of Color, Haley Hayes

Education | Master's Theses

Research has shown that educators of color are essential for students of color to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance in their early developmental stages of education. According to Morgan (2019), “the findings of a recent study supported the idea that assigning teachers of color the same race leads to an increase in positive subjective assessments with regard to behavior and skills” (p.158). Prior research has considered issues that prevent people of color from becoming educators and/or remaining in the field, while also considering the environment and tools needed for educators of color to be successful in their jobs. …

Empowering Achievement: Investigating Leadership, Agency, And Access For First-Generation College Students, Antonia Marcelle Pettit

Education | Master's Theses

This research demonstrates that first-generation college students excel when they can be open to new spaces, people, and experiences and have access to robust support systems and the necessary resources to build solid personal self-efficacy. The intentionality behind this research is grounded in students finding their agency and self- efficacy to become strong and confident leaders within their communities and future workplaces. One of the theoretical frameworks this research touches on is Vince Tinto’s interactionalist theory of student persistence, which identifies the importance of academic and social integration in higher education students. All six participants in the study were in …

Examining How Artistic Expression In The Classroom Can Increase Students' Academic Performance And Understanding Of Course Material, Jake Taylor Marrazzo

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined how artistic expression in the classroom can increase students’ academic performance and understanding of course material. This study consisted of graduate students in the Masters of Arts in Higher Education program at Rowan University, during the Fall/Spring 2023-2024 semesters, enrolled in at least one of the following courses: Crisis Management, Higher Education in America, and The College Student. The study utilized an artistic expression activity, painting, in connection with participants' course material and readings to understand the benefits of artistic expression on student success in the classroom. Some findings of this study show that artistic …

The "Essence" From Within: A Phenomenological Study Examining The Lived Experiences Of Racial And Ethnic Minoritized Women (Raemw) Senior Level Administrators At 4-Year Predominately White Institutions (Pwis) In The United States (U.S.), Felicia Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of senior level RAEMW administrators who work at 4-year PWIs in the U.S. and analyze the impact of institutional environments on their success. The theories that guided this study were: Crenshaw’s (1994; 1989; 2015) intersectionality framework and four tenets of CRT which include counter-storytelling, the permanence of racism, interest convergence, and intersectionality (Hiraldo, 2010, 2019). This study was guided by the three research questions: 1) How do RAEMW senior level administrators describe their experiences navigating higher education, 2) How do senior level RAEMW administrators describe the impact of institutional environments …

Understanding The Role Of Academic Advising And Student Resilience In Male College Students' First-Year Retention: Differences By Race/Ethnicity, Brittany K. Gogates

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Institutions of higher education continue to struggle with retaining and graduating students within 6 years, and gender and racial/ethnic disparities are apparent. Only 60% of male and 67% of female students who entered a 4-year institution in 2014 graduated within 6 years (U.S. Department of Education, 2022). In 2022, only 27.6% of Black and 20.9% of Hispanic/Latino Americans between ages 25 and 29 have completed a baccalaureate degree (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023). For those students who entered college in fall 2017, Black students had the lowest first-year retention of 52.1%, and Hispanic/Latino students were not far ahead, with a 59.5% …

Experiences Of Women Trustees: A Qualitative Multi-Case Study Of Women Trustees At Private Religious Colleges In The South, Amanda Main

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

In the United States, women are underrepresented on college governing boards and trusteeships, occupying only about one-third of those positions (Madsen & Longman, 2020). In the Southern United States, female representation is dramatically lower, with women holding somewhere between 11-15% of those board positions (Madsen & Longman, 2020). Feminist research identifies persistent sexism as the reason for the continued gender inequities. Sexism in social and organizational structures may present as microaggressions, a lack of agency, lack of female role models and mentors, explicit and inherent gender-based biases, lack of flexibility in work arrangements, and women being assigned work that does …

Exploring Staff Burnout In College Access And Retention Programs, Yajaira Nunez

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to develop ways to support staff working in access and retention programs in higher education, who are experiencing or prone to burnout. The guiding questions were (a) How could collaboration with administrators working in access and retention programs in higher education facilitate learning to cope with burnout? and (b) How could strategies be developed collaboratively to address burnout in both current and future staff? I conducted three cycles using appreciative inquiry as a guide with six participants from different institutions between January and March 2024. The cycles included a GroupMe chat, a Zoom retreat, …

A Phenomenological Study On The Impact Of The Experience Of A College Merger On Employee Engagement, Satisfaction, And Burnout In Faculty, Staff, And Administrators At Minnesota North College, Molly Elise Franz

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Higher education institutions were becoming more competitive due to meeting the needs of changing demographics of prospective students, increasing costs of tuition, fees, and operations, meeting workforce demands, providing access to high quality technology tools, and more. A merger process impacted employee engagement, satisfaction and burnout. It was important for administrators in higher education to create and maintain a supportive and inclusive culture for employees, especially during each stage of the merger process. It was also important to clearly communicate the purpose of the merger, and to provide employees an opportunity to engage with the planning and implementation stages of …

Should We Move To Suspend Robert’S Rules Forever: A Review And Proposal For Student Government Communication, Harper Estus

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to understand and improve how student leaders in student government (senators) communicate with one another during their meetings. My research question was, how can I effectively work with the Associated Student Government (ASG) at the University of San Diego (USD) to improve the senator’s meeting communication through parliamentary practice? The use of Robert’s Rules (parliamentary procedure) is common for student government. I analyzed mixed-method data through three cycles: focus group, survey, and semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that there are pros and cons to meeting structures, most participants are open to different meeting …

Supporting Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Neurodivergence: University Of San Diego Accommodations And Resources, Carina Mendoza

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This research focuses on better understanding the unique classroom experiences faced by autistic and neurodiverse students at the University of San Diego (USD) and offers recommendations to improve their college experience. Through a well-studied literature review and data collection through semi structured interviews and focus groups, the overall goal was to have a more holistic understanding of the current support services from faculty and staff that are available for students at USD. The study will provide unique challenges and curated recommendations for students with autism spectrum disorder and neurodiverse identities. This research also identifies specific areas where the USD can …

Pragmatic Factors Of Nationally Ranked Ncaa Division Ii Men's Golf Teams: A Grounded Theory Inquiry, Ekren Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) added Division II men’s golf in 1963. Since then, teams in the South/Southeast (S/SE) NCAA Region have been dominant, with the last nine of 11 national champions from schools in Florida. What are the pragmatic factors that make a top 50 nationally ranked team or an elite team in the top 25? This study had 14 head coaches of nationally ranked teams (or previous national rank) and included three former national champions in the participant sample. These coaches were interviewed individually or set into focus groups within the S/SE and Central/Midwest NCAA Regions. …

Supporting International Students' Emotional And Social Wellbeing: Addressing Pressing Issues Related To Tuition And Visa Status Anxiety, Jinyi Chen

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to engage and build community with international students and to find ways to support them emotionally and socially leading to better mental health outcomes. My research question was: how can I support international college students to alleviate common mental health issues many continue to experience as a result of their international status? This occurs particularly when they must deal with tuition and visa status anxiety. I did three cycles in the research process using online surveys, interviews, and a large debriefing group meeting. Findings indicated that visa status anxiety is one of the most …

From Counterspaces To Community:A Qualitative Case Study Analysis Of Black Community Making At A Pwi, Charles Watkins

Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how Black college students build and maintain a sense of community at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Informed by relational sociological methodology and the conceptual framework of Black placemaking, this study foregrounded the nuanced process of community building, focusing on the interplay between Black students and the spaces—physical and digital—they cocreate collectively. This study particularly emphasized the significance of the Black Student Union (BSU) as a foundational Black student organization at PWIs. The following lines of inquiry guided this study: (a) How do Black undergraduate students at a PWI define the Black community? (b) What …

Bridging Usd Graduate Student Life And Mcnair Scholars Program: How To Enhance Mcnair Scholars’ Transition To Graduate School, Emily S. Esquivel

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Research has shown a need to support graduate students with intersecting identities (e.g., first generation, underrepresented). Further, there is little research on the transition of McNair students to graduate school. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to learn about how McNair students at the University of San Diego (USD) can navigate graduate school preparation with the support of Graduate Student Life (GSL). The research questions that guided this project were: (1) How can I collaborate with GSL to enhance support for USD McNair Scholars as they transition to graduate school? and (2) How can GSL support McNair Scholars’ sense …

Breaking Barriers And Cultivating Collaborative Partnerships For The Torero Renaissance Scholars Program, Ti'shaun Allen

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

There is a high global demand for institutions to implement and maintain supportive programming for system-impacted students. System-impacted students are those who identify as former foster youth, homeless or at risk for homelessness, emancipated minors, or students in legal guardianships. My action research aimed to understand how to improve the Torero Renaissance Scholars (TRS) program model, delivery, and infrastructure to increase student engagement, program awareness, and partner collaboration at the University of San Diego (USD). TRS is a supportive program that assists students who are system-impacted. Findings from qualitative semi-structured 1:1 interviews, group conversations, and focus groups suggested increased employment …

Language Proficiency Requirements And International Enrolment: A Systematized Review, Kennedy M. Wonnacott

Major Papers

The internationalization of the Canadian higher education system is becoming increasingly delicate, yet complex. This major research paper aims to develop an understanding of the impact that language proficiency requirements have on international students’ ability to study abroad at post-secondary institutions. This paper employs a theoretical framework of neoliberal education and culturally relevant pedagogy to analyze enrolment management practices and opportunities through a student-centred lens. A systematized review of the literature concerning English language proficiency (ELP) of international students in higher education was conducted. Results were synthesized into two key themes: language proficiency and university admissions and the student experience. …

Building A Bridge Between Student-Centered Teachers And Teacher-Centered Students, Kimber Summers

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

A Global Journey Inward: Contemplative Education Abroad On A Short-Term Program In Finland, Tanya Kramer

Dissertation Collection

This study investigated the transformative potential of integrating subjective and intersubjective contemplative practices within a short-term, faculty-led education abroad program in Finland. Focused on addressing tensions arising from neoliberal and objective approaches to conventional Western higher education, the research explored how critical contemplative education abroad fostered deeper connections with Self, Others, and Place among students. Data collection involved analyzing course documents, facilitating two focus groups, conducting participant observations, and documenting researcher reflections. Employing the heuristic approach within a qualitative and spiritual research paradigm, the study identified three main findings: Experience of Place, Experiential Coherence, and Individual Perspectives within a Collective …

The Experiences Of Minoritized Students In A College Success Course: A Qualitative Case Study, Erin Hannah

Theses and Dissertations

Enrollment in higher education has increased over recent years with more students entering college underprepared for the academic rigor. Through expanded access, more minoritized students who are Pell eligible are enrolling. To retain these and other students, higher education institutions are implementing high impact practices to provide additional support. One such strategy is through the implementation of college success courses. These courses are intended to provide an extra layer of support for students as they make the transition from high school to college. Using a qualitative, case study approach, I used semi-structured interviews which included a photo-elicitation component to explore …

Impact Of Social Integration On Student Persistence In Commuter Students, Julianna Paolini

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to quantitatively examine the ways in which social integration impacts student persistence in the commuter student population on the Glassboro campus at Rowan University. Additionally, this study examines the levels of social engagement in the commuter student population and in what ways is their engagement impacted. The sample consisted of 159 participants who commute to Rowan University’s main campus who are enrolled as undergraduate students. Participants were surveyed utilizing a Qualtrics survey that was distributed to students starting in December of 2023 and ending in February 2023. The survey consisted of questions about the …

Hospitality Highway Career Fair: An Exploratory Study, Lilly Miller

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this creative project is to conduct research on career fairs and hospitality events to successfully host the first ever Hospitality Career Fair at the University of Arkansas. The lack of career advancement opportunities on the campus for hospitality management students continued to increase despite the rapidly growing industry across the community, so the creation of the career fair would allow improvement for the students and the companies. With a creative project, it allows more creativity and research to develop the overall plan for the event.

The project studies hospitality career events hosted at other universities to gain …