Education Commons^™

Self-Perceived Competence Of New Student Affairs Professionals, Jennifer Smith Schneider

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine the extent to which new student affairs professionals feel competent for the work and to identify the experiences that foster such competence in them. The study also revealed discrepancies in the perceived levels and sources of competence between professionals who have completed either one or three years of full-time employment in student affairs. While some quantitative studies have addressed competence in student affairs professionals, the literature lacks in-depth information regarding the acquisition of competence of new professionals. This basic qualitative study offers rich information about competence development from the professionals themselves.

Participants graduated from …

Social Media & College Admissions: An Analysis Of Facebook's Role In College Admissions & Higher Education Marketing, Michael Dooney

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

College admissions offices have developed and evolved to include increasingly sophisticated mechanisms for recruiting classes sufficient for meeting the financial needs of their respective institutions, and social media has rapidly become a popular tool for admissions offices in their efforts to meet enrollment goals. However, while social media is now used by practically every admissions office in the United States, little research exists that examines how universities use social media in this context. This qualitative study examines the use of a private Facebook group at a private university and incorporates observational study of the Facebook group and interviews with administrators. …

Impact Of The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill: An Examination Of Retention Of First Year Students In The Hampton Roads Area, Kim B. Sibson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill has had a tremendous impact on higher education institutions (HEI) across the country. As of 2011, the Veterans Administration (VA) had issued G.I. Bill payments to almost 500,000 veterans. This research examines the effect of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill on student retention in different types of HEIs in the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia, an area that has a high number of military and military-affiliated residents. Ex post facto data from various institutions have been compared, with a public university, a for-profit college, and a two-year public community college to examine the retention rates of …

Investing In Grindr: An Exploration Of How Gay College Men Utilize Gay-Oriented Social Networking Sites, Michael T. Dodge

Doctoral Dissertations

The use of social networking sites appears to be a dominant fixture in the lives of college students. Recent studies estimate that over 94% of traditionally aged college students utilize social networking sites (Matney, Borland, & Cope, 2006; Salaway, Katz, Caruso, Kvavik, & Nelson, 2007: Smith & Caruso, 2010). College students’ near universal adoption and use of social networking sites is having a significant impact on how they develop identity and interact with others (Lloyd, Dean, & Cooper, 2007; Martínez Alemán & Lynk Wartman, 2009; Torres, Jones, & Renn, 2009). Studies have explored the impact of gender differences on social …

Welcome To Guyland: Experiences Of Trans* Men In College, D Chase J. Catalano

Doctoral Dissertations

Trans* identified men have emerged as a growing college and university population in higher education who have not as yet received specific research attention. I studied the experiences of trans* men in higher education and focused on their descriptions of gender identity and the advice they would offer to trans* men (or potential) trans* men about navigating college. With my focus on gender identity I hope to understand the experiences of those men who had, at one time, self-identified or been identified by others as a woman and/or female and who currently identity as man, male, masculine, or trans man. …

More Myself: Exploring Students' Perceptions Of Self-Authorship Development, Benjamin B. Stubbs

Doctoral Dissertations

Increasingly, the challenges of modern adult life include the responsibility for ambiguous tasks, the need to work as a team with diverse others and the expectation to make important decisions in the face of competing interests. Research suggests that individuals able to meet these challenges demonstrate self-authorship, a way of knowing that allows them to exert control over their lives. Existing research provides insight into college students’ self-authorship and the influence of situational, environmental and personal factors on self-authorship development. However, the literature has yet to explore students’ own understanding of their self-authorship development. The purpose of this study was …

The Role Of Mission In Strategic Planning Development And Execution At A Lasallian Catholic University, William Bisset

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how administrators at a Lasallian sponsored Catholic university remain committed to institutional mission in its undergraduate education program at a time when external pressures require the institution to consider operational strategies that may run counter to its institutional ideals. To effectively investigate how key administrators balance institutional priorities within a specific context, I conducted a qualitative case study at Rheims University (pseudonym). Because the major focus of my study was to examine how administrators in senior level positions at this institution develop strategies designed to accomplish goals prioritized by the university …

Instructional Change In Academic Departments: An Analysis From The Perspective Of Two Environment-Focused Change Strategies, Kathleen M. Quardokus

Dissertations

Numerous reports demand changes in college and university teaching practices. This is especially true for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. STEM stakeholders are concerned about student retention within STEM majors, as well as the lack of sufficient graduates with the knowledge to advance these fields. A common conclusion of these reports is that teaching practices must change. Although these calls for change have occurred for decades, STEM fields have yet to experience widespread change. Thus, there is a need for more effective change strategies. Recently, researchers have suggested that effective change strategies should focus on changing the environments …

Breaking Ground On The University Garden: Service-Learning And Action Research, Bryce Collin Davis

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to document, analyze, understand, and describe how the environmental virtue ethics of undergraduate students were impacted after participating in a service-learning project designed to establish a new university garden. This service-learning project occurred during the fall semester of 2011, on the campus of Lighthouse University, a mid-size Catholic college campus that is located in an urban area of Southern California. The service-learning component was embedded within one environmental ethics course. Over the course of one sixteen-week academic semester, thirty undergraduates, between the ages of 18-23, each volunteered ten hours in this new on-campus garden. …

The Effects Of Student Engagement On Retention: Comparing Male Undergraduate Stem Majors To Non-Stem Majors, Tourgee D. Simpson Jr.

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Researchers suggest certain benchmarks of student engagement (i.e., student-faculty interaction, level of academic challenge, enriching educational experiences, active and collaborative learning, and supportive campus environment) positively influence student success. This study investigated the relationship between student engagement and the retention of male, full-time undergraduate students in STEM majors by comparing male, full-time undergraduate students in select science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors to male, full-time undergraduate students in non-STEM majors to identify best practices to improve retention and increase degree completion among men in STEM fields.

Students were invited to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). …

In Search Of Social Justice Praxis: A Critical Examination Of Senior Student Affairs Officers' Leadership Practices, Ryan P. Barone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the highest ranking administrators in divisions of student affairs, Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) have the substantial opportunity to perform leadership in a manner which realizes social justice processes and goals. Framed by critical postmodernism (Tierney & Rhoads, 1993), this study uses educational criticism and connoisseurship (Eisner, 1976, 1998, 2002) to document the social justice leadership practices of two SSAOs. In depth narratives give rich descriptions of the nuances of social justice leadership as enacted by the SSAOs. Critical interpretation and evaluation of these practices is woven throughout the study. Themes relevant for the field of higher education in …

Conceptual Framework Alignment Between Primary Literature And Education In Animal Behaviour, Andrea Marie-Kryger Bierema

Dissertations

In 1963, Tinbergen revolutionized the study of animal behaviour in his paper On aims and methods of ethology (Zeitschrift Tierpsycholgie, 20, 410-433) by revamping the conceptual framework of the discipline. His framework suggests an integration of four questions: causation, ontogeny, survival value, and evolution. The National Research Council Committee (U.S.) on Undergraduate Biology Education to Prepare Research Scientists for the 21^st Century published BIO2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2003), which suggests alignment between current research and undergraduate education. Unfortunately, alignment has been rarely studied in college biology, especially for fundamental …

Examining Fully Online Degree Students' Perceptions Of Online Student Support Services: A Mixed Method Study Using Grounded Theory And Rasch Analysis, Tamara Dean Heimberg

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The higher education market is becoming much more competitive as more students are attracted to online courses and online degree programs. In order to remain competitive, higher education institutions must provide students access to online support services. However, an online student support services plan is an often overlooked component of an online initiative even though it is a critical factor in the overall success of an online program.

This research specifically focuses on online student support services for students enrolled in fully online degree programs in an effort to identify the most important online student support services from students’ perspectives, …

The Impact Of Generational Differences On Organizational Relationships: A Communication Perspective, Mecca M. Salahuddin

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to investigate the relationship between an individual’s generation and the communication styles used with other generations, and explore the influence of intergenerational communication styles on organizational relationships. The study utilized the Global Perceptions of Intergenerational Communication (GPIC) survey to assess participants’ perceptions of others and one’s own communication styles on three factors: accommodation, nonaccommodation, and respectful avoidance. Three hundred and eighty-five participants of staff and administrators employed at five community colleges located in South Texas completed the survey. Principal component analyses and multiple analysis of variance analysis results showed the …

Three Justifications For Support Of Female Student Affairs Professionals, Anna Filipek Adams

Masters Theses

Female student affairs professionals have experienced much advancement in the field. Yet we still suffer gender discrimination in our career paths, salaries, and work experiences. Unfortunately, this issue is not seen as important by decision makers, due to the acceptance of slow change, the past reluctances to begin this discussion, and the arguments of critics. In order to reinvigorate our growth and advancement in the field, I argue that there is value in supporting female student affairs professionals.

I justify the value of supporting of female student affairs professionals from student affairs, human resources, and cultural studies perspectives. From a …

Creating Course Curriculum For A Community College, Carol E. Reis

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

ABSTRACT OF A PROJECT

Creating college courses for a community college is the main focus of this project. The specific college is Erie Community College in Western New York. Three areas of course development that have been targeted are: recreation, creative studies, and therapeutics.

Just as the needs in society change, the need for a college to change to fit the needs of society coexists. A function of higher education is to train students to be competitive in the existing job market. The final outcome of a college certificate and/or degree is best suited to students if the certificates and …

Impacts Of Website Visibility And Family Income On Use Of The Net Price Calculator, Hunt Chouteau Helm

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Higher education attainment benefits individuals and society. But access to higher education is not equitable. Students from low-income families, even those with equal qualifications, are underrepresented throughout the education pipeline, and the gap by family income increases at each educational milepost. The major impediments to increasing college-going rates for lower-income families are financial, experiential, motivational and informational. A key informational impediment is the difficulty families have in understanding information about college costs and financial aid. In 2011, the federal government attempted to improve information access for all by requiring colleges and universities to post a Net Price Calculator on their …

Black Male Graduates’ Reflections On Their College Experiences At A Private, Faith-Based, Predominantly White Institution Of Higher Education, Kimberly Hayworth

Dissertations

This study takes an in-depth look at the experiences of 12 Black males who graduated between 2001 and 2012 from a private, faith-based, predominantly White institution of higher education, with a purpose to better understand the essence of their collegiate experiences. Most research on minority college enrollment has focused on reasons why students of color do not persist (Bowen, Chingos & McPherson, 2009; Douthat, 2005; Tinto, 1993; Western, Schiraldi & Ziedenberg, 2003). Rather than rehearsing reasons for attrition, my dissertation investigated the essence of their collegiate experiences and what could be learned from Black males who did persist to graduation, …

A Phenomenological Study Into How Students Experience And Understand The University Presidency, Kahler B. Schuemann

Dissertations

Little is known about how college students experience and understand the university presidency. Students are important consumers of the academic experience and by affiliation are constituents of organizational leadership. The social distance between students and university presidents continues to narrow. To address the void in scholarly literature, my study explored how students experience and understand the university presidency.

My investigation utilized phenomenological methodology to form descriptive themes. I interviewed 10 college students who self-identified as being involved with extracurricular activities and having, at minimum, occasional interaction with their president. Participants were selected from two small, public, Midwestern universities where their …

Academic Ethics Conflict In The Age Of Wikipedia And Turnitin.Com: A Study Assessing The Opinions Of Exiting College Students, Consuelo Doria Kelley

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Technology has wrought paradigmatic shifts in societal, institutional, and individual power to instantly share and collaboratively produce knowledge, influencing the definition and perceived significance of academic ethics (AE), a continually evolving social construct. Student disregard of AE can generate wide-ranging conflicts affecting multiple student-success stakeholders: students, their families, instructors, administrators, schools, employers of graduates, and society. Dominant AE higher education institutional strategies typically position the individual student as the problem, leaving contextual influences on their academic conduct outside the AE conflict resolution discourse. The researcher conducted an exploratory research study to ascertain undergraduate students' opinions about AE at a university …

Transforming A University? A Qualitative Analysis Of The Grantee-Grantor Relationship Between Florida Institute Of Technology And The F. W. Olin Foundation, Matthew Ruane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to discuss and examine the nature of the grantor-grantee relationship between the F. W. Olin Foundation and Florida Institute of Technology in the larger context of grants by foundations and philanthropies to higher education. At the center of the research is a $50-million-dollar grant that "transformed" Florida Institute of Technology in ways that were perhaps unforeseen by either the grant-issuing foundation or the higher-education institution itself. This research will include a brief history of the two institutions involved and the circumstances that led to this grant proposal and its eventual implementation by the university, …

Examining The Effectiveness Of The After Action Review For Online And Face-To-Face Discussion Groups, William Cradick

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There is not enough research in the utilization of the After Action Review (AAR), in a college setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the AAR in both face-to-face and online classroom environments. Over the period of a semester, participants of undergraduate psychology courses, at a mid-sized university, conducted AARs with their static groups. Overall course and group activity grades were measured, along with self-efficacy, satisfaction, and motivation ratings. The AAR was found to be overall ineffective at improving performance outcomes. The evidence is not conclusive enough to suggest that the AAR will not be …

Off The Beaten Track: The Experiences Of Jamaican Student Athletes In Us Higher Education, Michelle Antoinette Rankine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

International student athletes populating American colleges and universities have gained visibility and prestige due to their athletic and academic capabilities. International student athletes emerge from a variety of backgrounds. These backgrounds vary in terms of geographic origin, cultural orientation, and social custom. The students themselves also differ in the amount of change they, as individuals, experience during the migration process from their home countries to the United States. There have been many studies related to the traditional student athlete experience. However, recent literature fails to examine the experiences of international student athletes, and in particular, Jamaican student athletes, in terms …

"My Gut Has To Feel It": A Participatory Action Research Study Of Community College Educators Navigating The Emotional Terrain Of Human Rights Education, Lindsay Padilla

Doctoral Dissertations

Informed by feminist theories of emotion and the concept of critical emotional praxis, this PAR study highlights the emotional terrain of four Northern California community college teachers who teach human rights. The following meta-question guided this research: "Given the role of emotions in challenging injustice, as well as in engaging in personal and societal change, what role do emotions play when teaching in a community college?" Data sources included journals, monthly meetings, final reflection narratives, and exit interviews, which were culled for emergent themes. The findings indicate that the co-researchers in this study experienced emotional ambivalence (the simultaneous experience of …

Discovering Self, Leaving Struggle Behind, And Setting Examples: Perspectives From First-Generation, Minority Community College Women On The Value Of Higher Education, Antonia Sheel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how first-generation, minority community college women who participated in a Student Success course understood their higher education experiences. The researcher used a basic interpretive qualitative methodology to uncover how the value of higher education was constructed within those discussions. Five purposively selected students participated in one-on-one semi structured interviews. The participant's understandings were highlighted independently, reflecting a wide range of sentiments that were largely self-directed in essence, at times ambiguous and yet, complex in nature as the women made sense of their experiences. Through the use of thematic analysis, three dominant discourses about the value of higher …

Helping Students Gain A Better Understanding Of Writing, Jessica L. Ulmer

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

The primary purpose of this study is to develop a curriculum for first-year writing that can be taught at the two-year college to help students transfer writing skills to courses taken afterwards. The second chapter aims to define what transfer is and identify a few different approaches to teach for transfer, which led to the discovery of the Writing about Writing pedagogy as developed by Douglas Downs and Elizabeth Wardle. This research was influenced heavily by Anne Beaufort’s College Writing and Beyond as well. Following this, the third chapter examines the nature of the two-year college that makes it uniquely …

Studying Science, Renee Johnson-Thornton

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Although nearly equivalent percentages of black and white students entering college aspire to earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), a much smaller percentage of black students than white undergraduates complete STEM degrees (HERI, 2010). Thirty-six percent of black undergraduates who initially pursue STEM fields and go on to earn bachelor’s degrees switch to non-STEM majors, and 29.3 percent leave college before graduating, a rate 10 percentage points higher than that of their white counterparts (19.8 percent) (Chen, 2013). In the environmental sciences, of the 4,802 degree recipients in 2010, 81 percent (3,879) were white and only 2 …

The Resilient Turn: College Students' Perspectives - A Phenomenological Inquiry, Perah Kessman

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenology was designed to explore with a sample of undergraduate students in psychology-related majors their perceptions of psychological resilience and the factors they believe contributed to it. While previous studies have examined the construct of resilience in childhood and adolescence, relatively little is known about the phenomenon later in the lifespan. Thus, the rationale for the study stems from the researcher’s wish to fill this gap in knowledge by studying resilience among emerging adults. It was the researcher’s assumption that the knowledge generated from this study would both provide new insights into emerging adult resilience and inform higher …

The Outcomes Of New Teachers Being Reflective, John Whittington Seddon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

New university teachers are typically advancing scholars who have recently commenced academic teaching duties. Referred to as neophytes in this study, these teachers are usually early career academics, postgraduate students or sessional lecturers who begin teaching with little more training than attendance at short professional development courses or seminars. Their teaching and learning theories are generally naive and their practice is often limited. In view of the already substantiated connections that have been found between teachers’ conceptions of teaching (COTs) and their practical approaches to teaching, the COTs held by neophytes are of consequence, as they are usually indicative of …

Effective Learning Strategies For College Students With Asperger's Syndrome, Jamie Susanne Gilbert

All Master's Theses

More and more students with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) are being accepted into college without having the proper foundation in place to successfully graduate with a Bachelor’s degree. Students with AS need support systems in place to properly prepare them to face the challenges of college. The purpose of this study is to discuss the current research in regards to effective learning strategies that lead to academic success for college students with AS and to further discuss how to implement the learning strategies in higher education institutions. A single-subject study, using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, was performed. It involved one …