Education Commons^™

From Preparation To Practice: A Qualitative Study Examining The Perceptions Of General Education Teachers, Kemba Ayanna Allen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Teachers are certified either by a traditional university-based program or an alternative route to certification program. Graduates transition into teaching from diverse backgrounds and bring with them various experiences and predetermined expectations and visions of the profession. Teacher education preparation curriculum traditionally has included exposure to pedagogy and theory. These programs amass many underprepared students, which results in graduates who are underexposed to pedagogical best practices.

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) approach to teaching views learning spaces as sites for knowledge-building, innovation, and inquiry. According to the SoTL, the educator looks carefully and critically at students’ learning …

Evaluating The Impact Of Intrusive Advising On Undergraduate Student Retention, Rebecca E. Caire

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, I investigated the impact of intrusive advising upon undergraduate student retention. Specifically, I sought to identify the background characteristics of at-risk students at the midterm point in a semester, and whether significant differences existed among students who were retained in comparison with those students who were not retained. In addition, I examined the extent to which intrusive advising interventions predicted student retention when controlling for student demographics. Although the intrusive advising interventions were not statistically significant in this model, several notable findings emerged regarding groups of at-risk students who were more or less likely to be retained …

The Impact Of Formal Panhellenic Recruitment On The Development Of Efficacy For Sorority Women, Amanda Jill Horvat

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Little to no research has been conducted to assess the impact of formal sorority recruitment processes on efficacy levels of sorority women. While numerous studies have been conducted concerning the development of individual women and skills gathered throughout their collegiate experience, there has been limited research on how participation in sorority recruitment may impact psychological and physiological states, and increase or decrease self and collective efficacy.

If the original intent of sororities was to provide friendship, support, and encouragement, are current formal recruitment methods, supported by the National Panhellenic Conference, meeting that goal? Addressing this question requires an in-depth understanding …

Beyond An Accommodation: A Mixed Methods Study Of Diversity Engagement In Academic Curriculum, Micah Jaryl Glenn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, 45% of all college students are classified as racial/ethnic minorities, while 56% of college students are female (NCES, 2018a). By 2030, nearly half of the estimated United States population will be composed of racial/ethnic minorities (Cortes, 1991). With this exponential growth of minorities attending institutions of higher education, there is the assumption that students have begun to engage in and promote diversity and inclusion. However, in 2008, Boysen and Vogel (2009) found that 40% of teachers and 50% of students encountered implicit or explicit bias while in college. In 2017, within four months, over 330 reported biased incidents occurred …

Factors Influencing Safety Performance Among Industrial Manufacturing Facilities In Louisiana, Sarah Emily Ragona

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected organizational, demographic, and safety practice factors on the number and types of injuries within the industrial manufacturing plants in eight parishes in southern Louisiana. The target population was industrial organizational facilities. The accessible population was industrial manufacturing plants in the eight parishes surrounding Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who are members of a trade association comprised of industrial manufacturers. The sample was 100% of the defined as the accessible population. The researcher contacted a trade organization to identify the data source, requested and was granted permission to both access …

Beyond The Transcript: A Narrative Analysis Of Students' Experiences With Academic Dismissal In A Baccalaureate Nursing Program, Angela Edwards Capello

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Re-defining different is the first step in addressing inequity in nursing education and the disparities that result in a high incidence of academic dismissal in baccalaureate nursing programs. What are the students' differences that contribute to one student’s ease of progression through a baccalaureate nursing program and those who struggle from the first semester?

This study provides a private look into the experiences of nine baccalaureate nursing students who were academically dismissed from their nursing program. Each story chronological from the time they decided to pursue nursing to their experiences during nursing school and to their lives after dismissal. …

The Influence Of Selected Factors On The Perceived Work Readiness Of Undergraduate Program Completers At A Research University, Karen Lynne Goodridge

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected personal, academic, and employment characteristics on the perceived work readiness of undergraduate program completers at a research university located in the Southern Region of the United States. The target population was undergraduate program completers at research universities in the United States. The accessible population was undergraduate program completers at one selected research university (RU/VH) located in the Southern Region of the United States. The sample comprised 100% of the defined accessible population who completed a graduating student survey administered by the Office of Career Services (OCS) at …

I Am Complicated, And So Is My Blackness: A Trifecta Exploration Of Educational Spaces And Identity Development, Kala Burrell-Craft

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Myriads of research studies have been written over the past 20 years highlighting the racial gap and disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes between Black and White students, but as revealed in a review of the literature, more studies need to be conducted that examine the intersection of race, space/place, and racial identity development. Using critical race theory as a framework, this study comprised of three separate, but related essays that explore the function of educational spaces in which Black Americans navigate, grow, and develop as it intersects with race, space/place, and identity development. Essay one is a critical narrative …

Teachers As Leaders: An Autoethnographic Account Into The Way That Personal Spirituality Influenced One Teacher's Leadership In A South Louisiana High School, Scott Mckneely Blanchard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to better understand the role spiritual leaders have in both educational settings and in the motivation of students. An overarching question guides this autoethnographic study: Is spiritual leadership, influenced by Christianity, an appropriate form of mentoring-leadership relationships in public secondary schools? The specific research sub-questions for this study address the following: 1. How do servant leadership and spiritual leadership help create this autonomous learning environment identified by Deci and therefore reduce the number of amotivated students? 2. How can understanding the student as an individual help a teacher confront the issues with motivation …

The Relationship Between The High-Impact Practice Of Communication-Intensive Courses And Undergraduate Degree Completion At A Research University (Ru/Vh), Rebecca Acosta Burdette

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With a critical public lens on quality student learning inclusive of 21^st century communication skills, and organizational effectiveness à la retention and graduation rates, all amidst budget constraints and increasing enrollments, postsecondary institutions must adopt practices that are both efficient and effective. This study examined the educational practice of Communication‑Intensive (C-I) courses and its influence on the institutional outcome of undergraduate degree completion at a large, public research university.

In this longitudinal study, the researcher applied a quantitative ex post facto research design to analyze six years of official university data on undergraduates who entered the selected university as …

Mymathlab Educational Intervention To Enhance Student Performance In Calculus I At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Sheila Duplechain Derouen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

According to the Obama Administration, we need a workforce that is going to be STEM ready because this is the only way that the U.S. will be able to compete on a global level with other nations. Louisiana will demand a total of 66,250 STEM jobs by 2018, up from 61,610 in 2008, according to Georgetown University (Carnevale, Smith, & Melton, 2014). By 2020, sixty-five percent of the nation’s jobs will require post-secondary education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the attrition rate between first- and second-year college students is 24.5% (2017).

The purpose of this study is …

In Depth Look Into The Transformational Leadership Of Southern University And Agricultural & Mechanical College At Baton Rouge: A Focus On Engaging Economy, Diversity, And Implications For Community, Aubry Gatlin Turner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Deficiencies in economic resources and unwelcoming practices toward diversity represent two issues facing current American higher education institutions. Budget deficits have plagued higher education across America, and especially here in Louisiana. As a result, higher education institutions in Louisiana have become, and continue to be, targets for state funding cuts, with certain HBCUs, like Southern University, suffering the brunt of the cuts because of decades of inadequate funding.

Along with revenue shortfalls, Louisiana institutions and others across America are seeing demands to strategize diversity efforts. As most institutions follow federal guidelines to diversify the campus, some are facing challenges because …

Teaching College Writing To High School Students: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Dual Enrollment Composition Students' Writing Curriculum And Writing Self-Efficacy, Erin Dena Scott-Stewart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to use a quantitative survey to assess the relationships between the credit pathways students choose to earn first-year, first-semester (FYFS) university writing credit (i.e. dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, university courses, and ACT/SAT exemptions) and several writing experiences and outcomes, including writing curriculum, self-efficacy, self-regulatory strategy use, and course performance. The same survey was also used to explore relationships between these writing experiences and outcomes and preexisting student characteristics (i.e. race/ethnicity, gender, and parents’ education). For dual enrollment (DE) students only, the following aspects of the participants’ writing experiences were also investigated using …

A Study Of The Lived Experience Of African American Males Who Transition From Out-Of-Home Care To Postsecondary Education, Marvin Cain Alexander

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While the literature is replete with studies of the factors contributing to the failure and social deviance of African American males, few qualitative studies have been conducted to determine the factors that support the success of African American males, and virtually none have focused on the transition of African American males from out-of-home care to postsecondary educational institutions. Despite the challenges faced preceding and during out-of-home care, African American males can transition to postsecondary educational institutions. There is a need to understand why some African American males who experience out-of-home care can accomplish this while others cannot. It is imperative …

A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Impact Of The College Student Union On Student Engagement At A Historically Black University, Nathalie Nicole Godfrey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Known as the proverbial “living room of campus,” college student union facilities date back to the late 1800s. Unions were a place for congregation and fellowship, a place where student engagement was crucial. Today’s college union varies from campus to campus, with some focused on student development, some with a keen focus on generating revenue through providing services, and some that attempt to strike a balance between the two.

The concept of student engagement and the research surrounding engagement rarely has shed light on the role of the college student union facility in the engagement process. Entities traditionally found within …

The Influence Of Student Housing And Selected Academic And Personal Demographic Characteristics On The Retention Of Students From The Second To Third Year At A Research University (Ru/Vh), Loren S. Mcintyre

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of participation in a content-based residential college versus non-participation in a content-based residential college on retention in the second year of study at a research university-very high research activity (RU/VH) in the southern portion of the United States. The dependent variable of the study was whether or not the traditional-age, first-time freshman students enrolled at the study institution in their fifth semester, or second to third year, of study. The target population for this study was defined as traditional-age, first-time college freshmen who enrolled in a research university-very high research …

Leveraging The Social Network To Support Engagement In An Academic Environment, Glenn M. Gibeson Iv

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between selected social network characteristics and engagement among faculty at a research university (RU/VH). In 2013, a restructuring initiative targeted seven departments from different colleges at a public research university (RU/VH) located in the Gulf Coast region of the United States with a student population of more than 30,000. These departments were restructured to form a new academic college within the university. The archival sample for this study includes the faculty of the newly formed college who were in attendance at the initial college faculty meeting.

Network data were …

Teaching Introductory Statistics To Graduate Students In The Social Sciences: A Mixed Method Investigation Of The Effectiveness Of Simulations In Statistics Education, Liuli Huang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using simulations as an instructional tool in an introductory doctoral level statistics course. The study focuses on the impacts of simulations on students’ attitudes and understanding of statistical concepts, as well as how the simulations could inspire students’ positive attitudes and improve statistics performance or would fail to help. In addition, since the statistics anxiety has been a primary obstacle to students’ statistics education, and “statistics anxiety” is experienced by as many as 80% of graduate students (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). The researcher is interested to explore the details of …

A Multiple Case Narrative Examining The Experiences Of Alumni Of A Minority Research And Training Program, Gretchen Schneider Burton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The implementation of minority research and training (MRT) programs at the post secondary level has risen to close the educational achievement gap and build undergraduate pathways to generate a highly skilled and diverse STEM pool. Although the numbers of advanced science related degrees have slowly increased over the past decade, partially due to the utilization of MRT programs, this increase has not been adequate to establish an impactful representation in either academic or industry research careers. Numerous studies identify various support interventions influencing positive outcomes among MRT participants achieving graduate degrees. However, majority of the studies utilize quantitative or a …