Education Commons^™

Rural Student Postsecondary Decision-Making: Navigating Narratives Of The Purpose And Value Of Higher Education, Ashley Renee Leggett-Bradley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The narrative surrounding the purpose and place of higher education has shifted dramatically over the past few decades, despite the persistent perceptions of the necessity of an educated society. With these shifts and conflicting narratives comes the question of how students are influenced by these narratives as they make their postsecondary decisions. This study seeks to illuminate the unique way that rural students receive, understand, and are influenced by these potentially conflicting narratives through a qualitative multi-site case study. All three sites are located within the North Central Appalachian portion of the state of West Virginia, and encompass a range …

Success Beyond Access: Examining Institutional Barriers To Persistence And The Supports Needed By Nontraditional Students Participating In A Tuition-Free Community College Program, Amanda K. Roeher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This research study examined the experiences of nontraditional community college students attending through a tuition-free grant. The intent of the study was to explore the student identified barriers to degree persistence and the student support services nontraditional students recognize as being beneficial towards their academic journey. This qualitative case study was guided by three research questions and utilized Bean and Metzner’s (1985) Nontraditional Student Attrition Model as a guide for study design and analysis. Data collection consisted of student interviews and institutional document collection. Data analysis explored themes related to nontraditional student motivations for attendance, persistence factors, and student support …

The Picture Of (Mental) Health: A Photovoice, Narrative Inquiry, And Critical Participatory Action Approach To Music Major Mental Wellness, Paige Zalman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Higher education is experiencing a mental health epidemic (Venit, 2022). There is unprecedented student demand for psychological services that colleges are unable to meet (Lipson et al., 2019a), leading to high rates of mental illness-related attrition (Koch et al., 2018). Two groups of students at particularly high risk of mental illness-related attrition are students with historically marginalized identities, whether by race, gender, income, or another factor (Eisenberg et al., 2013), and music majors, a group that has been shown to have greater rates of mental illness than students in other majors (Lipson et al., 2016; Spahn et al., 2004). While …

An Exploration Of Misconceptions In Introductory Physics, Christopher Mattthew Wheatley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The study of student misconceptions about physics concepts has long been an important area of inquiry in physics education research (PER). The research discussed in this dissertation builds upon the developments in PER by exploring the prevalence of consistently held undergraduate student misconceptions in introductory calculus-based physics. This thesis explores the nature of student misconceptions, mistakes, and naive answering patterns in both introductory undergraduate Newtonian mechanics and electromagnetism by applying a network analytic technique called module analysis to student responses to different concept inventories from institutions of various levels of incoming physics preparation. Each study applying these methods also demonstrates …

The Influence Of Faculty Mentorship On Graduate Student Development Through The Lens Of Self-Efficacy, Connor Lynn Ferguson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This exploratory sequential mixed-methods case study explores the relationship between perceived self-efficacy and faculty mentorship with biomedical sciences graduate students. The intent of the study was to understand the extent at which faculty mentorship contributes to self-efficacy development in the population of biomedical sciences doctoral students enrolled at a mid-Atlantic R1 institution. Data collected consisted of a survey assessing perceived self-efficacy and mentoring, interviews and documents. Data analysis explored themes related to the perceived academic and professional development of the students through their responses. The research highlights the significance of the mentor-mentee relationship and influence of the mentor on the …

Navigating Place And Gender: A Multicontextual Critical Narrative Inquiry Of Rural Trans* Student Experiences, Jessie Lynn O'Quinn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The purpose of this critical narrative study was to understand how rural West Virginia trans* students navigate cultural norms of their rural home communities and higher education contexts. An essential part of this critical narrative was to provide rural trans* students with an avenue to share their unique experiences and give them a platform to share their voices. The resulting narratives suggested that the normative tensions rural trans* college students experience across contexts stemmed from negative regional experiences that reinforced traditional gender norms. Negative home contexts and experiences forced students to feel like they had to build walls and distance …

Evaluating A Virtual Reality Simulation-Based Tool In Undergraduate Nursing Students For Impact On Accuracy, Clinical Judgment, Fear, And Self-Confidence When Donning, Doffing, And Disposing Of Personal Protective Equipment, Stacy Lynn Russell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: PPE training is essential to prevent transmission of infections or autoinoculation of infections among healthcare providers and patients. Student nurses play a vital role in infection control practices to protect themselves and patients from transmittable infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an innovative teaching and learning strategy known as virtual reality simulation in teaching proper PPE use in comparison to more traditional learning.

Research Questions: This study aimed to answer three research questions: (1) What is the acceptability among faculty of using a head mounted VRS to train undergraduate nursing students in the proper …

Retention And Persistence Of Low-Income, First-Generation Rural College Students From West Virginia, Rachel D. Nieman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

A considerable body of research demonstrates that first-generation college students face greater obstacles to college retention, persistence and completion compared to their non-first-generation counterparts. However, the extant literature rarely explores rurality as a salient factor to understand these challenges. Even less visible in the literature are the experiences and voices of West Virginians. West Virginia is a predominantly rural state and ranks 49^th in the nation in terms of educational attainment, with only 19.6% of residents over the age of 25 having earned at least a bachelor’s degree. While rural areas may experience multifaceted struggles, the educational attainment of …

The Transmission Of Saga At West Virginia University, James Froemel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Changes in the higher education landscape continue to bring new regulations which enforce standardization and similarities in organizational behavior. Because of these pressures, institutional identities and differentiations are more dependent on the unique way students experience an institution rather than the structure of the organization. Through focus groups and interviews, this phenomenological study seeks to understand the ways in which the traditional undergraduate experience impacts the transmission of organizational saga at West Virginia University. To do so, it examines stories told by students through thematic analysis to connect student experiences with symbols of the university. Focusing on these connections and …

A Case Study Of Makerere University In Uganda Through The Lens Of U.S. Land-Grant Higher Education, Christina L. Hand

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This case study examines Makerere University through the lens of U.S. land-grant ideal and normative domains in order to provide a deeper understanding of global higher education. A case study uses multiple types of data to create a holistic perspective. As well as interviewing Makerere stakeholders representing diverse sectors, numerous documents and different types of media were analyzed enabling a triangulation of data. Six major themes emerged focusing on Makerere’s aspiration to be a research-led institution, the impact of neoliberalism, challenges in undergraduate education, the importance of reputation and saga, the ever-present role of the Ugandan government, and the continuing …

Influences On Perceptions Of Students With Disabilities Regarding Services And Supports Rendered At Their Collegiate Institution, Taylor Leanne Mikalik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Over the past several generations numerous policies and laws have been established that have allowed people with disabilities to further their education. Students with disabilities enter higher education with varied experiences, which allow for a wide array of perceptions of the services and supports provided on this level. The purpose of this dissertation was to study what these perceptions are and how these perceptions were formed; in hopes to encourage more students with disabilities to self-disclose and access beneficial services in the future. A semi-structured narrative interview was conducted with 8 students willing to self-disclose and who received services and …

Personality And Academic Performance In College, Jacob E. Alderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Despite mounting evidence for the role of personality in predicting college level academic performance, there are aspects of this association that are still unexplained. With a sample of U.S. undergraduates at a large Appalachian university, this study sought to further establish what is already known about the association between personality and grade point average, credits earned, and retention rates by testing for both linear and quadratic effects. Results showed linear positive effects of conscientiousness, negative linear effects of openness and nonlinear effects of neuroticism for GPA. However, personality traits were not associated with either retention or credits earned. These findings …

The Expectations, Experiences And Satisfaction Of Students Within A Nutrition And Dietetics Program Regarding Faculty Academic Advising Using A Prescriptive Or Developmental Advising Lens, Nettie Puglisi Freshour

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This research study examined student’s expectation, experiences and satisfaction with faculty academic advising using a prescriptive vs. developmental lens. The intent was to explore the student’s expectations of academic advising, determine if their experiences aligned with their expectation and if this led to satisfaction of their academic advising. This study utilized the Systems theory to determine how academic advising is performed by the program and if that experience for the student is how the systems (institution, college, department, and program) are promoting the form of advising. This study utilized a qualitative case study approach, guided by three research questions. Data …

Seeing Our Voices: Using Photovoice With Trauma-Affected Black Women College Students Within A Pwi To Explore Success And Persistence, Dariane B. Drake

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The number of students reporting or seeking assistance for trauma has steadily risen over time. Research suggests that between 67% and 84% of students in college will experience a potentially traumatic event (PTE) in their lifetime. This percentage increases for women and for Black students. As the number of PTE exposure rises so too does the need to understand how trauma impacts education, learning, and personal development. Researchers have expressed a growing concern over the needs of trauma-affected students in recent decades. There is a dearth of research on the experiences of trauma-affected students and their overall inability to persist …

Physical Educators’ Socialization And Self-Efficacy Toward The Behavior Management Of Students With Disabilities, Amelia Chloe Simpson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Intro: Although studies have evaluated how physical educators learn behavior management, little effort has been made to identify the socializing experiences and sources of self-efficacy that influence how physical educators approach the behavior management of students with disabilities (SWD).

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how physical educators develop self-efficacy toward the behavior management of SWD throughout the phases of occupational socialization theory.

Method: Data for the mixed-method study included 85 U.S. public (K-12) physical educators who completed a survey that collected demographic information and responses to the Teaching Students with Disabilities Efficacy Scale (Solomon & Scott, …

A Narrative Inquiry Into The Influence Of School Shooting Survival On College Transition And Experience, Jayne M. Piskorik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

There is an extensive body of school-related shooting research exploring causes, how to recognize a threat, and what preparedness measures are effective (Lee et al., 2020; Muchert, 2007). However, there is insufficient research on how the broader context of school-related shootings in American society has influenced college-aged students. The purpose of this study was to tell the story of how students have been influenced by their experience surviving the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting during their transition to and performance in higher education. Narrative inquiry provided a deeper understanding through narrative retelling of the perceptions, decisions, and experiences …

Global Engagement Model For Land-Grant Universities, A Grounded Theory., Lorena Ivonne Ballester

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The purpose of this study is to examine how land-grant universities engage with the public in the era of globalization; to explain the institutionalization of engagement processes accounting for the global context; and, to integrate this analysis into a Global Engagement Model for Land-Grant Universities (GEM) implementing a grounded theory research methodology.

GEM’s foundation is both theoretical and empirical. Applying the intensity sampling method, the universities selected for the empirical base were: The University of California, Davis, Michigan State University, and The Pennsylvania State University. Rather than an exact representation of individual universities’ engagement models, the model is the researcher’s …

“The Illusion Of Collaboration”: An Integrated Examination Of The Antecedents, Processes, And Consequences Of Online Group Work, Jill Cathleen Woods

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) presents postsecondary educators with a conundrum: how to design and support small-group activities without stifling deep and meaningful learning. The literature indicates that students are not consistently practicing higher-order cognitive activities, educators are not reliably designing or facilitating them, and/or researchers are not locating or identifying them where they are occurring. The aim of this dissertation is to explore these deficits by identifying the antecedent conditions that most affect collaboration. Specifically, I answer the question, how do learner’s prior knowledge, characteristics, and experiences manifest in their collaborative processes. Addressing a gap in the literature, this study …

Reckoning With Privilege In Appalachia And Higher Education: A Project Of Critical Consciousness, Sarah Powell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation sought to interrogate the ways in which White, rural students from West Virginia conceptualized diversity before, during, and since their transition to a large PWI in their home state. Using Critical Whiteness Studies and intersectionality as driving theory, student participants and I engaged in deconstruction of privilege through individual and culture circle conversations. Then, participants engaged in self-reflection using codes established in Critical Whiteness (White normativity, White complicity, epistemologies of ignorance) as well as participant-drive codes that reflected other forms of identity-based power. Three waves of reflection demonstrate the participants’ continued cycle of praxis (reflection, action, repeat) and …

An Examination Of Career Orientation Courses And College Students' Career Decision Self-Efficacy, Logan R. Mayhew

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Career development is an ongoing concern for college administrators as the modern knowledge era generates new and fluctuating jobs. College students are more anxious than in previous decades about starting their careers and making vocational decisions. Building career decision self-efficacy in students results in greater feelings of confidence and increases demonstration of career-related behaviors. Students in three online career courses at West Virginia University were assessed for gains in career decision self-efficacy in comparison with a control group after participation in the courses and compared on the basis of gender. Results of a mixed ANOVA indicated a significant increase in …

What Is The Perceived Self-Efficacy Of Defined Job Competencies For West Virginia University Extension Faculty?, Lacey Dawn Seckman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The central mission of the Extension Service is to diffuse knowledge and resources developed by teaching and research experts at land grant universities to clientele within local communities (Cummings, et al., 2015; Hall & Broyles, 2016; Seevers & Graham, 2012). Making sure faculty are prepared to carry out their roles in all aspects to serve their clientele is key to quality Extension programs. Extension faculty can come from various backgrounds, interests, and expertise, all of which are influencers of self-efficacy. Having defined competencies for employees in Extension can help express what to expect in this job day-to-day. McClelland (1973) described …

Behaviors, Contextual Influences, And Consequences: Relationships That Affect Student Decision-Making Of Academic Misconduct In College, Justine A L Burnett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Academic misconduct on college campuses is not a new challenge for higher education institutions but an old problem that has changed considerably. Student demonstrations of academic misconduct behaviors have evolved, making it difficult for institutions to consistently keep well-informed on how students cheat to effectively respond to violations of academic integrity policies. This study investigates the relationships between misbehaviors, their associated consequences, and influences to prevent, respond to, and reduce academic misconduct at a large research-intensive university.

This quantitative study uses institutional academic misconduct reports between 2017 and 2020 and student surveys to examine significant relationships in the decision-making process …

Mismatch And Burnout: An Exploration Of Burnout And Work Passion Amongst Academic Affairs Professionals Through An Organizational Lens, Alexa Elizabeth Cecil

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Though the concept of burnout is well developed, there is less research on burnout in higher education, especially on specific staff populations, and loss of work passion. The current study aimed to understand burnout and work passion for academic affairs professionals who work with undergraduate students on academic probation and students conditionally admitted to the institution, including impacts, how these experiences have been navigated, and organizational supports that help alleviate these outcomes. Utilizing a sequential mixed methods research design, the study collected survey responses from identified professionals working with these student populations at a specific institution type. Demographic and t-test …

The Appalachian Medical Student Experience: A Case Study, Jason Scott Hedrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The Appalachian region is a rural swath of mountainous terrain home to a historically distinct culture. The region’s population suffers from a multitude of health issues and disparities. Notably, the region also experiences a major healthcare provider shortage despite the fact that states, like West Virginia, produce per capita, a high volume of physicians. Appalachia, and particularly West Virginia, also suffers from a number of educational disparities, which culminates into low numbers of college graduates within the population. There is a plethora of research that has explored the first-generation college student, students from rural and Appalachian backgrounds, first-generation and rural …

When Face-To-Face Communication Fails: A Case Study Of Wvu Extension Agents Utilizing Innovative Social Media Practices, Madison Brooke Quinn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

An important aspect that contributes to the success of county Extension programs is relationships and collaborations with community members. This became a challenge when face-to-face communication was no longer possible as a response to the national pandemic that occurred due to COVID-19. In recent years, society has been increasing their reliability on social networking for communication (Diem et al., 2011). Social media played a central role in the diffusion of information in a variety of organizations and businesses during COVID-19 (Geol et al., 2020). The purpose of this study was to describe how WVU Extension Service is utilizing innovative social …

Fostering Music Performers In The 21st Century: A Contemporary Professional Perspective Toward A New Curricular Agenda For Graduate Study In Music, Andre Januario

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

What if the core curriculum for graduate students in music performance were designed to prepare students to succeed in the world of the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

This dissertation offers a hypothetical answer: a structured and systematic academic curricular framework for music graduate students of performance of concert music (especially those in terminal degrees, such as doctoral students), along with music instructors, professional music performers, school administrators, and college professors, seeking to prepare such students for achieving and maintaining a music career more in keeping with the current work environment, especially those skills demanded by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the …

Examining Changes In Learning And Engagement Of Higher Education Students In A Fully Online Flipped Learning Distance Education Classroom, James David Riel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The challenge of implementing effective online distance education courses for academics and institutions is a centuries-old task. We can look across early developments in the 18^th century with the creation and delivery of correspondence courses; into the 20^th century with teaching and learning across analog methods such as audio and video; and now in the current era of digitized mechanisms that enable the online classroom. This includes advances in internet technologies and computing abilities that are the empowering the backbone processes, bridging connectivity between the student and the instructor. As society has trended toward massive increases in online …

After The Protests: A Campus Racial Climate Case Study Of The Perception And Curricular Responses For Institutional Reforms, Following The Black Students’ Demands For Interventions At The University Of Missouri-Columbia, Bruce E. Mitchell Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This qualitative method single case study explores the phenomenon of a racially tense campus climate at the University of Missouri Columbia, a Predominantly White Midwestern Institution. At the forefront of the media regarding student and athlete protests, leading to the resignation of senior level administrators, African American students put forth eight demands to their administrators. Included, was the creation and implementation of a required racial awareness and inclusion curriculum. The study explores the perceptions of the institutional response to an exceptional campus racial climate issue and the process of formulating and participating in a diversity training course and a semester …

Impact Of The West Virginia University Mountaineer Success Academy Program From 2012-2015, Ashley D. Watts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

As state funding for universities decline and funding becomes based more on outcomes like retention and graduation rates, universities must focus their efforts on assessment and delve deeper into uncovering issues that prevent students from graduating. Once issues are identified, it is in the best interest of the university to develop, implement, and assess support services that may provide students with resources that could lead to their success, thus improving graduation rates. At West Virginia University, the Mountaineer Success Academy (MSA) was created to serve eligible students who were undecided or did not meet the requirements for their desired major. …

Enabling And Threatening Factors Affecting Persistence. A Qualitative And Quantitative Study On Rural First-Generation Stem Students’ And Stem Faculty's Perspectives., Travis A. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study focuses on the factors that enable and threaten rural first-generation STEM students’ persistence. Limited empirical studies are available that focus on rural first-generation STEM majors’ persistence. Quantitative analysis was conducted using Kruskal Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U tests to determine any significant differences with the survey results. Content and thematic analysis was conducted on the student and faculty interviews to determine themes of enabling and threatening factors affecting persistence.

Enabling factors affecting persistence were found to be: Drive or Motivation, Experiences and skills, and Support. These were both faculty and student interview themes whereas a …