Education Commons^™

An Interpretive Analysis: Black Men, Masculinities, And The Field Of Tropic Play, Mario D. Lewis

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While much has been written about the participation of Black Men in higher education, such scholarship has often been predicated on empirically derived insights that have privileged phenomenological experiences as a primary point of departure for analysis. While this literature has done much to illuminate how higher education scholars and practitioners understand what Black men pursuing higher education experience, I use this study as an opportunity to think differently about this demographic and those experiences.

With the aim of not only providing nuanced understanding of Black men in college, but also a general methodological shift in how they are studied …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Academic Advisors Utilizing Coaching Skills And Techniques, Jennifer C. Halpern

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students who need help and support often find themselves not getting the help they need or not knowing who to go to. Advisors at FlU have been trained to use college life coaching skills and techniques to help students who are going through a difficult time. The problem is that although most of the advising community has attended these trainings it seems that not every advisor may be utilizing the coaching skills and techniques with their students for a variety of reasons, and it is because of those different reasons that may be leading to missed opportunities for advisors to …

Exploring The Perceptions And Adaptability Of Behavioral Intervention Teams During Covid-19: A Qualitative Interview Study, Amanda L. Niguidula

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Exploring the Perceptions and Adaptability of Behavioral Intervention Teams During COVID-19: A Qualitative Interview Study

by

Amanda Louise Niguidula

When first established, Behavioral Intervention Teams' primary purpose was to reduce and prevent campus violence. More recently, these Teams' focus expanded beyond mitigating on-campus violence to a more general concern with student mental health and well-being (Randazzo & Plummer, 2009; Sokolow et al., 2014, Sokolow & Lewis, 2009, Van Brunt, 2016). BITs are present at nearly all higher education institutions, and studies show that they are a key component for preventing and responding to campus violence (Van Brunt, 2016). Although …

Professionals Of Haitian Ancestry: Examining The Predictors Of Career Success, Yselande Pierre

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the direct effects of salary earnings, educational attainment, community support, and resilience on the career success of Haitian professionals. The Yselande Pierre Career Success Measure (YPCSM) was administered to two hundred and fourteen (N = 214) respondents ages 18 and above from two national professional organizations that represent the career and educational advancement of the Haitian ancestry group. Structural Equation Modeling analysis was conducted in PLS-SEM; the latent variable mediation analysis revealed that the Haitian professionals’ salary earnings and community support had significant direct effects, while educational attainment and resilience were …

"You've Been Accepted"?: Homonormativity And The Imagination Of Queer Higher Educational Spaces, Faye D. Pelow

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spaces of higher education are often over-simplified in social science discourse, but their histories and evolutions are anything but straightforward. As colleges and universities have developed from institutions of religious social order to sites of perceived tolerance and exploration, they have also emerged as significant queer spaces. Indeed, some institutions of higher learning have even gained reputations for being particularly “LGBTQ+-friendly” safe spaces. Yet it is important to understand the social, political, moral and economic underpinnings upon which these establishments have been built and desire to uphold. Despite efforts to promote inclusivity, university spaces are also situated within an intricate …

Exploring The Role Of Higher Education In Responsible Deployment Of Artificial Intelligence, Shahin Vassigh

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is the key driver for the teaching, research, and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as it bears responsibility for preparing engineers, scientists, technologists, and corporate leaders who shape and fuel its revolutionary advances. With AI and automation technologies relying on more advanced levels of training, and universities serving as the prime site for their development, faculty views on the implications of this technology are critically important.

The purpose of this case study was to gain insights into how academics and disciplinary experts perceive their roles and responsibilities in the teaching, development, and deployment of AI. Using FIU as …

The Impact Of Demographic, Academic, And Financial Variables On Predicting Four- And Six-Year Graduation At An Urban, Public, Hispanic-Serving Institution, Maria Rosado

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the rapid growth of the underrepresented population in the U.S., institutions of higher education have not experienced as rapid a growth in their underrepresented student population. Furthermore, it is estimated that in the next few years, more than 40% of jobs will require a postsecondary degree. As the underrepresented population continues to grow nationally and the job market is increasingly requiring job seekers to hold a postsecondary degree, it has become vital that the U.S. and states focus on educating and graduating its growing underrepresented population. The purpose of this study was to determine what demographic, academic, and financial …

Community Cultural Wealth In Latinx Applicants To Nationally Prestigious Awards, Susy Gomez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latinx applicants to nationally prestigious awards that have an international component. Students from minoritized backgrounds are underrepresented in these awards (Gerz-Escandon, 2017; Brownstein, 2001; Pinto-Alicea, 2001). While research suggests that Latinx students often lack the resources, backgrounds, or preparation to excel in higher education (Gandara, 2017; Salas, 2016; Trevino & DeFreitas, 2014; Bastedo & Jaquette, 2011), community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) highlights less traditional types of capital that minority students bring to higher education.

Using narrative analysis, I examined the application stories of nine Latinx students who had applied …

Culture And Context's Influence On Hispanic Undergraduates' Perceptions Of Their Persistence Toward Stem Degree Attainment, Elsa I. Bravo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the influences of context and culture on Hispanic undergraduate’s in the STEM pipeline. Study one utilized systematic review methods to assess the effectiveness of STEM intervention programs on Hispanic undergraduates. A total of 45 STEM related databases were searched from March-September 2020 with no limitations. Although a total of 259 studies were identified, only one study was actually found to specifically focus on Hispanic populations and include empirically based evaluations. The one remaining study did not find a statistically significant intervention effect for four- year graduation rates. The lack of evidence highlights a gap in research or …

Neoliberalism And Kazakhstan's Emerging Higher Education Sysytem, Nazgul Bayetova

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union (USSR). The Kazakh Social Soviet Republic's Supreme Court declared the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in the early 1990s. The new market model in Kazakhstan has had a significant impact on its evolving higher education system. Less government spending and the creation of private universities in Kazakhstan were the core strategies that have been implemented under the neoliberal policies (Sabzalieva, 2017; Sagintayeva & Kurakbayev, 2015; Smirnova, 2014; Smolentseva, 2012; Smolentseva, Huisman, & Froumin, 2018). This study’s central question is how …

Is Price Why Students Don't Get Their Books? Undergraduate Acquisition Of Class Materials, Joseph Todd Patton

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of the acquisition of assigned textbooks and materials was conducted among 1,333 active undergraduates, exploring the widely reported phenomenon of two-thirds of students not getting all the books and materials assigned to them in their college classes. Current research focuses on high textbook & materials prices as the reason why students do not get assigned materials, and government policies are focused on bringing down these prices. This study’s major focus was investigating whether it is true that high prices explain why undergraduates do not get their assigned class materials. The findings suggest that price is not the reason …

The Activations Of Activism: An Ethnography Of Emotional Management, Gerson Sanchez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnography is to explore cultural context of college student activism, especially as it relates to identity. Much has been said about student activism in the higher education literature, but this literature has two major problems: first, it presupposes a pre-cursive existence of identity, and, second, it disconnects meaning-making from action. With regard to the first problem, activism scholars tend to take categories such as race, class, gender, and sexuality as given, thus reducing individuals to biological differences for the purposes of study. Instead of questioning how identities are created and constructed, such studies presuppose markers of …

Former Foster Youth And Their Pursuit Of A College Degree, Lori Ann Gionti

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this collected papers dissertation was to examine former foster youth as they pursue college. Foster youth are known to attend and graduate college at a rate lower than their non-fostered peers. Understanding more about the journey of former foster youth as they pursue a college degree will help to understand what barriers are faced and what supports enhance their likelihood of enrollment and graduation.

Study #1, a structured literature review, examined the scholarly literature on former foster youth and college. Data were collected through a library database search and Google Scholar. Descriptive, demographic-type information was compiled and …

Spatializing Student Engagement: A Phenomenological Study On Experiencing Space, Place, And A College Campus, Ivan Ceballos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study examined how five college students understood their collegiate engagement in relation to spaces and places. The study’s purpose was to develop a spatialized understanding by describing the nature of meaningful student engagement as occurring within places and spaces. The problem addressed through this study is the treatment of engagement as understood through institutional metrics which reduce such a phenomenon to campus-centric and measurable place-based characteristics. As argued through this study’s framework and findings, experiencing a phenomenon such as engagement is a matter of lived experience and exists in relation to space and place. The participants’ lived …

Providing Hope For Another Generation: The Effect Of Federal Pre-College Outreach Programs On Disadvantaged Students’ Educational Aspiration, College Preparedness, And College Access, Newsoul Deus

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

PROVIDING HOPE FOR ANOTHER GENERATION:

THE EFFECT OF FEDERAL PRE-COLLEGE OUTREACH PROGRAMS ON DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS’ EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATION, COLLEGE PREPAREDNESS, AND COLLEGE ACCESS

by

Newsoul Deus

Florida International University, 2020

Miami, Florida

Professor Mido Chang, Major Professor

The United States has long been recognized as the land of opportunity. However, one of the major problems that plague the nation is the disparity in educational opportunities (Pfeffer & Hertel, 2015). It is crucial that all students—regardless of their race/ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, and geographic location—have an equal opportunity to higher education (Baker, Klasik, & Reardon, 2018). Unfortunately, students …

We're Here, We Exist: An Exploration Of How Second-Generation Afro-Caribbean College Women Make Meaning Of Their Race, Ethnicity, And Gender, Emmanuela P. Stanislaus

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study was situated within Florida International University and explored how second-generation Afro-Caribbean college women make meaning of their race, ethnicity, and gender. This dissertation expands the existing scholarship on Black college students who have historically been presented as monolithic. Furthermore, my study illuminates how the race, ethnicity, and gender intersect to complicate the experiences of these women. Additionally, my research highlights how the surrounding community of a college campus impacts second-generation Afro-Caribbean college women’s ideas of belonging.

This study involved two semi-structured interviews with 9 undergraduate college women attending FIU. All women self-identified as second-generation Afro-Caribbean. This two-interview …

From Record Keepers To Decision Makers?: Perspectives Of University Registrars About Their Role In Higher Education, Miguel Sahagun

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my study was to understand the experiences of university registrars, particularly their perspectives on their professional practice, development, and identity. Empirical research on university registrars is sparse at best. We do not know the real meaning of the position, how university registrars spend their time, and what is meaningful and gratifying about their role. There is not enough information on career paths that that they followed to become a university registrar. The lack of empirical studies about the true meaning of the evolving role is a problem needing study. My dissertation addresses the following singular research question: …

A Qualitative Study Of The Fpcu Student Experience And Outcomes After Graduation Within The South Florida Region, Tania Frederic Abouzeide

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to explore why students enroll in for-profit colleges, outline their student experiences and present their post-graduate outcomes of obtaining a degree (i.e., increased salary, career progression, etc.) from an FPCU. With the rise of for-profit colleges, issues arise such as questionable recruiting practices, dismal graduation rates, poor job placements and minimal income increase and high student loan default rates (Deming, Goldin, & Katz, 2013; Heller, 2011; Macqueen, 2011; Yeoman, 2011). The discourse surrounding for-profit colleges at times does not consider the FPCU graduate perspective – those affected most by the FPCU notoriety. In this qualitative study, I …

The Promise And (Im)Possibility Of The Debt-Free Student: A Qualitative Analysis, Michael W. Ward

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While debt is most commonly associated with financial liability, scholars have also started to consider other, non-financial ways debt can manifest. Financial debts require repayment in dollars, while non-financial debts might require ‘repayment’ not in money, but in feeling, conduct, attitude, or sense of obligation, for example. When more than the association of money is considered, it is possible to contemplate the other ways that debt, both financial and non-financial, might work to affect individual decision making across multiple temporalities. Much has been written about the foreclosing aspects of debt theoretically, but little empirical research has been conducted in this …

The Experiences Of Underrepresented Faculty And Administrators: A Study Of Cultural Taxation, Katrina N. Amie

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cultural taxation is a term used by some to describe the additional work required of faculty of color as representatives of their racial or ethnic groups. Padilla (1994) defines cultural taxation as “situations that are imposed [on faculty]... by the administration.” Many prior studies about cultural taxation focus on the experiences of faculty of color at predominately White institutions and understanding of this phenomenon is heavily aligned with those spaces and circumstances. While much of the literature presents the additional workload for underrepresented faculty as damaging (Hirshfield & Joseph, 2011; Pololi et al., 2010; Hassouneh et al., 2014; Mahoney et …

A Qualitative Study Examining Camaraderie And Conflict Between Female Academic Advisors In One Higher Education Institution, Alexandra C. Lejarza

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women in higher education face several challenges including visibility, chilly work climates, and barriers to leadership positions. Research on women in academia has focused on faculty and leadership and less on the female staff working service jobs, such as the role of the academic advisor. This interpretive qualitative study uses one-on-one interviews with eight full-time, female academic advisors working in a single, public, 4-year university.

The interviews revealed the experiences of women working in this role, explored their intradepartmental climates, their career aspirations, and the interactions they have with their female coworkers. The objective of the study was to take …

How Does The Work Of The Negro Youth Study (1937-1941) Fit Into The History Of The Social Sciences?, Randall Haines Kaufman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through a historical analysis[1] this dissertation addresses how the work of the Negro[2] Youth Study (NYS) fits into the historical development of sociology during the early Civil Rights Movement (CRM). Secondarily, the dissertation addresses the silence surrounding NYS and its place in Black Sociology.

As the Depression deepened, educators worried about another “lost generation” of young Americans.[3] In response, The American Youth Commission in 1935, followed by the NYS in 1937, sought solutions. In particular, the NYS represents a moment in social sciences, started in the 19^th century, or a moment when social sciences become a …

Student Affairs Professionals In Higher Education Institutions Who Participate In Study Tours: A Qualitative Study, Michelle M. Castro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As colleges and universities are internationalizing their curriculum, there is a growing need for student affairs professionals to also become aware of and be familiar with internationalization and to become players in the global society. The present study focused on 12 participants who are currently student affairs professionals. The research focused on gaining an understanding and awareness of the role that international study tour experiences have on the professional and personal development of student affairs professionals. A qualitative research design was used for the study. Kolb’s Experiential Learning theory was used as the conceptual framework to explain the participants' experiences …

Women, Emotional Labor, And Higher Education Administration: A Qualitative Interview Study, Almi Rodriguez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emotional labor is not a gender-specific experience. Hochschild (1983) estimated that roughly one-third of American workers encounter substantial emotional labor demands as a result of their occupation. However, this study examined women’s experiences with emotional labor in higher education because women face different expectations of emotional management (Wharton & Erickson, 1993; Hochschild, 1983). Emotions are situated within larger, gendered, and sexualized hierarchies that are reinforced through normalizing discourses and social arrangements that dictate what is normal (Illouz, 2007). Furthermore, power relations shape emotions through sometimes unseen, yet repetitious disciplinary techniques (i.e., emotional norms) that make up the patriarchy; particularly in …

Persistence Among Emerging Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury In Postsecondary Settings, Ardith A. Clayton-Wright

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal study sought to investigate the demographic and socio-psychological factors associated with predicting persistence in postsecondary education among emerging adults with traumatic brain injury. The predicting variables in this study were: (a) gender (sex), (b) socioeconomic status (SES), (c) employment, (d) years of education; (e) age at onset of injury, (f) existence of familial capital/parental involvement, and (g) hours spent studying for a class.

Data were obtained from a secondary dataset collected by the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center longitudinal database. There were 2436 participants with TBI in the study. Ages ranged from 16 …

An Analysis Of Performance-Based Funding Measures In Florida, Madelyn Cintron

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida adopted Performance-Based funding (PBF) as the tool to fund the State University System (SUS), and the Florida College System (FCS). SUS and FCS are the two public higher education systems in Florida. Under PBF, the state governing boards evaluate institutions based on performance outcomes such as graduation rates, retention rates, and job placement, amongst others. Researchers have investigated whether the implementation of PBF would positively affect graduation and retention rates. Shin (2010) found no conclusive evidence that PBF has positively affected them. Others, such as Dougherty and Reddy (2013), Dougherty and Hong (2006), Phillips (2002), and Bell (2005) reported …

Why Black Collegiate Women Volunteer: A Perspective On Meaning Making Through Service With The Community, Nashira Williams

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies explain that participating in community service enhances relationships, positively contributes to one’s purpose, and provides life satisfaction with a specific focus on retention and degree attainment for those enrolled in college (Corporation for National and Community Service, 2007). The simultaneous increase of Black women attending colleges as universities increase outreach to drive community engagement does not align with the shift in the research of civic engagement that excludes the activity of young Black people and is counterintuitive to the historical underpinnings of political and educational transformations in the United States (e.g., Civil Rights Movement) (Hewins-Maroney, 2008).

The purpose of …

Auditing Quality: A Critical Exploration Of Faculty Members' Experiences With Quality Matters, Matthew M. Acevedo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online education has become a pervasive and embedded instructional modality in American higher education, with nearly one-third of all students taking at least one course at a distance and another 15% enrolled exclusively in online courses. Concomitant with the growth in online education has been increased pressure from institutions, administrations, lawmakers, accreditors, and the public to regulate the quality of online courses. Some institutions have responded to this pressure by pursuing quality assurance certification programs. Quality Matters (QM) is a non-profit organization that facilitates a peer-reviewed quality assurance program for online courses and is the predominant mechanism of online course …

A Phenomenological Study On Self-Efficacy And Self-Regulated Learning Strategies And Their Link To Persistence In Hispanic College English Language Learners, Gabriela Defrancisco

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In adult education, studies have been done in the areas of persistence, self-efficacy, self-regulated learning strategies and the Hispanic population. However, this study was unique in its attempt at examining the link between the self-efficacy and self-regulated learning strategies in the persistence of Hispanic college English language learners. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experience of 1^st generation Hispanic English Language learners during their first year at a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

The researcher conducted 14 semi-structured interviews of their experiences both as immigrants learning the English language and first-generation college students by utilizing a phenomenological framework. …

What Factors Influence Affirmative-Action Students' Achievement In Brazilian Federal Universities?, Gabriela Martinez Gillespie

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to determine what personal and family characteristics, pre-college factors and environmental variables, contribute to affirmative action student success in Brazilian federal universities, as measured by the final college exam. In 2012, Brazil implemented an aggressive and controversial quota-system in federal universities which reserved half of the incoming class spaces to students who graduated from public high schools, followed by prioritization based on income and race. The study used secondary data collected by the Brazilian Ministry of Education; the population includes 6,557 graduating students from the sampled federal universities majors who completed the 2016 ENADE exam (final college …