Education Commons^™

Choosing Rowan University: A Study On Contributing External Factors Amongst Native Residential Freshmen, Elizabeth Trenado

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine what the most common contributing external factors amongst native residential freshmen students at Rowan University were when it came to making the decision to attend. The study also investigated if there was a significant relationship between external factors and a particular group of students. Native residential freshmen students were also able to express the importance of factors in their final decision to attend Rowan Unversity. Data collection consisted of a survey with Likert scale items where students were asked to discuss the importance of external factors that helped them decide to …

Academic And Athletic Motivation: Predictors Of Academic Performance Of College Student-Athletes At A Division Iii University, Kathleen Grillo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which academic and athletic motivation can predict the academic performance of student-athletes at a Division III university. An additional purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between academic and athletic motivation in Division III student-athletes, as well as the motivational patterns across academic motivation, student athletic motivation, and career athletic motivation. Student-athletes at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ were surveyed in order to obtain this data during the 2010-2011 academic year. Data were collected by means of a survey using 30 Likert-style items using a 6-point rating scale. …

The Impact Of Internal And External Factors On The Academic Success Of Selected African American Students, Takeyda Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of 208 selected African American students at Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, in March, 2010. The study investigated the impact of internal and external factors such as school preparation, self determination, financing, mentoring, academic advising, and self efficacy, and the impact that these six identified factors had on their grade point average and their academic achievement at Rowan University. Academic achievement was measured by a self reported grade point average of a 3.0 or higher. Data on the attitudes were collected by means of a survey using a 31 Likert-type …

The Dream Is Alive: A Study Of Selected African American Males' Success At Rowan University, Cory Boone

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand why African American males struggle to obtain a four-year college degree. A secondary purpose was to analyze the Black male college students' perceptions of success in college and the roles educational leaders played in their attendance and achievement in college. This study also looked at the behavior of the African American males in college. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. Selection criteria included male, African American undergraduate and graduate students attending Rowan University during the 2009/2010 academic year who were student leaders, and doing well in the classroom. Also, selected …

A Study Of The Impact Of Late Night Programming On Student Involvement At Rowan University, Brian Milsted

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate student attitudes toward Rowan After Hours (RAH) and to determine the program's impact on student involvement. There were 365 respondents during the Spring 2010 semester. All respondents had attended at least one night of Rowan After Hours. A survey was used to gather attitudes toward various aspects of the campus late night program: Operations, Food Service, Activities, Professional Staff, and the Sense of Community. Students were given an opportunity to list what they like most and least about the program. Established research indicates a strong connection between students who socialize and higher …

Leadership And The First-Year Experience: A Study Of Outcomes From Student Involvement And The Flip Program, Gavin Farber

Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at the impact from the Freshmen Leadership Interest Program (FLIP) that took place in August 2006. A group of freshmen attended a three day retreat before the start of their freshmen year when they were introduced to the different types of leadership opportunities on the campus of Rowan University. Throughout the last four years the participants in the program have been involved in a variety of different clubs and organizations serving in many leadership positions. Fifty-three former participants were emailed a survey about their experience in FLIP and asked to complete the three page instrument. Along with …

Making A Major Decision: Undeclared Student Retention And The Process Of Choosing An Academic Major At Rowan University, Rachael Scharen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the rationale of college major selection for undeclared students. The study focused on determining if undeclared students were influenced by outside resources and factors to aid in their decision to declare a particular major. Approximately 300 freshmen undecided students and five sophomore undecided students at Rowan University in January through March of 2010 participated in this study. Data on the influences and factors were collected through a survey using 31 Likert scale items and four open ended questions as well as using interviews and asking a series of questions about …

Life Satisfaction: A Study Of Undergraduate And Graduate Students, Stacy Behlau

Theses and Dissertations

The stresses of life that college students face can be overwhelming at times and may affect the student's satisfaction with life. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors in student's lives that diminish their life satisfaction, and to examine which group of students had a lower life satisfaction in each area. Participants in this study were all Rowan University undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Psychology courses. Within the study, there were 57 total participants, 30 of which were undergraduate students and 27 graduate students. In addition, 47 participants were females while only 10 were males. Participants …

Educationally Underprepared Students' Perception Of Their Experience In A Pre-Freshman Bridge Program, Mary Schell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of underprepared students regarding their participation in a pre-freshman bridge program. Data were collected through a series of interviews conducted over the course of three months. Interviews focused on students' perceptions of their classroom and out-of-classroom experiences, as well as their overall reflections on their participation in the program. Analysis of the interviews showed that students perceived that their participation in a pre-freshman summer bridge program readied them for the academic rigors of college and developed in them the skills to be successful first year students. Students also reported that …

The Impact Of Student Employment On Student Involvement, Stefanie Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of student employment on student involvement. The study also assessed the difference in levels of involvement between those students who worked on-campus verse off-campus and assessed the impact of demographic factors on levels of student engagement. The subjects in this study were 223 students at Rowan University during the 2008-2009 academic year. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and information from the 2008 fall semester, such as GPA and number of credits taken. The survey also provided information on participation in activities at Rowan University and data concerning …

The Effect Of Major Organizational Policy On Employee Attitudes Toward Graduate Degrees, Frank R. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders initiate policies not only to improve the success of their organizations, but to influence employee performance, whereby employee attitudes toward a policy objective can influence their resulting behaviors. One group of employees, Air Force officers, experienced a policy change in 2005 that discontinued the use of academic degrees as criteria for officer promotions. With this change, there is a concern that the number of Air Force officers with graduate degrees might decrease. In particular, senior leaders in the Civil Engineer (CE) officer career field are concerned that this policy change might reduce the number of officers available to fill …

Evaluating Support Services For African American Females At A Historically Black College, Sabrina Ferguson Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of the Women’s Resources Assistance Program (WRAP), a support service for African American females attending a historically black college or university (HBCU). The study included 230 participants. The purpose of the study was to gauge, through the use of surveys, each participant’s knowledge and level of participation in the WRAP.

The participants were issued questionnaires and interview forms to complete during the study. The questionnaires contained 11 closed-ended questions that were designed to determine the participating students’ attitude towards WRAP as well as their level of participation. Similarly, oral interviews were conducted to ascertain the …

The Analysis Of Air Force Institute Of Technology Theses Related To Contracting, Thomas M. Clohessy

Theses and Dissertations

At the end of March 2005, the final students will graduate from the Air Force Institute of Technology's (AFIT) contracting graduate degree curricula -- consisting at various times of both contract management and strategic purchasing course sequences -- which have been relocated to the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). With the end of the contracting graduate programs at AFIT, it is appropriate to ask what contributions AFIT theses have made to the contracting community. Scholars (e.g., Das and Hanfield, 1997) have argued that thesis and dissertation research is one useful method of determining contributions to the field. The author conducted a …

The Predictive Validity Of The Afit Graduate Management Program Admission Requirements: A Reassessment And Extension, Sarah E. Woods

Theses and Dissertations

This research is based on the Air Force and AFIT balancing mission requirements of personnel needed for duty and training airmen in advanced studies. Currently, over 50% of AFIT students do not meet AFIT entrance requirements. The purpose of this research was to examine criteria to determine its predictability of graduate success, as measured by graduate GPA, as well as determine whether performance is different for students who require criteria to be waived. Current AFIT eligibility criteria include undergraduate GPA, GRE test scores, or GMAT test scores. Other variables examined in this study include: GRE-Analytical test scores; rank/grade; prior enlistment; …

The Development Of A Service-Learning Curriculum At The University Of North Carolina At Greensboro, Donna Jeffers Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) successfully create a required service component in an undergraduate course that specifically addresses service learning and (b) develop recommendations for implementation of community service experiences in an existing academic department curriculum. Students, faculty, higher education institutions, and professional organizations contributed numerous suggestions for successful institutionalization of service learning. Relating course content to meaningful service, developing partnerships with community agencies, and providing faculty with recognition for service courses contributed to successful service-learning programs. The results revealed barriers to participation in service-learning activities, such as student and faculty apathy, lack of administrative support, and …

An Exploratory Investigation Of The Value Selected Academics Place On Faculty Internship Programs, James M. Summers

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this exploratory investigation were to (a) ascertain the level of importance or value Rowan University Engineering and Business faculty members (n = 51) place on faculty internships and (b) determine the preference these faculty members have toward faculty internships or traditional sabbaticals. A t-test for Equal Means indicated the two groups held similar views with respect to the perceived value faculty internships have on professional growth and improved scholarship and teaching. One exception was the effect faculty internships have on career requirements. While both groups generally understood the value of faculty internships, participants would opt for a …

Island Of Tranquility: Rhetoric And Identification At Brigham Young University During The Vietnam Era, Brian D. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

The author argues that beyond religious beliefs and conservative politics, rhetorical identification played an important role in the relative calmness of the BYU campus during the turbulent Sixties. Using Bitzer's rhetorical situation theory and Burke's identification theory, the author shows that BYU's calm campus can be explained as a result of communal identification with a conservative ethos. He also shows that apparent epistemological shortcomings of Bitzer's model can be resolved by considering the power of identification to create salience and knowledge in rhetorical situations. During the Sixties, BYU administration developed policies on physical appearance that invited students to take on …

A Technique For Converting Nfa's And Dfa's To Regular Expressions In Lex, Gregory Safko

Theses and Dissertations

In the design and creation of compilers, a compiler-writer is called upon to make assumptions and declarations about how their language's syntax performs and behaves. Lex is a software tool used to create grammar rules. A flat file is read as input to lex, and the corresponding C code is output. However, in order to properly format the flat file, the compiler-writer creates the lex expression either on a "hunch," or based on some given set of criteria. Among these criteria are: case sensitivity, the introduction of special characters and symbols, the handling of a space character, and the handling …

Title Ix Compliance In Intercollegiate Athletics, Michelle Andre

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine how institutions have been in compliance with Title IX at the New Jersey state schools that are part of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and are affiliated with the NCAA as Division III programs. The research was to show how these institutions felt they were in compliance and to explore whether they have met certain criteria and how programs have been dropped in order for institutions to meet a quota. I gathered my information via surveys. The subjects surveyed were both male and female athletic administrators at the state universities. Eighteen …

Effects Of Learning Style On Performance Outcome In A Distance Education Setting, Karen M. Mattison

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship that existed between learning style and performance outcome for a Distance Education setting. The study included three groups of students taking an introductory computer science course during the spring/02 semester at a small Community College in New Jersey. Each group was taught by the same instructor, used the same syllabus, and was expected to complete the same number and type of tests and assignments. However, the first group was a traditional lecture-based section. The second, was a traditional lecture-based section, but enhanced somewhat with a course web site interface. The …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Ncaa Divisions I, Ii, And Iii Compliance Programs, Michele Mcgowan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore a number of aspects and components of athletic compliance programs in Division I, II, and III institutions. I gathered my information for this study via surveys. The subjects surveyed were both male and female athletic administrators at Division I, II, and III colleges and universities. A systematic random sample stratified by division such that it would provide a 90% confidence level with a ± 5% margin of error was designed. To achieve the desired confidence level, I sent 213 surveys as follows: 70 surveys were sent to Division I institutions, 58 were …

Admissions Criteria And Academic Performance In The Afit Graduate Cost Analysis Program, Kenneth R. Garwood

Theses and Dissertations

This research examined the admissions criteria used by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to determine academic eligibility for the in-residence Graduate Cost Analysis (GCA) master's degree program. Using the cumulative graduate grade point average earned at AFIT as the measure of academic performance, comparisons were made between the predictive capability of the current criteria and other potential factors. Factors considered included scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), undergraduate cumulative and math grade point averages, applicant's age and gender, ratings of the undergraduate school's admissions competitiveness, undergraduate degree type, and various …

The Predictive Validity Of The Afit Graduate Engineering And Environmental (Geem) Admission Requirements, Charles C. Zitzmann

Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that a strong commitment to advanced technical and management education (Van Scotter, 1993, p. 1) serves to maintain the capability and strength of the United States Air Force (USAF), the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Graduate School of Engineering and Management (GSEM) offers a full-time, eighteen-month, Graduate Engineering and Environmental Management (GEEM) program to military officers and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees. The AFIT uses the applicant's undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test verbal and quantitative scores, and undergraduate mathematics course grade-point average (UMGPA) to select applicants for admission. This study analyzed how …

Service Learning In Business Schools: What The H.E.L.P. Honduras Story Teaches About Building, Sustaining, And Replicating International Initiatives In Graduate Programs, Lisa Mali Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This document outlines the foundation and first year results of the H.E.L.P. Honduras organization, which was formed as a student-based, student-governed international outreach initiative at the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Specifically, in its first year the organization focused on providing microcredit and service relief to victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras.

After studying the case of H.E.L.P. Honduras, readers should conclude that educators interested in sponsoring sustainable student-run service learning organizations at private universities must address three primary issues: the problem of student selection and turnover, the need for administrative and faculty endorsement, and the need …

A Value Focused Thinking Approach To Academic Course Scheduling, Shane A. Knighton

Theses and Dissertations

In 1997, the School of Engineering of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology began exploring ways of automating the academic course scheduling process. The administration desired an expedient approach for course scheduling which supports the institute's mission of "providing scientific and technological education" to officers from all branches of military service, as well as international military forces. The scheduling approach needed to be flexible, efficient, and represent the institute's values and principles. Decision Analysis (DA) and specifically, Value Focused Thinking (VFT), is used to decompose the complex problem of academic course scheduling and determine the factors that are …

The Role Of The Gso Program In The Space Operations Career Field, Gregory J. Beloyne

Theses and Dissertations

The number of Air Force officers graduating from the Air Force Institute of Technology's Graduate of Space Operations master's degree program is declining. Furthermore, the number of advanced academic degree jobs these officers fill within the Space Operations career field has been reduced. These events question the role the GSO program has in the Space operations career field. This research surveys the GSO populations to determine how useful their master's degrees have been in providing the skills and knowledge needed to fill the advanced degree positions. This research also addresses the number of officers entering the GSO program each year. …

An Analysis Of The Usefulness Of Graduate Education To Contracting Professionals As Perceived By Graduates And Their Supervisors, Ursula J. Woodson, Kimberly L. Yoder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to assess the usefulness of graduate education to contracting professionals as perceived by graduates and their supervisors. Based on a list of 22 skills used by contracting professionals, graduates and their supervisors were surveyed to determine to what extent graduates possess these skills, developed these skills in their graduate degree program, and use these skills in the performance of their jobs. Air Force Institute of Technology Contracting Management Graduates since 1988 and contracting professionals with masters degrees within the Air Force Materiel Command were identified for this study. As a result of this study, …

Demonstration Of A Benchmarking Technique To Compare Graduate Education Level Of Air Force Project Managers And Selected Benchmarking Partners, William D. Beatty, David H. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis demonstrated a benchmarking technique to support determining graduate education requirements for officers in the Acquisition Program Management utilization field. The technique is also applicable to other Air Force career fields. The USAF currently uses the Graduate Education Management System GEMS to quantify officer graduate education requirements. Weaknesses in the GEMS-based process include the inability to address future technologies, vulnerability to inconsistency and change, and confusion of training with education. AFIT developed and recommended an alternative requirements determination approach that relies on benchmarking. This thesis reviewed literature on benchmarking principles. The research methodology developed and implemented benchmarking procedures to …

Measuring Press Release Placement From Brigham Young University's Public Communications Office To Utah's Newspapers, Gregory T. Kunde

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a replication of a study conducted at Oklahoma State University in 1986. This study measures the percentage of Brigham Young University press releases published in Utah newspapers during a four month period in 1989. The results of the two studies are analyzed and compared.

Additionally, personal interviews were conducted with thirty Utah newspaper editors to help determine any additional factors that may affect publishing decisions among Utah's newspaper editors.

A History Of The Men's Intramural Program At Brigham Young University, David A. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compile and present an organized and complete history of the Men's Intramural Program at Brigham Young University.

The Brigham Young University Intramural Program had its beginning early in Brigham Young Academy history. The intramural program originated as an outgrowth of the physical education instructional program. Prior to 1954 the intramural program was part of the Physical Education Department and the Chairman of that department gave leadership to the intramural program by assigning part-time directors and student managers to organize sporting events. Since 1954 a full-time director has been employed as Intramural Director. The …