Education Commons^™

Critical College Experiences Of The Middle Third Of The High School Graduating Class, Nathan Kaoru Keikiokamakua Hanamaikai

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Seven recent graduates from a large, open access university in the Western United States who also graduated from high school in the middle third of their graduating class were interviewed to examine what they considered critical decisions during college and what effect those decisions had on their progress towards graduation. More than 45 critical incidents were identified by the participants. All incidents involved interaction with another person to some degree. All but 11 of the incidents were with people outside of institutional employees. Of the 11 incidents, the majority involved faculty members in either positive or negative situations. Upon further …

Community Partnerships In Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools: A Mixed-Methods Study, Jae L. Strickland

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify and describe community partnerships in Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools.

Fifty-one principals from the Southern and Midwestern regions of the United States completed a 19-question on-line survey designed to explore community partnerships in Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools. Of the 51 principals who completed the survey, 26 agreed to participate in a semi-structured interview.

The findings of the study suggest that community partnerships play an essential role in supporting Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools. Finding community partners can be challenging. Principals who wish to engage community partners should identify the needs …

Leadership Perspectives Of Chief Student Affairs Officers, Jeff Beavers

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Leadership in student affairs continues to be a challenging enterprise for universities. Colleges are expected to help students succeed while providing for abundant needs through graduation. Chief student affairs officers have increasing demands of students and faculty amid decreased funds. This exploratory study took an in-depth look at the leadership perspectives of 19 chief student affairs officers at 4-year, public universities across the Midwest. The researcher sought responses on common leadership perspectives, challenges faced, and opportunities encountered. The three emerging themes were elements that inform leadership, knowledge and skills, and mindful leadership outlook. These emergent themes formed the basis for …

Paths To Leadership Of Native Hawaiian Women Administrators In Hawaii's Higher Education System: A Qualitative Study, Farrah-Marie Gomes

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of the pathways to leadership for Native Hawaiian women administrators at the University of Hawaii by exploring and describing the experiences along their education and employment journeys. Eight Native Hawaiian women administrators shared the supports and challenges they encountered along their education and employment journeys, provided advice for Native Hawaiian women aspiring to be leaders, and suggested ways that the University can facilitate the development of more Native Hawaiian women leaders.

Using methods consistent with qualitative research, this narrative study utilized semi-structured interviews, field notes from the interviews and …

Navigating The Labyrinth Of Leadership: The Experience Of Female Presidents In Arkansas Community Colleges, Amanda Doyle Herwatic

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of female presidents in Arkansas community colleges. This was accomplished by collecting data through one-on-one interviews to examine how these women have navigated the labyrinth of leadership to reach the presidency of a community college. Using the conceptual framework of the labyrinth, as purported by Eagly and Carli (2007), this study focused on these lived experiences of these women and examined the life choices made, career paths, educational background, and obstacles these women have faced in navigating the labyrinth of leadership to reach the presidency. Through an inductive and …

Exploring The Nexus Of Students' Academic And Employment Experiences, Ryan M. Patterson

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis focuses on the experiences of college students who are balancing the multiple responsibilities of a full-time student while concurrently being employed 20 hours or more a week. Literature related to the experience of working students provided some insight regarding the impact of work on academics, however, previous research relied primarily on quantitative data. The research that exists largely fails to represent the voices of working students. The results of this study contribute to the literature by describing the positive and negative experiences that exist for students at the nexus of their academics and employment.

Using a qualitative, collective …

Recognizing Earned Credit: Student Motivations For Reverse Transfer Programs And Concurrently Earning Two Post-Secondary Degrees, Matthew S. Geyer

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2006-2007, there were 6.2 million community college students in the United States, making up 35% of all post-secondary students (Provasnik & Planty, 2008). Research has historically examined transfer student experiences from a community college to a four-year institution, overlooking the newly emerging population of reverse transfer students. Reverse transfer students have the potential to concurrently earn an associate and bachelor’s degree while at a four-year institution. This study contributes to the limited research regarding reverse transfer students by filling a literature gap and describing the experiences of reverse transfer students at a large, public four-year institution. The purpose of …

Sense Of Belonging In Greek Lettered Organizations, Is It Different For First-Generation Students?, Samantha A. Martens

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Involvement on a college campus can lead to students’ persistence through graduation (Tinto, 1993). Student attrition can be in an issue at institutions and Tinto (2012) states, “For four-year colleges and universities, whether public or private, 38% of those who leave will do so in their first year, and 29% in their second year” (p. 3). All students come to college with different backgrounds, experiences, and identities that impact their intentions on departing from their institutions (Tinto, 1975). One of these characteristics is first-generation student status. This quantitative study explored the experiences of first-generation and non-first-generation students by analyzing their …