Education Commons^™

Relationship Between Learning Communities And Campus Residency On Sense Of Belonging Among First Year Undergraduates, Lanah Kathryn Stafford

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

In higher education, sense of belonging has been linked to improved outcomes such as retention and academic achievement (e,g., Pittman & Richmond, 2007). Previous research has also identified participation in learning communities and campus residency as interventions which improve sense of belonging for students in this context (e.g., Solanki et al., 2019; Soria & Roberts, 2021). However, little research has been conducted to empirically study sense of belonging as a multidimensional construct, and no research has investigated interactions between on-campus residency and learning community participation on its development.

Data were collected from 1,072 first-year students on the Sense of Belonging …

Focused On Freedom: Exploring The Potential Of Grading Contracts To Support Writers In The Secondary English Language Arts Classroom, Margaret Mcgregor Fluharty

English Theses & Dissertations

Drawing on qualitative methods, I engaged in a practitioner inquiry (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009) to investigate the use of contract grading to promote educational freedom (hooks, 2009; Love, 2020) in the post-secondary writing classroom. In addition, I explored the potential of this practice in the secondary English language arts setting.

To better understand the perspectives of both post-secondary writing instructors and secondary English teachers on the use of grading contracts, I conducted focus groups and engaged in artifact analysis (Billups, 2019). Results showed that post-secondary instructors who utilized grading contracts in their classroom saw changes primarily in their students’ engagement …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Recent Educational Foundations Requirements By The Commission On Accreditation In Physical Therapy Education For Program Directors Of Physical Therapist Assistant Programs, Sharan Dawn Zirges

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

On November 2015, the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) published position papers for the 2016 changes to the CAPTE standards. One of these position papers discussed the changes in the 2016 standards related to the qualifications for the position of a program director (PD) for a physical therapist assistant. A specific qualification requirement was added stating “experience in educational theory and methodology, instructional design, student evaluation and outcome assessment, including the equivalent of nine academic (semester) credits of coursework in educational foundations.” The effectiveness of this additional requirement has to date not been assessed. The purpose of …

Combining Cognitive And Noncognitive Assessments To Predict First Year Gpa And Persistence In Community College Students, David Harris Larman

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Standard assessments of cognitive ability have been the preferred method of assessing the probability of student achievement at community colleges, but there is a growing trend in the use of noncognitive factors to assess student potential. Factors related to a student’s race/ethnicity and family income have been shown to be correlated with placement tests scores and high school grades. There is a gap in the literature about the use of noncognitive measures in conjunction with standardized placement tests to predict the achievement and persistence of community college students. The purpose of this study was to examine the strength of cognitive …

An Instrumental Case Study Of Confirmative Evaluation In The Continuous Improvement Of Online Remote Leaders’ Work, Chad Lawrence Mclane

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Confirmative evaluation is often noted as an important element of models of Human Performance Technology and Performance Improvement, but there exists confusion around what is and what is not confirmative evaluation. A significant issue limiting the use of confirmative evaluation is the Performance Improvement field’s inability to clearly classify confirmative evaluation in terms of its purpose and scope. Additionally, the performance improvement field lacks sufficient examples of confirmative evaluation in the literature necessary to adequately define confirmative evaluation and demonstrate its use. Without sufficient examples of confirmative evaluation, practitioners of performance improvement are left without a clear path of how …

Factors Promoting And Inhibiting The Practice Of Needs Assessment By Human Performance Practitioners, Christopher D. Adams

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Needs assessment is an essential activity for human performance improvement practitioners. This qualitative study employed the critical incident technique to determine factors, encountered by practitioners during needs assessment, which promote or inhibit successful needs assessment by exploring practitioners work across 50 incidents. Using extreme cases representing practitioners’ most and least successful needs assessment experiences allowed participants to recall rich detail of their process and the context in which they were working. Participants were also asked to reflect on what criteria they used to select most and least successful examples. From that basis, the study explored three research questions and associated …

Creating Conditions For Collaboration: A Case Study On Design-Based Professional Learning, Leslie A. Lehner

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Design thinking is a process for solving complex problems through creative actions. There are three primary ways design thinking is being used in education today: (a) as a teaching tool, (b) as a strategy for teachers to redesign their students’ learning experiences, and (c) as a tool for school leaders to design school change (Gallagher & Thordarson, 2018). Design thinking includes a strong emphasis on team-based learning regarding the problem and possible solutions (Lindberg et al., 2010). This case study describes one school’s approach to navigating complex challenges, inspiring school change, and developing conditions for meaningful collaboration using a design …

Investigating Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Virginia Computer Science Standards Of Learning: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Valerie Sledd Taylor

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Computer science education is being recognized globally as necessary to better prepare students in all grade levels, K-12, for future success. As a result of this focus on computer science education in the United States and around the world, there is an increased demand for highly qualified teachers with content and pedagogical knowledge to successfully support student learning. As a result, there is a call to include and improve the computer science training offered to pre-service teachers in their educator preparation programs from methods courses to practicum and student teaching experiences. Thus, it is important to understand how pre-service teachers …

Student Success Coaching In Virginia Community Colleges, Angela Lawhorne

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Community college students face many barriers when they start college, especially if they are from first-generation families, are low-income, or identify as a minority. Retention and completion for these at-risk students are relatively low compared to those with higher socioeconomic backgrounds (Bettinger & Baker, 2014). To improve these statistics and promote academic persistence, some Virginia Community College System (VCCS) colleges have implemented student success coaching under the Chancellor’s College Success Coach Initiative (VCCS, 2011). This entails not only assisting students with academic coaching, but also with career, financial, and personal matters that may affect their academic success. The researcher sought …

Comparison Of Motor-Enhanced And Visual-Enhanced Interventions For Grammar In Young Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Alisha P. Springle

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Up to 7.6% of children demonstrate a developmental language disorder (DLD), which can persist through adulthood, causing difficulty with academic achievement, social relationships, and financial stability. Grammar development, as a hallmark of DLD, is an important area of need for these children. Existing grammar interventions do not clearly distinguish the sensory input techniques that meet these children’s neurobiological instructional needs. This adapted alternating treatment design study implemented intervention using systematic paired visual and verbal and systematic paired motor, i.e. standardized gestures, and verbal sensory input techniques. A moderate-strong functional relation between intervention techniques using motor supports on grammatical outcomes in …

Students At A Crossroads: Ta Development Across Pedagogical And Curricular Contexts, Cassandra Ann Book

English Theses & Dissertations

A longstanding question in rhetoric and composition has been how to best educate composition graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs). Although many assume that writing centers are useful spaces for TAs to practice pedagogy and learn about writing processes in preparation for classroom teaching, recent scholarship complicates the claim that transfer from writing centers and/or practicums into composition classrooms is straightforward. Moreover, no study fully considers how the role of the writing center and teaching writing in English MA programs intersects with students’ development as teachers, writers, and scholars. This project brings together several strands of scholarship—the transferability of writing center experience …

Organizational Management Of Distance Learning: An Analysis Of Teacher Feedback Throughout Hampton Roads Public High Schools During The Covid-19 Pandemic Response, Cody P. Trudeau

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Public schools throughout the United States experienced closures and transitions to online curriculum in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many of the policies and strategies implemented to manage teaching faculty were hastily designed and employed out of necessity. This study sought to examine organizational management policies and strategies throughout public high schools in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia through teaching faculty perspectives. This cross-sectional study examined descriptive and correlational statistics of survey responses to determine and evaluate how schools managed communication, responsibilities and delegation, and training for distance learning in order to provide policy …

From Developmental Education To Transfer And Bachelor’S Degree Attainment: A Study Of Community College Students’ Long-Term Outcomes, Kathryn Mahaffey Harvey

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Community college is the only pathway to higher education for many students. Jenkins and Fink (2016) reported that 40% of new college students entered higher education through a community college. Most of these students aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree (Fink 2014). In order to achieve their dream of bachelor’s degree attainment, many of these students need to first complete a series of developmental or remedial courses to become college-ready and begin taking curriculum courses. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between developmental education course completion and transfer success by comparing the longitudinal outcomes of students …

Examining Self-Contained And Integrated Physical Education Experiences Among Individuals With Visual Impairments, Rebecca Coffey

Human Movement Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Introduction. While research to date has examined the views of individuals with visual impairments toward integrated public-school physical education, little attention has been given to examining perspectives toward experiences at residential schools for those with visual impairments. By understanding the perspectives of those who attended physical education in both contexts, researchers can gain valuable information about particularities that can make experiences meaningful or challenging. The purpose of this study was to examine how individuals who experienced physical education in both integrated and residential school settings viewed their physical education class experiences. Methods. This study utilized a retrospective interpretative phenomenological approach …

An Exploration Of Professional Preparedness Of Instructional Designers To Evaluate, Philena V. Devaughn

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Formative, summative, and confirmative evaluation of instructional products determine whether learner objectives have been attained and substantiate the value of the instruction. The ability to implement an evaluation plan is classified as an essential skill for instructional designers by the International Board of Standards for Training and Performance Improvement (IBSTPI). Previous research has ascertained that entry-level instructional designers have failed to master the skills required to create evaluation plans.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the professional preparation received by instructional designers, for instruction evaluation, through graduate level programs. The data collected for this study was the …

Building Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy (Ese): How Undergraduate Students Make Meaning Of Their Entrepreneurial Experiences, Amy Kurfist

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, interview-based research study explores how undergraduate students at a single research university make meaning of their experiences in curricular and co-curricular university entrepreneurship programming. The study focuses on the developmental relationship between entrepreneurship education and feelings of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and how feelings of ESE relate to future entrepreneurial intentions. I explore three of Bandura’s (1977) predictors of self-efficacy: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and social persuasion interwoven with the six dimensions of ESE developed by De Noble, Jung, and Ehrlich (1999) to determine how undergraduate students make meaning of their entrepreneurial experiences.

Through the analysis of data collected …

Access With Progress: A Comparative Analysis On The Co-Requisite Model Of Developmental Acceleration, Christopher Sean Wikstrom

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Students who are required to progress through a developmental education program face substantial barriers in the way of annual retention and program completion. A multitude of models exist on college campuses to improve these outcomes, one of which implements an on-time remediation approach. This co-requisite method is designed to reduce the time in developmental sequencing and stop-out points and accelerate students who are placed into preparatory classes to their gateway courses. As a form of developmental acceleration, students can concurrently enroll in their on-level and remedial courses in the same semester. A comparative analysis was performed between three student subgroups …

The Relationship Between Course Delivery Mode And Location With Course Success For Dual Enrolled Students, Dean Morris Roughton

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

High school dual enrollment has increased dramatically in recent years, growing 75% nationally between academic years 2002-03 and 2010-11 (Borden, Taylor, Park, & Seiler, 2013). Proponents of dual enrollment programs cite long-term, positive student outcomes for dual enrollment students: higher GPAs in college as adults (Allen & Dadgar, 2012; Jones, 2014; Karp, Calcagno, Hughes, Jeong, & Bailey, 2007), higher first year persistence rates in college (Jones, 2014; Karp et al., 2007), faster time to degree completion (Allen & Dadgar, 2012; Ganzert, 2014; Hughes, 2016), and higher college graduation rates (Ganzert, 2014; Hughes, 2016). However, very little research has focused on …

A Study Of Late Registration At Four Community Colleges, Meredith Courtney Nourie-Manuele

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

At the community college level, a debated policy is whether to keep the option for late registration. Most colleges define late registration as registration that occurs any time after the first day of the semester (O’Banion, 2012). Some community colleges have opted to eliminate late registration, believing, based on previous studies, that late registration is a barrier to students and their success (Bolt, 2013; Hale & Bray, 2011; Jones, 2015; Smith, Street, & Olivarez, 2002; Weiss, 1999). Others assert late registration remain an option maintaining that the open access designation associated with the community college demands that students not be …

The Influence Of Cognitive Load On Infotec Students Participating In Online Learning, Joe Price

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The theory of cognitive load has been developed to help educators, instructional designers, and developers of e-learning curriculum and materials, anticipate learning outcomes by fully understanding the cognitive capabilities and limitations of the learner. The theory is broad enough to be used in many educational environments because the focus is on making learning as effective and efficient as possible in regards to the human brain’s ability to process information. By reducing the complexity of the information to be learned and the manipulatives used to produce understanding, the curriculum developer can focus their energies on producing lessons that are streamlined and …

Examining The Relationship Between Selected Grade 3-12 Teachers’ Perceived Assessment Literacy And Their Classroom Assessment Practices, Mark E. Hudson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The study examined the self-reported understandings of selected 3rd to 12th grade teachers had of assessment and the assessment practices they reported implementing in their classrooms along with evidence extracted from written lesson plans. The literature on classroom assessment supports the idea that teachers who create meaningful assessments, offer corrective action, and give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate success can improve their instruction and increase student learning (Guskey, 2003). McMillan, Myran, and Workman (2002) argued that teachers’ understanding of assessment matters are inadequate; although there is common use of standardized math and reading tests, there is limited knowledge of how …

The Correlation Between The National Survey Of Student Engagement Indicators And First Year Student Achievement, Satisfaction, And Retention, Larry Peck

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the National Survey of Student Engagement indicators (NSSE), High-Impact Practices, demographic variables and non-involvement factors can significantly predict student achievement, satisfaction, and retention. The sample included data from 493 freshmen from a large public university in the Southeastern United States who participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement in 2015 and 2016. This study seeks to benefit instructional designers, educators, and educational institutions to maximize their resources and efforts to achieve maximum achievement, retention, and satisfaction.

The study concluded that achievement is highly correlated with higher-order learning, learning strategies, effective …

Dental Hygiene Alternative Practice Models: Preparedness And Confidence Of 2015 Graduates, Futun Nasser Alkhalifah

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: evaluate dental hygiene graduates’ perceived preparedness and confidence to practice in alternative settings. Methods: a survey was sent through ADHA to all members who graduated within the last year (2015-2016) with a minimum of one-week work experience. The survey consisted of demographics, and two alternative practice scales. Independent variables characterized as follows: (1) graduate of a baccalaureate degree dental hygiene program within an allied health science program, (2) graduate of a baccalaureate degree dental hygiene program within a dental school, or (3) graduate of an associate degree dental hygiene program. The dependent variables were preparedness, confidence and practice management …

An Outcome-Based Competency Model For Systems Engineering Trainees, Vanessa J. Pietrzyk

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Dominant theories relating to outcome-based learning and workforce competency were synthesized into a singular outcome-based competency model to evaluate systems engineering training. A baseline model was developed using leading theories from the academic literature pertaining to competencies for systems engineers across three categories: cognitive, skill-based, and behavioral. The model was further refined via qualitative and quantitative analysis of formal interviews of subject matter experts in the field of systems engineering workforce management. The refined model classifies 28 critical competencies for systems engineers into three tiers of workforce functionality: foundational, specialized, and leadership. The resultant theoretical model is both grounded in …

Elaboration And Question Strategy Effect On Learning Outcomes And Cognitive Load, Julie Ann Bridges

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of instructor-created elaborations, learner-created elaborations and adjunct questions on learning outcomes in an asynchronous learning environment, using pre-recorded video. The study also investigated the effects of instructor-created elaborations, learner-created elaborations, or adjunct questions on perceived cognitive load. The effect of learning strategy on quality of elaboration was also investigated. Results showed no significant difference in learning outcomes or cognitive load or quality of elaboration, but a post-hoc analysis revealed a significant difference in intrinsic cognitive load for students who used generative strategies while having no gain in learning outcomes.

A Qualitative Exploration Of First-Generation Student Experiences At A Rural Community College, Rebecca Margrete Evans

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

First-generation students comprise 36% of U.S. community college enrollments but struggle to remain in school to earn a college credential. First-generation students are less likely to enroll in college and have a higher probability for attrition than continuing-generation students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how first-generation students attending a rural community college located in the Southeastern United States perceived that their experiences impacted their academic and nonacademic success. This study replicated and extended the Stansberry and Burnett (2014) study that explored the experiences of first-generation students attending a large, diverse research university.

This phenomenological study utilized …

The Influence Of Multimedia Production Knowledge On The Design Decisions Of The Instructional Designer, Stephen Brent Hoard

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the interaction of multimedia production competencies of expert and novice instructional designers on the design decisions made during the instructional design process / workflow. This multiple measures study used qualitative survey instruments to access and measure the production competencies of participants, then a design aloud protocol to capture and measure the instructional design decision-making process for those same participants. A follow-on interview after the initial design aloud session was conducted in order to triangulate and confirm any trends or findings uncovered during the earlier design aloud session. Ultimately, the objective of this study was to provide some …

Factors Influencing The Selection Of Academic Help Sources, Joan Giblin

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study extends the literature on academic help-seeking by identifying factors influencing undergraduate students’ selection of a source of help. Learners engage in intentional decisions to seek help from human and non-human sources to resolve gaps in knowledge. Decision making heuristics provide a theoretical lens to understand these intentional decisions. Previous research in academic help-seeking assumed learners sought only human sources of assistance, resulting in a narrow understanding of how learners resolve knowledge gaps. Methodological trends in help-seeking research consistently favor quantitative, survey based tools with pre-defined options. As a result, the factors that influence the selection of a source …

The Impact Of High School Dual Enrollment Participation On Bachelor's Degree Attainment And Time And Cost To Degree, Thomas Earl Hughes

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Dual enrollment has become nearly ubiquitous in the U.S. with 82% of public high schools offering dual credit courses with student enrollment topping two million (Borden, Taylor, Park, & Seiler, 2013). Policymakers and proponents of dual enrollment have claimed that these programs better prepare students for college success and reduce the time and cost to a college degree. There is a growing body of empirical research showing that students who participated in dual enrollment programs completed bachelor’s degrees at higher rates than non-dual enrollment participants do. However, most of this research has focused on single institutions or states, and not …

An Evaluation Of Pathways To Community College Student Success In Anatomy And Physiology I, Staci Brooke Forgey

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The demand for healthcare workers is increasing nationwide. Higher education is responding by examining various interventions designed to increase completion (Abele, Penprase, & Ternes, 2011). Anatomy and Physiology is often identified as a gatekeeper course for students, since many withdraw or fail this course (Hopper, 2011). Within the VCCS, two colleges have implemented a prerequisite course, NAS 2, for Anatomy and Physiology. This study analyzed student data from before and after NAS 2 implementation, and examined General Biology to determine if it was a predictor of success in Anatomy and Physiology.

When NAS 2 was a significant predictor of grade …